Vintage Christmas

I've often wondered whether Christmas of yesteryear embodied the real spirit of Christmas anymore than it is today? I guess people had less so they gave less, or was it that handmade, homemade and grown/baked gifts were more the custom?
Maybe that's the true spirit of Christmas, to give someone a gift which has cost you more in time, thought and love than it has in financial cost alone? It's certainly easy to pop to the shops, pick up a fun, clever and witty gift but does that gift represent you, the giver?

What might you buy or make for someone today which costs you more in time than in money? Would you bake? Make? Knit? Sew? Craft? Or would you buy something pre-loved? Pre-Owned? Secondhand? Used? Is the value of a gift in the fact that it's new? Or is it really in the thought you've gone to to find the very thing that you know that person is going to love?......clearly if it's vintage it is going to be pre-loved.....but what if it's not 'authentic' vintage? What if it is simply 'already been given' before? But isn't that really the true spirit of Christmas? Hasn't the 'gift' of Jesus already been given before? In fact, isn't it given every single year on December 25th?! So really there's no problem in giving a gift which isn't brand new......so long as it's cost you more in time and real thought than it did in money.....so long as it actually represents you and is utterly perfect for the one who will be opening it on Christmas morning?!

So, Vintage Christmas....if vintage is 'representing the high quality of a past time' (dictionary reference), than couldn't we say that if Christmas itself represents the highest quality of a past event, then Christmas is in fact really, truly and authentically Vintage?!

So, what's the deal with Vintage?

So, Vintage. What's the deal with that then?
Well, Vintage is used to describe almost anything that is or can be old fashioned. We have always looked at 'yesteryear' with a kind of nostalgia- a rose-tinted view that everything from bygone eras was somehow better, more authentic or idyllic. Whether this is the case or not is really a bit irrelevant; the fact that we yearn after the decades past is actually all about the values, or principles those bygone days held.

Take the 1940s for example....we admire the 'wartime spirit', the social reforms developed through the Women's land army or the need for women in the work force. We love the clothing of the day; Glenn Miller, tea dances and the stunning hairdo's, but in reality, living back then with War, rationing, major class divide and no central heating was perhaps not quite the way we'd actually like to live our lives! But what of the values? Marriage was intentionally entered into with a long term view; pride in where you worked and who you worked for was evident; Law and order was respected, adhered to and encouraged and women knew how to dress to be attractive, feminine and strong.

 I know many of the changes in the decades past were extremely necessary and we benefit greatly today, but let's remember the values, traditions and principles of those bygone days and treasure their truths as we dress ourselves as modern women of the 21st century in dresses evocative of a bygone era, and we hanker after vintage and vintage inspired clothing to take us back into those days of love, truth, sincerity and honour, as well as enjoying our careers, social equality and central heating!!!!

Va Va Vintage girls- you know you look good when your internal shape is as full of accurate values as your external appearance is gorgeously vintage!

 

1940s style tea dress by Boden

Are dresses really only for girlie-girls or parties?

No!
Don't be silly!....Of course dresses are no longer only  for girlie-girls or parties! Any woman can look gorgeous in a frock, the key is which frock?!

There are 3 basic rules when it comes to choosing a dress...
1) What's the purpose of your outfit
2) Your body shape
3)What colours actually suit you

Let me explain. If you are travelling, say somewhere hot and lazy (oooh, now that sounds nice!) you need a dress fit for purpose, so silk, cotton or something lightweight. Conversely if you are travelling just about anywhere today, you need wool, jersey or a heavier weight fabric. Yes, I know you know this!

If you have an hourglass figure then dress to impress in a 1940s or 50s style waisted dress which will show off all your assetts and emphasise your nipped in waist. Accessorize with a fitted belt and there you go...gorgeous! But it's no good wearing that type of outfit if the colours are all wrong for you. There are lots of ways to analyse colour, but hey, rule of thumb- if a colour brings out the sparkle in your eyes, the pinkness of your lips and you feel a million dollars, then chances are it's a good colour for you.

If you are larger on top then go for a wrap style- always a good bet! (Easy to wear over the seasons too with kitten heels or boots!) Pear shapes (heavier on the hips but just as gorgeous!) might want to consider a wide skirted or prom style dress- these skirts skim the hips rather than cling to them.....a definite 1950s rockabilly look!

So, there you have it.....any woman can look divine in a dress!

Hello and welcome!

Hello and welcome!
This is my first blog post at Redressing- I hope you like it!

So, who are we and what do we do? Well, redressing is my online shop selling quality, pre-loved contemporary and vintage style dresses; pretty cool 'eh?! Check it out at www.redressing.co.uk

I absolutely lurve collecting, sourcing and re-presenting my contemporary dresses and vintage style finds on my website and hope you appreciate the fact that you no longer have to look just like everybody else in whatever is the latest fad fast fashion, but instead can look both stylish and chic in something which fits you well, suits your body shape AND hasn't cost you an arm and a leg!

I recognise as a working Mum of 3 that shopping for dresses can be stressful and hectic which is why I can offer you a delicious alternative. But I don't want this blog to be solely a marketing tool- oh no! You need to know something about me, what I value in my fellow women and what I am attempting to achieve with redressing. So watch this space and hopefully you will get a glimpse of the heart behind the website and the woman behind these words!.....