Baroque Royalty - Dolce & Gabbana

Although fashion blogs tend to report forecasted or recent trends, I have been fawning over Dolce & Gabbana's Fall 2013 collection this past week. I adore the ornate old-world regality mixed with religious iconography and baroque glamour. Inspired by the Venetian and Byzantine mosaics of Sicily's Cathedral of Monreale, the dresses, jewellery, rosaries, and crowns are lavish works of art. The silhouettes range from sheaths to goddessly gown to vintage-inspired fit and flare. This is truly one of my favourite collections ever, the embodiment of Italian extravagance.

                                            A decadent marriage of black lace and mosaics

Chalice-gold bustiers and belts.

                        

 

Noir lace and ornate rosaries.

 

 

                                 High waists and fit-and-flare coats add a vintage touch.

Beautiful embroidery

                                                                Devilish red lace

Adorned like a queen. 

Entwined with opulent gold roses.

                                               Shoes inspired by mosaics and floral cages.

Fall 2014 Trend - Plaid

From school girl to bad girl, plaid is hot for Fall 2014. My favourite combination is red and black.

Inspired By Skulls

Whether everyday is Halloween or you're a rocker at heart, skull motifs are sinisterly stylish.I want to add these edgy yet elegant pieces to my wardrobe this Fall!

The Skull Print dress from Wheels and Dollbaby "has been re–released from the Rock’n’Roll Vault! The Iconic Wheels & Dollbaby Skull Print Dress has been worn by celebrity clients and rock icons for years. Notorious skull print charcoal cotton voile is fashioned into a chic shirt dress with full pleated skirt. Featuring flirty mini-length, button through entry, shirt collar, waist tie and full-length sleeves. This edgy piece is an essential to the rock chic wardrobe, famously worn by Katy Perry, Tara Moss, and Jemima Khan. Style with our Classic Leather Motorcycle Jacket to complete this killer look".  

For the  Fall, this sexy shirt dress would also look great with leather leggings/skinny jeans. 

The Hotrod Honey Dress in Skull Print by Deadly Dames for PinUp Girl Clothing will be released in October. Described on the website as "the comfort of your favorite t-shirt meets the design you love from Deadly Dames with the Hotrod Honey Swing Dress! Made of a high-quality cotton stretch knit, the Hotrod Honey features a wide scoopneck, 3/4 length sleeves, and a full swing skirt that is slightly gathered at the elasticized waistline. Comfortable and cute, this dress is available here in Micheline's custom skull print and comes with a faux leather belt". I cannot wait for this dress to hit the site! As a stay-at-home mom, the easy comfort factor is huge, without sacrificing style and edge. I have other dresses by PUG made with their heavy, high quality, yet cozy cottons and it is worth the price.  

The Damsel Top by Steady Clothing is on my wishlist for the Fall as well. Like the Hotrod Honey dress above, it is comfortable and classy. With the lacy skull neckline and sleek shape, it would look great with a high-waisted pencil skirt or jeans, to the office, night out or running errands. For Canadian-friendly shipping rates, this top is available at Retroglam/Rowena, Blame Betty, and Sourpuss Clothing. 

The comfort of your favorite t-shirt meets the design you love from Deadly Dames with the Hotrod Honey Swing Dress! Made of a high-quality cotton stretch knit, the Hotrod Honey features a wide scoopneck, 3/4 length sleeves, and a full swing skirt that is slightly gathered at the elasticized waistline. Comfortable and cute, this dress is available here in Micheline's custom skull print and comes with a faux leather belt. - See more at: http://www.pinupgirlclothing.com/hotrod-swing-skull.html#sthash.Xo0pKBEY.dpuf

The comfort of your favorite t-shirt meets the design you love from Deadly Dames with the Hotrod Honey Swing Dress! Made of a high-quality cotton stretch knit, the Hotrod Honey features a wide scoopneck, 3/4 length sleeves, and a full swing skirt that is slightly gathered at the elasticized waistline. Comfortable and cute, this dress is available here in Micheline's custom skull print and comes with a faux leather belt. - See more at: http://www.pinupgirlclothing.com/hotrod-swing-skull.html#sthash.Xo0pKBEY.dpuf

The comfort of your favorite t-shirt meets the design you love from Deadly Dames with the Hotrod Honey Swing Dress! Made of a high-quality cotton stretch knit, the Hotrod Honey features a wide scoopneck, 3/4 length sleeves, and a full swing skirt that is slightly gathered at the elasticized waistline. Comfortable and cute, this dress is available here in Micheline's custom skull print and comes with a faux leather belt. - See more at: http://www.pinupgirlclothing.com/hotrod-swing-skull.html#sthash.Xo0pKBEY.dpuf

The comfort of your favorite t-shirt meets the design you love from Deadly Dames with the Hotrod Honey Swing Dress! Made of a high-quality cotton stretch knit, the Hotrod Honey features a wide scoopneck, 3/4 length sleeves, and a full swing skirt that is slightly gathered at the elasticized waistline. Comfortable and cute, this dress is available here in Micheline's custom skull print and comes with a faux leather belt. - See more at: http://www.pinupgirlclothing.com/hotrod-swing-skull.html#sthash.Xo0pKBEY.dpuf

The comfort of your favorite t-shirt meets the design you love from Deadly Dames with the Hotrod Honey Swing Dress! Made of a high-quality cotton stretch knit, the Hotrod Honey features a wide scoopneck, 3/4 length sleeves, and a full swing skirt that is slightly gathered at the elasticized waistline. Comfortable and cute, this dress is available here in Micheline's custom skull print and comes with a faux leather belt. - See more at: http://www.pinupgirlclothing.com/hotrod-swing-skull.html#sthash.Xo0pKBEY.dpuf

The comfort of your favorite t-shirt meets the design you love from Deadly Dames with the Hotrod Honey Swing Dress! Made of a high-quality cotton stretch knit, the Hotrod Honey features a wide scoopneck, 3/4 length sleeves, and a full swing skirt that is slightly gathered at the elasticized waistline. Comfortable and cute, this dress is available here in Micheline's custom skull print and comes with a faux leather belt. - See more at: http://www.pinupgirlclothing.com/hotrod-swing-skull.html#sthash.Xo0pKBEY.dpuf

The comfort of your favorite t-shirt meets the design you love from Deadly Dames with the Hotrod Honey Swing Dress! Made of a high-quality cotton stretch knit, the Hotrod Honey features a wide scoopneck, 3/4 length sleeves, and a full swing skirt that is slightly gathered at the elasticized waistline. Comfortable and cute, this dress is available here in Micheline's custom skull print and comes with a faux leather belt. - See more at: http://www.pinupgirlclothing.com/hotrod-swing-skull.html#sthash.Xo0pKBEY.dpuf

Ella Bella

Sunny and saccharine, the Ella dress by PUG is the quintessence of summer - long island iced teas and rose gardens personified! When I first saw previews of it on PinUp Girl Clothing’s Instagram, I wasn’t completely enamored with it. Maybe because it was a peek at the Summer collection and it was still snowing in May here, so Summer just seemed like a familiar fable at that time. Once the snow melted and trees started to flourish, the Ella was making a presence in the pinup boutiques and online communities. Although at first glance it seemed too sugary, there are several details that speak to several of my weaknesses, so I had to get one!

Several years ago as I started to inch away from an all-black wardrobe, yellow was my guilty pleasure and the first step out of my comfort zone. Now it is easily one of my favourite colours to wear, so the yellow Ella was my immediate choice out of the three available colours. This is a true yellow - not eggshell or mustard; just pure primary yellow. 

I also have an obsession with images of red roses, so I love that the painted florals on this colourway are red and pink. The bouquets on the pink and blue versions (which will be shown at the end of the post) are more monochromatic and stay within the same spectrum as the dress. They're still super pretty but there's less contrast.

The bodice is accented with a green grosgrain bow, just above the wide waistband. I was apprehensive about the colour selection for the bow at first, but it really makes the dress all the more stunning. 

The gathered, renaissance-style peasant's bodice is another one of my weaknesses. I covet anything that sneaks in a touch of medieval femininity, plus this structure just amps up the curvature in the bosom area no matter what size you are. 97% cotton and 3% spandex, the Ella is quite accommodating in the bust area so this is a flattering feature for many body types. The bodice is also lined. The adjustable straps will suit a varying heights and torso lengths, while the elasticized back maintains a comfortable fit all around. PUG certainly lives up to their slogan "Couture for Every Body"


The skirt is full - there's just tons of glorious fabric in the bottom portion of this dress. I don't find that it's an overly poofy silhouette; it lays flat at hips, then flares out. I like some twirlability in my skirts, but I don’t like to look like an upside down spinning teacup either. The Ella has the right amount of fullness for me, a carousel of gorgeousness. It is quite long, though. I am 5'8" and the hem falls mid-calf for me.

I am wearing my usual medium and it is true to size. As usual for PinUp Girl Clothing, the construction and quality is superior, and is made ethically in the USA. This is a perfect summer dress, but because of the lining and just the abundance of skirt, it can be too heavy for those 30C days! I'd even take this dress into the first weeks of Autumn with a little cardigan when it cools down in the evening. 

Last but not least, the feature that turned this dress from a 'want' to a 'need' was the POCKETS. Yes...deep, deep concealed slit pockets that can fit your lipstick, cell phone (I have  a Samsung Galaxy that nestles in nice and cozy), keys, cards, tissues, etc. - seriously, all the essentials. With my hand completely in, it will fit up to 3 inches above my wrist. I don't worry about losing anything.

I've compiled images from PinUp Girl Clothing's website to show you the dress on the mannequin, model, and a close-up swatch of the fabric. Some ladies have the Sleeping Beauty-esque debate between pink and blue, but I really don't blame those who end up getting all the colours (I wish I could do that with all my dresses!).