Let me start out by saying that one of my absolute favorite dresses this summer from PUG was the Dixiefried Tiki Twist. 

And trust me, it's hard to pick favorites, but the Tiki Twist just had that little something extra to make it tie with the Zooey as my go-to dress on those especially hot days when wearing anything seemed like a punishment.

I first purchased the Red/Orange dress in XS when it first became available to order (my measurements for reference are 31.5-32", 24", 33" at the hipbone, 37" at the lower hips/thighs).  I was torn between this and the Banana leaf print, but based on the model photos, I felt confident that the Red/Orange would be the most complimentary to my skin tone and hair (the photo of Doris Mayday in the DF Bustier of the same pattern was what really sold me on it).  So Red/Orange it was, and oh how I love it!  The print and fabric are rich, the adjustable straps are a huge help (and allow for a wide range of bust sizes), and the elasticized, smocked back makes it completely comfortable to wear for hours and hours.  I wasn't sure how I'd feel about the back, but I actually really like the way it looks smocked.  And the twist in the bust-area is something I'm still trying to figure out the construction of!  You really have to see it in person to appreciate it fully, because it's impossible to describe how very unique it is.  Dixiefried was the last of the PUG house brand clothing lines for me to discover, and in my opinion, it is for hips what Deadly Dames is for boobs.  It brings out the best in them and accentuates them so that you feel confident and have an added spring 'n swing in your step.  The Tiki Twist is a perfect example of this.  The waistline runs a bit higher than some of the other PUG dresses, and is a bit looser, but still draws your waistline in.  I personally like to wear a black belt with my Red/Orange dress and a red belt with my Banana print dress, but I'm also a bit belt-mad so that could be why.

 The skirt is beautifully gathered and pleated, and while I did stitch up the tulip skirt, it's by no means the type of wrap skirt to fly open.  I just know with the way I walk that the whole inner-thigh flashing would be an issue, and I'm fortunate in that my job has a pretty loose dress code but I don't want to push it!  But the design does keep it from flying open, and the skirt really does give the whole dress a very Tiki feel (when I think of Tiki and tropical themes I think hip-swinging movement which this dress definitely encourages).It's a very unique dress not only in construction, but also in that it is a wiggle dress of sorts, but it's not like the others that are very fitted and clingy.  

You can feel room in the hips for movement but it doesn't look loose and it does give definition to your curves.  I think that's why it became such a favorite in these past few months... it feels like a swing, but looks like a wiggle, and it's comfortable enough and different enough to work for both a dressed down daytime look or a dressed up night time look (flowershop head a la Micheline anyone?).  And just last week I made the most of a birthday gift certificate to pinupgirlclothing.com and purchased the long-desired Banana print dress.  This design is good enough to have in multiple fabrics!  I find the fit to be pretty much identical to the Red/Orange, and while I do think that the Red/Orange is still probably the best choice for my coloring, I was pleasantly surprised to see how much I like the Banana print on me as well (I initially wasn't sure if the yellow would wash me out, but with some red lipstick I think the whole look gets pulled together).