Review: Love ur Look

I first wrote about Love ur Look last year and have been keen to try on some of their lovely vintage-inspired dresses ever since. Well, it finally happened this weekend, as Love ur Look are running a pop-up shop with Lady K Loves, Silly Old Sea Dog and Innabox over at the Old Truman Brewery in east London. This meant that I got to check out their lovely Spring Summer 16 collection of dresses in person, and try on every single one from my list list… plus a wildcard choice selected for me by the brand’s founder and designer Ronke Fashola.

First of all, I should point out that these dresses are all made from really lovely cotton. Not the overly crisp sort that feels like hotel bedsheets and looks terrible the moment it gets creased (which is always instantly, if you’re like me), but the gorgeously soft sort that feels welcoming like a beloved vintage frock, where any crumples simply add to its charm. Also, Ronke’s eye for a good print is pretty damn amazing. She’s chosen a great collection of ditsy florals, stunning retro designs, line drawn illustrations and super cute novelty prints, which have been made into a lovely collection of 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s inspired dresses and skirts. Oh, and most of these styles come with pockets. As any femme will tell you, this is pretty much the holy grail of cute clothing.

The first dress I tried on was the Dot Dash A-line Dress (see photo above) which was a lovely fit on me in XL and the fantastic big collar had me swooning, plus the lined top meant my black bra didn’t show through the white cotton fabric. Next I tried the Red Floral Day Dress (see left) and it was absolute perfection on me, so it went straight into the ‘must have’ pile! The cap sleeves are perfect on me and I love the patch pockets, plus the fact that the belt is long enough to tie in a great big bow. I’m looking forward to wearing this with my Irregular Choice Trinkletina shoes, which will coordinate with the red gingham buttons. Ronke told me she’d had these for ages and was just waiting for the right print to pair them with.

Next on my changing room pile was the 1950s Doris Door Dress – a lovely bold print styled with a big collar and half sleeves that are delightfully roomy. If, like me, you have got your upper arms stuck in one too many dresses or blouses, you will know what a joy it is to find sleeves like this! (You can see how it fitted me in my over-excited tweet from Sunday afternoon.) This was when I tried the wildcard suggestion from Ronke, which was the postcard button-back dress that is no longer available on the website. It was a very good fit and I was very surprised by the cut out back as it’s not usually something I’d go for, but this one completely hid my strapless bra which is a win because most cut out backs are designed for those who don’t need supportive underwear. If you want to grab one of these beauties, head to the pop-up shop to snap one up!

Each of the fabrics is available in a few styles (e.g. you can see the 1940s Red Floral Dress hanging next to me in the photo above and the door print comes in the button back style) and I spotted that the gorgeous postcard fabric was available in a wonderful full skirt and so that one made it onto my ‘must buy’ pile too as it goes with the vast majority of tops I already own! The skirt also comes in a pink novelty print fabric, which is covered in sugary treats like doughnuts and milkshakes, but I already had my eye on that fabric in the form of the Pink Candy Collar Dress. As you can see from the photo on the right, that one also fits me really well so I ended up treating myself to three items for my new summer wardrobe.

As well as all the gorgeous frocks that I tried on, other styles that caught my eye were a stunning 1950s Atomic Print Dress, the Pineapple Halter Dress, a 1940s Cat Tea Dress and a super-cute Pug Print Tea Dress! There was also a preview of the new Mexicana range at the pop-up, featuring a gorgeous print dress which is available for pre-order online, plus some lovely block coloured day dresses with bright embroidered hems and belts. If you like vintage style prints and dresses, there’s bound to be something you’ll love in this summer collection. It’s a great range of well-made carefully thought out styles with clever hidden zips, pockets, soft cotton linings and heaps of personality.

If you want to try on some gorgeous Love ur Look dresses, you’re in luck because the Pin-Up Pop-Up Shop is open for one more day! It runs until 6pm on 14th June at Shop 7, Dray Walk, Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, London E1 6QL.