The New Vintage Look – A unique fashion event!

Have you always wondered about how to create a vintage look without dedicating time, money and knowledge to buying vintage? Maybe you want to see a bit of burlesque but feel a full-on evening would be a bit overwhelming for a first timer? Just curious to meet some of us that dress with more than a nod to eras gone past?

Well, I have got just the evening for you! The fabulous Bettina Scarlett and Sarah Bishop have arranged just such an evening, The New Vintage Look, at the fabulous Proud Cabaret on 10th April, a beautifully decadent venue in the heart of London with more than a little of the feel of a very glamourous speakeasy.

So what’s it all about then? Firstly, it’s a charity event, raising funds for The Royal Brompton and Harefields Hospital Charity but best of all there’s so much going on and so many massive retro reproduction companies involved. Some include Collectif, Miss Fortune, Miss Bamboo, Lady K Loves, Bernie Dexter……..I could go on and on! The there’s hair and make-up by the wonderful Lipstick and Curls and The Vanity Box. But that’s not all, oh no, live music from Knocksville and a burlesque performance from the delectable Miss Tempest Rose it’s going to be a hell of a night!

Tickets are just £12, available here, so what better way to get dressed up for some midweek fun, to those new to vintage and reproduction and to those deeply immersed in it.

I hope to see you there in your finest!

Vintage vs Reproduction

I thought I would share my thoughts as to why I wear a lot of retro repro, more than genuine vintage (at the moment).

There are a lot of vintage evangelists out there, who wear very little “new” clothing, there are era evangelists who stick to one period faithfully and historically acurately and then there are people like me, who just enjoy the designs and styles of eras gone past and love dressing up in them, whatever form that takes, new or vintage.

At the moment, I am incredibly time poor, my working week is long and come the weekend I mostly want to unwind and catch up on all the stuff I have no time to do during the week, as well as hang out with my rather attention neglected cats! Time to scour and source genuine vintage items is something I don’t have a lot of and as my choice to start dressing this way was quite a recent one, the easiest way to fill my wardrobe with gorgeously retro items, enough so I can dress the way I want every day, it just made sense to go down the repro route, allowing me to add vintage pieces as I’m lucky enough to find them.

I also don’t have an era I like to stick to, I love the 50s most but 40s tea dresses are also a love of mine. I’d say I don’t really venture beyond the 50s but that’s not to say I never will. It’s less about recreating an era down to the finest detail and more about just loving what I wear every day.

Another massive plus point is that there are so many amazing British repro brands out there, who design and manufacture (where possible) here that I’m doing my bit to support independent businesses and British manufacturing. What’s not to love!

My biggest belief is that we should be allowed to wear what we want, how we want and to look how we want. As long as you’re happy and confident that’s the most important thing.

All because the Lady K Loves……….

First of all, excuse the terrible pun, it’s all I could come up with!

I have been planning this review for a while, I have met the lovely Kessie of Lady K Loves a couple of times now and am very lucky to consider her a friend. Before meeting her though, I had my eye on a few things she makes and was persuaded to try a few things I wouldn’t normally go for. To be clear, I’m a skirts and dresses girl, for the last couple of years if I wear trousers I am met with gasps and perplexed looks, I just don’t wear them!

However, Kessie offered to send me a little goody bag of stuff to try before I buy and I thought I may as well give some capris a go! I am glad I did, they have brought a lot more versatility to my wardrobe while still staying true to my desire of wanting to look like a proper lady at all times (when out in public that is……….).

This just shows how lovely Kessie is, to entrust me with her stock and allow me to decide what I liked enough to buy while also being able to test the sizing. Another plus point of her service is that I got unlucky with a couple of buttons on my Hello Sailor trousers, she asked me to send them back and will get them sorted out for me, wonderful service that is not unique to me.

I also bought the capris and Shirley’s dress, which I will share a few pictures of me wearing. 

So first off, the capris. Super comfy with a bit of stretch so they fit well, I managed to go down a size for a snug fit. I’m a 16 with large hips and bottom and these are an “L”. they have pockets on the front, handy for stuffing a tissue in but lovely and smooth so they don’t create any unflattering lines. They zip up the back with a couple of small buttons at the top for extra security, these take a little practice to do up, most of us are not used to doing up small buttons behind our backs but I love the security they bring to the waist band fitting.

Now onto the Shirley’s dress. Great spring/summer dress, playing on the ever popular nautical theme. This dress is available in several colour ways, I have the red. It’s very flattering, the full skirt is made of panels as opposed to being a full circle which is gathered through the waist. This makes for a slightly more flattering waistline, better for those who perhaps don’t have as nipped in a waist as they would like! These dresses do come up a little smaller on sizing, something Kessie made me aware of so I didn’t feel awful when my borderline size wouldn’t even go on! This dress is a little snug on the bust for me but I am quite blessed in that department so that’s natures fault and not the cut of the dress. The bust is darted and gives a nice flattering shape, if you do fill it the placement and shape of the darting also makes for a lovely bust shape.

I have styled it with a white waist belt and the last couple of pics I have added a petticoat to show there is plenty of fabric in the skirt to allow for that extra bit of frippery.

I cannot recommend Lady K Loves enough and I absolutely love that I’m supporting British designed and made. She’s lovely and incredibly helpful, always happy to answer questions about sizing and what should flatter you most. Go on, treat yourself.