Friday 31 March 2017

Top 5 Alternative Summer Dresses For Vintage Fans

I can't wait for sunnier days to be here but I sometimes find it hard to buy dresses that aren't the typical summer brights when I am looking for something a little different. So here are my top 5 alternative summer dresses for those of us looking for something alternative.

1. Bethany Lilac Swing Dress, £30, Lindy Bop


What drew me to this dress was the colour, I prefer more muted tones and I think this dress would really stand out in the summer crowds because it's something a little different from the usual brights.
It's got a nod to the nautical trend that comes around every summer but it's subtle with the rope detailing on the neckline and lovely black trims. It would also carry very well through to autumn and winter later in the year.



2. Collectif vintage Simona Banana Swing Dress, £57.00, Collectif 

I absolutely love the print of this dress, A lot of summer dresses go a bit crazy for novelties but this print is just enough for me. The bananas add enough colour to make it bright and cheerful enough for the summer months. It's busy enough to look great all on it's own but it could be dressed up or down for daytime and evening.


3. Brenda Dress, £79.00, Seamstress of Bloomsbury 

I have recently become a first time SOB customer but I had fallen in love with their fabrics a long time before, I love how they use very traditional fabrics and in the summer their crepes will be so light and cool to wear. If you are not one for flashing the flesh this dress would be gorgeous in summer because it is made of 100% natural fibre which is much more comfy even on warmer days. 


4. 1940's print Lana Pineapple Brown, Coming soon £99.00, Vivien Of Holloway 

I have been obsessed with the Lana dresses for a while and when watching a VOH live video on Instagram I spied this beauty. It's got a tropical quality about it with the gorgeous print but I love the colour combination too. It's nothing too garish or obvious, it's more a traditional and classic reproduction style which the market has been crying out for. 


5. 1950's "Charlene" Shirtwaister Dress, £49.00, Rock N Romance 


This is another great print because of it's traditional quality, shirtwaister dresses are great wardrobe staples for any time of year because they look great on their own or layered up with a cardigan when the weather is not so sunny. It's made of rayon which will make it so comfortable and would look great with espadrille wedges in the day, heels in the evening or barefoot at the end of a summer party! 


(Images property of 1. Lindy bop, 2. Collectif, 3. Little Wings Factory, 4. Vivien of Holloway and 5. Rock N Romance) 

I hope this gave you some ideas for alternative summer styles. Lets just hope the sun follows... 
Until Next Time 
Love 
Lucy 




Monday 27 March 2017

OOTD - True Vintage 1950's Floral Nylon Dress


This Saturday it was my birthday and one of the vintage Facebook forums I belong to had arranged a meet up at Kew Gardens, I couldn't think of a more lovely way to spend the day!

Kew Gardens, for those overseas readers who may not know, is a famous botanical gardens in South West London. It's quite the tourist attraction attracting approximately 1 million visitors per year.


Florals simply had to be the order of the day for Kew. I bought this dress at Judy's Vintage Fair in Spitalfield's a good few years ago. It was £40 and I fell in love with it as soon as I saw it, I've only worn it a handful of times and usually reserve it for more special occasions because I love it so much.




It is made from a thick nylon, you'll sometimes see it described as sheer or textured nylon but I think different sellers use different terms (I saw one on ebay described as a plastic vintage dress once!) It's not exactly stiff but it does keep it's shape and these dresses are pretty hardy.


I love the dress's bustline which is very typical of the 50's and gives a great shape. The waist is pinched in to maximise the skirts flare, but I prefer it without a petticoat.

The floral pattern is the most vibrant pinks, purples and greens, another great thing about these types of dresses is that they retain their colour really well if they are looked after.


What I also love about this dress is that it can be worn as a day dress or in the evening, I have worn it to both.

As this was a daytime event I wore my black ballet flats for comfort (I'd be warned about Kew and the need for appropriate footwear)


I topped this outfit off with my pink silk coat which I bought on ebay for £11.00 a couple of years ago. it has the most beautiful embroidered collar.


To tie in with the greens in the dress I wore this faux jade necklace.


It was so windy that I didn't worry too much about having perfectly set hair, I threw some bobby pins in my bag and just went with it! Wearing this fascinator helped in the windy weather. It's a green velvet with a birdcage veil, I've had it for years.



All in all I had a fantastic birthday!!!

Until next time
Love
Lucy





Friday 24 March 2017

OOTD - Budget Vintage Look Using Modern Pieces



Todays outfit is a collection of charity shop finds and vintage accessories to get a vintage style using modern pieces that don't cost the earth! I love hunting out vintage inspired items of clothing at charity shops and thrift stores. I tend to spend a little more on accessories that are good quality vintage to offset the outfit.


This 80's skirt is one of my favourites. It's a pencil skirt but midi length so it falls a few inches below my knee, I am always on the look out for skirts of this length.

I bought this for £3 at the Caberet vs Cancer sale in Bethnal Green late last year. It's a great shade of brown because it can work as a staple for so much in my wardrobe.


This shirt I picked up in one of the North London Hospice shops for £3.75 and it's perfect for a vintage look. It's from the 80's and it didn't look like much on the hanger but I loved the pattern and colours so much and I knew it would work with the right skirt.

As it is short sleeved I wore a modern red cardigan over the top of it to keep me cosy. Again this came from a charity shop.

I am obsessed with these vintage style hotter shoes and was so happy when I found a coordinating yellow belt in the Finsbury Park branch of the RSPCA shop for £2.50 as it brings everything in this outfit together.


As a birthday treat to myself I bought this Waldybag which came complete with tags, the original purse and mirror! This was from a charity seller on ebay and was £25.00. it's in perfect condition and is simple gorgeous.


On work days it can be hard to use my vintage handbags if I have a lot to carry. I found this vintage crochet bag in a charity shop and snapped it up. It's great for extra storage and when I am not using it I can stow it away ready to whip it out when needed.

I wet set my hair last night and wore this lovely felt vintage hat. I decided it was a big red lips day as I am going out for birthday drinks tonight.


I am so looking forward to my proper birthday tomorrow when I'll be running around Kew gardens with fellow vintage lovelies. I'll be posting about that special outfit over the weekend!

Until next time
Love
Lucy
xx

Wednesday 22 March 2017

Vintage OOTD - Beautiful Silks ft London Car Boot Co

I'm getting very much into the swing of taking outfit photos on a more regular basis so I can blog about them, I must say it's hard work getting photos done without a helper but I'm sure in time I'll get there.

Today's outfit is another vintage dress in my favourite colours! I picked up this silk dress at one of the London car Boot Companies sales (Princess may Stoke Newington)




There was a vintage seller who is fairly regular and this dress was only £1.00, a complete bargain in my eyes!

The colour of this dress is quite hard to photograph because it's actually sort of two tone between mustard and red.

I adore the pattern on this dress, it reminds me of wallpaper but in the best possible way. I'm not one to shy away from patterns and bright prints! It doesn't have a label but I am guessing it is early 60's.

One of the reasons I love silk is that it actually keeps you remarkably warm despite how thin it is, as it is a natural fabric. I find anything man made feels colder. I layered up with a modern cardigan from M&S which I tied at the waist. 


As I was literally on my way to work I wore my trust ballet flats and changed my shoes at the office. I love how ballet flats can go with just about anything and prefer wearing them to the trainers I used to run around the city in.



I teamed this dress up with this huge gold brooch and some gold floral shaped earrings. For bangles I stacked my corn bakelite spacers with some modern wooden bangles. I love the contrast of natural materials against plastics.



I wore my faux beehive again because the weather is so shocking at the moment. I have have this done in a few minutes so it's just really useful for work days. I'll save my more ambitious hair styles for dryer weekends for now!




I hope you enjoyed this post, if you are a Londoner (or visiting) the London Car Boot Co's are definitely worth seeking out, there are still vintage bargains out there!

Until next time

Love

Lucy
xx

Sunday 19 March 2017

Vintage OOTD - The Swinging Sixties ft Painted Black Vintage

Whilst I am so fond of the 40's and 50's recently I have been wearing a few of the 60's numbers in my wardrobe and remembering how fun and versatile this era can be.

Todays outfit is this nylon dress which I picked up at Painted Black Vintage in Crouch End. (Visit their Easy shop here) They have a sale in store at the moment - a rail of dresses all for £15.00 each and a bargain bin of items at £5.00 each.



Unbelievably this dress came out of the £5 bin (I dug all the way to the bottom!)

I love vintage shirt dresses as they are just so easy to wear and the nylon material usually means they don't need ironing, they are perfect to throw on and run around town in.

The pattern was really what caught my eye - greens, burnt orange and yellows are colours I always go for and this dress has all three in a really beautiful pattern.

Some might say this is autumnal but I don't believe in that and wear 'seasonal' colours all year round.


The label is Hillora of Great Britain.



I have such a thing for contrasting tights with these kinds of dresses and I love how these olive green tights coordinated with the dress.


I wore some bright yellow earrings courtesy of Naomi Thompson many of the bakelite bangles came from her also! You can find her Etsy shop here


I wore my hair in a faux beehive. I achieve this without any backcombing by taking a cheap hair doughnut, cutting it to make a rainbow type shape and pinning it in my hair like a rat. I wrapped this scarf around my head to give it the 60's vibe and also cover the more noticeable roots!


It's so woefully windy at the moment that these 60's styles are really coming in handy, the circle skirts of the 50's are beautiful but have caused many a blush on a blowy day!





































I hope you enjoyed this post, If you are ever in the area pop in to Painted Black Vintage and take a look!

Until next time

Love

Lucy
xx


Sunday 12 March 2017

Becoming a (Fairy) Godmother OOTD Post with Jacques Vert

Last Sunday I became a Godmother! It's a great privilege to be asked to be godmother to my friend Laura's daughter. Laura and I went to secondary school together and have stayed close friends to this day.

I was a bit stumped over what to wear, I wanted something smart and special enough, but I really didn't want to buy anything new.

When my sister was choosing our bridesmaid dresses last summer she deliberately chose something that we could wear again. Since this dress was worn on such a special day I decided it would be great to give it an outing on another very happy occasion. Whilst this dress is no longer available Jacques Vert have some other great vintage inspired pieces, as below.



Jacques Vert

I think Jacques Vert is a fantastic option for people who love a classic style, they have some beautiful dresses at the moment which nod to the 30's, 40's, 50's and 60's.


This dress has an unusual abstract floral pattern, it reminds me of Monet's Water Lilies. The blend of yellow, blue and grey means you have plenty of options when it comes to accessories. The fabric is thick and falls very nicely, it's lined and this kept me warm on a less than sunny day!



The dress is a classic A line cut with a gentle v neck, it's super flattering. As it was chilly I wore a navy cardigan with it, tied at the waist and to tie in with with the yellow in the dress I wore my Hotter shoes with thick navy blue tights.

This dress is very versatile, here is how I wore it for my sisters wedding last summer, with my silver Hotter Donna's and a silver bolero. It's a great dress for wearing in different seasons as the style and the print can be dressed either way.




I went for a size 14 and I found the sizing more generous than the rest of the high street and could size down in future.

Since I am growing out my roots and the weather is very unpredictable at the moment I decided to wear my hair in a poodle, so my roots wouldn't show in photos and my curls wouldn't get battered by the wind. As it is quite a large hairdo I kept my accessories to a minimum and just added this little lemon flower to my hair to coordinate with the dress pattern.


Other vintage inspired items I am loving from Jacques Vert at the moment are:












Left to right: Layers Soft Print Dress Was £159.00 Now £127.20

Lace Godet Dress Was £169.00 Now £135.20

Petite Leaf Lace Dress Was £179.00 Now £143.20

Delicate Lace Soft dress Was £179.00 Now £143.20

Lace Drape Cape Dress Was £179.00 Now £143.20



*(5 Images remain property of Jacques Vert)



It's well worth having a look at the various styles on their website 

My mum also rocked a bit of a vintage inspired outfit with this Marks and Spencers smock dress that she bought at an outlet store, mustard coloured tights and these too cool burgundy buckled shoes from Clarks. Looking good mum!





Now I just need to source a wand to make wishes come true...bibbidi bobbidi boo!



Love

Lucy

x