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!

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.

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.

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