Bernie Dexter
As far as quality goes, no one beats Bernie.
I purchased this dress through the swap and sell page on pinupgirlstyle.com, and it has become my favorite dress. It has actual boning in the bodice- which I had honestly never seen before... I kind of thought boning was something that only really expensive designer companies offered. It is beautifully tailored and the fabric is gorgeous. In my opinion, no one beats Bernie as far as beautiful prints are concerned... Plus, I live in the mountains... Where it snows a ton during the winter. So I totally HAD to have this dress. As far as sizing goes, things here tend to run a little small, and everything is very structured so there is very minimal stretch. In my experience, it is really important to stick to the size chart here.
Fun fact about Bernie, she models a lot of her own designs. She's basically a super woman as far as I'm concerned. Here are some more of those beautiful prints I mentioned...
This company is THE pinup girl/retro reproduction company. The discovery of this company exponentially blossomed my love for all things retro because it lead me to a community of others who love it, too. My first PUG purchase was this little number... (it came with a reversible bolero. How cool is that?!)
The Evelyn Dress
When I first bought this dress, it fit like an absolute dream. Sadly, I'm currently selling it (here) because I've gained a little bit of weight in the last year (in a good way!). This dress used to give me a great shape, but now it makes me look a little bit pregnant... I didn't realize this until I was photographed wearing it, but now that I've seen it from another perspective, as cute as it is, it has to go.
My only issue with PUG is the sizing. It's a little inconsistent, and I find that it is essential to research every single item before purchasing it- read every single review you can find and ask questions regarding sizing. They also tend to size for hour-glass shapes, which is great if you have that shape, but I definitely don't. The bust is almost always too big for me at PUG. That said, everything is seriously stunning. I always try to avoid going to the website because I know sizing will be tricky, but I can never stay away. I also really like that a lot of their products are made in the USA.
Here are some of PUG's current masterpieces that I am kind of totally dying over...
Tatyana (formally Bettie Page)
I honestly don't know if this dress has a name but I'm just going to call it the Perfect Dress. (EDIT- it does have a name. The Secretary Dress.)
In contrast with PUG's tricky sizing, my favorite thing about Tatyana is the sizing. The dresses just fit so well- and I'm not the only one who thinks so. This dress specifically sold out really quickly, and I'm pretty sure the reason is that it is seriously SO COMFORTABLE. I can actually breathe normally in it, for one thing. I can (and have) worn it all day. The fabrics at Tatyana are generally a little bit stretchy, so sometimes I can size down to a extra-small or up to a medium if they are out of the small. This is also the only reproduction store (that I know of) that has a shop in Salt Lake City. The ladies who work there are always so nice- it is my go-to store every time I am in Salt Lake... Even if all I do is try on the dresses and pretend like I can afford them. That said, it's a good thing I live near a brick or mortar store, because the website often doesn't have as much information per item as I think it should.
Other Tatyana pieces I've pinned recently...
The hardest part of discovering all of these beautiful designs and wonderful companies is that each dress is a minimum of $100... That is not exactly a college-friendly budget! Fortunately, websites such as the pinupgirlstyle swap and sell and Ebay exist for that specific purpose... I got that Bernie Dexter dress at the same time that I swapped a Pinup Girl clothing skirt that was way too small, in other words, it didn't cost me NEARLY what it would if I had bought it brand new. I even paid for the girl I bought it from to ship it from Australia and it was still less than half the cost.
These are well-made, timeless pieces that will stand the test of time (and have a high resale value). It is a personal goal of mine to stop buying so many cheap, frail pieces of clothing, and start working towards less frequent and higher quality purchases. So far, each piece has been well worth the wait!
<3Nikki
