Though I do spend most of my days in 1950s clothing, I love giving other eras a try! It’s so fun to get dressed up in the fashion of other decades and figure out ways of styling to put your own stamp on it. That’s why I was thrilled to be contacted by Wardrobe Shop, who specialise in authentic recreations of dresses from the Victorian era through to the Jazz Age. I chose their Mary Darling dress in paprika by Nataya to style for the blog today, which got me out of my comfort zone in a good way!

Constructed in two parts, the Mary Darling dress is made up of a solid colour slip and a sheer overlay. It features a low rectangular neckline, 3/4 sleeves, and a side zip on the outside layer. The overlay is detailed with lace and delicate embroidery in a matching thread, and has scalloped edging around the neckline and sleeves. The skirt part of the dress is layered, with each layer falling at a different level to give a cascading hemline. The paprika colour itself is rich and warm; I chose to accessorise with navy for this shoot to go with the laces in my boots, but it would look just as good with gold or black for a night out.

Sizing at Wardrobe Shop ranges from XS to 3X, covering US sizes 0 to 24. I’m wearing a size XS, which is the best fit going by the bust measurement in the size guide. Note that these styles are meant to be a little looser, especially through the waist, as this mimics the fashions in the early 1900s. This is indicated by the larger waist measurements in the size guide (for example the size XS has a waist measurement of 29″ when a standard XS is generally between 24-25″), which reflects the flowing nature of the garments. If you want your waist more defined though that’s easy enough to do with a belt, which I have chosen to do here. The Mary Darling dress fell just above my ankles, leaving room for a boot or dainty heel to peek out underneath.

The Mary Darling dress is available to purchase via the Wardrobe Shop website, and it retails for $265USD/$365NZD. As well as paprika there are other colours available including white, azure, sand, and olive. There is a free shipping option available for the US, and they will also ship internationally. Shipping prices are on the higher side though so for New Zealand ladies I recommend using YouShop when you place an order to save on costs.

Full outfit details:

Mary Darling dress by Nataya – c/o Wardrobe Shop

Fascinator, necklace, gloves & belt – vintage

Boots – Chelsea Crew

Thank you so much to Kate, Bert, and the Wardrobe Shop team for this fabulous collaboration, and to @cmjsnz for taking these snaps round the back of a shed we found on Clarence Road. The towering bear’s breeches plants and ivy gave a really rustic feel and made a great backdrop!

Miss Hero Holliday

xo