A lot of people have the misconception that wearing pinup is expensive – it certainly can be but there are ways around retro to suit all budgets. The world of online shopping has opened up countless doors for fashion lovers and many online stores are adaptable to any budget. We all know the saying, “you get what you pay for” so it can be a little scary ordering from a website where it does seem too good to be true, but luckily, I am ready to test out another vintage bargain online store; this time, we review Grace Karin.

Grace Karin is Amazon’s best selling fashion store for vintage reproduction dresses. Founded in 2008, they have dedicated themselves to creating the highest quality dresses on the market. Their designers have created dresses to fit every occasion, style and season with a great selection of affordable retro dresses as well as prom dresses, kids dresses and much more. They stock styles that are designed to suit different body shapes and types as well as a wide range of sizes. I know I had certainly seen their name come up whilst looking at retro fashion online and I was excited to be asked by them to review a few items. I have decided to split this blog into two; this edition will feature the two summer dresses I received and the follow-up blog will feature the winter dress I was sent.

Boatneck Sleeveless Vintage Tea Dress with Belt in Orange Floral Print

The Grace Karin Boatneck Sleeveless Vintage Tea Dress caught my attention as I immediately thought about spring, flowers, picnics and enjoy warm summer nights. The dress is made out of a stretchy cotton blend (I’m guessing spandex), has a back concealed zipper, came with a black belt and the skirt was knee length. The dress is a classic Audrey Hepburn cup tea dress which can easily make it a pinup staple for any wardrobe. The dress was available for order with many fabrics including plain colours, other florals and cute novelty images. I chose this orange flower print as I felt it was really fun, a different colour choice for florals and could be paired with orange, green and white accessories.

The dress wasn’t lined but did not turn sheer when worn; the cotton material it was made out of had a great deal of stretch, was comfortable and didn’t pucker or bulge awkwardly when worn. Although I didn’t wear the dress with the belt provided with the dress, the belt was also of a decent quality. I was really pleasantly surprised by the quality of this dress and enjoyed the shorter length during the heat wave we experienced. The skirt was nice and full which made it perfect for twirling in. If you are looking for a great summer retro dress, the multitude of prints this dress is available in makes this a great summer staple.
The dress retails for $26.69 and I ordered a Medium.
Dress available here. 

1950s Vintage Retro Swing Summer Dress in Navy Paperdoll Print

There are several similarities from this dress to the one above but it was really the fabric that caught my eye. I have always had a love of paper dolls so when I saw this fabric, the dress flew to my ‘must have’ list. The dress is made out of a stretchy cotton blend (once again, I think it might be spandex), has a back concealed zipper and a knee-length skirt. This dress has a classic tea dress bodice and a decent fullness in the skirt. Although there was no lining, the fabric did not turn sheer when worn.

I always navigate towards a darker print and I’m a huge fan of navy; the colourings of this fabric made it very easy to dress up and there were so many fun characters on the fabric, it made babysitting really fun. It also has a nautical vibe to it which makes me think I can pair it with a navy or red skirt and I’ll have a whole new outfit. Once again, the overall quality of this dress was really surprising for the price tag. Although it was a little shorter than what I am used to, it was cute, flirty and flattering.
The dress retails for $29.99 and I ordered a Medium.
Dress available here.

Final thoughts

From the date of order, the dresses took around 2 weeks to arrive which isn’t too bad. I found Grace Karin’s customer service to be great even when I had an issue with my emails. For the reasonable price tag, I thought the quality of the dresses was really good and I can definitely see myself reaching for these frocks throughout the summer months. Both were easy and fun to style, came individually wrapped and didn’t have a chemical smell upon opening.

If you have been wanting to top up your wardrobe with some fun summer fashions but are on a bit of a budget, Grace Karin is where you should head to for some retail therapy. From my experience with them, I would definitely recommend them and I look forward to working with them in the future.

Shop with Grace Karin here.

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**this review was not sponsored and all items were received free of charge in exchange of an honest review. All opinion expressed are solely my own and were not influenced in any way**