I was planning on holding off from posting autumn content for a while yet, I mean it is only mid August after all but this afternoon when I came home I couldn’t help noticing that the leaves have already started to change colour, and I got caught in what I think is the beginning of autumn downpours. So lets get started shall we? And for those that are wondering how it is that I was only blogging autumn outfits three months ago and are really confused…it gets even weirder because when I get home to Australia I’ll be posting spring outfits. Confusing? Even I have trouble keeping up. I do realise though that it’s not a normal thing for one to go through two sets of spring, summer and autumn in one year. It’s some serious double dipping to do all the good seasons and then bypass winter all together so I know I’m not allowed to complain!
For autumn the second time around, I’ve been indulging my love of tartan, and that’s why you’re now seeing two outfits in a row featuring it. I could even go for three outfits in a row featuring tartan but I promise to break it up a bit! If you saw my last post then you will know that I love a good comfortable flannel shirt, so what could be better than an entire dress that feels like wearing your favourite soft cosy flannel shirt? The Primrose dress in tartan by The Seamstress of Bloomsbury is exactly like that – only incredibly elegant and adorable at the same time. I get every bit as excited as Anne Shirley when it comes to puffed sleeves, and the ones on this dress though subtle are such a lovely touch. I love how despite being such a whimsical girlish dress it still has that strong 40s silhouette due to the lightly padded shoulders.
In all honesty, I am terrible when it comes to dressing for cold weather. I will always pick something that looks good over something practical. I like to wear nice dresses all year round, and sometimes it just isn’t practical and that’s usually how I end up cold the entire day. This is not the case here however, as the Primrose dress is very warm on it’s own, and the lovely soft brushed cotton feels like a true vintage dress. What I really love is that should you go to look up autumn/winter fashion from the 1940s, dresses just like this pop up, meaning you can look as though you’ve stepped straight out of a vintage advertisement. As someone who spends many hours pouring over these and sighing, I love the idea of being able to own something that looks straight from the pages of a vintage catalog and that is of course what The Seamstress of Bloomsbury specialise in with all of their designs.
The Primrose dress is one that will easily see you through the awkward transition months between autumn and winter and then onto the chilly months before spring is here once again. Warm on it’s own or with a cardigan in autumn and fabulous under a coat through winter, the white and red colour scheme will also look fashionably festive come December. I can already see how lovely it would look worn with a fabulous red swing coat, maybe for a bit of ice skating if you’re lucky enough to live somewhere that has snow!
I am wearing the Primrose dress in my usual size 12 and found the fit to be spot on as always, however one thing I will note is that those with broad shoulders might want to go a size up for the most comfortable fit. This design focuses on creating that classic 40s silhouette with very defined shoulders to enhance and contrast the waist which is then cinched in with a matching belt. This makes it easy to size up as the matching belt serves to regulate the fit on the waist meaning no alterations required! As a 40s shirt waist style, the Primrose dress does not feature any zips and instead has charming little cloth covered buttons running down the front of the dress.
The massive pockets on the front are by far my favourite feature of the Primrose dress – perfect for hiding your hands in on a chilly day and a very handy place to store gloves for when it gets very cold. On the day that I was wearing the dress I found them particularly handy for holding sunflower seeds to feed squirrels with! Something that I’ve learned here is that if you want to win the captive audience of a squirrel, to be sure to wear the Primrose dress and carry sunflower seeds because squirrels find them irresistible.
To celebrate reaching 10k followers on Instagram, The Seamstress of Bloomsbury will be giving away one of their beautiful dresses to one lucky winner! Be sure to follow them on Instagram to find out how to enter and win a dress of your own!
Wearing:
The Seamstress of Bloomsbury ‘Primrose’ dress in Tartan – courtesy of The Seamstress of Bloomsbury
Miss L Fire heels
Tartan is so beautifully colorful and is certainly an appropriate look for this lovely autumnal setting.
The echoing of the red “tartan” pattern in the brick building is a bit of photographic genius.
I love autumn and greatly enjoy that moment when you can wear something with sleeves and a heavier fabric.
You look lovely.
Thank you for sharing.
I was holding off on reading this post because I am still sad that this dress was not my dress, and didn’t fit me properly at all – and here you are looking glorious in it! So, it turns out it was your dress after all. What a lovely location, that first house is really unusual. I like your season-hopping, it must be fun to wear something you know you can’t get away with at home! x
I absolutely love a good tartan fabric! How do I not have a tartan dress, must remedy that shortly! I love autumn, but always seem to miss it. I feel like it goes from summer to winter here in the U.K. quite quickly and by the time I notice the pretty leaves and pumpkins, the season is finishing. Must make sure to enjoy it this year! Your dress is really beautiful, more so for its practicality and wearability. And you look gorgeous in it! The little collar is so sweet and the long sleeves, fantastic!
It would be so interesting to experience two autumns in one year, sounds like a dream actually! I quite like this dress, and I adore that lovely brick building in the background.