As I’ve mentioned before, the occasional free frock is a perk of writing this blog.
I have a bit of a funny relationship with freebies. No one gives you something for nothing and the reason they give me things is they want me to say nice stuff about it in public in the hope that someone else pays attention to me. This doesn’t bother me directly, I’m happy to slag off free stuff if I think it’s crap (I turned down the free UGGS straight off), or just send it back, who wants rubbish? But I do worry that other people might think I won’t. They might think I’m nice about things in order to get free stuff or that I don’t deserve it.
This blog is part of my full time job, and it’s about fashion, vintage style and frocks. However, I earn about a third of what I used to earn in a full time job and you’d soon be sick to the back teeth of seeing me wear the same black jersey frock over, and over, and over again until it fell apart. The odd free frock keeps it interesting for you, and helps stop me having to stay home because my dress fell apart and I’m nekkid.
But that’s all irrelevant as technically this particular free frock wasn’t free at all.
⤠Dress - Stop Staring ⤠Shoes - eBay ⤠Gloves - Charity Shop â¤
It’s a Stop Staring Raileen dress. They contacted me and asked me if I’d like a free dress to review. I said yes.
I think Stop Staring dresses look wonderful on the uber skinny models they use in their photography, but I’ve never had chance to try them on and I remained unconvinced they’d look quite so stunning on me. They’re not cheap, and £100+ is a lot to spend on a dress you haven’t tried on.
I sent off my measurements and picked a few favourites from the website, then sat back and eagerly awaited it’s arrival. What I got instead was a bill.
Grumble.
It was, of course from Customs and Excise who wanted me to pay a ransom of £32 to get my pretty frock back. So I did, because I had to. So now I’m paying for a dress I haven’t even SEEN, let alone tried on.
Luckily it was bloomin’ lovely. I thought it would pull across my hips, and it is certainly figure hugging, but the thick stretch fabric means it actually fits like a dream and is really flattering at smoothing out bumps.
I immediately decided it needed cream T bar shoes, so I bought these off eBay, then I saw these gloves in a Charity Shop and they were a perfect match.
Total cost of free frock = £38.11
Anyway, it’s a gorgeous frock. For me over £100 is still a lot to pay for a day dress, but that’s not to say I don’t think it’s worth it. It is. It’s well made, flattering, and good quality.
If I were bringing in a wage like I was in the bad old days I’d far rather have this than something from a designer diffusion range at a chain store that would easily come in around the same price.
One last thing I will show you is a close up of the collar detail. In the pictures on the website, and on here, it doesn’t look like much. But it’s a lovely cream lace, almost like crochet, and the sleeves, collar and attached belt have a little covered button detail that’s so pretty.
There are plenty of UK stockists of Stop Staring too, so you can avoid the terrifying customs charges. 20th Century Foxy and Dollydagger among them.
I’m thinking I’ll actually get a lot of wear out of this as well over Spring and Summer as it’s perfect for smart day time events. I think it might need a nice 1930s tilt hat as well, and maybe a navy handbag.
This might be the most expensive dress I own!
One last thing (as Columbo would say) yesterday I wrote a post on Vintage Norwich about a local photographer who has been putting together Blitz Ghosts of local landmarks that were bombed during World War 2. I want to avoid too much duplication, but it might interest some of you here who like WWII history, so I thought I’d let you know in case you want to pop over and see it! It’s HERE
Comments
32 responses to “Retro Chick and the Nearly Free Frock”
I’ve been eyeing this dress for ages, and seeing it on you has convinced me I need to save up a bit more and buy it – it’s absolutely stunning, and looks like it fits you perfectly, too! I totally feel your pain on the customs thing, though – it just seems really unfair to make you pay for something you haven’t even seen, and, of course, if you decided it wasn’t suitable and you wanted to send it back, you’ve still paid £30+, essentially for the privilege of trying something on. It’s such a hueg dissincentive for international shopping, which I guess would be all well and good if it wasn’t for the fact that some of these dresses can be hard to track down from UK stockists!
That does looks stunning on you, but I for one couldn’t/wouldn’t pay over £100 for a day dress + as you rightly point our the £30+ for VAT eeek!
However I do think it’s stunning and I guess if you had the cash…..
Not trying to be negative at all, hope you understand that, just seems awfully pricey, I’m really torn on these high end repro sites, I think you could find a stunning vintage dress for that price & no one else with have it. But obviously that’s entirely my opinion!
I agree, I don’t buy them normally because I can’t afford them!
I think it depends what you are after though, there are people out there with proper jobs who spend this much money on Karen Millen! I think this is far nicer!
You’re also right about being able to buy something vintage. I think this has scoring of advantages over a vintage dress in a similar style. The stretch fabric means it’s very comfortable and easy to move in and also a similar vintage dress could be fairly fragile and you might not want to wear it to a party, or something like the Chap Olympics where you might end up sat on grass all day!
I can absolutely see what you’re saying, I wonder if cos I’ve been wearing vintage for sooooo long I don’t see it as so precious, oh that comes out wrong, erm I’m not worried about sitting on grass or dancing all night, I would just choose the right dress accordingly.
However I know I do have the advantage of being able to sew and seeing it from a sewers view point is perhaps different if you see what I mean
Am I even making sense?!!!
I hadn’t looked at their site for ages, but I’ve just had a peek now… OMG. $218 for a ‘suit dress’??? $182 for a black circle dress with leopard print collar?
It doesn’t help that their European distribution is in the Eurozone so any British stockists have to endure the low £ against the high Euro.
It looks like it was tailored for you! It’s a fab dress and although it’s a great shame that you had to pay customs I’d say it was worth it. You look very elegant.
This is my favourite dress of yours. I think you look super. I also like all of the other Stop Staring dresses.
Why am I writing this in a comment on a blog instead of walking into the next room and just telling you? Because I am lazy and it is quicker than sending a letter!
Comment of the year.
Oh my god it’s lovely! You look so beautiful xx
I love Stop Staring’s stuff – I’m plus size, and finding a nice, wearable vintage dress in my size that doesn’t break the bank is incredibly rare, so repro is definitely the way forward for me if I’m not making garments. Yes, some are pricy, but I have a full-time job, and I’m happy to pay a bit more for something that looks great and was not made in a sweatshop. (I’m currently waiting to see how much customs are going to bilk me for a Victorian repro dress for steampunkery.)
That dress looks really lovely on you – better than on the models in the official photos, in my opinion.
Oh, wow! I’ve always felt the same about Stop Staring (though a shop here stocks it – I tried one on and it didn’t look anywhere near as good on me but was a different style) but it looks 100 times better on you than on the models I’ve seen!
-Andi x
Thanks for the review of Stop Staring. I have wanted a Stop Staring dress for years.
In fact Stop Staring is what has inspired me to sew more of my own dresses, because i couldn’t get over the price tag and in those days there were no uk stockiest, so made my own. (not direct copies of course 😉 )
I have been a bit concerned about the quality of Stop Staring, as i have never seen it in the flesh. Your review was very useful.
I have admired Betty Page clothing for a while and saw it in the flesh in a London boutique, I want impressed with the quality at all, not compared to how much they were charging. Maybe it’s because i am a sewer and collect vintage, i notice the quality of the stitch or fabric more…
Don’t you just hate customs. Stop Staring should have marked it as a ‘gift’ as after all it was. This would have avoided customs charges (i think.. although i have been waiting over two weeks for two dresses from the states which are marked ‘gifts’)
Depends what value they put on it – a “gift” has to come it at under £30, I think, or somewhere like that. Or it could be lower – £18? Something like that. They could’ve said it was a commercial sample – those don’t get charged, and it *is* a sample, sort of, cos Gemma’s sampling it. Erm… perhaps that’s a stretch?!
ooo it looks soo beautiful!
what an expensive free dress
Bright Green Laces
Gemma you look stunning in this dress, absolutely gorgeous!! love the dress, the details are fantastic! too pricey for me too though 🙂
Wow-weeeeeeeee!!!! Looks lovely on and that colour really suits you. Gloves and shoes combo compliments the crean in the collar beautifully.
Damn those pesky customs charges!! It has stopped me ordering from the USA – I have been stung in the past. *GRUMBLE*
We’re dress twins! I saved for ages for it and love the cut of it… uber flattering, and you look bloomin marvellous in it 🙂 xx
What a great color and an excellent fit! Go girl 🙂
That dress is worth every penny you paid for it as you look absolutely stunning in it. Clearly I need to make friends with Stop Staring so I can review a dress – I wouldn’t get custom charges! *goes off to pimp Lottie Loves wherever stop staring possible*. Mind you they’re cheaper to buy over here. I must invest.
WOW! Love it, the style and colour both look great on you, love the accessorising too. Tad out of my price range but I can dream!!!!! X
The dress is fabulous and you look very elegant in it.
Switswoo!!! That dress is beautiful and looks amazing on you. I’m really starting to love navy blue – is that a sign of getting old? 😉 xx
I’ve not read the above comments so apols if I repeat anything!
I think that dress is figure hugging in oh so the right way. So flattering and you look right out of the 30s in that pic. Very SOuth Riding! And at just the customs charge – BARGAIN as it will be great for most occasions (perhaps not hill walking).
In short – Love iT!
Very beautiful dress. I know what you mean though, but if I had a spare £100 laying about I would buy it. I don’t. I might take some out of Lord Cherry’s wallet. Just kidding!! x
wow, it’s gorgeous on your figure. navy and cream i keep going back to, i just love the combination. it looks beautifully made
i hate customs tax, means modcloth and etsy remain window shopping for me!
xox
Its gorgeous, but also a bummer to have to pay. Same thing happened when you won that watch on my blog 🙁 I’ve turned things away before when they show up at my door asking for customs.
YUMMY, I want one!
This has to been one of the nicest 30’s style reproduction dresses I’ve ever seen. Someone gave me a Bettie Page dress once and it just didn’t live up to my expectations.
I would second what a few have said, I’d much rather spend £100 on a real 30’s dress. But this is devine! A x
WOWEE! You look amazing in this.
I think for an occasion it’s perfect. Lots of people spend far greater amounts in the high street for ‘posh frocks’ like Coast, Hobbs etc.
It’s a shame about the duty costs though, that would definitely put me off buying.
it really is gorgeous and worth the hassle. you really are from a bygone era.
That dress looks amazing on you.
I hate customs charges – they seem such a rip-off. Shame they didn’t mark it as a gift and then you wouldn’t have had to pay.
😉