A day trip to Bath

Posted in 30s, Bath, charity shops by liztregenza

Today I took a delightful trip to Bath which I have to say is one of my fave cities for going for a “relaxing” trip to.

Outfit for the day. One of my all time favourite Jonathan Logan dresses- I bought this from America about four years ago and it has been a summer staple worn since. I’m wearing with crazy pink 80s flower earrings and a topshop denim jacket.

I FINALLY, after saying I would go for around two years, went to the fashion museum, which I have to say I was incredibly impressed by. A lot of people mentioned to me that it was small, but I didn’t think it was at all and found the displays interesting and informative in a different way. I liked that in the 19^th century part of the museum the exhibition text looked to contemporary literature to help explain the dresses.

http://www.museumofcostume.co.uk/

I was also interested by the trends for 2012 section which showed items from the costume museum collection styled to represent 2012 trends. I actually think this is a really forward thinking way for a museum to represent their dress collections (and actually makes me think of Diana Vreelands interpretation of historical dress). Whilst I love to see historical dress as it is meant to be styled with period appropriate accessories etc. I think this method if display helps to open up museum displays to more audiences.

http://www.museumofcostume.co.uk/

Now onto the vintage in Bath!

The charity shops in Bath I have to say (like quite frankly charity shops everywhere) left a lot to be desired. Prices were overall eye wateringly expensive and actually around the same price as the vintage shops. That said I did pick up a nice pair of shorts for £5 – although if I’m honest this is more than I would normally splash out on a pair of shorts. The most shocking charity shop price I saw had to be a pair of topshop brogues with a price tag of £25 on them. (I’m 90% sure these were the ones that cost £30 new last season).

Charity shop shorts. United colours of Bennetton- made of wool. Kind of look like little boys school shorts when they are on!

I also enjoyed the Bartlett road antiques. I’ve never ventured here before but I enjoyed a short while wandering round. If you head downstairs there are two dealers stock that I would recommend, one with a lovely selection of vintage textiles and jewellery (all at v reasonable prices) and another who had some of the most sensational 30s deco hadbags (high prices, but worth it I have to say)

The vintage shops were a hit and miss mixed bag. I was shocked by how high the prices were in Vintage to Vogue. They did have some stunning pieces including a few sensational 30s and 40s dresses but the prices were eye wateringly high. (£195 for an embroidered bolero was a particular shocker).

I have saved the best till last though. My FAVOURITE vintage shop in Bath has to be Scarlet Vintage. The shop currently has an amazing selection of pieces in stock mostly from the 30s to the 70s. I spied a truly sensational 40s evening dress for £95 which quite frankly I thought was a steal and if it had been my size I would have snapped it up. There were also lots of beautiful shoes and bags, I particular had my eye on a nice art deco reptile skin bag.

http://www.scarletvintage.co.uk/

I did make a purchases though I will admit. I probably shouldn’t have, but it really is an investment piece.

This gorgeous red 1930s Laura Phillips dress. (I really must do some research into this company at some point soon- This is the earliest Laura Phillips dress I’ve seen. I know Laura Phillips existed right through until the 1970s…so if you have any further info, do tell!)

Isn’t it just one of the most glamorous and gorgeous dresses you have seen?

2Aug2012

It a summery week for Advantage In Vintage!

Posted in Uncategorized by liztregenza

On Sunday i listed yet more (yes, more!!!) fabulous vintage pieces for your viewing pleasure. This week with a focus on summery pieces. I got inspired by last weeks weather and listed lots of lovely sunglasses, swimsuits and also summer dresses.

View all the items here

Here are my pick of a few of the top pieces

Find it on ebay here

I absolutely ADORE this Kittiwake swimsuit. I have often found the top halves of these, but this little swim top comes with its matching bloomers. What i like about this is that although it is is swimwear it can easily be worn as a normal top too.

Find it on ebay here

I also love this grey cossie which has a printed lace design (I actually have a Horrockses dress with an almost identical print). The shape of this swimsuit is incredibly flattering as it has an extra layer of fabric which covers the very top of the thighs in a similar manner to the swimsuit in the image below (original 50s advertisment!)

Find it on ebay here

This dress is also a superb one. It is a late 50s cocktail dress with very interesting cut and construction giving it a sculptural look. When I saw it I immediately drew comparisons with Alexander McQueen’s plato Atlantis dress that is in the Victoria and Albert museum (Spring/ Summer 2010). Does anyone else see the similarities?

Find them on ebay here

If sunglasses are your thing i have a number of pairs of original 50s cats eye sunglasses on offer (perfect to finish off any outfit) and one of my 6 pairs of Ray ban wayfarers. I’ve come to the decision that even though i love my Ray Bans, maybe 6 is too many ; )

Find it on ebay here

And last but not least I have two Horrockses on offer! One of them contains a Horrockses label i had never previously seen (A Horrockses export label- It came from Australia and i think this dates it as a late 50s early 60s cusper).

See all the items here

30Jul2012

Fashion photographer obsessions: John Rawlings

Posted in John Rawlings by liztregenza

During my degree I cam across a photographer whose work I simply have to share.

The photographer is John Rawlings.

Rawlings was a photographer for Conde Nast and in his heyday (between the late 30s and 60s) he was one of the top fashion photographers. His work featured in the pages of Vogue, Glamour and Life magazine (he worked primarily in America). His work was regularly seen on the covers of vogue in particular.

What I love about Rawlings work was the vibrancy and colour in his work. Many of the images I’ve picked for this post come from the 40s and the colour is simply amazing. I think most of these images would have been shot in Kodachrome, which gives the almost slightly eerie oversaturated colours. His work almost always has an underlying story line which allows you to look more deeply into his photography, his work wasn’t just about selling clothes, but creating a narrative too.

In my humble opinion Rawlings was one of the most talented phtographers of the 40s and 50s and I think is sometimes overlooked. The composition of his images are always so carefully thought out and turn women into sculptural objects, using the angles of the clothes and the womens bodies to create interest.