There’s a lot to be said for a great go-to evening dress. If you have worked all day and are trying to find the energy to go out, the last thing you need is to put on a dress and feel...well...nothing! You need something that is going to make your heart beat a little faster, something that you put on, look in the mirror and say “My word, don’t I look ravishing tonight!”

YOU NEED PINUP GIRL CLOTHING!

PUG really does have a knack for creating dresses that fit so well that it’s pretty impossible to have a fat day (I’m sure that most of a woman’s ‘fat days’ are simply because they are wearing crappy, cheap, ill-fitting clothing).

This is the very reason that I wear PUG or other vintage reproduction brands every day.  I dress up quite a bit on a day to day basis- some dresses that other PUGsters would consider ‘dressy’, I wear to work and class as more ‘smart casual’. So when it comes to really dressing up to the nines for a night out, I need something extra super duper special. Usually that means shiny material for instant glamour and paired with humungous shoes and a bit of hair bling.

I have four Pinup Girl Clothing dresses that fit the bill and here is my review on them all!

The Birdie Party Dress with ¾ Sleeves in Royal Blue- available in XS-2XL

One of my first ever PUG dresses, it was the colour that immediately caught my eye. The brightness and richness of the blue is to die for... I’m a sucker for jewel tones and the colour of this dress is too gorgeous to pass up.

As well as the colour, I also fell in love with was the gorgeous lapel and the ¾ sleeves. I love having a dress with longer sleeves for winter!

The swing style is a added bonus and great for a night out of comfort without the worries and restrictions of shapewear.

My bust measures 36” and waist measures 28.5” so I went with the medium size. It fits really well everywhere apart from being the tiniest bit big in the bust- it’s not noticeable, it just gapes a little when I bend over or do crazy overhead arm movements ;-)

The fabric is a polyester/cotton/spandex blend and has minimal stretch- I’d say enough stretch for ½” over what is stated in the size chart.

The Birdie comes with a 2 3/8” black vinyl belt which really does look fabulous, especially when paired with shiny black pumps.

I always wear my hair up with this dress to show off the lapel. Having my hair all up also makes me feel a little bit more fancy.

The Birdie gives a great hourglass shilouette (oh and did I mention the hint of cleavage it gives???) and why not accentuate it by wearing a big petticoat underneath! I’ve worn a red one underneath which was so much fun!

The Film Noir- available in XS-2XL

It took me months to work up the courage to purchase this dress. I must admit that wiggle styles frighten me- it’s a combination of the need to wear crazy shapewear, the worry of the dress riding up and that I have a 14” difference between my hips and waist so I always have to size up.

HOWEVER, I overcame my fear and placed the order. My goodness am I glad I did. The velvet is ultra lush, the emerald green colour is gorgeous and detailing is stunning.  Oh and of course it looks great on- BONUS!

Since my bust and waist fell into the medium size but my hips into the large, I decided to size up. I had been told that I would be fine to go with a medium but I didn’t want to risk loosing all the ruching details when it stretches across my hips. The large ended up fitting surprisingly well- It’s not super fitted in the bust and waist but I don’t think it’s noticeable.

It is such a classy dress but still has uber sex appeal. I think it is perfect for dinners out, shows or winter parties. Sadly, I’ve only managed to wear mine out once (I so don’t go out often enough!) and that was to a burlesque show.

I decided to do my hair a little bit more of a 20s style, with a soft fingerwave through the front and the back rolled up. The lipstick I wore was MAC ‘Hung up’ in their creamsheen range and MAC ‘Vino lipliner. This dark purply-plum colour went beautifully with the Emerald green.

The Evelyn- available in XS-2XL

This dress was sold out when I first discovered PUG a little over a year ago. Luckily a lovely Australian PUGster was selling hers and it was my size!

The green is just so beautiful and vibrant- jewel tones really are a drug to me! The detailing of the bodice is so pretty and I love the gathering of the skirt along the waist. It’s a real head-turner dress!

I’m a medium in the Evelyn and it’s fits really well with a little room in the bust so there is ease of movement.

I think that this dress would suit so many body types but do know of some ladies who don't like the fit because they are short-waisted or quite short in terms of height.

There’s not much stretch at all with this fabric (polyester/cotton/spandex), especially in the bust because of the detailing.

It says dryclean only but I have had no problems washing it on the delicate cycle and hang drying.

I’ve never worn the bolero with it as I much prefer the dress on it’s own. Sometimes I wear my skinny black PUG slide belt just above where the gathering of the skirt starts.

The Ava- available in XS-2XL

Hi, my name is Ella Macedo and I am addicted to bright, shiny, jewel coloured dresses... but more specifically the colour green. I can’t sleep, can’t eat and my credit card doesn’t look so great.

I NEED HELP.

(Actually, I might NEED the help, but I sure don’t WANT it! )

So I bought the Ava in - yup you guessed it- Jade Green.  The Ava was inspired by the screen sirens of the 50s and made out of shakira satin with a faux sash and tulip skirt. At the time that I bought it, there were 4 colourways (red, jade, teal and black) but since then it has been release in blush, white, burnt gold, tangerine and soon a purple and chocolate! (my heart is a-flutter!)

Buying this dress was not a straightforward as the other three dresses. Once again, my bust and waist fell into the medium size but my hips (42”) were in no-man’s land, somewhere between a large and extra-large.

So I went with the large. I thought I would need to get the bust and waist taken in but the bust fits and the faux sash cinches in excess fabric at the waist.

I did find though that the bottom of the zip was puckering so I had a seamstress  shorten the zip up to the bottom of the waist band.

There are a few things that you need to be aware of with the Ava-

1. There is a certain way to tie the sash. If you don't do it the proper way, it's just not going to sit right. Micheline posted this video on how to tie it the right way. It does tend to loosen with movement so you will probably need to tighten it every once and a while.

2. The wrap skirt can expose quite a bit of leg when walking up stairs. Also, if it's windy, you may have it all blow up around your waist. Yes this happened to me, luckily there weren't too many people around! I would recommend saftey pinning the skirt together or even sewing a few little stiches to avoid a wardrobe mal-function.

3.The fabric has a lot of natural give so if it’s feels a little tight at first, it will give after a hour or two of wear. If it is hard to zip up, try tugging at the zip or getting someone else to.

The Ava is super sexy, and enhances your hourglass shape. It's a great dress for all shapes and I like how the neckline gives cleavage but the girls are still very secure and at no risk of breaking free! The plunging neckline looks fabulous with a big statement necklace.

I love all of these dresses. Of course my thirst for PUG will never fully be quenched and I'd love to get the L'amour in black satin with dot chiffon overlay and the Ava in purple reign when it released!