Style me Vintage clothes

Style Me Vintage Clothes

A Guide to Sourcing and Creating Retro Looks

If you have ever wanted to introduce Vintage into your wardrobe but felt unsure where to start this is the book for you.  For the novice Vintage shopper, it is difficult to know which pieces to invest in, and which pieces to avoid. Style me vintage clothes takes you by the hand and gently guides you through the do’s and don’t’s of retro shopping, teaching you which details indicate quality, the silhouettes and shapes that reveal which era the piece is from, the importance of shape wear, labels to look for and how to look after your  collection.

Underpinnings

Covering four main sections – Getting started, The Looks, Helpful Extras and a list of recommended reading and stockists.  There are examples from the 1920’s, 30’s, 40’s, 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, discussing all the crucial points you need to keep in mind when buying vintage. There is a mending section and some example photographs of underwear and swimwear.

Care and Repair

The author Naomi Thompson is a stylist and personal shopper specializing in vintage fashion. She runs a website www.vintagesecret.com

200 Uniquely crafted eggs are arriving in London

For the next 40 days and 40 nights, 200 uniquely crafted eggs will grace corners and famous sites across central London in an effort to raise £1 million for the Elephant Family and Action for Children charities.

Decorated egg

They're changing guard at Buckingham Palace

The 2 1/2 foot fibreglass eggs have been crafted by designers from all types of industries, including eggs by Vivienne Westwood, Selfridges and Mulberry. Many of the artists include architects, product designers, jewelry designers, fine artists and street artists.

The funds raised from the auction will be divided between Elephant Family, a charity focused on saving the Asian Elephant population from extinction, and Action for Children, a charity that tackles neglect and abuse issues across the UK. These charities were chosen for the proceeds because eggs symbolize new life and hope for the future, and both of these organizations’ are rooted in those principles.

With 12 zones to search through and 45 eggs in the Mayfair zone alone, there isn’t any time to waste. Zones range from Trafalgar Square to Canary Wharf, so start hunting. Find zone maps at www.thebigegghunt.co.uk

This was first posted  by Jenny Brewer  for idfx on February 21st 2012

Books to help you recreate a Vintage look

Style me Vintage Hair

A trio of lovely books arrived in the post today Style me Vintage Hair, Style me Vintage Make up, and Style me Vintage Clothes. Each book stands on their own but are perfect together if you want to re-create a complete period look.

Style me Vintage Hair is by Belinda Hay who owns a vintage and contemporary salon, The Painted Lady, in the heart of  London’s Shoreditch.

From forces sweetheart to sultry pin-up, Rockabily to Rita Hayworth this book shows you how to create the look using step by step photography.

Whether you want a glamorous peek-a-boo wave, fun and flirty finger curls or the Brigitte beehive you can find them all here.

Style me Vintage Make Up

Style me vintage Make Up is written by Katie Reynolds a hair and makeup artist to the film, TV, fashion, and commercial industries for 12 years. She has an extensive Celebraty client list and founded the company Powder puff girls in 2005- a unique team of beauty professionals who provide a pampering service for events and parties.

The book is an essential guide to recreating looks from the last century from the 1920’s –1980’s. Included are insider tips and tricks, how to achieve beautiful brows, fabulous flicks and luscious lashes plus a guide to all the tools you need to complete your chosen look.

Both books are published by Anova books at £9.99  each.

I will  review Style me Vintage Clothes in another blog post.

Stars of Craft Hobby and Stitch international

Mas d’Ouvan 

Presented , for the first time in England, their  beautiful patchwork fabrics and accessories!

Bruno Lamy has been designing the collection since 1991, always in the spirit of the romantic life of 18th Century France!
’Toile de jouy’ with pastoral scenes, flowers, stripes!

Kelly lamy
Assistante de direction
Executive assistant
Mas d’Ouvan
 www.masdouvan.com
0663755120

An old favourite of mine is the very talented Madeleine Millington. she produces kits in wool fabrics  and also patterns  to make some of her lovely applique designs.

For more information visit www.madeleinemillington.com

or contact Madeleine – Phone: +44 (0)1392 277521

Email:

I love Stationery

I love stationery

I have friends for whom stationery is the most covet able and wondrous thing. I admit this way of thinking passed me by, that is, until this gorgeous book arrived.

Apart from the beautifully designed cover and end pages the colour of the book is a pretty and an unusual Salmon pink . Despite being in the digital age or maybe as an antidote to it, the stationary industry is thriving and is a medium that showcases some of the work of our best surface and graphic designers.

I love stationary is a collection of the best of these, from gift wrap to greetings cards, notebooks, journals, invitations and much more.

The book covers techniques such as hand-drawn illustrations, screen prints, letter press, wood block, digital illustration, calligraphy, spray paint, paper cut, relief print, and etchings.

Each chapter opens with an explanation and tutorial on the specific technique featured.

There are tips and interviews with stationary designers offering useful and practical advice on everything from paper choices to how to approach a manufacturer with your designs.

By Charlotte Rivers www.charlotterivers.blogspot.com

Published by Jacqui Small  in hardback  £16. 99

End papers

Some content

New Design Museum

I love the old Commonwealth Institute. It was built in the nineteen sixties on the edge of Holland Park and off High Street Kensington in London. Having lain neglected and unloved for a number of years, this grade 1 listed building  it is about to be refurbished and will become the New Design Museum in 2014.

Letter-Bench-by-Boex-Brothers

I just saw this on  design-dautore.com it is so lovely i just had to upload it.

An elegant and witty piece of design

close up of Bench

Supporting Excellence in British Craftsmanship

Sewing Made Simple – book review

Child's craft apron

Sewing made simple is, as it says on the cover.

It is an inspiring and enlightening introduction to an incredibly useful and enjoyable skill. It manages to demystify the subject and provides a wealth of know-how that will give you the confidence to make and customize clothes and home furnishings.

The first half of the book introduces you to the tools, equipment and materials needed for sewing success. The second half of the book shows how it’s done with projects to make. The basic skills and techniques you need to sew are covered, such as sewing on buttons, appliqué, using piping, mitering corners, enclosing seams and adding darts.

Quilt

There are twenty projects to make including a baby quilt, child’s craft apron, bolster, customized tee shirt, table-mats and many others.

This is to sewing, what Delia Smith is to cooking, a basic fool-proof guide that you will go back to time and again for reference.

Lavish Habit

I have written about Lavish Habit before, they are a cafe/boutique in Balham South London.  They  have a quick turnover of interesting stock including clothes, vintage pieces, newly upholstered chairs, books, lamps and jewellery. The tables and chairs change from one week to the next as they get sold.  They also make  delicious food.

This time they had some lovely lace like lamps, that look Moroccan, above their counter as well as painted tin ware from Pakistan and Mexico.

Brightly coloured painted tin ware

In the basement were other treasures a glass bench with a newly upholstered seat very nineteen seventies, and a child’s oven made from recycled lids from tins and a large oil can.

70's wrought iron, perhaps telephone glass bench

When I went to the loo and saw this  cheeky 1940′s inspired line drawn

wall paper I had to take a photo of it.