Dresses of the Ninja Robot

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Audrey Peach (Lindy Bop)

The Audrey dress is my newest dress, and my first one from Lindy Bop. I bought it from Gwynnies, and since I was concerned about sizing, I sent them some emails beforehand. They were extremely helpful, and let me know that they make their own sizing charts rather than just use the ones they are given, and they even double checked the sizing for me. Despite the fact that the dress’s fabric has some stretch to it, I went with the size 16, as I could always get it taken in if it was a bit loose. I’m glad I did get the 16, as it fits my boobs really well, and the belt makes up for the slight looseness on the waist. My only issue is that the arm holes are quite small, so anyone whose arms are on the bigger size should probably exercise caution with this brand.

The dress is really comfortable, and the fabric feels really nice. It’s cheaper than Hell Bunny, and a lot better quality, being fully lined as well. The belt is not as wide, and the buckle is kind of annoying, but it is a far more reasonable length for the size of the dress. Lindy Bop is a great brand for people who prefer more classic vintage designs. The skirt is not quite a full circle, but like Hell Bunny’s Jena dress, it’s flared enough to fit a petticoat underneath. I’ll post a photo of it with the petticoat later, as it was too hot to wear it with one yesterday.

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In this photo I'm wearing the dress with Hell Bunny's long white petticoat in size XS-M. It sits great and feels great, and puffs out just the right amount. Because I'm wearing a different belt, the dress does get pulled up a bit, so I had to pull the petticoat all the way up to my bra to stop it from poking out 10cm under the dress. But yes, I am very pleased with how the outfit turned out.

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50s Housewife Dress (Leoni)

Just for the record, that is not the official name of this dress. I don't believe it has an official name, which is unfortunate, as names make for nicer-looking posts, so I've just named it as what my sister and I generally refer to it by. I bought this dress from Ginger Tree at DFO South Wharf (I used to boycott Ginger Tree for their use of spruikers, but now I bloody love the store). It's a size 14, and it's really ridiculously comfortable.

The dress is fully lined, and the outer fabric is great quality. I wore it to a Rock 'n Roll night in Queensland when I didn't pack any of my full circle dresses, hence the shoes, but because the skirt is pleated, and not a full circle, it wasn't the best for dancing.

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Audrey Peach (Lindy Bop)

The Audrey dress is my newest dress, and my first one from Lindy Bop. I bought it from Gwynnies, and since I was concerned about sizing, I sent them some emails beforehand. They were extremely helpful, and let me know that they make their own sizing charts rather than just use the ones they are given, and they even double checked the sizing for me. Despite the fact that the dress's fabric has some stretch to it, I went with the size 16, as I could always get it taken in if it was a bit loose. I'm glad I did get the 16, as it fits my boobs really well, and the belt makes up for the slight looseness on the waist. My only issue is that the arm holes are quite small, so anyone whose arms are on the bigger size should probably exercise caution with this brand.

The dress is really comfortable, and the fabric feels really nice. It's cheaper than Hell Bunny, and a lot better quality, being fully lined as well. The belt is not as wide, and the buckle is kind of annoying, but it is a far more reasonable length for the size of the dress. Lindy Bop is a great brand for people who prefer more classic vintage designs. The skirt is not quite a full circle, but like Hell Bunny's Jena dress, it's flared enough to fit a petticoat underneath. I'll post a photo of it with the petticoat later, as it was too hot to wear it with one yesterday.

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Pleather Jacket (Caroline Morgan)

I first saw this jacket when I was in Queensland several months ago, but unfortunately they didn't have my size in the black. But amazing, I came across it again whilst shopping at Ginger Tree at DFO South Wharf, and this time they had plenty. The size 14 got on, but I had trouble doing it up, due to the size of my boobs, so I ended up getting a size 16, which fits great.

I bloody well love this jacket. I'm fairly sure I'm going to destroy it within a year because I've been wearing it with everything. But it is just so adorable! There are frills and little sleeve decorations and buttons on the back and tiny-ass pockets! Yes, I am aware that said tiny pockets will hold like one eraser, but really, with women's clothing, we've gotta take what we can get.

The length of the jacket makes it really good to wear with dresses, as it still allows room for them to flare out. But it looks great with everything really, as it's just so damn cute!

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Gingham (Hell Bunny)

When I first saw the Gingham, I thought it was one of the most adorable dresses I've ever seen, so when Beserk finally got it in stock, I pounced. I mistakenly thought that because it was the same style as the bat dress, it would also have the rouched elastic in the back, so I bought it in a size L, but alas. It gets on, but it is very tight, and my boobs practically ooze out of it after a while.

Don't mind the hair, I took the photo before I was finished 'styling' it. But yes, even with the tight fit, the Gingham is a very cute dress. Like the Vanity, it has frills at the bottom, which make it look more interesting. And more importantly, it has pockets! As well as being super-cute, the heart shape is also really comfy to put your hands in, as your middle finger just slots nicely into the bottom point. I probably wouldn't recommend keeping things in them though, unless they're light and/or you don't mind your shape going out of whack.

I do have one criticism about the Gingham, which is that the fabric feels a lot thinner than other Hell Bunny dresses (and Hell Bunny is not known for its thick fabric anyway). So the possibility of it tearing from the strain can be pretty concerning. I'll definitely be doing more research about whether dresses have elastic in the future, and going a size up with ones that don't.

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Lilliana (Review)

I bought the Lilliana dress from Review at DFO South Wharf, and I only have good things to say about it. I bought a size 14, and so far that's remained standard amongst all Review dresses I've tried on.

The fabric is very soft and comfortable against the skin, even including the lace. I've come across a lot of brands that skimp on the lace, but Review is definitely not one of them. Review actually makes some of the best quality dresses I've worn, which although lovely to wear, does mean that they can be quite unaffordable for people on a budget. That's why I only ever buy them from DFO.

The design of the dress, in particular the colouring, means you can wear it as a winter or a summer dress. It's also appropriate for many different occasions. I've worn it to presentation nights and my uni graduation, and even as a casual dress. I apologise for not being able to post a photo without tights!

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Bat (Hell Bunny)

The 50s bat dress is another one of my favourite Hell Bunny dresses. I bought it in size L from Beserk, and it fits perfectly.

The dress comes in several different colours, but I chose to get the black one with green bats. The other colours are red with black bats and black with white bats. It's a very cute design, and although it's apparently very popular on Halloween (I had to wait a while to buy it as Beserk sold out very quickly in October), it's suitable to wear all year round.

I've gotten heaps of compliments from people whilst wearing this dress, most notably a woman who was wearing an amazing Victorian-style dress and corset at the time, and even Alaina Huffman (Abaddon in Supernatural; pictured above) herself.

As with most of my dresses, the bat dress also looks great with my fake leather jacket, so I can get away with wearing it no matter what the weather is. As for petticoats, the dress does have a full circle skirt, but I think the bats might be a different shade of green to Hell Bunny's green petticoat. So I'd recommend a black or white one just to be safe.

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Vanity (Hell Bunny)

The Vanity was one of the first Hell Bunny dresses I spotted online, and I knew instantly that I had to have it. I ended up getting it from Emerald Swamp, which has free shipping on everything, but higher prices as a result. Unfortunately I bought it in the period when I thought I was a medium in all rouched back-zip dresses and an extra large in everything else, so I bought a size M. Although it does get on and stay on, you can definitely see waist bulges, and I wouldn't want to keep it on any longer than a day at a time. I would definitely get an L if I bought it today.

The Vanity is a very elegant dress, and one of the more 'finished' of Hell Bunny's swing dresses. While a lot of dresses just have a regular straight bottom seam, the Vanity has red piping and frills that make it look a lot more interesting. The fabric also feels quite a bit nicer than the other Hell Bunny dresses I own.

Like I said previously, the M is quite noticeably tight on me, which is evident in the above photo. I do still get compliments on it, which says to me that people care more about either boobs or nice patterns than a lack of bulges, but comfort is always more important than what other people think. Oh, and if you're going to get a petticoat, I think any of black, white, or red would look amazing. Particularly red.

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Alaska (Hell Bunny)

The Alaska was another one of the first dresses I bought online. I originally bought it from Beserk, but when I tried to exchange it for the smaller size, they were out of stock. I ended up buying it from Wild Kitty Clothing, despite it being a bit more expensive, as I just loved it too much. I bought the size M, and like the Jena, it fits really comfortably.

The Alaska has gotten the most wear out of all my dresses. The design is super-adorable (cupcakes, unicorns, and skulls, just in case you can't tell from the photos), and the style is just really practical. It also looks really great with boots or sandals, so you can make the dress more or less casual depending on where you're going.

I apologise for my lack of decent photos, by the way. It didn't really occur to me in advance to take photos of the dresses for reviews or helping people with sizing or anything, so I've just had to draw from the photos I do have. It doesn't help that most photos I'm in are with other people and/or half body shots. Here's a closer photo of the dress from Armageddon 2013, hopefully the pattern will be more obvious:

I did try on a short petticoat whilst wearing the Alaska, and it actually looked quite nice. The dress isn't too short that it makes it look odd; it just makes it look a bit fuller. I'd probably recommend a short green petticoat if you want to wear one, to match the bows on the skulls.

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Jena (Hell Bunny)

The Jena was one of the first dresses I bought online, and I bought it from Beserk. They offer free regular shipping on orders over $99 and free express shipping on orders over $120. Before I purchased it, I emailed Hell Bunny to ask whether their sizes were consistent throughout different styles, and although they claimed they were, the size I ordered ended up being way too big. I exchanged it for a M, which ended up being a really comfortable fit.

Despite the fact that the dress is a pretty much perfect fit around the waist area, the belt is rather tight, and I have to wear it on either the loosest or second loosest notch. It is separate from the dress though, so you can wear the dress without the belt, or with a belt of your choice. Like a lot of Hell Bunny dresses, the Jena combines elegance with darkness, with its pattern of flowers and skulls. The skirt of the dress is not quite a full circle, but it is full enough to fit a petticoat under. While I don't have a petticoat at the moment, I am hoping to order some soon, so I will post more photos once I get them.

And for a photo that isn't just a mirror selfie, here's me wearing the dress on Christmas 2013. It seemed like a fitting choice of outfit, what with the pattern being red and green, after all.

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Ivana (Hell Bunny)

The Ivana was the very first Hell Bunny dress I bought, and was probably the starting point of my obsession with expensive dresses. I bought it in size XL from Off Ya Tree.

Sorry about the quality of the photo. You might not be able to tell because of it, but the dress is quite snug. I've found that a lot of Hell Bunny dresses with side zips provide a rather tight fit, even when they have the rouched elastic, like the Ivana. The Ivana also has removable padding in the breast area, so if you're pretty large chested like I am, then you'll probably want to remove it. The straps are also adjustable, so if you have broader shoulders, then you'll be able to loosen them for a better fit.

The Ivana is actually my least favourite of the Hell Bunny dresses I own, but I still think it's great dress. It's a nice choice if you're after Hell Bunny but would prefer something a bit more casual than a full circle dress.