Clarks: 1955 and 2014!

Clarks has recreated some beautful vintage styles for the coming AW14 season, with one shoe in particular based on a 1955 style.  Look at the beautiful 'timeline' from their website.

Ruby Shoo and Lindy Bop Collaboration

That's right ladies, Ruby Shoo, a vintage inspired shoe line - that's a bit like a toned-down version of Irregular Choice - has now started a collaboration with Lindy Bop vintage inspired clothing!

You can find the full collection on the Lindy Bop website, but here are my top picks to get you started.


My absolute favourites are 'Drew', in teal green with ruffle trim (£37.99)

Peacocks Summer Sale Dresses

I have been avoiding shops for a month or so now, as I am on a spending ban.  I've had a voucher burning a hole in my pocket though, one of those high street ones you can use in lots of different stores.

Finally, I broke.  I had a day to myself with nothing planned - so I headed to my local Peacocks yesterday, determined to spend my voucher on something I need, such as a sleeveless work-appropriate top for the heat, or a work-appropriate summer dress.

Their sale is really good, I have to say!  I saw lots and lots of things that I liked, including a fab selection of scarves from the Spring that I never bought, but are now reduced to £3 or so.  I headed to the changing room with an armful of dresses - all on sale between £8-£12.  Here's how I got on.

Trying on the first dress resulted in a predicament.  The zip got stuck halfway up.  I had to pop out of the changing room and ask a member of staff if she could release me, which she couldn't, so then I had two members of staff trying to get me out.  The zip would go up but not down!  I took some deep breaths and tried not to panic, joking to them that I'd have to wear it home.  I started to feel a bit hot and light headed, but just as I thought I'd have to ask them to just "RIP IT OPEN!!  LET ME OUT!!!", the zip was deftly unstuck and I was released.  The sales assistant helpfully said that she thought the thin fabric was getting sucked into the zip, as she had a dress that behaved similarly.


It looked so fabulous on that I decided to risk it, despite the zip, which on close examination I felt could be fixed by a few stitches alongside it to keep the fabric taught and out of the way.  I ended up paying for it with my own money though, as my voucher turned out not to be accepted in Peacocks after all!!  So much for trying to be good.  And so much for not buying any more party dresses, ahem...  I think I could get away with it for work though, especially in winter with tights, a cardi etc.

 Pink rose print '50s style dress, £12 (was £20 - I would have bought it at that price too!)

The June Shopping Hunt

I have shopped rather a lot recently, and have found some great bargains from the high street, Ebay and car boot sales, some of which are vintage inspired but you'll have to excuse the odd meander through time with some of them!  Allow me to share my shopping experience with you, along with some of the things that I didn't buy, but might be of interest to you.  The fashionistas might call this a 'haul'.  Excuse some of the mobile pics, but this is meant to be more show and tell than a photography post!

First of all, I know you're all dying to hear about my trip to the huge new Primark concept store in Cardiff.  I got there at 9am on Friday morning, thinking that I would have a good hour of peace and quiet before the hordes arrived.  In reality, I had about 10 minutes of being able to walk around without people bumping into me and ramming their pushchairs into my ankles.  Everybody else had the same idea apparently.  Sigh.

Cardiff's New Primark Concept Store

Listening to a male voice choir at 8 o'clock in the morning isn't your usual start to the day, but that's just what I did earlier this week at the opening of Cardiff's new Primark store.  Opposite the site of the old store on Queen Street (where BHS used to be), the new store is twice the size and ten times as fancy.  It opened on Tuesday morning, and myself and some other bloggers were lucky enough to have a quick tour in the relative calm before the shoppers were let in (and before I had to go to the dentists, instead of joining the other bloggers on a shopping spree!).

New Sainsbury's Accessories

A few sunny accessories, new purchases from TU at Sainsbury's.  I'm hoping that they will influence the weather and that we have a heatwave!

 Necklace, £12

Trainers, £12

Straw Fedora, £8 (I think!)

Polkadots always lend a retro feel to things, that's why I went straight for those blue polkadot trainers - a more casual alternative to brogues.  I had been after a fedora for a while but couldn't find one that suited - I like the striped band and bow on this one, and it's very summery also. I wore the hat out on Sunday with a friend, but nearly lost it to the wind on the top of the blustery viewpoint!

To see more of Sainsbury's accessories range for summer, head over to their website here to preview, but as always, their items are only available to purchase in store and not online.

Linkups:

Summer Style

Vintage Inspired Bargains: Peacock's

I'm back with more vintage inspired bargains from British shops - this time it's Peacocks' turn!

Poor Peacocks, I really loved the direction they were heading in, with lots of vintage style inspiration since they took Pearl Lowe on board as a designer, but then the company went bust and after a tricky period they were bought out by the Edinburgh Woollen Mill.

I wasn't sure if the EWM would try and take Peacocks in a new direction completely, but I popped to a local store recently and was pleasantly surprised - absolutely oodles of vintage style clothes, all at a snip.

I was also super impressed to see many of their garments now proudly showing a 'Made in Britain' tag.  Good for them.

Here again is my experience in the fitting rooms - some of it turned out surprisingly well, others were a poor fit.  Read on to find out which were the winners!

Vintage Inspired Bargains: Sainsbury's

Hello vintage lovers!  Have you made any Spring purchases yet?  No?  I am always a bit slow, waiting for the first lot of sales generally before I make any vintage-inspired purchases from the good old British high street.  My guilty pleasure is supermarkets though - their prices make an injection of fashion much more affordable, and more economical time-wise if you can do your weekly food shop at the same time!

I recently popped to Sainsbury's to see what vintage inspiration they might offer.  Here is what I found - from the ill-fitting to the super stylish.  Take heed of my words and you need not do battle with the changing rooms.  Excuse the lighting - I went into a well-lit changing room first, but the door didn't close, so I had to swap!

Alice Hannah Gloves

Have you heard of Alice Hannah accessories?  This London company has a range of gloves, scarves, hats, and collars in some beautiful designs.  I was introduced to the brand via Jessica of Chronically Vintage (a fabulous blog if you haven't already seen it).

Clogau: Welsh Gold and a Royal Love Story

Valentine's Day isn't far away, so today I have a romantic tale for you about how the rare seams of gold found under the mountains of Wales have became part of Royal love stories for the best part of a century.

As many of you readers are not based in the UK, let me first explain that Wales is a mountainous land, reknowned for the industry of its past that was based around huge deposits of coal.  Not everyone is aware though that Wales has also had small gold mines, the scarcity of which made Welsh gold very rare, and expensive.

Welsh gold has long had ties to the Royal family, since 1911 when Prince Edward of Wales had his investiture using regalia incorporating Welsh gold.  In 1923, the Queen Mother set the trend for using Welsh gold in wedding rings, and the tradition has continued ever since, from Queen Elizabeth, Princess Anne, Princess Diana, Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Katherine, Duchess of Cambridge.

The Queen Mother, (Lady Elizabeth Bowles-Lyon as she was then!) & Prince Albert (1923)

My New Favourite Perfume: Fleur de Figuier

Absolutely ages ago I picked up a sample of one of Roger & Gallet's perfumes, 'Fleur de Figuier'.

The other day I used it for the first time, and I was absolutely intoxicated by this elegant fragrance!  I found myself drifting away to somewhere warm and heavy with scent.  It's described as follows:

Fever 'Maison' Dress - Styled Vintage & Modern

I was incredibly excited to receive the 'Maison' dress in purple from London clothing brand Fever for review.  The dropped waist, pleat skirt and delicious plummy colour screamed 1920s to me, and I couldn't wait to style it.  Pop over to their website to have a look at the full range of gorgeous items they have on offer, many currently on sale.

From the vintage themed 'Heritage' collection, the 'Maison' dress is made from a lovely, swingy weight crepe fabric and is lined.  The back has a half zip, and is exposed, (which isn't to my taste generally, but it's not too bad on this garment).  The length is just 1920's perfect on me, sitting on the knee, and it's a lovely loose fit.  A dropped waist is notoriously difficult for all but the willowiest of figures to carry off, and I was keen to see how the dress looked on a modern, hourglass figure.

For the outdoors photos, I've had to wait for a sunny day to get some decent lighting and do this lovely dress justice, and we were lucky enough this last weekend to be blessed with a day of blue skies and sunshine from dawn to dusk.  I've showed the dress styled in three ways.  First, a 1920's evening look.  Second, a 1920's day look.  And finally, a modern day look.  I've not tried to be historically accurate in creating the 1920's looks, so other items of clothing are from various eras and are just intended to help create a style.

So, here are the results - one dress, three ways!  I hope you enjoy the photos.

Look One: 1920's Evening

1920s and 1930s Inspired Christmas Party Dresses!

It's time to think about being a more glamorous version of yourself as we launch ourselves into the festive party season.  With a huge range of vintage-inspired frocks on the high street this season, thanks I'm sure in no small part to the popularity of The Great Gatsby film and costume dramas like Downton Abbey, you're really spoilt for choice.

My suggestions below are really a nod to an era - if you want a full blown vintage look then you can source vintage reproduction items off the internet from places like 20th Century Foxy and Revival Retro.

1920s

1920s Inspired Christmas Party Outfits by porcelina-precious featuring a 1920s dress

Monsoon white tiered dress, £215 / Tokyo Doll 1920s dress / Faith silver pumps / Black purse / Red Herring crystal headband / Women's Black & Gold Irregular Choice Bloxy Simba Cat T-Bar Court

1930s Reproduction Evening Gown

Look what's arrived over at vintage repro retailer 20th Century Foxy - a champagne, slash sleeved, satin 1930's style evening gown, available for £280.

I want one.  It would match my house.

The White Company in Cardiff

In The Shops: New Place to Buy Heartbreaker Fashions in the UK!

I just love Heartbreaker's vintage inspired dresses, but they've been particularly difficult to track down over here in the UK.  I fell in love with the 'Monte Carlo' dress after the Glamorous Housewife featured it on her fab blog, but couldn't find it for sale over here.

In The Shops: New Collection of Fancy Pants by Rosie for Autograph

Last Autumn I blogged about Rosie Huntington-Whiteley's lingerie collaboration with M&S Autograph with a vintage feel.  The collaboration is back for Autumn/Winter 2013, and as well as re-releasing the best-selling set, the anniversary collection features some new styles.  Read the press release below and have a sneak peek at some of the styles.  The collection is in store now and available to purchase through the Marks and Spencer website here.

I love that teddy!

Vintage Inspired Wedding Guest Dresses

How many weddings are you going to this summer?  Just the one for me, and I'm yet to decide on an outfit.  Here are two suggestions of how to do a vintage inspired look for a wedding - please don't take the two dress examples literally, I'm just illustrating how one style of dress can work for different eras if you're canny.  There are lots of choices out there of both shifts, and long sleeved dresses.

It may be the Summer but here in the UK we don't know how long this sunny spell is going to last.  A dress with sleeves is a practical option for sitting in a drafty church or open-sided marquee on those cooler - and wetter - Summer days.  Not everyone is comfortable baring their arms either.

My first suggestion is this gorgeous blue dress, £74, by Myleene for Littlewoods.  The picture on their website isn't great, so please excuse it and give me the benefit of the doubt here - I'm also including a pic of how it was featured in a magazine, where you can see the shape and colour more clearly, which makes it look so much better!  It's a classic shape that could work for different eras.  Wear with kitten heels and bow topped beehive for a '60s feel, or take it forward to the '70s with a large floppy brimmed hat and platform sandals.  Come Autumn and Winter, adding a faux fur stole, brooch, seamed stockings and heeled brogue will make it work for a 1940s look also.



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.

 

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.

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).

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.

Have you bought yourself any retro swimwear yet this year?

Gatsby Dresses In the Shops

Since The Great Gatsby was released, I know that some people are desperate for a flapper fashion fix!  Look no further, here's a round up of Gatsby inspired dresses available on the British high street.

They key things to look for are drop waists and embellishments (frills, fringeing or beading), in either sleeveless or short sleeve styles. The drop waist doesn't always suit any but the most willowy of figures, so I'm including some alternatives, which generally have a nipped in waist and a hem that flares out instead.  Most of the dresses featured below are evening styles, but there are a couple of fun day options by Jaeger, Yumi and Reiss too.

First of all are the classic drop waist styles.

'Emma' dress by Jaeger, £80

(Also available in navy stripe)

Yumi drop waist dress, £50

French Connection crochet dress, £130



Flapper dress by Jigsaw at John Lewis, £325



Yumi sequin detail dress, £65

'Julie' dress by 18andEast at Joythestore, £90

(also available in pink)

Miss Selfridge flapper dress, £129



And now the styles with a more defined waist, for if your figure is more curvaceous but you still crave the flapper look.

'Charlie' dress by Ghost at John Lewis, £145

Yumi sun dress, £60

'Diva' dress by Reiss, £149

Chesca dress at John Lewis, £250

The key to making all of these modern dresses look Gatsby-worthy is in the accessories.  Modern stylists will tell you to wear retro-style dresses with modern accessories, so that it doesn't look 'overdone' or like 'fancy dress'.  Ignore them.  To make these dresses work, go the whole hog with the accessories - feathers, metallics, sequins on headbands, clutch bags and t-bar shoes.  If it feels uncomfortable to be this daring, just remember "it's better to be looked over, than to be overlooked".

Enjoy being a flapper for the night!  For further inspiration, see this post where I used a modern dress to attain flapper style for my birthday celebration.