Gangsters and Gunslingers

So I am taking a little break from the holiday outfits - hopefully you weren't finding them too monotonous! 

A few weekends ago I went to Bath, not just to visit the beautiful city but also to visit The American Museum.  I have always wanted to visit there but had never got round to it.... that is, until I saw that they were doing an exhibition called "Gangsters and Gunslingers: The Good, The Bad and The Memorabilia."  This got me super excited!  I have always been fascinated by prohibition era stories and being a fan of movies filmed or set in this time, I knew I had to go!

Here are some photos of what I wore on the day, the ones below are taken at The Royal Crescent.

I know for a lot of vintage lovers, autumn is their favourite season.  For me, I love summer but there is no denying that I love the colour palette that autumn brings.  Case in point - this lovely Jerry Gilden dress!  I wear it all year round (weather permitting) but wearing it this time of year, makes me look like I've made a good seasonal effort.


OK so excuse the awkward photo, but look at the print!



Oh! And I forgot to mention my lovely jacket!  I'm not really into designers and the label tends to be an after thought if I like an item.  I was looking for a 1950s little black jacket to wear with my dresses and to wear in the summer to autumn transition.  I did not have much luck on Etsy but then I found this jacket on Ballyhoo Vintage and at a reasonable price, I bought it.  It just so happens to be a Norman Norell!!  I'm surprised that the price was so reasonable!  I have dated it to late 1950s, according to the Traina-Norell label - I would love to hear from anyone else who owns any of his items!

OK, so back to why I am writing this post - the exhibition!

The Museum itself is set in Claverton Manor and is pretty amazing and has some lovely exhibitions - I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in American history (there was a to-die-for bedroom decorated circa Louisiana 1860!!)  I was really impressed with the Gangsters and Gunslingers exhibition too.  A lot of the items came from one collector - who had previously showcased his collection of Marilyn Monroe memorabilia in a previous exhibition (How amazing would that have been to see?!!  If anyone visited - please let me know what that was like!)

So here are some photos of what I thought was most interesting... please forgive my iPhone photos as most items were behind glass.

I can't get over the fact that Bonnie Parker was younger than me when she died!  I love this photo taken of her in 1933.

I guess I quite like morbid things, because I thought this was amazing (sorry that I have used that word a lot on this post.)  This is John Dillinger's death mask and you can even see the exit wound from the bullet that killed him.



The bullet proof vest that Bonnie wore when she died... obviously didn't work very well!  There are some gruesome facts about the nature of her death but you will have to go to the exhibition to find out (or you can read about it, if this photo comes up clear enough!)

And Clyde Barrow's watch that he was wearing when he died... again more gruesome facts surround why there is only half a watch remaining.... !!

I was going to do this post after my holiday outfits but as the exhibition is only on until 3rd November 2013, I thought I would do it now, in case there is anyone who would be interested in going.  The website for the museum is http://americanmuseum.org/

Dress: Jerry Gilden Vintage, from eBay

Jacket: Traina-Norell, from Ballyhoo Vintage

Shoes: Marks and Spencer

Brooch: Vintage from...?

Gloves: Vintage, gift from my Mum

Hat: Vintage from Etsy

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

Bag: Vintage from Vintage to Vogue, Bath

Holiday Outfit Post # 4: The Montpellier Dress

This is another dress that I wore on my recent holiday to the South of France and these photos were taken in Montpellier. 

I really enjoyed our day in Montpellier, it is a really vibrant city and we walked a fair bit so we managed to see quite a lot.  The photo above is taken in the city's Place de la Comedie (which is the main focus point.)

What impressed me about Montpellier was the transportation system - they are keen to encourage drivers to park on the outskirts of the city and so this is what we did.  We then did a 'Park +Tram' which cost only 4.40 euros for all day parking and for both of us to use the trams in and out of the city!!  I think that is pretty amazing value.

I knew through some prior Internet research that there was at least one vintage shop in Montpellier but I made a point of not remembering where it was, as we were only going to be there for one day and I didn't want to spend the day looking for a vintage shop, which may or may turn out to be good.  Despite this, I happened to stumble upon two vintage shops - both were called 'Absolute Vintage' and this was the store that I had previously found on the Internet.  I guess that my internal GPS is programmed to find vintage stores, even if I am not actively seeking them out!  Neither shop was fantastic for pre-1960s clothes but there was a rather lovely 1950s day dress in one of the stores which fitted really well but I did not think it was well priced at 90 euros, so I did not buy it.   

This next set of photos were all taken at the foot of the Statue of Louis XIV and is near the Promenade du Peyrou.



I call this the "euro pose" as I have seen a number of European girls doing this ladylike pose, not only on this holiday but on previous holidays too, so I thought I would copy it!


This dress is a really lovely lightweight cotton, so perfect for super hot weather (though as these photos demonstrate, at that time of day, it wasn't as hot as we thought it was going to be.)  I had planned to wear my straw hat with this dress but it was just far too windy, so it got left in the car. 

I have about 2-3 more holiday outfit posts planned (depending on if I am brave enough to show you my lovely Esther Williams swimsuit that I wore on the beach...)

Dress: Vintage from Etsy
Camera Bag: Vintage from eBay (unfortunately I do not own a vintage camera to go in the bag!)
Shoes: Aldo
Bag: Vintage from The Retro & Jukebox Fair in Brighton
Cardigan: Zara
Necklace: Vintage from Etsy

Holiday Outfit Post # 3: The Navy Playsuit

I hope you're not getting bored with my holiday outfit posts because I have a few more to post!  This one features an outfit that I wore to Gruissan's beach. 

I am wearing a 1950s navy playsuit (which I suspect could also be worn as a proper swimsuit because of the material and the fact it has inner shorts!) but I am not keen on swimming in the ocean and wouldn't do so in this outfit anyway.

It was incredibly windy on the beach so I am glad that I wore a headscarf!

I also wanted to show you a closer photo of the bodice of the playsuit, as it features some lovely embroiderery.  

Playsuit: Vintage from Etsy

Shirt: Vintage from Greyhound Vintage from Judy's at Spitalfields

Shoes: Office

Headscarf: Vintage from my Grandma

Sunglasses: Ray Ban Wayfarers

Holiday Outfit Post # 2: The Mint Julep dress

This is the next post to feature one of my holiday dresses and I am not uploading these in chronological order, as this was the last dress I wore on holiday.

I have had this dress for a while and it is one of my favourite colours!  I just love all those gelato shades but as there is only a short window of time in which I can wear these summery colours, I don't tend to buy many dresses in shades of mint/ peach/ lemon.  The colour doesn't look quite as mint in these photos but I can assure you it is good enough to make a cocktail with! 

It is also a bit shorter than most of my other 50s dresses (my guy was even surprised that he could see my knees!) and although I usually prefer my dresses to be below the knee, sometimes wearing something a bit different is good.

These photos were taken at the bottom of the Tour Barberousse in Gruissan.  The hat was pretty much redundant on this holiday as it was just too windy to wear it and I probably shouldn't have brought it with me in retrospect (still, it looks nice in these photos!)

 
Dress: Vintage from Crush Vintage on Etsy
Bag: Vintage from Etsy
Shoes: Aldo
Hat: Vintage from a random vintage shop in Brighton
Earrings: Vintage from a trader at Bows and Braces Vintage Fair
Necklace: Vintage from This is Vintage in Bournemouth (she also has an etsy shop This is Vintage)

Holiday Outfit Post # 1: The Vintage LBD

This will be the first in a series of posts featuring my holiday outfits.  They are all outfits that have never been featured on this blog (though I didn't plan it that way when I packed my suitcase!)  When I packed, I tried to be as sensible as possible and left my gloves/ hats at home (apart from my straw hat!)

I visited the South of France and stayed in Gruissan for a few days, as my boyfriend's parents own an apartment on the marina.  These photos below were taken in Gruissan's Old Town on the day that we arrived. 

I am wearing my new wedges and they are great (I will endeavour to get a close-up photo next time!)  They are from Johnsons Shoes so are new but they are made in the style of 1940s wedges and they are so comfortable!  I just love all the heeled shoes on their website and I am hoping to buy some in the near future.  I find it really difficult buying vintage shoes because I don't like to buy them online (due to not knowing for sure if they will fit.)  This leaves me to stumbling across vintage shoes in my size in shops or buying repro shoes or modern shoes in a vintage style.

The dress is also a style that I really like and I just love the cute eyelet detail.

Dress: Vintage from Etsy

Bag: Vintage from Etsy

Shoes: Johnson's Shoes

Peter pan perfection

Who doesn't love a peter pan collar?  Whenever I see one on a dress or blouse, I am immediately inclined to buy it (provided the fit and price is right.)  This just so happened when I saw this dress on Simplicity Bliss Vintage on Etsy and as it was my size and a reasonable price, I just had to buy it! 

These photos were taken a few weekends ago before my trip to the South of France (when the weather was still ok in England!)  I have a number of upcoming posts which will feature outfit photos from my holiday.

Dress: Vintage from Simplicity Bliss Vintage on Etsy
Bag: Vintage from Etsy
Shoes: Aldo
Necklace: Vintage from This is Vintage in Bournemouth
Belt: American Apparel



The Last of the Summer?

If I have done this correctly, then when you read this, I shall be enjoying the sunny South of France! 

Today as I write this, however, I am looking back to the first Monday in September when I went to Portsmouth for the day and it was probably my last day off in summer weather in the UK.

If I had to choose just one "favourite dress" it would probably be this one... 

It was purchased from Fox and Bear on Etsy last year but I have only worn it twice now because I am worried it will get ruined in some way or another!  I don't always feel that way about my vintage dresses but this one fits like an absolute dream and because it is a pale colour, I've only worn it to places where I don't think it is likely to get ruined. 

I just love the daisy detail around the edge and even the matching belt is in good condition.

I purchased this straw hat in Brighton a couple of weeks ago. I had wanted one for the summer but hadn't found one that I liked and when I stumbled upon this in a vintage shop - and for only £5 - I could not resist!  I shall definitely be taking this on holiday with me.

We went up the Spinnaker Tower at Gunwharf and although I had never been too fussed about going up the tower, the view was great! 

Dress: Vintage from Fox and Bear Vintage on Etsy

Necklace: Vintage from This is Vintage, Bournemouth

Shoes: Aldo

Bag: Vintage from Etsy

Hat: Vintage from a random vintage shop in Brighton

Gloves: Vintage from Scarlet Vintage in Bath