Wednesday 29 September 2010

Fashion Exhibition Highlights at the V&A, London

Earlier this year I went to the Fashion museum in Bath and was quite disappointed, as their collection (though impressive and laid out in a fun way with corsets and crinolines to try on!) tended to be pre-1910 or post-1960. I was therefore delighted that at the V&A in London they have a really super collection, with lots of items from my favourite decades (the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, and maybe a tad of the 1920s).

Although allowed to take photographs, the lighting was very dim (no doubt to protect the fabric) so please excuse the less than great quality of my photos. I hope they might be useful reference points anyway to those who, like myself, don't live in London and can't get to the museum easily.

Here's a little photographic guide to some of the highlights, by decade.


The 1920s
Evening dress and jacket, Mariano Fortuny, 1920: thought this was an interesting reference point for how radically things were going to change in just 10 years.

Evening shoe, Lilley & Skinner Ltd, 1925: adorable, just adorable! If you stuck a teeny platform on the front and rounded the toe a bit more you could see it on the shelves in Office.

The 1930s
Evening dress, Jean Patou, 1932-34: It's clear to see where some of the 1980's Dynasty-style wave got it's inspiration from - look at that belt , the asymmetry, and the glitz of that fabric.

Suede shoe, Salvatore Ferragamo, 1930-35: Now, I'm pretty sure I've seen these very shoes on an actress in a black and white film. If anyone knows which one, please let me know!
Parisian evening dress, Madeleine Vionnet, 1933: Yes, look twice - those are slits above the breasts, sort of following the line of where a halter-neck would be. Just two little glimpses of flesh in a figure otherwise draped in silk-satin makes it one sexy dress.


The 1940s

Utility dress, Norman Hartnell, 1942-45: Notice how this design was creeping closer to a '50s shirtwaister style.


The 1950s

Jewelled evening shoe, Christian Dior, 1952-54: Not to my taste, I have to say.

New York evening dress, Claire McCardell, 1955: This was a very interesting piece - an evening dress made out of a striped wool fabric, something I didn't expect at all from the 1950s, I could see this in a brocade or lace but the wool was a surprise!

Evening dress, Jacques Heim, 1959: Just the most perfect party dress.

Saturday 25 September 2010

Asos Revive Retro Inspired Underwear

I've just spied an Asos Revive retro bullet bra with matching high-waisted knickers. At £26 for the set, available in pink or silver, it's got to be worth a go? They used the bra in a photoshoot recently for Jamie Winstone in Look magazine, with the 'story' behind the shoot being picked up by a couple of newspapers (one of which you can see here).


Pictures from Asos.

Wednesday 22 September 2010

Off to London

I may be back from my holiday, but I am not back in my day job until next week, and so more adventures beckon! Tomorrow I'm off to London for a mere 24 hours in which I have to fit in a trip to the V&A to see the Grace Kelly exhibition, a trying-on session at the Vivien of Holloway shop, and a speed-trip to any vintage shops I find en route! Any suggestions are welcome of 'must-see' places for vintage enthusiasts...

And here are some completely gratuitous additional holiday snaps!

Tuesday 21 September 2010

What I Wore on Holiday

I've returned just this afternoon from sunny Gran Canaria, where I spent a wonderful week with my beloved! Being a generous soul, he allowed me to use half of his luggage allowance to transport my summer dresses and shoes. Here's a little visual account of what I wore.


Top to bottom:
1) the holiday wardrobe
2) my travelling outfit - Vilma Banky t-shirt, cropped linen trousers and rockabilly bandana
3) sundress by New Look, bandana made by me, parasol bought in Porto Mogan, Gran Canaria
4) 80's Marks and Spencer sundress, white wedges from Faith
5) retro inspired bikini from BHS, sun hat from charity shop
6) tunic from car boot sale
7) cotton pinafore dress by George, cropped cardi from car boot sale
8) lighthouse print sundress by Joules
9) silk tunic by Jaeger, hair flower by New Look
10) silk dress by Zara, hair flower by Big Girl's Blouse, wedges from Marks and Spencer

As you can see, I didn't go all out on the vintage styling - it was a holiday after all! Besides, it was 34 degrees on our second day there, and not even the most professional make-up will stay put in that kind of heat, so I resigned myself to a good lashing of waterproof mascara and be done with it! Likewise with the hair - when you're in and out of the sea or hotel pool about four times a day, with as many showers, there really isn't much you can do aside from stick in a headscarf, a flower, or braid it.

It also proved very difficuly to stay tan-free - even with several coats of SPF30 each day, staying in the shade, wearing a hat, carrying a parasol and only venturing out to the beach in the early evenings, I still tanned! For this month only, I shall change my name to Bronzelina.

Sunday 12 September 2010

Upcoming Burlesque This Month In Wales

Text below taken from the Ministry of Burlesque's website.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SAINTS AND SINNERS AT THE BLUESTOCKING LOUNGE, SWANSEA
www.bluestockinglounge.com

Bluestocking Lounge Goes Naughty But Nice with Saints And Sinners This September!

With international artistes Banbury Cross and Beatrix Von Bourbon popping a few corks (literally – you all loved Banbury’s Champagne Showgirl act!) at Vive La France in July, Swansea’s premier alternative cabaret night is back, September 23, with a burlesque salute to all things naughty but nice...

Topping the bill is dark delight, International artist Darkteaser. Hailing from Leicestershire, Darkteaser is every inch the authentic burlesque goddess. Boasting an international career, she was voted 21st century pinups burlesque diva in 2008. Joining her on the bill is Bristol's Ally Katte who recently came second in the London Burlesque Festival ‘Battle Royale’ with her Mexican-flavoured Tijuana Mama routine and resident artiste Delilah Galore with Florence Nightingale as you’ve never seen her before! Resident troupe The Bay Belles will be casting a nod to rogues everywhere and Violet Noir will be 'Feeling Good' with a classic striptease.

Hosted once again by the Marquis De Rita plus The Gas Station Bop DJs will be spinning classics from the 50s and 60s between the acts and providing the after show party.
Tickets, priced £9 (£12 on the door), are on sale very soon at www.bluestockinglounge.com and Hobos. Booking in advance is strongly recommended to avoid disapointment!

There's no dress code but Bluestocking Lounge will be holding another best dressed audience member competition, so dig out your best ‘Saints and Sinners’ and ‘Naughty But Nice’ attire as there will be a special prize for the best dressed!

Please note that this is an over 18s event.

Saints And Sinners is sponsored by Burlesque UK magazine - www.burlesqueuk.com

www.bluestockinglounge.com
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Friday 10 September 2010

Vintage Lust of the Week


If only my hips were not the exact same measurement of this dress from Crafty Crow Vintage, sob sob!! It's the derriere, I swear, not the actual hips, but whichever body part responsible, there's no way it would squeeze in!


Thursday 9 September 2010

Autumn Vintage Shopping List

Before I embark on shopping for Autumn and Winter, I have decided it would be prudent and thrifty to take stock of what I already have, so that I don't make rash purchase decisions or double-up on anything. The era I am most interested in building up a collection from is the 1930s-1950s, so I'm just focusing on what fits this criteria from my wardrobe. I tend to like a 1950's style for everyday casual attire, a 40's style for something a little bit smarter, and the 1930s is my inspiration for evening wear. I don't know how I've developed this odd decade by decade leap back as the occasion becomes more formal, but it seems to work for me!

So, here we go, a list of what I already own in 30's, 40's or 50's style, that can be worn in the Autumn and/or Winter:

Trousers/jeans
1 x blue jean cut-off 50's style jeans

Skirts
2 x full circle Autumn/Winter weight 50's style skirts
1 x 50's style black pencil skirt

Tops
1 x 30's style silk blouse
1 x 50's style long-sleeved Western shirt
1 x 50's style short sleeved 'diner' style shirt

Jumpers/cardigans/sweaters
1 x red 40's style sweater
Many cardigans. But can you ever have enough?

Suits
1 x original 1930's green brocade skirt suit

Dresses
1 x original 50's black shirtwaister
1 x original 40's black rayon dress
2 x 50's style full circle-skirt polkadot dresses
1 x 40's style plaid short-sleeved dress

Footwear
3 x wedges (1 pair 40's inspired, other two are more 50's inspired)
1 x black floral suede 40's style heels
1 x green suede peep-toe 40's style heels
1 x black mid-heel t-bars
1 x tan high-heeled brogues
2 x Mary Janes (blue, and oyster)

Underwear/Sleepwear
1 x original 50's silky button-up dressing gown
1 x 50's petticoat
1 x black 6 strap suspender belt
Many, many stockings
Lots of retro-style knickers!
2 x full slips, one black, one white
2 x pairs 50's style pyjamas

Outerwear
1 x cream 50's style jacket, 3/4 sleeves

Accessories
1 x paste Art-Deco brooch
1 x mother of pearl 50's brooch
1 x white original 50's handbag
1 x original 50's red belt
1 x repro 40's hair snood
Many 40's and 50's style scarves, bandanas etc.
8 x hair flowers

Eveningwear
2 x floor length gowns (could pass for 30s/40s with the right accessories!)
1 x original 30's dress (too short to be evening wear on me, but could be a day dress if altered?)
1 x 50's style cocktail dress
1 x 40's style silk evening skirt
1 x 40's style black long-sleeved blouse

The rest of my wardrobe consists of many, many dresses, of many, many different styles. Some are 60's style, some are from the '80s, some are just 'classic' in style, it's a real mix! I also have lots of summer-wear, which doesn't really make sense when you consider just how short the summer in the UK usually is...

So, I think that looking at the gaps in the above inventory, it's apparent I've been shopping irrationally with 'summer', 'underwear', and 'evening-wear' in mind, and haven't made practical purchases to be worn on a day-to-day basis! I'm resolved to change this, and with Fleur's Autumn fashion advice firmly in mind, my fantasy shopping list (or maybe my Christmas list?!) should read as follows:

1 x 40's a-line skirt in navy or black
1 x pair 40's trousers in tweed perhaps
1 x 40's or 50's jacket
1 x pair brogues (flat)
1 x 30's evening capelet
1 x 50's evening bolero
Winter-weight 30's/40's/50's dresses
A selection of 40's/50's blouses and sweaters!

I also vow to learn how to do rolls in my hair, and to never set foot in Primark ever again. I intend to age with glamour, and for each ten-year passport photo to be even more fabulous than the last.

What's on your Autumn vintage wish-list?

Wednesday 8 September 2010

Weekend Adventure Part 2: Cambridgeshire

Stow-Cum-Quy
After leaving Tenby we headed east, a long drive across England to Cambridgeshire. We stayed just outside of Cambridge in a rural location, the hotel being a converted old water-mill. If you look at the bottom left of the picture below you can see the 'undershot' mill wheel, now no longer running as there is insufficient water flow from the stream. The second pic is the view from our room.




Tea at By Jove!
On our leisurely drive around the county, spotting lots of windmills and admiring quaint thatched cottages, we spotted a sign for some tearooms and decided it certainly was time for tea. By Jove!, in the village of Burwell, turned out to be an absolute gem! On entering the tearooms you're transported back to the 1940s, with songs from the time (playing on an i-pod not a radio alas!) and traditional teas and cakes on the menu. The staff are friendly and dress the part, the ambience is a treat, and I enjoyed the Earl Grey tea so much that I bought some leaves from the shop afterwards. Here are some pictures of the experience!















The sign in the last picture reads: "any person who omits to shut and fasten this gate is liable to a penalty not exceeding forty shillings" - I think the building used to be a school house!

Weekend Adventure Part 1: A Wedding By The Sea

This weekend was quite an adventure! My beloved and I headed West to Tenby, a beautiful little seaside resort in West Wales, where we were attending the wedding of some friends. The ceremony took place in a historic hotel on the cliff top overlooking the beach, an absolutely perfect spot!









I have some better photos of my outfit to come, but the main thing I wanted you all to see was the wonderful view! Did you spot in the last picture the groom carrying the bride across the beach for the photographer?

Thursday 2 September 2010

A Belgian Adventure

The other month I made a trip to Belgium by Eurostar! I was envisaging an exciting trip on the Eurostar train (in my head it resembled the Orient Express) but alas, it was just a train, and a very unglamorous one at that. Here's a little account of the trip anyway!

Day 1
I arrived into the capital, Brussels, in the evening, and met up with my friend who was working out there for the summer at the European Parliament. We headed out into the city to soak up the cafe culture - well, the lager culture! - even the tiniest cafes had a huge menu of beers, and each one had its own branded glass. I got to practice my French a little, but I was very rusty and couldn't get the accent right without feeling I was in an episode of 'Allo 'Allo and getting the giggles!






Day 2
A trip to Antwerp! In the North of Belgium, Antwerp is closer to The Netherlands than France and has much more of a Dutch feel to it in the architecture, as well as the population speaking more Dutch than French. So after having tried out my French the previous night, I then had to try and remember what few words of Dutch I could! Very confusing!

The first thing that struck us on our arrival there was the absolutely stunning Art Nouveau railway station, it was beautiful.


Wandering around the city, we browsed through a few markets (not much vintage!) and I got to try out a Belgian waffle on a stick. High on the sugar rush, we then went to the artist Ruben's house, a 16th Century house that he turned into an elegant Renaissance-Baroque home. Some homes of this age can feel quite dark and stuffy but this house had some wonderful windows that let in a lot of light from the courtyard and garden beyond, and the art collection on display was worth the entrance fee alone.





Some more scenes from Antwerp:



In the evening we were back in Brussels, and headed to 'The Beach', a riverside area full of food stalls and cocktail bars, and even a stretch of sand!





Day 3
Also known as the day my camera died, alas! The most exciting day, and the most interesting for you readers, is therefore not documented in pictures. But we did have a rather lovely time in which we visited chocolate boutiques, Art Nouveau buildings, vintage and antique shops and French cafes. We also saw the 'Mannequin Pis', which is a small statue that the Belgians take delight in dressing up in costumes. Very odd that a country with such fictional figures as Tin Tin and Hercule Poirot chooses to revere instead a small statue of a boy peeing!

So, I'll leave you with one more snaps of Brussels at night (Art Nouveau arcade), and leave you to imagine the amazing chocolate shops, which are done out like high-end jewellery stores with glass counters, marble floors and very thin assistants in black (obviously they don't eat the products..).



Have a good weekend all, I'm off to a wedding by the seaside!
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...