One reason I love to explore the closets of other D+ women is that it allows me to introduce you to more styles, manufacturers and designers than I can carry in my closet alone.  Hence my excitement when Leah pulled out two dresses from PinUp Girl Clothing, which I’ve always wanted to try. Later, she also  introduced me to Michelle Jonas, a designer I’m going to keep an eye on. Chime in if you’ve purchased any of these brands or own similar styles to those in the pictures below.
I’ll also ask Leah to chime in with the sizes of these pieces–I forgot to write them in my notes, and I know some of you will want to compare her measurements and sizes with your own in order to figure out what would look best on you. Leah measures 27″ at the waist and 36″ at the bust. She is also super lucky to measure 18″ from her center back (that little knob at the base of your neck) to her waist. Why is this so lucky? Most of the women that I have measured have ranged between 14″-16″ from center back to waist. With such a long torso, Leah can get away with a super saggy bra and still have waist to spare!
Finally, in past Inside the Closet segments, I’ve written separate posts for favorites and unfavorites, but I’m combining them here. Her unfavorites are in the bottom two photos.
This is the Natalie dress from PinUp. I always wondered about the quality of their dresses, but after handling the fabric in this one, I’m sold. It has a really nice weight with firmness to its stretch. One nice feature about this dress is that the tie at the bust can be knotted loosely or tightly, depending on the amount of cleavage exposure desired (you can see the tie at the bust more clearly on the PinUp website).
Here’s another winner, the Deadly Dames Troublemaker Dress, which is currently sold out. It came with a wide vinyl belt that Leah disposed of because it looked cheap and a skull broach that she’s kept. She loves the sweetheart neckline and said that the bodice almost acts as a pushup bra. Another plus: the horizontal seams below the bust stay below the bust.
Here’s a closeup of the part of the bodice that contains the bust. By the way, Leah said that PinUp’s customer service is great. To make a return, she has contacted them by email and then used the mailing label they sent her within the next couple of days.
I promise to post a better picture soon. This vintage dress is amazing. Leah inherited it from her grandmother who purchased it in the 50’s–once she tried it on, she knew from whom she’d inherited her 28FF’s. Leah wears this dress to weddings.
Here’s a peek at the crinoline beneath her vintage dress.
On the left, a dress by Michelle Jonas. On the write, two Forever 21 finds.
Here’s a closeup of the Michelle Jonas dress. Leah buys them through flash sales and other online specials since they’re pretty expensive at full price. If you haven’t already, you really should check out the video/slide show on the Michelle Jonas home page.
This isn’t one of her favorites–she just pulled it out to show me what she wears with the star booties in the next photo. It’s polyester at its cheapest, but the explosion of color and the comic strip print are totally Leah.
Her star booties that caught my eye. Darn this WordPress gallery posting feature that cropped half the star off!
The weakness in Unfavorite Dress #1? It’s too short.
Leah purchased Unfavorite Dress #2 from an eBay site that promised to deliver a custom-made dress to Leah after she submitted her measurements.. The first version was too big and the seller said they’d sent her the wrong one. The second version is baggy at the waist. She took it in at the sides, but it’s still too baggy and needs more work at the waist darts, but that involves taking it apart . . . something she hasn’t gotten around to yet.
1 Comment on Inside the Closet of a 28FF: Leah’s Fabulous Dresses
Just wanted to chime in with some of the sizes! All PinUp Girl Clothing is size medium. The best thing about their site is that they have separate sizing charts for each item—NOT one of those useless “universal” guidelines. The Michelle Jonas dress is a small, though I’ve ordered other styles in medium and that fits better; the Mondrian dress from Forever21 is a medium and the bright yellow dress (which is actually from H&M, not Forever21) is a 4 (though it’s a few years old and now I buy most of my H&M gear in a 6 or 8).
Just wanted to chime in with some of the sizes! All PinUp Girl Clothing is size medium. The best thing about their site is that they have separate sizing charts for each item—NOT one of those useless “universal” guidelines. The Michelle Jonas dress is a small, though I’ve ordered other styles in medium and that fits better; the Mondrian dress from Forever21 is a medium and the bright yellow dress (which is actually from H&M, not Forever21) is a 4 (though it’s a few years old and now I buy most of my H&M gear in a 6 or 8).