Women’s fashion in the mid to late 40’s was heavily influenced by the geographical locations of WW2. Troops would often bring home gifts and souvenirs for their loved ones from far flung lands. These styles were soon adopted back home, giving rise to Tiki and Asian Pacific fashions.
Tiki is one of my favourite looks, but I had never considered an Asian Pacific inspired style, until I saw the Lilly May dress from Weekend Doll. I wasn’t too keen on the style from the initial pictures,but I fell in love with it when I tried it on!
The Lilly May dress has a beautiful floral pattern with yellow, pink and blue notes on top of a black base. What I like about the colour is that it allows you to pair it with brightly coloured accessories(like I did) or tone it down with black accessories if you prefer.
The dress paired perfectly with a number of accessories thatI already had in my wardrobe. I wore bamboo earrings and bangles from LadyLuck’s Boutique, as well as a green and white hair flower (also from LadyLuck’s Boutique ). I wore a black patent belt from Pinup Girl Clothing ,to add some definition to my boyish frame and finished the look off with my Souvenir shoes from Luck Lou shoes. But what really brought the dress to life was the addition of a few Asian inspired accessories; my red parasol I picked up at Viva Las Vegas and my green bamboo bag, which was a charity shop find.
In terms of sizing, this dress fit like a dream. I am wearing a size XS and my measurements are as follows (Bust: 35in, Waist: 26.5inHips: 34in). The dress has a lot of stretch, which means I could have probably sized down for a tighter fit. There are no buttons or zips on this dress, which caught me by surprise, so the stretch is key in getting it over your head! The length was perfect on my 5ft 2in frame and the modest V neck (with green piping!) means this dress is really suitable for work or more formal functions too.
The Lilly May dress also has a matching pencil skirt, which again, carried the same beautiful floral pattern and all of the features I love about the dress. Again, the Lilly May skirt fit like a dream in Size XS and was a perfect length (something I struggle with as I am on the short size). The waist on the skirt is elasticated and again, there are no zips. The elasticated waist is nicely done and is not obvious, so a belt is not a requirement. I paired the skirt with the Emmy cardigan which was a little snug on me. I could have done with sizing up from the XS I wore.
The Emmy cardigan is a beautiful canary yellow and again, something I would usually avoid, but it looked beautiful in the flesh. The cardigan is crochet, so a modesty top underneath is required!
