Vintage Acquisitions Becomes The Vintage Inventory....

My vintage collection can now be found at www.thevintageinventory.blogspot.com

Michelle xx

To Wit, To Woo

It may be widely assumed that owls represent wisdom, but I find them compelling for the sense of vulnerability that hangs about them.  They call to mind faded childhoods spent girlishly skipping around Brown Owl in crisp linen uniforms, yet those sorrowful eyes hint at grown-up secrets.  

On the bus home this evening, I picked up a copy of Stylist magazine, and Hannah Turner's cheeky winking owl reminded me of my very own owl that sits atop my bookshelves.

Mine was purchased on the cheap from a charity shop, of course, and has the rather odd feature of a wobbly removable head.  Just look at those eyes!

 

And here's the proof that I'm not the only one feeling the owl love...

Found at: North London Hospice, Crouch End
Price: £3.00
Usability Factor: 5/5
Accessorise with: This owl needs friends to stay awake with him at night.  I'll try Etsy for more.

My Favourite Kind of Junk Shop

I stumbled upon this unnamed junk shop in East London this week, while I was on a mission to track down and photograph public libraries for work.  I couldn't resist going in, although I did manage to refrain from walking out again laden down by purchases!


While charity shops like Oxfam and Cancer Research are conveniently located and have a carefully edited selection of clothes and crockery, there's nothing quite like the buzz of getting off the well-worn high street and tracking down something special buried beneath the junk!  

1980s Preppy Wool Blazer

How very learned I feel wearing this blazer!  So learned in fact, that when I was asked to be photographed for the Time's feature on the London trend for 'brainy chic', this item immediately sprung to mind.

With its blue and navy check and little breast pocket, I feel like the private school girl I never was but secretly longed to be, if only for those prim pleated tweed skirts and chunky brown lace-ups.

The jaunty sling of the jacket over my shoulder does not show it to best effect but my arm was in a cast on this day (note the puffy face from the painkillers!) and we did our best to disguise it with a pile of philosophy books on my lap.  Scatter a few more books on the floor, add one 1950s school chair, and the result is pure geek chic.

Found at: Crouch End charity shop
Price: £10.00
Wearability Factor: 5/5
Accessorise with: aforementioned philosophy books, old school chair, modern drainpipe trousers for a fresh look.

Ethical Fashion from Old Clothes-stuffs

The Evening Standard reports tonight that ethical fashion label From Somewhere goes to F&F at Tesco today.  Jersey off-cuts that would otherwise have gone to waste are creatively refashioned into body-con dresses. 

The on-trend styling will appear to a younger market (Peaches Geldof is reportedly a fan), but the pieces lack the longevity of classic vintage items that one lovingly wears over the years.  I fear these 'fashionable' clothes will be unfashionable within the year, if the cheap fabrics don't fade beforehand and tarnish their appeal. 

This collection is one that has simply slowed the transit of cast-off fabrics to their final resting place, rather than completely re-routing them away from land-fill.  For more lasting pieces, From Somewhere's regular range is a joy to explore.

1940s 'Roxanne' Starlet Swimsuit

While England's autumnal weather sent you scurrying for your hats and jackets, I was lounging by a pool on the other side of the world, in Far North Queensland, Australia! The sunny climate provided the perfect excuse to parade about in this gorgeous 1940s swimsuit.

I'm not quite sure that I successfully channelled the 1940s starlet, but wearing this swimsuit was a revelation: I suddenly had a waist! a bust! a flat stomach! Modern swimsuit manufacturers are doing us a disservice by skimping on fabric and using unforgiving, unflattering lycra. This swimsuit is made from a heavy, thick blend of acetate and cotton. Diagonal panels of fabric radiate from one side of the waist, and a cute 'modesty panel' skims down the hips and across the top of the thighs. Boobs are kept perky with boning and shelf support in the bust area.

I'll confess that it didn't feel quite so comfortable to wear when it got wet. The fabric became waterlogged and the swimsuit felt like it was sagging - although a surreptitious glance at my reflection confirmed it still clung in all the right places.

Found at: Blackout II, Endell Street, Covent Garden
Price: £50.00
Usability Factor: 5/5

Accessorise with: 1940s sunglasses.

In the interests of documenting vintage swimsuits (and confirming my history as a swimsuit model), here's two 'vintage' swimsuits from 1986, and 1991.

Red Hot 1940s Dress

I took this little red 1940s dress for a spin at All Star Lanes bowling alley, where we looked flash despite being a bit dated – ASB is a ‘50s themed establishment playing ‘80s music (nope, we didn’t get it either!). I teamed it with a pair of pearlescent Mary Janes, which of course I was required to relinquish at the counter in exchange for some chunky black lace-ups. Hence, I’m sans shoes in these pictures.

To really do this dress justice, I went for a full vintage look by putting into practice the lessons I learned recently at Lipstick & Curls' hair and makeup class. Remarkably, my bold red lipstick stayed in place all evening (but then, I wasn’t kissing any chaps!).

The dress is a made from a deep red, raised pattern fabric. It has a little collar, sleeves that turn up at the ends, and gold button detailing on the bust. I like to wear it with the stud done up at the throat so that you only catch a glimpse of cleavage – cheeky!

Found at: Crouch End charity shop
Price: £12.00 (plus £10.00 to have some of the seams re-sewn)
Wearability factor: 9/10
Accessorise with: Flat Mary Janes so you can dance all night; a 1940s hairstyle courtesy of hot sticks; the new Maybelline 'Fatal Red' lipstick.