Recently I collaborated with Wardrobe Shop, an on-line retailer specializing in vintage inspired clothing, but with an emphasis on older decades, such as the late 1800s, the early 1900s, and the 1920s, an area I’ve been wanting to expand upon more in my wardrobe.

Lately I’ve been feeling the whole 70s does Victorian, and putting my own unique spin on it, so I originally opted for the “Victorian Style Band Collar Blouse,” in black and in a medium, based on their size chart, however, when it became unavailable, I received a medium in the “Old Western Blouse” in black. When deciding I chose my size based off of their size chart, which, I must admit I found a little wonky, just take a look:

I have a 38 inch bust, so I went with a medium, as indicated by the chart, despite having a waist measurement much smaller than the “medium” waist. I knew the blouse was of the pullover design, and that it was likely to be billowy, straight cut, and thus the waist measurement was, for the most part, unimportant, and it was really the bust that mattered. But when the blouse arrived I was surprised by two things, first, Wardrobe Shop is simply a retailer. That is they do not design and manufacture like some other vintage inspired companies. As Wardrobe Shop says on their about page, “We have spent countless hours searching for the most elegant and beautiful era pieces in existence today.” As it turns out this blouse (as well as the “Victorian Style Band Collar Blouse”) is by Scully, a western clothing company, and one I am familiar with. I own several tops and bottoms by them, and based on that experience, I know their stuff runs rather large. In fact, every item I own by them is a size small. Which leads me to the second thing I was surprised by, the actual bust measurement. When laid flat, the bust measures 24 inches across, which translates to a bust of 48 inches; ten inches over what it says a medium bust is. I could most certainly forgive this if the bust were 40 inches, giving a two inch give zone, but this just seemed silly. But knowing that Wardrobe Shop is a retailer, they work with many different companies and manufacturers, and probably attempted to create a size chart that was happy medium between all of the different sizes and measurements between different manufacturers.

Had the website indicated that the garment was by Scully, I would have likely ordered a small, regardless of what Wardrobe Shop’s size guide said. Although, as I have been writing this post, I’ve been navigating through their site more and hovering over the tab for both blousees it does say “by Scully” as seen in this screencap, however it is not at all clearly stated on the garment’s page. But instead of contacting Wardrobe Shop to explain the sizing situation I decided to just give the blouse a go and showcase the medium, and what it looks like on a 38 inch bust.

I wore the blouse for an evening at Knott’s Scary Farm, and I received a surprising amount of compliments. But as you will see, there is a lot of fabric going on and it droops slightly at the shoulders, indicating it is indeed too big. The blouse is relatively straight cut, with no real fit, as it pulls over the head, with the four buttons for give when putting it on. The straighter cut means the blouse is gathered greatly at the waist when tucked into a skirt, and with so much extra fabric, you would be hard pressed to want to wear a tight skirt with it.

The standing collar has some eyelet lace work applied over the fabric, and continues with some along the sides of the button area. The sleeves border on leg of mutton in shape, which is a look I quite like, and come to a two button cuff at the end. With the medium however I was able to slip the top on and off without needed to undo the buttons.

The blouse is made of a wonderful thick cotton. Yes, pure 100% cotton. It’s glorious, and oh so comfortable. I enjoyed an evening of around 75, and dipping into the high 60s without getting chilly. I also rode the Timber Mountain Log Ride and got wet, but, like I said, it’s such a thick cotton, I didn’t even feel the water on me! It was crazy!

Bottomline, great blouse, but Scully is a pretty great brand. However if you take a turn about Wardrobe Shop’s site you’ll spy unique offerings that you may not find at just any ol’ vintage inspired clothing website, as they offer Victorian inspired garments, gorgeous 1910s/Downton Abbey style dresses, and stunning flapper/Great Gatsby beaded numbers. I just recommend planning ahead and ordering well in advance of any event, as you might run into a size issue, and need to exchange the garment.

Outfit
Blouse: Courtesy of Wardrobe Shop
Skirt: Pinup Girl Clothing
Belt: I don’t remember…
Brooch: Found by my dad
Purse: Great American Antiques, Bakersfield, California
Shoes: Miss L Fire

Disclosure: I received this blouse free of charge from Wardrobe Shop in exchange for an honest review of their item.