Bad Girl Style with Vivien Of Holloway

Aloha, peaches! Vivien Of Holloway is one of the most well-known vintage reproduction brands in the UK (and worldwide for that matter!) and they are one of my favourite brands. They get it spot on from the styles to the fit to the patterns. They have something for everyone whether that be a floral number, a novelty print or a single-coloured staple. One of my all time most loved dresses I own is their Lana dress which I reviewed here which is a 1940's autumnal dream.

I was kindly sent some styles by Vivien of Holloway which I was extremely excited to try out. I was sent the Pedal Pushers, the Raglan shirt and the HalterNeck Top. I knew instantly that the Pedal Pushers and the Halterneck top were destined to be paired together as I'm pretty sure they are the same material so they look like a badass jumpsuit. So sassy it hurts! I feel like these three items of clothing are essential for every retro gal's wardrobe as staple pieces. They can all be dressed up or down easily and the Raglan Shirt (which will be featured on my blog very soon!) is the perfect white shirt for any occasion.

1940s Lana Dress by Vivien Of Holloway

Aloha, you gorgeous bunch! A lot of awesome things have been happening at Atomic Amber HQ and I have a feeling this year is going to be an amazing one! (It already has been with the birth of my daughter and all!).  I was lucky enough to be sent the gorgeous Lana dress by Vivien Of Holloway. The Lana dress is a *stunning* 1940's style day dress with features to make any vintage-loving woman swoon. I'm not usually a 1940's gal, as you may know, but after feeling sensational whilst wearing my Glamour Bunny 1940's Maggie dress I know I had to have more forties in my life! I just felt so elegant and ladylike as soon as I put the Lana dress on.

I was advised that the Lana dress sized large so I was sent two sizes - size 10 and size 12 however Vivien of Holloway do vintage sizing so be sure to check their size chart. I could never have dreamed of fitting into the smaller size so naturally I tried on the bigger size first... It fit nicely with breathing space. I thought I would only regret it if I didn't at least try to squeeze the smaller size... Well I did... and it FIT! Very snug admittedly, but I loved the silhouette it gave me. It nipped in my waist and skimmed over my curves beautifully. After much deliberation, I decided to keep the smaller size. I like a well fitted dress - I feel it makes you stand up straight and gives great posture. So, if you're going to give the Lana a go then I would definitely suggest sizing down if you want to be nipped in at the waist!

The Professional Pinup: What To Wear?

Aloha, plums! I have decided to start a blog series all about 'The Professional Pinup' where I give you my personal advice on how to incorporate pinup style in circumstances where you have to be a bit more 'conservative' with how you dress, for example in the work place... Because sometimes a bright coloured swing dress with a petticoat isn't always 'work appropriate' ;-) (Don't we wish it was!!).
This first post, as you will have guessed from the title, is all about clothing. Just because you're at work doesn't mean you need to loose your retro sass! A few pointers on dressing for the work place are keep skirt length knee-length or below (which most of us vintage gals do anyway!), be careful with necklines - you don't want anything too revealing, but a subtle scoop neck or boat neck work really well too. I wouldn't say there's anything wrong with a *bit* of cleavage, just keep it to a *bit* and maybe save your super mega push up bra for the weekend ;-)! I know us Pinup Dolls love form fitting clothing and I personally think that is fine as long as you stick to the above rules about length and boobage. I would say a great basic casual/smart work outfit would be a pencil skirt, a scoop neck black t-shirt and a pair of mary janes, but you could always smarten it up by adding a nice button up shirt. Here are a couple of work-wear essentials that every pinup should have! I've stuck to dark colours as most work places require you to dress quite monotone (yawn!). Depending on how strict your work place are I'd add a pop of colour with touches of colour on your shoes, belt or maybe a nice hair ribbon.

Leopard Love With Vivien Of Holloway!

Aloha, peaches! Today, I am here with a half outfit post half review of my gorgeous new Vivien Of Holloway Leopard Circle Skirt. I absolutely loved my outfit - it was simple, practical and best of all sassy!

In my opinion, Vivien Of Holloway do the best skirts in the vintage reproduction world... Pencil and circle. Their circle skirts are completely full and a lovely heavy material which means they sit beautifully, especially over petticoats. You often get the problem of skirts being too short, but VoH one's are always the perfect authentic length. The sweater I'm wearing is actually from a charity shop, but VoH also do some very similar ones called Ballerina Sweaters. Crossover sweaters are perfect, because they do their job of keeping you nice and warm, but also don't swamp you whilst keep your feminine silhouette!
I also have a tutorial on this hair style called my 'Five Minute Beehive' - go check it out to complete the look! <3

A Week Of Outfits (+Update!)

Oh goodness me! I've been MIA (Unpacking, working, becoming an Aunty). I am really going to start making blogging a regular thing as I do really enjoy it. I've got a few projects in the works (Working with Tesco's Opticians, giveaways, tutorials, OOTD's) which is spurring me on to stay on top of regular blog posts. I've had a blog make-over! Do you like? I certainly do! My gorgeous boyfriend made me a fabulous new blog header to go with my new blog name Atomic Amber. I just felt like my original blog name was a tad too long and I don't think it reflected me and my blog well enough.
I finally have a garden which means I can do detailed OOTD's and take full length pictures for here. What's news? Well I got my picture published in Perfectly PinUp Magazine (Purchase here). Here's a very proud pointy finger... Right in the middle too! ;-D

How To Embrace Retro EVERY DAY? Casual Pin Up!

Today's post is going to be about how to achieve that polished Pin Up look every single day. I lot of people are shocked when I tell them that I dress this way all the time. To be honest, a lot of people are shocked when I tell them I'm not in fancy dress! (I'm just fancy;D!) So I've put together this little guide about how to be recognizably 'Pin Up' or Rockabilly whether you're just going out to the post office or you're going to take the dog for a walk. Always dress as if you're going to see your worst enemy! As they say! Now, I have a puppy myself so I know what it's like - you don't want to be hauling yourself through a field with a dog in a wiggle dress (If you do then POWER TO YOU, girl!) but you also don't want to completely loose the style that you love by wearing dodgy leggings and a t-shirt! However, you can wear a t-shirt and leggings... Just the right ones!

The blog post is definitely catered for the more Pin Up/Rockabilly gals out there opposed to the Classic Vintage beauties, so bear that in mind... I embrace a bit of both, so let's go!

Wish List - September



This is a collection of things that I am greatly lusting after. I am very excited for autumn/winter as I feel there is something so glamorous about wearing a sassy fur collar (faux, of course) with a cute cardigan. You also don't have to worry about your make up melting down your face! I'll just have to aquire a nice umbrella.
I don't usually shop in Topshop and if I do it is when things are heavily reduced, and even then it's pushing my budget, haha! However, I took a visit into my local store and I was surprised to see many items I reallllllly wanted. They have a LookBook called 'Margot's World' and it features all kinds of vintage-inspired ice-cream coloured delights and lots of fluffy jumpers (my favourite!). As you can imagine, this is the part of Topshop that I was in love with, so a few of my lusts are from this collection. Right, anyway! Back to the wish list...