Friday 28 June 2013

Outfit Post: French Western

This denim pinafore dress is one of the best buys I've ever made.  I think it was £16 from Peacocks, in the sale years ago, and it's been a steadfast item of my wardrobe ever since.


Wednesday 26 June 2013

My First Race!

A brief diversion from matters vintage - I just want to update you all on how my first race went.  For those of you not up to speed (!), I recently ran 10K.  The atmosphere was really fantastic, and I enjoyed the whole experience, coming in at a very respectable time of 54 minutes 20 seconds, which I think is particularly good as the course was in Caerphilly, South Wales, and there were a couple of uphill sections!


Thank you to all of you who left me lovely messages wishing me luck for the big day - it was such a good feeling knowing so many people were thinking of me and wanting me to do well.



I've reached my target of raising £100 for the eating disorders charity Beat, and the donations are still coming in so I think I'll exceed it!

Hmm, there's another 10K in September, I'm already thinking of entering and trying to get under 50 minutes...

Running is addictive!

Sunday 23 June 2013

Vintage Menswear: A Falcon Hat

I don't do many posts about vintage menswear, as it's a topic I'm ill-informed of.  However, my baby has a burgeoning hat collection and I wanted to share his latest purchase with the wider world.

A Falcon Hat

We're unsure of the exact age of the hat, so any clues would be greatly appreciated!  I'd guess 1950s?  And is it a 'homburg'??  It was in pretty good condition but the grosgrain ribbon needed re-stitching, which only took him 20 minutes.


 

I should mention that this was a steal, from the local car boot sale, at just 16 pence.  Yes, that's right.  16 pence.  The seller was only asking 50 pence, but didn't have change of a ten pound note, so went for the change my baby had in his pocket instead!

A Falcon Hat

A Falcon Hat

Have any of you purchased any interesting hats recently??

P x

Monday 17 June 2013

Running in Pink Trainers

It's less than a week to go until my big race - my first 10K!  For those of you that deal in miles, that's over 6 miles.  I've been training hard, in forests, in the rain, in the heat, and hope to complete the course in under an hour.



I'm running for charity - the organisation Beat supports people with eating disorders through helplines, support groups, and online support.  Eating disorders are unfortunately more common that most people think, affecting 1.6 million people in the UK alone.  Eating disorders affect men as well as women, and all ages, and there is still a lot of misunderstanding and stigma attached to this very serious mental illness, that carries one of the highest fatality rates.  You can read more about the work that the charity Beat does on their website here.

If this charity is close to any of your hearts, then you can make a donation by visiting my fundraising page here or click on the button at the end of this post - all pennies gratefully received.




JustGiving - Sponsor me now!

Friday 14 June 2013

Vintage Inspired Swimwear

The sunshine that has finally made it to Northern Europe has brought bikinis to mind!  I've splashed out already (excuse the pun), and so you might as well make good use of my research and have a look at the best retro-style bikinis currently available.

Topshop
First up, for those of you with a high-street addiction, there are lots of lovely retro style bikinis at Topshop.  My pick would be the Green Leaf Longline Bikini, £34.  I'm also picturing a rather daring cut-out bikini that's futuristic and retro at the same time.  Perhaps Barbarella would have worn it.


Kiss Me Deadly
I really wanted to like these, but the reality was most disappointing.  If, like me, you are smaller busted, you too may find that these styles are quite unflattering.  My other half was also disappointed with the detrimental effect of the high waisted bikini bottoms to a normally award-worthy derriere.  I had been admiring their swimwear from afar for a while, and was absolutely gutted that it didn't suit me!  I ordered from Joanna's Wardrobe, where the azure swimdress is £75, and the tropical bikini separates £42 each.

vintage style swimsuit
vintage style bikini
 

Kelly Brook for New Look
In the end, the White Postcard print was the style I chose and purchased for myself this season - it's flattering on a smaller bust, I love the print (flamingos and hibiscus - sold!), and at under £30 for the set it was very reasonable.


vintage style bikini
vintage style bikini
What Katie Did
I've heard good things about this brand's swimwear, but haven't tried it myself.  Monochrome is a trend this year, so why not tie in the retro with the modern and go for this black and white bikini (available online here, top and bottom £34.75 each).
vintage style bikini

Dolce & Gabbana
If you want something a little more 60s than 50s, and buget is substantial, this is my top pick.  A gorgeous colour combination.  Buy at Net-a-porter, £330.

vintage style bikini

Have you bought yourself any retro swimwear yet this year?

Monday 10 June 2013

Wearing Vintage In The Real World

wearing vintage in the real world

I've just started a new job working in frontline mental health and we have a long list of quite common dress requirements: show no cleavage, no tight clothing, no midriff exposure, and no heels (we need to be able to run away if a situation escalates!).  But, a big thing that's added to this is that we also need to avoid 'expressing our personalities' too much - so definitely no red lipstick, no 1950's skirts, no victory rolls.  The idea is that you have to look approachable to every single person that walks through the door, so that you can quickly build up a rapport.  If they can't relate to you, it's another barrier to their treatment.

It's hard doing this without looking 'bland' to be honest.  I'm a bit bored of my flat shoes and appropriate hemlines and I've only been there a few weeks!  At least I'm only there part time, and in my other job I can still continue to wear heels and red lippy.  So, to assist me in this new transition, I've thought long and hard about what I can get away with, and what I can't.  Here are my lists:

Thursday 6 June 2013

Knees Up In A Brewery

A car park on an industrial estate may seem an unlikely choice for an evening out, but that's just where I headed on the weekend for the Tiny Rebel brewery's open evening.  Operating out of a small unit in Newport, South Wales, the microbrewery has an exciting range of modern and traditional beers.
 
The sun was shining and the car park overtaken with inflatable furniture, a large bus serving gourmet burgers, and a big crowd of enthusiastic beer drinkers who had apparently been there since early afternoon.
 
60s sunglasses
 
I'd come straight from work so was shockingly wearing trousers for once.  I really struggle to get trousers I like and that are long enough, but these 7/8th length houndstooth '60s style ones from Phase Eight I love.  The '60s style sunglasses are new too, a present from my baby.

Tiny Rebel open evening

Tiny Rebel open evening

As I was designated driver, I only got to drink a half of their Cwtch ruby ale* ('Cwtch' is Welsh for 'cuddle') but I did have a few sips of all the ales my party of friends were drinking, including an amazing stout matured in whisky casks.  It was like drinking a stout with a whisky chaser in the same glass!  A lady I was chatting to recommended also the beer matured in a rum cask, but they'd unfortunately run out of that one so we didn't get to try it.



Anyway, I really recommend that you have a look at the Tiny Rebel website, and if you're in South Wales, London, Essex, Bristol, Manchester, Brighton or Newcastle then there's a list here of places that have their beers on tap - well worth a try.


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