Item Review: Pinup Girl Clothing “Ava” Swing Dress

During the week, I had the opportunity to visit Miss Milla Cherry for a day.  We decided to make the most of the time together by taking some photos at local sites.  I was able to photograph two outfits to share with you – one featuring a Bernie Dexter dress, the other focusing on this Pinup Girl Clothing dress.  Our photos were taken at the riverside Queen’s Park, behind City Hall, and at the riverside train line, all in Maryborough Queensland.

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The PUG Ava swing dress is the full skirted sister to their popular Ava wiggle dress.  Featuring the same attractive crossover bust as the original, the Ava swing is fitted through the natural waist and full in the skirt.

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The fabric is a sharkskin taffeta made of a polyester/spandex blend that offers some stretch for comfort.

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The Ava swing bodice is self lined (lined with its own fabric), while the skirt is lined with a satiny fabric in a mid-blue shade.

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The Ava swing dress has plenty of room to fit fluffy petticoats underneath.  In these photos, I’m wearing a Bexterity two-layer petticoat in red.

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The Ava fastens with a zip up the centre back.  The zip is long enough that you should be able to pull this dress up over your hips rather than having to risk putting it over your head and messing up your hair.  Because the neckline is quite high at the back (sitting at the nape of the neck), you may need a zipper assistant chain (or a helpful friend) to get the zip done all the way up.

Coming to about a quarter of the way down my calves (I’m 5’2″/158cm), this is a great length for a party dress.  The Ava pairs well with sparkly heels or ballet flats – I’m wearing BAIT Footwear’s Brook heel in silver in these photos.

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The Ava swing dress doesn’t yet come in the same wide variety of colours as the wiggle dress, but the colours available so far are practical and pretty.  In addition to the dark blue colourway I’m wearing here, the Ava swing comes in black, ivory, silver, pink, and a turquoise (which I am absolutely lusting after).

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The Ava swing is available in sizes XS-4XL, catering for busts from 32 inches to 53.5 inches, and waists from 24 inches to 45.5 inches.  I’m wearing a size 2XL.  While I think I could have probably sized down to an XL for my 36 inch waist due to the stretch of the fabric,  the 2XL offers a comfortable fit for my bust.  In addition, it’s worth noting that I found the cap sleeves rubbed against the underside of my upper arms after a few hours of wear, despite not feeling tight.  If you have large upper arms for your size, it’s worth considering going a size up for comfort in this area.

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Retailing for US$120 (approximately AU$156 at current rates), the Ava is a fairly affordable offering from PUG.

Accessories featured in these photos include vintage hat from Cassie’s Corner, vintage gloves bought in Edinburgh, and a sweetheart brooch from Glamourlite.

About Vera Gin

A pinup/vintage/retro style fan from sunny Queensland, Australia.
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7 Responses to Item Review: Pinup Girl Clothing “Ava” Swing Dress

  1. Miss Ally Kat says:

    You look like Kate Winslett in The Dressmaker, so glamorous!!!

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Yay those photos turned out so beautifully! Thanks again for a great blog photos day! 🙂

    Liked by 1 person

  3. You look gorgeous and I’ve been lusting after this dress (and the turquoise one) for a looong time. The only reason I haven’t bought it, is I because it seems to be a party only dress. I love to dress down my dresses for a little bit more faaabulous casual outfits (which are probably party outfits for some people who don’t wear dresses), but I don’t know where I would wear this dress aside from photographing it to my blog. But… maybe I’ll eventually end up buying it anyway as it is really dreamy!

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Pingback: Item Review: Bernie Dexter “Frenchie” Dress in Cabbage Rose Print | Vera Gin Vintage

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