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• Frock Flashback: the Doris (+ New releases coming soon!)

  Published Jun 19 2020 in Cherry Velvet, Cherry Velvet Dresses, cotton dress, Doris, Made In Canada, Vintage Inspired

  This flashback friday special is all about the Doris dress, one of our customer favourites. Join us for a stroll down memory lane, as we look back on previous releases of this beautiful style, and get excited for the new prints coming out very soon!

  Named after 1950's songbird Doris Day, this dress is just as lovely as the lady. With a bustier style top, the details are fabulously flattering and just perfect for the summer, with straps that perfectly cover your bra's. The full skirt looks lovely with or without a crinoline, and there are pockets, of course!

  2015

  In 2015, the Doris was first released in 4 beautiful and iconic prints - including our signature cherries on polka-dots (available right now!). For that season's photoshoot, we went to the stunning Hycroft Manor, an Edwardian mansion in Vancouver that's a popular spot for weddings.

  Our model for this shoot was Charlotte, who's also an advocate for body acceptance. Didn't she look so lovely in the Doris?

  

  2016

  You can say our 2016 release was definitely "stellar"! With two galactic prints (one that glows in the dark), we brought back the cherry dots, and added a fun digital-age pixel print.

  We chose to shoot this time at Pier Park in New Westminster, BC (near Vancouver), with its beautiful greenery. Veronica Belle was on the mission this time, with her bombshell glamour shining as much as the glow-in-the-dark Star Magic dress!

  

  2018

  In 2018, we released 5 fun and beautiful new prints. We had more kitschy options, like Bat the Lash and glow-in-the-dark skulls, and realistic prints, like Rose Crush and Citrus Slice, plus the stunning floral; Enchanted Garden.

  Our model, Veronica Belle, is pure pin-up glamour and a Cherry Velvet veteran, shooting with us until this very day!

  

  2020

  And that brings us to our newest releases! You can look out for these beauties very soon on our online store, and our lemon-y "Squeeze The Day" is available right now! 

  

  Squeeze The Day - Swizzle Sticks - Violet Femmes - Fly With Pride

  It was fun looking back, but you can see there are also many exciting things to look forward to!

  We hope you enjoy these new releases and make sure to follow us on our social media or subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to hear when all the new Doris dresses are available.

   

  XOX Cherry Velvet

• Frock Flashback: the Danielle

  Published Jan 24 2020 in Cherry Velvet, Cherry Velvet Dresses, cotton dress, Danielle, Made In Canada, Vintage Inspired

  

  The Danielle: A much-beloved sassy frock, produced in about 15 different prints over Cherry Velvet history. Named after a darling previous staff member and model, this design was released for the first time way back in 2015.

  With so many versions of it, we thought it would be fun to take a look back at all the past Danielles! Plus, here's a secret just for you: A little bird has said we might be seeing this frock again this summer...

  Image credit: Disney

  One of the special features of the Danielle is that we often use one-way prints. This takes more fabric, but also means that we can use more unusual and striking prints.

  This charming design features an alluring "V" neckline, with buttons that match the print, a pointed collar and best of all a unique peek-a-boo back. After all, your exit is every bit as important as your entrance! The full skirt looks lovely on its own or with a crinoline, and includes (as always!) hidden pockets in the side seams.  

  

  If you like it from the front, wait 'til you see it from the back!

  And now, for your viewing pleasure, here is a gallery of all our past Danielles!

  Let us revel in nostalgia...

  Prints: Bazaar, Celestial Damask, and Red Rose

  Prints: Hexi Dot, Bird Bath, and Bento Box

  Prints: Rose Picnic, Cherry Luau, Poppy Lagoon

  Prints: Silhouette, Shutterbug, and Black Geo

  Prints: Beach Pugs, Rose Floral, Retro Star

  We know, we know. They're so beautiful and fun. We wish they'd still be available too, but they are long sold out. However, fear not: we have exciting new things coming this year!

  Did you enjoy seeing the history of our Danielle dress? Let us know if you did, and if you'd like to see more Frock Flashbacks.

  Stay tuned for Name That Print contests, new releases, and other fun news!

   XOX Cherry Velvet

• Vintage Fashion, Self-love and the Pleasure of Pretty Things

  Published Jul 11 2019 in Body Positive, Christina Myers, cotton dress, plus size, retro dress, Vintage Inspired

  "This week we wanted to revisit this guest post by freelance writer Christina Myers. I would be lying if I said it didn't make a couple of us, here at the office, choke up a little. Christina is also a Cherry Velvet customer who decided to share with us her relationship with fashion and dresses. Thank you, Christina!"

  Vintage fashion, self-love and the pleasure of pretty things...

  

  I’ve always taken great pleasure in fashion – but for many years, that pleasure was reserved for browsing, only. I’d buy Vogue and Vanity Fair and spend hours relishing the designs and fabrics and accessories as they changed from year to year. Vintage anything, in particular, would catch my eye: cocktail dresses from the ‘50s, old-school silk and lace slips, war-era Victory roll hairdos. Don’t get me wrong: I loved modern things too (Tom Ford late ‘90s? Chanel all the way through the 1980s? Alexander McQueen basically any year ever? Yes, please!) But the things that always jumped out at me were the vintage touches: beaded clutches and Jackie O. pearls, glittery brooches and Mary Jane pumps, snug knee-length skirts and Cuban heeled stockings. If you think modern fashion in even its most simplistic, streamlined forms is a new-born beast each season, look again: vintage is everywhere, almost every year, though sometimes in just the tiniest details.

  But, I struggled with the frivolity of fashion. I thought of myself as level-headed, smart – and strongly committed to feminist ideals, to boot. I worked in a field that required others to take me seriously. Was it fluffy-headed to like pretty things? Was I being silly and indulgent to care about this stuff?

  Worse, I knew perfectly well that fashion could be a tool of oppression, a simple and effective extension of the intense scrutiny over female bodies – and a costly one at that, for an extra layer of gendered burden.

  How was it possible that something that felt profoundly individualistic and pleasurable and even empowering – the fun I had in choosing a lipstick colour or a pair of shoes, the confidence I felt when indulging in certain outfits – was so laden with negative overtones?  Could one be independent and intelligent and be taken seriously – and still enjoy a crinoline from time to time?

  

  These were not idle thoughts but genuine debates I had with myself as I considered my responsibility not just to myself, but as a member of a larger “womanhood.”

  On top of that, like many women, I struggled with my body – the food I ate, the shape of it, the way it changed through puberty and adulthood and motherhood. From my early teens forward, the message I heard was clear: unless you’re perfect, you need to cover up.

  The result of all this body image/self-perception/internal philosophy was a wardrobe of black, with high necklines and long sleeves – and a lot of not-quite-being-myself-in-my-own-body. I’d treat myself to a pair of pretty tights or a satin purse or dramatic earrings – then tuck them away for “someday.”

  It’s impossible to do that forever, without being unhappy. For me, a series of seismic life shifts, starting in my mid-20s, slowly – glacially slow at times – allowed me to come into myself in ways that were colourful, individual and most importantly, unapologetic.

  It turns out that the unexpected result of indulging in the fashion that I loved – regardless of current trends or the disapproval of others or even my precise body shape at any given time – had the precise opposite effect I had feared when I was younger.

  I don’t feel silly or self-indulgent, childish or fluffy – I feel like a woman in charge of herself.

  It is a work in progress, and like most women, I’d be lying if I said I walk out of the house feeling divine every single day. I often pile on dramatic accessories, then take them back off. I try to tame my hair and lament when it’s bigger than it should be. I second-guess a polka-dot dress or a particularly bright pair of knee socks and wonder if I should go back upstairs and change. And it ain’t all silks and satins: many days, what makes me happiest is a pair of black leggings, an oversized sweatshirt, a ponytail and a pair of flip flops.

  

  The point, though, is this: I dress for myself and I take intense pleasure in doing so – whether it’s dressing up or dressing way down – and if onlookers enjoy it, or don’t, is entirely secondary.

  Discovering Cherry Velvet several years ago now, at the tail end of a lot of personal change, was (at the risk of sounding overly dramatic) a revelation.

  The dresses were gorgeous, for sure: vintage shapes, big skirts, figure-hugging in the best ways even for curvy bodies.

  But it was the spirit of the dresses that I fell in love with.

  They’re meant to stand out. They are totally unapologetic. The fabrics are quirky at times, irreverent and fun. Squirrels and birds. Bicycles. Flamingos. Sushi rolls, anyone? Some are elegant, in classic colours and muted tones or bright primaries. They’re fun, and intentionally so. They’re pretty, elegant or cute, depending on the fabric and design. And let’s not mince words: they are ALL sexy as hell. (And, the cherry on top: the company is owned by a woman, the dresses are designed by that same woman, and the manufacturing happens locally – not to mention ethically, which can’t be said for most overseas clothing production.)

  

  (Christina with her sister, both loving the same dress :)

  But here’s the most important thing, in my opinion: these dresses are made to be worn. They’re comfortable and sturdy (yes, sturdy, and how often can you say that about a dress), practical (I’m talking pockets) and a breeze to take care of. They’re easy to get in and out of, with long zippers, or shapes that you can simply pull over the head.

  In other words, they are made FIRST AND FOREMOST for the person wearing them. Think about that for a moment. They’re made with the woman who will wear them as the primary focus. Shouldn’t be so revolutionary, but it is.

  A majority of fashion is made to look good to an observer but doesn’t feel so good to the person wearing it. Outfits are designed and made like props, objects one is required to “put up with” for the benefit of the world. The phrase “suffering for fashion” comes to mind.

  But if I am truly dressing for myself, it can’t be just about the way a thing looks, it’s also fundamentally about how I feel while wearing it. And Cherry Velvet nails it.

  I recently went out for a long-awaited celebration dinner with a group of women friends. All of us are CV fans and we each wore one of our CV dresses.

  Not one of us wears the same size or even has the same shape. Between us we have given birth to nine children. We all have body image “junk,” parts of our bodies we like more or less. And we all enjoy very different things when it comes to colour and design.

  

  The result? We were proud as peacocks in our dresses; from my solid cherry-red to my friend’s bluebird print, we were wearing every colour of the rainbow. We added cute-as-pie shoes, cardigans for our shoulders (hey, it’s still dang cold out), sparkly bead necklaces or pearls or no accessories at all, and off we went.

  And every single one of us felt incredible. How often does that happen with a group of women? We were comfortable. Sexy. Smart. Fun.

  We had a waitress take our photo and I sent it to Cherry Velvet that same night with a note about which designs we were each wearing. We are grinning like mad fools.

  And though it was left unsaid, that photo for me was really a thank you – a way to say “look at us, all so different and so imperfect and so very, very beautiful being ourselves.”

  Because what I’ve figured out, at long last, is that being different and imperfect – in body, in thought, in fashion - is not an impediment to being me.

  Being different and imperfect – and feeling good about this – is, in fact, the very basis of being exactly who I am, as it is for all of us.

  Christina Myers for Cherry Velvet

  Christina Myers is a former journalist turned freelancer and creative writer. Her work appears in local magazines and she has been published in a number of anthologies. She is a fan of dresses with pockets, long socks and nerdy things. Find her online at christinaplus.wordpress.com, or on Twitter @ChristinaMyersA.