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.

What's On The Cards - July

Here are a couple of events I have seen advertised going on in and around Lincoln in the month of June. These posts are published on the 1st (or as close as I can manage) of every month and feature a few events which are on in and around Lincoln as well as a couple from further afield which have caught my fancy. I find out about these events through word of mouth and by searching on the Internet.

I like to look up 1940's events here at Friends of the 40s as they have a really great calendar of listings.

Rockabilly gigs are easy to search here at The Complete Rock N Roll UK Gig Guide.

I also regularly check out "East Midlands Vintage World" on facebook to find out about events and what's happening.

But anyway, on with the show!
7th & 8th July 2012 - Over at Thorpe Camp in Tattershall Thorpe they are having a 1940's weekend from 10am till 5pm Saturday and Sunday.

Photography found here.

6th, 7th & 8th July 2012 - Americana Event, Newark. I've seen this advertised a lot now and looks like a really great event celebrating everything 50's, 60's and American. Also the Hicksville Bombers, a great local Rockabilly band, will be playing at the show.

21st & 22nd July 2012 - Woodhall Spa 1940's weekend with Lola Lamour! The weekend will include a 1940s Dance Night - Lola Lamour, 1940s Childrens themed party, 1940s Senior Citizens Tea Dance, Collectibles Market, Military/Restored/Classic Vehicle static display, Classic wartime films at the Kinema In The Woods, BBMF flypast plus a Vintage coach trips to Thorpe Camp Visitor Centre. This is one I will definitely be making a trip to go and visit!

21st July 2012 - Bizarre Bazaar Vintage Market. This is a vintage and retro modern open air market which is held monthly at different sites around the city.


These posts are by no means exhaustive and will obviously only be accurate at the time of posting. While I have gone to every effort to make sure the information is accurate I cannot account for changes of location, date or even cancellations. If you are travelling long distances to attend any of the events I recommend please be sure to check with the venue or organisation before travelling to avoid disappointment.

Land Girls Interview

Hello all!


A while ago I did a post, Land Girls on BBC1, about how much I enjoyed the television show and I got a very pleasing response to it indeed. The writer of the show, Roland Moore, commented upon my little post thanking me for my feedback. I was some what delighted and thanked him for his response, I was even daring enough to ask that I might ask him a few more questions as a short interview for this blog. He's a much obliging chap and agreed to do so!


And so this is what transpired; I hope you find it entertaining and insightful!



Having never worked in any form of media I felt a little out of my depth but soon I realised that perhaps an insight into script writing from the perspective of someone like me might be actually interesting; after all not everyone out there knows all about media. So I sat and I thought, and I got a bit of advice. I realised I know nothing so that’s where to start, exactly how does writing a television series, like Land Girls, happen?
 
For Land Girls, I submitted an idea outlining the story for each episode and an overview of the main characters, plus a summary of the series. There wasn’t a script at that stage. I knew (in 2008) that the BBC wanted to schedule programmes to commemorate the 70^th anniversary of the outbreak of WWII, so my idea just arrived at the right time. A five part series was commissioned for broadcast in September 2009.

As a child I was shocked to find out about rationing and yet more shocked to find out that many children were healthier than they are today. Surrounded by our comforts and luxurious lifestyles it can be difficult to imagine what a situation like the Land Girls may have faced. How does someone from the 00’s manage to portray an era which many of us could literally not imagine today? I already guessed research would be the key factor, but how did Roland go about this?

I spoke to former Land Girls and read first-hand accounts of their times on the farms. I also read academic books on the subject. When we came to write the series, we had historical researchers helping us with any period details. This was invaluable.

Any period drama has to juggle a line between total attention to detail and dramatic licence. The real Land Girls typically worked 12-14 hour days, but we could only give a flavour of that – otherwise most of the screen time would show women digging fields and planting crops. Such authenticity would have resulted in a fairly uneventful drama.

In terms of authenticity, we came across an interesting phenomenon: people will have an idea of what is correct for a period, but sometimes that idea is based on perception and not facts. So viewers would ‘feel’ rather than know that something was correct or incorrect. For instance, I realised the word ‘fantastic’ came into use in 1939 and ‘snog’ was already being used, but if I’d included them in the dialogue, people would have complained that they weren’t accurate for the period. So sometimes you are working to those perceptions rather than actual facts.

I can see how difficult it must be treading the line between what is accurate and what the audience may expect or want to see.  Having done some of that magic research on Roland I found out he has also written for the BBC series Doctors. There must have been a bit of shift between writing for such dissimilar decades and even I realised there must have been some differences in the style, language and tone.

Language and tone are definitely different for period drama. There is an argument between Bea and Annie in Series 1, and I wanted Bea to say the equivalent of ‘whatever’. It was obvious that this word wasn’t used like that in the 1940s, and as I researched for an alternative, I realised that there wasn’t a World War II equivalent. People were just more polite back then.

Interestingly, we had complaints about a very minor, half-glimpsed sex scene, but no one seemed to mind an extended scene of a man being forced to his knees at gun point before someone is shot.

My Grandmother was in the ATS during the Second World War and the Women’s Land Army is already a subject of great interest to me, but what about other people? Why would they be interested in such a dark period of our Country’s history? Probably for the same reasons I am!

I wanted to write a drama about the Land Girls because it was a time of major change for so many women. They were forced to share living arrangements with other girls – from all different backgrounds – in an era when women only really left the family home if they got married. I was really interested in the themes of independence and empowerment and these friendships forged through adversity.

Separation from your loved ones was a theme that I also wanted to include as it affected a lot of people on the home front. And it has resonances with anyone in the present day who has loved ones serving overseas. There was that feeling that the war was bigger than any one person and that everyone was a vital but small cog in the machinery of winning that war. So I wanted to show Joyce’s sadness at being separated from John, but wrestling with her need to be patriotic and ‘do her bit’. That was a big emotional heart in the series.