Big Cat

I just wanted to start off this post by saying THANK YOU to all the kind comments on my last post.  I really do enjoy blogging and reading the comments to my posts and your words of encouragement certainly made me feel better as I go through a bit of a stressful time with moving to a new property.

So on to today's post... these outfit photos were taken back in March when it was somewhat colder!  I think I was trying to channel a bit of Audrey Hepburn in Charade with the red coat and the hat.

I tried on this hat at the Bows and Braces Vintage Fair in March and I immediately fell in love with it.  I never thought the pill box style would really suit me but this seemed to really work.  However, I did not want to spend too much at the fair so I decided not to purchase it.  But this just meant that I spent the following week thinking about it!  It is funny how the 'love of vintage' will drive you to lusting after such items.  By the end of the week (and having thought of various outfit combinations which necessitated the hat) I phoned up Gloria from The Little Vintage Shop in Lymington to tell her that I wanted needed it... only to find out that it had been reserved for someone else until the next day!  Gloria said she would phone me if the lady who had reserved it does not come back and to my luck, she did not return for it so the hat was mine!!  I was quite surprised because when I 'reserve' items in vintage shops, I always go back for them...

 

 

Despite all the desperate lusting after this hat, this is the only time I have worn it thus far but I hope when Autumn returns, it will be worn many more times! 

Dress: Vintage from This is Vintage in Bournemouth (also on Etsy here)
Hat: Vintage from The Little Vintage Shop in Lymington
Shoes: Marks and Spencer
Bag: Vintage from Vintage to Vogue, Bath
Coat: Vintage from a trader at Lou Lou's Vintage Fair
Gloves: Vintage from Etsy (surprisingly for me, the only internet purchase in this whole outfit!)

One year of blogging!

Yesterday marked one year of blogging! Woo!  I had been reading vintage lifestyle blogs for a while and had always wanted to set up my own but my guy had to persuade me to do it and I'm glad he did because I have enjoyed doing outfit and event posts over the past twelve months (and I hope you have too!)

Although I started out doing weekly outfit posts, recently it has become more of a fortnightly occurrence.  I still have many more outfits to post about (and I will be continuing to buy more dresses I am sure) but as I am looking for apartments to rent with my guy, my time has been spent looking for places and also spending money on homewares.  Inevitably this means less money spent on vintage clothing and accessories!  I hope in the future, when we have found a place, I will be able to do some Mid Century home posts.  I have already bought a few key Atomic and Mid Century items for our home but they now just need a home to go into...

Also, in the midst of looking for an apartment and buying home stuff, I am booking a holiday to America for Spring next year!  This is obviously quite costly and time consuming but I hope going forward that fortnightly outfit posts will be attainable.  I really admire those bloggers out there who do frequent posting and maybe once things settle down in my life, I will get back to weekly posts!

Anyway, back to my blogging anniversary, here are my top four favourite outfits from the past twelve months!

This is easily a favourite dress, it has a linen or linen-like material and I originally blogged about it here

As I mentioned in this post, although I love this dress, I don't wear it very often for fear of ruining it!

 

 

Good times in Narbonne (France) in this dress and I simply cannot wait for the first HOT day of the year, so I can wear this again!  Original post is here.

 

 



I am not a fan of Winter but this dress made me enjoy the colder days!  Original post is here.

I'll be back soon with some new outfits!

Bows & Braces Vintage Fair

I recently attended the Bows & Braces Vintage Fair in Lymington, which takes place about 4 times a year.

I do love a good nautical theme and I am working on buying more navy dresses.

This hat is lovely and I think it works well with the rest of my outfit. 

This girl had a lovely 1950s dress and jacket, which her Mum made for her from a vintage pattern.  I am desperate for a 1950s dress with matching jacket/ bolero but I can't find any in my size and price range!

This fair was pretty good and unlike some other fairs, all the items were authentically vintage (or antique in some cases.)  I bought a darling vintage hat which I honed in on as it was on a hat mannequin!

I also bought some pretty flower screw-back earrings.  I have a big collection of clip-on earrings as I used to wear them a lot when I first started wearing vintage.  These days, however, I find them to be too uncomfortable and sometimes too over-the-top with my outfits so I prefer smaller screw-back styles.  The only problem is, they are much harder to find!

The Fair also had a 'Best Dressed' Competition and I happened to win!  I was really pleased as it means I have won £20 to spend at the next fair, which will take place in August.  I am sure that it won't be too difficult to find something to buy!

Dress: Vintage (Etsy)

Hat: Vintage (Etsy)

Bag: Vintage (Etsy)

Shoes: Vintage from the Hand Picked Vintage stall at The Southampton Vintage Fair

Gloves: Vintage from a Fair (can't remember which one!)