Thursday 19 January 2017

Lusting After Lana...

I have been a fan of Vivien of Holloway for a while now, this was also helped by the fact that I used to live in Holloway and could just stroll down to the actual shop. I belong to a Facebook group of other enablers too!

It wasn't until I tried on my first dress that I got really hooked. If you havn't seen one of their dresses up close then let me tell you, their fabrics are great. They are weighty enough that you don't flash you knickers as the northern line approaches but light enough to be comfortable at an event.





My VOH dress and my vibrant pink circle skirt at Twinwood and the green print number I wore at Chap Olympiad

I find them well cut, well made and some of the styles are boned to give the bodices a structure most boobs just don't possess on their own. I could go braless in mine which was a welcome little holiday for the girls.

Vivien of Holloway also carry a range of fabrics, novelties are there if you want them but the shop is not limited to anchors and polkadots. You're pretty much covered, whatever your taste.

So, you know, I am a fan. However I waved goodbye to a few of my 1950's style pretties recently because I needed the space and I have definitely been learning more 1940's style of late. I was a little sad to say bye to some of those gorgeous dresses but I'd had my wear out of them.


Then in walked Lana....

 


The Lana dresses themselves aren't totally new to 2017 and I'd fallen in love with the shape
when I saw it reviewed by the gorgeous Catherine Beck for In Retrospect Magazine . It's typically 40's and the way it drapes to give a very womanly shape is devine.

This type of cut celebrates a woman's shape rather than trying to hide it, accentuating the hips with fabric and drawing the eye to the waist. I love the balance between the bust line and the hips creating a tiny waist illusion.

The draping is almost disney like I think, It reminds me of Cinderella's dress a little.

It's not short either which I find so much reproduction to be because I'm 5 ft 8in. It's a truly vintage appropriate length.

The colours above are the two new colour ways but the dress already comes in other options too. I love the new blue floral option and if I can get my hands on one (alas they are currently sold out of my size) I will be getting one for a christening I am to be godmother in.

The vibrant topaz blue caught my eye too, I had visions of contrasting coloured seamed stockings with this one. It's also selling like a hot cake, I'll have to pray for a restock.

In the event I cannot get either of those colours for being such a slow coach I'd happily take another, take the claret for example which could go from day to evening with a quick accessory change and it is downright sexy. I love the fact that it's a deeper, darker red and not the brighter hues you see around.



Or maybe one of the florals for everyday wear, I could wear this to the office just as well as I could wear it to go out, florals are really versatile dependant on how they are styled. 



Either way I am currently a bit obsessed with having one and happily I shall be moving back to North London next month where I can be closer to the dresses...the office, I meant the office.

*Lana dresses £99.00, all Lana images are property of Vivien of Holloway.

Until next time
Love
Lucy

Monday 16 January 2017

If I Was A Rich Girl... vintage home decor

Sometimes it is fun to dream, and for me sometimes this dream centres around being a home owner and being able to have a lovely vintage home.

I have a few reference books that show vintage interiors but in the event one cannot afford to source original furniture it is possible to get some lovely high street items to give your home some vintage flare.

In the new year many of us start thinking about spring cleaning or redecorating, or in my case just musing over what we would have if we could...



 Yellow is one of my favourite colours but it can be overwhelming.

I love the traditional style of this wallpaper in slightly muted tones so it's not too busy.

This would make a room seem bright and welcoming whatever the weather!

B&Q £14.00 per roll
If you venture out to a vintage furniture sale you will see a lot of dark wood, light wood is so much more in vogue in modern homes but for a vintage feel on a budget I'd go for something like this.

It's obviously modern but it is simple in it's design so I think, topped with the right ornaments, it would look lovely in a vintage style room. Ikea £65

 I don't know why more people don't have dressers like this these days, I love them.

It seems like some houses today are almost ashamed to have furniture and so it's as small as discrete as possible.

I personally like something that dominates a room and would love to see this filled with whatever the homeowner wanted to display, I always think it's a little peep into someones life.

And for anything unsightly the bottom half of the dresser provides a great hiding place.

Ikea £115
I love odd chairs instead of matchy 3 pieces, and this grey one would look great in a lounge or a bedroom and would pick up the colour of the wallpaper above really nicely too.

Wooden frames are great for adding a vintage touch.

Ikea £125

 I adore this yellow chair with it's classic style and high back. This would add a bright and sunny reading spot to any room but I would add some neutral toned cushions or a throw draped over it to balance it out.

Ikea £179

Nostalgic touches always add to a vintage home and this novelty aviation clock would add interest to any mantlepiece. 
House of Fraser, Linea was £60 now £30 - Limited stocks!


I hope you enjoyed this blog post, what are your favourite vintage decor styles? 

Until next time 
Love 
Lucy 
xx

*Photos property of B&Q, Ikea and House of Fraser respectively, all views are my own.

Saturday 7 January 2017

Christmas Outfit Round Up

Christmas is one of my favourite times of year, not least because it provides an excuse to dress up, not that I usually need one! I love having time off work and being able to pamper myself with hair, make up and nails, it's like getting ready for a night out every day.

Christmas Eve

We always spend christmas eve with my Dad and my stepmum and have a casual takeaway, before exchanging gifts. I decided to wear this oriental style Laura Ashley blue and floral print dress with oriental collar, I teamed it with a gold bolero and some sparkly high heels which I kicked off as soon as I got there!

Since it was a busy day (due to last minute shopping!) I did an updo with some chopsticks in my hair and a couple of victory rolls at the front.



Christmas Day

This year we made our way over to my sisters house for a family dinner, I was super excited because it was my nephews first christmas so it felt really special. I wore a monsoon twilight 50's inspired dress and went totally over the top as it is christmas day, I wore my faux fur cream jacket and silver Hotter Donna's. I had wet set my hair and went full on 50's style. I have this halo hat which is tiny so I pinned it on as a fascinator.


Ladies Who Lunch

I desperately wanted to see my oldest friend Laura and her two children and we decided to go for a no frills Harvester lunch after christmas to catch up. We had such a lovely time with the kids. I wore this Sea Salt dress which I picked up in the sales and my purple beret, I threw a cardigan over the top but it was such a nice day I had to wear sunglasses! This was a nice easy casual look to do on a day when I was feeling the Christmas strain a little. More about Sea Salt to follow in my product review next week.



Birthday Time

My younger sisters both have their birthdays around christmas so we always make an effort to go out and celebrate so they don't get forgotten. For our night out in London Bridge I decided to wear this gorgeous tropical print dress by my wonderful friend Karen at Reinvintaged and coordinated it with a a victory roll updo with a snood and hair flowers. I used my Banned Apparel  flamingo bag - keeping it tropical.

Glenn Miller Orchestra

I bought my mum tickets to the Glenn Miller Orchestra at the Barbican centre in the afternoon of New Years Eve. I wanted to get dressed up for this and decided to give this suit it's first outing, it's by Nicola Wainright and is from the 80's but is very forties in style. My dad got this for me for Christmas.

Due to a little holiday weight I didn't feel right in the skirt so I pulled on my stretchy black high waisted pencil skirt and a black top. I wore brown heels and brown Kelly bag to tie in with the jacket. My hair and make up were very traditional again for the daytime, I have been wearing victory rolls and snoods a lot this party season as they make everything so easy and you still look dressy.


PS The orchestra was fantastic and I am really looking forward to seeing them at Twinwood this year!

I hope you had a wonderful festive season and Happy New Year!

Until next time
Love
Lucy

xx