Red legs in Soho.

'Style Me Vintage, Clothes: A Guide to Sourcing and Creating Retro Looks'

2012-02-10T07:54:00.000-08:00

I must admit that when I buy books about fashion or design they tend to be monographs about particular designers or art and design history related. This makes sense as I have a degree in Art History. I haven’t really been tempted by many of the guides to vintage/shabby chic/retro style type tomes, partially because I am probably past needing them having hopefully learnt from my many mistakes. However there are a couple of things that put me off some of those already published. One is that advising me to look out for vintage Dior or pieces of collectable Ossie Clarke is just pointless, I don’t have the money and if I wanted to know about them I would refer to a fashion historian not some vintage ‘expert’. Another is styling, I hate seeing that gawky modern fashion pose and gormless stare beloved by the contemporary fashion world combined with a thirties day dress. Also I don’t like ‘fancy dress’ styling, you know sticking someone in a wig or having them throw a ‘pin-up pose’. The final thing is tone, that ‘imperious’ assertion that certain things have to be worn in a certain way because that is 'how it was done' in some past decade that often rears it's head is the worst. As a historian that really peeves me. Or you get the breathy amateur approach which is to writing what cup cakes are to baked goods. You can imagine that it is with trepidation I received Naomi Thompson’s new book: 'Style Me Vintage, Clothes: A Guide to Sourcing and Creating Retro Looks.' She is a friend and I know she knows her stuff, but publishers and editors can wreak havoc on even the sanest prose; happily I am impressed.

The author in her cossie.

The book is part of a set of publications which aim to help introduce elements of vintage style, sort of how to ‘be vintage’ or ‘buy vintage’ or even just ‘look vintagy’ and with it’s pretty design and light touch it is, I feel very accessible to people just dipping their toes into polkadot-infested waters. However the dainty booklook is a bit of a Trojan horse because slipped into its pages is a lot of serious, useful and downright educational material. For example the vital details about checking for holes, inspecting armpits and counting the buttons are clearly explained. The dodgy element of vintage; the pitfalls of being conned into paying for a ‘vintage’ dress that has overlocking, a zip, and care instructions are all mentioned. This is however nestled away in the recesses of text that expresses the author’s enthusiasm for enjoying clothes and her tone is friendly and conspiratorial rather than didactic, something emphasised by the occasional reference to her own life experiences. Naomi tends to enthuse about all the enjoyment to be had styling clothes rather than elucidating rules or condemning any particular approach. The whole point is not to slavishly follow some cult of 'what is vintage' but to find your own way, something this slim volume somewhat subversively encourages. Possibly that is why she has kindly included this blog in the resources section of the book. If her publishers are interested in 'Style Me Vintage: The Dark Side' they know where to find me!

Fleur in swirl dress

The book is divided up into decades, and covers vintage fashion (20’s – 60’s) and retro collectable fashions (70’s – 80’s). The book also provides useful advice on accessories. The aim seems to be more to give readers a general feel for the things that condense the feel of a period. What is refreshing here is the use of real enthusiasts as models, not just some volunteers who work for the publishers which has been the case with some previous books on the subject. This works because the clothes are worn by ordinary women who love them. Christina Wilson's photographs for the book are lovely and it would not let the top of anyone's coffee table down. The poses quote the eras discussed and the magazine-like punchy page design gives the impression of a book you dip in and out of rather than having to study and digest. What I particularly appreciated was that whilst Naomi stresses the uniqueness, history, collectability and high quality of genuine vintage the usefulness of good repro brands and regular trawls of High Street stores is also mentioned. That makes this book useful to those who may not be able to afford authentic vintage or live in areas where markets and fairs are not readily accessible. This egalitarian approach is reflected by the fact that the book refers the reader to vintage dealers, repro brands and resources they can use to find their own way into styles from the past.

Gemma

If I have any criticism it is that this book could have been longer but as it is the volume is useful, well written and has considerable charm. I don’t think that anyone could read it and not be tempted to invest in, at the very least, a pair of gloves or a vintage brooch.

It can be purchased from good bookshops or via Amazon here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Style-Me-Vintage-Sourcing-Creating/dp/1862059365

2012: A vintage year or just a load of old jumble? Mystic Minn predicts.

2012-02-08T08:32:00.000-08:00

The estimable Katie Chutzpah has suggested that 2012 will be better than 2011 if only because it sounds more stylish; ‘TwentyTwelve’ does have the ring of fashionable brand name. So far however I am distinctly underwhelmed. Certainly the Chinese dragon that is supposed to bring good fortune and wealth is not doing its job. It feels like a good old fashioned English dragon so far, belching noxious fumes across my life, picking at its claws and deterring any knights in shining armour. Admittedly the Chinese year has not been here for long and dragons are infamously temperamental. But what of our own no more scientific traditional astrological system? What does this year hold in store for us? Well I have gone through several ‘respectable’ horoscope sites and one almanac and I present to you: 2012, A vintage year or just plain rubbish?

Aquarius. Beware of moths in your tweed, bugs in your bed and squatters of indeterminate origin in your garden shed. When under pressure LSD may help. A good year for flamboyance, so now might be the time for Aquarian ladies to buy a big poufy 50’s skirt. Chaps may try multi-coloured brogues,but best not combine the wearing of these with the LSD.

Pisces. Neptune your ruler is in your house (hopefully not squatting in the shed). You will be right all the time but no one listens. A good year for consuming huge amounts of cava or gin and crying into your duvet. Especially good for Piscean perverts. Beware of shoes and feet in general: travel barefoot on a mobility bike and don’t talk to chiropodists.

Aries. Gambling is a good activity this year and any winnings should be invested in gadgets. Whilst steam punk goggles and Theremins will endear you to your friends beware of buying a new Ipad and boring your companions to death. Something will fall on your head; possibly a bit of satellite. Also ghosts find you appealing, creepy.

Taurus. This is a gaudy year. Brightly coloured cord trousers and luridly dyed lady locks are necessary. Acquire precious gems wherever possible. Ladies may become engaged, gents may engage in cat burglary. A good year to cross-dress. Gets a bit dodgy in December, best stay indoors for the month. Things tied up with knots are good so perhaps pass the time with a bit of light bondage?

Gemini. Spiky things must be avoided along with all sharp objects. Please eat your dinner with a big plastic spoon lest you injure yourself or others. You need to be careful with money but horses will bring you luck so perhaps a small bet on the Derby? Sporting events are starred, so remember to enter the Chap Olympiad. Peas are dangerous, very dangerous. Oh and someone loves you, secretly. Best check you are not being followed home from the bus stop.

Cancer. This is the party year. You should chase the sun, wear bananas and do a Carmen Miranda impression. If male you should smoke cigars and choose loud Hawaiian shirts. House work is very unlucky so avoid it. Something will bite you, don’t bite back. In fact don’t get into any fights because although you seem friendly you are apparently a bit of a thug and quite frankly I'd like to keep you in the sunshine, in broad sunlight, where we can all see you.

Leo. This is potentially the year of delhi belly and problems ‘down below’ so avoid those kebabs. When not on the loo however you will be very attractive to others. Bed-hopping may of course lead to the problems ‘down below’ so you will develop natural wisdom, or wear iron knickers. Start playing an instrument, if nothing else it will distract you. Also don't go North, pointless advice really as it seems you'll spend most of the year 'south'.

Virgo. This year you may find yourself being a bit manic, please sit down, have a nice cup of tea and calm down. A good year for country pursuits, as long as this doesn’t include shooting everything that moves or joining a drinking excursion in Newquay. Painting would be a good thing to take up (this obviously includes painting your nails or the town red). Food is a good idea, as opposed to it being a bad idea, not sure what kind of food, sausages?

Libra. This is the year for a major overhaul of appearance and style. You should also spend the first part of the year saving. As a result you will be able to afford plastic surgery or a decent Savile Row suit. This is a good year for body modification and tattoos. Do not join any Cults, even if they offer you a free pen and a fried breakfast.

Scorpio. This is a year with a distinct risk of community service so don’t commit any crimes until 2013. You will have a lot of fun with a cad or scarlet woman or both depending on your proclivities. Do not under any circumstances get engaged (particularly watch out for Taureans) or sit under trees in storms although if you have the choice I'd plump for the latter. Black and white things bring you luck (badgers? Zebras? Zebra crossings?).

Sagittarius. A year of education and the perfect time to pick up a new skill. All things furry and hairy are good: might I suggest taxidermy? Or an affair with a very hairy man or woman? You could grow a moustache. A hat brings you luck. Fish are dangerous. As are shoes (again). So a hairy person in a hat with no shoes and no kippers. I suspect you'll need to go to Hoxton.

Capricorn. Oh dear. This is a year for giving up bad habits. Particularly smoking, drinking, overeating and ‘habitual bad life choices’. On the other hand you have to have these problems to give them up so you need to start smoking, drinking and screaming at barmen in Soho post-haste. It is also a very healthy year, which just goes to show that fags, tequila and a few nights in a cell have their own bracing qualities.

Obviously these predictions are all nonsensical but they have all been culled from actual predictions before being adapted (ie small spherical objects = peas). Should any of this come to pass it will be your own fault and nothing to do with Mystic Minn or Redlegsinsoho. Having said that if you want to bung me fifty quid for your own personal tailored nonsense I am quite happy to help out, especially as I want to buy a new dress. I can cast the prunes and read tea leaves too. I also have a crystal ballcock. xxx

Vintage Beauty Spa: La Belle Jolie

2012-01-28T06:53:00.000-08:00

Paint 'em red, jungle red..

There have been a raft of cottage industries, little businesses and concerns that have opened up on the back of a so-called vintage boom. A few are excellent, many are so so and and not a few are rubbish. In any case we now seem to be over served in some quarters, we need no more fascinators, little patchwork brooches or cupcakes. An area in which this is not the case is in hairstyling and beauty where we have to scrabble around to find good hairdressers. A fair few can style hair for a night out or apply make-up, but far fewer can actually colour and cut hair. Most of us can manage to style hair (or sort of in my case) out of necessity not having the time or the lucre to pay someone to do it for us but only the brave would cut their hair. The rarity of retro friendly hairstylists boils down to the need for real skills, practice and commitment, it is not enough to be a bit crafty, unlike most retro inclined businesses. As for vintage beauty, it has very much become a self-help area, with men and women sharing tips and harassing their elderly relatives for advice. But beauticians, rather like good hairdressers need good qualifications and training. They also need an understanding of science, anatomy and hygiene systems. I'm afraid a couple of NVQ's don't cut it. Three years of college does. A cowboy salon can, quite literally, harm you. Not surprising then that rather like hairdressers, vintage inspired beauty therapists have been hard to find.

Fortunately though an actual beauty spa with a vintage inspired ethos and theme has just opened in Anerley, right around the corner from Crystal Palace Station (mainline and overground) and very close to the vintage hub that is the Palace these days. It is called La Belle Jolie.

Le Belle Jolie reception.

The proprietor is Ruby Rose who is fully trained and accredited masseuse, beautician, make up artist and hair dresser (although the salon will only offer hair styling for now). She has years of experience in the field. All well and good, London is heaving with beauty salons, so what?

The difference as you walk in is immediate, decorated in soft minky tones using wall paper with Swarovski crystals you are greeted by a burst of Cole Porter from speakers disguised as old wireless sets. The dressing table is Deco, vintage pin boxes and a mini-museum of an antique hair styling apparatus and cosmetics decorate the shelves. The tendency (also delightful) with retro hair salons has been to adopt a candy coloured late forties - fifties ethos. Ruby has gone more for a 20s/30s age of glamour feel helped by the fact that her shop is in a victorian building. If you were the kind of girl who liked fiddling with her gran's pots, potions and curlers you'll love it.

Treatment room.

The treatment room in the back whilst still retro has the feel of a luxe boutique hotel, flickering nightlights and dusky plum walls create a very relaxing space. I am already imagining an aromatherapy massage, with a carefully selected oil, perhaps something redolent of a hot Hollywood evening and Ella Fitzgerald singing gently in the background.

Reception area.

Deco dressing table.

Bits and pieces.

Ruby is adamant, and I think she is correct, that her aim is to provide high quality, personalised treatment to any customers, whether they are involved in the retro world or not. There is nothing in the place that would intimidate or deter your average South London lady. However from the point of view of someone like me the appeal is largely the fact that I can use the words pincurl, half-moon manicure, Harlow, victory roll, marcel wave, betty bangs and vintage scent without having to embark on a 20 minute explanation. Also I know I am not going to be assaulted by Rihanna warbling in the back ground or eye grinding lighting. I took the pictures with my mobile phone and they don't do the place justice but they give you an idea. I'll admit that Ruby is a friend of mine, and I suspect quite a few people reading this also know her as she has been on the scene, as far as there is one for years. This is therefore not a bandwagon jumping exercise but the fulfilment of a long cherished dream.

Ruby kindly turned me into a ginger Betty Draper.

Future plans include the opening of a further treatment room downstairs and a workshop area so Ruby can teach groups. The back garden/terrace will be turned into a hot tub space. She will also be launching a range of skincare, some of which employ vintage elements. The scented deodorant that comes with it's own little powder puff, the paraffin/petrol free creams that kept our granny's skin so clear, along with modern ingredients. Ruby is hoping to hold workshops teaching people how to make their own skincare using ingredients from their store cupboard and elsewhere. Not sure I could do that, I don't think soy sauce, taco chips and wine gums would get me far! I must admit there is something very anglo saxon about me so I have never had a facial in my life. However I believe that a little pampering goes a long way. The problem is I don't like salons, the type I would like are often out of my price range and I cannot relax in a room full wipe clean formica and a photographs of adolescents smiling sweetly at me from the walls. Photographs of pin curled starlets, 20's jazz and glasses of champagne I can cope with masochist that I am!

The stylish lady herself.

La Belle Jolie is open Weds - Sunday, with late nights on Weds and Thurs. Ruby is keen to meet any vintage ladies or gents on the loose in the area and their non-vintage chums. So if you are around pop in, she has lots of introductory offers, and tea. To find it. leave Crystal Palace Station, turn left when you get to the main road and it is about 3 mins walk.

She can be contacted here: info@labellejolie.com
Tel: 020 7018 1209
website: http://www.labellejolie.com

Hours

Wed - Thu:	11:00	-	21:00
Fri:	11:00	-	19:00
Sat - Sun:	10:00	-	18:00

Parking	Street

Merry Christmas from London!

2011-12-22T08:41:00.000-08:00

Do have a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year, no matter where you are and whatever religion you have or don't have. Thank you for reading, as I have no sponsorship, nothing to give away and nothing to sell I appreciate it all the more. A very special thanks to those who commented on posts and hello to new followers. An aloha to those who I have met in person too. Please take care and have a great time. I won't be posting much over the festive season as I will be busy, hopefully, being festive. Meanwhile, Cheers!

2011: champagne bar or wheelie bin?!

2011-12-22T08:11:00.000-08:00

It has been a bit of a curate’s egg, 2011. Parts of it have been very stressful others delightful. For me the worst thing was without doubt the Japanese Tsunami which upset me deeply, I am relieved my friends and their families are safe but feel for those less lucky. The riots earlier in the year simply made me very angry, London is my city and I wish there were some way of simply evaporating those rioting morons out of it forever. The continued popularity of dire reality television and Cheryl Cole make me despair.

However there have been many good things; most of my friends and family have managed to stay healthy and sane. Some new little friends have arrived; hallo baby(s) Erin, Sophie, Veronica, Iris, Johnny and little Mason over in Seattle. Here, like many others I am nominating things this year that I have personally liked/disliked about the past year. I know it is an unimaginative thing to do, I should really film myself as a bacon fairy torching a reindeer but I am frankly quite tired! So instead my own variation on the dreaded end of year list: Those that belong in the 'champagne bar' and others that deserve to be put in a 'wheelie bin'.

The champagne bar.

Good ‘vintage’ businesses. Because they have proved that if you do something well and with conviction you can rise above the plethora of risible so-called vintage businesses out there. Amongst the good examples this year have been: The Vintage Patisserie, HeydayClothing, Rockalily Lipsticks, Vivien of Holloway, Toprunway, Rocket Originals, What Katie Did and Able Grable . All are surviving the downturn and will survive the bursting of the ‘vintage’ bubble. Thanks for feeding/clothing/improving me.

Dress from Heyday.

Barflying. It has been a good year for the cocktail bar. Too many have opened /refurbished for me to mention and I am glad as someone who does not really drink beer and is picky about wine to have alternatives. Along with a growth in the number of places taking cocktails seriously the attention to interior design and lux imbibing is appreciated. Subscribe to Diffords or follow Keith Barker Main to find out where to go. My favourite cocktail of 2011? The Twinkle.

The Beaufort Bar at the Savoy

Eurofood. My favourite food this year has mainly been Spanish particularly of the ham/cheese/mushroomy variety. Despite continuing to be fairly poorly for much of the year I have found the small, flavoursome dishes to be perfect and in London these days tapas bars have really upped their game. Sunshine lunches outside Dehesa with girlfriends are a perfect method for passing a summer afternoon. The most fun I have had in the winter has been long meals at Gastro in Clapham, snails in pernod and loads of wine.

Gastro Clapham

Small stylish clubbing. Best new club night of the year for me was the Candlelight Club, Clayton Hartley’s prohibition inspired speakeasy. Other promoters have jumped on this bandwagon but without the enthusiasm, interest and friendly hordes of this night. And you get sandwiches, and cocktails. The other things I enjoyed were the Society Club’s cinema nights at the Sanctum hotel and their shop/café counts as my opening of the year. Somewhere in Soho with dogs, smarts, friendly people and cakes? It’s a no brainer really. The Vintage Mafia Sale and Socials at the Loveshake were also a right giggle and some nice people got some storming and very cheap new togs.

The Candlelight Club.

Period dramas on television, especially the adaptation of the Crimson Petal and the White. Now Downton abbey might be laughable but its massive popularity and the kerching of the international tills means we will get more period drama. And with Mad Men, Boardwalk Empire and Mildred Pierce the 20th century was well covered too. Whilst you could say that TOWIE is Dickensian in its own way it, and its stablemates are dire lazy television. I would much rather have my escapism in a bonnet and my eye candy in breeches thank you very much.

Romola Garai in The Crimson Petal and the White.

The removal of bendy buses. How strange and fancy that: people travelling without paying the fare were also the people stealing your wallet, vomiting on their feet, fighting and not giving elderly ladies seats. Now you can sit down and mind your own business. Unless you are on the 29 which is iredeemable.

A bendy bus.

London cheek. Perhaps it is down to the riots, the recession or the fact you have to sit in a damp tent with no alcohol for days before the media notice you but there seems to be a bit more humour and irreverence on the streets. In my bit of London someone was knitting cosies for lampposts. There is more laughter in pubs, more cheeky graffiti and even the local rozzers have been jollier. A lot more fairs, festivals and open days at grass root levels seem to be happening. And a lot more of that ‘standing up for what you believe in’ stuff. Can’t be bad.

The Streatham Ninja Knitters and their bollard cosies...

The Wheelie Bin.

Mexican food has broken out all over London and on the whole I am very ho hum about it all, mostly it consists of cheap wraps with beans. I rate La Perla in Covent Garden for its excellent tequilas and have a soft spot for Mestizo but otherwise, nouveau Mexican? Yawn. My other gripe is the Burger chain Byron, taking over nice buildings, distressing the interiors and charging a fortune for cheap food. The London middle classes can be right mugs.

McStupidburger

Colebrooke Row: a good not up itself bar for proper drinkers.

Bars you have to make appointments for even on quiet nights, mainly in East London. You know you climb through a fridge or something, if they like you and they know you are coming. What a load of crap, you don’t have to make an appointment to drink at the Savoy but to sit in some ironically retro interior and sip molecular cocktails with a load of fashionable tossers you do. Well bollocks to that, I’m off to 69 Colebrooke Row for a proper drink.

A rather plain young man called Justin.

Music. Popular musical taste at the moment is horrendous. Of course I don’t have to buy it but I do have to listen to it. I have been forced to leave even really staid High Street shops due to the aural punishment inflicted on me. Rihanna, Beyonce, Ndubz, Justin Bieber, The Saturdays, The Wanted, Florence and the Machine and that Doolittle girl. Is it genetic this obsession with wailing R &B, dull guitar rock, remarketed prog-rock and craprap. Warbling singers are a real problem, and gobby girls with no manners and hair extensions, and twee breathy covers of classics like Tainted Love. Waaaaahhh!

Interestingly I had far more problems thinking of bad trends during the year which is positive. There is a lot to look forward to next year. Dickens, Stoker and MR James have notable anniversaries and we get an extra day off for the Queens Diamond Jubilee for which there is an inspired Thames river parade. Unfortunately we also have to endure the Olympics. On the other hand the new Hobbit film comes out at the end of it. And there is the new series of Sherlock, and some very good exhibitions. xxx

What have you loathed/loved about the year?

Jane Austen a go go: dressing for a Regency ball.

2011-12-15T08:29:00.000-08:00

From the sublime to the ridiculous, in vintage era terms. One weekend I am poncing around in fake leopard skin and victory rolls, the next I am fannying around like..erm…Fanny Price. Right out of my comfort zone and into the Regency period. I was attending the Oxford and Cambridge Club’s Regency Ball. It imagined an event held for Wellington in 1805 and was held in a building that although built shortly after the Regency posesses much of that period's architectural and interior styling.


The Oxford and Cambridge Club by night with fiery carriage lanterns.

Now don’t misunderstand me, I like the period, in fact I studied it's art way back in the past as an undergraduate. The finest place I ever lived was a high-ceilinged Georgian flat in Bath. Stylistically I regard it to be a high point in English design, art and literature. What’s more we beat the French when they were at their most stylish and impressive. Even in terms of fashion it has to be said that the men looked good, in fact very good, I’d go as far as saying they have never looked better. Just picture Mr Darcy, or a dashing Sharpe to your rescue: all that frogging, those tight breeches, Byronesque curls and elegant jackets. Hmmmm. However it has to be said the female fashions of the time worried me. Low cut necklines I can manage with confidence but the empire waistline is a fearsomely unflattering shape on all but the most winsome and willowy. Also the pretty little ringlets, the simple necklaces and the lack of red lippy filled me with concern. Ironically for a period marked by feisty heroines and proto feminism it all seemed a bit prissy. However the night itself proved to me that with tweaking the look was anything but twee.

Ball programme.

I knew a few of my guests were ardent re-enactors and being aware of the rapidity with which some 'vintage' types get sniffy I thought I'd best make a bit of an effort. Sadly the High Street didn't provide anything that could be adapted and I cannot sew so I decided to see if the re-enactor community could help. First off I had to do some research, I discovered that white gloves above the elbow, matt if possible would be required. That short sleeves were usual, that a pale shiny fabric worked best with candlelight, although as an older woman I could carry off richer more dramatic colours.

Portrait by Gilbert Stuart 1809

Earrings needed to be wire, not studs, gemstone crosses were a craze and a modern balconette would emulate a corset from the period easily enough. I invested in a simple reproduction dress from Marion May and decided that, if I was leaving my comfort zone this much I should really do it and chose a pale Cambridge blue silk and nail my university colours to my, erm, bra. The service from Marion May was excellent and I received my made to measure dress a few weeks later (I’d recommend her to anyone). It was an interesting thing to wear, despite being unstructured in some ways it had a convenient internal tie for tightening under the bodice and the fiddly little buttons at the back required the help of someone else to dress. I added a paisley style pashmina as a wrap as apparently paisley wraps were also popular. My aim was to look like a provincial lady rather than a duchess, more Jane Austen than Josephine. Hair was tricky, I plaited sections and fastened them up in what I hoped was a Grecian manner and curled the front with perming rods. They were nice and tight when I left but predictably drooped very rapidly. If I did this again I would go for a more structured style.


My dress

I’m still not convinced by the result, however the dress was rather comfy, as were the ballet slippers. The effect was quite girly for me which I suspect led me to unconsciously revolt by drinking rather more than I should have, being a bit too loud and while trying, half-heartedly and very badly to dance I kicked one of my slippers into the air. Whoops. But what became clear was that when the empire/directoire/classical/colonial influences were allowed to kick in the fashion of the age becomes less spriggy and bonnety and rather more luxurious and louche. If I wear the dress again I would re-trim it with stronger colours and I would love to wear a tiara-like thing of a big feathery turban like Lisa, one of our party. I should have also have had a reticule, a small pouch-like drawstring bag and would make one myself, with a tassel. The Georgians knew their way around a tassel.

Dancing.

Table full of champagne, wine and ...licorice allsorts.

A dastardly dandy attacking the sweets.

The ball was excellent fun, most guests had made a real effort so I was glad I had but I must admit my own guests were superbly turned out. We started out in the Waterloo Room of the East India Club, where news of Wellington’s victory had been passed to the Prince Regent. Upon reaching the O &C film of charging hussars was projected into the lobby effectively and dramatically setting the scene. To be honest the interior didn’t need much help, but careful lighting and some fun ideas helped. The champagne reception and dinner were welcome but the squeaky frogs, jars of sweets and skulls in the hell fire club stick in my memory. Everyone seemed to be having a good time and the other guests were friendly, including the two ex-Mayors of the City at the next table who had had no problem finding suitable outfits in their wardrobes. We were eventually thrown out in the early hours quite happy, although the following day found me feeling damaged to an extent that I don’t think would have been respectable during the period. I hope someone invites me to another evening event for this period (hint, hint), I promise that I will behave and steer clear of the dance floor by claiming gout or something. I'll even get Torquil into breeches!

Photographs of the event gleaned from Martin Soulstealer, Robert Evans, Adrian Phillpott, Lisa Stanhope and the blog of Dr Una Coales.

Myself and the elegant Becky (also in a Marion May dress).

Elegant twosome in the Hellfire Club

The 3rd Chap Anarcho-Dandy Ball

2011-12-15T05:52:00.000-08:00

3rd Chap Anarcho Ball.

The 3^rd Chap Anarcho Ball tore a chunk out of London nightlife, dipped it in absinthe and spread gentleman’s relish all over it on the 10th of December. It was a good night and as it turned out I didn’t need my patented steampunk-fabricated fake tache evaporator after all as the fake moustache was not much in evidence. The Dandy Massive appeared in great numbers, the bars of Tangiers must have been lonely that night. The mystery flappers were there later in the evening: a bit like the Spanish Inquisition, those giggling little groups of girls who just turn up randomly at vintage events clutching pink drinks, do they have some kind of strange psychic 'place were we can wear a feathery head band' sat-nav? Where do they come from? The Chap Ball lures all kinds of strange moths to its flame.

Cutting a rug.

Corralled and chivvied by red haired siren Bethan the event ran smoothly and louchely. The secretary service this year even provided a choice of era, Madmen missy or Miss Lemonkissy? An impossible choice. Gustav Temple the editor lurked in the shadows like a dapper Mephistopheles watching lost souls damn themselves to torment or at the very least a respectable hangover. Viv the Spiv was an avuncular and welcome presence, a girl never knows when she’ll need some of those, ahem, 'frisky' pills ("brought back by a pal of mine from Rangoon..’onest!"). There was a secret 'Hush Hush Hooch' bar emulating speakeasies from across the pond but also with hints of oldVictorian gin windows, we were in King’s Cross after all. The band were good, MC Elemental did something on stage that involved a monkey mask but at that point I was deeply involved in a serious philosophical discussion about the correct route to adopt when trawling around bars in Soho; clockwise? anti-clockwise? in order of exclusivity or desperation? We decided you start with Quo Vadis and end in Trish’s, quite literally if you are not careful. You see, important questions are debated at these events, I won’t tell you what I learned about wallpaper paste.

Perturbed by the AtterDalek

People were splendidly turned out, although the bearded one did hiss about 'teaching the whippersnappers how to wear black tie'. Something about a lack of waistcoats I gather. My favourite variation on black tie was Atter’s Dalek ensemble. Especially when we realised that his whisk appendage was only attached with Velcro. Daleks are, of course, chaps and the fellow with the national grid inspired whistle was also an enlightening sight (sorry). It was a pleasure to yell at Farhan and Ed out of the loo windows (classy as ever) and to dance (badly as ever) towards the end of the evening. The only booze spilt down my grey silk ballgown was gin so that was also a result.

Myself and the lovely Tracy.

For me the Chap Ball and the New Sheridan Club Christmas party are the joint high points of the festive party season. Some of you might have seen the latter’s summer party as part of Watch’s 'A very British party' documentary series? This year the theme was Tinker, Tailor, Dandy, Spy. You’ll have found me in the Russian sector with a glass of fizzy wine nosing out the trendy trots due a purge, or at least exile to Dalston.

Many thanks to Tony Lee for use of the photographs.

Chaps who wear fezzes.

Hush hush hooch.

Viv the Spiv

Note illuminated suit to the left..

The Chap Magazine: The Dandy Issue.

2011-12-14T08:43:00.000-08:00

I contribute, in a small way, to this month's Chap Magazine co-writing an article on varieties of female Dandy with Torquil Arbuthnot. I am very pleased to share page space with such luminaries as Adam Ant and Roja Dove, not to mention top notch scoundrels like Atters. It really is a bumper issue, do pick it up if you see it or order it here. x

Off to Camber..

2011-11-15T03:13:00.000-08:00

For Rhythm Riot on Friday, and around and about London before then! I'll be back with photographs and a report next week. Meanwhile if anyone else is there and recognises me please say hello. I'll be friendly I promise (unless I am tipsy in which case I might be incoherent!). Details of last year's shenanigans can be found here:
http://redlegsinsoho.blogspot.com/2010/11/rioting-in-camber.html

Blast from (my) past...

2011-11-10T08:41:00.000-08:00

I have always had an ‘off’ dress sense and it hasn’t changed much. Black Victoriana, corsets, leather, purple tights, fake leopard fur and jumble sale dresses have always been there. I have always hated bare legs (on me and others), sleeveless tops, short skirts and white shoes. My attitude to blondeness has been ambivalent and tanning is a strange diversion and for me, more daring than a rubber dress. I found an old image of me, taken in Japan at the end of 2004. Rocking the 30’s. I like the perm, but sadly curls and colour seem to be impossible (cue sharp intakes of breath from every hairdresser I know). I am never going to regularly set or have a hair rolling routine. Life is too short. I don’t look as nice now. I put it down to the much higher income, thrice weekly journey to the gymnasium and huge amounts of cocktails consumed in those days. I’m posting a picture of the bearded one from about the same era, just because. Minn xxx
Me in late 2004, Yokohama Japan.

Bearded one at about the same time...

In my clutches: redlegs becomes a bag lady!

2011-10-26T08:57:00.000-07:00

No, I have not finally found my natural place in a Soho doorway; rather those kind ladies at Atelier Hats offered me the chance to take part in one of their workshops. You may not be aware that apart from selling spiffing hats they also hold small classes in the shop. Initially I baulked a little due to advanced sewingmachinophobia but was reassured that the teacher was good and I would cope. So last Saturday morning I found myself wearing a pinny and prepared to attempt to make a clutch bag.

My choice of fabrics

Nana's choice of fabrics

I was accompanied by Nana, a lady from Streatham who already made corsages and jewellery out of African fabrics and was seeking to expand her repertoire. Needless to say she was rather more experienced on the needle front than I. Coffee and Halloween biscuits consumed we began by rifling through a selection of fabrics, I was torn by the choice between a very forties style check or a sheeny french floral fabric but eventually picked the latter along with a rich purple silk for it's lining. Nana chose a cloth featuring geisha and a pale pink satin lining. This done we set about making our paper patterns and cutting out our fabrics.

Nana pinning

Our instructor, the lovely April.

We were provided with printed instructions and April, the instructor, very clearly described what we should be doing taking us in hand if we seemed to be doing anything daft. Finally the sewing machines, or 'beasts' as I like to call them came out. Nana set off happily but April very patiently guided me through the process. I seemed to slowly get better although poor April had to spend half the afternoon re-threading my needle and there were a few, ahem, 'which buttons did what mishaps'. Eventually I ended up with something that did indeed resemble a bag and embarked on the final stage: fun with glue. The final result was not perfect, a bit gluey around the handle, but not bad for a beginner.

My first efforts at machine sewing

I think the handy amongst you out there could quite easily follow the instructions and get on with it but what you don't get by using a book or on-line instructions are the hints, warnings and advice that come with an experienced maker. It would be a very good idea for the crafty to, like my fellow student, take a class like this before embarking in any kind of concerted effort to make something for sale. Being told the only brand of glue that works well for example or being warned of bad practice/signs of low quality whilst also being told where you could solve time are invaluable pieces of info.

Sewn bag

Glue drying

At the same time a sewing ignoramus such as myself can manage to produce something. The pace was not rushed and it is a pleasant shop to sit in for a few hours surrounded by lovely hats and people coming in to enquire about them. There was no pressure or stress. I learned how to make a basic clutch bag, but it was interfaced, lined, had a neat metal handle and is quite sturdy. Other classes range from making tote bags to creating corseges and trimmings to fascinator and full hat creation. It strikes me as a rather nice way to spend a Saturday and would be particularly good things to do with mothers, sisters, maids of honour or even a stray man. Details of courses can be found here and the Aprils's work can be found on Etsy here.

The final result

Nana's bag

Halloween costume ideas

2011-10-17T08:31:00.000-07:00

One of my friends uses the tag ‘every day is Halloween’ on her social networking sites and I am with her in wishing it was. I love it, not trick or treating, that was never done here when I was a child but a Halloween party, apple-bobbing and creepy stuff was the high point of my infant year. To be frank I did have a Wednesday Addams kind of personality as a child. My default art subjects as a six year old were Dutch ladies and things spewing blood. I still love Halloween and my heart sinks whenever I get someone moaning about it being an imported foreign money making thing. I know I am going to have to politely point out the very native British nature of the thing, everything from lanterns to costumes to trick or treating has its origins here. And then there are those dog in the manger types who just moan about everything being commercial and inauthentic as a cover for being miserable gits. Fortunately I notice more adults having fun with the thing and certainly in London there is tons of good stuff going on from huge extravaganza, to the silly to the small. Halloween suits London, the city is intrinsically sinister.


Me lurking at a Halloween party last year...

Last year I posted some ideas for Halloween costumes and was really chuffed to hear a few people had a (very effective) go at them. In view of the festival’s British origins I thought I might suggest a few outfits that might be effective and will complement glasses of warm cider and English ales, more Samhain than night of ghouls.

The ethereal approach.

Leaf mayhem.

This chap has gone the whole hog..I'd like to know what he is drinking...

For those who can cope with painting themselves and do not mind smearing themselves over fellow revellers I think dressing as the Green Man/Green Woman would be effective. Actually you might not need to do the whole bright green face thing: perhaps celtic swirls or a few artistic rendered leaves. would suffice .The rest of the outfit just needs to be green, it could be sexy vintage green dress or wench or semi naked (as long as the heating in your venue is good). The essential thing is greenery, cheap artificial ivy from the pound shop or real greenery nicked from your neighbours garden (but watch where you put it, gardeners itch). I may go for it next year as it involves a little effort rather than a great cash outlay.

Modern druids at Stonehenge.

Continuing the ancient Briton theme how about the ‘Romans go home’ squad? You could start with being a druid. We don’t know what this lot actually wore, the tradition is long robes, a bit of holly or mistletoe and a scythe. I think you could do quite a lot along the toga and exotic jewellery line for this one, so bed sheets and a trick to Primark could set you up nicely. Alternatively you could back-comb your hair, get a bit metallic and paint yourself with blue swirls, girls if you can mock up a silvery bra type thing you could do even do Boudicca. This is another good cheap option and one that can be sexy, demure or downright fierce. Mind you, bearing in mind the Romans didn’t go home, for quite a long time you could just give in and come as Britannia, plastic roman helmet, shield and more bed sheet creativity. I suspect one of those cheapo devil's forks you see everywhere right now would double up nicely as a trident.You could be imperious and demand drinks all night…. be careful who you call a subject though.

Winsome Druid.

Little boys rocking the woad...

A more sultry approach...

Aunt Sally and Wurzel Gummidge.

Moving forward and bearing in mind some people love the excuse to wear a wig, sword, crinoline or bonnet, coming as an Aunt Sally might be fun although you have to remind people in the pub that they are not actually allowed to throw things at you (Aunt Sally is an old game involving a wooden figure). Her face make up is good fun, for those who remember the television series getting your chap to dress up as a scarecrow (and they are seriously creepy) might be a good idea. The bonnets can be bought cheaply, any old long dress will do: it is the make up that matters.

Aunt Sally make up.

How about coming as Punch and Judy? Judy with her dress, mob cap, big stick and baby would be easy to do and instantly recognisable. Another good sinister fictional character is Miss Haversham with her tattered ancient wedding finery,easy to create with old net curtains from a charity shop and spray cobwebs. A ships figure head might also be good,you need coiled hair, very static bright make up and the name of a ship painted on a sash and a tight long skirt, I have seen it done and it can look effective.

Punch and Judy would make a good costume for a couple.

Figure heads....

And if anyone out there really has to be a zombie I would suggest that Pride and Prejudice and Zombies be your starting point this year…..

Any other ideas out there to share? xxx

Welcome and ta very much for following. xxx

2011-10-17T07:50:00.000-07:00

Hello! This is just a brief not to say hello to those people who have signed up to follow me, thank you so much for finding the time and interest to do so, it is really really welcomed. Please do not hesitate to email me if you are planning to come to visit London or if you think there is something I should write about. Redlegs. xxx

This is what all London's vintage types will be wearing this Winter...no, really....

Penhaligon's Juniper Sling .

2011-10-12T06:25:00.000-07:00

As a Londoner I regard Gin as a birth right, we should be christened with it instead of holy water. It has through the centuries been our solace, our ruin and our ‘dutch’ courage (quite appropriate as the drink itself originates in the Netherlands). It has morphed from evisceratingly rough alcohol dispensed straight into the mouth from a tube into a sophisticated libation. It is the ingredient for Martini and White Lady cocktails, sophistication distilled and poured into a glass. In a tumbler with tonic it kept the stiff upper lip, well not exactly stiff but better immured to hot climes and angry natives. Recently with the introduction of smaller boutique distilleries it has become fashionable and shaken off the “gin and orange and a slice” doldrums it found itself in in the seventies and even then it was still the chosen tipple of a certain kind of brassy sassy London Jolie Ladie of a certain age.

Gin went through and endearing yet unglamorous phase in the 70's

Gin does not, contrary to myth make you sad (unless of course you exhaust your stock), nor does it, as long as you resist mixing it with cherry brandy and Sambuca shots, give you a worse hangover than anything else. The fact that it is flavoured with medicinal herbs and berries should all being equal make it slightly more agreeable than a basic vodka. As you can see, I do like gin. But until now I have not had the urge to smell of it. Smelling of alcohol is something I have managed unintentionally several times so perhaps I should go with the flow. I was therefore amused to hear a perfume house had made a gin scented perfume and that for some inexplicable reason they were offering me a sample to try.

True, we girls do like the a nice smelling chap...

To be fair the perfume house in question is the distinguished Penhaligons, founded in the 1870’s whose shops are always worth a visit if you are in London. What is more the perfume itself is not ‘gin’ themed but it is inspired by the predominant flavouring of most traditional gins, Juniper. The scent itself is called ‘Juniper Sling’, a name that conjures up the image of a 20’s bright young person waving a glass in the air. Now I am not blessed with good skin for perfume, everything seems to smell pleasant enough for the first few minutes before metamorphosing into a cross between toilet freshener and a stale dusting of tabac talcum powder. It was with some trepidation that I opened the bottle and sniffed. It did rather smell like gin and tonic, I like gin and tonic so I slipped some on my wrists.

Interior of Penhaligons Covent Garden shop.

It certainly didn’t smell as if I had been stirring my arm in a vat of Bombay Sapphire, rather the first impression was of a fresh smart fragrance. I waited for the talc effect, and was pleased that for once it didn’t seem to set in. A fruity Juniper scent is the initial niff but it becomes warmer after it has been on the skin for a while. This is probably explained by some of the other spicy scents in the mix: primarily cinnamon with a whisp of cardamom. It is one of those things a decent scent does, this one starts as a bracing stiffener in a chrome and glass cocktail bar full of aviators and brittle flappers and ends up as a wood panelled speakeasy full of Italian gigolos and oriental seductresses in silk. Oh dear I am getting carried away, but that is what scents evoke; pictures.

The mint green and silver deco inspired product design.

The publicity states the perfume house wants to evoke the bright young things of the twenties and they have produced a faux period newsreel to promote it. Well I think it does have a vintage edge. The bottle is stylish and provides good dressing table/shaving shelf eye candy. When I first tried it I was in a very traditional gentleman’s club and it suited the surroundings well, perhaps because this is a scent designed to be ambiguous: the gents can wear it and I felt it was masculine enough to accompany ironed cotton and cufflinks.

A still from the promo mockumentary...

I liked it, and as I always say, this is not a sponsored blog so I don’t have to endorse anything. It smelt evocative and had staying power. Also it is unlikely, due to its mid-upper price range and Penhaligons niche position unlikely to be worn by hordes of people. I love cocktails and all the scents combined to make it so yes, I would actually happily wear this. A bottle of eau de toilette is £78.00 so perhaps a friendly Santa will give me a bottle for Christmas, certainly the Travel Atomiser at £16.00 would make a rather nice stocking filler, along with some gin for the gentleman or lady in your life.

What are your favourite scents? Is there one you think is particularly evocative of the past? We'd love to know. xxx

Where are the feisty women? not in the House of Commons.

2011-10-03T08:12:00.000-07:00

The season of party political conferences has been upon us in the UK and I am concerned by the lack of female influence in real terms or of any charismatic feminine role models to inspire us. Labour talks the talk but seems to promote vaguely ridiculous women, the Tories seem to be an all blokes club with no interest in women whatsoever and the Liberal party does not contain a single woman that I can actually recall or name. Where are our Hilary Clintons, Angela Merkels and Sarah Palins? It is not that we cannot produce strong female political characters, Margaret Thatcher, Barbara Castle, Nancy Astor and Mo Mowlam come to mind. I don’t necessarily appreciate the political views these women advanced but I respect them for at least being deeply attached to them.

Mo Mowlam

It is all highly depressing and I feel that I am not represented at all as not only a woman, but one who is single, of working class origins and in work. When a female MP does get anywhere she is banging on about positive discrimination, maternity rights or (appallingly) attacking women’s reproductive freedoms. I suppose we have Theresa May, an Oxbridge graduate who was a financial consultant, whatever that flaming is. Yvette Cooper is married to a rather idiotic man. The only woman in politics who seems to have gained the interest our prurient press in any of the conferences so far is the woman with the big boobs dancing with Keith Vaz MP.

The only woman at a political conference to catch the media's attention...

So who should represent me? Well there should be more women in parliament than men in a perfect world. Why? Well on the grounds of simple representational fairness: there are more of us. I’d also like someone who has actually done a ‘proper’ job i.e. one has been a shop assistant, chef, mechanic, miner, driver or is ‘properly’ professional such as teacher, doctor, nurse or even at a push: lawyer. What I don’t mean is kind of consultant, PR wallah or professional lobbyist who are over-represented and quite frankly don’t tend to understand the realities of ordinary life in this country. I’d prefer, even though I am Oxbridge myself, that they not be Oxbridge as again there are too many of them. If with Labour they should have been involved with a Union and should be drummed out of the party forthwith if they send their offspring to a private school, the very height of hypocrisy.

I certainly don’t have a problem at all with public school graduates themselves in politics but at the moment , again, they are grossly over represented within the power bases of all the three major political parties. Preferably they should be older, let’s face it small children are (and should be) a major distraction. Also age does bring experience and wisdom. There are exceptions but exceptional people will shine. In terms of female politicians a stress on youthfulness is even more damaging, older women are often already often socially sidelined.

Although they are important issues female M.P’s should not ghettoise themselves by concentrating on so called women's interests. Actually women care just as much about policing, defence, foreign policy and the economy, particularly the economy. When things go wrong with these they affect us as much, if not more severely than the male population. It is absolutely sexist to expect female politicians to concentrate on these matters or to assume conversely that male politicians have no equally pronounced interest. Similarly the use of women politicians by the right to bolster pro-family policies is sly. We are all citizens, marriage and procreation should not attract extra rights, if anything the elderly deserve more attention as not only do they continue to pay taxes and have worked and done so for their entire lives in many cases but they are vulnerable. The elderly are also, incidentally, largely female.

Barbara Castle: Civil Servant, ARP Warden, Journalist, Cabinet Minister

So here is my dream MP: Female, over 45, either no children or they have grown up. Experience in a real job, trade union background, not Oxbridge, never a consultant unless a Doctor. Would be nice to have an atheist but doesn’t really matter. Fierce tendencies also desirable along with a sense of humour and zero tolerance of little-boy behaviour from slimy male politicians. At present I am simply not being represented or served. This is my personal opinion and is of course from a socialist bias. But some of my favourite past ministers and MPs have not belonged to the Labour party. But at present I am dismayed by the army of smug twats dominating the place. What about you? any thoughts?

Vintage inspired suits for autumn

2011-09-23T07:36:00.000-07:00

Recently I saw a photograph of a few ladies at a ‘vintage’ event. Everyone looked lovely. Quite a few were rocking what is the easiest vintage look in town, a ponytail, a circle skirted dress and big red lipsticked grins. To my mind that is without doubt the best and cheapest vintage accessory in town; a big red smile. Anyone reading this who wants that look only needs a Vivien of Holloway Frock, some Ellnette and whatever makes them happy. In my case some R & B, good company and a vat of tequila does the job.

Fabulously suited.

However what I really enjoyed seeing were the ladies in suits. I love a suit and now that summer has gone look forward to wearing them again. You can always locate a decent quality suit in the High Street because professional wear has to conform to certain levels of smartness. The 70’s schtick is still running on the high street but early this year there was a nod to ladylike fashion in some of the catwalk shows although the fashion world has labelled this ‘heritage’. This means there is currently in the shops a nod to tweeds and skirt suits. You can change the feel of mass produced suits very quickly using cheap alterations such as changing buttons, shortening sleeve lengths, adding trims such as fake fur or velvet and altering collars.

Margaret Rutherford, vintage icon!

If you are allergic to the High Street repro vintage sellers have some interesting options and I thought I would mention them. Remember this is not a sponsored blog so these are independent recommendations (although if anyone wants to send me a freebie I’ll not complain!).

Heyday 1940's wartime suit

Heyday have produced a suit which has a very authentic wartime feel about it. The 1940's Wartime suite has a nice military feel and it will match those victory rolls perfectly. I’m waiting for a friend to turn up in one so I can try the jacket on. I think that the suit would be fine for everyday wear and will look good accessorised with a richly textured autumn scarf and some leather gloves. Heyday clothing always looks sturdily made and well cut when I see it worn so this is another ‘I want’ on my list of outfits.

Putting on the ritz spying for the allies suit.

Also along the same lines is Putting on the Ritz’s Spying for the Allies suit, i.e. it could be worn to Homefront events and you might just get it past the Re-enactment fanatics. This suit has a slightly unusual cut and an edge of couture about it, probably because this small company appears to be a labour of love. An investment piece I think that could be dressed up for special events, I definitely feel it demands to be topped with an elegant hat!

Tara Starlet suit

I have seen Tara Starlet’s 'Love Army' suit worn by a friend in the green colour way. A more jaunty cut, it still has that retro feel but it is more the kind of thing a glamorous young woman would wear whilst driving her sports car through the countryside to meet Leslie Howard for tea. It has glitzy buttons and a curvy cut. I'm not sure if they are still selling the green one but I’d like to see Tara Starlet produce more colour ways as this is a very useful suit.

Toprunway suit (copyright Toprunway).

I’ll probably get another suit produced by Toprunway as I like the adaptability and personal choice involved. I bought a small reproduction tilt hat in blue and black earlier in the year and am planning to have a fifties Dior style suit made in navy blue; mixing my eras again but who cares? I’ll probably get two skirts made as I always think this is a good idea: the skirts get worn more than the jackets and the colours can fade.

Finally I really hanker after Edwardian and Victorian clothing. One of the best is Victorian Gothic Clothing, I know several happy clients and have seen the resulting suits up close. The client base is Gothically and steampunkishly inclined but this company will make the skirts and jackets in a gorgeous range of hues. Not cheap but just clock all that pleating. I want the Effra suit/gown in a nice black and I can also see myself in a pale lilac version of the Kensal Green suit/gown (I am saving up now!).

If anyone has any comments about suiting or any recommendations do share them with us! xxx

Perfume advertising stinks...

2011-09-20T03:43:00.000-07:00

There are just some things I just don’t understand. My abhorrence of blue cheese, broccoli and grime music is down to personal taste. I can even see the point of sportswear (comfy I suppose) and keeping cats (some people find scratchy sour-faced things cute, I find squishy wiggly pugs cute: each to their own) but some things I find incomprehensible.

Is she about to throw up? might explain her wan frame...

One is perfume advertising. Now I am surely within the marketeers demographic. I am female, older and single. This means that I have disposable income and am perhaps more likely to be interested in scent than younger sisters who are battling with families and children. Perhaps not for the younger ‘fashion’ scents but possibly for the more established perfume and fashion houses. So why is their advertising so completely unappealing? Or is it really just me being weird: after all they must work or these major corporations wouldn’t bother parting with huge amounts of cash to fund them?

The ad campaigns seem to fall into two distinctive camps. The first is the monochrome or near monochrome film. It features women who look like junkies, half-dead but not in a good vampire way, nothing predatory or passionate here. It all started off with that dumb Obsession advertisement. The models have sharp cheekbones and blackened eyes. The look is more sex-worker smuggled to work in Dalston massage parlour than glamorous young thing. What would that smell like? formica, KY jelly and burnt tin foil? It is supposed to be sexy because the model will be frolicking with some skinny young man with a square jaw and bum fluff who looks like he has bunked off public school for the weekend and smoked too much skunk. What would a romance with him smell like? damp polo shirt, sweat and cheap woodpecker cider? Nice.

She looks sweaty, grubby and I suspect she's been throwing up in a basin too...

There is nothing forbidden about this genre of advertising, it is about alluring as a changing room at Primark. The foreign sounding voice with the accent from nowhere, usually muttering the name of the perfume with pronounced disinterest is almost as funny as Kate Moss sounding like a female navvy muttering 'gertcha lunnun luk'. Have Kraftwerk developed a mental disorder? is Karl Lagerfeld moonlighting on mogodons? is that female so stupid she can only mutter single words? I can spot the European art films that they are trying to pastiche but it isn’t working and in any case I don’t think I want a bottle of Eau de Nightporter, a spritz of Ingmar Bergman or a Lars von Trier facial wash. Actually strike that, I will try the Lars von Trier facial wash...

Personally I have always wondered how on earth this style has survived the Fry and Laurie piss-take of the genre: 'Pretention'.

The other type of advertisement is the ‘she is woman’ variety. A model or more usually an actress strides or lounges around looking fantastic and different from everyone else. She is supposedly memorable because she is wearing a fragrance that several million other women are buying. Sometimes they take their clothing off, hinting at Marilyn Monroe’s idea that this is all you need wear. Monroe could get away with this, but I find all this semi-nakedness off-putting and in the case of some of the actresses involved just tarty and exploitative. If she is so different why get her kit off? Might work if I was a Sapphic type I suppose but I suspect this is not the advertisers intended audience. Maybe they are targeting the men who buy their wives and girlfriends perfume? but women tell men what scent to buy. You have to because of the huge variation in the way perfumes smell on different skins. Even when the men are buying the women are choosing, and lots of us buy our own thank you very much. It is noticeable when looking at vintage advertisements of fashion house scents the elegant clothes and environs are part of the deal, not a view of some actresses arse.

Charlize getting her kit off.

I suspect a bit of old fashioned sexist lewdness (nowt wrong with that) but frankly speaking an elegantly dressed well groomed woman who has achieved more than just looking good naked would sell to me, give me Audrey Hepburn in a dress not Sophie Dahl in the buff. This celebrity endorsement at least makes more sense I suppose in a celeb- bsessed world. The problem is that it is just an upmarket version of Katie Price flogging ‘Chastity’ or whatever her new scent is. I don’t want to smell like Charlize Thingy any more than I want to smell like Victoria Beckham. Famous women encapsulating scents backfires on me as does the use of stupid epithets with dodgy grammar.

This might sell me her bra....

For me the Chanel campaigns are most effective despite using actresses. I would never want to look like Keira Knightley or Nicole Kidman. Natalie Portman or Audrey Tatou: too fey and sparrow-like for my taste so I don’t have the urge to smell like them. But the Chanel agencies choose good music and try and create an atmospheric back-story and a fantastical environment for their scents. I might actually want to be involved in a dalliance on the Orient Express, associating the scent with luxury and romance has got to be good and the fact that Audrey Tatou has played Coco Chanel makes the campaign clever. I loved the one with Nina Simone singing ‘My Baby just cares for me’ with the aeroplane flying overhead, years ago but I still remember it. Sadly most Chanel perfumes do nothing for me, but I am inclined to try their rare new scents when they appear and happily buy it for friends and family.

Scent is a fugitive thing, it does not smell the same to any two of us yet it has the power to evoke strong images, memories and ideas. I always feel that the designers of perfume bottles do a wonderful job and the perfume creators work hard just to be finally advertised and encapsulated by a sticky looking pre-pubescent with lank hair sulking as if someone has confiscated her blackberry. Certainly my preoccupations with scent are smell, dressing table appeal and imagery. I love old style glamour and want this reflected in what is a luxury product. I’d buy and try more if the advertising didn’t seriously compromise my interest in buying the stuff. But these campaigns must work, so it must just be me. I am steadily coming to believe however that it is not just Marks and Spencer which has deserved a slap on the wrists for ignoring the market of adult women who have most spending power in the economy. Scent is sold to us in a childish, infantile manner just like everything else, yet it is a grown-up product.

Just for the record however, Redlegs favours Guerlaine and Marc Jacobs scents should anyone care to buy me some! xxx

Lets go conkers! London in the Autumn.

2011-09-15T08:13:00.000-07:00

Unusual I know but I have never been a great fan of summer. Chap Olympics and wedding season aside it seems to involve life stopping. All my favourite clubs close down, if there is a festival I fancy the weather and the holiday season means a lack of chalets in favour of (shudders) tents. It doesn’t stop raining and summer dresses look stupid on me. Even the good things don’t bear scrutiny. For example the school break makes my commute so much more pleasant but at the same time the transport companies take the opportunity to ‘upgrade’ and close entire routes down. That and the fact that everything you want to visit is full of screaming brats and foreign language students chewing gum, looking bored and wondering when they get to go to the Hard Rock Café.

It is with some relief and anticipation that I greet September and early Autumn in London. Once the Thames Festival passes it is, for me, truly the season of mellow fruitcakiness and leaves on the track. The whole city cranks into life, a friend once suggests to me the frenetic activity is a way to forget about the impending wintry months but I always feel as if it is an affirmation. September in London is full of walks, talks, events, festivals, fashion weeks and whilst it is hard work; back to work, back to school and back to study it is also to quote the great Soul to Soul ‘back to life’. This is what I hope to be or have already arranged to be doing over the next few weeks. For those of you who don’t live here I always suggest mid-late September as one of the best times to visit. If there is anything you would like to add to this list I would be really interested to hear it.

Cavendish Hotel afternoon tea which I am enjoying this Saturday.

Food: Afternoon tea. I don’t think a formal afternoon tea suits the summer and only comes into its own during the spring or preferably the Autumn. Tea is hot on a slightly chilled day and jams and preserves are still recently made at this time of year. Personally I do not like eating sweet sugary cakes in the heat (wasps, sticky icing, ugh!) and find that heavier essential treats like scones and teacakes make you soporific in the sun. However there is nothing better mid-afternoon on a dry or damp Autumn day.

Dehesa food pic@time out magazine

I’ll be going to Dehesa for lunch. Spanish hams carved from the joint, salami with pistachios, cheese and quince and a range of food inspired by an inland woodland Spanish cuisine. Like Autumn itself a hint of summer remains, especially if you wash your cured pork down with a good tannic Spanish red.

Crow on the Hill bookshop

Food for the mind: Book shops. It is the season for literary prizes, sweepstakes and pundits. People are inclined towards reading relaxing crap during the summer, now the urge for something meatier grabs you. I’ll swing by the excellent Crow on the Hill booksellers in Crystal Palace or pop into Treadwells for a bit of occult nosing. I may also pop into the new Society Club run by those wonderful people who run the Society Film Club in Soho for a game of Scrabble.

Walks: I may join one of the walks organised by London Walks or the new ones organised by Lost London Tours of London clubland. Alternatively this is a particularly good time of year to wander along the river at Richmond or along bankside, finishing at Borough market for a pint and a pie.

Richmond @fresh radio

Nights out: during the summer London night owls are deprived of all their favourite evenings as the best performers and organisers disappear off to Edinburgh, fields in Somerset and deserts all over the place to entertain the world’s monied classes and make some lucre. Thankfully they come back. I’m keenly anticipating the return of the Double R club doing what the (reputedly crass and crap) Box wishes it could, providing twisted fun to the masses. There are a whole phalanx of great dance clubs: Diamond Jive and the Cat’s Miaow, nights and the various things put on by the Last Tuesday Society (I recommend the smaller events).

London things: Well I have to mention the superficially glitzy, daft, silliness of London Fashion Week, I am slightly shocked to have received a few interesting invitations myself and for fashionistas I know it is the event of the season. However behind all the daft bints scowling in high heels and the ridiculous statements in the fashion press are a lot of very talented people propelling an industry that makes a small fortune for this country, and particularly London. So next week if some gobby giraffe with stringy hair and a look of panic on her face pushes in front of you at pret to grab some zero calorie wheatjuice cut them some slack: LFW is a good thing.

I quite like the tourist trail at this time of year, those topless buses are pricey but more fun than you would imagine, I’m thinking about a trip to various museums. You don’t end up with that ‘what a shame to be indoors on a nice day’ guilty feeling (or more what a shame to be indoors with a hangover in my case).I suddenly tend to also be more interested in science at this time of the year so a trip to the Wellcome Trust or the National History Museum is also tempting. The National Gallery has a lot of music coming up as it is celebrating Myra Hess’s famous wartime concerts.

National Gallery.

Shopping: Hooray! Time to start wearing layers, gloves, hats and things in appealing colours. Out with the linen and cotton in childish pastel shades and out with the sight of burnt flesh, shiny sweaty faces and toes. As a redhead all those greys, and blacks and autumnal rich shades suit me. I can get away with wearing a good slapping of make up. I love accessories. But the summery ones such as ankley things, glitzy sandles, things woven out of hemp, ethnic beads and (gulp) head bands do nothing for me. I’m really looking forward to berets (even if my significant other will insist on exclaiming “oh Betty!” everytime he sees me), a new long swishy wool coat and leather knee length boots. No matter how you look at things, for men and women things become a lot more stylish. Shopping itself becomes less onerous, fit it in now before the hell of Christmas retail sets in (in about two weeks probably).

Perfect season for hats (these are from Borsalino).

The seaside: I’m not joking. It may be wet. It may be cold. It may be half-closed but September and early October are still good times to go. Certain resorts such as Lyme Regis have a sharp, romantic feel to them. You’ll have the place more to yourself, people will be friendlier and there is great satisfaction in looking out from the window of a café, cradling your cup of tea, looking at grey waves and blustery skies.

These are my suggestions, is there anything where you are that you particularly enjoy at this time of year?

Minn x

Vista Cocktail Bar

2011-09-08T07:51:00.000-07:00

The Vista Bar sits atop the Trafalgar Hotel and lives up to it's name. It without doubt has the best rooftop views in this part of London that are available to the public. Moreover it is a cocktail bar, with comfy seating, sharp service and let me repeat: cocktails. It was the cocktails I was there to sample. The Bar is reflecting the approaching silliness which descends on London during London Fashion Week with some specially designed drinks. Some out there might be unaware of LFW, it takes the city over but in a transcendental sci fi way with most normal residents pretty unaware of it whilst part of the city goes nuts in their midst. Drinks are an integral part of the whole thing, along with freebies and mwah mwahs. Fortunately on this foray I was accompanied by the highly fashionable and extremely well connected Katie Chutzpah who runs the very best blog commentary on the whole thing which kicks off in mid September.

I do know London and I do know my drinks. I can happily declare that the bar has only one bad point, predictably it's price point (highish) however this is offset by the views, the fact that you can reserve a table and the quality of the service. Decor wise it seemed to nod towards the eighties and early 90's Ibiza lounge gecko styling. But who needs 'retro' interiors when you have such a retro view all around. Perfect place to start a special night out on the town or treat country visitors. And just in case you were worrying there are heaters to employ on a chilly evening.

On to the drinks which are pictured in various states of being drunk. The easy drinking option was surprisingly the blue option. Blue curacao gets a bad rap, it is what gets added to it that makes you feel dodgy the next morning, not the 'blue stuff'. Here it gave a zingy colour to what was basically a champagne cocktail. The final cocktail, pictured below was my favourite, an unusual combination that included mozart dark choc liqueur and absinthe. I can't remember the name of the cocktails, my long tipsy night resulted in my losing the paperwork (my excuse for everything) but I rated the staff for niceness and professionalism, and need I, once again mention the view? Honestly the place is perfect for those fashionistas about to descend on the city but the place welcomes we mere boozy mortals too.

Some more cocktail reviews coming up soon. xxx

Reproduction retro hats, Orizu now selling on Etsy.

2011-09-08T07:41:00.000-07:00

Orizu who makesdelectable hats has now opened an Etsy store. For handmade and bespoke titfersthe prices are reasonable and the hats, previously mainly available in Londoncan now be obtained everywhere. The shop can be found at www.orizu.etsy.com

Here are a few of her wares (I particularly like the oneembellished with rope):

Seriously coveting these hats..... xx

The view from my forties.

2011-09-02T05:35:00.000-07:00

There has been a spate of birthdays amongst my friends recently most of whom are much younger than me. Reading many comments along the lines of “OMG I’m nearly 30!” or “old!old!old!” has prompted me to ruminate, now I am well into my forties, on the difference between being in my teens/twenties and being where I am now.

Not the way to manage your pension....

1: Pensions and dull financial stuff.

The first thing that occurs to me is how radically different your worries are. I have suddenly become concerned about pensions and what the hell I am going to do about retirement. There has been a shocking shift, from now I grow closer to being 65 than 25. In a way this is prompted by positives; I have observed my parents and their friends. Some are having a great time: travelling, relaxing or starting second lives with new interests, hobbies and even businesses. But it does require both money and a roof over your head. I am perhaps just in time to do something about this but have become horrified by the situation of those in their 20’s who will not pay into a pension because they expect to buy property or have their own business. The simple fact is that most people do not end up being the person they expect to become during their 20’s. The chances are that you won’t end up being where you anticipate being, perhaps better off or far worse. The ideal is to have property, savings and a pension. It is known in gambling as 'spreading your bets' but at least do something no matter how little, even £10.00 month is better than nothing. The fact is no one else is going to pay for you and if you are a woman and currently busy procreating you are worse off than most, at least a quarter of the women I know who took this route have been left with the children and little support. It is not 'rock and roll' and grim I know but it has to be said.

Ohhhh, bellinis !

2: Not stressing about the wrinkles.

Another peculiar thing is that you really do become less concerned with your looks, or rather let me rephrase that. You understand your looks. You also tend to realise after bitter experience that there is not a lot you can do to change them, that miracle products do not exist and that yellow glittery eye shadow will never suit you. Of course wrinkles appear and chins sag but it is a very slow and painless process and is happening to everyone else your age. In my case I have quite average looks; age is hopefully giving my appearance a bit of character. Also a look at your younger self somewhat surprisingly shows that you didn’t look much better. Perhaps you might have looked a bit slimmer or a bit fresher but often, when compared to your modern self, also a bit ‘wrong’. I think that this actually makes older women a hard sell for beauty manufacturers and it is why they try and demonise the ageing process and really have a right go at our self-confidence at the same time. Not that I believe in ageing gracefully particularly, just ageing the way you want. However I can confirm that looking at women the same age as me and that I have grown up with those that tan and smoke do look distinctly worse for wear. Also you have to watch your teeth, I’ve managed to lose one already! So that’s it really on the beauty front, don’t smoke and don’t burn your skin. No shit Sherlock! On a positive note, so far, the boozy ladies look just as good as the tee-totallers and the slightly chubby seem to be ageing more slowly than their thin cousins. Mind you I still fume at how unphotogenic I am...

3: Not wanting to look 25 again even if you could.

One thing I do regret about my fellow forty-somethings is that the media driven obsession with youth seems to have taken hold with a vengeance. I am very glad to see the back of the pale gabardine mac, grey- permed uniform that previously marked out the elderly but am taken aback to see flighty teenage fashion on 55 year olds. I don’t want to look like my mum and she would rather have her teeth pulled than look like me. Then there are all these nips and tucks and breast enhancements and things. Each to their own, but think of all the holidays they could have bought and all the fun to be had with that money? The fact is nobody cares what you look like as much as you and you probably care too much. Don’t get a boob job, go on holiday! The health information around now is so much better, the chances are todays 20 somethings will look better than today’s 40 somethings who were children in the skin burning e number scoffing 70’s anyway. That is if they don’t eat all the pies, I have just been to the seaside and I have never seen so many fat kids.

It is definitely worse than it was.

4: Sticking up for yourself and other women.

The thing that grates the most is that women despite decades of feminism are still the victims of ageism and sexism, particularly in the work place. Sad to say this can often be a case of ‘women doing it to themselves’ rather than ‘women doing it for themselves’. There has been a huge concentration on maternity rights which although important does not necessarily help all of us. I hope women in their 20’s join a union, start being feminists again and stick up for themselves more otherwise to be frank I think they’ll be more stuffed when they reach their forties than my generation. It’s important they know that they want or don’t want babies as far as possible and plan for it. This ridiculous body clock crap was largely absent from my youth and the degree of social coercion applied by the media for us to become mothers has also increased shockingly in the last two decades. If you don’t want kids don’t have them. Sounds obvious but you would be surprised how many of my contemporaries have admitted they love their children but would not have children again if they could turn the clock back. There is no mysterious body clock that can override women’s mental faculties, that is simple propaganda, we need to make decisions for ourselves. If a woman of my generation said in her twenties she was not a feminist she was either a religious nut, a twit or a bit thick and didn’t understand the word. The reaction to hearing this would be similar to hearing a female friend say her hobby is ‘kitten stamping’: complete incomprehension. But now I hear young women saying it all the time. Weird.

4: Not infantilising men.

I have also learned, very painfully that men are just like women. Not a separate, dafter, species. Putting yourself mentally in a man’s shoes when dealing with them romantically or otherwise goes a very long way. This does also mean that you can also spot a dud more speedily. I’m now too old to let men get away with anything and have grown out of this compartmentalisation of men. I blame Bridget Jones, Sex and the City and a whole slew of other stuff for establishing a ‘them’ and ‘us’ situation. Little gaggles of grown women behaving like sixth formers, just like the school disco all over again. This is also behind the selling of products using that genre of adverts where the poor man is incapable of understanding washing machines. Not only is this deeply sexist towards men but extremely patronising towards women. Men don’t like being treated as a combination of potential sperm donor/mate for life and spare child which seems entirely reasonable to me. They aren’t very keen, on the whole on women with lots of cats, but I digress. And I have never been able to get to the bottom of that one….

Both sexes; equally weird.

I don’t really have many pearls of wisdom or any really, because to be frank I haven’t been at all wise. Nor do I think I provide any particularly sterling example to anyone. I’m too angry and too foolish. But I am older, and grateful for some things (especially that I didn’t have those tattoos when I was twenty, tattoos need to be treated with special care!) and am even looking forward to my fifties. I’m grateful to have made a few correct decisions; not to have children, not to do what was expected of me and to have bothered to study and travel later into my life than most. Domestic bliss and a mortgage was never going to be my route but is perfect for others. I just think we are all far too hard on ourselves and should develop the habit of stopping and having a long hard think (even if it is not cheering) every so often. Don't let the media and society at large brow beat you they have their own agendas. And then hit the cocktails, just being alive and well is a lucky state of existence don't you think?

Are you happier than you were in your twenties? Are you in your twenties and worried about getting older? Should I have had the bat tattoos? xxx

The return of the native - six years in.

2011-08-24T08:49:00.000-07:00

I have now been back in London for six years after an extended period abroad. It was a perverse time to leave in a way. A life - long socialist I fled soon after an apparently left wing government was elected. Perhaps I knew It’d be a very mixed blessing. The longer I was away the less my home seemed to have to do with me. Going to war in Iraq, introducing fees for students, rendition, the hysterical reaction to Diana’s death and the advent of Big Brother just confused me. I began to feel like a refugee from Blair's Britain. When it was apparent my exile was not going to be permanent I worried about what I was coming back to. A few aspects of life in blighty upon reflection were very helpful in aiding what was a tricky but ultimately sucessful readjustment.

From here....

to here....

2) The internet. I was abroad for a long time and upon my return my old friends were pleased to see me but were wrapped up in domesticity, corporate warriordom or quite often both. At the same time life abroad is coloured by constant challenge, change and your average expat is unsettled, volatile and eccentric. You are also thrown into social life, in London no one comes looking for your company. I sent a plea to a Scots dandy, he suggested the Chap magazine, old friends from the Goth scene were on-line. A presence on chat rooms meant I had acquaintances at least. Had the internet not become a phenomena in my absence my return could have been very cold.

Sheridan/New Sheridan clubbites.

3) The Sheridan Club and New Sheridan Club. I’m not saying I get on like a house on fire with everyone involved but I have never been bored and I am easily bored. The Chap magazine crowd and the later incarnations of the NSC have provided more interesting conversations, been more entertaining and the source of more good nights out than I could have imagined: these people are ace. Those people who rail on about 'elitism, conservatism and public schools twittery' do not actually know the people involved or are just inepts who have no sense of humour, irony or understanding.

4) Female company. I’m not a girly girl, I don’t want to fanny around prams or witter on about men, in fact traditionally I prefer male company but since returning to this country and partially via the bunch above I have met women who are lovely and I enjoy being with. Karen H, Sue G, Fleur, Mai, Maria, Lisa H, Naomi, Renee,the Helenas, Ali, Isobel, Bethan, Hannah and the massed Gemmas et al. I salute you. Heres to more cocktails.

Girls and a beard....

5) The so called ‘vintage scene’ because I like hats, Northern Soul, carry on films, thirties frocks, rock n’roll, quiffs, rockabilly, cabaret, Glenn Miller, Lotte Lenya, Pathe films, red lipstick, Russian constructivism, naughty undies, posh cocktail bars, old Pullman carriages, art deco, seaside towns, Noel Coward and music hall. And I never need be alone.

6) Booze. It is better now than when I left. At that point pubs were not even becoming gastro pubs they were all themed. The wine tasted like pipe cleaning fluid and you still couldn’t have a quiet drink without being harassed. Cocktails were entirely the province of places like TGI Fridays and the beer was all Stella like lagers. Whilst I returned to binge drinking and shots and gastro pubs at least the latter had some decent plonk. More notably though was the return of the classy cocktail and the glamorous bar. Having lived in a country where cocktails are ruinously expensive I could even bear the cost.

7) The bearded man, drives me crazy sometimes but one of the best things about life in London.

A big thank you and a welcome!

2011-08-22T04:38:00.000-07:00

I'd like to say a big thank you! to anyone who has recently started following my blog and anyone who has continued to endure it, especially those who comment on posts. It amazes me constantly that anyone reads this regularly and I am appreciative. If you do meet me please say hello!

A blog is a curiously form of self-expression. I must admit it makes me feel vain and indulgent. Why bother writing? Why not just get out there and get on with life? The urge to write is always there. The letter and diary editors of the past are invaluable in understanding history. I am concerned, especially bearing in mind the high quality of content in some blogs, that we may lose this because digital content is so ephemeral. We are really typing away into nothingness in a sense. All our meanderings and thought are made very impermanent and it worries me that the historians of the future will have no love letters or diaries to pour over. Perhaps we should print out our most popular posts? Not such an issue for me as I don't think my blog merits permanence but some of you out there on the blogosphere should consider it. xxx

Vintage Mafia Sale and Social: This Sunday!

2011-08-18T04:33:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that this Sunday is the Vintage Mafia Social and Sale where some of us are selling lovely things that don’t fit us or we have duplicates of. This now includes some 'men’s bits 'courtesy of Ed and Sean. Stray boyfriends now have the option to drink beer and shop so there is every chance of persuading them to abandon footie, the pub (what do men do on a Sunday? I have no idea) to come with you. It is even featured in Time Out this week so come along early to grab some goodies!

The general Spitalfields area is at its liveliest on a Sunday. Not many realise that this is a historic hang over from the area’s Jewish history when things closed on Saturdays. So Sunday is the day to visit the area and nose around Spitalfields market and Brick Lane but don’t spend any money there as we will definitely have the best value stuff. Even if you have just a little money (and we all know that feeling) pop along, have a look, come and say hello and treat yourself to a meal in a cup; otherwise known as a milkshake.

@Toprunway

One thing I am selling is a well fabricated reproduction classic fifties dress by TopRunway, made to measure for me just before I shrunk and too well tailored to be cheaply adjusted. In a medium weight aubergine cloth with white collar and cuffs it is a wonderful curvy size 12-14, absolutely pristine and a bargain at £30. 00 as I paid £53.00 and have never worn it (fuzzy image above). It will make you look like Kim Novak or any number of Hitchcock heroines. I’m going to have to order another one because I really like the design. Another thing that I have decided to sell is a gorgeous fifties red straw skull cap trimmed with gorgeous berries and leaves, beautiful but lost against my ginger locks. Needs a nice brunette barnet to rest on!

Hoping to see you on Sunday. xxx

Less frou frou vintage please!!

2011-08-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

Vintage is now a word that most accurately seems to mean distressed faux farmhouse furniture in white or pale blue. It means mimsy floral chintz, especially in waxed form, or miss matched china tea cups and saucers as long as they have designs including more blooms or polkadots. It is overblown cupcakes in any form, little bits and bobs of buttons and cheap mass produced knick knacks sewn on to everything. It is needlepoint cushions featuring union jacks and pugs, it is old jugs filled with expensive pink roses and green hydrangeas, it is reproduction biscuit tins and little wire things to hold eggs. It is sugary, it is cluttered, it is utterly girly and in great amounts it makes me want to throw up (over a cane chair reupholstered in Cath Kidston fabric with gingham ribbons tied on the the corners).

I can't imagine tucking into my kebab take away here...

Don’t get me wrong, I like porcelain teacups, polka dots and rickety old junk shop furniture, I like most of the stuff above in moderation: I just cannot bear the twee overwhelmingly fussed with sheer tweeness of the whole idea. It isn’t that I dislike excess, in the Victorian menagerie, baroque lunacy or Gothic Count gone made style I love it. Not a purist and I dislike minimalism yet there is something about all this vintage frillery frippery that grates, possibly it is boredom. And make no mistake, to the media and mass culture as a whole that is what we are talking about when we use the word 'vintage'.

Bloody little wooden signs everywhere, I know where I live thanks....

At Vintage at Southbank last weekend I picked up a free copy of BBC Homes and Antiques Vintage issue and it was full of this notting hilly yummy mummy stuff. I learned‘Vintage’ is ideally accessorised by two sweet little children, Milly and Oscar, tricked out in dove egg blue corduroy and peter pan collars. Oh and a dog, probably a Shitzhu type thing with an old fashioned working class name like Bert or Sid. I can see the magazine does have its fantasy appeal and the ladies on their stall were very nice., nothing against the magazine per se, it is catering for an audience. They were wise enough to have the lovely and very knowledgeable Naomi of Vintage Secret advising and had an article on wonderful Stein jewellery.

Their introduction to what vintage was however a big fib, actually car enthusiasts and antiques buyers are right, if you call something less than 50 years old vintage you are big fat pants on fire liar. Just because today's PR's and clueless fashion magazines and a load of 20 somethings have suddenly decided that they think 70's or 80's is vintage doesn't make it so, imagine if I tried that with anything else. I'd end up in court for misrepresentation.

Vintage 'style', if you say so, retro certainly but it ain't vintage under 50 years unless it is wine. Unless that is 'vintage' has become something else, in which case what term do we use? 40's clothes are not antiques a nd I'm unilaterally (well no one else listens to me!) reclaiming the word vintage for what it actually means genuinely old. Not something that anyone over the age of twelve has already worn before.

Here the union jack and flowers have been cleverly combined....

I suppose I am frustrated that an interest in past eras has congealed into this. I shouldn’t be surprised as I am getting serious de ja vu. It is the mid-seventies all over again. Then the country obsessed over Victoriana, Laura Ashley made a killing, the Timotei and flake girls ruled adland and the whole country went nuts for Diary of an Edwardian Lady. Everyone either had a lace petticoat sticking out from under their skirt, a folk art inspired dirndl or a Little House on the Prairie style triangle fabric tied around their head.s It was a look inflicted on me as a child. The 80’s were always better than the 70’s, they at least paraphrased the forties and pirates. It is not that I dislike flowery things or girlishness I am, as I said, just bored of it.

Cupcakes are not the only cake.

I suppose what is irritating me is the sheer sticky vanillaish conservatism lying behind it all. Is it down to the recession? It is certainly recessive. It gives the feminist in me the heebeegeebees. I’m finding the overwhelming nostalgia irksome, I just like the look of things from the past and one reason is that the clothes often reflect, for me at least, fast changing, challenging worlds but it is not an aspirational thing. I like being in a fast moving, liberal, all sexual orientations all lifestyles modern kind of world. There is a sharp cold wind of conservatism out there and conservatism tends to be selfish and oppressive. The past got a lot of things right but I wouldn't want to live there!

Maybe I read too much into it but cozying up the 30’s and 40’s and 50’s and presenting them as a soft focus version of the past seems retrograde in the wrong way. I'm all for escapism but is there much difference between wrapping women up ‘vintage’ style and sticking us in short lycra mini skirts and painting us wag orange. It’s also yet again ageist, this style of vintage only suits the very young or the fecund, if you were middle aged you would be described as mutton dressed as lamb double quick.

I do like pastel colours, I do like flowers, blimey I even like little gloves and macaroons but with added sharp conversation, some gin, some sharp deco glass and a soupcon of sassiness. I admire Greta Garbo, Lauren Bacall, Chanel, Ida Lupino, Amelia Earheart and Lee Miller. I never remember seeing a picture of them in a pinny.

I cannot think of a flowery dotty flowery cupcakey style icon as a comparison. If someone truly loves dressing like this I am not criticising them, I am worried by the motivations of the media in promoting just one entirely domestic, ultra-feminine housebound version of a passion with the past. I think this is one of the reasons many assume that an interest in historic style equals right-wing conservatism, a rejection of modernism, reactionary beliefs and the evasion of real life through nostalgia.

What do you think? Do you agree or am I just a crankly old cow! xxx

The Vintage Tea Party Book by Angel Adoree

2011-08-11T06:33:00.000-07:00

I don’t really have much of a sweet tooth, sometimes I crave a square of dark chocolate and I'm very partial to caramel like buttery coffee flavours but that is it. My only real sweet nemesis is Tart Tatin; generally though I prefer savoury things, particularly cheese. I have railed against the cupcake obsession in vintage circles before, largely because I find sponge cake dull (although butter cream is a wonderful thing) so I am not the biggest sweetie fan in the world. I do love tea, I do love sarnies and I do love a bit of ceremony though...

It might be expected that a book about holding a vintage tea party would be a) obsessed with mimsy little cakes b) full of sugary illustrations involving roses and doilies and c) unbearably twee. Angel Adoree’s new book ‘The Vintage Tea Party’ is none of these.

It is however a very pretty book, but with more of an Alice in Wonderland aesthetic emphasised by scratchy elegant linear illustrations with more than a smidgen of the surreal. Foxes, magpies and owls roam around the pages and this, along with the re-occurring icon of a fob watch gives the book a slight steampunky feel. Yes there are the totems of modern vintage a plenty here but the effect is more charming whimsy than saccharine tweeness. So what we have here is the modern take on vintage but with a well shod kick to it. This is perhaps because the author is not really so much jumping on a bandwagon as riding up front on a circus train. Some of you may recall her appearance on Dragon’s Den, she has subsequently set up a successful business; the‘Vintage Patisserie’, no mean feat in the current economic climate. I have tasted some of her wares which were delicious. This is not a dilettante but someone who makes her living out of the business of vintage themed events.

No pastel colours and not a polka dot in sight...

Cookery books these days seem to either be selling the personality of the author or a lifestyle. To some degree this tome does both. I was charmed by the pictures of the author’s family in East London and her very personal description of her (non standard) route into the world of catering. Some might find this approach a bit too individual but I appreciated it feeling that it made the reader feel like they were sharing someones enthusiasms. This was further exemplified by the long list of thank you’s at the end of the book. In as far as it is selling a ‘lifestyle’ the whole vintage thing is very popular at the moment but the author seems to be encouraging a home-made approach rather than the wholesale aspirational commercially acquisitive tack taken by other food writers. The book includes a stencil (of a young queen Liz) and invitation designs that can be copied plus lots of advice but none that requires an expensive trip to John Lewis’ kitchen shop for 'essentials'.

The book's pages on coddled eggs.

Although the book is lifestyle orientated and contains lots of general ‘vintage’ advice ultimately it is a cook book and this is the nitty gritty and the real context in which it should be judged. My initial opinion is that many of the recipes appear to be simple, do not require great amounts of expensive ingredients and look delicious, it is well illustrated with good photographs. I am not a beginner when it comes to baking but I think a beginner could manage many of the dishes. At the same time there are some unusual rmore demanding dishes and some highly imaginative ones, I was particularly taken by the recipes for beetroot and artichoke maracas and black coffee canes which I'd like to have a go at. I would like to recommend to some of my gothier friends the recipe for a 'salad cemetery'. There are also a number of recipes for forgotten foods, one of these, and an old favourite of mine is coddled eggs. These are basically eggs poached in little steamers and then tipped out so they resemble small pert eggy puddings. Anything can be added to flavour them, they are a cheap delicious nursery snack. The author could start demanding royalties from Royal Worcester if sales of china egg coddlers take off! My own tip for these is to line the coddler with buttered toast and add some cheese and bacon! The book takes a holistic approach and includes recipes for smoothies and alcoholic beverages whilst the photographs provide ideas for attractive presentation.

I feel that this is a good useful cook book wrapped in a confection of 'vintage' but that vintage here could be as much addressed to the past generally. It reminded me of the recent spate of television programmes reminding us of the wit and imagination applied to celebratory food of the past. It will suit the new fan of ‘vintage’ but there is a lot to please the gothically inclined and those who simply want to escape from the ubiquitous cup cake and produce sweets and savouries with a little more oomph, taste and creativity. One of the reasons why, I think the whole interest in the past has mushroomed recently. If we have to put up with riots, tedious politicians and corporate dullness in much of modern life why not make a teatini or some Hibiscus champagne?

I enjoyed the books determined Englishness and rather breathless quality. Most particularly though I think I would enjoy the food. This book would make a lovely gift, and one that will help an independent small business to thrive. It is a pleasant change to see a cook book that is not produced on the back of massive restaurant chains, or television series or supermarket tie-ins. Having said that, I suspect Angel’s particular brand of vintage catering might make quite good telly, not least because like all the best ladies she has vivid red hair!

The Vintage Tea Party Book is available from Amazon.

Vintage at Southbank...another impression of the day.

2011-08-10T07:47:00.000-07:00

I spent most of the weekend before last at Vintage at Southbank. Now I need to get one thing clear, I had a ball. This was because I was involved in the Chap Olympiad. This was with a group of the most committed yet most un-up themselves retro types you can find. The event even in truncated form is entertaining and the ‘great British public’ turned out to be great sports and the sun shone on us. In return for rolling up and making fools of ourselves for several hours and being photographed into oblivion we had free passes and some free refreshments. So for me it was basically a week with people I like and respect, helping others have fun. Win win really although quite exhausting, time had to be taken out of the day job the following Monday to recover.

The festival itself was an odd beast. The bulk of the vintage shopping available was outside as was the High Street which seems to be one of the distinctive features of this particular event. And both were free, as was the Chap Olympiad although sadly the organisational side of things was a bit of a mess, we were not signposted and helpers at the Hall didn’t know who we were despite the fact that the Olympiad was all over the printed publicity. I could not help feeling that the complaints of those who paid £60.00 per day for access to the Festival were understandable. Inside the Festival Hall the music/performance side of things appeared to be DJ top heavy and there were fewer live acts than I might have expected, especially as entry to the main Revues incurred extra charges on top of the entry cost. There was also no effective air conditioning so it was very, very hot. I have heard however that the Festival organisers might not be responsible as the Hall has been having problems with this in recent weeks. Sadly dancing in the Let it Rock and Black Cotton Club areas was near impossible as a result which was a shame.

Sitting on the grass day 2

I am also, and this is me personally, ambivalent about crafting and painting workshop type events. I find them a bit ‘middle class person at a boutique festival’. I don’t want to trim a hat or make a skirt when I am skittling around with my chums drinking beer and looking for music. That’s not to say that fashion shouldn’t take a centre stage and in fact this is where I think the Hemingway’s are really on to something. I think more fashion, maybe millinery and make up demonstrations; talks and lectures would have been great. I felt these would be more effective than having girls queue up for ages to have a makeover. Perhaps rows of mirrors and hairspray and Kirby grips could be provided for them to play with. I would have liked far more fashion shows; in fact a day of them would have kept me happy. Although I am biased I really wish that last year’s Chap fashion show had been repeated as I was sad to miss it at Goodwood and I feel that self-styling is at the heart of British fashion. Featuring some of the major repro brands and perhaps a ‘sub-cults’ of Britain show would have been entertaining as would more menswear.

Unsurprisingly I loved the British Airways fashion show which I really enjoyed and which the organisers did a good job of sourcing. I liked the Style Lounge on the upper floor balcony which was some kind of discofied thing, not my cup of tea but the music suited the space and it looked like the people up there were really enjoying it. It was startling to see so many people dressed up and often dressed well, especially those who probably don’t do so regularly: all those young girls ditching asymmetrical bagginess in favour of a pretty dress and a flower in the hair was a refreshing sight. I didn’t make it into the Warehouse Hacienda style basement as I just didn’t fancy that on a hot summer day in a hot building and being an 80’s girl I felt no need to revisit. Dancing the hokey pokey with hordes of jivers later in the day was however hilarious and the John Miller Orchestra who were headlining kept us happily there until late on Sunday night. As a local girl I also bitterly regret missing the opportunity to dance the Lambeth Walk around the Festival Hall! The atmosphere, especially when the place thinned out in the evening reminded you of what an involved friendly and interesting crowd of people the Hemingway’s were (partially) catering for.

Bethan, myself and Fleur squaring up to Mr Wax..

Perhaps the festival was really intended to be a mass market taster for the general public tapping into the current craze for all things vintage rather than an event for the aficionado. Most big successful festivals do not start this way, they cater for a core group, and when they start doing that really well they naturally expand, and naturally make money.

It was an ambitious and no doubt costly event to put on, a first in that venue and held at time when we are watching our purse strings. Many festivals catering to the retro crowd are big but they are also very good value, having said that if a festival is good it is a crowd that will spend large amounts of money. I know people need to make money but the truism is these things work best when they are born out of enthusiasm, for music, era and the community attached to it and sometimes I got the feeling there was not enough love there. Actually that’s not entirely fair there were obviously lots of people involved who were very committed to its success. Certainly although we were there as Chap Olympiad peeps, we worked hard (particularly Bethan) to make this a good spectacle for anyone who turned up to watch/participate. Similarly I saw lots of people I know happily explaining their clothing to visitors, smiling at tourists and having their photographs taken with children; this is not a cliquey elitist bunch of people.

I would have liked to have said hello to Mr Hemingway himself but I didn’t see him (although I get the feeling he is probably growing sick of seeing us). It must appear that people are possessive and critical of an ‘outsider’ barging into ‘their’ scene but I don’t feel that is really the case. When things go wrong it is easy to be smug when my attitude is that I want to see people do well. I have also always respected people who do things rather than sitting around talking about them.

Chap olympiad peeps day 1

The organisers should get some grass roots people from the various scenes together to see what did work and what might work better rather than relying on people supposedly higher up the food chain. I do think there is a market for a festival inspired by the past which includes cultural, style and fashion elements in addition to those already out there. Disorganisation, rude minions and the odd useless PR person can be set against the most cheerful jive and lindy instructors in town, Viv the Spiv exhorting observers to get dancing and those house fans going nuts on the balcony.

Pictures nicked from Ed, Manthe amongst others...

Were you there, what did you think?

Pillage my Wardrobe!!! August 21st: bargains galore! Roll up, roll up!

2011-08-08T07:24:00.000-07:00

On August 21^st the Vintage Mafia are having another one of their small but perfectly formed Vintage Sales and Socials at the LoveShake in Shoreditch. East London…I know! But it is a very short walk from both Old Street and Liverpool Street stations and the venue is a charming homage to a fifties shake bar, why not combine a trip to this with a trawl around Spitalfields, a short walk away and liveliest on a Sunday. The word ‘social’ is in the name of this event as you can also grab a drink, a shake or a burger whilst you rummage through the rails or just sit down and chat.

Beautiful Emerald Vivien of Holloway circle dress.

The clothes are in the sale due to overfull wardrobes, duplicate clothing and size fluctuations. There is no 80’s tat, moth eaten pieces on their last sad legs and they are clean and in good condition. Apart from frocks there are accessories and other small items and these range from vintage to repro to high street reflecting the past. Finally, and importantly for us all, the prices are very reasonable and unlike on-line goods you can try them on before you purchase.

Tara Starlet pink home front dress size 14, hardly worn.

It is here that I declare an interest as I have been kindly allowed to sell some of my things at this fair. In my case I am clearing the decks due to things not fitting (as some of you know I have been ill). I’ll have a good sprinkling of large size 12’s, 14’s and even the odd size 16. There will be (real) vintage, repro and up-market High Street all laundered and in good or honestly described condition. Amongst these is a fantastic late 50’s wiggle dress in burgundy with a gold thread, a sweetheart neckline and a cinched waist which I really wish I could shrink, its a large 14 small 16. I also have a fantastic pair of Japanese geta style sandals with Japanese silk thongs but a wedge heel with bright stripes. I bought these from a shop in central Japan and they would set off a fifties beach outfit brilliantly.

Also on the rails will be an emerald satin Vivien of Holloway circle dress with bolero in a 14 and two Big Barbara Brown repro dresses in size 12 and size 14 including the lovely 30’s style spotted Evita dress.

Tara Starlet Peggy, fantastic speckled bengaline fifties shape, size 14.

Additionally I have two Whistles 40’s style tea dresses (generous size 12’s) and two Tara Starlet dresses: the Homefront tea dress with flowers (14) and the Peggy (also 14) which have hardly been worn. I also have pure silk evening dresses from Jigsaw (contemporary) and Coast (30's style). All of these dresses cost £70.00 - 120.00 for bog standard High Street prices. I may also, if I have the time beforehand be selling some original art work and cards. I'm not a seller really and I don't do ebay as I cannot get to a post office without getting up early on a Saturday morning; so please catch the train /boat/camel East and pillage my wardrobe, I want to see my frocks go to good homes! Any questions pop me a comment or email me.

Redlegs x

It's August! Let's go out and play...

2011-08-01T05:52:00.000-07:00

August has just begun, with some sunshine! Hurrah! June has been busy, July was busier and August promised to be even more chaotic. Here are just a few of the things happening here in London:

Tashes picni..err I mean cricket match..

I’m not very interested in sport and quite disinterested in cricket. Fortunately however the annual ‘Tashes’ match, hirsute versus clean shaven seems to basically be a big picnic free for all. Held on August 13th in the wilds of Roehampton it is an opportunity to pack a hamper, bring some bubbly and sit in the sun. Oh…and there are a few people knocking a small red ball around in the far distance. Easy to join in, or even to play some cricket: this is one of the rare instances when fake face topiary is acceptable. See here for further information:

Candlelight Club.

After Vintage at Southbank on Saturday we took a ‘breather’ at the delightful art deco Knight’s Bar above Simpson’s on the Strand. We were sitting there minding our own business drinking our cocktails when in breezed Librarian around town and NSC fixer Artemis Scarheart. In full white tie he was heading off the Candlelight club. Entirely lit by candlelight this event has really taken off but unlike many so-called speakeasy events it does not, despite an expansion in numbers, seem to have attracted that dodgy crowd that turn up at other prohibition-inspired events. Not necessarily a typical retro crowd they do dress up, are very friendly and dance uninhibitedly. In August on the 20th they are having a Ball in an as yet secret location although they say it is somewhere special, I can really recommend this well run event with delicious cocktails, further details here.

Dancing at the Candlelight Club.

The Vintage Mafia are holding the second of their sales on Sunday 21st August at the Love Shake Here you can find well cared for clothes at decent prices and honestly sold. Last time I picked up a lovely thirties style Karen Millen dress and a hand- made felt brooch which has earned me lots of positive comments. Pop in to Johnny Vercoutre’s Time for Tea for a quick cuppa beforehand, there are diner style drinks and food at the sale and then you can wander off to examine you buys at the pub afterwards. Perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Details here.

Stylish Clothes from stylish ladies.


Seaside frolics at the Kiss Me Quick party.

The high point of the month is for me the New Sheridan Club's Kiss me Quick! summer party on the 27th of August. These events are closer to the Chap Olympiad in spirit than anything else. They only happen twice a year and are organised for love rather than profit and are inclusive not cliquey. This summer’s theme is seaside/maritime and it will include some form of entertainment not to mention the famed silly games. They also provide an excuse to either wear your finest finery or take the more, ahem, dramatic route. My challenge this year is to choose between sailorette or pirate: now that is what I call a quandary. This year’s event will take place in the Tea House Theatre in Vauxhall, very close to tube, train, bus connections and MI6 headquarters. Further information: here.

Photographs of recent NSC Summer events below:

A heads - up for early September , on Saturday the 10^th those lovely ladies ‘The Vintage Mafia’ are hosting their initial evening social event: ‘The Ric Rac Club’. Details are sketchy at the moment but I anticipate it will involve good music and some of London’s more stylish night owls. Bearing in mind the general ebullience of the hostesses themselves it is also very likely to be a lot of fun as they don’t take themselves too seriously. I also anticipate booze, well the venue is the Fox which is a characterful old pub close to Old Street Tube. Oh and by the way for those who may be wondering, ric rac is a kind of trimming made of curvy woven cotton, not a medieval torture gizmo! Details of the night can be found here.

Ric Rac!

REVIVAL repro-vintage in Kingly Court.

2011-07-25T10:40:00.000-07:00

Now I have already nailed my colours to the mast concerning repro clothing. I have seen some very catty comments from purists over the years. In my book purists are wonderful when they are the kind of person who shares their enthusiasm and knowledge, but when they are snide they are just another brand of prat. I am delighted to find original items when the are affordable, fit and are in decent condition but this can't always be the case especially bearing in mind modern figures. Rowena (pictured below) hails from the jive scene and has started selling a selection of well known repro brands. Many of these can be ordered on line already from reputable on-line shops however if you cannot wait it is handy to be able to run in, try on and run out with a dress you have had your eye on.

What caught my eye was that the shop, Revival, is not limiting itself to a certain era. For example there are some lovely beaded 20's dresses (Candlelight Club and Prohibition regulars please note!). The other element is that she is selling shoes. Now I have awkward shaped feet, 80% of the time shoes won't fit me so ordering these on-line is not possible for me, I think selling repro-shoes is a very good idea. She also stocks cute silk and button hair/corsages and is hoping to stock more things from small makers. Adornment for the brain is available in the form of a small range of beautifully bound books by the likes of F. Scott Fitzgerald. The shop's range will be extending to include mens wear. She is currently stocking:

Stop Staring
Trashy Diva
Tara Starlet
Vecona Vintage
Nicole Katherine
Re-Mix Vintage Footwear
Aris Allen Swing Dance Shoes

This now means you could completely kit yourself out in the Carnaby street area: hair by Betty or the Powderpuff girls, make up from the latter, undies from Sugarlesque, frock from Revival and a hat from Atelier Millinery. Details here: http://www.revival-retro.com/

Rowena in the shop on it's opening day.

Detail of beaded 20's style dress.

Some of the dresses on sale.

Long 30's style evening frock.

Now these shoes I really want

Hair decorations/corsages.

Books, pearls and shoes...all it needs is a glass of champagne and some chocolate!

The Tea House Theatre in Vauxhall.

2011-07-25T01:49:00.000-07:00

Some friends of mine have bought the Queen Anne pub in Vauxhall (a well known and perhaps the oldest stripper pub in London) and have worked wonders making the most of it's period features to turn it into a tea rooms/theatre. I've watched with interest as many of my family used to live literally next to this establishment and indeed have a bit of a history with the pub (pre-stripper days). Took an inexpert snap but it shows what a lovely venue it is going to be. It will most likely be called the Tea House Theatre although it is early days yet.

Web site: Tea House: http://teahousetheatre.co.uk/

Chantecaille: Another wonderful vintage shade of red lipstick.

2011-07-23T01:26:00.000-07:00

The day of the Chap Olympiad always involves a flurry of organisation, preening, food packing and this year umbrella locating. A late night out with friends in Covent Garden on Friday sharp on a full day of slaving and Bastille night on Thursday resulted in general frazzlement on Saturday morning. As a result something rare occurred; I left the house without lipstick. Now I am aware that this hardly ranks as a terrible crisis in the scheme of things but barefaced lips on Olympiad day? Unthinkable.

I was planning to catch my taxi from just outside Liberty’s who have only recently enlarged and revamped their cosmetic hall and this seemed the speedy answer to my dilemma. However Liberty’s don’t sell the big traditional names but more boutiquey fashion brands like Nars and Laura Mercier. Don’t get me wrong, they are fine manufacturers but their ranges do not have the strength of pigment or are too sheer for me. Especially as we are in a summer season of caramel, glossy bland at present. I realised too late that I could have headed for Illamasqua or even Boots.


Turtle eyeshadow compact

Then a make-up brand that is generally under my radar blipped in response to my sheer desperation, I suspect it’s rather clinical bland point of sale display had always underwhelmed me. Then I peered at the lipsticks and noticed that several seemed to be the kind of shade I’d happily wear. Usually you try them on your hand and the colour turns out to be too sheer. I grabbed a bright corally red and tried it: a lovely soupy bright as a post box red with a coral base that seemed to work with my pallor and freckles. So I bought it. It was pricey at £23.00 but I was in a hurry however I must say I wore it all day and loved it. A creamy texture but semi matte on, it lasted well and did not feather at all easily. I really liked it. The brand was Chantecaille and the shade I chose was 'Tulipe' in their main lipstick range.

Tulipe (paraben free)

Inexpertly applied to lips

When I feel a bit more flush I may try some other bits and bobs, certainly another lipstick. The packaging of the lipstick is functional and not at all glamorous but having examined their website I have noticed that some of their products are attractively presented. I much prefer it to my Chanel and Guerlaine so the price is probably about right. Face powder/compacts and lipsticks tend to last so I am less resistant to paying a bit more for them.

Chantecaille mother and daughters.

I had assumed it was a small French company. I was only partially right. It is a company run by a French matriarch Sylvie Chantecaille, her husband and two daughters. But the company is American. Sylvie Chantacaille has form in the industry, she first started buy forming a cosmetic company with Diana von Furstenberg, she of the ubiquitous wrap dress. In the late 1970’s she launched Prescriptives for Estee Lauder and in 1997 she launched her own family business: Chantecaille.

Face powder in rose compact (someone buy it for me please).

The company schtick is avoiding the use of nasty petrochemicals, using high quality natural ingredients and supporting ecological concerns (so pretty much the same as most other cosmetic companies). Quite a lot of their cosmetics include a donation by the company to various wildlife funds and most of their lipsticks are paraben free. But what interests me is that it is a company run by women, something that was quite ordinary in the recent past but is not common now in what is an overwhelmingly corporate industry dominated by men. Also I am intrigued by it's low profile, it does not seem to be going out of it's way to market itself which either means it can rest on it's laurels or it has a firm loyal customer base. Both of which are encouraging.

Now I really want this, it is beautiful.

The website models have scary thin faces and the website is very American in tone and focus but the stuff itself is good quality and a couple of the current seasonal ‘looks’ illustrated have a vintage feel. Chaps out there could do worse than impress ladies they are buying presents for by purchasing something from this range. The Japanese lady manning the Liberty Chantecaille counter (Mitsuko?) was charming, and indeed one of the things I like about Liberty’s is that the service is good so I would be inclined to shop there if you are in the Smoke. You can also buy it in Fenwicks (another lovely store) and Harrods in London. They are also available in Space NK shops around the country.


Butterfly pressed eyeshadows.

Chantecaille's website: http://www.chantecaille.com/
Liberty website: http://www.liberty.co.uk/

The Chap Olympiad.

2011-07-20T07:42:00.000-07:00

The internet is now awash with pictures of the Chap Olympiad and certainly the attendees were awash, bejesus it rained. I expect the majority of people reading this know of this event but if not, my beloved came up with the idea in the pub, when drinking, which contrary to his assertions is not generally his finest hour. Seven years on it is still going. I’ve had a real moan about the mass media hype/hijack of the word ‘vintage’, but if there ever was a scene appended to this curious word, and it was a good thing…its chief jamboree would resemble something like the Chap Olympiad, held last Sunday in Bedford Square.

Redlegs and Naomi of Vintage Secret

This year could become known as the year of the Great Chap Flood, I went fully equipped, in a small straw hat, a pastel blue dress and cream shoes. With the exception of snow I tend to ignore London weather being a strong believer in the efficacy of ‘gin-proofing’ to make oneself impervious to all the elements. My imperviousness extended to refusals to be spanked by Atters (really!) or to compete much. My stab at shouting at the foreigner rapidly descended into hug the foreigner on the basis that said foreigner was too appealing to be shouted at. I’m useless, or a tart, I embraced Bell the Butler too.

There are several things to treasure about the Olympiad, it is full of genuinely friendly people. It is not elitist but the usual rent a mob with false taches and polyester flapper frocks are largely absent. It is not a place for donning costume but for pulling your absolutely favourite rags out of the closet and wearing them, no matter what they be. People compete in events for..gasp..fun. Attendees come from all over the place, one Californian chap proposed to his girlfriend in the middle of the swooning tournament. Deckchairs were trashed, butlers baited, ironing boards surfed on and men forced into sundresses to compete. An array of stylish and downright funky dancemoves were displayed and massive amounts of booze and cucumber sandwiches were despatched with barely a cross word during the whole event.

The only very minor irritations were the media, who did at least produce nice film shows after the event, the inclement weather and the drink confiscating chaps who were a tad zealous. The wonderful Chap Magazine produce a wonderful day out…roll on 2012 and the only Olympiad worth two figs (and bit of grated nutmeg).

Meanwhile I’ll leave you with some photographs of the event , gleaned (stolen) from Tony Lee, Fleure De Guerre, Laura D'Alessio, Karen Hendry, Mathew Howard and Manthe Penton Harrap (who will let me know if they are peeved I’m sure) because I left my camera in a case and got rapidly too caught up to use it! They express the feel of the day more than my verbal dribblings can.

Were you there? Has your tweed finally dried out? Billet doux and memorandums always welcomed. xxx

Chaps waiting to make chapettes swoon...

My abortive attempt as a competitor.


Evil competitor makes use of midget...

Dancing in the rain...

Chap Olympiad tiffin.

Not playing tennis...

Doing things with hats...the chappist perversion.

Matt of Lewes.

Torquil Arbuthnot fighting off Manthe's ferocious fox..

Where is his hand?

Secretary guarding bulldogs...

T'was wet.

So put on your bathing costume!

Rainbow hued vintage mafia.

Hastings is a wonderful place.

2011-07-14T07:46:00.000-07:00

Cast of Foyle's War.

I spent last weekend in Hastings for a wedding. I have heard mixed reports of the place. I had heard it was charming. I had also heard it was run down and full of people claiming their benefits by the sea; a problem for many of our coastal resorts and Hastings has a reputation for being amongst the poorest in Southern England. Upon first arriving and for the first 5 minutes of our taxi ride the latter seemed sadly apt, boarded up buildings, Poundland shops and dodgy geezers sitting on the kerb with cans of beer.

Hastings Old Town.

However Hastings turns out to be a city of two halves and as we proceeded along the seafront the atmosphere and look of the place changed dramatically. The Old Town of Hastings is the one, visually at least, that we know from the television series Foyle’s War, at any corner you can imagine running into the melancholy detective and his irritating driver. It has delicately hued houses, leany fishermans cottages and half timbered inns. It also has the crazy golf, fish and chip shops and amusement arcades that as far as I am concerned are the prerequesites of 'English seaside'. So what? I hear you say, so do half of the seaside towns in the country? Well there is something about Hastings that is rather distinctive and edge of scruffy relaxed bohemianism mingles with it's more traditional appeal. It manages to be both very English without being parochial and eccentric without being pretentious.

Old town houses.

On the tourist front it is an unusually mixed looking place. There is a ruined castle nestling on the edge of a cliff and next to that an expanse of green lawn, a park boasting amazing views of the sea and a fine edwardian style hilltop café with a terrace enabling you to drown in ozone from the seascape stretching beyond you. The resort is edged by stony cliffs, which you can traverse via shanks pony or one of two funiculars. The area known as the Stade, down on the sea front boasts the unique tall dark brown fishermens huts built high due to a lack of land. Some are made from the sterns of boats, (apparently they tended to be sawn in half by HM Customs when they found one with a false smuggling bottom) that the ever enterprising locals used as huts. On this part of the seafront a small shanty town of fisherman’s sheds (some selling what looked like deliciously fresh fish) jostles for space with a miniature railway. I liked the scruffiness of this gaggle of sheds backing on to the part of the shingle beach used to berth fishing boats. The Stade should really be your last call on leaving Hastings as several fish companies sell very fresh looking fish and seafood packed in chilled boxes that would certainly survive a car journey back to London. Close by is a newly built fashionable café arts centre. An outcrop of the Jerwood Gallery is (controversially) also under construction.

Picture of fishing huts in the Stade taken in the 50's.

George the cat.

We stayed in the High Street of the Old Town in a B and B called Gallery 53. Run by a couple of artists in their family home we had a very comfy characterful room and the resident cat George had the good manners to keep his distance from this allergic guest. I’d recommend it if you go.

Our b and b for the weekend: Gallery 53.

The High Street is a good place to base yourself and has a number of small chi chi gift shops and the tourist information office. It was also a good place to be vintage/retro/antique hunting. The High Street Retro Centre was run by fifties enthusiasts and had a good line in vintage repro, a decent amount of mens stuff and some particularly nice hand knitted jumpers from vintage patterns which I thought were good value at about £60.00. In another shop I found a Lucite glitter metal cage purse for £55.00 and in Little Treasures a handsome embroidered 40's dress was tempting. However due to an uncharacteristic outbreak of fiscal sense I satisfied myself with five 1950’s buttons.

Little treasures vintage clothing, High Street.

High Street Retro Centre, particularly good on fifties style clothing.

Whilst shopping is one thing, what really grew on me was the atmosphere of the place itself. There is something non-conformist about most of the towns on or near that coast. Rye’s arch literary history, Brighton’s louche menace and Lewes’ revolutionary fervour all reflect this but at the same time those towns have a little too much yummy mummied Cath Kidston styled Notting Hillification going on. Hastings has elements of all these places but seems more genuinely eccentric than any of them and more mixed, it's comparative poverty means it will attract artists, those who value their lifestyle over their income and that the local working class population can still afford to live there. So, in a sense, whilst being very genteel it is also rough around the edges. Its main cultural obsessions seem to be with pirates, drinking, relaxing and things wiccan, this the home of the Jack in the Green festival every Spring. Like Lewes it has an active bonfire society, never underestimate the Kent/Sussex obsession with burning things. There seem to be an unusually range of cultural interests and people in the place.

Jack in the Green festival, a very amiable if priapic green man.

Bonfire night,on the beach obviously.

The place is, for want of a better word, very English. People wish you good morning as they pass on a Sunday morning, including the local vicar. Locals ranging from hippies to tattooed bikers walk dogs, seemingly only ever in pairs or trios and ribaldry is alive and yelling at you from a pub garden. I suspect this is down to the area’s history as not only the first line of defence in the face of invasion over the centuries but a history of evasion, largely from tax. The wedding I attended included a spirited rap on the subject of ‘motherf*****g vat’ from the groom.

I liked the place a lot, I can see it really going places when the recession lifts, although I am not sure I would want to see it prettified to the extent of nearby Rye. The pier is derelict due to fire and it is a terrible shame this has not been rectified (surely the lottery could grant it some money?). Quite apart from the fact that it has shops to meander about and a shed load of very well patronised pubs there is quite a lot to do. Nearby Bexhill on Sea has the De La Warr pavilion, St Leonards is another genteel seaside town, Rye is close as is Brighton and Lewes. At night you can mix with the marauding hen nights and the drinking crowds on George Street, having a vodka in Revolver, or you can tuck yourself in the corner of a venerable old pub like The Stag, admire it's mummified cats and quaff real ale.

An hour and a half from Charing Cross, less than £30.00 return rail fare and a very good weekend option for a weekend away from London. We all need a dose of sea side, marauding seagulls and fish and chips every so often. Not to mention a little piracy....

George Street.

Revolver Vodka Bar.

Hastings pirates.

View of the Stade from above.

Fisherman's hut selling fresh fish.

Another view of the Stade.

One of two funiculars.

Amateur Millinery

2011-07-12T06:57:00.000-07:00

Materials, sisal hat base, vintage abalone buckle, grossgrain ribbon, vintage pansy trimming and elastic.

Some of you who know me personally are aware that I am far from being a homebody, my efforts to knit have been pointless as I lack the patience, I'd like to be able to sew but am intimidated by the effort required to learn. I find baking to be a waste of time although perversely I am more than competent, it is just dull (unlike eating which is positively exciting). I can even throw a pot as well as a tantrum however none of this will help me to dress myself in things I have made, my sole talent being basic embroidery, which you cannot wear on its own. So it was quite brave of me to attempt to make a hat considering my grade A level in cack-handed sewing. However I could not find the kind of hat I wanted: not a fascinator, not a little feathery thing, not moth bitten and not £200. So I decided to dip my toe in a little very very basic amateur millinery. I was helped by the fabulous Georgina at Atelier Millinery who gave me advice and equipped me with the basics, which you can see above.

Step 1 was to sew a few pansies around the hat just using a robust sewing needle and cream thread. I was planning to wear it at a tilt and concentrated on one edge.

Step 2: I then made a bow using the grossgrain ribbon and sewed it over the pansies hiding their stems which I had trimmed previously, I also attached a few stray pansies to make it look a bit more girly.


Step 4: I added some elastic under the brim so it could be affixed to the side of the head.

I am not sure the effect is quite what I wanted, perhaps it is a little fussy or would be better with some net veiling. Also it was a fiddly job although it only took me a couple of hours. This is the reason why, money and time permitting using a professional milliner is the way to go. Really this wasn't hat making so much as assemblage. On the positive side there was nothing in any mass retailers that had the same feel and there is the opportunity to pick colours and trimmings to fit your own sensibilities. I love pansies, particularly mauve ones and although I could have done a better job it doesn't look too bad.

Wax on, wax off...

2011-07-06T07:39:00.000-07:00

Hair is obviously a bit of a theme this month, now I am considering a move..ahem..further down the body. I have become aware of what is possibly another great age divide, the waxing, pruning and trimming of our lower abdomen.

Here I really can nail my colours to the mast. I regard full waxes and strips ‘down there’ to be physically repulsive. For me at best they are imitative of porn stars, done so all the ‘action’ can be filmed (even the positive comparison is icky) at worst it is redolent of naked small pink mammals at birth. A denuded woman looks like a pre-pubescent child, I don’t even want to go there. On all counts it is repellent. Thats why there are no images in this post apart from Whyatt's cartoon, they are all quite gross and some readers of this blog might be enjoying a sandwich.

However I gather that this is becoming, for women under 30 a ‘standard’ part of their grooming regime. Well people can do what they want with their private parts but WTF can be the reason for this adoption of nastiness? Well I can see that a really hairy bush could be off putting but surely if you are standardly European a bit of tidying up is all you need. Perhaps some people are phobic (menaced by an angry guinea pig in childhood, who knows?).

Apparently it is viewed as hygienic, well it isn’t. Underarms can trap sweat in the summer but this is a different party of the body. Legs look nice shaved because we wear stockings, but to be honest unless you are hairy shaving legs is not terribly necessary and shaving/waxing legs, cuts and allergies aside, has no health ramifications. Shaving and waxing in the lower area however increases the likelihood of infection, disease and ingrown hairs dramatically. No doctor would recommend it and those parts of the body are no longer shaved prior to operations because of the known risks.

If you consider the fact that this is the case in a clinical setting how stupid is having this done in a commercial beauticians? A little known fact is that I used to license beauty salons; they are never ever clinical level clean no matter how sparkling they look and are in fact not expected to be. Why would you have your private parts fiddled about with in such an environment?

The final nail in the coffin of the hygiene argument is the ugh factor. Don’t these people wash in this area as a given? Do they just want a wet wipeable area? Surely you’d only notice any problems if you were a bit unhygienic? Is shaving here a sign that people are in truth a bit grubby.

So what about aesthetics? I have referred to porn already, is the motivation the nagging suspicion that men/boys expect it? There doesn’t seem to be any basis for this, a bit of tidying up is nice and an excessively hairy women might (not always though) put them off but they don’t much seem to care. They never do, same applies to nice underwear and killer perfume. Mind you the odd stupid sexist comment does crop up. A woman who Brazilians is ‘expecting men to look at her parts and might be a bit loose’. So the usual fine in the pages of Loaded but not on my girlfriend stuff. But it appears that all the gents want is cleanliness and a bit of trimming.

What about bikinis and performers? I can see that the latter might have to be a bit more circumspect, but womankind has survived bikini wise for several decades without agent orange applied to their lady parts. Who is taking a magnifying glass to you anyway? I am amused by tiny bikinis, so you shave everything off, just to cover it again with a tiny triangle that mimics pubic hair, but with spangled fabric.

I wouldn’t mind this if it was about fun, women dying their bits pink or having Micky Mouse tattoos on their mounds of Venus or something. But young British women regarding being waxed to hell and looking like a plastic doll or camp survivor as basic necessary beautifying is something I find really worrying. I cannot help think it is linked to a tendency to self-hate, men are not making us do this to ourselves nor are they doing it to themselves. In this endless search for perfection things get warped, being totally hairless is as freaky as being covered in hair. It is painful, it is unnecessary, it is expensive, it is time consuming and it is unhealthy. In my own opinion it looks awful. It is not like a manicure, ordinary neat clean nails are not considered unacceptable but for some bizarre reason young women find the existence of body hair repulsive when they should find its absence creepy. I’m not advocating a lack of grooming or the cultivation of lady forests that resemble guardsman’s busbys. I just don’t like the extremism, the body hate and the invasiveness of the strip/Brazilian. If you love it, fine. Some women love tattoos/piercings, some hate them. The difference is that these body modifications are a choice, not a required or expected routine activity. Personally I cannot get my head around wanting to look like a child/sex worker/unwell person.

Do you agree/disagree? Comments welcome.