carefree laughter, silence ever after

Friday was quite literally the dreamiest, summery-est day I've had for ages (despite having a biology exam in the afternoon). The sun was actually out for once, and it was unusually warm for London - unsurprisingly though, it was the first day for ages I had decided to wear jeans. Typical.
I can't believe it is only a week until I finish school completely...obviously I still have two years of sixth form, but it's going to be so different, and I have a crazy 10 weeks of complete freedom beforehand. I've been planning all of the things I'm going to do for ages, but now it's almost here and I just don't feel like I'm prepared enough - this is probably the most carefree summer I'm going to have, like, ever, so I want to really make the most of it and all. I have decided I am going to buy myself a moleskin journal at last, though, to try and encourage me to draw and document more. Who knows, I might discover the inner artist in me yet (I better hurry up otherwise I am going to completely fail A Level art).

I based this outfit around the super cute checked shirt dress I picked up from the Motel sale. It's actually supposed to be worn with the buttons going down the back (the label is on the button side) but I just liked the button-down effect too much and so wore it backwards. I wore it with a top from the East End Thrift Store, jeans and socks from Topshop, cardigan from Beyond Retro and shoes from Rokit.

I always forget to wear regular t-shirts because of my ridiculous obsession with collars...I usually wear a collared shirt underneath, but obviously summer makes that a little too hot so I tend to forget to wear them completely. Wearing random beads and necklaces makes it feel a little less like a plain top though, and hopefully will encourage me to wear more in the future. I liked layering it under the dress - it felt kind of 90's, for some reason.

I spent the remainder of Friday afternoon de-stressing with watercolours, which was unbelievably relaxing as I haven't been able to paint since I handed my final art sketchbook in over a month or so ago. I totally agree with David Bowie's idea that one creative medium fuels other creative mediums; just painting a little, or doing something equally expressive, really opens up the sort of creative pathways in the brain; I found my recent clothes-rut completely solved, and was able to tidy and organise my head a little more before starting work again that evening. Basically, painting is the best medicine for pretty much anything.
Have a good week!

see the fire is sweeping our very street today

I love Fridays. Especially when the sun is shining and one more of my exams is over at last. I've had an incredibly relaxing afternoon painting flowers, drinking cranberry juice out of one of my many china teacups and reading snippets of my current book 'The Tale of Two Cities' by Charles Dickens. I'm enjoying it so far, although not much has happened yet. I was actually going to sit out on the little bit of roof outside my window but I abandoned that mission after realising the tiles probably wouldn't take my weight and I didn't particularly want to fall through the ceiling into the kitchen. It was a nice idea, though.
Anyway, this outfit was from Monday (I need to start posting outfits on the day and not like a week later I'm sorry) and as per usual I decided to go against multiple fashion commandments in order to complete the whole look. I have spent the vast majority of my life being told that you must never, ever wear double denim, and you must never, ever wear socks and sandals. If you haven't already noticed, I don't really like being told what to do when it comes to clothes, so on Monday I decided to break both rules in one outfit. Sue me.

I have had my eye on the super cute bralets from Motel for absolutely ages now, and so you can imagine how excited I was when I managed to get hold of this one from their sample sale. I like the bold, floral pattern combined with the soft leather - it gives a slightly edgier feel to what would be quite a kitsch, retro-style top. It is definitely on my list of things I absolutely have to wear to festivals this summer, and is going to be layered over many shirts and tops this winter too, I'm sure.

I wore it with Topshop jeans and socks, a Rokit jacket and shoes, belt, beads and sunglasses from Beyond Retro.

Despite not having my usual collar to adorn with jewellery (shock horror) I decided to wear multiple necklaces anyway. I love layering beads, and am looking forward to expanding my collection a little over this summer.

I bought these sandals for £14 from Beyond Retro in Brighton...I used to wear Birkenstocks when I was little, and I just couldn't resist the brightness of these ones. They're the kind of shoe people either really hate or really like - and to be honest, I can't dislike anything brightly coloured especially when they can be worn with so many different patterned socks. Also, they're kind of my take on the whole 'slider' trend. The original adidas sliders are great and all but I don't think they're quite my style, whereas a slightly kookier version like these are much more my thing.
Have a great weekend!

Miss Vintage 2014 - Interview with Lola Lamour

As you probably are aware, I absolutely adore vintage fashion. Saying that, I love pretty much everything that would be considered vintage, from old music and vinyls to classic Hollywood movies, to old English recipes and secondhand furniture. There is something so aesthetically pleasing about styles from the 30s, 40s and 50s...and although my general style is leaning more towards a kind of 60's/modern mash-up, I do often find myself wishing I had been born in a different era, or at least maintained a more classically vintage look more of the time.
Fortunately, there is hope for my inner vintage cravings...the Twinwood Festival, now in it's 13th year, is an annual summer dance festival celebrating the fashion and lifestyle of the fabulous 30s, 40s and 50s. It was voted one of the UK's top festivals for three years running by the Telegraph, and is considered to be the Number 1 Vintage Music and Dance festival. You can go for the whole weekend or just one or two days, and be immersed in music, food and of course fashion from days gone by. It is the definition of a blast from the past, and you will surely be entertained by the countless stalls offering hair and makeup tutorials, selling vintage clothes and memorabilia, food stalls cooking up a storm, and of course fantastic live acts and vintage dancing lessons. It is an absolute no-brainer for anyone who is interested in vintage life, and is actually not expensive for a summer festival at all. You can see the full line up, and book tickets, here.

Vintage Fashion obviously plays a huge part in the festival, with most attendees arriving in full retro garb, including some who even come in WW2 uniform! There is also lots of vintage clothing on sale too, from traders like the glamorous Vivien of Holloway and many more besides.
To celebrate the fashion extravaganza that Twinwood is, they have decided, for the first time ever, to host the search for the nation's 'Mr & Miss Vintage!' The first event of it's kind, the contest will celebrate those that best represent the iconic styles of bygone eras, and will give them the chance to win prizes from Twinwood Events, Vivien of Holloway and Vintage Life Magazine! It is the ultimate opportunity for vintage lovers to showcase their style, and is open for all to enter - age, gender, body shape or size are not important - Twinwood are looking for someone who embodies the spirit of an era, and are not judging the contest by any other factors.
I had the opportunity to interview one of the judges for this post, the amazing Lola Lamour herself (pictured below). A singer, entertainer and inspirational vintage style icon, she has been featured in The Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph, and is well known for her work on the 1940's reenactment scene. Lamour lives in an entirely vintage way, from the clothes she wears right down to the appliances she uses at home. She is the perfect judge of the competition, and was fascinating to talk to!

1) Have you always been interested in Vintage Style?

Yes I have…..ever since I can remember and before the word "Vintage" was even used to describe it! When I was a little girl, I adored all the old films and movie stars. I wanted to be grow up and be just like Doris Day, Rita Hayworth and Deanna Durbin. I used to collect bits of old crockery with lovely patterns on and bought a Dansette from a car boot sale for £4 to listen to old records! 

2) Has it been easy adapting your lifestyle, or is living a vintage style life in a modern world sometimes difficult?  

I don't think that I have had to adapt my way of life. I just live how I enjoy to live. When I was a teenager and started to dress and a period style, I didn't know anyone else would be interested in that sort of thing. It was just me. I hated people staring and pointing at me but I wasn't going to change who I was to please others. I don't consciously try to be "vintage" I just love to be surrounded by all my period furnishings and love to use them on a daily basis. To me a 1950s Prestcold fridge is more appealing to the eye than a modern one, so that is what I use…..same goes for my crockery, my furniture, my car, my clothes. I am a great recycler!! I have a very busy singing career and therefore have to use the computer to co-ordinate and advertise everything. When I am at home, I chose to live a very old fashioned life…no TV and I enjoy the simpler things like walking with my dogs and husband, I like reading and cooking and my garden….we have also just started a veggie patch and chickens are the next thing! It just makes me content. 

3) Who are your style icons?

Top of the list would be Doris Day! She always looks so beautiful and favours classic looks…nothing too fussy but always chic. 

Rita Hayworth was one of the greatest beauties of all time…and that hair!!! Wow! She takes your breath away when you see her in Gilda. She dresses and looks fabulous….so glamorous. 

4) What are your tips for someone who wants to became more 'vintage'?

Well…….I would say to watch lovely old movies……look at how they dress, their accessories and co-ordination. You can then look at putting an outfit together from eBay, vintage clothes dealers or make something yourself from an old pattern. Don't forget that hair and makeup play a really important role in the look. It depends what look you want really…what era and whether it is a British or American look. They are quite different. For any….old films and history books are a good place to start. If you are really passionate about it and feel like living it every day…..you will just fall into that. I am sure that is something that is just inside you….not something that you can just make yourself do. 

5) What do you think of current fashion? Are there any trends or designers you particularly like? 

I have no idea about current fashion!!!!! I don't have TV, read a paper or go shopping!! I know there are a lot of companies making retro style clothing now. I recently did some modelling for 20th Century Foxy and they had some lovely British Made clothes. 

6) What do you think the winner of Miss Vintage should be like? Do you have any tips or ideas? 

Firstly, we will be speaking to the contestants so a nice personality and good manners will be a good start! I will also be looking for how they have put their look together…….clothes, shoes, accessories, hair and make-up. It won't be just one thing but how everything works as a whole look. I would say that my tips would be to think how you look as a whole and what look you are trying to achieve. Above all, smile and enjoy it. It's all about making yourself feel good and being who you want to be! 

(all images from here and here)

To enter the competition, all you need to do is send a photograph of yourself in your best vintage outfit to info@missvintageuk.com or info@mrvintageuk.com. The pictures will then be posted on Twinwood's Facebook page, and the top twenty ladies and gents with the most likes from the public will then go into the second round, where they will be selected by the judges to go forward to the finals at Twinwood Festival 2014.

The competition closes on the 22nd of June...so send your pictures in as soon as possible for the best chance! Good luck!

(Thanks to Poppy Ballard for organising the interview, and to Lola Lamour for answering my questions!)

she is strung out on a TV dream

Happy Sunday! I hope you are all having a good weekend. I've literally only just woken up after having a 20 hour long day being a bridesmaid for my wonderful cousins yesterday, so I might spend the remainder of this day sprawled across my bed attempting maths revision (and probably napping). I'm not really the stay-in-bed sort, but I think it's necessary to have a duvet day at least once in a while. I also have several films I need to watch so maybe today is a good excuse to cross one or two off of my list.
Anyway, on Friday morning I was lucky enough to attend the Motel sample sale in London. I got down there as it started, and after a brief bit of queueing (I joined the first queue I saw and realised ten minutes later I hadn't actually checked if it was for Motel or not...it could have been a musical audition or something) we were let in and therefore let loose in a room full of gorgeous discounted Motel pieces. I obviously got very into it - panic shopping is a skill of mine, and I thoroughly enjoyed  quickly scanning the rails and trying to grab as many cute things as I could find.

 I knew I was going to be meeting up with some of the lovely Motel ladies and so got quite smartly dressed for 10am in the morning. I also had been dying to wear this outfit the other day but realised tights were not the best choice when going to get a pedicure. I guess the inspiration for this outfit was my ongoing love affair with the colour orange, and my new love interest, green. The two colours complement each other well I think and gave the day a distinctly 60's feel, although that could have been down to the white tights (which I am tempted to wear exclusively from now on). I wore my shirt from Pop Boutique in Covent Garden, my Beyond Retro skirt and belt, River Island coat, topshop tights and socks, Rokit shoes, necklace from Snooper's Attic in Brighton and narcissus flower pin from a stall in Camden Passage in Islington. The satchel is from The London Satchel Company.

The sale itself was actually really good - the pieces were all a lot cheaper, and they were selling nice things in normal sizes, and not the huge factory rejects you often find at similar events or pop up shops. I managed to find lots of the cute floral vintage pieces I had been really wanting, and for a really good price. I'm looking forward to wearing lots of clashing florals and prints this summer.

As you can see I'm still wearing the coat - after finding it in River Island last Christmas I have been completely and loyally in love with it, and have a feeling that it will take a long time for me to ever find another coat anywhere near as comfortable and perfectly yellow. It just goes to show that you need to look in all kinds of places and not just be one of those 'exclusively vintage' shoppers, as you could miss out on some amazing pieces from high street stores too. I like the idea of blending the lines between old and new, as it kind of creates a whole new style that hasn't been seen before.

I then got to meet the lovely people behind Motel, and they are all just so lovely and accommodating and interested in what they do (and obviously their fashion sense is A*). The wonderful Analise let me loose in their store downstairs, and I spent a good while looking through all of their fabulous pieces. Motel is probably the only brand I know that manages to combine vintage and retro with the highstreet so faultlessly; 60's print skirts and re-worked paisley prints sat comfortably next to modern co-ords and transparent plastic rain macs (of which I may have to purchase for the wonderful summer rain we are bound to have this year) without looking out of place - they combine traditional and off-beat shapes and styles with current trends, and basically are the place to go for pretty much all of your fashion wants and needs.

I was so lucky to be able to pick up so many lovely things, and I really appreciate Analise and the Motel team for being so generous and welcoming. I can't wait to wear it all (next outfit post sorted I think!)
In other news, I was bridesmaid for my two cousins yesterday. The wedding was really unusual in the sense that we walked down the aisle to the Game of Thrones theme tune, and had a tour of London on two vintage buses before going to the reception, but it completely and effortlessly worked in every way possible. The reception was held at the gorgeous Garden Museum underneath a ceiling of hanging dried flowers, with the floral theme carried through from our bouquets, to the table decorations and even to the bride's flower crown (which looked absolutely amazing and has made me want to wear flower crowns all the time from now on). It was a really lovely evening and I kind of wish it could happen all over again.

I hope you all have a good week (and good luck to anyone sitting exams!) and of course thankyou again to Analise and everyone at Motel for being amazing!