The Retro Baker feat. Lindy Bop

Lindy Bop sent me a dress of my choice for review. All opinions are my own.

Lindy Bop has long been one of my favorite brands. With their quirky prints, classic cuts, and affordable prices — not to mention fantastic sales — I most often find myself turning to their website when I want to spice up my wardrobe with a new piece. I bought the Dorothy dress as my official “photography” dress for weddings when I need to look a little more professional, the Saphy Retro TV dress because… well, my husband is an aspiring filmmaker and I love old films, and this beautiful floral number that I don’t know the name of which is one of my go-to house dresses for its comfort and stretch. And I can’t forget the darling Boutique skirt, or my most recent purchase, this gorgeous plaid skirt with pockets which has yet to make it to the blog.

So a collaboration, to me, is a completely natural and fitting decision. And given my housewife tendencies, which have of late included retro recipes, choosing this darling vintage baking bookshelf themed dress was a no-brainer. With its shirtwaist style (with working buttons!), pockets, and retro bookshelf full of mixers, treats, cookbooks, and teacups, it immediately stood out to me as something that would fit well in my life and represent something I love: vintage books, and baking!

When the dress arrived, I was not disappointed! Made from a lovely matte finish stretch polyester, it feels like a thick satin but without the shine, and of course with that bit of stretch to make it super comfortable for every day wear. And once again, as with the Lady V London dress, I love that it comes with a matching belt that I can easily change out with other outfits. I don’t own any pink belts, so it was a sweet surprise to see this one with my dress! 

I thought that this dress would be especially cute with my vintage veggie-themed purse, which I haven’t really used since February when I wore my veggie print dress (and you can see its debut with the most gorgeous coral vintage dress here!). Unfortunately, the material that covers the vegetables is beginning to peel, and I’m not quite sure how to fix it. A bit of glue may be all I can do to salvage some of the more deteriorated veggies! 

While I was shooting these photos — which by the way, pushed me out of my comfort zone as this location is right next to a busy intersection and I had absolutely no cover — I had a small adventure. Toward the end of the shoot, a small truck drove up to me in the big and abandoned parking lot, and I immediately thought one of two things: either someone had come to kick me out and tell me it was private property, or someone was stopping by to be a little creepy.

To my eternal relief, it was neither. In the truck was an older man who warned me, “I don’t know if you’re taking photos in the building or just in front of it, but you see that bendy pole there?” he gestured to a tall pole behind me that seemed to be supporting part of the roof. “If there’s a boom or any kind of shaking, it will dislodge and that whole roof will come down on you.” I reassured him that I was only taking photos in front of the structure, and he jovially began to recount the story of the abandoned place. It had been his building at one point in time, where he ran a cement road repair and wood factory. When it was raining, they build little houses to rent. When it wasn’t, they fixed the roads. Up in the hills around the factory were a few military-style homes that had come in on barges into the harbor, and that he had helped put together in the neighborhoods. He pointed out several locations of houses he’d helped build, and ended with “but now, I work on boats.”

Toward the end of the conversation, I noticed something on the ground nearby, and realized it was a wallet, complete with ID and credit cards. I brought it to his attention, as I have never found a rogue wallet before, and he offered to take it to the police station since he would be driving that way. As he left, I felt a little more confident taking photos in this location, despite the many, many cars that slowly drove by, and the curiosity of those who stared out their windows at me.

All in all, it was an eventful photoshoot, and I’m glad I worked up the bravery to stop and shoot. I learned a little bit more about my home town, and hopefully the owner of the wallet will find vast relief when it is returned to him!

Matilda Red Baker dress, c/o Lindy Bop | Cardigan, Amazon | heels, Amazon | bag, vintage (same here, similar here) | brooch, old