Fashion Feature: Red Dolly Swimwear

I'm hoping to keep the ball rolling and continue to post to this blog weekly. Once a month, I'll be doing a fashion feature, like the Queen of Heartz feature I did last month.

June heralds the return of warmer weather and our re-entrance into summer activities. So a swimwear feature seemed 'suitable', if you'll pardon the pun.

Last year, I reviewed a few retro style suits on my Youtube channel and the video was well-received. Since my Red Dolly suit was one of the most popular suits in that video, and my personal favorite, I made it a point to order a two-piece option from Heather's company as well. This blog post will focus on that particular suit, but feel free to check out the custom one piece suit in the following video:



For Viva this year,my girlfriends and I decided to sport a 'nautical' theme at the Sunday Pool Party. In anticipation of that, I searched Heather's site for nautical option and immediately fell in love with the following suit:

Now mind you, I have not worn a two piece suit in well over 15 years, before I had children, so I was worried about that. But Heather assured me that the suit was cut to hide and flatter the tummy. Also, she advised me to get the cover-up skirt, so that I'd feel more confident by the pool, if I was still concerned.

I've also always loved those darling hooded beach jackets the ladies wore in the golden age, Clambake-style. So I commissioned one made from a 1950s pattern by my friend Belle, of Delinquente Clothing, that would flatter the navy and white Red Dolly pieces. I couldnt have been happier with the overall look!

The jacket and skirt provided ample protection from the sun, the wind, and my confidence issues.

I loved the deep, wide pockets of the cover-up and the hood was a great little 'plus'.

Needless to say, a skirt like this is a great way to ease oneself back into the two-piece pool, so to speak. The waistband is nice and wide, not constricting, and the skirt also adds a little more femininity to the look, since it is floaty and of a flirty length, unlike other swim skirts I've seen. Oh, and yes, the skirt is completely fine to wear into the water!

However, I was surprised to note that even without the skirt, I felt just fine in the supportive fabric and construction of the bottom half of the suit!

The most important aspect, I felt, was the fact that my tummy was sucked in Spanx-style, but the waistband didnt cause any excess 'spillage' over the top. You guys all KNOW how big a deal that is!

The Verdict:
Heather's suits are one-of-a-kind. They have a similar look to other retro suits,but I just think they're a little more thoughtful than most. I'm happy she is out there! And hey, she makes swimwear for little girls too...so there's also that cuteness to consider.

XXOO,
Ashley
(photos by Dustin Haverstick)