Home Style

With so many of us working from home now and us vintage gals writing blogs and running small businesses from our living rooms or wherever you set up your office the  delima comes with what to wear - this has be discussed before in many blogs as I remember the lovely Retro Chick did one a while back and so did Fleur from Diary of a Vintage Girl so here is my take on how to look the part when working from home.

It is tempting to sit around in your PJ's and however glamorous they may be it doesn't really make you feel in the business state of mind. Wearing the right clothes does make a difference to the way you think and if are slopping around you won't focus on what you need to be doing.  I am not saying that you need to sit at your workspace in full vintage suit and heels but thinking about what you wear may help you get more done?

So put together a few pieces that are comfortable to sit around in but are still smart enough to greet unexpected visitors to the door or if you have to pop out.

• A simple wrap jersey dress will be easy to dress up should you have to out, with a jacket over the top or a pair of heels.
• Palazzo pants are great one with flats and a little sweater and you can again add a jacket to smarten it up.
• Have a few scarfs on hand or a couple of brooches that you can throw on to dress up your outfit.

As far as grooming goes nothing makes you feel better that a little make up - keep it simple a tinted moisturiser or one of the new BB creams to even out your skin, eyebrow, mascara and lipstick will make you look polished.

So by making a little effort you may find that you get some more work done?  Mind you I do have to take my own advice and I am guilty of sitting around in sloppy clothes.

Jersey dress Max and Co £29

Batwing jumper House of Fraser £60

(loved the 30's feel of this)

Palazzo pants Rocha John Rocha Debenhams £32

H! Henry Holland Debenhams £40



Designer Vintage

Have you noticed how nothing is never new in fashion and how much vintage styles keep coming through season after season.

Designers are constantly looking to the past for their new collections - is this a good thing or does it mean all of us that love vintage and  it is part of our lifestyle will been seen to be following fashion?

Or does it mean that we are influencing the designers?  Or could it just be that the styles are so classic they deserve an outing once and a while - or have designers run out of options?

What do you think?

So here are some of the current trends for Summer 2012.

Etro - 1920's trend

 Prada' s 50's styling

Ralph Lauren - 30's style

Louis Vuitton - 50's/60's

Style Icons - C Z Guest

There are certain women past (and present  but not quite so many?) who had a certain something that stands the test of time in the style stakes one of my favourite is .............

C Z Guest was an American lady from an extremely rich old Boston banking family but she didn't act like one!! When she died in her 80's still popular, beautifully dressed and Time magazine featured on the cover and said she "was a legend even in her lifetime".

At 19 see appeared as a showgirl on Broadway and after a short stint as an actress in Hollywood, she moved to Mexico and had herself painted in the nude by the socialist artist Diego Rivera (scandal in the 40's).  She married totally out of her "class" in Havana with Ernest Hemingway as a witness.

But throughout her life she was always one thing that remained her style.

Later in life she was a socialite, and an accomplished rider.  Her gardening column was syndicated in 350 newspapers.

C Z had firm views on how to dress - trousers were for sport and hunting, she ignored trends and choose styles that flattered her figure.  She preferred the Palm Beach style that that was defined by heavy fabrics, clean cut lines and pastel shades.

C Z's signature style was a slim fit dress with matching gloves or a pencil skirt teamed with an elegant sweater which was initially taken as an insult in American society but then copied many times over.

I love her simple, elegant style and one of the outfits picked up at Hepcats a few weekends ago has a little of her look going on so watch out for my tribute to her look (when the weather gets a little warmer).

Spring Style 1950's

Continuing with ideas for Spring fashions so here is the 1950's.

The 50's kicked off with new hope and with Dior's New Look in 1947, women wanted to throw off the utilitarian work wear and dress up in luxurious feminine clothes.

• Twinsets and sweaters - short sleeve turtle neck worn tight and fitted.
• Bell shaped coats
• Slim pencil skirts
• Boxy collarless jackets or nipped in waist and short waisted
• Strapless dresses and gowns
• Circular skirts
• Wide belts worn over dresses, skirts or trousers
• Over sized collars
• Gloves - worn short for formal day wear and long satin for evening
• Slacks - ski-pant style or Capri pants with ballet pumps.
• Trapeze coats - made to accommodate the wide skirts and the post-war pregnancy boom!!!
• Over sized detailing - huge shawl collars, giant buttons, and large turn-back cuffs.

The late 50's was when the first teenagers started to move away from the clothes their parents wore - jeans and t-shirts became popular but I am afraid this post will be more to do with the elegant ladies with matching bags and shoes - I don't do jeans, however popular they were at the time???

I will be wearing a little fitted shift dress team with a jacket or cardigan, gloves, pair of stilettos and box bag or a fuller skirted dress and hat with a scarf around the crown to match my dress.  For more casual days (or as casual as I get!) a pair of Capri pants, ballet pumps and a fitted white shirt (think Grace Kelly in High Society) or a pencil skirt team with a twin set and flat loafers.

Littlewoods.com shift dress.

Stiletto New Look.

Bag New Look £6.99

 Dress - French Connection

 F&F for Tesco £30



Hat Accessorize





Jacket Next £55

Dress Next £38

Look out for some future outfit posts with some of my favourite Spring/Summer looks and send me some of yours too I would love to see them.

Hepcat Style

 We got back yesterday from our first visit to Hepcats weekender, it was lovely catch up with friends and meet some new ones.

It was great to spend a whole weekend with like-minded people and seeing so many lovely outfits so here are a few of mine.

Arrival outfit - outside our cute little chalet.

Suit Prim Vintage, blouse H&M, 40's shoes Lulu Vintage.

There were two amazining vintage shops - Dress Circle and Shazam, the selection of clothes, bags, hats, shoes and jewellery was amazing!!!

After checking into our chalet we unpacked and hit the shops, firstly I met Shona from Heydays and discussed how I would a pair of her fabulous trousers in a tan colour (think Grace Kelly in High Society) and she said she liked the idea for summer - watch this space?

I then started to check out the vintage rails - I died and went to heaven so many beautiful things - I did buy 2 summer suits, a divine silk dress (see next outfit), another summer dress and hat and a fabulous pair of classic 40's pumps!!!

Silk 40's dress bought and shows from Dress Circle Vintage.

Sipping my tea on Saturday morning vintage dressing gown from Prim Vintage, complete with hairnet to keep the style in??

40's Debenham and Freebody vintage blouse and Heyday trousers.

With Spring on it's way I am looking forward to wearing my new outfits and can't wait to show you the new hat - just perfect for a summer picnic or boat trip. So look out for more outfit posts to come.

1940's Spring Wardrobe

The sun is defiantly out so here is the next chapter in my guide to getting your spring wardrobe together so here is the 1940's (my fav era).

Shortages of everything during the war had a great influence on the fashion of the 40's - silk was used for parachutes so many of the wartime dresses were made from rayon, synthetic jersey and other man made fabrics.  When rationing came into place in 1941 and the government Utility scheme forbade all trimmings and certain fabrics. So detailing in the form of pin tucks, turn back cuffs and other intricate details became the norm.

America had it's own designers with functional and easy ready-to-wear - play suits in denim, gingham and cotton.

• Fly fronts on jackets
• Flap pockets on dresses and jackets
• Bolero jackets
• Narrow revers collars on jackets and flyaway revers on blouses and dresses
• Dolmen sleeves
• Crossover bodices on dresses
• Pussy cat bows on blouses
• Seamed stockings
• Sculptural hats - these weren't rationed so you can go town with them
• Shoulder pads - think Joan Crawford
• Peplems on dresses and jackets
• Peep toe shoes with a platform or flat sandals a wedge.

Trousers became popular as women got used to wearing pants in the workplace, Heyday do the very best repro versions in every colour - team them with a fitted jacket or pussy bow blouse for a formal look or try a slim sweater and a vintage brooch pinned at your shoulder or a scarf tied at the neck for a more casual feel..

For daytime put a collection of original or repro dresses that you can change up with different accessories - add a jacket or a little cardigan, mix between flat sandals for daytime and high heels for evening. Patriotic prints were all the rage so for a authentic look see if you can find a scarf or flag brooch.

Add brooches to you lapels or hat to dress it up, or if you can find a pair of dress clips put it on your dress or shoes.

Clutch bags were very popular and over sized, felt hats that perch on the side of the head, trilby's and gloves.

After the war skirts were longer and in 1947 with Dior's New Look fuller which was carried on into the next decade - the 50's which will be the next blog post.

J by Jasper Conran Debenhams.

Ditsy Print dress M & Co £35

Peplem dress M & Co £39

Peter Pan collar blouse Matlan £12

Navy pants Gok for Tu collection at Sainsburys £30

H by Henry Holland for Debenhams £40 

 F & F Tesco peep toe shoe £22

Primark Jacket £22



Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Road Trip

After a packed weekend of events (one of which is very exciting and if it all goes to plan I will tell you about it soon???) I could have done with a lie in but I was invited to breakfast with Benefit in Debenhams for the launch of their new - Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow foundation.

I was met by Lisa the head make-up artist and brow expert and Yasmin, Digital Manager.

Following a badly needed coffee we headed to their Masterclass Room where Lisa talked us through the foundation.

The lowdown says - it leaves the skin looking radiant, with a flawless finish that you can build from a sheer to medium overage.  The skin looks plumped up and allows the sin to absorb more oxygen due to the peptides in the formular.  It firms, and gives a glow to the complexion, provides triple protection with an SPF 25 and contains vitamins and minerals to nourish the skin.

We were colour matched by Lisa and given a foundation to take away and try for ourselves.

Pop into the Benefit Boutique in Debenhams and get your perfect shade of Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow.

Lisa applying the new foundation to Jasmine Zhang Digital Manager

Lisa and Me!!!