Back to the Blitz, 1940s pleated dress and bag

To the sound of air raid sirens, I marched down the steps of Aldywch tube station with 50 other people, to the safety of the train platforms deep under London.  Once there, we were treated to a bit of am-dram on a 1938 tube train (my favourite year at the moment since I am writing a time-slip novel set partly then!), but I struggled to pay attention - there were too many marvellous things to look at (retro posters encased in lovely wooden frames; cute little louvres on the train to let in the air; gorgeous art deco detailing along the platform). 

For this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity (well...I confess we kept forgetting we were in a disused tube station for the most part, since it looked like plenty of other tube stations we pass through every day!), I dressed up in a prim little 1940s woollen dress with pleated skirt, and completed the look with a lovely vintage leather bag and beret.

Apart from the actors, I was the most overdressed person on the platform, and the only one who went against the dress code to wear heels (I didn't read the part about the 150 steps).  But as it was pointed out to me, even in war time it's important that women make an effort to look good!

Found at: Dress -Vintage at Goodwood Festival; Bag - Cancer Research, Turnpike Lane.
Price: Dress - £40.00; Bag - £10.00.
Wearability factor: 4/5 (man that wool is itchy: you need plenty of demure undergarments underneath to avoid scratching all night).
Accessorise with: gas mask, thick woollen stocking, practical brown pumps.

Vintage at Goodwood

Ohhh, what a fabulous Sunday at the Vintage at Goodwood festival!

I channelled the 1940s and my friend Deb went for 1960s - and it felt like we were being photographed all day long!  The shoes (Kate Kuba), hat (Gap, but found in Cancer Research Crouch End for £3.00)) and cardi (charity shop £5.00) are modern, but the dress comes from Blackout II in Covent Garden, and the fabulous bag is something I picked up in Chiswick last week, at Cancer Research's vintage store (£35.00).  The outfit caught the eye of Grazia's stylehunter, and I got to parade about at the end of the day with 20 women, stunningly dressed in 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s style. 

The highlight of the day for me was meeting Stefanie Braun, whose Fraubraun boutique fuses carefully edited vintage pieces with a photographic experience.  I've admired her website from afar for a long time, and with only a little coercion, she got me into a stunning 1950s ball gown and in front of the camera.  

Our magical day of people watching (the only time I've ever felt it wasn't rude to point!), peering into vintage caravans and relaxing in the 'dance hall' was topped off by a ride on a lovely old ferris wheel.  We're already planning outfits for next year's festival!

Vintage Finds at Oxfam

This post first appeared on the new Oxfam Vintage Blog.

Now that Spring is upon us, the weather is just perfect for wandering London’s streets in search of new vintage treasures. This weekend I set out on foot from Kilburn to Hyde Park, ostensibly to make the most of the sunshine, but knowing full well there would be plenty of charity shops along the way! 

I’ve taken to setting myself a budget before I cross the threshold of any charity shop, which is actually far less of a constraint than you may imagine. These shops, after all, often hide the most marvellous gems priced in pennies.

The purpose of the budget is twofold: my closet is full to bursting point (but I’m unwilling to sacrifice the assortment of goodies that I’ve amassed over the years), and I’ve set myself a personal maxim of ‘Elegant Frugality’ for 2010 and beyond. This has forced me to choose my vintage pieces carefully, often reluctantly returning something to the clothes rail (oh, the saddest of partings), but taking home another item that’s all the more treasured.

In Oxfam on Kilburn’s High Street – budget, £10 – I discovered a pleated 1980s tartan skirt and a starry-printed 1970s Dorothy Perkins halterneck dress. But both went back on the rails in favour of two sweet hand-painted tea cups (a steal at 99p for both) a hand-painted cake plate (99p), a pair of 1980s two-toned leather heels (£2.99), and a warm woolly picnic blanket (£3.99) that will work equally well at a picnic or draped on the couch. Grand Total: £8.96.

With the lovely new-old blanket in my possession, I abandoned my charity shop hunt and headed straight to Hyde Park to nestle on it under the trees with my Sunday paper. But if anyone’s in Kilburn and is a size 8 to 10, you could pop into Oxfam for that tartan skirt or halterneck dress I reluctantly left behind.

The Vintage Inventory's Inventory

You can't have an inventory without making a list of the items you purchase! I'm keeping track of every vintage item I buy, and recording it on the marvellous Daytum tool. You'll find me under the moniker 'the thinking girl'.

This weekend, I purchased:

• two handpainted teacups (.99p) 
• one handpainted cake platter (.99p)
• one woollen picnic blanket (3.99)
• one pair of 80s heels (1.99)

Loving 'vintage' makes us authentic white people

'Stuff White People Like' is a marvellously satirical look at the middle class and our penchant for being (or thinking we are) cooler than every other social class.

#49 - Vintage

To Wit, To Woo

It may be widely assumed that owls represent wisdom, but I find them compelling for the sense of vulnerability that hangs about them.  They call to mind faded childhoods spent girlishly skipping around Brown Owl in crisp linen uniforms, yet those sorrowful eyes hint at grown-up secrets.  

On the bus home this evening, I picked up a copy of Stylist magazine, and Hannah Turner's cheeky winking owl reminded me of my very own owl that sits atop my bookshelves.

Mine was purchased on the cheap from a charity shop, of course, and has the rather odd feature of a wobbly removable head.  Just look at those eyes!

 

And here's the proof that I'm not the only one feeling the owl love...

Found at: North London Hospice, Crouch End
Price: £3.00
Usability Factor: 5/5
Accessorise with: This owl needs friends to stay awake with him at night.  I'll try Etsy for more.

My Favourite Kind of Junk Shop

I stumbled upon this unnamed junk shop in East London this week, while I was on a mission to track down and photograph public libraries for work.  I couldn't resist going in, although I did manage to refrain from walking out again laden down by purchases!


While charity shops like Oxfam and Cancer Research are conveniently located and have a carefully edited selection of clothes and crockery, there's nothing quite like the buzz of getting off the well-worn high street and tracking down something special buried beneath the junk!  

1980s Preppy Wool Blazer

How very learned I feel wearing this blazer!  So learned in fact, that when I was asked to be photographed for the Time's feature on the London trend for 'brainy chic', this item immediately sprung to mind.

With its blue and navy check and little breast pocket, I feel like the private school girl I never was but secretly longed to be, if only for those prim pleated tweed skirts and chunky brown lace-ups.

The jaunty sling of the jacket over my shoulder does not show it to best effect but my arm was in a cast on this day (note the puffy face from the painkillers!) and we did our best to disguise it with a pile of philosophy books on my lap.  Scatter a few more books on the floor, add one 1950s school chair, and the result is pure geek chic.

Found at: Crouch End charity shop
Price: £10.00
Wearability Factor: 5/5
Accessorise with: aforementioned philosophy books, old school chair, modern drainpipe trousers for a fresh look.

Ethical Fashion from Old Clothes-stuffs

The Evening Standard reports tonight that ethical fashion label From Somewhere goes to F&F at Tesco today.  Jersey off-cuts that would otherwise have gone to waste are creatively refashioned into body-con dresses. 

The on-trend styling will appear to a younger market (Peaches Geldof is reportedly a fan), but the pieces lack the longevity of classic vintage items that one lovingly wears over the years.  I fear these 'fashionable' clothes will be unfashionable within the year, if the cheap fabrics don't fade beforehand and tarnish their appeal. 

This collection is one that has simply slowed the transit of cast-off fabrics to their final resting place, rather than completely re-routing them away from land-fill.  For more lasting pieces, From Somewhere's regular range is a joy to explore.

1940s 'Roxanne' Starlet Swimsuit

While England's autumnal weather sent you scurrying for your hats and jackets, I was lounging by a pool on the other side of the world, in Far North Queensland, Australia! The sunny climate provided the perfect excuse to parade about in this gorgeous 1940s swimsuit.

I'm not quite sure that I successfully channelled the 1940s starlet, but wearing this swimsuit was a revelation: I suddenly had a waist! a bust! a flat stomach! Modern swimsuit manufacturers are doing us a disservice by skimping on fabric and using unforgiving, unflattering lycra. This swimsuit is made from a heavy, thick blend of acetate and cotton. Diagonal panels of fabric radiate from one side of the waist, and a cute 'modesty panel' skims down the hips and across the top of the thighs. Boobs are kept perky with boning and shelf support in the bust area.

I'll confess that it didn't feel quite so comfortable to wear when it got wet. The fabric became waterlogged and the swimsuit felt like it was sagging - although a surreptitious glance at my reflection confirmed it still clung in all the right places.

Found at: Blackout II, Endell Street, Covent Garden
Price: £50.00
Usability Factor: 5/5

Accessorise with: 1940s sunglasses.

In the interests of documenting vintage swimsuits (and confirming my history as a swimsuit model), here's two 'vintage' swimsuits from 1986, and 1991.

Red Hot 1940s Dress

I took this little red 1940s dress for a spin at All Star Lanes bowling alley, where we looked flash despite being a bit dated – ASB is a ‘50s themed establishment playing ‘80s music (nope, we didn’t get it either!). I teamed it with a pair of pearlescent Mary Janes, which of course I was required to relinquish at the counter in exchange for some chunky black lace-ups. Hence, I’m sans shoes in these pictures.

To really do this dress justice, I went for a full vintage look by putting into practice the lessons I learned recently at Lipstick & Curls' hair and makeup class. Remarkably, my bold red lipstick stayed in place all evening (but then, I wasn’t kissing any chaps!).

The dress is a made from a deep red, raised pattern fabric. It has a little collar, sleeves that turn up at the ends, and gold button detailing on the bust. I like to wear it with the stud done up at the throat so that you only catch a glimpse of cleavage – cheeky!

Found at: Crouch End charity shop
Price: £12.00 (plus £10.00 to have some of the seams re-sewn)
Wearability factor: 9/10
Accessorise with: Flat Mary Janes so you can dance all night; a 1940s hairstyle courtesy of hot sticks; the new Maybelline 'Fatal Red' lipstick.

Vintage China Bouquet Brooches/Pins

Feeling guilty about buying fresh flowers (unsustainable growing practices / low wages for workers / use of pesticides)?

Fret no more! Ease your conscience by raiding the dusty shelves of your local charity shop for these bright little bouquets that bloom all year round. Delicately crafted in china, hand-painted and glazed, I've found pieces from Coalport, Crown and Aynsley in abundance, from as little as £1.00.

Try Etsy if you want to pin one to your lapel quick smart, and don't mind paying over-the-odds.

Found at: Save the Children, Shrewsbury & a charity shop in Crouch End.
Price: £1.00 - £5.00 each
Usability Factor: 5/5
Accessorise with: A vintage silk scarf and bright cherry lips from Lauren Luke's 'My Fierce Violets' palette.

1950s Apricot Prom Dress

I wafted into dinner at chef Nuno Mendes' home in this beautiful apricot prom confection on the weekend.

Nuno is trialling menus for his new Bethnal Green restaurant which is due to open later this year - for now, guests can sample a taster menu of about 15 courses, all of which Nuno prepares in front of you in his open-plan converted warehouse.

This dress is magical. With its contrasting sturdy/floaty fabrics it almost shouldn't work, yet somehow does. I love the thick linen bodice and the dainty hand-stitched beads which adorn it. The peachy, soft silk skirt which swirls out from pleats at the waist almost catches me by surprise every time I move.

It's an incredibly feminine dress; the fragile silk and delicate beading require one to move about with grace and poise, lest any part of it catch on something and crumble!
XX
Found at: Blackout II, Endell Street Covent Garden, London.
Price: £50.00
Usability Factor: 2/5 (alas, it is now too fragile for frequent wear)
Accessorise with: Seamed 40s stockings and little red pumps.
XX

1940s Velvet Wiggle Skirt

I wore this lushly printed, velvet vintage skirt to a cheeky lingerie/sex shop salon event last night. The gals from Lipstick and Curls, Natasha and Amanda, stepped straight out of a 1950s advertisement for (saucy) kitchen products, replete in matching red gingham aprons, and gave tips for crafting pin-up worthy curls, painting sultry winged eyes, and hunting down the perfect siren-red lipstick: and it will be a hunt, ladies ... the best reds are elusive, hiding online or in the States.

The surroundings of Bordello were perfect for an evening of vintage glamour. The window of the shop is dominated by an imposing French iron bed (similar to my own!), and lacy undergarments are strewn throughout the shop, intermingled with delicate hand-painted crockery, '40s and '50s hats and assorted naughty goodies.

I left feeling light-headed, although that could have been the result of a number of factors: the generously flowing champagne; the tightness of my vintage skirt (motto: life is too short to wear comfortable clothing); the fantasy playing over in my head about how marvellous I would look at my next lindy hop class; or the excessive amounts of hairspray Natasha lavished on our lungs.

Skirt found at: Charity shop in Willesden Green
Usability Factor: 5/5 (if you're prepared to be short of breath all night or lose 2kg)
Accessorise with: Vintage lipstick holder, Art Deco haircomb, and a 'do by the girls at Lipstick and Curls of course (they're available for private appointments).




Quirky fact: Natasha is an amazing dancer - Lindy Hop, Balboa, etc - and runs classes at her Quick! Quick! Club near Leicester Square.

Vintage 1950s prom dress

I have a confession to make: in order to get my hands on this gorgeous dress, I committed a cardinal sin and broke my vow to never purchase items in 'proper' vintage shops. But I couldn't resist its creamy sheen and gorgeous stitched detailing. So far, it's had two outings: dinner at an Underground restaurant, where we were papped for Ms Marmite Lover's blog, and The Blonde and the Beast Last Tuesday Society's masked ball. Underneath, a layer of tulle puffs the skirt out and makes me feel like one of those miniature plastic ballerinas twirling on a circle of glass inside the lid of a girl's jewellery box.

Found at: Blackout II, Endell Street, Covent Garden

Usability Factor: 5/5

Accessorise with: Big pearl drop earrings, peachy-coloured Venetian mask for evening.

Hoard of Gold Brooches

Take a peek at these little treasures - you'd be forgiven for thinking I'd uncovered them in a pretty little chest at the bottom of the sea, instead of an aging charity shop on a busy road in deepest darkest Hereford. That they cost £3.00 all up makes the find even more satisfying! I'm not sure what era they date from (1970s, earlier?) but they're very heavy so sadly won't be worn with some of my more delicate silk tops.

Found at: Charity Shop, Commercial Road, Hereford
Usability Factor: 5/5
Accessorise with: A mannish blazer to take away that girly sheen.

Vintage Vixen Profile: Chloe Sevigny

*sigh*...I even want her bike

I am in love with Chloe Sevigny. Or maybe it’s lust: lust for those jaunty ‘80s wayfarers she wore well before the stylists caught up; lust for the ‘50s high waisted shorts that, on her long milky legs, proclaim ‘siren’ instead of ‘sucker [for fashion]’; lust for that centre-parted blonde hair that shouldn’t work but seems to go with every outfit…

Chloe is the ultimate Vintage Vixen of our time: she was doing it long before the concept of ‘vintage’ became so diluted by the fashion industry that we accept Primark’s appropriation of the term for a 70s-inspired-£15-polyester-maxi-dress run up last week in a sweatshop in Manchester. Indeed, Chloe was doing it long before the word ‘vintage’ was common parlance at all.

For girls like myself who’ve always worn second hand stuff, it’s always looked, well, second-hand really. It’s Chloe’s insouciance that enables her to rock a tea dress with socks and sandals at Coachella (when the rest of us would just look like middle-aged German tourists on a coach tour of the pyramids). That, and her natural ability to marry quirky pieces to new stuff in one outfit and somehow make it look innocent and sassy all at the same time.

1940s Snakeskin wrist purse

This sweet and sassy little purse was another Vintage Acquistion from France. It's so tiny that it holds only my lipgloss, keys, trusty ventolin inhaler, and oyster card...but that's all a(n asthmatic) girl needs for a night out in London!

In this instance, I collected my French VA in person - bracing myself against the heaving hordes during Lille's annual La Grande Braderie . If you love junk, this 48 hour event in September should be diarised in your blackberry, with your hotel already booked if you want to attend in '09. The French go crazy, taking over kilometres of city streets to lay out granny's old tea set alongside scratched vinyl records. The rest of Europe go even crazier, with 2 million people descending on the tiny city to snap up a bargain and outdo each other in the quest to set a record for moules frites consumption. I eurostared it over with nothing more than a change of underwear and a canvas shopping trolley, and filled it to the brim.

Found at: La Grande Braderie, Lille, France
Usability Factor: 5/5
Accessorise with: A floaty amoosi dress made with reclaimed fabric, a 1940s manicure, and a vintage dance card to keep track of all those boys lining up to twirl you round the dancefloor.

Detail

19th Century French Iron, Brass & Wood Veneer Bed

My biggest vintage purchase yet, this one is courtesy of ebay and was shipped over from the continent at the weekend! Cast iron French beds have been fashionable for years, so I was originally looking for something a little different - an Art Deco bed that was completely wood veneer to be precise. But with the best examples of these beds well out of my price range, this late 19th Century French bed is a happy compromise, stylishly combining the best of both worlds!

I love the cute little iron castors: luckily they're old and rusty enough to ensure that any lively night-time activity isn't going to propel the bed across the floorboards. It's only a small double, but I'll happily squeeze myself in at night if it means I awake in the morning feeling tres chic.

Found on: ebay (courtesy of Louis XV Antiques)
Usability factor: 5/5
Accessorise with: Anything that brings it into the 21st Century, such as sultry black bed linen (I'll shamelessly admit that mine is by Kylie Minogue), an artfully draped Peter Alexander Vintage Rose Gown, and the soon-to-be-single Brad Pitt perhaps?

1950s 'Brexton' Picnic Set

Vintage Acquisition of the Day: 1950s picnic set, complete with asbestos lined thermos and original sugar cubes (plus a four-person set of side-plates, coffee cups and saucers, cutlery, tea-towel, food boxes, salt 'n' pepper shaker and glass storage jars).

This one had my name written all over it - I just couldn't resist (and a £30.00 spend on a single item is still not my most expensive outlay in a charity shop!).

It's completely unusable, and not just because of the life-threatening drink canister - no, despite its pristine condition, I just can't imagine myself lugging a suitcase-sized box of china crockery up Ally Pally.

Found in: Crouch End Charity Shop

Usability factor: 3/5

Accessorise with: 1950s glove-making pattern; Bush portable radio (I have my eye on an original on ebay), strawberries and a British summer.