9 5 09

Movie Maidens is a fantastic website devoted to the most beautiful actresses from the 20s to the 50s. There is an entire library of images of each actress, from Louise Brooks to Marilyn Monroe and loads in between. Here are some of my favourites:

16 4 09

I have just discovered a fantastic website that sells vintage couture, it's called (not surprisingly) Vintage Couture. It has loads of designers, and also some anonymous items that are equally as gorgeous! Here are my favourite picks from the collection:



Pierre Cardin Coat £654 and Dress £335



Christian Dior Dress £804 and Nina Ricci Dress £2,547



Chanel Suit £4,024 and Chanel Earrings £150



1950s Evening Dress £805 and 1950s Suit £201

13 4 09

I have always been a lover of hats, but have never been able to indulge in this affection because my head does not seem to agree with the hats I put on it! They always end up looking awkwardly perched and just not quite right. I do, however, still like to look at all the beautiful vintage millinery that is out there - purely for the wonderful craftsmanship, if nothing else.




I found these gorgeous photographs of some fantastic headwear, from the Vintage Vogue pool on Flickr. Here are a few fabulous vintage hats that I found for sale:


1950s Pink Silk Platter Hat from Etsy



1950s Floral Net Hat from Etsy



1950s Pink Velour Hat from Vintage Hat Box


1940s Taupe Felt Hat from Vintage Hat Box



1950s Ivory Velvet Net Hat from Ruby Lane



1950s Large Floral Hat from Posh Girl Vintage

7 4 09

In one of the newspaper supplements last Sunday there was an interview with Miss Polly Rae about 'silver screen hair and retro make-up'. I thought I would put up some of the tips she gave because she always looks so glamorous!



HAIR

1. "There's an art to doing retro styles. To create classic 1940s victory rolls, first put your hair in pin curls and leave it to set. Backcomb to make the hair more malleable, then use a bristle brush to smooth it out. Twist the hair around the fingers, curling inwards, back towards the head. Pin with kirby grips, then spray with Elnet."
2. "My hair is quite limp, so I have clip-in extensions that I dye to match my natural colour."

If that explanation sounds a bit complicated, here are some of my favourite video tutorials of how to get pin-up hairstyles:





I really want to get some of those foam rats to make some victory rolls with. If I do try one of these hairstyles I will definitely post some pictures!


MAKE UP

1. "I go for the typical 1940s look: pale, flawless skin, strong eyebrows, eye shadow in the creases of my eyes, thick black liner, layer upon layer of mascara, bright red lipstick and the token beauty spot."
2. "It's always got to be red lipstick. I've just found a new one, Mac's Lasting Lust, a true red. This is the only one that doesn't come off."
3. "You're not complete without strong eyebrows. Pencil them in with Mac eyebrow pencil in Strut."
4. "I use Stargazer, the classic stage lashes. I had to hunt them down, but now they are everywhere."
5. "To add sparkle, I apply an iridescent Mac shimmer powder on my body, and touch it up during intervals."

I found a handy tutorial on youtube of how to do vintage pin-up style make up:



All quotes are from The Sunday Times Style Magazine

10 3 09

If, like me, you are a lover of 50's rockabilly and pin-up style clothing then I have found the perfect shop for you - Vivien of Holloway.
It sells seriously sexy dresses with matching boleros and seperates in a variety of fabrics (polka dot, gingham, floral, tartan) and also petticoats, belts and flowers in loads of different colours to complete the look. There is so much choice, the only problem is figuring out which one you want! You might recognise the full-skirt 50's dress from our fellow blogger, Ranna from Only Shallow.



Also, (because I am such a good blogger!!) I managed to snag Vivien herself for a quick chat:

What year did you open the shop?
I am not sure, but I have never worked for anyone else I have been making Vintage style clothing and selling them since I was 15 - so over 20 years.

Are you interested in vintage clothing? If so, where are your favourite places to shop?
I love Vintage clothing, but respect it, so it is good to have reproduction to party in. Also, the sizes in Vintage are quite resticted as people were generally smaller then. I started wearing Vintage clothing when I was about 10. I prefer Vintage fairs for shopping as you get many dealers under one roof, there is a new one at Cecil Sharp house in Camden I am going to check out on 5th April.
 
What's your favourite vintage period?
I love the late 40's early 50's styles. Such Glamour.

Where did the inspiration for your designs come from?
I design what I would like to wear myself. So I need get moving for Summer now, making more seperates or I won't have a thing to wear!

Here's a selection from the website:

















Vivien also sells 40's style dresses and trousers. I love the grey trousers, they would be great for a Katherine Hepburn look.







I think my favourite is the red/black polka dot pencil dress, which I am seriously going to have to buy myself soon!
If you want to see more of what's on offer go to www.vivienofholloway.com or for an even BIGGER selection (I bet you didn't think it was possible, huh?!) you can visit the shop in Camden at:

The Arches,
49 Kentish Town Road,
London NW1 8NX

Open: Tuesday until Saturday - 10am to 6pm.
(Closed Sunday and Monday)

The actual store is above a motorbike shop, which is really cool! And if you do decide to pop into the shop, I will be working there for a few Saturdays so come in and say hi!

15 12 08

I have just seen the Zac Posen pre-fall 2009 collection... and I am in love!!!!

"Saying that he hoped his show would inspire during challenging times, Zac Posen returned to the flirty, forties-inflected clothes that are his signature—and, as it happens, recall the look that was popular at the end of the Great Depression. For day, there were trumpet-skirted suits in sober wools, though Posen might prefer his customer play it carefree in a groovy eel-skin trench and leopard dress. The collection was heavily populated with little dresses—cocktail frocks embellished with swingy fringe and body-hugging knits. Posen kept the serious evening dramatics to a minimum, making them highly viable choices for the long red-carpet season ahead." - by Meenal Mistry from Style.com













I have left out two or three outfits that I didn't like, but everything else is perfect. I love the colours: peach, maroon, mint, lilac, gold and I have always been a fan of leopard print!

runway images from style.com but put together by me!

19 11 08

I went to visit a friend in Leeds over the weekend and it got me thinking about moving out of my parents house and getting my own place (not that it would even be possible seeing as property prices in London are stupidly expensive and I'm still having no luck at getting a job because at the moment London has the highest unemployment rate by far!) but apart from those facts, it still got me thinking and dreaming about my own place! I have folders on my computer where I keep pictures of things I like for future reference so I apologise if I don't know where I got them from!!


This is an image of Dita Von Teese's bedroom - look how many hats she has!! I love her Art Deco dressing table and the soft pink colours. I would love a pink bedroom but I'm not sure how my boyfriend would feel about it! I would love to see the rest of her house, I bet it is absolutely divine!


I think this is a picture of something I was looking at on eBay. I love this French style furniture and have always wanted a dressing table because my room at the moment is too small.


I found an amazing Flickr profile called American Vintage Home that has all of these fantastic images of 20's, 30's, 40's and 50's interiors. I think this bathroom is so sweet with the alcove for the bath with the curtains, although I'm not sure how practical they would be! I just love the way they match the ones at the window.



I love the cheerful colours of these two kitchens. Having a lounger in your kitchen would be a bit odd though! Again it's all in the little details like the slots for trays and he novelty wallpaper.


I can't remember where this image is from but I think it was something about people that live totally in one era and they even use appliances appropriate to the time, hence that amazing cooker! The colours are so bright and happy!


I'm not sure if this photo is from American Vintage Home too or if I found it somewhere else, but it sure is something! Again the colour scheme would need to be changed because it's not fair to have such a girly house if you live with a guy!


Once again I don't know where this one is from! (If you do know feel free to let me know!) This wall of pictures with mismatching photo frames would look good in a hallway or next to a staircase to add some character. I especially like the mix of photography and paintings.

6 11 08

The party season is drawing ever closer, so I thought I would do a little post on an item that every girl has in her closet - the little black dress.

In 1926 Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel published a picture of a simple black dress in Vogue magazine. Prior to the 1920s, black had been reserved for mourning and was considered indecent when worn outside such circumstances, but with that one image Chanel changed everything. During World War II the black dress thrived in part due to widespread rationing of textiles and in part as a common uniform for civilian women entering the workforce. In the 1950s Hollywood femmes fatales were portrayed often in black as a symbol of a dangerous woman, and in the 1960s the younger 'mod' generation wore the dress in a miniskirt length whereas the older generation wore simple black sheath dresses, the most famous of all being Audrey Hepburn's dress in Breakfast at Tiffany's.

The 1980's saw the black dress in a variety of fabrics - lace, satin, taffeta, velvet, leather - and lengths, and it's charm has continued up to this day.

The 1920s - Antique Dress £1,021



The 1940s - Antique Dress £483



The 1950s - Antique Dress £220



The 1960s - Antique Dress £765



The 1970s - Posh Girl Vintage £120



The 1980s - Vintage Martini £92