Change of Address

Hello lovely people.

I've moved house and you can now find all of my vintage, Lincoln, and lifestyle ramblings over here at Vintage Lady of Lincoln

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Festival of the Forties 2014

Hello dear readers! Last weekend we went over to the Festival of the Forties since we attended last year and enjoyed it so much that we felt we should go back for more. Just like last year the festival did not disappoint and the weather was similarly glorious too. We enjoy the Festival of the Forties because it has a wonderful balance of displays, entertainment and shopping. 

As soon as we arrived we spotted some very well dressed people. This was my favourite couple because I love the colours in their outfits and they were just so lovely. I was really quite annoyed that I didn't stop and chat to them more but as we had only just arrived I was all excited to run around and see everything. I was also very envious of her parasol and had already been bemoaning that I had forgotten to bring mine and it was so bright; at least Indi ran back into the house to fetch the sun cream for me!

We had a wander around the displays first which are all very impressive. They have a wide range of different groups which take part and they even have pyrotechnics and things going off with a whizz pop! Also a man in a dug out said I had nice hair, aww shucks!

After that we went and wandered over to the cars. This was my favourite and just so happens to be the same colour as our fridge; I love that fridge. You can see my outfit here too. Since it was so boiling I didn't want to wear anything which was actually vintage so I wore this very comfortable polka dot dress which I picked up from the British Hearts Foundation but I believe it was originally Tesco's! I also wore some modern flat pumps as since the venue is essentially a field the ground is very uneven. Which I found out to my peril at last year's event!

Indi worn his £2 suit from Sue Ryder charity shop. You heard, two whole pounds that suit cost him! He also wore his tie which his granddad gave him.

I really liked this car as the hood ornament was a hare. Inside the engine there was an emergency hammer which said Thor on it so that delighted me too. I have also just noticed that you can see Indi in the reflection there too.

After the cars we then went around all of the stalls on site but I didn't do much shopping; it was so hot and there was very little shade so I flaked out in the shadow of a vintage truck. Even though I was all hot and red I did want Indi to get some pictures of my hair as I had used a tutorial from Cherry Dollface and also tried out my new rats which I bought when I was at Woodhall Spa 1940's weekend. I was pretty pleased with the results and I received some lovely compliments including "if there was a prize for best hair this weekend then you would win it". 

After that we went home because it was really getting too hot for me. If you would like more information on the Festival of the Forties you can read all about it here. However now I must say good night, because it's late right now, but join me soon for more vintage frolics and maybe even a bit of hot circle skirt action!

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About Me

Hello fellow time travellers! Thank you very much for stopping by and I hope you rest a while before continuing on your way.

My name is Rowena and I live in the historic city of Lincoln in England with my boyfriend and fellow time traveller, Indi. By trade I work for Adult Social Care and have done since I was 19. About four years ago I began to be interested in the fashion of the mid-twentieth century thanks to the beautiful Lola Lamour. I watched a documentary called Time Warp Wives in which she starred and I remember it was a total revelation. I was hooked and watched the 30 minute show repeatedly, still do from time to time! I have always loved different eras from the 60's in my childhood to the 80's in my teens but as I grew older I felt I should dress "normal" in an effort to be more adult. I never really felt like I was being myself and wished there would be a style where I could be individual and yet still feel others would take me seriously. I feel that finding vintage has helped me to express my personality through my outward appearance and achieve that balance.

My style tends to vary between actual vintage and a rockabilly twist and Indi and I spend our weekends in the summer attending events for the 1940's and also some rockabilly shin digs too. I'm not too bothered about being 100% accurate and prefer to wear what I feel happiest in so I try not to limit myself to just one decade. We both love the aesthetics of the 1920's to the 1950's. Most days I wear either vintage, vintage-style / rockabilly and the dream is to have a full vintage wardrobe one day; I'm working on it!

I hope you enjoy visiting my blog and reading all the things we have been up to. If you feel like dropping me a line I would enjoy that ever so much and I always welcome feedback of any kind. If you wish to email me you can do so here.

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Our Italian Adventure

After reading Jessica's post, lets go on a vintage honeymoon to Italy, on her wonderful blog I felt compelled to share some of our holiday photos from when we went to Southern Italy last October. We stayed in the Hotel St Lucia which is just outside of the town Tropea and located in the region of Calabria; I describe it as being on the top of the toe of the boot. It's a wonderful little coastal town with plenty of colourful local residents and winding cobbled lanes.

Every morning we would take the bus into town and wander to our favourite cafe to sit and drink lattes while people watching. We would then go for a stroll and look around some of the shops, go to the museum, or just explore all of the picturesque little streets. Once we had wandered enough we would then walk down to the beach and sit with our toes in the sand, drinking yet more lattes, and reading. As we went in the first week of October the weather was perfect for me since I don't like being too hot. One or two days were a bit too warm but mainly it was just comfortable for wearing capri pants and a cardigan.

We did break our routine for one day to go on a boat trip out to Stromboli, the active volcano. The trip was for the afternoon and evening so that you could see the lava bursts at night time. Though we didn't see much lava at all we loved standing out on the deck in the cool, clear night and looking up at the milky way. Stromboli itself is so beautiful with its black sands and white wash buildings. The region of Calabria has a heavy Greek influence as historically it was colonised by the Greeks until the 3rd century BC. However, to me, Stromboli had an even greater Grecian feel with the white buildings and blue doors. We wandered around the village a bit but there was not much to do and we eventually found a cafe we could get some dinner at and, you guessed it, a latte! Strolling by the sea there I felt so relaxed and as though I had not a care in the world, which I think is the whole point of a holiday.

Vintage Lincoln - Judy's Affordable Vintage Fair

As mentioned in my last post I went to the Engine Shed in Lincoln today for the Vintage Fair which was organised by Judy's Affordable Vintage Fairs. We had a very nice time, did far too much shopping, and drank tea. I must admit I was a little sceptical as to how much I would find as 40's and 50's vintage can be hard to come by. I was, however, pleasantly surprised and did plenty of shopping!

I had been feeling like dressing 1940s and couldn't wait to dress up in my new suit which I bought last weekend; I got a few compliments which were very lovely. You can see on my lapel is one of my purchases from today which is a very sweet brooch. While at the fair I also bought a lovely dress which is hand made but I fancy the cut is very 1940s. It's quite silky so I will have to wait for the summer before I can wear it; it's far too chilly out there! My final purchase was a 1930s style peasant blouse for only £8. I have been looking for a peasant blouse for ages but couldn't find one I liked so I am extremely pleased with this little bargain!

After we had been around the fair and seen all there was to see we headed into town to have a look around some of the vintage shops. I found a very nice 1950s vanity set which appears unused in Mr Bojangles. I can't wait to go away somewhere so I can fill it up with all of my lotions and potions. Unfortunately we didn't make it to see Relentless play as I got the date wrong and they played yesterday. I was so disappointed but playing with all of my new purchases made it easier to cope with.

Hurrah for Procrastination!

Life has been quite a whirlwind lately and things have been really taking off for us. The biggest news I have to tell you is that my boyfriend and I have found a place and will be moving in to a little house together at the end of the month. I'm so excited to move for a number of reasons but mainly because we've been together for three years now and I can't wait to live with him. I've been busy for a fair few months and only blogging as and when something has really compelled me to. However, I have another thing on my side to motivate me to do more blogging soon. Procrastination! On top of moving house, working full time, and my other commitments I have also recently started an Open University Course. This isn't a degree and only runs till September so I should be finished in time for Pickering War Weekend but it's still quite intense.

Any way I have planned my time so that I hopefully don't have to study at the weekend and hey! moving house can wait while there's serious vintage things to do such as shopping and nights out. This weekend we are planning on going to a Vintage Fair on Saturday at the Engine Shed. It's open from 10am till 4pm so plenty of time to mosey on down and only costs £2 to enter. Now I don't always find very much to buy at events and fairs
because my perception and retailers perception of what is affordable can sometimes be a little different. Our perceptions of what is vintage or not can also be a little out of whack but we won't go there! I still enjoy attending events for the atmosphere and also just in case I miss out on a bargain or something totally irresistible. People often ask me where I do most of my shopping and it's a mix of fairs, wartime events, vintage shops and online. Last weekend I got some amazing bargains in the Sue Ryder charity shop over in Peterborough and have no doubt I'll be showing off some of what I snagged over this coming weekend. I have an urge to go 40's!

Remember summer time? No me either!

Saturday evening I'll be having a bit of a costume change and we will be heading out to the Rock Haven bar in town to catch one of our favourite local rockabilly bands Relentless. They often play around town and occasionally can be seen outside Binns (that's House of Fraser to most folk). We love seeing these guys in town, particularly in summer when you can sit outside in the cool breeze, watch some fantastic live music for free and, my favourite part of this ritual, snaffle down an ice cool strawberry milkshake. Alas! It is winter and in case you don't know it there's weather going on out there. So I'll most likely be wearing something that's as sensible as I can manage like my Freddies of Pinewood jeans.

Dare to Bear

For Children in Need this year myself and a couple of other ladies took part in the Dare to Bear campaign and didn't ware any make-up. As a part of the social and events committee at my work I also took part in the pyjama day too so I pretty much looked like I'd just rolled out of bed, in a 1940s housecoat. It was very interesting listening to some of the opinions one or two others felt about coming to work without the war paint. I thought it would be so easy to begin with but as time progressed and I was thinking about what I would be wearing I then found it difficult to extricate to make-up from my 1940s image.

While not being vain I wouldn't say I was awful to look at without make-up yet I had a hard time going out in 1940s dress without being fully "made". I feel that I have spent so long working on this vintage "look" whether that be of the 1940s or 50s which includes the make-up. So when I tried to take that away it felt kind of odd. When I am doing my make-up for an event, which is far more dramatic than my daily make-up including eye liner and bright red lipstick, as I put each new layer of make-up on I feel I am becoming more myself and then when I'm finished it's like I recognise me again.

I hadn't realised this was happening but going without the make-up really reminded me that I am always myself even without all of the paint. It was a good feeling so today I decided to go totally natural; it also saves so much time getting ready! So here I am in my natural state without make-up and with my plain old straight hair.