*~~Dressing for confidence: Part One; Collectif~~*
Hey all! Today I've decided to write this little bit down, as I know a lot of other ladies that are into fifties/reproduction or Rockabilly styles often have a real hard time finding things that fit the aesthetics of the look, or they are unsure where to shop and not get ripped off by things masquerading as UK brands and sizes when in reality they are coming from China!
Now, Rockabilly looks a hell of a lot better when worn with confidence, and once you have everything put together then trust me you really will look amazing!
A smile pulls any outfit together :)
This blog post is mainly aimed at ladies in the UK (with regard to the links I will use!) Although if you like I can do an international or specific country post if needed!
Now there are a lot of stores online where you can get some pretty darn fabulous clothing and accessories, the most obvious and frequented of these is;
Collectif
Say the word "Collectif" to any rockin' lady and her eyes will glaze slightly and you may even see a little bit of drool. Collectif makes some absolutely gorgeous clothing, but as it is the best for Fifties looks, it can be a bit more pricey, though they do have a lot of sales, and the clothes really are worth the price!
However, there are some negative aspects, such as prices of accessories and postage costs, which I will also cover :)
Their clothing really makes for a beautiful, ladylike look!
Their clothes are a little less loud than a lot of us wear, as they go more for Fifties reproduction than what we know as Rockabilly, however with the right accessories and makeup they most definitely can be jazzed up!
Take this blouse for instance, paired with pale blues or pinks it'll make it stand out so much more than when paired with darker colours. Finish the look with pink cheeks, white accessories and you're good to go!
For example, right now they have the most stunning coats all ready for A/W14! I have been eyeing them up for a while thinking that surely someone but love me enough to get me that green one as a Christmas present!
Okay the shoes are absolutely terrible for that style, but you get the idea right?!
They also do most everything in a range of different sizes, which is great! I always err on the side of caution at a size 12 and usually get a 12/14 to make sure I have the perfect fit for the larger breasticles.
https://www.collectif.co.uk/l0-sale.html...just sayin'!
Come on, you know you're gonna have a look :3
They have some amazing fitted and flared dresses, (I myself prefer flared) so that there will be something that suits your shape, but if you're a little worried about it and need some help then feel free to message or send me an email :)
...
Fitted glory! But more sailor needed for my liking!
Now the photo above is a great example of how good a fitted dress can look, and they really do fit any shape or size, so don't be nervous if you know people can see your belly, they are too busy thinking "Gosh what a lovely dress!" to notice, or indeed you'll look that fabulous that you won't even care!
I actually prefer fitted dresses like this on bigger ladies, even though they are usually lax to wear them! At my size (12-14) I feel an hourglass shape really looks amazing in dresses like this, and as it's a higher cut at the top, even better for pear shaped ladies!
Advantages of the fitted dress;
#1 - they make your legs look so long due to the tapering of the skirt!
#2 - They look freaking fabulous with heels or flats!
#3 - extra buttons and pockets can draw attention away from areas you aren't so keen on.
Now if you feel a fitted dress won't suit you, or your confidence is not ready for anything too figure-hugging right now, try a flared dress instead!
This photo right here just embodies perfection for me, wowzer! Beautiful accessories all tied in to the dress colour-scheme, that's an A+ right there!
Now these kinds of dresses can be worn with or without a nice puffy petticoat, but really, they are so much more fun with one, and of course, when you sit down you feel like a princess ^_^
My proudest moment in my huge swing petti was taking up two seats on the bus!
However, please Collectif shoot your stylist for making this poor lady wear a bandana with a going out dress!
These sorts of dresses really do suit any size or shape, and they are so very easy to obtain in different dress sizes, colours and levels of dramatics!
I myself prefer to keep things a little simple, have the dress as the loudest part and then matching accessories in the base colours :) it just gives a more pulled-together feel in my opinion.
Advantages of the flared dress;
#1 - add a huge petti and get instant teeny tiny waist!
#2 - every size and colour imaginable and obtainable!
#3 - very easy to dress up for a night out, or down for a simple picnic!
#4 - halter tie neck dresses make the boobies look wonderful!
Have I made you love Collectif yet? If not, now you can gush over the accessories with me, muhahaha!
IT'S GOT FREAKING STRAWBERRIES ON IT!!
Now I honestly would not recommend buying hair flowers and accessories from Collectif, simply because you can get the exact same things on eBay for a lot less money shock horror! But if you're a serious brand whore or you're owed a nice prezzie then some of these are perfect!
Plus sometimes a lady just needs a £12 hair flower...for the strawberries.
So cute!
Now these are amazing, and they're only a fiver whilst being made entirely from velvet, so I think that's a pretty fair price really :)
And all Rockabilly ladies will attest to the fact that you can never have enough hair flowers!
Now some of the bags can be super expensive as well, but I know a lot of ladies hate to skimp on their bags! Plus you know...Christmas is a'coming!
This cute little number will work perfectly with pretty much anything, especially black, white or red outfits, and cherry print dresses!
I'm not overly impressed with Collectif's range of bags to be honest, sadly this was the only one that caught my eye.
Now once again, Collectif is kind of taking the piss with their prices when it comes to the accessories...as I have these exact earrings but they came from eBay at the price of £2 and free postage!
Same can be said for these too, £5 really is too much for these, and you can find the same from a lot of UK eBay sellers :)
Saying that though, I do really love the bamboo hoop earrings that they do, and I haven't seen those anywhere else! I'm not overly sure I would be prepared £7 for them though!
Every other accessory is priced between sort-of-reasonable to just-plain-silly, so honestly, best save their bits and bobs to a wish list for Christmas and just get yourself the clothing!
Postage;
Now here is where things carry on being pretty darn silly, their postage for orders under £150 is £5.50...most places where I get my dresses online, including eBay, it's anywhere from £2.80 to £4 for tracked items. Once you get to the checkout it just feels as if they really are trying to squeeze you for all your are worth :(
They use Royal Mail First Class Signed For delivery, which I know for a bloody fact does not cost that much! Something like free delivery would really help attract more customers, and get them more profits in the long run, I really hope they look into it soon as it is the main thing that puts me off buying anything else...
However, their clothing is really worth the money, looks absolutely amazing (although not always Rockabilly enough for my liking), and they make a good statement piece!
I've also gathered up some links for you to make your own mind up;
Reviews; Can be seen here however all the recent ones are pretty negative which makes me split into two minds about buying anything, sounds like they are really messing people around with the coats!
xx
