We’re on to my second of three Vivien of Holloway dress reviews, and this time it’s the turn of the positively fabulous ‘Grace’ dress, a silk, full-circled version of the Jezebel I tried last time. It’s the most expensive VoH dress at £110, but there’s definitely a reason for that. The fabric is really nice quality, very heavy so it hangs well, and there’s loads of it in the dress – though there are side seams, this is a nice full skirt, not an A-line masquerading as a circle!

I should probably tell you now, before you scroll down, that the unofficial theme for these photos was ‘vintage tea party in my kitchen’ so this post includes not only a retro dress, but also cupcakes and vintage teacups. All this is despite the fact I don’t drink tea (I do eat cakes, though). Be warned, kitsch ahoy!

I’m basically in love with what this dress does to my waist!

It fits like a glove around the mid-section. Looking back at the pictures, I would perhaps opt for a different bra in the future (I wore the Freya Deco half-cup) because around the top seam it’s fighting against underwires and padding a bit which means it sits out away from my body slightly, but nevertheless I can’t fault the fit at all. When I put it on it felt like the dress had been custom-made to my measurements.

The heavy satin items like this one seem to run a bit smaller than others in the Vivien of Holloway range, probably because of the stiffness and lack of give. It’s not a huge difference, but I’d say there’s half an inch in it at least, so it’s worth remembering if you’re between sizes or only just fit into the size you usually wear if you’re a fan of the brand. The Jezebel fit me with a bit of breathing space, the Grace in the same size (vintage 16) fits very tightly, but not uncomfortably. As always with Vivien of Holloway, go by the waist measurement, not the size in the label as their vintage sizing differs from modern sizes by quite a bit.

The length, shape of the skirt and the way it hangs can’t really be faulted as far as I’m concerned. On my 5’7 frame it hits a couple of inches below the knee, and the fabric is heavy enough that it doesn’t crease the moment you put it on. It took a while to get used to the colour – if I’d bought it myself I probably would have gone with the navy or dark green – but once I had it on and I was prancing about the kitchen with cupcakes, I soon grew to love the bold fuchsia and ended up falling in love. I wore it with Marc Jacobs peep toes, my mom’s necklace, H&M earrings and a No.1 Jenny Packham bracelet.

Buy the dress in various colours for £110 at Vivien of Holloway.

[Photos by Natalie]

Disclosure: Vivien of Holloway allowed me to keep one dress – I chose this one! However, all thoughts are my own and I was not paid to publish them.

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