Saying hello to autumn's return with a beautiful retro frock from Dressific

Outfit details

C. 1930s/1940s black felt and cream faux pearl hat: Unknown, had for many years
Sparkly gold ribbon bow earrings: Claire's
Vintage style Elegant Me Floral Retro: c/o Dressific
C. 1960s - 1970s Victorian revival gold tone metal and amber hued plastic bow dangle brooch: Unknown, has for years (probably thrifted from Value Village)
C. 1980s does 1950s wide woven black bet: Unknown, has for years (probably thrifted from Value Village)
C. 1950s white gloves: Unknown, had for years (possibly a gift)
Vintage style molded black plastic rose bead stretch bracelet: Thrifted (Value Village)
Gold tone metal bangle bracelet: Payless
Mid-century black faux patent leather handbag: A Vintage Revival
Black seamed nude stockings: eBay
1940s style black faux suede round toe pumps: Walmart (which, yes, I was actually wearing here - the tall grass obscured them)
Lip colour: MAC Partyline

Photography by Tony Cangiano

♥ ♥ ♥

Ooohh, you guys, am I tickled pink about today's vintage outfit post, as it is not only the very first (of several) that happened while on our recent holiday to Edmonton, but it's also the first of this autumn, and it stars one seriously charming vintage appropriate frock from Australia based online retailer Dressific.

I'm a huge fan of visiting new-to-me destinations, which Edmonton most certainly was, however one of the challenges of such can be finding locations to shoot in when you don't know much about the town/city and its layout. Add in the often very damp, cold and windy weather that accompanied us throughout our travels this time around and things got even more tricky for us on that front.

Fortunately though, in this day and age, between smart phones and GPS systems, shoot locations can be found on the fly, and the fenced field (attached to a park) that we took these photos in before it started to pour again late one windy afternoon (so hence the squinting) was just such a spot.

Earlier in the day we'd been doing a lot of exploring around town, though mostly to shops and downtown areas, few of which would have worked well, IMO, to highlight a retro style dress like this gorgeous offering from Dressific in.

I've had the pleasure of working with Dressific as a sidebar sponsor at various points over the years, but this is the first garment that I've received from them and I sincerely want to thank the fine folks at this thriving online retailer for the thoughtful review gift.

Dressific was launched by fellow vintage fashion adoring gal (and oldest of nine siblings!) Elena Sheen, who had a strong desire to combine what she saw as the best of both vintage and modern fashion, and to then deliver such in an affordable and highly accessible manner.

While Dressific's offerings are available "off the rack" in a wide range of sizes, awesomely - much like companies such as eShakti, Bow & Drape, and Black Lapel - they also provide a custom fit service, for no additional charge, on some of their special occasion dresses.

As so many of us fall between sizes or have specific areas that can be tricky to dress in the most flattering way possible, I know that I won't be alone in appreciating and applauding Dressific for offering this option to their customers.

Dressific is based out of Australia, with fulfillment centers both there and in China. Their listings are frequently updated, reasonably priced (if you signup for their email newsletter, you can ever receive a coupon code that will save you 10% off on your first order, thus making their prices even more inviting), fun and charming - plus, they have a 100% no knockoff garment guarantee, which is incredibly positive and inspiring to see these days.

I feel that Elena nailed things squarely on the head in terms of marrying old and new sartorial elements, as many of Dressific's products do indeed have the sort of yesteryear styling that instantly appeals to scores of vintage and repro wearers the world over.

I knew that my Dressific review item would be arriving around the start of the fall, so I opted to select a garment with a cut and colour palette that suited this time of the year really nicely: the Elegant Me Floral Retro Dress, which currently retails for $74.50 AUD.

It should be noted that this dress comes with a cute black faux leather and gold tone metal bow skinny belt, however I didn't feel like such was quite what I wanted for the over all scope of the outfit I created around the dress that day, so I went with a different (wider) belt of my own instead.

This dress is made from a medium weight stretch cotton that has a little bit of sheen to it. Elbow - 3/4 length sleeves (depending on the length and size of your arms), a side zipper, a becoming collar neckline, cute wooden buttons, poufy shoulders, and an eye-catchingly terrific floral pattern in tawny brown, white and black (or is it navy blue – honestly, it looks like both in different lights) add up to one seriously lovely garment.

Though I found this dress to be a little restrictive in the shoulder and underarm area (a true rarity for me, as I have tiny shoulders and usually garments have way too much excess material in that area for me), that is the only teeny point regarding that fit that arose for me.

I would note that I'm wearing a size medium here, which fits like a small (or even, these days, sometimes, an XS) in many other brands, so if you're between sizes or want a roomier garment, please keep in mind that this dress' sizing may run a little small and that you might want to size up.

Dressific provides easy to read size charts for all of their products though, so hopefully by referring to the chart for a given item, you can find the best fit for your body based on the measurements listed (personally I never give a toss about the number on a label, favouring an accurate fit a billion times over!).

I really like this dress. Its sleeve length makes it a great piece for the brief summer-into-fall weeks, whereas the fitted fabric enables you to easily layer this piece as the temperature plummets further. The fairly full skirt, inclusion of pockets, and arrestingly elegant floral print in a great autumnal colour palette all appeal to me immensely and ensure that this is a dress I'll wear many more times this year and beyond.

So while this shoot might not show you too much of Edmonton, others that follow will, and the park field here - with its lush green grass - provided a really nice neutral background against which to photograph this stylish, autumn perfect Dressific frock in. Thus making it a background location win in my books.


*PS* I should mention that I'm not blogging the shoots that we did in Edmonton in 100% sequential order and that they'll also be interspersed here and there with other newer shoots, particularly those starting festive fall/Thanksgiving/Halloween related outfits. They will, however, all be blogged and I can hardly wait to keep sharing more about our travels with all of you.