Pass the Palava, Please

Everything is bland; have you noticed? Architecture, automobiles, and fashion, even the brands that claim to be couture/high-end are often poorly made and of the cheapest materials,  everything expensive and yet somehow so cheap, basic, boring. So, when I meet a brand that really does seem to care and it shows in the quality of their work, I'm absolutely on board to support them.  That's Palava, 100%.  

This Green Peas dress was my Mother's Day gift this year and I loved it so much, I decided to buy a few more things over the next few months.  Eeesh, I love it all.  So well made and so lovely, I can't get enough.  I've worn this Peas dress nearly every week to work since May, because it's just so darling.  These pieces are made to last and mine have held up beautifully to all the wear, but I can't help but be excited to see what new prints come out in the Fall/Winter collection.

Outfit Info:  Louise- Green Peas Dress from Palava, VIVAIA Flats, YeMak Sweater

Classic Floral from Chillinen

As a lover of William Morris, The Pre-Raphaelites, Victorian design, and Art Nouveau, I can tell you that this Midi Floral Linen dress was an instant Yes! when I was looking at dresses for this collaboration with Chillinen.  I love the design and the colors, plus, check out that fitted waist!  It's adjustable, so I can create that hourglass shape or go looser for comfort.  I have loved all the dresses I have tried from Chillinen and they've given my readers promo code BLEU for $12 off promocode for your first order and check out my YouTube review below for all the details.

Chillinen Collaboration: Hello, Gorgeous! Oh, Wait, That's Me.

I cannot express to you how much I love this Black Lace Midi Linen Dress from Chillinen.  With all this elegance and vintage charm I feel like it's straight off the set for Audrey in Funny Face or Grace in Rear Window.  I just adore the way this dress hugs my waist but the sleeves and full skirt create an hourglass shape for me.  And it's so lightweight and comfortable.  I have a full and thorough review on YouTube posted below, but if you are interested in giving Chillinen a try, and I hope you will, use promo code BLEU to save $12 off your first order.

Grace & Style with Chillinen

Friends, I don't know what it's like where you live, but around here, August is pretty miserable, so this collaboration with a brand that offers timeless elegance, vintage silhouettes, and natural fibers?  Um, yes, please!  The lovely people at Chillinen sent over 3 lovely dresses for me to try and I absolutely adored all of them.  We're kicking things off with this Vintage Blue Floral Midi Dress  (this is not an affiliate link)  This brand has everything I'm looking for and you can save $12 off your first order with my promo code, BLEU.  I've made a very comprehensive video review, which I'm including down below, so for this post, I'll just let the photos do the talking.

Outfit Info:  Midi Linen Dress in Floral Vintage Blue from Chillinen  Save $12 off your first order with code BLEU 

Celia & Disturbia

2026 is off to a rocky start.  Barely out of a huge family holiday drama and we had a big trip and a couple of medical emergencies back to back to back.  I'm kind of tired already, but such is life and we just keep going.  We drove in all the winter chill to an out of state graduation that was in a small town in the middle of no where...and I loved it!  This tiny old town had so much history, tiny little eateries, funky small bookstores, and even an antique store where I found both this lovely vintage necklace and beaded bag for a song.  I have recently tried a new-to-me brand called Disturbia and though I only purchased two pieces in total, I am very pleased with the results.    

I ended my No Buy challenge after 8 weeks, by making this purchase from Disturbia and one other dress from Unique-Vintage and just in time for this trip because I knew I might want to look at thrift or antique stores and decided to allow myself that flexibility. Also, I like to plan for success, which is why I knew I didn't want to be ratcheted down on my spending during a family trip.  It worked like a charm.  I enjoyed my time with my family, the pressure was off me financially, and  I only spent $20 at the antique shop with no regrets about the lovely pieces I found there.

As far as this Celia Moth dress from Disturbia, it's unlike anything else in my wardrobe, and since it's also been a while since I've done a Youtube review of a brand, you can check out the lengthy, long winded details  on the video below.

 Outfit Info: Celia Moth Dress from Disturbia, Use my link to get $10 off your first order of $60 or more.  (just a referral link, not an affiliate) Necklace and purse are vintage, shoes are old from SheIn

OxKnit Sweaters

Sooooo, I rarely do negative reviews, preferring instead to hit the highlights of a brand, but when I purchased some OxKnit sweaters, I had issues with them and decided to do a very honest review, still trying to be kind.  I got a multi-paragraph response from OxKnit in the comments section of my YouTube video in which they basically couldn't deny anything I said, but mostly just said, "we're working on it."  Fair enough.  As a sign of good faith, they recently commented that they have now added size XS to their line and that gives me even more reason to hope things improve.  In the meantime, I had to take this sweater in several inches at the sides to get a nice fit, but I do like the finished product well enough that I ended up keeping most of my purchase.  And of the pieces I kept, I have washed and worn them all once or twice and so far they look just as nice and have held up well.  Check out my video below for the full review.

Ode to Jove Grace Day Dress: Ivory Sheep Review

I've been a fan of the Canadian based company, Ivory Sheep for several years now.  I first encountered the owner in the Selkie fan groups as her business was just beginning.  I loved how she was just a person, a fellow dress lover who was fulfilling her dream to become a dress shop owner.  The cherry on top was that she gave prompt and personal service, and genuinely seemed to care about her customers.  When Selkie's spring launch was an utter shit show, she went above and beyond to get orders out.  I never saw a single negative word uttered about her and many saw her as someone to rely on against the chaos of that time.  Unfortunately in the wake of that and other frustrations Mackenzie and Ivory Sheep, like so many other stockists at the time, chose to end their relationship with Selkie.  Fortunately for dress lovers, Mackenzie soldiered on by launching her own collection.  I fell immediately in love with this Ode to Jove dress when it released on the spring of 2025, but the rules of my Low Buy year didn't allow me to purchase.  I determined that if it was still in stock come Black Friday that I would bring it home.

Black Friday rolled around and to my sheer delight Ivory Sheep had a 40% off site-wide sale and allowed me to stack a promo code as well, plus gave me free shipping and I was able to make this beauty mine for 50% off the original price.

The print for this dress is called Allegory of Glory.  Originally painted in the fresco style by Mariano Rossi it depicts the battle of Roman general Marcus Furius Camillus against the Etruscan city of Veii.  The Roman army lay siege to the walled city and the Etruscans were successful in holding them off, until General Camillus got the idea to tunnel under the city.  This painting celebrates his victory.  Strange subject for a dress print?  Perhaps, but you can't argue with the outcome.

Outfit Info: Ode To Jove Grace Day Dress from Ivory Sheep, Shoes from B.A.I.T.