News » #plussize

• YOU Oughta be in Pictures!

  Published Jan 21 2022 in #bodypositive, #cherryvelvet, #pinup, #pinupgirl, #plusmodel, #plussize

  

  Calling all curvy gals sized Small to 3X. We're looking for more body positive and ethnically diverse local models within the Vancouver area for photo and video shoots. We are being extra careful with safety protocols in place (masks, social distancing and outdoor locations). You could be featured in our next campaign! 

  Can you believe it? 

  There is a place on our website where we have a model submission form and we are baffled because only 30% of the people remember to send us their photos with the submission. How can we hire someone without seeing a picture?  Check out our submissions page and don't forget to show us your gorgeous selves!

  

  So if you'd like to model for us, please fill out our model submissions form here and

  PLEASE REMEMBER TO ALSO SEND ALONG YOUR PHOTOS!!

  Thank-you and good luck! 

  XOX Cherry Velvet

• More Vintage Inspiration - Shaheen's Shine

  Published Oct 13 2021 in #1950s, #alfredshaheen, #holiday, #metallic, #partydress, #plussize, #retro, #retroglam

  In an earlier blog, we discussed the work of Alfred Shaheen, a designer who operated from his adopted home in Oahu, Hawai’i. Shaheen was known not only for this iconic aloha shirts and impeccably constructed sundresses - he was also a textile artist.

  One of Shaheen's most beautiful contributions to the fashion world was his collection of metallic prints. The shimmering highlights in these fabrics are the result of innovative metallic dyes. In the early-1950s, Shaheen collaborated with Dr. Edmund Lutz, his close friend and head dye chemist, to create revolutionary dyes including gold, silver, and gem tones. The metallics could be printed on almost any fabric, such as cotton, cotton blends, silks, linen, and voile. Vintage Shaheen garments are coveted fashion collectables, and these eye-catching details are still intact on many of them, despite the fact that it's been almost 70 years since these dyes were first created!

  
  Cherry Velvet's trademark sass is inspired by designers of the past, particularly those who worked during the 1950s. Shaheen's revolutionary metallics dyes live on in some of our most sought-after fabric choices. 

  It's fitting that the newest releases of our Elly dress will also feature metallic details. The "petal-bust" on the Elly is inspired by similar features on Shaheen's Hawai'ian bombshell dresses, so it only makes sense that some of our Elly dresses are available in glistening fabrics that would make Alfred Shaheen proud. (with one more coming for holiday!)

  Have you seen our Jacqueline dress in Violets 'R Blue that boasts bold blooms with delicate gold metallic outlines that shimmer in the sunlight? Our Marie dress in Pristmatic Peacock (right) is a classic we brought back that also features gold outlines on art deco angles. A brand new release is a Chrissy dress with Paisley Plumes outlined with a delicate gold edge.

  We are also so excited to show you a sneak peek at the fabrics for our Holiday Glamour Metallics Collection. These shimmering, glimmering party dresses sparkle with special designer details in limited editions. Check out these three swatches of the new dresses coming soon! 
  If you're looking for a dress that will add some sparkle to your day, these designs are for you. Now you'll know that you're wearing a tribute to fashion history when you slip on these sensational looks!

  Kim Palmer for Cherry Velvet

• A Library of Dress designs: Chapter "R"

  Published Jun 15 2021 in #cherryvelvet, #cottondresses, #plussize, #plussizedresses, #retrodress

  Ready to reminisce over these ravishing, romantic, regal dresses? Passing right over the letter "Q" (because we didn't make one yet) and we've arrived at the letter "R" this week with some of the most desirable dresses to date!

  RACHEL

  Released in the fall of 2014, The Rachel was a charmer with her pretty portrait collar, short puffed sleeves and A line cut. She graced our epic photo shoot at the Canadian Museum of flight. What a lovely day we had at that photo shoot among the vintage planes with these gorgeous models! Rachel made her second appearance for Fall 2018 in fun seasonal prints.

   

  

  

  

  

  

  

  RITA

  This darling dress was a tribute to the legendary Rita Hayworth of course. With sweet accents like a tiny bow tie at the front of her square neckline, 3/4 sleeves and a lady-like skirt; the Rita was as classy as the fabulous star she was named after. Rita debuted in the Fall of 2013 and reappeared one more time in 2015 with rave reviews.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  ROBIN

  The most darling of sundresses; demure she was definitely not. The Robin had some serious sass and a daring sweetheart neckline, banded straps, featuring a charming gathered knot between the 'girls' and shorter hem length perfect for summertime soirees. Robin appeared at our Hycroft Manor photo shoot in the spring of 2015 and once again in the summer of 2016. 

  

   

  

  

  

   

   

   

  ROXY

  The Roxy was a stunning style from the Spring of 2013 that showcased a lovely portrait collar. The Roxy was originally made in stretch cotton sateen to give a fabulous fit and had 3/4 sleeves with turn back cuffs, a fitted bodice with a mock row of buttons and a full skirt. She reappeared in Fall 2018 in classic solid colours too.

  

   

  

  

  

  

  

  RUBY

  Named after the vivacious Miss Ruby Roxx, the Ruby dress was appropriately full of sass with plenty of attitude just like our model. With her fitted princess seam detail and a daring mermaid hem, she was a showstopper for sure. Cut in only 2 prints both with illusion black side panels for plenty of va-va-voom. Ruby was a one-time limited edition in the fall of 2013

  

  

  

  Now that you have strolled on past the "R" dresses on our walk down memory lane you can envision how each of our dresses comes to life with their own personality. The inspiring women behind these designs are a big part of the creative process. Our journey continues with the scintillating, sensational "S" dresses soon....

   XOX Cherry Velvet

• A Library of Dress Designs: Chapter "J-K"

  Published Apr 19 2021 in #10yearanniversary, #1950s, #dressdesigns, #madeincanada, #plussize, #themarvelousmrsmaisel

  We hope you're enjoying this walk down memory lane. It's so fun to reminisce about the Cherry Velvet dress styles we've made over 10 years. This week's edition is all about dresses named with the letters J and K.

  JACQUELINE

  Introducing one of the newest dresses this spring; the Jacqueline was named after a lovely, long-time customer. Our Jacqueline dress embodies everything Cherry Velvet stands for: great fit, cute details, and fantastic prints. A stand-up collar accents a V-neckline and cap sleeves provide work-and-play versatility. You may already have noticed that all the newest designs have deeper, more generous pockets. These beautiful Jacqueline prints are available now; sizes and quantities are limited.

  

  

  

  JENNIFER

  The Jennifer was a work appropriate style for the summer that came out 2 years in a row; for 2015 and 2016. She had a cute stand-up collar, front button detail and an A-line skirt. Sushi anyone?

  

  

  

  JUDITH

  The Judith came out in the Fall of 2015. She was named after a lovely lady from Nova Scotia that had the coolest laundry line we've ever seen! (Of course made up entirely of Cherry Velvet dresses!)

  

  Her namesake dress had 3/4 sleeves and a very sexy neckline finished to mimic a bow at the front. 

   

  

  KATE

  The original inspiration for the Kate came from a beautiful dress design from the 1950's.  The design was originally worn by the iconic fifties model Dovima. Coincidentally the same design was used in a episode of The Marvellous Mrs. Maisel. 

  

   

   

   

  

  The cut of Kate's bodice uniquely allowed that stripes and checks were shown off to best advantage in this design.  The beauty of the Kate design really came out with the use of these linear prints. You can see how the bodice is enhanced with the stripes cut on the bias at the center front.

  

   

   KELLY

  The Kelly dress came out in the Spring of 2015 in Stretch cotton sateen fabric prints. This V-neck dress was perfect for the photoshoot that we did on location at the Granville Fluevog Shoe store. What a treat that was! We had our pick of all those beautiful shoes to match up perfectly to the dresses. 

  

  

   How time flies when we are having fun! These pictures bring back great memories of these dresses and the fabulous models that wowed us. Our story will continue next time with a chapter on the dresses beginning with the letter "L".  I look forward to showing off the beauties in that group.

  We have more gorgeous new dresses coming soon; because a girl can never have too many dresses, right? 

   XOX Diane

• A Library of Dress Designs: Chapter "C"

  Published Mar 09 2021 in #10yearanniversary, #cherryvelvet, #dressdesigns, #history, #pinupdress, #plussize, #retrodress

  We sure hope you're enjoying looking back at our history of dresses as much as we are enjoying writing it and reminiscing! We got to know so many lovely women in all the photo shoots we did over the years, and it's an honour to share all these stories again.

  On to the letter "C"!

  CELESTE

  The Celeste dress was a one time only design that came out in the Spring of 2014. We designed it especially to accommodate this metallic border printed fabric. To make a border print work, the pattern pieces need to fit sideways on the fabric so that the border runs along the hem of the dress. This style and the Sally dress were the only two styles we ever set up for a border print so far.

  

  

  CHARLOTTE

  

  The Charlotte was the very first dress Cherry Velvet ever made. You can imagine our excitement in the office when the first shipment of dresses arrived. Even though the caption reads 10 prints, there were actually 14 prints all together, all on the chart below plus the Butterfly print. Only a very small handful was available in some the the prints. What made the Charlotte especially unique was each of the 14 prints had it's own special trim around the 'V' neckline.

  

  

   

  Some of you may remember our original studio in Railtown, Vancouver. A customer is modelling the butterfly print that is an all time favourite of our designer Diane's. She still wears this dress to this day.

  CHLOE

  The Chloe dress made her only appearance in the Fall of 2013. She was a very pretty style with a scallop detail around the neck. Even though the Chloe never came back again, the bodice and fit of this style was the precursor to quite a few other styles like the Brooke and the Olivia. The green colourway modeled by Ruby Roxx was the most limited pattern in this design.

  

  

  

  CHRISSY

  Many of you will recognize this classic Cherry Velvet style, it's a design that has been recut many times throughout the years. It was named after our model Chrissy Snow (in this first photo) The mock wrap of the bodice is universally flattering to many figure types and indeed is a style that fits whether you have a larger or a smaller bustline.

  

  The Chrissy first appeared in the summer of 2015. She was often cut in a polka dot or a floral print as this design requires a 2 way print. 

  

  

  

  

   

  

  

  CHRISTINA

  The Christina dress was the third style we ever made in the Fall of 2011. It had the addition of vintage trim on the collar and cuff. This Kimono Fan print was especially adorable with it's red ric-rac edging.

  

  

  COLETTE

  The Colette came out in the Spring of 2014 and again one more time. It was made of cotton sateen with a bit of stretch which lent itself well to this wiggle dress design. Colette's sassy style featured unique cut outs at the shoulder and a cheeky flounce at the hem. 

  

   

  I hope you've enjoyed this chapter from our dress archives.  Stay tuned for another chapter next week!

  P.S. When the whole library is complete, we'll save it permanently on our website so you can look through it any time. 

  XOX Cherry Velvet

• A Library of Dress Designs: Chapter "B"

  Published Feb 23 2021 in #10yearanniversary, #cherryvelvet, #dressdesigns, #madeincanada, #pinup, #plussize, #retrodress

  Join us as we continue our pictorial history of 10 years of Cherry Velvet dresses, this chapter all about names starting with the letter "B".

  BARBARA

  The Barbara was the second dress style we ever made in 2011. It was named after a former Cherry Velvet employee, Barb Wilkins. The Barbara came in a whole range of prints with contrast banding around the neck and sleeves. Can you pick out which prints were the most popular?*

  

   

  

  BETSY

  Betsy debuted in the Summer of 2016. Another employee Dawn modeled these for us as well as Charlotte Doering at our Hycroft Manor shoot.

  

   

  BIANCA

  The Bianca dress named after our model, Bianca Bombshell, was the wiggle dress version of the wingbust Elly dress. The wingbust style was popularized by a designer named Alfred Shaheen in the 1950's. It's a name used to describe the petal or wing shaped accents on the dress bodice. 

  

  BRIGITTE

  Our most popular dress of all time is also the one that we made the most of by far, is the Brigitte dress. Named after the gorgeous starlet, Brigitte Bardot, she was first released in the Spring of 2013. The following is only a small selection of the prints that were made in the Brigitte dress. This first image is of Model Elly Mayday photographed by Pin-up Perfection Photography.

  

   

  

  

  

   

  

  BROOKE

  The Brooke dress is a really special dress with a full-circle skirt. She needs the most fabric of all our designs, taking a whopping 4 yards of fabric in some of the bigger sizes. This photo is from our January of 2013 Hycroft Manor photo shoot.

  

   

  More exciting 'C' dresses to see next week...

  XOX Cherry Velvet

  *P.S. The most popular prints for the Barbara were "Good Luck Tattoo" and "Polka Party", although once we introduced the Sugar Skulls, that one quickly  became the most popular print for the Barbara dress.

• Dress History 101

  Published Feb 03 2021 in #1950s, #cherryvelvet, #cottondresses, #history, #madeincanada, #pinupdress, #plussize

  Recently, we made a post on Facebook asking for your best vintage name suggestions for our dresses. You gave us so many wonderful names that we have tons to choose from for upcoming styles! Thank you to everybody that wrote in telling us your stories as well. We loved hearing about your Nana and how she used to wear gloves and get dressed every day in the 50s. Thank you for the pictures of your pets, your favourite movie stars and those that deserve to be remembered. We appreciate you sharing these suggestions with us!
  
  We noticed that many of the suggested names were ones that we’ve already used before. And so we thought you might like to read a Master Cherry Velvet dress name list...
  
  And now that you know the names of our past dresses you're going to be curious! Right? We're going to expand beyond this Master names list. We want to show you the designs, the photos, the prints and tell you why we named each dress. This is going to be epic! It’s going to be the history of all our dresses. How appropriate as we're coming up to our 10th anniversary later this year!
  
  XOX Cherry Velvet

   

• Highlights at Hycroft Manor

  Published Jan 20 2021 in #cherryvelvet, #hycroftmanor, #madeincanada, #pinup, #pinupdress, #plussize, #retroglam, #retropinup

  It's hard to believe it's been 6 years since we did this catalog shoot for Spring/Summer 2015! So many people came together to carry this out without a hitch: Ruby Roxx and Charlotte Doering were the two stunning models. We were also lucky to have the incredible Glam Queen, Shimona Henry to transform these lovely ladies into Pin-up Perfection.

  On shoot day, the models and the Pin-up Perfection team arrived with pin curled hair, curling irons, make up kits and large coffees!  There were 40 dresses to shoot; we knew it was going to be a long day.  For two models, that's a hard day's work of pose-smile-repeat. Standing and posing in freezing January weather while wearing a summery cotton dress and teetering on high heels is much harder than it looks!

  Hycroft Manor was the perfect location; a combination of the classic retro feeling we love and traditional architectural detail. We arrived with a plethora of fluffy crinolines, boxes of colorful shoes, a suitcase full of pretty jewelry, and of course the beautiful dresses.

  

  

  Hycroft is a magnificent Edwardian mansion, originally built for Alexander Duncan McRae, at the beginning of the twentieth century.  McRae made his new home a spectacular show place for legendary parties and masquerade balls. Every room in the mansion is spectacular; like this Art Deco conservatory.

  The guest book at Hycroft read like a Who's Who of the 20's and 30's with  names of visiting royalty, well-known business associates, politicians and the social elite of Vancouver. It was said to be an honour and a delight to be invited to Hycroft and if you were, you would most likely sit in this stunning drawing room.

  

  The grounds of the manor are as impressive as the inside. We shot outside among these ionic columns with stunning views in every direction.

  

  

  With my favourite photographer -Shimona- on hand and such a beautiful setting, I couldn't resist getting my photo taken too. I'm wearing "vintage" Cherry Velvet. This one was called the Charlotte; I just love all the beautiful green and blues in this butterfly print.

  

  I can't believe how fast time flies and it was so fun to look back at this blast from the past with you. I hope you've enjoyed these highlights from our epic photoshoot at Hycroft Manor. 

  XOX Diane

• Missing You & What's New!

  Published Jan 12 2021 in #cherryvelvet, #madeincanada, #newarrivals, #pinupdress, #plussize, #shoplocal

  Hey guys this is Diane, I sure miss seeing all of you and being able to chat with you in person. So for just a minute try to imagine you've arrived at our studio and we are hanging out, having a visit! Maybe you'd like to know what’s happening here at Cherry Velvet?

  The next dress that's coming is a brand new style called Jacqueline named after a very lovely customer. There were two long delays and the fabric finally arrived, 3 months late! Then, we had some computer issues which delayed production another few weeks. (yep that's 2020 for you!) So if you’re wondering why you haven’t seen very many styles lately, that is why.

  Remember when you lovelies joined in to name the new prints? Well, you will be seeing them soon. The good news is that the new Jacqueline dress is in production now!

  
  All year I search for unique fabrics and this year is no different. I have a lot of beautiful new prints on order. I'm also considering bringing back a few 'past prints' back. What do you think?  Would you like to see one or more of these prints again? If so please weigh in on our Facebook or Instagram post of January 12, we'd love to hear your feedback on these prints. 

  

  Right now, I’m designing a brand new style that I think you will love. I’m calling it Isobel named after the littlest Cherry Velvet girl. Isobel is the daughter of two very good customers and she has been coming to visit us for many years. She told me she liked coming to Cherry Velvet better than going to Disneyland! True Story! The Isobel dress will be a sundress style with a front zipper, because of all the great feedback we've gotten about our other super popular front zip style, the Marie.

  

  I'm dying to show you this vintage travel poster print I've been saving for a dress coming this Spring. While we're not able to travel right now, we can dream about it, right?

  

  You may notice that we have been putting new zippers in our dresses starting with the Olivia dress. We heard feedback from some of you it was difficult to get zippers done up by yourself. The only way to solve this issue was to change to a new zipper that allowed the attachment of a zipper helper. I'm interested to hear your feedback about this new zipper. It definitely has a different look, it’s more exposed and visible than the invisible zipper that we’ve been using for many years.

  Thank you again to everybody who sent in those wonderful entries for Cherry Cheer. We hope you’ll continue to send us photos of yourself and tag us with #cherryvelvet. We love to see you in your dresses!

  So, please keep in touch and stay strong guys! I miss you!

  Put on something pretty everyday to boost your mood!

  XOX Diane

   

• Petites Please

  Published Nov 12 2020 in #bestfit, #cherryvelvet, #madeincanada, #petite, #plussize, #shoplocal

  A customer recently asked me if I would ever consider making dresses for Petites which really surprised me because our dresses already fit many petites very well. Just to clarify a 'Petite' is a woman that is 5"4" and under. The definition of Petite is not about 'size', it's possible to be a small woman and be petite or a plus size and also be petite. We certainly make dresses that fit many types, heights and sizes of women. 

  

  As a Petite woman myself, I understand the dilemma of a short woman. In fact this was one of the catalysts for me to begin designing dresses in the first place. Dresses on the rack never did fit me, they were always too long in the waist, which meant that the smallest part on the dress sat right at the fullest part of 'me' (my stomach). When I started designing Cherry Velvet almost 10 years ago, I absolutely made sure the dresses would fit my body. Right?!

  Many of our classic styles sit high on the waist, sometimes also known as a empire waist. The bonus of this empire style cut is that it also gives you more fabric across the tummy and can actually fit taller woman as well. For reference,  we do make also make dresses that fit more traditionally in the waist length for women that are taller.

  But if you're short like me and I know many of you are shorter, (several are 4'10") this is what you need to know. The really important measurement for a petite woman is the waist length. This is measured vertically from the prominent bone where your neck intersects the top of your back straight down to your true waist. Many of our dresses are really quite short waisted and sit right under the bust line which makes them very suitable for petites (Some styles are more suitable than others).

  Sometimes the upper bodice length is too long for petites and this can be remedied by having the strap shortened. If you're concerned about overall length, hemming a dress is the easiest alteration, far easier than waist length. especially in the cotton fabric we use. Any seamstress should be able to do this for you.

  The best Cherry Velvet dress styles for Petites include Brigitte, Doris, Brooke, Chrissy, Olivia, Rhapsody and Marie (in the plus sizesonly for Marie). If you ever need help or advice on fit please don't hesitate to send me an e-mail and include your measurements. (instructions here in our fit guide)

  We get asked the question a lot if we ever make custom dresses and the answer is no, nor do we plan to add 'petite' dresses specifically. On a positive note we will continue to vary the cuts of our styles to fit many different body types for as many women as we can and especially woman with the curvy bits we love :)

  XOX Diane