Lindy Bop Dresses

[CalendulaAndRoses]

I'm turning 50 next month and throwing caution to the wind in the form of a big party

anyway - been googling frocks today and came up with the list below - I love a 50s vibe and seems like too good an opportunity to miss (I live in the sticks and work from home so it's a rare chance to get out of some variation of pj/comfy sweats/wellies tbh!)

anyway - I love the Lana ones, particularly the red polka I think

I'm normally a size 12ish ... so I thought it'd be grand with a 12...but when I read the sizes the lana anyway comes up at 36 (bust) 29 (waist) 39 (hips) and just for larks I measured myself tonight and I seem to be 36 - 33 ( (however did this happen) ) - 41. Now I know the hip measurement won't matter in such a dress which is really why I like them being a pear but the waist is worrying me. I do suffer a lot with IBS and bloating (another reason I like this shape - I thought if the tummy blew up on the night I'd still be fine) so my measurement tonight may not be actually representative

Anyone out there know the dress or the label and can reassure me I'll actually be able to squeeze myself in? or should I go for the 14 and accept some extra material around the boob area?

If you know the dresses and can suggest any others that will work better for my shape/predicament be most grateful too!

www.lindybop.ie/lana-red-polka.html
www.lindybop.ie/lana-teal-floral.html
www.lindybop.ie/coleen-red-polka.html
www.lindybop.ie/lucille-green.html
www.lindybop.ie/grace-midnight-blue-cotton.html
www.lindybop.ie/karen-black-camellia-print-swing-dress.html

I would go for size 14, i find the sizing comes up a little small particularly the waist measurement, also have a larger bust so more space is welcome there too. Ideally order two sizes so you can try at home. Have a great party!

Lana fit can vary.

If its cotton you might squeeze into the 12, if its their shiny Poly, you'll need the 14.

TBH, I would go for the 14 anyway as the belts are normally a little on the tight side.

(I own nearly 30 lindy dresses, lol)

FTR.. I've also recently stopped buying lindy and switched to Hellbunny which are much nicer/better Quality.

It might be worth looking up Lady Vintage, and also Dolly & Dotty as both have sales on right now!

I usually size up in Lindy. The bodices can be a bit short waisted in the Lana, depending on the fabric.

Collectif are also quite nice quality, but more pricey.

thanks all!!

what are lady vintage sizes like squidgey? from a very quick look I quite like www.ladyvlondon.com/iris-dress-japanese-blue-floral though it might be a bit day-time - but when I put my measurements into their find your style thingy I come out as a 12 even though when you read the sizings on the dress page it says 30 for the waist?

off to look at the other labels mentioned now too

I have 4 weeks to go so a bit of time for ordering/sending back I guess - though am in ireland so things can take looooooonger

love this one too www.ladyvlondon.com/eva-dress-rosa-eden

knowing the collections as well as some of you seem to (30 lindybop dresses WOW !!!) what do you think would suit me?

small chested pear shape with unpredictable belly situation
I have nice shoulders but slightly flabby arms but I don't really care about those - something that doesn't gape too much at my small chest and makes me look utterly divine would be great

I'm 5'6", pale, wavy blonde/silver/brown hair that if it has grown enough by then (ever hopeful ) will be pinned up somehow with a massive Frieda Kahlo style bloom

Lady V tend to fit quite well, they dont normally run small from the couple of them I've had (bit on the pricey side for me, lol)

I cant really help on style for small boobs as I have the opposite problem but the Audrey, Matilda, Lana and those kind of styles tend to work quite well from other ladies I've seen in them!

The Swing dresses definitely hide a multitude of tummy sins, and if you're feeling daring, the Ophelia can give a smaller bust a bit of va-va-voom, lol.

I love the vintage style, its all I wear now, I do a lot of bargain hunting on Ebay and there's a few FB pages where there is a roaring second hand market in the dresses if you dont mind a bit of thrift!

When I first bought a Lana I did it by matching my measurements to their size guide. Ended up taking it in when it arrived ,(was a sale bargain so didn't want to return).

I currently am wearing a kasha in a 12 (it's a little big), a Perrie in a 14 and a bletchley in a 16. I'm a size 12 on the high street.

Ordering multiple sizes and returning really is best policy, if you've got the financial means.

off to google ophelia IMMEDIATELY!!

I love a bit of thrift!

so, in LindyBop go size up (ie to 14) but in LadyV chance the 12 you reckon? I'm just so tired of dresses gaping and flapping around my bust - I do have a nice wonderbra though and iirc I may even have a super va va room bra (you wouldn't know about these you lucky thing but they can bring you up TWO WHOLE cup sizes) knocking around from before I was very nearly fifty that I might take out and dust off again now that I am quite frankly too old to care anymore!

honeysuckle - which part of the lana was too big when you bought it? sounds like their sizes are pretty erratic!

squidgee - not mad about the ophelia unfortunately - I think I'd feel a it like I was trying too hard with the big focus on the boob area

I had to take in the chest and the waist, about an inch off each side. Would have away with a size down really. At the time though, I was much larger. Ordered a 24, should have got a 22

I don’t know if they’ve changed their policy but when I bought a Lindy dress last year that didn’t fit, I had to send it back, get a refund and reorder as they didn’t offer any kind of exchange. It was a pain. I’m a 12 but needed to go up a size as the belt was too tight on a plasticky dress (not sure how to describe it!) Lovely dress though!

I love lindy, but their sizing really can be hit and miss, and it really varies from style to style too and even material.. its a lot of trial and error and it does put some people off.

measured myself again this morning, just out of curiosity and my waist is back where i expected at 30", so I was 3" bigger last night and that wasn't even a massive bloating night. No wonder most of my clothes these days are elasticated

so I need a beautiful vintage frock that can cater for a waistline that varies hugely day by day (hour by hour) - any ideas?? a tent perhaps?!

(the Lindy policies do seem odd - you can only get free return postage if you return the entire order for example, so buying 3 to try for size and returning two becomes an issue which is irritating and there is the no exchange rule which seems equally designed to put people off)

I have 2 lindybob dresses. The sizing is bang on. No room for error at all. Maybe a slight on the tight side. I have the jersey style ones from there. They are beautiful. Would they be an option for you?

thanks Consuela - I wanted a swing one to specifically hide the belly if it goes crazy that night - anything slinky jersey style just accentuates it once it pops out. It's like trying to dress while not being sure if you'll suddenly and without notice be about 6 months pregnant before the end of the day

but I'll go back and check out their jersey styles in case there might be something appropriate, thank you for the thought

The way they wrap and sit are actually pretty flattering to be honest. Manage to disguise my pregnant looking swelling when my adenomyosis and ibs are flaring

calendula have a look at Zoe Vine, they do some quite fifties style dresses I got one in the summer which was cotton & the bodice was fully lined a lovely swingy skirt, they are also quite true to size.

thanks DCM will take a look sounds good - out of interest Consuela - which of the Lindy dresses did you think suits the flared up faux-pregnant tummy best? names or links would be fabulous.

Thanks again everyone

I'm arather boobacious size 12 and have 2 Lindy Bop Lana dresses in that size. Both fit quite well and if anything are a bit loose on the waist and the shoulders. If it weren't for making sure it fit on my boobs I could probably size down to a 10.

I found Lindy Bop clothes seem to be designed for people with massive boobs, irrespective of their overall dress size - I would have needed half the sock drawer to pad out the top to even get near filling the gaping space - I'm a D cup.

Hellbunny has extremely variable sizes - especially where their blouses, shirts and trousers are concerned, as they seem to assume that all sizes have skinny little arms and legs.

Collectif is far better than both in terms of material and finish and have some really good deals throughout the year - they do tend towards a very close fit with zero stretch, rather than a comfortable one - and I'd have to be about 6 foot tall and wearing 6 inch heels to wear their trousers.

Hearts and Roses seem to be a lot more forgiving and, because they aren't the 'big brand', are a lot cheaper for things that are frequently in far higher quality material. Banned Apparel are also quite good.

Have a look on sites such as Kate's Clothing (often have discount codes, such as for registering or particular events throughout the year), Ripleys and, if you find something you like the look of, then also search on Amazon with the name of the item - that will sometimes get you something for much less from somebody like Blue Banana, who frequently have very cheap sale items largely because their website is absolutely detestable to navigate and people just can't find anything they're looking for/browse for long without losing the will to live .

oh my word - THANK YOU whoever gave me the lady vintage tip :-) I stumbled across some of their dresses in the sale in debenhams today and got to try them on - LOVED them. Took notes, came home, looked online and just bought 5 (FIVE!) frocks for 110 euro total. Am thrilled. I know the sizes and styles that suits thanks to the debenhams fitting room and am really happy - I bought two hepburns - japanese blue floral www.ladyvlondon.com/hepburn-japanese-blue-floral and wild roses on scarlet www.ladyvlondon.com/hepburn-dress-wild-roses-on-scarlet also two charlene's cos they are just so comfy they are like wearing your favourite t-shirt over a pair of tights/leggings and you can go out dressed like that and look like a grown-up www.ladyvlondon.com/charlene-dress-winter-chrysanthemum and www.ladyvlondon.com/charlene-dress-flamingos-by-night and finally one Eva - tried on a different pattern in the shop which I wasn't mad about but the shape suited me so well I was thrilled to find it online in my size and in a pattern I prefer www.ladyvlondon.com/eva-dress-rosa-eden

can't wait til the order comes!

For ref on sizes - my worries about them being tight on waist were totally unfounded, in the hepburn and charlene I am a nice comfy 12 and the waist on the hepburn is high so I reckon any ibs bloating will be nicely disguised especially when I have a voluminous petticoat adding volume underneath, on the eva I fit into a 10 on the waist (their is a fair bit of give in the fabric) and so the fit on my boobs is nice and snug - my boobs are a very small 34C (if I'm bragging) / 36B without a lot of va va room so it's quite a thrill to have them give any suggestion of cleavage, which they manage to in this