Tag Archives: Shopping

A Horrockses housecoat from 1951

Posted in Exciting discoveries, Fashion history by



A few months back now I purchased an absolutely beautiful Horrockses housecoat from Vintage Vision, the company, based in Abergavenny is a great initiative.

A little background:

“Vintage Vision provides women with an opportunity to share their knowledge, develop confidence and new skills, and access training and work experience, through sourcing, repairing and marketing vintage and retro clothing.”

http://www.vintagevision.co.uk/index.html





So, onto the houescoat itself, this is the stunning piece I purchased, in typical high quality Horrockses cotton. I’m pretty sure it is an Alastair Morton print- it has the “handwriting” of his design style written all over it!  Whilst looking through archive posts on one of my FAVOURITE blogs (http://sheepandchick.blogspot.co.uk/ ) I found an advertisement for my housecoat!!!




Housewife magazine 1951. 

The advertisement even has the original price for the housecoat  £5 17s, a considerable sum equivalent to just over £135 today! F.Y.I a housecoat was a type of dress for lounging in and accepting visitors, it wasn’t a dressing gown as they are sometimes misconstrued as being!


 

Sale purchases: Vintage and new!

Posted in New purchases by

In the past week I’ve purchased a few very nice items in the sales, and I just want to share a few of the items, in outfit form.

This was my outfit for my first day of spring term at uni. Day 1 and already readings and essay set *sob*. I am super excited though about the modules for this term. One of my module is about the eastern/ western cross-pollination in fashion primarily. Knowing me I’ll be turning up to uni in appropriate outfits every tuesday for my seminars.

The cardiagan is from Lovely’s vintage emporium. Super soft and COVERED in little white pearls. It ia also incredibly warm.

 

The belt came from Catherine Smith vintage in Harrogate a few years ago. It is real snakeskin in rich red.

Plain and boring gap t-shirt- I dread to think how many of these I own.
Sarah Coventry vintage brooch- I also have the matching earrings.

Russell and Bromley brougues. Ever practical.

AND this fab skirt. Reduced from £65 to £20 in the Topshop sale. It is one of the J.W.Anderson pieces. The quilted effect and paisley decoration actually reminds me of my Grandad’s dressing gown. Not sure whether that’s a good thing or not!

Pre-Christmas celebrations

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Last night i had my “pre christmas” celebrations with some of my favourite ladies in the land.
We went out for dinner and cocktails, photos stolen from my dearest love Louisa and her snazzy new Iphone 5- I was very jel.

The 6 of us who went out for din dins

Cocktails!

Me, Stef and Ellie

Nikki, Caro and Louisa (How alarmingly gorgeous do these three look!- Caro has such enviably
shiny hair)

This is my outfit from the evening. I absolutely adore this dress that I recently had repaired by the wonderful Nana of splendid stitches. The dress is a late 50s number by Judy Clare London. It really is amazing, as the way it pulls you in makes your waist look IMPOSSIBLY tiny. Love It! My shoes are an ancient pair from Faith, i stupidly gave my Mum my new black shoes to take down to Hampshire with her, leaving me with only my anciently old pair!

 

I did have a bit of a fiddle round with the pics last night, this is what happens when you are suffering with insomnia at 4 in the morning and need a distraction!