Downtown LA

On our last day in Los Angeles, we visited some landmarks in Downtown LA, including The Bradbury Building, Olvera Street, Union Station and City Hall.

 

Union Station and The Bradbury Building have some significance to me as they were used as filming locations in my all-time favourite movie Blade Runner.  I had been to these places on my last America holiday but it was still so fantastic to go back.  We also got to see the Ennis House later in the day which is also used in the movie.

 

 

 



This yellow dress and purse were recent purchases.  I just love yellow and I can't say that enough!  I also really like the fit of this dress and it is very comfortable to wear.

 

These photos were taken in the park outside City Hall.  City Hall is also featured in another of my favourite movies, L.A. Confidential.  Los Angeles has some really amazing buildings and architecture and it really is great to walk around the city and see so many recognisable filming locations.

 

 



You can't see in the other photos very well but the earrings I am wearing match the bracelet, I love a good matching jewellery set. 

Dress: Vintage from Etsy
Bolero: Vintage from Dreamtime Vintage, London
Purse: Vintage from eBay
Jewellery set: Vintage from eBay
Sunglasses: Vintage from Vera Mode
Shoes: Vintage but so old I cannot remember where from!
Ballet pumps: New Look

Beautiful Santa Barbara

One of my favourite places that we went to whilst on holiday was Santa Barbara.  Even though it was a 2 hour drive from our hotel in Los Angeles, it was definitely worth making the trip out of the city and up the scenic Pacific Coast Highway. 

Our first stop was the County Courthouse, chosen because of the beautiful location!  I loved seeing all the Spanish buildings in this city.

 

 

I admit that I didn't get many good photos of this outfit, sometimes you are just too busy having fun to remember to take "outfit photos."  I purchased this dress from Crush Vintage but through an Instagram preview.  It is perfect for Summer and I am glad that I decided to find out more after spotting it on the Crush Vintage Instagram page.  Sometimes it really is worth enquiring when you see a photo on Instagram!

We also visited Shoreline Park where we watched dolphins jumping over the waves!

We went for lunch at a great Mexican restaurant - Los Agaves - which I had found whilst doing some online research.  They have two restaurants in Santa Barbara and I really would recommend visiting if you like Mexican food - it was delicious and inexpensive!

We of course managed to fit in a visit to an antique mall on our trip and we stopped off at the Antique Center Mall.  The dresses were surprisingly rather expensive but I found a lovely 1950s charm bracelet and some very cool cufflinks (to go on a dress that requires some!) 

Dress: Vintage from Crush Vintage via Instagram
Sunglasses: Vintage from Vera Mode
Bag: Vintage from Etsy
Headscarf: Vintage but no idea where from

The last of the Anne Fogarty dresses (so far!)

In February I blogged about a wool Anne Fogarty dress and the original advert. I mentioned that there was another Anne Fogarty dress that I owned and this is it.

This was another good purchase from eBay and it fits very snugly!  I don't know if I will be lucky enough to find any more Anne Fogarty dresses at reasonable prices, many of the recent ones on Etsy have been over £100.  1950s wool dresses are great to have in winter to keep you warm and stylish.

What I particularly love about this dress is the detail on the back - look at those buttons!  I haven't seen many other dresses with this sort of detailing at the back.

And here are my Gloria by Miss L Fire boots, aren't they cute?  As I explained in a previous post, when the AW14 styles were released, I really wanted the Alpine boots but they sold out in my size in their pre-orders so I decided to buy these ones.  They are pretty comfy and keep my feet warm!

Dress: Vintage from eBay
Boots: Miss L Fire
Bag: Vintage from eBay
Stockings: What Katie Did
Brooch: Luxulite on Etsy
Earrings: Forbidden Charm on Etsy

Red Plaid in Bournemouth

It's been a little while since I did my last post but here is an outfit I wore on a day out to Bournemouth at the end of 2014.

 

I purchased this wiggle dress from a friend on the Ooh La La Facebook group (if you aren't part of that group, you should be!)  I love wiggle dresses but don't own many because I find it hard to get the fit just right.  It was a cold day in Bournemouth so I paired the dress with a black polo underneath and I quite like this look.

 

 



The black swing coat is also a recent purchase but I am not so sure if I suit this style of coat so I may end up selling it. 

You can also see my lovely fox brooch from Luxulite.  As soon as I saw this on Etsy, I HAD to have it.  Anyone who knows me, knows that I love foxes and have amassed a collection of fox themed items.

 

Dress: Vintage from OLL on Facebook

Polo: ASOS

Shoes: Office

Coat: Vintage from Hunky Dory Vintage, London

Bag: Vintage from eBay

Earrings: Vintage from trader at Rhythm Riot

Brooch: Luxulite on Etsy

 



Designed for the Young Elite

In this post, I present another dress from one of my favourite designers - Anne Fogarty.  I have blogged about Anne Fogarty dresses before here and here. 

 

I now have three wool Anne Fogarty dresses (with the last one to be presented in another post) and I have been incredibly lucky because they were all bargains from Etsy and eBay!  I won this one for $20 on eBay as no one else bid on it (why?!!!)  Living in the UK, I rely on buying most of my vintage online but I rarely find such bargains.

 

 

It has a wool jersey bodice with a thick mohair plaid circle skirt and it is very cosy!

 

 

The other reason this dress is special to me is that not long after I purchased it, I managed to find an original advert of this dress when searching online...

 

 

I have never found an advert for any of my other dresses so was really pleased to find this.  The advert dates from September 1962 and it reads "Our own Anne Fogarty makes news in black and white with this dramatic dress - headlining an exclusive collection designed for the Young Elite."  Have you ever found any original adverts for your vintage clothing?

 

I am also wearing my new Miss L Fire Alpine boots.  These are the second pair of boots I have bought from them this season but I just could not resist getting these.  The first pair I bought will be featured in another post but for now you can feast your eyes on this pair ...

 









I really wanted the Havana boots that they made a few years ago but never managed to get a pair so was so pleased to see that they had done a very similar design this season.  Unfortunately, they sold out of my size on the Miss L Fire website during the 'pre-release' last year so I bought the Gloria boots instead.  Then last week, I saw these Alpine boots on Zalando on sale and in stock with my size... So it had to be done.

Dress: Vintage from eBay
Shoes: Miss L Fire via Zalando
Bag: Vintage from eBay
Belt: House of Fraser
Earrings: Vintage from eBay
Brooch: Luxulite

Atomic Fleck

This is one of my favourite recent outfits...

This early 1950s Toni Todd dress was one of my more 'riskier' Etsy purchases in that there was a very limited description and the photos weren't great.  The price, however, was a bargain so after some of my questions were answered by the seller, I decided to purchase it and I am glad I did because I love it.  The photos have made it look like a blue but it is actually more a grey colour!

 

It has an "atomic fleck" to the fabric which is what I really like (as well as the cute red buttons.)  I love those 1950s men's sports jackets with the atomic fleck pattern but adding "atomic fleck" to an Etsy listing title seems to allow for an inflated price!



 

 

I also LOVE my new Miss L Fire shoes!  Especially as they were free!!!  I was lucky enough to be the UK winner of their Thanksgiving Instagram competition in which they were giving away a pair of the Manhattan (seen above) or Savoy shoes.  Although this is not a style of shoe I would usually choose, I think they look better than on their website and they are so comfortable to walk around in. I have quite a few red items of clothing and accessories in my wardrobe so I am glad that I did choose this style and in this colour.  Also, if anyone is interested, this pair (and many others!) is currently on sale on the Miss L Fire website!

Dress: Vintage from Etsy
Coat: Vintage from Vintage Fair
Bag: Vintage from eBay
Shoes: Gift from Miss L Fire!
Earrings: Vintage from Rhythm Riot trader
Bracelet: Vintage from Clobber Vintage
Brooch: Luxulite from Etsy

The Christmas Dress

Happy New Year!  My first post of the year reflects on what I wore on Christmas Day...

 

This dress arrived a few weeks before Christmas and it just made sense to wear it on Christmas Day with some red and white accessories.  I love the ivy embroidery around the neckline and cuffs.  Unfortunately it was a bit too big for me so since wearing this dress, I have actually sold it to someone else.  I have been quite ruthless in the last few months with some of my vintage items, ones that I know I am unlikely to wear again for whatever reason, I will try to sell on.

 



I am also wearing two petticoats with this dress!  A very full reproduction one with my less full vintage one on top.  I normally only wear the vintage one so it was very strange wearing such a full petticoat, I felt like I was going to knock things over wherever I went.

I am also wearing my new poinsettia hair clip from Rosie Alia Designs on Etsy, she has some great hair accessories in her shop.

Hope you all had a lovely Christmas and New Year :)

Dress: Vintage from Etsy
Shoes: Vintage (purchased so long ago)
Belt: Vintage from eBay
Hair clip: Rosie Alia Designs on Etsy
Bracelet: Vintage from Clobber Vintage, Bournemouth
Earrings: Vintage from Etsy