Casual Sunday

This is what I wore yesterday when we went to have lunch at my favourite South Indian restaurant and we also went to the cinema afterwards.



It was pretty quiet at midday in Southampton, so these photos were taken outside The Guildhall entrance.  Although I love putting a whole vintage outfit together (complete with hat, gloves, etc) sometimes it is nice to just be able to throw on a 50s summer dress if you are having a more casual day out.

Dress: Vintage - eBay

Shoes: Rocket Originals

Bag: Vintage from the Retro & Jukebox Fair in Brighton earlier this year

Necklace: Vintage from The Vintage Parade in Winchester earlier this year

Earrings: Vintage from the Bows and Braces Vintage Fair in June this year

A Day Trip to London

A few weekends ago we made an impromptu day trip to London.  Originally we had planned to go to Bath for the day to visit Carter's Steam Fair but the weather forecast did not look good enough to enjoy vintage fairground rides so we opted to go to London where it was meant to be a fine day - and it was!

I haven't been vintage shopping in London for some years now but was keen to check out a few of the newer shops that had opened up in Brick Lane.  Unfortunately The Vintage Emporium was closed (I don't seem to be having much luck with shop opening hours!) but we visited Hunky Dory Vintage and there was an adorable war time crepe dress with faux bolero which I would have totally snapped if it hadn't been £145!

I love the fit of the dress that I chose to wear and I was also wearing my new-to-me vintage half hat which I recently purchased from The Little Vintage Shop in Lymington - Gloria, the owner, has an awesome selection of vintage hats!

We also visited Judy's Vintage Fair which was taking place in Spitalfields and I scored a cute peach 50s blouse and some pale pink crochet wrist gloves.  I also got photographed by them as they loved my outfit and I took the opportunity to take a photograph of the girl promoting the Fair and I absolutely love the print of her dress!

We had lunch at Kua 'Aina which is a Hawaiian burger place in Carnaby Street.  I am a big fan of anything sweet potato and their fries are delicious!

In the afternoon we treated ourselves to desserts at Ladurée in Harrods - I am big fan of their macaroons.  I also had an Apple Mojito mocktail (even though it was ridiculously priced!)

Dress: Vintage from Etsy

Bag: Vintage from Etsy

Shoes: Aldo

Hat: The Little Vintage Shop, Lymington

Rally of the Giants Car Show

Last weekend we attended the 'Rally of the Giants' classic American car show at Blenheim Palace.  I had never been to the Palace before or a specifically American car show and this was advertised as the "Best American car show in the UK" so I was really looking forward to it and it certainly did not disappoint! 

The cars were arranged by era and my favourites were easily the '50s!  I don't actually drive (would really like to learn in the future but have never been able to afford it!) but I have now decided that one day I would like to buy either a Ford Thunderbird (one of the first generation ones!) or a Chevrolet Bel Air.  We saw a few of these and the colours were just dreamy! 

I love going to car shows and it does make me hopeful that I can own one of these beauties in the future!

So a little word on my outfit... This is my new-to-me Bobbie Brooks dress which I love.  There were two being sold on Etsy when I looked - one appeared to be my measurements essentially but was just too short in the bodice, so I opted for the slightly larger one which was being sold and had it altered to fit (though it wasn't altered enough and I still had to do my own adjustments!)  I have also seen this dress featured in a blog post from Vivian de Violet (unable to post links at the moment) and she looks lovely in it!

Although generally I do not care if a dress is a particular brand or designer, when I find a dress with a style or fit that really works, I do like to seek out more from that brand and I am keen to do the same with Bobbie Brooks. 

We didn't explore the Palace as much as we would have liked to but the gardens were amazing!  We walked by the side of the lake and saw the beautiful cascade.  Above is a photo taken in the Rose Garden and below is a photo taken inside the Palace Chapel with me standing at the Pulpit!  All in all a thoroughly enjoyable day out!

Dress: Vintage Bobbie Brooks from Etsy

Shoes: Next

Bag: Vintage from Etsy

Necklace: Vintage from This is Vintage in Boscombe

Hat: Vintage from Etsy

Gloves: Vintage from Scarlet Vintage in Bath

Hot Hot Heat

These photos were taken during a recent trip to Southsea.  At the time, it was during a heatwave but the weather has since cooled down a bit. 

I love playsuits and I own a lot of them.  Most are 1980s and this one is actually from Urban Outfitters, so not the least bit vintage but I just love the cut out bits and it does remind me of a 1940s style.  I am desperate for a 1940s two piece playsuit/ swimsuit but they are so expensive on Etsy!  And especially as there would be a very small window of time when I could wear this type of outfit, I feel that I couldn't justifying spending a lot.  I really need to move to a hotter place so I can justify spending a lot on a 1940s playsuit!

 

As it has been so hot, I have been a bit reluctant to wear some of my vintage outfits for fear that I will end up a hot mess and ruin them.  Does anyone else have this worry?

Luckily as it has now cooled down a bit here, I will be taking every opportunity to wear my 1950s summer dresses!

Playsuit: Urban Outfitters

Parasol: Vintage from a trader at the 'Crikey! It's Vintage' Fair in Exeter

Bag: Vintage from a trader at the Retro & Jukebox in Brighton

Sunglasses: Topshop
Earrings: Vintage from a trader at the Bows & Braces Vintage Fair
Headscarf: Vintage free with a purchase from Etsy!
Shoes: Next

My Grandma's Skirt

On Sunday we went to Salisbury for the day.  The last time we went there, it was back in March and it was bitterly cold so it was nice to go when the weather was much warmer.

Salisbury is a lovely old town with three Vintage shops - Foxtrot Vintage and two for The Vintage Quarter.  I had never been to The Vintage Quarter and was keen to check it out.  Their first store is actually located just outside of Salisbury Town Centre and isn't easily accessible without a car.  I had messaged the owner to make sure she would be open on Sunday and as she said she was, we made our way to the store only to find it was closed!  In fact, all three of the Vintage shops - despite advertising on their store fronts/ websites that they were open on Sundays - were all closed!!  I appreciate that some independent stores are unable to open on Sundays but in that case, they really shouldn't advertise that they do open.

Despite the lack of success with the vintage shops, it was a really nice day out.  I wore a skirt that my Grandma had in the 1950s.  My Grandma unfortunately hasn't kept many of her old clothes or jewellery from the 1940s - 1960s which is a real shame.  However, when she presented me with this skirt, I was beyond delighted!  She had previously taken off the waistband in an attempt to make it bigger but never got round to doing that so I needed to take the skirt into an alterations place to get the waistband put back on and made smaller for my waist.  It is the perfect skirt to wear at this time of year and I look forward to wearing it lots!

As you can see, the parasol is back!  I am making the most of every opportunity to use it this summer.

Skirt: My Grandma's from the 1950s
Shirt: French Connection
Black top: Topshop
Bag: Vintage from etsy
Parasol: Vintage from one of the traders at 'Crikey! It's Vintage at Killerton'
Shoes: Next
Necklace: Vintage from Dear Golden Vintage on etsy
Earrings: Vintage from a trader at Bows & Braces Vintage Fair

Beach fun

The weather has been super amazing the last three weeks.  I am a bit weather-obsessed in that I often check the forecast a few times a day but it has been so good not to have to consistently check BBC Weather on my iPhone or wonder whether I need an umbrella with me.

A few weekends ago, at the start of the beautiful weather, I went to Southbourne Beach.  Earlier in the day, I went to a few of the vintage shops in Boscombe before heading to the beach.  I am not keen on British beaches because they are always jam-packed during summer and I hate seeing people sizzling away in the sun.  I couldn't spend a whole day at the beach but we managed to find an area with a bit of space and had ourselves an M&S beach picnic.

As mentioned in a previous post, I had recently acquired a 1930s parasol.  It got it's debut at the beach and it was accompanied by my 1950s Kahala playsuit.  I bought this playsuit at Beyond Retro a few years ago and it fits amazingly!  It is one of my favourite go-to outfits in hot weather.



Playsuit: Vintage (from Beyond Retro, near Carnaby Street in London)

Headscarf: Vintage from The Vintage Parade Festival in Winchester

Parasol: Vintage from Crikey! It;s Vintage Festival in Exeter

Sunglasses: Ray Ban Clubmasters

Jelly Shoes: Office

Friday Night Jazz

On Friday night, I went to Rosie's Vineyard in Southsea to see FB Pocket Orchestra play.  They are a jazz band playing sounds from the 1920s and 1930s and I had seen them previously at The Vintage Parade in Winchester.

On this occasion, I wore a 1950s black eyelet wiggle dress.  I don't own too many wiggle dresses because I usually feel quite self-conscious in them and I am also not keen on purchasing this style online as you need them to fit just right around the hips!  This dress was purchased from This is Vintage in Boscombe.  It is one of two really good vintage shops in that area and I highly recommend visiting!

I am also wearing my new hat which I purchased from the Bows & Braces Vintage Fair, which I discussed in a previous post.  I just love it!  It fits so nicely and I would love to purchase more hats in this style.

I am also having difficulty posting links on this blog at the moment, there is an error page that comes up now and it means I cannot select text or even place the cursor anywhere, so apologies for not being able to provide links for what I've mentioned above.

Dress: Vintage (This is Vintage)

Hat: Vintage (Bows & Braces Vintage Fair)

Shoes: Vintage (The Festival of Vintage)

Bag: Vintage (Etsy)

Gloves: Vintage (Etsy)