I have a weakness for vintage-inspired dresses. I love how they look and how they flatter my body shape (nicely fitted at the top and very forgiving on a more generous bottom half). I found the Norma dress from Lindy Bop on Ebay and I just couldn't resist.
The first time I saw it, I actually did a double take because it seemed to be the twin of a dress I had bought on the American website Modcloth a few years ago. See for yourselves:
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| About the Artist dress from Modcloth |
I'm in the process of selling this dress because it's a M and it's too big for me. To replace it, I had intended to buy the same model in Mint Green but this time in a size S. I checked the label on my grey dress and it's not made by Lindy Bop. Moreover, it's made in the US and Lindy Bop is UK based and manufactures its clothes in China. I went to check their website and I saw that they had quite a few dresses that looked just like some I had seen from the brands Modcloth carries. I was a bit leery that they would just be cheap copy cats but I decided to go ahead and order the Norma for 3 reasons: I love red, they offered a UK 8 / US XS and the shipping costs would be less expensive. And I'm glad I did!
I'm absolutely in love with the dress. The quality is great, even better than my Modcloth one. Some pictures of it straight out of the box (it does need to be ironed to get the wrinkles out and I'll get to it soon). Sorry about the bad quality of the pictures!
The size 8 was perfect for me. I really do not regret the Mint Green from Modcloth as the smallest size available is a S and that would probably have been too big. However, I'd say it runs silghtly small in the bust (something Lindy Bop warns the prospective buyer about) so I'm not sure how ladies with bigger boobs than mine would fare. But it'll make ladies with petite torsos very happy.
The only little nitpick I have with the Norma (and the About the Artist) is that the waist is set a bit too high for me. But I get around that easily by wearing the belt a bit lower from the place it's supposed to be worn. I also prefer to tie it in the back. I'm not a "bow in front" kind of person.
Something to be aware of: you can't wear this dress with just any bra or it will show in the sleeve holes that are a bit on the wide side. In this picture, I'm wearing my Freya Ashlee (half-cup model) and it's clearly not a good fit.
And speaking of underwear... The dress is unlined and, although it's not see-through, you need to be careful about what colors you choose to wear underneath. Black is out, for exemple, especially for the bottoms.
Twirling! I'm wearing a light petticoat in these 2 pictures but the dress gives you a nice twirl even without one.
The chest area is on the verge of gaping and this is why I think bigger busted women might have a problem with this dress. Mind you, I'm wearing my "magic booster" bra though, so 26GG-Hs and 28FF-Gs could probably make it work as well in that size. The other sizes should provide more room.
I *love* the flower buttons. So cute. The Modcloth dress had little hearts and I prefer the flowers.
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Verdict
New Lindy Bop fan here! The Norma has everything I want in a dress: pretty, great quality and flattering. Plus it's very affordable at £29.99, almost a steal! It's also available in Navy Blue for ladies who prefer a quieter color. I already have a cute navy blue dress so I'm not tempted to buy it but I would surely order a second one if it was available in other colors.
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