One of the best parts of Christmas and New Year is going to festive gatherings and parties, enjoying yourself with great friends, eating good food and dancing the night away. It is also a great opportunity to get dressed up and maybe wear something you wouldn’t normally wear, to really stand out in the crowd.
The House of Foxy, is an independent British clothing label, who design and manufacture vintage inspired fashion here in the UK. They create beautiful pieces that are closely based on original patterns from the 1920s through to the early 1960s, with attention to details that flatter all women, whatever their age or shape. Their mission is to help women feel special through the fit of the clothing, the feel of the fabric and especially through the design itself. Dresses from the past were often so glamorous, with the aim to make a woman look and feel amazing but still in a ladylike way, and their collections definitely do just that.
There are many dresses to choose from but here are 5 of our favourites.
The O’Hara dress is based on a 1940s design and comes in three stunning colours: a warm berry, a stand out red and an on-trend mustard. It is an elegant cocktail evening dress inspired by the iconic mid-century American fashion designer, Dorothy O’Hara who was famous for creating shapes that made women look and feel fantastic.
She was known for being a designer at Paramount Studios throughout the 1940s but also had her own fashion label which thrived through the late 1940s and into the 1950s. Her designs were incredibly flattering with a focus on strong shoulders and a slim hip, using clever draping techniques to enhance and accentuate the female figure. This dress is inspired by some of her 1940s designs via handling originals and photographs.
The beauty of this dress is how it flatters and shows off the figure without bearing much flesh. The ruching at the hip and on the bustline creates shape and interest whilst the ruching at the shoulders gives a strong 1940s silhouette, that is super flattering. The longer sleeves with shaping darts on the inside elbow are a firm favourite as is the fact that this dress is so easy to accessorize.
The O’Hara is potentially more versatile than it seems, wear with black accessories for practical occasions or glam up with some bling and a fancy hairstyle.
The Manhattan dress is based on an early 1960s design in black with gold and creates a fantastic hourglass shape to make you look and feel incredible. This dress screams Mad Men; the era of chic and sophisticated fashion and a firm favourite with vintage fans.
This is such an exquisite dress; the gold brocade cummerbund nips in at the waist and creates a unique feature that will compliment everyone’s shape. Due to the curve of the cummerbund under the bust and the added tucks, the dress creates a flattering shelf bust shape so iconic of the time. The fabric is figure forming and holds you in whilst fitting to your curves while the pencil skirt with a back vent completes the hourglass look.
The Bardot dress is a real show stopper and comes in black, a stunning emerald green, dusty rose and a classic navy. It is a popular 1950s style; the wiggle dress, where the hemline is narrower than the waist, so you have to wiggle to walk reminding us of Marilyn Monroe in films such as Some Like It Hot. The dress itself is based on an early 1960s dress worn by the screen siren, Brigitte Bardot, so like her, this dress oozes elegance and sex appeal.
It hugs your curves in all the right places, and its high lace neckline and long sleeves gives you a cover up if wanted. It is made using a beautiful stretch lace with scalloped edges which finish the neckline, the V at the back and the end of the sleeves perfectly. The lace also has a lovely sheen and finishes under the bust. The upper half of the bodice is boned for support to help you look amazing!
The wrap circle dress is based on an original 1950s design and comes in a red, black and a petrol blue. This dress is great for curves, as it makes the most of them through its design and fit.
When we think of a 1950s design, a full circle skirt often springs to mind, so this dress doesn’t disappoint and can be worn with or without a petticoat. In fact, this dress almost looks genuine vintage!
It gives plenty of room at the bust and its batwing sleeves cover the upper arm; it’s comfortable and easy to move in so perfect for dancing! The waist band creates a lovely nipped in look, the ruching on the sleeve and a slight raise in the neck collar makes this dress so beautiful and yet simple too.
The Grable dress is a party version of their classic 1940s tea dress and is an extremely wearable style. Designed with a rich ebony black creped skirt paired with a sumptuous vintage style black lace and lined in black chiffon on the upper bodice; this is a sultry dress that suits many shapes.
It is the perfect dress for dancing! It has a tie neckline, softly shirred into shape with shoulder yokes and gathered under the bust. The lace is unlined on the sleeves but lined in black semi-sheer chiffon on the bodice, so good for keeping your modesty!
This dress has been designed to be as faithful as possible to the 1940s styles. It has a slimming fit around the waist with elegant short sleeves with a touch of shirring and a sweeping 7-gore skirt to float you through any dance.
It has a timeless feel to it, so could be worn again but accessorized differently each time; wear with sparkly jewellery for New Year but then dress it down with black opaque tights throughout the year.
Whatever your shape, The House of Foxy has a dress for you. Not only will you look amazing this year, their classic designs mean that you will continue to look fabulous for years to come.
