Sunday, 2 July 2017

Vintage Frank Usher Maxi Dress

I have a few true vintage items in my wardrobe that are extra special to me as they were gifts from friends and family.  One such treasured dress is this fabulous 1970s' maxi by designer Frank Usher. After a friend inherited her gran's wardrobe, she found this in the endless bin bags and thought of me.  It would have been far too long for my friend, but as I'm about a foot taller than her she thought it might fit me and asked if I'd like to have it.  It was love at first sight when I tried it on, so it came home with me straight away!

Frank Usher started off in the mid 1940s in London and found a niche market for fashion lovers with couture tastes but without couture budgets (I can relate to that!).  It wasn't a cheap brand - nothing like today's fast fashion - but it was priced affordably without losing much of the attention to detail and quality that customers wanted.  I see lots of Frank Usher around today, but mainly items from the 80s and 90s.  And I've never seen anything quite as lovely as this dress!  I really like the sleeves, sort of a kimono style but split on the bottom, and the print is so vibrant and snazzy.  It's actually a straight, loose fit, but I wear it belted for a bit of figure definition.

I have worn this dress several times, but it's never made it to the blog before.  I took it on our road trip to Norfolk, and wore it for a glorious warm summer evening at our countryside barn, playing boules and drinking prosecco.  One of those moments when you feel you're wearing exactly the right thing for exactly the right occasion.  Of course, the instant that we started to take some photos, some dramatic grey clouds rolled in...

Frank Usher @porcelinasworld



Frank Usher @porcelinasworld

Frank Usher @porcelinasworld

Frank Usher @porcelinasworld

Frank Usher @porcelinasworld

Frank Usher @porcelinasworld

Frank Usher @porcelinasworld
Dress: Vintage Frank Usher, gift from friend
Shoes: Clarks
Belt: Can't remember
Hair flower: Alternate Normality
Vintage beads: Car boot sale
Belt: off a dress

Linking up with: #iwillwearwhatilike, Visible Monday, Passion for Fashion, Fancy Friday
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18 comments:

  1. CiCi2 July 2017 at 09:05

    You can rely on Norfolk to summon up some sudden clouds ;) This dress is really one-of-a-kind and so perfect for you! Your lovely tall frame was made for pieces like this xx

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  2. Theresa Campbell2 July 2017 at 16:46

    That is one of the prettiest Frank Usher's I've seen. Vintage-y floral prints on a black background are one of my favs. The flowy sleeves are fabulous, as is that belt you chose to wear with the dress. What a super special gift to receive from a friend. She obviously knew you would do it justice :)

    Theresa

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  3. Suzanne2 July 2017 at 18:45

    What a fantastic dress! You know I love a bold print and the feminine details make it all the better. Your hair flower is stunning too.

    Lovely dress and photos!

    bisous
    Suzanne

    ReplyDelete
  4. Polyester Princess2 July 2017 at 19:22

    What an absolutely stunning dress, and it looks like it was made for you! What a wonderful gift! xxx

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  5. Jessica2 July 2017 at 19:58

    What an utterly fabulous dress! It's so perfect on you, from the length to the print to the kimono sleeves. I love the styling that you did as well - every little detail pops, and it all works beautifully with the bold floral. It was so thoughtful of your friend to gift this to you!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Vix3 July 2017 at 08:46

    That dress is stunning, the style is perfect and the print makes me go weak at the knees. Hooray for generous friends.
    Some of the 1960s and 1970s Frank Usher pieces are gorgeous, I've got a couple in my wardrobe that I love, they went a bit grandma on a cruise ship in the 1980s with those heavily sequinned tops and too much black. xxxx

    ReplyDelete
  7. Patti3 July 2017 at 14:21

    Oh, this dress is just perfection for you. Love the retro look and of course your great styling. xox

    http://notdeadyetstyle.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous3 July 2017 at 20:41

    That dress is gorgeous and the flower hairpiece is lovely.
    Marilyn

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  9. Nicole4 July 2017 at 02:15

    I LOVE those sleeves!!! This is such a great dress, and it looks wonderful on you!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Mim4 July 2017 at 09:14

    That's an ace maxi - right for this year's tropical trend, too.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Cate4 July 2017 at 09:47

    Whenever anyone mentions Frank Usher I think of the horrible 80s style of big hair, big shoulders and bright pink and blue make up. He produced the whole Joan Collins look for the higher end of the high street market. Thankfully your dress is a million miles away from this! It's fabulous and very you! xx

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    Replies
    1. Porcelina5 July 2017 at 18:25

      Yup, certainly has some 80s connotations for most of us! I'm interested to explore more of the earlier stuff now. X

      Delete
  12. Lorena4 July 2017 at 15:40

    How nice of her to think of you - this dress is so very pretty, specially the print.

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  13. Suzy, The Grey Brunette5 July 2017 at 10:55

    You look absolutely gorgeous in this dress! What a stroke of luck that it fir you so perfectly. I actually think the rolling clouds add a bit of extra drama to the pics.
    Suzy x
    www.suzyturner.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Porcelina5 July 2017 at 18:23

      Thank you Suzy - I was just worried the sunshine was not going to come back!! It did, all was well x

      Delete
  14. Miss Milla Cherry5 July 2017 at 11:15

    What a gorgeous dress on you I love it, such a lovely floral print! xo

    ReplyDelete
  15. Melanie Folly Bird19 July 2017 at 12:25

    Wow, you look wonderful, this dress is fabulous on you and what a nice gift! xxx

    ReplyDelete

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