Burghley Park in the Snow

I'm sure it hasn't escaped your knowledge (at least those of you in England) but it was very snowy this weekend all over the country. I was down visiting my boyfriend in Stamford; he usually comes up to Lincoln but he had a night out with his colleagues and I was invited. We didn't let the snow stop us from enjoying some beautiful scenery though. Here are some of our pictures from today.

 

 

On the way back to the car though the wind had picked up and I got ear ache so was less than happy. To cheer me up Indi took me to one of my favourite places when I'm down there; the OK Diner. Ok, so it's a diner by the side of the A1 but it has a 1950's theme, plays awesome music including Buddy Holly, and also serves the best Root Beer Floats. Mmmm root beer!

 

They have this weird Uncle Sam handshake thing which I like to play with while we are waiting to be seated. This time I was "wicked" and Indi was "hot stuff"; pretty accurate I'd say!

 

 

 

Complimentary Therapy

Yesterday I received some lovely compliments when I was out shopping in Peterborough with my boyfriend. In all the time I dress vintage I have found that I actually very rarely get complete strangers compliment me on my style save for at events. I think it's because at events lots of people are dressed up too where as when walking down the high street people might be less inclined or feel they may be being rude. The first compliment I received was from a young lady who was working in a vintage charity shop we went into; she said that she liked my outfit and style. The second was from a lady older than myself who said that she liked my "whole look". I was really flattered, especially because earlier I had been repeatedly asking my boyfriend if I looked frumpy, and I thought I should share my outfit with you all since it was well received in the shops of Peterborough.
 

 

 

 

My dress is 1940's and I bought it from Etsy. I had to pay an extra £14 charge for customs once it arrived but I think it was worth it. I really love it and can see myself wearing it a lot at the spring and autumn events due to the weight of the fabric. You can't see it because I'm wearing my coat, which is from Collectif, but it has a very large collar and the top is in cream. My hand bag is from a vintage shop in Lincoln called Mr Bojangles and though I don't really know the era of it I chose it because it is the closest match in my collection to my shoes which are from Clarkes. Here's a close up of the handbag and the lovely tooled leather which drew me to it in the first place.

 

 

I also bought a new (to me) dress and blouse while in town and also have another new dress in the post from Collectif again so you won't have long to wait and you can see what new purchases I have made.



Tag, you're it!

Well now, it's been an awfully long time since we last spoke and I hope you're all keeping well. My absence has been due to a number of factors which I won't bore you with since I'd feel like I was moaning and really I'm not. I've been eager and planning on getting back to blogging for some months now and here I finally putting finger tips to keyboard; but then something happened and I didn't know what to write. It felt strange, like I was beginning for the first time all over again, and I felt like I ought to do something to introduce myself and say "hello world" for the second time.

I haven't been away from reading other's blogs but unable to write my own due to time and tools so when I came across the Vintage Tag post on Jessica's blog at Chronically Vintage I knew it would be just the thing to reintroduce myself and also get me back in the game. So here we have for your reading pleasure my answers to the 21 vintage lifestyle questions, enjoy!

21 Vintage Lifestyle Questions and Answers

1. Who are your style icons?

Red, white, and blue

I would have to say that I'd find it very difficult to pick out and name just a few as I feel there's so many influences. I've been gradually finding "my style" within vintage and am gathering collections and outfits which I feel reflects me though it can change so quickly depending on my mood, the occasion, or what era I'm enjoying at the moment. Although I tend to stick to either 1940's or 1950's in my outfits inside I feel it's all a mash up of "every day" women from the times, rockabilly, and Hollywood glamour all tied together with a bow on top! My biggest influence in both clothing and life style is Lola Lamour as I'll explain in a later question.

2. What is your favourite way to get inspired?

Blogs. I love reading other people's blogs and would say that it's been a large factor in my pursuit of vintage; I also dabble in a little Pinterest which many will testify is extremely addictive. Other than that I find that looking at the outfits other ladies are wearing at the events we go to is very inspiring. I enjoy looking at the different styles of dress from those who dress military to the Land Girls and then the civilian clothing.

3. What's your most used hair tool?

Hair spray - to the point that once my boyfriend told me that he likes the smell of hairspray as it reminds him of me. My name is Rowena, and I'm addicted to hairspray.

4. What's your favourite hair tool?

Can I say hair spray again? I have an issue. But otherwise it's my curling tongs which are covered in roses and were a Christmas present a couple of years ago from my boyfriend. They're really small as they are in fact travel ones but really they are the only thing to get a curl in my infuriatingly poker straight hair AND they don't burn my hair like my Nicky Clarke curlers used to.

5. Updo, down or half and half?

My hair unusually down, celebrating my beautiful friend's
birthday

I would say that totally depends on what my straighter-than-Jesus'-geometry hair feels like doing on the day and also on what the event is. Generally though on a day to day basis my hair is tied back in a pony tail.

6. Is vintage something you do every day, on weekends, or for special occasions?

If left to my own devices I would definitely do it all day, every day; however I don't go all out vintage when I am at work. I have had a few comments though on how I'm quite vintage styled and I think the vintage still shines through.

7. What's your favourite blush and lipstick?

I don't wear blush as I have never really felt it necessary since I get a bit pink generally anyway. When it comes to lipstick I would say I'm easily pleased and own lipsticks from a ranges of prices but my favourite has to be Boots Natural Collections in Crimson. It's a cheap brand and yet I always favour that lipstick over all my others. I also own a nice Boots Number 7 one in bright pink which tastes like vanilla, yum!

8. Dress, skirt, or pants? Heels or flats?

Is that an offer? No, I have to choose my favourite? Oh alright. I would say that around 85% of the time I can be found in a pencil skirt and flats as that's what I always wear to work.

9. Off-the-rack or homemade?

If I buy "new" clothes then they do tend to be off the rack but I'm working on that homemade aspect too and have been sewing a pencil skirt in my spare time. I've only been working on it since October 2012!

10. Do you swing dance?

I'm going to have to say no. I have been to Lindy Hop dance lessons with my boyfriend back when we both had more free time but by no stretch of the imagination can I dance. That's not to say my dance teachers weren't good, they were fantastic, more like I am un-teachable. Just too stubborn to let someone else take the lead.

11. Extreme vintage or subtle touches?

During the working week then subtle touches but come the weekend it's generally extreme vintage or rockabilly twist.

12. Favourite perfume?

Hairspray it would seem. But mainly because I don't wear any perfumes since I hate them. On other people they are nice but too much perfume or perfume on me and it's yuk!

13. Favourite skincare product?

Moisturiser since now that my skin isn't so spotty it likes to be dry and flaky instead, mmm nice!

14. What does your family think of your style?

I think they really like it. They definitely support me in it and buy me lovely purchases for presents. I think my sister offers most in the way of discussion about it, my motives for doing it, the social aspect of it, that sort of thing but not in a horrible or nasty way, just discussion.

15. Favourite accessory?

One of my vintage micro misaic brooches because I find wearing other accessories a bit of an annoyance sometimes but a brooch you can pop on, look pretty, and forget that it's even there. Until you put it in the washing machine, dun dun dunnn! My favourite mosaic is my red love heart one which was a gift from my boyfriend.



At a dance last November with my boyfriend and a friend from dance class

16. Do you find the vintage community welcoming or snobby?

If I am being truly honest I have found mixed welcomes but I put that down to individuals and not the community as over all I have met some really amazing people though vintage and they have been more wonderful and down to earth than I ever would have imagined.

17. What drew you to vintage style?



Un-vintage Me

Over all I think I have always had fascinations with different decades since I was young. I remember I used to fray my jeans and bleach or tie dye anything I could get my hands on when I was young because I wanted to be a "hippy" and I loved the whole "earth child" thing of the 60's. I was a small child so I think it's totally acceptable and I'm only partially embarrassed by it. Later on when I was in my teens I moved on to the 80's and I have to admit a lot of my music taste still languishes in the realms of the electro pop of the decade. I still own one prom dress from the 80's which I don't think I will ever part with. It's neon and garish and I love it. Then I became an emo, a massive emo to be precise, I can admit this now with the wisdom of age. I still retained my 80's love though and mixed the neon with the black to create the jolliest emo looks. Then I grew up and I wanted my style to as well since I was tired of everyone thinking I was 12. I tried dressing "high street" but something was off, something was missing, I wasn't quite ME. Then on the telly was a lady called Joanne, though these days she's more known on the vintage scene as Lola Lamour, and that moment was a total game changer (check out my 1980's buzz words!). Lola was in a show called Time Warp Wives and from the moment I saw it I was totally taken with the whole idea of a vintage lifestyle. Years later (last year in fact) my boyfriend and I met Lola and her husband Kevin at the 1940's weekend in Woodhall Spa and I have met her twice more since then. They were absolutely wonderful and we were both totally star struck.


Lola and Kevin when we met them last year at Woodhall Spa

18. Favourite places to shop vintage?

Etsy and for real life shopping Tasty Vintage in Lincoln.

19. What vintage eras are your favourite?

1940's and 1950's - that's easy.

20. Most glamorous film stars?

Glamour is a very personal thing, what I would define as glamour may well be very different to the opinion of others.

21. Favourite vintage object that you own?

Make up compacts which I
received for my birthday

My pristine, unused vintage Stratton make up compact. Along with the micro mosaic brooches I also collect make up compacts and in particular Strattons. My friend Becca started my Stratton obsession when as a birthday gift she gave me a coral coloured one with a lovely gold starburst on it. While I was inspecting it I noticed the name Stratton and instantly recognised it from a 1950's advertisement. That moment something began and now every time I see a Stratton I must buy it! I do have two criteria which I also apply to my brooches; they must be under £10 and I must personally like them, I wouldn't just buy one for the sake of it.


So there we have it! My answers to the game of vintage tag, I hope everyone also considers themselves tagged and it continues on. I have enjoyed answering the questions and sharing more of where my love for vintage came from.

Until next time!

Twinwood Festival

I wish so much that I had taken more photos while we were at Twinwood however we had such a great time that I just got carried away in the fun. On Saturday I have to say we spent most of the day shopping and I bought the most wonderful hat! In the evening we saw Max Raabe and his Palast Orchestra. They were beyond anything I had anticipated and I wish he would play at more venues in England. Unfortunately we left a little before the end of his set due to being so tired, it was a very long day doing all of that shopping.

 On the Sunday we spent a little longer getting ready and also went to a local supermarket to pick up some items to have a picnic. My only criticism of the weekend was the food stalls; the only thing I could find to eat was bland mushroom noodles or fish and chips. However having our picnic was ever so much fun and at least we know for next year.

That evening we watched Max Raabe again but left so that we could assume some seats close to the front of the Colonial Club so that I could see Lola Lamour perform with her band The Lamours. Before their set though was the Casablanca Steps who were fabulous and I giggled away all through their set. No because I am rude mind you, but because they are so funny! The banter between songs was hilarious and the music top notch to boot! After that I finally got to see Lola Lamour and her Lamours. They literally blew me away! They played a fantastic range of songs and kicked things off with a cover of Tainted Love, one of my all time favourite songs and throw back from my 80’s obsession when I was at college.

We’re really looking forward to next year’s festival already even with Pickering on the horizon!

Woodhall Spa 40's Festival Pt2

Last weekend on the Sunday we went to the second day of the Woodhall Spa 1940’s weekend and even though we had spent all of Saturday there too there was still a lot to do and see. On the Saturday we hadn’t found time to make it to the Jubilee Park to look around the stalls and also on the Sunday Lola Lamour would be performing twice outside at The Mall. As we had got to Woodhall Spa a little later than planned, due to wardrobe malfunctions, we decided to have a scone and cup of tea and then head straight to see Lola’s second performance.

We loitered for a while near the performance area and got chatting to one of the organisers, and then Lola came out to see them so I quickly jumped in for a photo opportunity. She also commented on my dress and said how cute I looked. I couldn’t say much in return, I was too nervous!

Having a little walk around before she began singing we bumped into Winston Churchill who gave a brilliant speech before Lola’s performance. The only issue was I was wearing a floaty summer dress since on Saturday it had been floaty summer dress wearing weather and although it was still glorious it was quite windy and for most of the day I was grabbing my skirt.

By the time Lola’s performance began there was quite a crowd and people were dancing in the road because there was so little room. Hopefully though this will mean they can close the road next year due to health and safety, it’s such a shame they weren’t allowed to do that this year as it would have fantastic to have a proper street party. It was brilliant seeing Lola sing and she’s such a performer doing songs by Marlene Dietrich and Carmen Miranda! It made us very excited for Twinwood Festival where she will also be performing with her band The Lamours. There was also Douglas Herd up there with her who is 96 years old and was promoting his book of his experiences in the Second World War.

After Lola’s performance we quickly made out way over to meet both her and Kevin, her husband. We’re huge fans of them as a couple ever since we saw them on the television show Time Warp Wives on Channel 4. That show and the women on it are one of the main things that got me interested in vintage and the 40’s & 50’s. Previously I had been into the 1980’s in a very big way but as I was growing up I wanted something more grown up too, I wanted to be taken seriously yet also retain my style. It was a very big deal for me to meet them and they were just brilliant, everything we had hoped for. They were polite, genuine and very interesting to talk to; not that I could manage to talk much, I was so star struck!

That afternoon we made our way to Jubilee Park to see if there was anything left on the stalls or if we had missed it all. If I’m honest I do most of my vintage shopping on line or in Vintage shops local to Lincoln and very rarely find anything I like or can afford at the events. On our way back to enjoy a cold drink at the pub and watch the final fly past of the Hurricane, Spitfire and Lancaster (which was amazing by the way) we bumped into a couple from our Lindy Hop class. It was really lovely to see them and just we were excited to tell them we had met Lola they were excited to tell us they had met the Jive Aces. We’ll be seeing them tomorrow at our second dance class together!

Woodhall Spa 40's Festival Pt1

Morning! I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend and in the UK it's finally sunny, hooray! Yesterday we went to Woodhall Spa, a quaint little place in Lincolnshire steeped in RAF and Dambuster history, for their first event 1940's festival. Considering it's their first the whole day was well organised and very well attended with many people, like ourselves, dressed up in period costume.
When we got to Woodhall Spa we headed straight for the Kinema in the woods as they were holding a WW2 theme show in their cinema. Those of you who don't know about Kinema and have never been should go!

The Kinema used to be an old sports pavilion and in 1922 was transformed into a cinema with a Charlie Chaplin film being the first ever shown in it. The main screen has a flat floor, so lets hope no one tall sits in front, and due to the low roof trusses the projector is at the back of the screen and not the auditorium. In 1994 Kinema Too was opened which has a graded floor and the comfiest cinema seats I've ever sat on. My favourite aspect of Kinema, other than the fantastic period decor, is that there's an intermission. When I was a child and there still was intermissions I thought they were the most pointless thing in the world, on with the show I thought, now I see the great value of them. Ice cream is served and also a much needed comfort break can be taken. During the intermission, usually only on Saturday nights, an old Compton organ rises up from the floor in front of the screen and plays a selection of old songs. Everyone cheers the organist, even the teenagers!

For the 1940's festival they played a selection of WW2 songs on the organ and some in duet with the piano as well as played some WW2 footage of government films and singers. There was a bit of a sing song too, it was a fantastic atmosphere and in the surroundings with everyone dressed 40's it was like a time machine and really brought home the messages of some of those films. It was all very real and in parts made me quite sad for those who lost their lives; the real reason we do things like this is to remember those people.

There was a vintage vehicle display further in town but we couldn't resist a pose with this one outside the Kinema. One thing we were so happy with was the weather. Many events lately have been cancelled due to the weather and I have been feverishly checking the forecast the week before hand to see if the same would happen this weekend. Happily not and there was a great turn out of people in the town, it must have been a great day for local businesses.

All of the shops had made a great effort and there were some great displays. I like cake so obviously this was my favourite one.

We then hopped on this old London double decker which was doing return journeys to Thorpe Camp visitors centre. Since it was so late in the day we only got about 15minutes at the Camp but it was worth it for the ride though the countryside alone.

When we got back to Woodhall Spa it was nearly 5pm and the festival was supposed to finish at 4pm, also I was feeling ill because happily I have a throat infection and a cold, so we decided to head home without seeing the stalls and things going on at the Jubilee Park. We're saving those delights for today as the festival is on all weekend. Today we will also be seeing Lola Lamour perform, she's my idol and I just can't wait!





Vintage Feminism

Something which I have been thinking more of lately, in the past year or so, is feminism and that’s down mainly to Caitlin Moran and her wonderful book How to Be a Woman. I’ve read many girly guides to life in the past and many contain a wealth of knowledge of how to apply nail varnish, what your handbag essentials should be and how to choose a hat for Ascot. I have to say none of the information has stuck. I still apply nail varnish like I did when I was 13, the essential items in my handbag appear to be used tissues and old receipts, and I don’t wear that many hats let alone feel the need to wear one to gamble in (I don’t gamble either). When I read How to Be a Woman I chose it because I liked the cover, because yes I really do judge a book in that way. Caitlin Moran looked cool and my 13 year old self informed me to idolise this woman on the basis that she has a silver streak in her hair (I wanted one when I was 13) and no more information than that.

Strident Feminist or 50's Housewife.
Is it possible for a woman to be both?

I read the book while on holiday in Italy and then passed the book on to my mum to read. When I got home I gave it my boyfriend, because I knew he would enjoy things such as “bum-gina”, he then lent it to his mum, she also appreciated the “bum-gina” joke. After that I got on a chair, or my bed, and declared myself to be a strident feminist. I then got off the bed and watched my other idol, Lola Lamour, on Time Warp Wives which if you haven’t seen it is about modern women living vintage lifestyles 24/7 including being housewives.

The juxtaposition is still something that jibes me and I haven’t made peace with the fact that I have these two very opposed influences in my life. Looking around the internet at the blogs and tweets of other vintage ladies I feel they too live with these opposing forces. Many of the women on there are also very feminist and yet also dress in full vintage outfits; it seems the two even go hand in hand.

For me personally vintage is about standing out from the crowd and seriously refusing to go with the mainstream flow. I take pride in walking down our high street and looking not a jot like anyone else; I imagine it’s the same for many other people who wear vintage. It’s that stubborn quality which I feel links so well to feminism and could possibly be why it works so well with vintage. I’m refusing to conform to many things when I wear vintage and that doesn’t just extend to shopping in Topshop, etc.

I could be wrong, who knows! This is just how I feel about it; let me know what you think.