Wedding Outfit // Lee Bender Bus Stop Dress

The hunt for a dress for the wedding I attended on New Year's Day started almost 4 months ago. Being my first wedding to be a guest at, I had no experimenter to draw on of how one should dress for a wedding let alone one on New Years Day!

I genuinely felt like there was no hope, and started to wonder how anybody does this, then my mind fleeted to the bride. If I was this stressed over finding the perfect church -come- party dress that was sophisticated, fun and maybe glittery ( it's a hard one to think about ain't it?) how on earth was the bride to be feeling?!

After giving up the idea that such a dress existed, I stumbled across a vintage dress with the aid of my Mum the Saturday before Christmas. On Clarendon Street there is this amazing little vintage store packed to rims with floor length ball gown gown dresses, mink and real fur cuts and all the sequins a girl could want. ( quick tippet, the lady who runs and owns it tends to supply TV shows with period dressing from the shop) I'm not the best for shopping in vintage it's a rare time I'll find something that I'll actually wear, and have the confidence to, that's not to say I love vintage stores. Especially his one, it's just so.. Luxurious. And pricey.

So when I came across a silver crushed velvet dress I eagerly showed the material to my mum who took it out from it's hiding place, only to be greeted by the owner to announce. " oh that's tincey wincy, no one has ever fit in that"

Mum always up for the challenge urged me to try it on, countering with " lesley will fit it"

. Fact. If there were ever to perform under pressure now was it. The waist on the dress was tiny. Like Jesus as I got undressed in the changing room I held up the dress at so many angles as I decided on my game plan to actually get into the thing.

Amazingly it fit. And I felt amazing in it. Winning. Mum looked pleases that we found something a bit quirky, and the more I twirled in front of the mirror, quite me.

As it turned out the dress was a vintage Bus Stop. A brand I would have never heard of a week prior expect that I had just had a lecture in college on the identity brands and shops of the 1970s that originated on Church Street in Chelsea. Realising how much history that came with the dress I just fell in love with it more. The fact that this dress was designed by Lee Bender, a designer who's clothes have been worn by Jerry Hall, how could I not love it.

For the wedding, I kept the accessories minimal. I incorporated silver jewellery with a simple glittery choker from River Island and a silver ring I made myself. For shoes, I wanted funky, 70s inspired platformed heels. River Island again was the spot for such shoes, and being on a lucky streak I found these silver heeled platforms on sale! I guess one of the things that crazy about this dress is that, I'm a size 6, this dress would have been considered a size 10 in the 70s!