The Dandelion Girl

Breathing space

2012-02-11T23:23:00.000Z

Hat - H&M (sale)

Jeans - Uni qlo (sale)

Shoes - TK Maxx

Shirt - Vintage, M&S

Listening to - M83 - Reunion

I wore this with the plan of going to see the Yayoi Kusama exhibition at the Tate Modern. However I wasn't really prepared for the size of the queue (in fairness it did only start two days ago) and decided I will go back a bit later to see it. Instead I spend some time looking at the permanent collections. I realised I haven't been to the Tate modern in over a year. Which is pretty bad when it's only half an hour away. I found this visit it particularly inspiring and in fact the whole day, walking along embankment in the afternoon sun, browsing the book stalls, taking everything in was like a much needed breath of fresh air. My camera battery wasn't charged either so I took my sketch book instead which makes a change. Sometime I really miss being an art student. I think that stretch of the river is one of my favourite places to be in London. The view over the river up from the London eye to St.Paul's always reminds me that London can be such an incredible place to live in.

Shoreline

2012-02-01T22:20:00.000Z

Top - H&M

Cardigan - Gap

Necklace - Gift

Trousers - Uni qlo

Boots - Clarks

Waistcoat - Vintage, charity shop

Listening to - First Aid Kit - Emmy Lou

In the second week of January we took a short holiday to Devon/Cornwall and the scenery of which I never tire. The Jurassic coast is just so beautiful. These photos also prove that the British sea side does have its moments, and the sun does actually come out occasionally to dazzling effect. I even saw one brave girl swimming in Cornwall. I know it's a mild winter but still I was impressed. As I have said these desert boots haven't left my feet much for the last month or so, (as you can see, my boyfriend is also a fan.) They are just so comfortable, and as I get older, comfort starts to mean more than it once did. No more ballet flats in in minus temperatures anyway. This outfit isn't much, but I do like the velvet waistcoat, found for £1.50 in a charity shop. I also wore it over this dress, and felt like I should be a 1970s country singer, which is no bad thing. I am on the hunt for some straight leg jeans that sit higher on the waist than most jeans. I have only seen some in M&S that weren't quite right and also American Apparel which are a bit much so if anyone have any recommendations, I'd be glad to hear them.

Kew

2012-01-25T23:00:00.000Z

Jumper - jumble sale

Skirt - Pendleton, Traid shop

Dessert boots - Clarks sale

Duffle coat - Topshop, second hand from market

Listening to - Bat for lashes - A forest

January feels different this year. For one thing it's not really cold and I had a holiday right at the start so the usual January blues seem to have passed me by, a very good thing I must say. These photos are from Kew gardens. The last time I went was November 2010 and it was freezing and coated in thick mist, beautifully atmospheric. This time the sun was soft and I didn't really need my coat. I find Kew a very inspirational place, mainly I think because of the pleasant state of decay of the greenhouses, which are full of chipped paint and antique iron work, combined with exotic plants. I also picked up a 1950s guide book in a local jumble last year which was actually pretty useful. I have been wearing my dessert boots no stop and am pining for this pair (I am hopeful they will end up in the sale and still in my size) Also this duffle coat, I picked it up on a very rainy afternoon at Dalston market for £4 last March and it has fared me well for this winter. I was super happy when I saw the awesome Pendelton label on this skirt. It needed shortening but I like having something with such a heritage to it.

Bed of roses

2012-01-12T15:32:00.000Z

Dress - Miss Selfridge, jumble sale

Cotton Cardigan - Jumble sale

Belt - Was my Mums

Boots - Gap about 3 years ago

Listening to - Michael Kiwanuka - I need you by my side

Apparently I want to dress like a mid 1990's teenager at the moment, at least if this outfit is anything to go by. I think this A-line rose print dress must be 90s and also this crazy cotton cardigan. Which has all sorts of cables and stitches going on and ways a ton. I go through phases with the biker boots, I love them but I think they are a bit small on my feet. Lately they have been superseded by the Dessert boots from this post. Which I wear all the time. There is no real reason I haven't been blogging so much, except that daylight hours are too short and Christmas is always so busy. I've just been to Cornwall for a few days relaxation before going back to work, and I will post those photos next. Now I going to attempt to do some sewing.

These Boots

2011-12-11T17:30:00.000Z

Dress - People tree

Cardigan - Knitted by my great aunt for my mum in the 70s

Hat - Made by my grandmother

Necklace - vintage, gift

Boots - Vintage, Charity shop

Listening to - Spiraling - The Unthanks

To me winter dressing generally consists of wearing as many layers as possible, which means it's a bit tougher to stay stylish piled under jumpers, scarves and coats. The one thing I really get excited about is wearing boots! I think boots are my favourite shoe generally, and I tend to add a new pair (or two) each winter. I found these very bright purple Chelsea boots in a charity shop for £7, and although they are a little big, I kind of love them already. I am quite fussy with boots and only like pull on or lace up ones, so Chelsea boots and dessert boots are my current favourites. The dress is a little short for my liking, but its very well made and People tree are a great ethical fair trade brand. It makes me happy to know my clothing comes from such a responsible source. I can't believe it's been a month since my last post. Since then I've had a birthday and been to Bruges for a short holiday. A lovely city but very cold when we were there. I really enjoyed walking everywhere and sampling plenty of the local beer and chocolate. Now Christmas is closing in and I'm trying to fit in some last minute Christmas shopping around all the other festive activities.

Happy Cardigan

2011-11-15T21:15:00.000Z

Cardigan - Hand knitted by my Grandmother

Dress - Hand made by me

Belt - Used to belong to my mum

Tights - Topshop

Necklace - Gift

~ Listening to - I feel electric - Rubies/Feist ~

Autumn is passing me by at lightning speed, and it doesn't help that every shop is full of Christmas things. I refuse to think about Christmas until after my birthday, which is coming up soon. Which brings me to this cardigan, which I love so much. It is so warm and the colours are so lovely together, but the best thing is that it was handmade just for me by my super talented grandmother. She has been knitting me hats, gloves and scarves for years but this is the first garment I have had since I was a child. My grandmother showed me a picture in Stella magazine some months ago of an angora cardigan in tones of blue and said how she liked it, and I agreed. And now here is my very own version, it even has those leather buttons I like so much. My sister received one as well, in shades of yellow and blue. I thought I would wear it with this red dress that I made last year. I don't wear it very often because I made the sleeves a quite odd length, but I like the texture. The necklace was a birthday gift two years ago, the clasp needed fixing, but now it's done I wear it a lot. It was meant to be a key ring originally and i like the weight of it. I now have some birthday outfits to plan and a little adventure to pack for.

Three peas

2011-10-31T20:51:00.000Z

Shirt - Jumble sale

Skirt - Charity shop, hemmed

Necklace - Gift

Bag - Charity shop

~ Listening to - Florence + the machine - Ceremonials ~

Can you tell I'm happy it's Autumn? It is so my favourite time of year. A couple of months of many fun things, starting today really with Halloween. I celebrated by going to a party on Saturday, my costume was not really scary, I was Kiki from the film Kiki's delivery service. I was super happy to find a huge red bow belt from H&M which completed mt costume perfectly. There were a lot of good costumes at the party, most comprising much fake blood and also a couple of very good black swans. The outfit above is from Saturday daytime, I always pull this skirt out at this time of year, the dark tapestry style floral just seems to suit the weather. The necklace is a favourite of mine and was a gift from a couple of birthdays ago. I found it in a tiny shop/gallery in Lyme Regis and was lucky enough to receive it as a present a few months later. I love the slightly unusual colour and I like anything with a nature theme. I also just realised that I've had that bag since I was in art college, so about seven (gulp!) years ago. Still at least it's lasted. Tonight we are just going to watch my Halloween favourite Hocus Pocus. Happy Halloween everyone!

Folded stone

2011-10-24T23:00:00.000+01:00

Samantha Pleet SS12 preview, all images from Elle

I recently found the above images and spent some time looking through them, and really I love them all. All those bleached out stone and earth colours and intricate pleating and folding reminds me of sculpture. I am really drawn to these muted soft colours, as I noticed the other day when clearing out my wardrobe. I also like subtle cut outs and twists that are like origami. It reaffirms my belief that I need to take some pattern cutting classes and try to understand these books, that are so inspiring.

Heather

2011-10-17T19:36:00.000+01:00

Cardigan - Jumble sale

Shirt - Jumble sale

Belt - Jumble sale

Skirt - Traid shop

Dessert Boots- Clarks (on sale)

~ Listening to - Jonas Alaska - October ~

On Sunday it was back to the National Trust for a wander around the gardens of Nymans, previously mentioned in this post. Nymnas has really beautiful gardens. Last time I was there the rose garden was in full bloom, this year we just managed to miss the really vibrant autumn colours, which the gardens are famous for. In the end I blended in quite well with the dusty chalk like colours of the place. I feel like the colours are more suited to spring than autumn but I do like a tonal outfit. And these boots! I watched them on Clarks until they went on sale, but then they ran out of my size. On a chance trip to a shop in another part of London I found them, the only pair left! Obviously meant to be. Plus they are so comfortable, I am a total convert to the Clarks Originals now. I was also really happy to find a plant that matched my shoes. In a random Etsy search I discovered that what I consider to be 'grey marl' (these tights) is often called 'heathered' in the US. Hence the title of this post, although if that's not actually the case, do let me know.

Cranberry

2011-10-10T20:48:00.000+01:00

Beret - Knitted by my grandmother

Ralph Lauren shirt - Jumble sale

Black jeans - Uni qlo

Satchel - Cambridge satchel company (gift)

Dr Martens Velvet brogues - jumble sale

~ Listening to - Florence + the machine - Shake it out ~

I have to agree with everyone else out there and say I'm happy Autumn has finally turned up. So my favourite season since it involves all the following; Halloween, beautiful colours, bonfire night, my birthday and awesome flavours in coffee shops. I find I do a complete 180 with my clothing tastes as soon as the nights start getting darker. In summer I want light colours and flowing skirts and in winter I want clean lines and rich colours. At the moment I feel quite like dressing in a 1970s/1990s college student kind of way. Also it being back to school season means it's time to bring out the satchel. I've also been reading Tomboy style religiously and was really inspired by this post particularly, which may explain why I've been looking for an A line mini dress recently. And also why I took The Empty page: Fiction inspired by Sonic Youth out the library last week, it's pretty good so far. I was really happy to go on some seriously jumble sale thrifting at the weekend, where I picked up this Ralph Lauren mustard shirt for a bargain of 30p. The shoes are from a previous jumble, they are a bit ruined and a bit too big but I love the rich cranberry velvet of them.

Queen of the hill

2011-10-01T12:26:00.001+01:00

1950s dress - Jumble sale

Belt - Charity shop

Bag - Jumble sale

Sandals - Topshop

Listening to ~ Braids - Lemonade ~

So, more holiday photos. I wasn't going to post these, as I was expecting to be into autumn outfits now but since we are experiencing a bit of an Indian summer here, I thought I would. I was so delighted when I found this dress at a jumble sale. It's so hard to find anything older than the 80s these days, but someone threw it in my direction and I grabbed it, assuming it was a table cloth. It needed a couple of repairs and is missing a belt but it's otherwise perfect. I like how it manages to be both floral and checked at once and has those contrasting black buttons. I was waiting for the right occasion to wear it, and chose the day we drove to Nice and the hill top village of Eze, where these photos are taken. My pictures don't really do it justice, it is very high up and at the top of the village is a ruined fort and a succulent/cactus garden. Apparently the mayor decided to build the cactus garden in the 1950s and is a bit strange climbing to the top of this hill only to find lots of exotic cacti.

Fleeting light

2011-09-19T21:20:00.000+01:00

Top - Vintage, charity shop

Wrap Skirt - Belonged to my Grandmother in the 1970s

Sandals - Topshop

Bag - Vintage, jumble sale

Listening to ~ The Gentle Good ~ Aubade

While I've been gone, summer has ended. I took a last minute holiday and finished the summer by enjoying the crazy hot temperatures in the South of France. It was quite a shock going from cotton sundresses to the jumper I am currently wearing. I had a wonderful time, I've never been to that part of France before and is very beautiful. We stayed in a small town that had plenty of French charm and two very good bakeries. I do love the whole cafe culture, it's so good to just sit on the street with a cool drink watching the world go by. In between doing a lot of relaxing we did visit some places. These photos are from Le Thoronet Abbey about 30 minute drive from where we were staying. It was sparse but beautiful and the clean lines and beautiful light really appealed to me. When I go on holiday I like to take clothes that mean something to me. I liked the idea of wearing this skirt, that once saw 1970s summers with my grandmother, now seeing some 40 years later with me. I think I now have post holiday blues, although looking at all the great autumn outfits you've all been posting on your blogs has definitely cheered me up.

Happy talk

2011-08-31T20:59:00.002+01:00

Top: H&M

Belt: Vintage Laura Ashley, charity shop

Skirt: Charity shop, £1

Shoes: Henry Holland for Debenhams

Scarf - gift

Bag: Jumble sale, 50p

Listening to - Bombay Bicycle Club ~ Shuffle ~

The title of this post refers to a song from South Pacific, which I've just been to see at the Barbican. It was quite interesting just going to the Barbican, it is such a big place and I quite like the blocky concreteness of it all. It was a brilliant production, both the leads were especially good. I was surprised at how many of the songs I knew since I have never watched the film. I also didn't realise that the storyline contained such political story lines, particularly since it was first produced in 1949. In essence it was a lot less light hearted then I had always thought- but in a good way. There were some nice 1940s outfits too, one beach ensemble contained some shorts very much like a pair I just grabbed in the UO sale. Other than that I went to the Notting Hill Carnival on Monday, a BBQ on Sunday and a wedding on Saturday. I will try and find some nice photos from that, although for the most part I was drinking champagne and eating the pretty cupcakes made by the bride herself. This outfit has me in two minds, I like the long length skirt when I see it on other bloggers but I do feel like I could happily chop a foot off it, what does anyone else think, long or short? The scarf is one of my favourite possessions. It was a gift from my grandmother and was made by a local textile artist in the 1970s. I love the soft green shades and the subtle lace pattern.

Driftwood

2011-08-24T22:37:00.001+01:00

T-shirt - Gap

Cardigan - jumble sale

Necklace - vintage, gift

Silk skirt - charity shop

~ Listening to - Travis ~ Driftwood ~

So this is where I've been the past few days. Idling about on a beach .I actually swam in the sea too, I don't think I've ventured into the British sea in years, but it wasn't too bad. Nothing much else really, just lots on long walks, copious amounts of ice cream and Cornish pasties, strawberry and lime cider and Frisbee on the beach. Also I finally got to go to another jumble sale! I was very excited since there haven't been many this year and nothing makes me happier than rummaging around in piles of old clothing. I was pretty disappointed to leave behind a giant old steamer trunk, but until the day I have a (much) larger flat I have to leave all those things for someone else. After such a lovely break it was tough going back to work! Still there is a bank holiday this weekend so the summer holiday feeling will last a little bit longer. Also I want to thank everyone for your lovely comments on my last post, really made my day!

The shore

2011-08-07T20:58:00.000+01:00

Top - Uni qlo

Cords - Uni qlo

Bag - Jumble sale

Shoes- Charity shop

Badge - The Tate St.Ives

Listening to ~ Noah and the Whale ~ Give it all back ~

These pictures are from May when I was last by the sea. It has been too long since I had some sea air in my lungs. Luckily I only have to wait two more weeks before my next trip to the sea side. Outfit posts have been scarce, since co-coordinating myself and my photographer has been tricky and I still feel too silly taking the tripod out and about around here. This weekend has been fairy mellow, picnic in the park and today Sunday lunch in a great local restaurant and a stroll to see some historical buildings. Out of interest to any international readers- does anyone else enjoy a Sunday roast? This outfit is super simple but seaside appropriate. Featuring my all time favourite sort of ugly but awesome shoes and the best quality striped top I have found so far. Good old uni qlo. As for this back pack - I think it was maybe someone's 1990s school bag, since it features a lot of Biro scribbles to the interior. I like the jaunty turquoise colour scheme though.

Mid summer

2011-08-02T20:27:00.000+01:00

Stella Magazine 08.07.11

Photography - Nicole Nodland

Styling - Nicky Yates

These photos from Stella magazine a couple of weeks ago really evoke the feeling of languid summer days. I have to say I'm pretty jealous of that girl in her canoe. I'd love nothing more than to be by the sea, a lake or any body of water really. London is experiencing a mini heat wave just now. It's nice to finally break out my stash of sun dresses though, and also plan trips to one of the local Lidos, of which I have heard good things.

Little ships

2011-07-27T19:16:00.000+01:00

Top - H&M a few years ago

Necklace - Devon charity shop

Skirt - 90s Gap, charity shop

Shoes - Charity shop

Bag - vintage gift years ago

Listening to - The vaccines ~If you wanna ~

Summer is passing me by at a slightly alarming rate this year. I have had a busy few weekends, on Sunday I ate extreme quantities of ice cream at the Sundae festival. The weekend before I had an amazing time at Latitude festival. I really enjoyed the fact that the festival is about so much more than music. There was theatre, cabaret, literature, poetry, film and comedy. As well as all sorts of hidden stages and acts scattered about the woods. It's an unusual experience to be wandering about in the woods at 2am to come across a ska band playing with characters from Alice in wonderland milling about and fake snow falling on your head. So it was a bit of a shock to return to London and work. Cities in the summer can sometimes be a bit oppressive anyway so on Sunday I headed to Teddington, to sit by the river, make friends with a little cat and watch the boats go past and generally relax and enjoy the rest of the summer.

To the lighthouse

2011-07-14T20:57:00.000+01:00

Hat - Jersey charity shop

Dress - Camden market last year

Shoes - H&M

Bag - Army surplus store, years ago

~ Listening to 2 Trees ~ Foals ~

So a little bit more of Jersey. Also I feel I must confess the shaming fact (for a bookworm) of having never read To the lighthouse. I once read about four pages and then somehow never picked it up again, does anyone recommend I give it another go? I got this dress a year ago in Camden Stables, it was a bargain but I've never worn it. I know peter pan collars are still going strong but I find the lacey one on this dress a bit twee against the red and that put me off. I think it was originally a maxi dress, since it has clearly been hemmer. However I do like the two florals in one dress and the piping, plus it was just right for this glorious sunshine. Which sadly there isn't meant to be much of this weekend. This could be a bit of a problem as I am camping from tomorrow until Monday. Oh well, wish me luck!

Daytripper

2011-07-11T22:47:00.000+01:00

Silk shirt - Traid

Waistcoat - Jumble sale

Jeans - Uni qlo sale

Hat - Jersey Charity shop, £5

Listening to ~ Fall at your feet ~ Boy&Bear

This weekend I visited the Island of Jersey. It was fairly surreal getting an early flight and arriving at the airport at 8.30 on a Saturday. There is really a lot to do/see around the island, we barely touched on it and only visited the South side. One of the most intriguing things ( to me) about Jersey is it's history, particularly the German occupation during WW2. I really wanted to visit the war tunnels, which are now a permanent museum about the occupation. The tunnels were fascinating and chilling, I was impressed by a lot of the exhibits and how they attempted to give a two sided view of past events.b The photos above are from St.Brelades Bay beach. A truly gorgeous beach, and luckily the weather turned properly summery by the time we arrived. I felt pretty overdressed, although the great thing about silk is how breathable it is even in heat. Before this we visited the town of St.Helier where I found this great hat in a charity shop and wore it the rest of the time we were there. Looking at these photos of the beach makes being back at work even less inspiring. I will probably do another Jersey post to relive my mini holiday.

I want to see people and I want to see life

2011-07-07T20:56:00.000+01:00

Man I wish life was like a festival all the time. Well maybe not ALL the time, because the toilet/shower facilities would get you down after a while... but still. Last weekend I went to the Hop farm festival, described be Morrisey (Saturday's headliner) as ' the most civilised festival in the country. ' I have to agree since they actually had showers (!) and also it's in Kent. It was a lot of fun. I went with a couple of friends and totally forgot I was going until Friday, so had to pack a bag in a rush and get down there. Also amusing was our attempt to put up our tent which was really not meant to hold the number of people it claimed to. There were three stages, one charmingly called Bread and roses, lots of tasty food stands and a vintage tent where I got a sweet little blouse. The music was great and a little alternative, my favourites were Cloud Control, Newton Faulkner, the Guillemots, the Noisettes, (the singer was fantastic) and of course Morriesy. Although I doubt everyone would agree with me, I did find Morrisey's singing 'meat is murde'r mid way through the set a bit of a downer. Although it was worth it to hear 'this charming man' and particularly 'there is a light that never goes out'. We also got to see a bit of Patti Smith and Lou Reed, although I managed to miss the Bluetones. I'm going to Lattitude in a couple of weeks for more festival fun. I'm also going to try and not be a coward and take some pictures of all the awesome outfits I see.

Chartwell, c 1946

2011-06-29T21:18:00.000+01:00

Hat - Uni qlo

Dress - Traid, £4 sale

Belt- Jumble sale, 20p

Bag - jumble sale, 50p

Shoes - H&M plus ribbon laces

Listening to ~ Blossom Dearie ~ Long Daddy Green

Prepare for some history geekery because on Sunday I spent a gloriously sunny day at Chartwell, National trust property and former home of Winston Churchill. According to my Father (who knows such things) it's the second most popular National Trust property. It was crazy busy because they were having a special 1940s day, with home guard demonstrations, all the staff in 1940s clothing, a brass band playing on the lawn and also a flyby from a spitfire. All made even better given we only went there on a whim. Chartwell felt quite different to some of the other national Trust places I've been to. I think because there is so much knowledge and information about the people who lived there, unlike others where not much is said. The house felt very homely and you can tell would be a gorgeous place to live, the views alone are incredible. It was quite an inspiring place really, there is a room full of all the accolades and awards given to Churchill over the course of his life in the 'uniform rooms' and also a mini museum.

In the museum I found a great quote along the lines of - "I like pigs; cats look down on you and dogs look up to you but pigs treat you as equals." It said he often sketched a little pig at the end of his letters. It's fascinating getting an insight into such a famous mind. As well as the house, you can visit Churchill's studio (well part of it) which contains some of his paintings, and the rose garden/ grounds. I really enjoyed looking around but it was so hot by the end I just had to flop down on the grass and listen to the brass band. I am so glad I wore this new dress from Traid ,during one of their brilliant £4 sales,(eventually it goes to £2.) I love the feeling of all that fabric, and I am a big fan of denim/ chambray any day.

The hard edge of pretty

2011-06-20T21:37:00.000+01:00

All images collaged from Laura Ashley by Martin Wood

A little while ago I got a book out of the library; Laura Ashley bu Martin Wood. I have always been aware of Laura Ashley, when I was younger I was given some of my aunt's 1970's Laura Ashley maxi dresses. You know the one with the high necks and long sleeves that looked Victorian. To my twelve year old self these were very unfashionable, (it was after all the 1990s) and I out them in a box and never really looked at them. When I was 18 I found a rust coloured long smock dress with a matching cream smock. I wore the smock over my mini dresses at uni. The only thing I ever really appreciated about Laura Ashley dresses were the fabrics, all the retro florals and 70s colours. The only other Laura Ashely items I possess are a child's puff sleeved party dress and a sailor style 1980s number with lace collar. Still the brand has always fascinated me a bit, I knew that it was essentially started by Laura Ashley at her kitchen table printing scarves, and that grew into an international business. I have thought for the last few years that the brand should really re-issue some of it's vintage styles in some 1960s/70s fabrics. At least I'd like to buy them. So this book was of interest to me. It has plenty of glorious photos of fabrics and archive catalogue images. Although of real and surprising interest were the top two photos. (The second I have collaged up a bit) The top photo is of Viv Albertine of punk band the Slits with Paul Simon of the Clash. Apparently they were taken by Laura's daughter Jane who was at art collage at the time. I love how the sweet old fashioned image of Laura Ashley was mixed with the hard edge of punk. There is something very modern about the meeting of the two. Just a little inspiration for a Monday.

Blue for a girl, pink for a boy

2011-06-12T14:02:00.000+01:00

Hat - Jumble sale about 6 years ago, £1

Cupro Shirt - Charity shop

Jeans - Had since I was 18

Shoes - TK Maxx

~ Listening to - Fleetwood mac, Landslide ~

So this is the outfit I wore yesterday to go see the Yohji Yamamoto exhibition at my favourite, the V&A. I felt like channeling a bit of his aesthetic, with a rather gender neutral outfit. The exhibition was great, I enjoyed seeing so many of his pieces up close, particularly since you could walk around them and see the back/ sides of the clothes, which is rare in many fashion exhibitions. Some of the techniques, especially the gathering and pleating, are just incredible. The sculptural quality and sheer inventiveness of his work always inspires me. Also how he mixes up traditional mens/womens wear and blurs the lines between the two. I have been thinking about gender neutral clothing a bit recently and I found this article pretty interesting, girls in blue and boys in pink being a lot more recent than I realised. It actually used to be the other way round. Speaking of blue, the blue shirt that I'm wearing is made of Cupro, a lovely fabric that looks and feels like washed silk but is actually made of reprocessed cellulose, like tencel and rayon. It's such a bright colour and feels so cool in warm weather. Hope everyone is having a good weekend.

Golden

2011-06-02T21:53:00.000+01:00

Hat - Uni qlo

1950s blouse- Jumble sale, 20 p

Skirt - Charity shop

Shoes - Topshop sale a couple of yesrs ago

Leather clutch - Handmade by my Grandmother in the 1950s

I really need to find some more photo taking locations. I think the old yellow brick wall is going to get pretty boring pretty fast. Still, at least I managed to catch the last patch of golden sun. It's funny that I considered this skirt to be 'long' until I looked at these pictures. I have really been wanting some longer length skirts for this weird in between weather, however I can't seem to find any that aren't either maxi or strangely frumpy round the waist. The hunt therefore continues, unless I can rouse myself to make one. I got this blouse at a jumble sale last year and have struggled to wear it since it's quite short, but I'm glad to have found a way to wear i. Since it's made of lovely thick fabric and has that pretty cut out detailing too. Bit of a slow week, it's always tough going back to work after long weekends. Still I have eaten both courgette and chocolate coco cola cake today, which always makes life a little easier.

Daisy, Daisy

2011-05-24T22:55:00.000+01:00

All photos from Stella magazine, shot by Jane McLeish Kelsey

These photos are from an editorial in Stella magazine from March. I liked them as soon as I saw them but only just got around to scanning them. In the middle of the working week it's pleasant to imagine wandering about a country house with your pet rabbit and dancing around in chiffon. I love the model's hair and also that lace dress with the little collar in the second picture. The shoot is based on the character's of Daisy and Jay from F. Scott Fitzgerald's The great Gatsby. I'm looking forward to seeing the new film version when it eventually comes out. Also vaguely interesting fact, the male model is Alex Watson, Emma Watson of Harry Potter's little brother. Not much else to say this week, but enjoy the pictures!

It could stand on the ground

2011-05-17T21:38:00.000+01:00

These are a few snapshots from my weekend. I took an impromptu visit to the Southbank centre. They had a mini food market on outside, where I ate some delicious food and Nutella ice-cream. Then as we walked inside a choir started singing don't stop believin', which was rather surreal. It's one of my favourite things about living in London, that you can just stumble upon things like that. Inside there is a temporary 'museum' to the festival of Britain 1951. It was interesting to learn about the festival and the wider context of post-war Britain. I have quite a fondness for the interiors and particularly the textiles of this era. I also enjoyed the description of the Skylon, which was built for the exhibition but served no actual purpose. I especially liked reading people's memories of visiting the museum, which were displayed on lines of bunting in one room. Outside the whole embankment was decked out in bunting as well, beach huts and a temporary beach.

Taking a stroll

2011-05-10T22:03:00.000+01:00

Dress - Vintage, jumble sale

Cardigan - Levi's, on sale about 5 years ago

Belt - Jumble sale

Shoes - Urban Outfitters

Bag - Vintage jumble sale

Listening to ~ Alex Turner ~ Glass in the park

This was my outfit on Saturday and the photos were taken while I on my way off to The London Museum. I have never been to The London Museum before, I didn't even know it existed! However I am always happy to visit pretty much any museum and when a friend suggested visiting the London street photography exhibition I knew I would be going. After all blogging and street photography do go well together. The museum is great, full of fascinating exhibits about the history of London. There is even a recreation of a parade of Victorian shops. The exhibition itself was really interesting and quite moving. It have a real insight into London's past and they ways in which the city has both changed and stayed the same. I could geek on about it for ages...

I also discovered, quite by chance, that the museum is located right by the Postman's Park, familiar to anyone who has seen the film Closer, or read Audrey Niffenegger's Her fearful symmetry. An incredibley atmospheric place. I won't try to describe it to you but if you are ever in the area it is worth taking a stroll through this little park.

Around St.Ives

2011-05-04T20:58:00.000+01:00

Top - Zara

Cardigan - New Look

Skirt - New Look

Shoes - Charity shop

Scarf - Jumble sale

Holidays are tough to come back from aren't they? I have been away in different parts of the west country for three out of the last four weekends. The furthest I went was to St.Ives in Cornwall. A place of wides skies and rugged coastline. It was only a couple of days but I could have stayed much longer. My favourite parts were lying on the beach and finding pieces of glass and ceramic, eating ice cream and visiting the Barbara Hepworth museum, a place of much inspiration. It is also where I was to watch the Royal Wedding, crammed into a cafe with many other stranded tourists. I think I was feeling subconsciously patriotic in my red, white and blue outfit. Also these are possibly the only New Look things I own and I am wearing them together. The skirt is new, I couldn't quite resist the 1970s style lace up front. I hope everyone else enjoyed those long weekends too.

The idle hours

2011-04-25T21:59:00.001+01:00

Trench - H&M

Shirt - Jumble sale, 20p

Waistcoat - Jumble sale, 20p

Trousers - Gap sale

Shoes - Charity shopBag - jumble sale - 50p

I have just come back from a long weekend at a friends farm near Bristol. I had a really realxing time and did many country-like things including; canoeing, collecting duck eggs, sleeping in a caravan, and eating never ending Easter biscuits. I didn't take any photos for the blog however. So instead there are these photos from from the second part of last week's surprise trip away. They were taken at the very lovely B and B we stayed in near a little place called Rode. The building was built in the 1800s and when we arrived we were allowed to chose our room, plus for breakfast the following day we were given some champagne with breakfast. All things conducive to a happy stay there. This outfit is very simple but super comfy. I really like wearing trousers and not jeans for a change and these Gap cotton trousers are great. I did feel a little bit 1980s with the shirt/floral waistcoat combo but never mind. These shoes are the ones I took on my trip to America last year and I am rather sentimentally attached to them; I feel like they tread a fine line between quirky and ugly but still I love them regardless. Once we left the B&B we drove on to Longleat. I'm not sure I have ever been there, except maybe when I was very young. I really enjoyed it, although having a monkey sit on the bonnet of the car was slightly surreal. I hope everyone has been able to make the most of the long weekend and the glorious weather this week.

Another Circus

2011-04-20T21:34:00.000+01:00

Top - Jumble sale, 20p

Necklace - Charity shop

Skirt - Charity shop, £1

Cardigan - Primark

Shoes - Urban Outfitters

Listening to ~ Regina Spektor - on the radio ~

These photos are from my weekend trip to Bath (and beyond). The trip was actually a surprise courtesy of my lovely boyfriend. He is generally the one behind the camera although I never mention him. Anyway we had a great time, basically eating our way around town. On the friday night we went to same-same which had a great low-key laid back atmosphere. Then on Saturday we went to a little flea market - the old cattle market - which was right by where we stayed. I picked up a pretty blouse which I will show later. Then breakfast - a brownie is obviously breakfast- at the very tasty Boston tea party. We then wandered around plenty, visiting the Circus, the Royal Crescent, Victoria Park, and the Fashion museum. They had a display of vintage wedding dresses dating back to the late 1800s in honour of the soon to be royal wedding. Despite various changes in fashion they were mostly fairly similar. Most interesting to me was the way styles repeated themselves. Some of the more romantic and ostentatious dresses of the late 1970s could have come from a century earlier. They also had a display of photos from the house of Worth (I think) of ladies in their dresses from the 1920s/30s, such as the image above. I have to say the simplicity of that era is my personal favourite, for wedding dresses at least. Appropriately someone had just got married there - (the museum is housed in the assembly rooms) and as we left there was confetti all over the floor. After that we had a late lunch at the Raven, famous for it's pies. Honestly they were so good, if you get a chance I highly recommend it. More wandering and then some strudel at Hansel und Gretel, which I mentioned in my previous Bath post. We left in the late afternoon for further adventures. Bath is such a great place to visit, that city always treats me well.

Big skies

2011-04-10T22:51:00.000+01:00

Shirt - Jumble sale

Cardigan - Jumble sale

Necklace - vintage, gift

Jeans - Uni qlo

Shoes - Charity shop

Listening to - California Analog Dream ~ VondelPark ~

There is something about being under such big skies that I find hugely relaxing. That plus sunshine, a fortuitously placed ice-cream van and hazy sunshine. These photos are from Friday's visit to Devil's Dyke. There are geographical explanations for the existence of the huge empty valley, but it takes it's name from myths such as the below;

Local folklore explains the valley as the work of the devil. The legend holds that the devil was digging a trench to allow the sea to flood the many churches in the Weald of Sussex. The digging disturbed an old woman who lit a candle, or angered a rooster causing it to crow, making the devil believe the morning was fast approaching. The devil then fled, leaving his trench unfinished.Source.

Either way it is quite a breathtaking place. We meant to go for a long walk around the downs but we didn't quite get around to it. As well as Devil's Dyke we spent the morning in Brighton, eating bagels on the beach and visiting my old favourite shop, Snooper's paradise. For possibly the first time ever I left empty handed, since I am attempting to be good and only make well considered purchases, and save money for holidays. I know everyone is commenting on the weather, but it truly feels like Summer, (not even spring) has arrived. I hope it lasts! This outfit was mostly thrifted last week and seemed more interesting in my head than in reality. Still I'm happy with my finds. I hope everyone had a great weekend in the sunshine.

Around the neighbourhood

2011-03-27T21:46:00.000+01:00

Dress - Jumble sale

Belt - Jumble sale

Bag - Jumble sale

Cardigan - Deptford market

Woven oxfords - Topshop sale two years ago

Listening to - Radiohead ~ Bloom ~

I've had a lovely relaxed weekend here in London. I spent Saturday with friends drinking quite a lot of Pimms and watching the Oxford Cambridge boat race. I had planned for a picnic but the weather had other ideas. Still the atmosphere was great and it was fun despite the chill. Today was a beautiful day, so I decided I should explore the neibourhood a bit more. Also it was great going out minus a coat for the first time, although this cable cardigan is so big it basically is one. I can't believe we've lived here for two months now - it's gone so fast and there are still a lot of areas around here that I haven't seen. So I thought I'd have a little wander. I also wanted to find a good outfit photo taking location. All I've come up with so far is the above brick wall, but I did find some other more interesting places which will hopefully be useful in the future. The car in the photos is my dream car, a Nissan Figaro, although I prefer the mint green version. One day... I hope everyone else had a great weekend too.

The first flowers of Spring

2011-03-15T21:35:00.000Z

Leather jacket - TKmaxx a couple of years ago

Cardigan- Charity shop

Top - jumble sale

Shoes - charity shop

Skirt - Uni qlo

Scarf - jumble sale

Bag - jumble sale

~ Listening to ~ Stereophonics - Pick a part that's new

This weekend it really started to feel like Spring, or at least according to the flowers I saw in Richmond park on Saturday. I haven't been in a couple of years, even though I live pretty close. It's so nice to feel like your out in nature whilst still in London. On Sunday I visited the V&A (Victoria & Albert museum) , which, unlike Richmond Park, I visit all the time. I was disappointed to see the Fashion section is closed until Spring 2012, even though I have seen their permanent collection dozens of time before. The great thing about the V&A is it's so vast, there are still many collections I haven't seen before. I particularly enjoyed the theatre and film section on this trip. Vintage theatre posters are so inspiring, I wish I could take some home and put them on my wall! It's crazy to think what's on display is only a small portion of what the museum holds. Does anyone else have a favourite museum?

Brideshead revisited

2011-03-09T21:37:00.002Z

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

I found the top photo on Saturday whilst visiting one of my favourite shops, snooper's paradise (an apt name) in Brighton. The moment I pulled it out of the pile of old photos I thought of Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead revisited. (Which I fully recommend if you haven't read it.) The vintage car, the summery clothes. The trio of figures...Charles Ryder, Julia Flyte and Sebastion Flyte out for a drive perhaps? It inspired me to look up some shots of the two adaptations, from 1981 and 2008. In terms of fashion inspiration, I think the 2008 version is far more interesting (that white dress with the swallows!) But otherwise I prefer the 1981 version, since it stays closer to the story. Does anyone else have a favourite? Usually I would expect myself to be drawn to all of Julia's floaty, drapey, beautiful 1920s/1930s outfits. However I'm actually far more inspired by the boater hats, cricket jumpers, pullovers and crisp summer trousers. I think it's Spring being just around the corner. The final photo here shows Hugh Lygon, thought to be the inspiration behind Sebastian Flyte.

Thrifting trip

2011-02-27T23:06:00.000Z

These are the results of a thrifting trip I took last weekend to Deptford market. It was pouring with rain when I arrived, and to start with it seemed like the stalls were only selling food or cheap household wares. However my friends and I eventually stumbled across the flea market type section of the market. There were stalls selling various bits of furniture and such assorted junk. We all felt very sorry for an old dolls house that was getting soaked in the rain. There was one great stall with two big bins of clothes, some rails and then just a big heap of clothes on the floor. We all got stuck in and I found all of the above which came to £15 for the lot. I wouldn't normally buy second hand high street things, but the gap dress just feels like it will go with anything. I wanted that duffel coat when it was in the store but for £65 I decided I didn't need another coat, for £4 I can't really resist. I am especially pleased with the leaf print jacket, as a girl was trying it on when we arrived and then discarded it, not sure why as it's in great condition. Along with my haul, my friends bought a fish tank, a metal trunk, a Barbour jacket, a 1960s maxi dress and a 1980s silk shirt. Not bad for a rainy market. Think I'll be going there again.

Back to the future

2011-02-21T20:42:00.000Z

I came across these fascinating photos today that I really wanted to share. They are all by photographer Irina Werning. I really love the idea of these photos, to totally recreate a past moment in time. To show how much people change and yet how recognizable they are. I always find something a little sad about old photos, if only because that past they portray has now gone. Also I love how the first one looks like a current street style shot, what a stylish girl! Anyway I'll get these photos talk for themselves. (I couldn't resist the one at the end from a different series of girls with long hair - pretty amazing.)

Just for you circa 1965

2011-02-17T20:22:00.000Z

Dress- Warehouse

Cardigan - Vintage, the shop

Socks - Top shop

Brooch - vintage, charity shop

Belt - vintage, charity shop

A belated Valentine's post. My mum gave me this vintage Valentines card last year. It was given to my maternal grandmother by my grandfather. I like the unusual shape and lack of tackiness. Generally I would go for red and black for Valentine's, but this year i decided to take inspiration from the card and go for a more softer palette, which i actually really like. This dress you've seen before and cardigan is borrowed from the shop. The belt and brooch are both from the same Devon charity shop on the same day, which I've only just realised. I decided to make some pink macaroons for the day too, and they weren't bad. Although they are a serious sugar hit. Next time I want to try a chocolate and pistachio recipe.

Bring me roses..

2011-02-07T17:41:00.000Z

Apologies for me extended absence, moving house plus no Internet for a couple of weeks is what's to blame, I have been really missing catching up with all your blogs! So until a working connection is restored, hopefully on Thursday) here's a little, rather belated, valentine's shop update. Fingers crossed I will be back with more regular posting by the end of the week.

Whistle down the wind

2011-01-16T18:27:00.000Z

Cardigan - Warehouse sale

Skirt - Charity shop (H&M)

Scarf - Borrowed for my sister

Boots - vintage, charity shop

~ Listening to Cloud control - The Rolling stones ~

I've had a good restful weekend. Today I visited Sheffield Park, where I went last June to climb the giant redwoods and admire the rhododendrons. I sometimes like visiting parks/gardens off season, and today instead of sunshine it was super windy, as you can probably see. We found a part of the gardens we hadn't been to before where there is a restored cricket ground and new Pavilion. Apparently the cricket ground was put there by Lord Sheffield in 1845 and used up until World War One at which point it was used as a planting area for wheat. It was resurrected after the War until World War Two when it was occupied by Canadian soldiers and has been out of use until the last couple of years. I like learning these small and largely irrelevant pieces of history. After a couple of hours walking we went to have some hot spiced apple drink (so good, wish I had a recipe)and carrot cake before coming home where I made some raisin cupcakes. Winter always makes me want to hibernate so I like these calm weekends, particularly since we are moving in a couple of weeks so calm will be hard to find for a while. How was your weekend?

Twenty Ten

2011-01-09T16:32:00.000Z

Jumping on the retrospective bandwagon a little late but still... this sums up last year. Looking back I summarize the following - I didn't realize I ever really wore yellow, I don't like facing the camera and I don't post as many outfits as I thought. I plan to post far more frequently this year. I'm moving to a new flat at the end of the month so once I'm settled I hope to be able to work on the blog and also the shop a bit more. I loved Spring last year and I'm excited to plan my wardrobe for spring this year.

A tourist in the waking world

2011-01-02T16:07:00.000Z

Headband - Knitted by me grandmother

Top - Vintage, Etsy

Skirt - Jumble sale

Wool socks - Gift

Boots - Jumble sale

Cambridge satchel - Christmas gift

~ Listening to Florence + the machine - Blinding ~

Happy 2011! I hope everyone had a wonderful new years. I always think NYE is a bit overrated but I had a good time this year, with much wine and catching up with old (and not so old) friends. I didn't mean for these photos to look quite so ghostly, but i had the camera on pinhole so there we go. I really wanted to wear something involving my two new favourite things, the top and the satchel. I absolutely love this little sailor top. I've been trying to be frugal with buying myself clothes for a while, but I just have to have it. It's made of thick tan jersey, with toggles and a sailor collar, it's form the 1950's and the label is narnina, which naturally makes me think of Narnia and love it even more. As for this bag, well... I've been after a cambridge satchel for nearly a year, but I never felt I could justify the price of one to myself. Then a certain someone sneakily got my one for christmas. It even has my initials! I couldn't chose between brown and navy, so now I have both colours in one. I sort of want to dress like a 1960s collage student at the moment, however in my mass clearing out I found this H.M.S Victory pin, and thought it kind of went with the sailor top. Now it's back to clearing out my wardrobe, I'll be adding some things to the Etsy store soon too.

Flame in the snow

2010-12-28T16:16:00.000Z

Hat - Knitted by my grandmother

Dress - Vintage, charity shop

Belt - Vintage, charity shop

Oversize cardigan - vintage, charity shop

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you all had a lovely festive time. I've had a good time seeing friends and family, playing games and eating a months worth of chocolate in two days. I took these photos in the recent heavy snowfall we've been having. The light was crazy. The snow hasn't been this deep in years. I'm beginning a huge clear out over the next few days in preparation for moving to our new flat at the end of the month. It is always a bit scary seeing how much stuff I have accumulated over etsy the year. i'll be updating the shop again soon too.

Pioneer Spirit

2010-12-18T13:57:00.001Z

So.. I'm a rubbish blogger! It's my new year's resolution to get back on track with blogging, I miss it. Anyway here is another little shop update with some cosy things for winter. Hope everyone is excited for the holidays!

Cold snap

2010-11-28T16:18:00.002Z

Hat/gloves - Knitted by my grandmother

Coat - Jumble sale (50p)

Jumper - Jumble sale (20p)

Skirt - Gap

Tights/socks - Primark

Boots - Charirty shop (£5)

Owl Necklace - Birthday gift
Bag - Charity shop (£4)

So...I don't quite know what happened to November. I do apologize for my total absence from this blog. November has been a very busy month what with Halloween, bonfire night, my birthday, several other people's birthdays and so on. Outfit posts are getting trickier too, since I leave for and return from work in the dark now. Still I have the weekend. Since my last post the weather's turned wintery so I decided to wear something a little brighter than usual for a Sunday afternoon walk. I don't own much 'bright' coloured clothing, aside from a couple of red things. Still sometimes it's nice to wear something a little different. I'm also having some trouble finding the right winter coat this year. I really want a navy duffel coat, but one that's genuinely warm, not just a thin high street one, and the perfect vintage one eludes me still. This tweed coat is a little big (I've turned the sleeves under) but for now it will have to do. I hope everyone's having a good month. I will be updating the shop this week (really, I have the photos done) so please stay tuned.

Before the sun fades

2010-11-03T20:50:00.000Z

Dress - Altered, jumble sale

Shrug: Jumble sale

Tights: Primark

Bag - Jumble sale

Clogs - Clarks

These photos are from a week ago, before the clocks went back on a beautiful autumn day. The dress was originally mid calf length and XL, but I took it in at the back seam and chopped off the hem. I actually cut off too much, which is how I ended up with this dark green band as the hem instead. Although I think it's probably more interesting this way. I've been wearing this shrug a lot too lately, although I prefer it as a scarf. Apologies for the absence of posts lately. I've started a new job and will have to get used to balancing my time. I'm working on a shop update for the weekend, with some pretty autumn finds.

Autumn Sky Shop Update

2010-10-24T19:13:00.001+01:00

Here is the dandeliongirl vintage first shop update! This time it is a palette of blues and greens. I hope you see something you like.

Concrete Sky

2010-10-20T16:40:00.000+01:00

Dress - jumble sale

Cardigan - jumble sale

Boots - vintage

Bag - vintage, Christmas present last year

Bracelet - charity shop

Belt - charity shop

These photos are from last Friday. This is what I wore to a friend's party that evening. The majority of this outfit is vintage, and mainly courtesy of the many jumble sales I have been frequenting lately. The dress has the kind of print that on the one hand makes me think bank-worker-uniform circa the mid nineties and on the other, makes me think of space and the night sky. It was also massive so I took in the side seams and hemmed it, and voila a party dress is born. I meant to put the boots in the shop, but they just seem to go with everything and I couldn't resist. And the bracelet is Cacheral from a charity shop about ten years ago. I think it might have been a free gift, since all the charms are perfume bottles. I'm glad I photographed it now, since I seem to have lost it since. Hopefully it will turn up.

The Dandelion Girl Vintage

2010-10-14T17:53:00.001+01:00

So a little news, I have finally opened an Etsy store! The dandelion girl vintage I have wanted to do this for so long and have been slowly amassing piles of vintage for this very purpose. This first update is inspired by the changing colours of the leaves, with a palette of yellow, tan and brown (with a little pink and white thrown in too.) I have only sourced items I would wear myself and I hope you find something to tempt you. Also if you're a reader of this blog and want to purchase something in the store, just convo me the words 'secret gift' and the first person to do so will get a special free gift. I hope everyone's having a good week and I would love it if you'd stop by the store for a little browse.

Opening Zion

2010-10-06T12:52:00.000+01:00

L-R: Anna Widtsoe, Mildred Gerrard, Nell Creer, Melba Dunyon, Dora Montague and Catherine Levering

These lovely vintage images are all taken from the book 'Opening Zion' by John and Melissa Clark that I bought while I was in America. The book is described as 'part fashion spread, part adventure guide' so you can see how it would appeal to me. The book is just crammed with these wonderful photos of girls in their hiking gear exploring the Zion National Park as it's first official tourists in 1920. I thought these photos would make for great fall inspiration, the sailor collars, knitted jumpers, laced up boots... I wouldn't mind having them all. Hopefully I will get around to doing a more in depth post about the book in the near future.

In the Orchard

2010-09-27T20:03:00.000+01:00

Top - Primark (a long time ago)

Belt - Belonged to my mum

Dress - Silence & noise from a charity shop

Tights - Topshop

Shoes - Charity shop

These photos are from a recent mid-week trip to Standen, another National Trust property, and one of my favourites. It's been nearly a year since my last visit, which was the subject of one of my first ever blog posts. Standen is a lovely house, decorated during the arts and crafts movement, with many William Morris interiors. You can't take pictures inside the house, so we made do with various areas of the gardens. There's something about apples fallen from the tree that makes me feel very autumnal. The orchard was full of them, as well as the funny 'bees at work' signs all over the place. The picture of me between two posts is a sort of childrens area with a stage and a giant xylophone. I love the bench in the last photo, how nature is trying to claim it back. I'll be posting later in the week with some new things to tell you about.

Lace dress

2010-09-21T10:25:00.000+01:00

Just a little post to show off two recent purchases, this lace dress and these clogs. I'm still uming and ahing about the clogs. They are super comfy but I don't like to buy anything that I don't think I'll want to wear the same time next year, I like things to have a bit of longevity. So we'll see. I've been after a lace 60's style mini dress for months, and having trawled etsy for the perfect one, I ended up finding this in Warehouse sale. Sorry about the tights, I think this vintage Swiss dot pair are just too small, as I ended up laddering them trying to hoist them up, oops. The hat is vintage too, I felt slightly like I was going to a 1960s tea party in this outfit.

The colours of autumn

2010-09-15T15:07:00.000+01:00

All above photos from NowegianWood website

Photos from style.com

Just a little bit of autumnal inspiration.

I absolutely adore all of Norwegian Wood's fall 2010 collection. The muted tones, the fringe details, the textures, the styling. All of it. I'm hoping I can scrape some pennies together and maybe purchase a little bit of it when it arrives in her Etsy store in the next few weeks.

The second set of photos is from Rodate's S/S 11 collection from NY fashion week. Although it's a summer collection, the colours say autumn to me. I've often been a bit unsure about certain Rodate collections, they are beautiful but often don't look to wearable to me. This one however I could imagine wearing all of it. It also confirms to me that I need a pair of high waisted trousers, and soon.

I'll be back later in the week with some autumn oufit posts and a new project.

Tintagel

2010-09-09T15:31:00.000+01:00

Top - Charity shop

Skirt - Uni qlo

Shoes - Charity shop

Necklace - Charity shop

More trip photos. There aren't many more, promise! These were taken in Tintagel in Cornwall. Tintagel has a ruined castle, associations with Merlin and knithgts of the round table, caves and rugged caostline. Also finding an ice-cream van on the walk back into the town I had lavender and honey ice cream cone, delicious. After looking at the castle we looked at the old (National Trust) post office in town, where I learn the origin of the phrase being left 'on the shelf'. In the old post office there was a sleeping shelf, where girls and unmarried women slept to keep them away from the men. So you were left on the shelf until you were married. The final photo is from Dartmoor, near the Dewstone. Cornwall is such a beautiful place.

Permanent Vacation

2010-09-04T13:39:00.000+01:00

Dress - Charity shop

Perfume Necklace - Charity shop

Shoes - Charity shop

Bag - Charity shop

Cardigan - Gap

Sunglasses - H&M

Although I just got back from one trip, I immediately went on another. It being a bank holiday weekend I took the opportunity to go down to Devon and Cornwall for a few days. I had a lovely restful time and visited some places I have never seen before. These photos are from Sunday, spent on the beach in the most glorious sunshine. I haven't worn this dress as much as I'd like. It's from a charity shop and is handmade, possibly in the 1970's. It has a pretty dark floral print, patch pockets and a front zip. I decided to take it up a bit and used the left over hem to make a belt since the original one was missing. I think it's a sundress I can wear into autumn because of the colour. Not bad for £3.50.
Also thank you for all your lovely comments on my last post. If you have have the chance to visit there I definitely recommend it.

Travelling

2010-08-24T23:20:00.001+01:00

So I am home once more. I had the most amazing time. The West Coast is just beautiful. I don't want to bombard you with a thousand (that's how many I actually took) photos, so here are a selection of my favourites. My trip encompassed, San Francisco, L.A, Las Vegas, San Diego and a few national Parks (Grand Canyon, Bryce, Yosemite, Arches, Zion) . My favourite spot of all though was Monument Valley, such an incredible place. I saw some breath taking landscapes during my visit - Bryce anyone? plus mountains, rivers, beaches and canyons and many memorable sunrises and sunsets. Also thanks so much everyone for your well wishes and travel tips. I really can't wait for my next adventure.

Muki Point, Glen Canyon

Venice Beach

L.A skyline

Pacific Highway

The Golden Gate Bridge

San Francisco

Yosemite

Bryce Canyon

Zion

Arches

Rachel, Nevada

Lake Powell

Route 66

Grand Canyon

Monument Valley

San Diego

Fly Away

2010-07-27T13:07:00.000+01:00

Hat - H&M

Dress - Jumble Sale, 20 p

Socks - 99p store

Clog sandals - Charity Shop

Rucksack - TK Maxx

So I'm off! I leave at 6am tomorrow morning for an 11 hour plus flight to L.A. Then I'm spending three weeks roaming about the West Coast. I can't wait. I hope to return feeling inspired and refreshed. If anyone has any tips about places to go to (especially good vintage shops) or things to do I'd love to hear any recommendations you've got. Hope everyone enjoys the rest of the summer and I'll see you when I get back.

Humble Jumble

2010-07-24T19:55:00.000+01:00

I love a good jumble sale. Rummaging elbow deep in other people's old clothes isn't for everyone, but really there is just no better place for bargains. I think all the items in this post added up came to less than £4. I think my best baragin was the suitcase. It cost a whole 50p! Unfirtuenately the previous owner wrote their initials on the base. I mean the R is right, maybe I should alter the rest to fit me name? I love the fact the case has the date it was made (1966) stamped inside it. I wonder who R.G.J was and where they took this case. The pale blue floral dress is another favourite, it was my first find and with the case the best thing I found. It's handmade possibly in the 1970's and it is a pretty perfect fit, it even still has it's original belt. The bag looks like it has never been used, I love the little ship motif. The black button front skirt and navy dress were both calf length, but chopping the hems off has modernised them suitably. I love the logo on the N.R.S book and how you can see it on the gates in the photo. Plus the sweet little bookmark inside., spread the word about the N.R.S! I looked it up and it is still going, they have some dedicated rose gardens in Hertfordshire. After buying that I had to buy the pink porcelain rose too. I was so happy with the sandals too, I've been after some and they only cost 30p. The only non thrifted item is the little top with lace collar. I've been after some simple light summer tops so I made this one. It was my first attempt at bias facings, but I think it just about worked. Plus I had that one piece of lace and it was the perfect length, obviously it was meant to be!

Nature Trail

2010-07-19T18:18:00.002+01:00

Necklace - Made from an old belt buckle

Skirt - Jumble sale

Belt - Charity shop

Shoes - River island sale, with changed laces

These photos are from a little nature walk I went on. I saw these strange looking bugs everywhere, they didn't seem to mind having their picture taken, I looked them up and I think they are called red froghoppers, which is a pretty brilliant name I think. Also sorry for my lack of posts, since last week I've been to the Grace Kelly exhibition at the V&A, which was interesting. I enjoyed learning that the costumes she wore in High Society were given to her as a gift from the studios and made up part of her wedding trousseau. Apparently this rarely ever happened, studios usually kept the costumes. On Saturday I attended a friend's wedding, it was a beautiful day but I forgot to take any photos, hopefully I can unearth someone elses. I originally went shopping for a new (vintage) dress to wear but then I thought, why not wear something I already have, since I'm hardly short on dresses. The one I chose is a long standing favourite that I also wore for my 22nd birthday. On a different note, I will be going away on 27th July for about a month, I'm very excited! I will be visiting San Francisco, L.A, Las Vegas, Yosemite and various other places. If anyone has any tips or recommendations on places to see/things to do, I'd love to hear them.

Vintage holiday

2010-07-12T13:01:00.001+01:00

Here is a little selection of vintage photos I've picked up recently. They have a bit of a holiday theme to them, except for the rather grumpy looking girl in stripes. I love the first photo even though it's in pretty and condition. Look at all the beach outfits. On the back it says, sent back to fair haven, with the wide grin, his face (white shirt) & goggles. I took this. It's kind of sad that I will never know what any of that means, although I assume it refers to the boy to the left of the middle. None of the other photos are captioned. I think the third photo looks like some kind of girl's sports team, except there is one boy in the photo. I really like the one of the four women playing about with the wheelbarrow, they look like they are having such a lot of fun. The second to last one is a classic holiday snap, I think her shoes remind me a bit of my clogs. As for the final one, it says on the back Falmouth 1945, so at least we know where it is. I would happily wear both of their outfits on my own summer holidays.

The Rose garden

2010-07-07T16:10:00.000+01:00

Necklace - Gift from when I was about ten

T-shirt - Topshop (very old)

Skirt - Belonged to my grandmother

Bag - Belonged to my other grandmother

Sandals - New Look (again very old)

On Sunday I visited a National Trust Property called Nymans, a garden and partly ruined house. Nymans is one of my favourite National Trust places so far, the gardens were full of bright flowers and plants everywhere you looked. The first image is taken in 'The Temple' and looks down over the grounds. This sort of landscape always reminds me a little of Jane Austen, I'm not sure why. As well as the garden you can visit a few rooms of the old family house. The house was partly destroyed by fire in 1947 , yet later partially rebuilt and lived in by the last of the family to live there, Anne Messel. The gardens have a pinetum which has samples of many different types of trees, a walled garden - that made me think of the secret garden, and a rose garden. The rose garden was so beautiful, I'm not sure I've ever seen so many different roses in one place. This blog seems to be turning into 'what I wore to visit a national trust garden,' I hope nobody minds.

In the tall grass

2010-07-02T16:08:00.002+01:00

Top - Found in attic

Skirt - Charity shop

Necklace - Charity shop

Bag - Jumble sale

Clogs - Charity shop

It's funny how in the last post I said I can never find vintage shoes these days and then immediately went into a charity shop and found a pair of clogs. I have to say I've been a bit unsure on the whole clog thing. I really like the clogs+socks look for it's nod to geeks etc but wasn't really sure how it would look for me. However these clogs are more sandal like and also not so high as the infamous Swedish hasbeens appear to be. Also they are very comfy. The clogs are made by Walkley clogs in Wales. The only traditional clog makers still going in Britain, they've been around for 62 years. I actually rather like the boot style clogs in their catalogue for autumn.

Since all the editorials I've seen with clogs and a sort of grunge vibe, I thought I'd pair them with this 1990's thrifted £1.50 topshop skirt, but then I chose this 1960's top. I have a thing for button back tops at the moment, also it has a scallop hem. The necklace is one of those that is filled with perfume like the one from this post. This was the first one I found and probably my favourite. I love the little painting on the side. I took these photos on a walk through the fields near where I live, there were butterflies everywhere and kestrels hovering. I even heard peacocks in the distance and made friends with these cows hiding in the shade. Such a perfect summer day.