Little Red Riding… Cape

I love fairy tales, in our modern world they are a little piece of nostalgia that links us to childhoods gone by. Whether it be a princess falling in love or just defeating the big bad wolf they are something that we seem to never forget. For me a fairy tale can also be finding that perfect dress, something you feel amazing in. Sometimes an outfit is like a match made in heaven or a dream come true. Todays outfit just reminded me of little red riding hood, especially since as soon as I put it on my kids kept pointing out the resemblance.

The dress and cape both came from Dolly and Dotty, who make cute feminine vintage style clothes. They contacted me recently about some of their new prints and styles and offered me something to review. I absolutely love capes and I knew I absolutely had to own this pretty red one. Choosing a dress to match was easy. The Annie floral swing dress, is a lovely classic Hepburn-esque style and the black background with striking red, pink and blue blooms looks lovely set against the deep red cape.

In true Red Riding Hood style I found myself in the woods, but rather than meeting the Big Bad Wolf I just decided to take some outfit snaps to share this lovely ensemble with you. I wore my hair in a poodle style which I have finally mastered, accessorised with a few small hair flowers from H&M.

The dress is a full circle and I wore it with a net petticoat to show off the lovely volume. I really like the cut of the skirt which features box pleats and the simple cut of the bodice is really flattering. The dress came with a matching belt, although I would also wear it with a plain black or red belt on other occasions to switch it up a bit.

I went for a size 14 as usual and found the dress to come up true to size. I’ve tried a few dresses from Dolly and Dotty and have found they all fit similarly. The dress is available in sizes 6 to 24 and the simple style makes it a perfect option for all sizes. Although the cape isn’t fitted, it also comes in a range of sizes from a 6 to a 24.

The dress is 95% cotton and 5% spandex, giving a slight stretch. It is a nice heavy fabric, which gives it a really good drape. I always try to avoid flimsier reproduction items as I don’t find they hang very well, so I was really pleased with the finish of this one. The cape is the same blend, but with a completely different finish. It has a much thicker weave and feels very soft, almost like a fine wool. The cape is also fully lined which makes it a nice warmer layer for Spring and Summer evenings.

The over-all quality is very good in both garments and at £24.99 for the cape and £29.99 for the dress, they are great if you are shopping on a budget.

I think the whole outfit would work really well for an event or party, or just for a very glamorous day time look. I know I will be getting lots of wear out of both garments and I’m looking forward to trying the cape with some of the true vintage dresses from my wardrobe too.

Outfit Details:

Dress – Annie Floral Retro Swing Dress in Black – £29.99 – Dolly and Dotty

Cape – Sabrina 1950s Style Cape in Red – £24.99 – Dolly and Dotty

Hair Flowers – Old – H&M

Shoes – Sandy in Mauve Shadow / Pink – £85 (currently £55) – Hotter

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Find more of my vintage inspired outfits in the Outfit section of the blog.

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