Grace & Manners

Vintage - This Month's Purchases

Yesterday's vintage hunting and gathering on etsy revealed a host of beautiful, quirky and unique pieces. Thankfully, I have gotten better at resisting impulse buying and usually manage to analys a purchase in terms of how it will fit into my existing wardrobe (if it is a piece of clothing), condition and price and whether it will actually suit me.

For example, I used to get extremely distracted by "romantic", slightly girlish pieces and while I still love to look at them and admire them on other people, I know now that those kind of clothes will make me look like a schoolgirl of 16 - not the aesthetic I aim for, to be sure! I have come to like a certain rigour and structure in my clothes - a streamlined cut or sharp tailoring just works better on a petite frame.

But enough preamble, let me share my two May vintage purchases.

 
Pictures from Petrune on etsy

I can't wait to wear this stunning 1940's dark blue rayon dress. It has a draped v-neckline to give a peek of collarbone and a small side train - very chic. This dress could easily go from day to cocktail hour with the addition of some delicate drop earrings, brooch and my favourite LK Bennet nude heels.

Petrune has an amazing selection of vintage dresses - I was contemplating this (worn with slicked back hair and a red lip to avoid any hint of the saccharine) and this dress (love the zingy colour) for purchase as well.

 Picture from Practice in Time on etsy

With summer (supposedly) just around the corner, I have finally found a replacement for my ill-fitting modern sunglasses: this stylish Ray Ban model from the 1950's in faux tortoiseshell. I had quite a shortliste of possible purchases but I managed to whittle it down to this pair. I still got my eye on another pair of slighly extravagant white and green striped cat-eye frames from the early 50's though...

On my vintage wishlist for next month: some more vintage silk slips for my collection, an Art Nouveau insect brooch, a turban hat and a set of daguerreotype photographs.

On Sunday...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mini jacket, gorgeous fabric...

My 1940's bar/music chest is being restored at the moment, so this small vintage table is filling its place for now. Adorned with orchid, vintage glassware, 1950's Vogue Pattern magazines and glass dome holding my old point shoes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Continuing my inspirational quest for beautiful menswear; GQ's bi-annual Style edition is always a good source.

Crazy April weather - sunshine one minute, pelting rain the next. I do like restless weather...kind of suits my mood...

Happy Sunday evening and hello new week!

On Monday...

A cup of milky tea, scribbling and painting, 1950's gold-plated shell cuff links, exercising...

Getting inspired, Easter remnants, pretty fabric...What's brightening your Monday?

New Year's Eve

I hope you are all spending New Year's Eve in a happy place - me, I will pass it right here in my little sanctuary of a flat, dreaming, pondering, hoping... laying to rest the old and welcoming the new.

Happy New Year!

Vogue Pattern Book

In a weak moment, I did a bit of pre-Christmas browsing on etsy (very dangerous in terms of sticking to my Christmas gift budget...) and snapped up two vintage Vogue Pattern Books from For The Bettys.

I love everything about vintage women's magazines: from the slightly musty smell, to the advertisments, model's poses and, of course, the fashion. Below are a few of my favourite pages from the October/November 1959 isssue.

Beautiful jacket, I particularly like the collar - perfect frame for the multi-strand pearl necklace.

I adore this chic jersey dress, so stylish! It looks comfortable, elegant and could easily be adapted from day wear to a night out. This goes straight onto my (ever growing) sewing list.

My favourite, collar bone grazing neckline style, ending in a plunging low back (unfortunately unseen).

It's always nice to find sketches of different styles or silhouettes in vintage magazines as they are great for inspiration and reference purposes.

Lip Service

While I wouldn't say that I am high-maintenance when it comes to my beauty regime (well, not all the time anyways...), I won't deny that I love make-up and its transformative powers. I am a believer in the Dita von Teese approach to beauty in that I like the idea of creating that, which you are not born with (read her interview in The Observer Magazine, July 8 2007, if you can find it).

While I don't have half of Ms Teese's glamour or dedication to detail, I have certainly found ways to make make-up work for me and none more so than lipstick. So here is a round-up of my favourites.

Top row, left to right:

MAC Amplified in So Scarlet - MAC lipsticks are really great and their range of colours and different textures (this one has limp plumping qualities) are superb. The colour is a beautiful dark wine, perfect for dramatic 1920's looks. It was a limited edition colour tough, so you might need to hunt it down on ebay.
MAC Cremesheen in Brave Red - A bright red with yellow untertones. The creamy texture means that the staying power is somewhat limited but with proper application this could easily stand up to a few drinks and nibbles.
MAC Amplified in Power House - This brigh coral-red was my first introduction to MAC and red lipstick but has sadly been discontinued. It tends to "bleed" a bit, so use a good lip pencil.
MAC Matte in Ruby Woo - If you are into Vintage make-up than this lipstick is probably somewhere in your make-up stash. It is a perfect matte coral red and has fantastic staying power. If I do my usual routine of layering and blotting it will last the whole day with little to no re-application. A word of warning to the novice lipstick user: since this is a matte texture, make sure to condition your lips before hand since dry and flacky red lips are not a good look!
Lipstick Queen in Medieval - This is my current lipstick obsession. I'd sleep with this on, that's how lovely it feels on the lips! Despite the dark colour of the tube it only has a hint of pigments which gives you a beautiful, just-bitten look. Lipstick Queen has a gorgeous range of colours in two textures - Saint, which is sheer and Sinner, which is more opaque and has higher pigmentation. Go have a look on the website now!
Lancôme L'Absolu Rouge in 132 - An absolu(te) classic that sits nicely on the lips, is moisturising and smells just the way I remember it from the days when I used to "borrow" make-up from my Mom. Nostalgia in a tube.

Middle:

Maybelline SuperStay 24 Color in Red Passion - I have always been rather sceptic about buying make-up that is over-advertised but this one really lives up to the hype and the promise. It does just what it says on the tin: it stays and stays and stays! Even oily food will hardly impact on its hold. Be sure to have a good make-up remover at hand when you are ready to take it off! I only wish they did this in matte.

Bottom row, left to right:

Lipstick Queen in Saint Rose - Moving away from reds, say hello to the perfect rosy nude shade in the loveliest texture. If you are still wary of lipstick this one might convert you!
Givenchy Rouge Interdit in Beige Champagne - Love the packaging of this one, very chic. It's a subtle pink-ish beige that gives just the right hint of soft, slightly glossy colour.

Be kind to your lips, give them some lipstick!

Are you Grateful?

I read an absolutely heartbreaking, touching and honest post on one of my favourite blogs this morning which forcefully reminded me, yet again, how much I have to be grateful for, every single day. And how it is possible to show grace and courage even in the face of great adversity. I am a glass-half-empty kind of person and sometimes I can get lost in my bubble of gloom and doom and self-pity. It is good to have one's life put into perspective from time to time.

So, be grateful!

Laced with History

 
Today, my grandmother had to move to a nursing home. How to pack decades of memories into a few cardboard boxes, how to decide what to take and what to leave, how to sift through one's own accumulated material history, how to help? Let's just say it was an emotional day for all of our family...

I feel extremely blessed to have grown up in a multi-generational home, to have had the opportunity of being close to my grandparents throughout my childhood and teens. It is such a privilege. And I find comfort in the thought that she didn't not have to move far, just around the corner to be precise, and that she still retains a great measure of her independence.

 
Like my grandmother, I tend towards the occasional ,inexplicable, sentimental attachment to objects and "things". That's why I felt especially touched when she gave me the beautiful, handcrafted lace she had kept from her mother and parents-in-law, all lovingly stored in flower-printed cardboard boxes. Trims, ribbons, collars, little, tiny bibs...Treasures indeed!

Out of the Closet

 
These wardrobes (or rather walk-in closet!) is amazing. Dark, slightly gothic, elegant - I love it!

I am working on optimising my clothing storage space and during the rumage through my collection of interior books, Elle Decoration issues and online magazines, I came across this beauty. Not that I have or are ever likely to have a walk-in closet...but hey, a girl can dream... This one goes in the inspiration file, to be sure!

Image from lonnymag.com

Master Class

 
This editorial is so spectacular - I can't even beginn to describe how much I love it. The fashion, the colours (or lack thereof), the setting, the lighting, the models, the poses...

 
 
Little side note to Miss V: The dress on the right is what I would wear to the registry office if ever I marry.

 
 
 
All pictures scanned from the September issue of British Vogue