Tag Archives: vintage

Leeds vintage fair does it again!

Posted in 30s, 40s, Leeds, Vintage by

I absolutely love Leeds vintage fair and today was the day yet again. A rather fab day was had I have to saay.
This is the suit I wore today, my housemate said I looked like a Butlins red coat, hopefully in a good way. It is quite remarkable i actually look semi-alive in this picture as I had only four hours sleep and felt like I was going to be sick from a serious hangover (housemates birthday last night….that’s how I roll!)
 I’m trying to be good money wise at the moment, so I didn’t go too overboard on purchases, but these are the two dresses I picked up!
First off this gorgeous black 1930s dress. I rarely buy vintage this old (to wear) but this was in such brilliant condition i felt like I needed it in my life. Very upstairs downstairs! The rouleau loops were a bit of a nightmare to get done up, but i think it is worth the effort. Pretty impressed with my own skills though as I didn’t try it on and just guessed it looked about the right size, and it was! I adored the shoulder pads and the draping of it too, such a Hollywood glamour look! It kind of reminds me of Elsa Schiaparelli’s designs…
(I’ve lightened these pics so you can properly see the detail!)
Then I picked up this beautiful dress too, not my normal style, but it was pretty cheap and I thought I might find an excuse to wear it! The lady who I bought it from has some absolutely sensational stock. She sells through ebay, Dolly Wiggins vintage I strongly recommend you check her out, she had a wonderful selection of 30s, 40s and 50s dresses all at v v reasonable prices at the fair. I could have bought more, but as I say I am (meant to be) on a budget!

Iris Apfel: The ultimate Geriatric Starlet

Posted in Iris Apfel, Vintage by

Today I’m sharing another of my style icons. Iris Apfel. What can I say? I hope when I reach 90 i might be even just a tenth as cool as her! The title of this post Geriatric starlet refers to Apfel’s own description of herself. Superb!


“Mrs. Apfel is the discerning curator of her own wardrobe. Sorted and stowed in a vast nearby warehouse, that wardrobe incorporates pieces commemorating high points in her life. “She’s a great storyteller,” said Mindy Grossman, the chief executive of HSN. “Every single thing she wears, she remembers a story behind it.”


http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/25/fashion/iris-apfel-90-stylish-and-on-hsn-up-close.html?_r=2&hpw


Apfel claims to not be a collector despite her vast wardrobe. Which was epitomised in a comment made in an article for the guardian “Some people own such valuable clothing they would never dare to put it on. This is anathema to Apfel. There’s one lady who lives in the Midwest who has about 15,000 pieces. She once wanted to show Apfel some of her collection, and when she took out “this divine Geoffrey Beene dress”, Apfel said: “Oh my God, you must have had so much fun wearing it!” The woman was horrified. She said: “Wear it!? This is part of my collection. You don’t wear your collection!” Apfel said: “In that case I don’t have a collection.”


(this was so crazily relevant for my current project into wearing historical dress it got me very excited!)


http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2010/jan/17/new-year-new-cool-fashion


Apfel’s prowess as a fashion icon was demonstrated in 2005 when The Met museum held a retrospective showcasing some of her vast wardrobe. (I highly recommend the book rare bird of fashion that accompanied the exhibition, it has some sublime images of the garments). Mac also dedicated a range to her with super bright colours recently!













http://lovelydisco.wordpress.com/


If you love the Iris’s style check out this wonderful piece written for the New York times where Apfel and some other super stylish New York ladies discuss their style. http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/08/20/garb-fest-2/





 To me these ladies really epitomise something about vintage style- and something about fashion itself. Fashion should be about having fun, wearing what you want to wear and dressing in a way that is an extension of your personality!

What I’ve been buying lately: Suits, dresses and jackets galore

Posted in 40s, 50s by

Today I thought I would share with you all some of my recent purchases, my very kind Nanna and Great Aunt both gave me some money for Christmas so I have been lucky enough to have a little bit of spare cash to spend on vintage!
I’ll start off by saying I’m actually feeling really let down by ebay at the moment, well in the UK at least. I am finding that there are less and less sellers out there offering high quality vintage pieces that are accurately described. There are a few exceptions, Lestervintage is one such seller. I’ve bought from this seller before and their items are always exactly as described. I also really appreciate how well photographed they are. Another on this list is redappleclothing who again I have bought from in the past.
The problem seems to be the sheer volume of incorrect listings out there. I’ve ended up with three paltry eighties copies of 50s dresses lately due to people insisting things are genuine 50s that are not. If you aren’t sure, state it!
So yes, this means my vintage buying habbits have swerved overseas and I’ve been buying quite a few bits from America, something I never used to do for fear of a)import charges and b) the items taking an age to arrive.
This has surprisingly not been the case and I’ve been really happy with the items I’ve picked up from the US and the price I’ve paid including postage.
Here are a few of my recents.


First off these lovely two Bobbi Brooks jackets which I think cost me under £40 for the two and from America. They are in MINT condition and are really versatile too. They both look amazing with jeans, and when the weather warms up a little more I’m sure they will become my springtime failsafes.
I also bought this SENSATIONAL 40s red suit. I’m sure it only cost $45, it wasn’t expensive at all. The quality of this piece is quite frankly wonderful. It has padded weighted pockets it is beautifully lined in silk throughout and has a really strong metal zipper. The fabric is some sort of Gaberdine and its pretty warm. I think come February I’ll be wearing this number regularly. I’m not normally one for wearing red (I think it looks a bit funny with my skintone) but the colour really looks good on, and even better the suit makes me feel amazing.

 Then onto this lovely little Blanes dress. Another of my obsessive collecting labels. I believe this dress is a very early 60s piece and is a sensational fit too. What gives this dress the edge is its lovely cowl draping at the back. I just need to find a belt to go with it now. Hmmmm….

I also wanted to show the fact that I don’t only buy vintage and sometimes the odd new piece creeps into my wardrobe too. I bought this during the week in Leeds as my finishing coursework treat to myself. I love a good bit of zingy orange and it has some little side splits for added interest. I bought it in the Whistles sale and it was reduced from (if memory serves me correctly) £175 to £40. Ace! I just want to apologise for my drag queen worthy make up in these pictures, unfortunately the light in my room is absolutely horrendous and I can never tell until I leave the house quite how heavily I have clarted the make up on!