**Please Note: since the release of this review, it has been drawn to my attention that Zapaka Boutique has been engaging in some unethical practices. Customers have not been receiving their orders and all attempts at corespondance has fallen on deaf ears. Furthermore, a follower of mine has had her photos used to promote a dress of Zapakas despite the original dress being from a different brand. I am now aware that they are using stolen images and even captions to promote their brand which I find unacceptable. Despite being contacted about their actions, Zapaka has done nothing to change this and the issues continue. I will be leaving my original review up but just wanted to add this note. 

It’s been a hot minute since we’ve done a dress review so that’s exactly what we will be doing today. I am very excited to bring to you a new collaboration which has been in the works for months with the wonderful retro-inspired company, Zapaka. If you haven’t heard of Zapaka before, they are a modern vintage-inspired online clothing boutique with heaps of designs to suit all shapes and sizes. Zapaka is available for women to check out at Zapaka.com; the site is also available for customers in Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Australia. The site is offering many unique items for women around the world to check out for all the unique needs that people have. As part of this collaboration, Zapaka has also gifted all you lovely readers a discount code for 20% off! Use missmonmon20 at checkout (this is not an affiliate code).

According to their own origin story, going back as far as “1968 when founder Mary Wang would spend her weekdays working as a saleswoman and her weekends trawling flea markets looking for vintage dresses to post on her online shop just for fun. Since true vintage items are not that easy to come by, on a whim, Mary added some vintage-inspired dresses and before she could say retro-tastic, orders began flooding her inbox, So Mary did what any business savvy girl would do. While Zapaka carries many fabulous retro designers, Mary had her own retro-inspired vision, which translated into the birth of the Zapaka private label. This includes everything from gorgeous floral chiffon gowns straight out of “Mad Men” garden parties to retro Hollywood starlet inspired swimsuits to black wiggle dresses with applique details that Audrey Hepburn herself would fawn over”.

I was very kindly gifted two dresses from Zapaka and after a little while, we settled on the Vintage Lapel Collar Dark Green Bodycon Dress and the White 3/4 Sleeve Formal Dress. Due to the popularity of the brand, many original choices were unavailable but I am still really happy with the items I was very kindly gifted. Working with the company, despite a few computer errors (definitely on my end as my emails kept junking everything), was an absolute dream. They were kind, patient and very courteous which is something I always look for during a collaboration. Once my items were sent, they didn’t take a long time to reach me and I was able to photograph them straight away.

Let’s start with the Vintage Lapel Collar Dark Green Bodycon Dress in Green. Oh my gosh, I love this dress so much! It gave me some wonderful 1940’s vibes and I really want it in several different colours. I ordered the Medium which fit me like a glove despite having an Endo flare up and looking bloated. The dress is made from high-quality cotton and features a side invisible zip, short sleeves, lapel collar and front buttons. The wiggle skirt is very well designed to hug the figure just right and the short back slit allows you to move around freely. I am a big fan of the matching belt and of course, the colour of the dress is really deep and beautiful. Coming into the cooler months, this dress will definitely keep you warm and I loved styling it with vintage gloves and velvet fox shoes.

I think this dress would be appropriate for the office but I am also secretly wanting to style it with a big vintage black mushroom hat, long black gloves and really cinch my waist for that Dior-esque silhouette. I am so glad the skirt reached my knees to really give me that vintage feel. The dress is currently on sale and retails for $52 USD (normally $115) which is an amazing price for what you are getting. My first impression of this dress and company is that I have found a gold mine of affordable and beautiful vintage inspired clothes. Looking at all the wonderful designs and the fabulous colours they all come in, really excites me and I love imagining how I could style each piece.

Shop the dress here. Use code missmonmon20 at checkout for an extra 20% off (this is not an affiliate code).

I took a chance on this company to try out something a little different from my usual; instead of going with another lovely day dress, I chose one of their vintage-inspired wedding dresses. As a soon to be blushing bride myself, I’ve been looking into many vintage wedding dresses and thought it would be fun to try and test out a vintage reproduction wedding dress. Enter, the White 3/4 Sleeve Formal dress. I chose this dress for its simplicity and simple design…I’m also a sucker for lace. I need to point out that although I chose this dress to be a mock-wedding dress, it does come in several colours for those wanting the style but not in white. Oh my goodness, this dress is gorgeous!

The dress is made out of stretchy lace material and featured a v-neck line, 3/4 length sleeves and an a-line skirt which ends just on the knees. The lace features beautiful floral designs, scalloped edging and a cinched bodice. The fit was amazing and I found it flattering and very comfortable. The sleeves were a little on the looser side which is very common for me as I have quite thin arms but this meant I was able to swing my arms around without the dress riding up or shifting. The dress has an invisible zip on the back; I had to ask for help to be zipped up as I got stuck on my own (totally user error as I’m a bit un-co).

If you are looking for a very simple wedding dress, look no further. As much as it hurts me to say so, this can also be the basis of a Halloween costume if you are going for a vintage zombie bride kind of feel. Zapaka also has this dress but with more of a high collar which can be altered to look like a Mary Poppin’s Jolly Holiday costume but I digress. I chose to style this dress a little more casual and added some pastel coloured earrings and matching brooch from Daisy Jean Floral and a big straw hat because I was clearly thinking about Gone with the Wind whilst styling. I got a lot of compliments in this dress from people walking by (social distancing was still enforced so I had to get over people yelling compliments at me from the other side of the street). This dress retails for $48.89 USD (on sale from $88.65). Personally, I think this is a very reasonable price for the quality of the dress. I couldn’t really find anything wrong with the dress; it was classy and comfortable.

Shop the dress here. Use code missmonmon20 at checkout for an extra 20% off (this is not an affiliate code).

I am having a mini love affair with this brand if I may say so myself. There are so many amazing designs but also the range of colours and sizes of each piece is amazing for consumers. Many pieces are relatively simple so they can be styled any way you wish depending on your own personal preferences. I have always avoided fitted pencil/wiggle dresses due to my Endo but this brand has made me want to try and branch out. A lot of their wiggle dresses give me a Mad Men vibe which I am loving but I can also see the styling made to look very vintage Dior.

Despite gorgeous vintage dresses, it’s worth noting that Zapaka also have a large selection of prom dresses which range from vintage to modern styles and some are simply breathtaking. As I’m in ‘bridesmaid shopping mode’ this week, I can’t help but eye a few off for my own wedding. Moreover, Zapaka also cater for actual bridesmaid dresses as well as suitable dresses for the Mother of the Bride as well. Due to their large range of sizes and colours, this is definitely a source I recommend for those shopping for bridesmaids. Zapaka also sell a range of accessories and extras such as gloves, shoes, belts, capes, jewellery, bags and petticoats and more so it’s a very well stocked one-stop-shop. After a quick browse through their accessories, you could easily put together a full outfit for a party, ball, special occasion or a gorgeous day outfit if you’re feeling extra but need to stick to a budget.

As part of this collaboration, Zapaka has also gifted all you lovely readers a discount code for 20% off! Use missmonmon20 at checkout (this is not an affiliate code). Working with Zapaka was a delight and a dream despite my emails being a pain. Alas, I really found them professional and delightful. I will definitely keep shopping with them and I hope to work with them again soon because their quality and ethics are wonderful. I’d love to hear what you all think of these items and if you are tempted to shop the brand yourself.

Shop Zapaka here. Use code missmonmon20 at checkout for an extra 20% off (this is not an affiliate code).

Note: This is not a sponsored post. All opinions and thoughts expressed are solely my own and not influenced in any way. There are no affiliate links and I do not benefit from any link clicks or purchases made.