Dottie's Delights 'Cascade' Collection

Dottie's Delights Golden Era tap pants and bralette

Dottie's Delights is a staple in every retro-lover's lingerie wardrobe and they've been killing it every season. I'm always looking forward to seeing their latest collections, and their FW17 line, Cascade, is no exception. Dottie's usually sticks pretty close to a 1920s-50s aesthetic, but they've branched out of that a little bit with this collection by drawing inspiration from the 70s but still keeping it on brand with a 1930s twist. The line features gorgeous soft bralettes and tap pants alongside wired bras and a luxurious robe all in fantastic fabrics and prints.

I honestly love everything in this collection, but my favourite piece has to be the Golden Era tap pants that look incredibly true to period. They really do look like a cheeky pair of tap pants you'd see in a museum collection of vintage lingerie. They're a statement piece and for me, are the star of this collection. The Golden Era line also has a bodysuit and panty.

The Lady Day bralette, suspender, and panty

Much like the collections, Dottie's lookbooks are always a visual feast and I look forward to seeing the photos almost as much as the lingerie! This collection is beautifully shot, styled, and modelled in the perfect space for this type of fusion look. I also really love seeing a WOC modelling with natural hair, which is something that isn't seen often in the very-white lingerie world.

The Lady Day is another incredible set combining beautiful turquoise silk with baby pink lace. The bralette is another one of my favourite pieces, and the first piece that really caught my eye from this collection when it was previewed on Instagram. It reminds me of something Carine Gilson would make. The piece (and the other bralettes) look very supportive and have a number of darts and strategic seaming to keep everything in place. I have a Dottie's bralette myself (the Mucha bralette) and it's surprisingly supportive given that I wear a 32F. Along with the bralette, suspender, and panty, The Lady Day line has a lovely pair of tap pants!

The Peacock of Opulence robe

Another outstanding piece in this collection is The Peacock of Opulence robe, a stunning silk and velvet kimono-style robe with an incredible print. Like many of Dottie's pieces, this robe really does look true vintage. It reminds me of the gorgeous pieces from the 1920s and like many of the costumes on Boardwalk Empire. This is the only robe in the collection, and it's probably the most expensive piece in the entire Dottie's Delights collection. It does make sense though given that the fabric looks incredibly expensive and that it uses a lot of it. The fabric used for The Peacock of Opulence collection uses Devore Velvet, or burnout velvet. It's a technique used mostly for velvets where a fabric undergoes a chemical process to dissolve the cellulose fibres to create a pattern against another solid fabric. This was very popular for high-end pieces in the 20s and 30s.

This is such a stunning piece that would be so fun to wear around the house to lounge in, or I think it could even be styled to be worn out over a dress. The rest of this line has a bralette and tap pants that are also wonderful.

The Surrender bra and tap pants

The last line in the Cascade collection is the Surrender line, the only line to feature a wired bra. This collection pairs delicate black lace with a true-vintage rayon fabric with an art-nouveau inspired vine print. The bra is a similar style to the other Dottie's bras, which are a bit more projected than most current bra styles to give a bit of a bullet shape. It's definitely a darker and moodier set than most Dottie's pieces and it's a refreshing change. I just adore the short tap pants in this set with all of that beautiful scalloped lace! This range also has a panty and garter belt.

Overall, I think this is an absolutely gorgeous collection and is a nice change in direction for Dottie's Delights. Hopefully I can get my hands on some pieces!

Here are some more photos from the lookbook: