When Mandie Bee, the lady behind Heart of Haute, contacted me to try a couple of her dresses, I was pretty excited! I’ve already got a couple of items from them, in fact their cute Diner Dress was in my first ever Pinup Girl Clothing order.

Not wanting to rush any decisions, I took a week to decide on what exactly I wanted. Heart of Haute have a lot of really gorgeous classic designs and some stunning fabrics! I ended up deciding on the Maybeline Dress in Purple Sugar Stripe and the Hillary Dress in Angelica Pink.

With my bust measuring 36″ and waist measuring 27″, I ordered a medium in both dresses according to the size chart. The size small would have been better suited for my waist but I was worried that it would be too tight in the bust. Conveniently, both the Maybeline and the Hillary have waist ties to help cinch that area in.

My order came pretty quick considering each item is made to order. Upon opening my parcel, I was immediately in love with the colours of the Maybeline and thought the gold of the pattern of the Hillary was just lovely.

I teamed up with Elizabeth J Photography one Monday morning at the Parnell Rose Gardens to get some fabulous photos of the dresses. We only had 45 minutes before I had to scoot off to the next errand but Liz did such a fantastic job and by the next day she had already sent me 178 edited images… What a creative machine she is! I’m totally in love with all these photos, I think the Rose Gardens were the perfect setting for these dresses.

The Hillary comes in a variety of 7 colours and prints. The Angelica Pink colourway  caught my attention because, well, I don’t have that much pink and I like how summery it looked but with the gold, knew it could also be dressed up.

I wore my light gold wedding shoes to match for the shoot to help bring out the gold accents.

The medium fits perfectly in the bust and a little loose in the waist which I knew it would. Thanks to the waist ties though, it’s not too obvious!

I really like the V neck/tie combo- the neckline is low enough to be neither to matronly or revealing. I also really love the tiny little collar detail and the 100% quality cotton is lovely and light for summer.

The Hillary hits my knees (I am 168cm tall) which is as short as a dress can be before I feel that it’s too short. Preferably I like my dresses to come to a inch or two below my knees but this length is still fine and I don’t feel uncomfortable in it.

Now onto the Maybeline! Also a size medium, the Maybeline feels like it fits a bit bigger than the Hillary. The waist was really quite big… again thank goodness for the waist tie! At first I felt like it was also a bit long in the body but because of the shoulder ties I was able to lift it up a little.

It was a tough choice between this colourway and the Blue Sugar Stripe… but I can’t pass up a purple dress! I love the vibrant colours of the sugar stripe and I already had perfectly matching shoes and a headscarf (from Rita Sue Clothing).

Also 100% cotton, the Maybeline is a slightly thicker material than the Hillary. As a result, it doesn’t wrinkle as easily which is a bonus.

I really love the scoop at the back and the POCKETS! Seriously, pockets in swing dresses are the best, they should be mandatory!

The length of the Maybeline is the same as the Hillary, just on the knee. There are also 4 other prints in this style, I love the Blue Sugar Stripe and the Blue Madras Plaid!

Heart of Haute has been going since 2005 and is always bring out great new designs each season. You can follow them on facebook and instagram and take a look at their huge range of clothing at www.heartofhaute.com.

Big thanks again to the very talented Liz of Elizabeth J Photography!

x Miss Victory Violet