Birthday celebrations!

To celebrate my birthday this year I am forgoing drinks for ice-cream. Super childish, age-denying ice-cream. I'm talking knickerbocker glories.

At the seriously swish, rather retro ice-cream parlour at Fortnum and Mason.

I am going to wear a dress that makes me feel like Grayson Perry and possibly even ankle socks.

ps - no vintage as generally they're all too close fitting for the amount of ice-cream I plan to consume

New stock: vintage shirt - silk, Italian and handmade

I love this shirt. It's so beautiful. I'd keep it but I just don't need things this smart in my wardrobe any more.

The colours are perfect for this spring, totally on trend for the Celine shades of beige, camel and taupe trend beloved by Garance Dore et al. I think it would look great over capris with a pair of big heels. A vintage twist on the trend of the season.

I found the shirt in Glasgow and the girl I bought it from got it in Italy. It's handmade, or at least at hand finished and is silk. I think it could be as early as 1940s.

Happy bidding! Here's all the other stock available at the moment too.

ps - even my photo looks like Celine!

Blogs of interest: The Girl Can't Help It Vintage Blog

I prefer to put blogs up here that are starting out but I couldn't resist 'The Girl Can't Help It Vintage Blog.' Along side posts about vintage, there are some brilliant random finds. For example, check out handerpants...

Yup, that's handwarmers made to look like y-fronts. I kid you not. I think they might actually be real, they have a website and everything.

Full of treats like that!

The great stocking debate

I admit it, I am a dedicated wearer of stockings at every opportunity.

In vintage clothing this presents no problem. But the reality is that I don't wear vintage daily and modern clothes reveal stockings/suspender belts much more easily. I spent all of yesterday terribly conscious that when the wind blew it revealed the outlines of my suspender belt.

Solution: Henry Holland for Pretty Polly. These are GENIUS. Ok, so I'm about 6 months late but I got pair of last seasons' Super Suspenders and the look like stockings but are dark tights! (That's the other problem with stockings, ever tried finding a pair thicker than 15 denier?!)

Problem: this seasons are much lower and potentially more visable under skirts. Great, if that's your look, not so great for the vintage lover.

Why didn't I buy more pairs at the time they were out?!

This seasons are available at lots of retailiers, including ASOS.

More images from the vintage fashion photo shoot

Here's Rai wearing one of my favourite dresses, the 'Ike Dress.' I adore this dress - it's from my personal collection - but I've only worn it once as it's rather delicate. We went with a rather pin-up feel for this shot, with the little sailor hat too.

It's American (obviously) on printed cotton. I'm not 100% sure about the age, I feel 1950s.

The model was Rai Quartley and the photographer was Ray Morris-Hill.

And a few vintage accessories...

Here's the final few things that are already up and listed on eBay that finish on Monday. The vintage handbag is a little hard to date but it's around the 1960s I think. The vintage headband is much easier - clearly the 80s! Both are really fun! I hope whoever ends up with them enjoys using them.

Oh, and this shirt too! I nearly forgot it! :)

And here's the remainder of my stock :)

Fabulous vintage 70s maxi dress

I love this dress and am slightly surprised it hasn't sold earlier. It's really lovely, a gentle cream colour, full length with slightly puffed sleeves and a high neck. Definitely 70s, it's a cracker of a vintage dress! Here it is on eBay, happy bidding!

And here's my other stock, if should wish to peruse it too!

Awesome vintage jackets

Lots of stock on eBay at the moment. Here are a few of the jackets. Most of the auctions are ending on Monday but more stock is being put up today...

First images from the photo shoot...

One of the reasons this week has been quiet on the blogging front is that I have been working on my first ever proper photo shoot!

Just for the photographers' and model's portfolios, we were able to have a lot of fun. I provided the vintage dresses and the styling, such as there was.

Here's the first image, as yet untouched, but looking great! I just love this dress.

Taken by Ray Morris-Hill, his website's got more of his work on. More photos to follow!

Blogs of interest: Small Town Vintage

I often find vintage blogs can be a bit twee (hence the black background for my blog!) but I think Small Town Vintage has got a great balance. Not overly about vintage fashion itself, although the owner has an etsy shop, it has a nice selection of vintage things, food and her pets.

How cute is the picture! So spring like! And finally, apt for London! Woop woop!

And don't forget to check out my stock on eBay, there's lots of bargains to be had!

The great eBay trial

Given that the majority of people reading this blog are British, I thought I'd try selling via eBay for a while, as Etsy just doesn't have the reputation yet in the UK.

So, I've transferred a selection of items to eBay (by hand I might add, what a fun Easter Monday!)

Now I shall watch with bated breath to see if more is sold this way...

Happy Easter lovely readers!

New stock: Vintage headband 80s velvet

boy und schwester vintage brings you this fab vintage velvet 80s headband. You can't help but love it! It makes me smile every time I see it. And, it's only $10/£5. What more could you ask? :)

Available on boy und schwester's etsy shop here. And don't forget to check out our other stock! :)

Inspiration: Walter Sickert's Venetian palette

Are you finding the weather hard to dress for too? I have this huge sense of spring coming. I want to wear bright colours, light fabrics and be outside but the weather swings from sunny to overcast to rainy to cold to sticky at the drop of the hat.

I'm finding solace in the colour palette transition. Beautiful tones of grey, blue and green but mixed with shots of gold and yellow. I love Walter Sickert's work, I hope you find his colouring inspiring too!

Photos from The Telegraph, Country Life and The Independent.

Etsy: the Etsy edit and random search terms

Because the fine people of the UK are less familiar with the wonderfulness that is Etsy, I thought I'd do a series of posts on them to introduce it.

Etsy is a hand-made, vintage and supplies version of Ebay. It's based in America, hence all the prices are in $ but you can buy from the UK easily.

One of my favourite Etsy activities is 'the random search term browse.' For example, today I was eating raisins so I entered raisin and here is a selection of the incredibly, randomly brilliant stuff I found on Etsy...

Here's an American artist's amusing yet serious comment on the current situation of farmers in the US. On sale here.

Or how about a vintage 1940s raisin bran cereal box? Yup, a vintage cereal box. You gotta love the dedication.
This has to be a winner... a Sun-Maid raisins light switch cover!

And that's the genius of Etsy!

Brogues and braces

I was feeling inspired by Kleidsam yesterday when I got dressed and so I whipped out my brogues and men's trousers and wore one of my favourite looks 'girls in classic men's clothing.' You can just about see the braces too, which I'd not worn before. I love them! So pleased I finally wore them.

At my mother's house, with a suitable back drop for brogues and braces.

1950s dress with incredible strip skirt

Photo from MyVintageVogue.com
This dress is incredible. It looks so modern yet it's old. Does anyone know anything more about it? It reminds me of Prada Autumn/Winter 2009.
Photo from Style.com
I think the idea would lend itself very easily to a DIY project. You could even just buy a leather pencil skirt and slice it up. Simple.

Vintage interiors - living the whole life?

Vintage style doesn't just have involve clothing, interior design is another area where a vintage look is increasingly popular. See my lovely friend's blog room envy for her advice on the trend.

I say vintage because I don't want to conjure up ideas of staid old house full of antiques but something that feels much younger and modern. Currently this is inspiration rather than reality, as I rent, but here's some ideas for vintage bedroom inspirations and a small peek into my bedroom.

Hammershoi is one of my favourite artists and I love his vintage interiors. So calm and full of light. The furniture is all really strong, with a very clear design asthetic. It's one of my favourite periods for design across the board - furniture, art, clothing.
I love the yellow curtain here, just a perfect pop of colour in the room. And that sofa is incredible. It's featured in several of his paintings, as is the white chair with that beautiful back. (There are enlarged images if you click on them, the bottom one comes up especially well, even the drawings propped on the desk are visable.)


I love this vintage bedroom from the Rug Company for one of their adverts. In my memory it was far more yellow and warm. I love that my mind clearly noticed the colour of the dress the girl in the portrait is wearing and fixated on that... obessessed? Me? Never!
The mix of periods here is done really well. I'm fairly certain the furniture is Victorian, the portrait is 1930s from the look of the dress but the stool and rug are moden. I actually have an 1840s maghony chest of drawers sitting in the garage at my mum's house. I found it in a thrift shop for £40. It's heavenly and just needs French polishing to be perfect again. A perfect example of acheiving a vintage bedroom without sucumming to the paint peeling look which is definitely getting a bit tired now! Ha ha, no pun intended!

And now for pictures of my room - they're not amazing, it's really hard photographing rooms well. I have much more respect for interiors photographers now!
A mixture of vintage and modern! A pale blue Roberts Revival Radio, blue sheets from Cologne and Cotton (worth the money, I've had them 5 years and they look exactly the same as when I bought them)and turn of the century painting. Complete with copy of Love - I have the Lara edition. I'm not the most massive fan of the fluffy lampshade anymore, but it was free when I was a student and I haven't changed it yet.

The painting is probably one of my favourite possessions. Here's a close up:
It's of a vase of wysteria blooms, which is one of my favourite plants, and was painted in 1902 by M. E. Leader. I know that she's a woman but that's about it. If anyone knows anything else, do let me know! I love the tones, it reminds me of Hammershoi.

Finally, I have piles and piles of photos and trinkets displayed on my chest of drawers (yup, two, because I have too many clothes!)
A bit cluttered perhaps but I think it's looks better in real life. The dish on the lower chest is a Murano glass ash-tray that my grandmother gave me from when she visited in the 1950s. There are also bits and pieces from my travels - a fan from China, a vintage picture on bronze from Berlin, a postcard of Texas (I used to live there.) And lots and lots of photos of my family!

Vintage adverts

So this isn't strictly vintage fashion related but it's vintage related and made me laugh!

This is my favourite vintage advert from a great post on PBH3. I rather think that buying the wrong coffee may end up being quite good fun! ;)


Picture from PBH3. Check out their post for more great adverts.

Keeping warm with a vintage vibe!

Oooh, it feels so different writing this knowing that even a very few people might read it! Say hello and tell me what you think :D

I thought I'd have a little 'show and tell' session about what I've been wearing over the past few weeks as it's been so bitterly cold. I do find it really hard to look like I'm wearing something interesting when it's bundled up under a coat! Have you tried looking cool trudging through the snow in wellies or walking boots?! I have no idea how all these people photographed in places like Stockholm go about with so few clothes on. Now I sound like my mum.

I love this outfit and I never thought I'd say that about any outfit that involves a parka!

Ancient wellies, H&M socks, M&S tights, Massimo Dutti shorts, Zara shirt, Gap parka and vintage jewellery.


I love this outfit so much! This hat makes anything cool. I picked up the shirt at a market in Glasgow last time I was there. Poser? Me? Nooooo!
Massimo Dutti shorts, M&S boots (from their first ever Limited Collection), Accesorize broach, Max Mara hat, my great-uncle Paul's ring and vintage shirt from Glasgow.


I love wearing trench coats, I'm just getting into them. I like wearing so it looks like you've got nothing on underneath except, perhaps, some hot underwear. Obviously here I'm wearing more.
Massimo Dutti trench and shorts, Accessorize outlet top, Oasis cardigan, my boss's old James Smith & Sons umbrella (they're awesome, check them out!), a lizard skin Mapin & Webb vintage handbag, my dad's old Burberry cap and my mum's old Liberty print scarf. And my super attractive walking boots. When you walk to work in the snow, they are a necessity.


So, the slight theme in what I'm wearing at the moment is looking like a member of the Bloomsbury set - I'm going for happy Virgina Woolf. Can you tell?
Shoes LK Bennett, trousers charity shop that I altered, belt Max Mara, shirt Zara, coat with fur collar detached Episode, 1920s necklace from my mum and locket was a present I got when I was born. Oh, and the ring is my great-uncle Paul's again.

Hope you enjoy! What are you wearing at the moment? I want to do features on friends and readers so do email to tell me!

New stock

Ooh, I'm excited about the new stock we have in! And, not only that, we have better photos of the old stock. Can't ask for more than that.

Red harem trousers

Spotty red shirt

Remember I made the What Katie Wore t-shirt? Here it is again! Multi-coloured blazer

Awesome 80s blazer

Green 80s jacket

Acorn jumper

Denim shirt

Mustard shirt (on a side note, I don't know how many of you will remember the last time wide leg trousers were cool, but these grey ones are from them.)

I'm not exactly fond of this photo of myself, however, I do love the trousers.

Mustard coat

Yup, those are Alexander McQueen heels. They're NOT for sale. The almost equally awesome cardigan is.

Getting inspired by the latest Prada and Celine campaigns with headless models. A lovely 40s silk shirt.

A lovely 70s/early 80s shirt.