I pretty much tend to shy away from doing product reviews, but when Madeline from
The Red Dress Shoppe offered to send me her new original design, the Amelie dress, there was no
way I was going to refuse. I've long been familiar with Madeline's shop and have consistently been impressed with her pretty, vintage-inspired clothes, affordable prices, quick shipping and great service. I've linked her shop many times on this blog because I've shopped with her myself and can 100% endorse her business. Doing a product review for her felt more like collaborating with a friend.
The 1950's A-line style Amelie dress comes in 2 colors, olive and gray. Since I already own a
gray dress from RDS, I chose the olive. The fabric is a sturdy but soft wool-acrylic blend which drapes well and holds its shape. On someone with a bigger bust, the keyhole detail in the bodice would probably show a cheeky little peek of cleavage, but on me it just showed my bra, so I layered my gray slip underneath.
Like all of Madeline's other items, the Amelie dress corresponds to a size chart that is matched specifically to it; this is one of the features I really love about this shop. According to the chart I needed a medium, which fit me very comfortably. The fabric also has a nice amount of stretch, so I imagine the sizes can accommodate a range of individuals. Those cute little tabs at the collar actually flop around a little because they aren't sewn down, but that was easily fixed with a couple of safety pins. Since it wouldn't really be feasible to wear a scarf or other accessory under the collar, the tabs could be tacked down permanently with no loss in either looks or functionality. That's really the only minor design change I'd make to this dress.
The
Red Dress Shoppe is a one-woman operation (unless you count Madeline's baby, who I'm sure provides plenty of moral support), which makes the work she does even more impressive. I also love the fact that when you communicate with the shop, you're communicating directly with the owner. Not surprisingly, I paired this sweet little dress with my Red Dress Shoppe belt, which is an enduring staple in my wardrobe. I added textured tights to bring in a little pattern, and finished off the outfit with plenty of sparkly jewelry. This dress is adorable, just my style, well made and very comfortable. You'll be seeing a lot more of it in posts to come.
I also wanted to show you this coat, which is making its debut today even though I've had it for many months (I was saving it for spring because of the color). I picked it up for a few bucks at Goodwill, but at the time it was a dingy cream color. I figured that for a few bucks I could experiment with dyeing it, and this is how it turned out. I actually used a much darker dye, but because the fabric is a blend of wool and synthetic, and the dye will only stick to natural fibers, it ended up a springy lime green. The green dress provided the perfect impetus to wear the jacket, and I love how the two shades of green complimented each other.
Dress:
Red Dress ShoppeNecklace: from a glass shop in Venice
Belt: Red Dress Shoppe
Tights: Sock Dreams
Shoes: John Fluevog
Coat: Tulle
When I was in Paris recently I made a special trip up to Monmartre to go back to Metal Pointu's, the jewelry shop I fell in love with during my last trip. My purpose was to get one of the chunky, statement necklaces that I had seen the last time I was there. This one is just perfect, having enough thickness and heft to feel and look substantial, but not so much as to overwhelm my slender neck and narrow shoulders. While I was there I also picked up another ring to go with the one I already had. I really love how the two pieces complement one another. 
A couple of days later during the trip, I was wearing my new necklace with one of the dresses I had packed. My friend/coworker who I was traveling with remarked at how perfectly the necklace went with my dress. I said, "Well of course they go together, I packed this dress knowing I would be going to that shop to buy a necklace to go with it!" He thought that was going just a bit too far for fashion, but I thought it was simply impeccable planning.
