When the sun comes out there’s no better feeling than peeling off the skinny jeans and the opaques and letting your lily white legs free to the rays of the sunshine (with appropriate SPF, of course).  As temperatures rise it’s the ideal time to ditch heavy fabrics for light weight dresses in pretty patterns and the latest vintage-esque plus size offerings from clothing brand BBW Couture are just the ticket.

The BBW Couture vintage party dresses are available in sizes 16-28 but the fit is a little on the small side. I tried the Blue and White Floral Vintage Party Dress* (with obligatory petticoat for extra poof) and I found I needed to size up from my regular 18 to a 20 which still had to be wiggled down over my (very) modest chest and fits snuggly on the waist. Despite this snug chest fitting, the cut of the neckline means that I’m close to flashing my bra, so I dusted off my sewing kit (I’m surprised I remembered where it was) and put what my mamma taught me to good use with a quick darn on the bust to save any embarrassing nip slips. What I love about vintage dresses like these is that they’re just so flattering for all shapes and sizes, this dress sits nicely on my waist which is the smallest part of my body (bar my little finger) and the matching waist ribbon means I can accentuate my waist a bit more – it would also look super cute with a contrasting waist belt.  The length of the dress means it falls just on my knee on my 5’8 frame so if you’re any shorter you’re guaranteed a below knee length for a ladylike leg flash

BBW Couture offers these dresses in a number of different prints ranging from demure ditzy prints like the one pictured to their bolder prints such as the Josie or Animal Rose prints. I find that although these aren’t the sort of dresses that I would wear for an everyday occasion (although I would love to because there’s something so feminine feeling about spinning in these dresses), they’re the perfect answer for a summer wedding outfit. At £29.99 they’re a snip of the price of your usual vintage style dresses and can be given extra flare when worn over a petticoat which you can purchase online or can be picked up for a fraction of the price at a vintage hire shop!

I teamed my Vintage Party Dress with a white cropped cardigan from Primark (£5) and a pair of nude peeptoe heels from Barratts (similar) which gives the illusion of elongated legs.

I also tried another of the vintage dresses from the collection so keep your eyes peeled for that review coming up later on in the week.