Mirror Mirror on the wall.... or floor. Vintage Finds

Just take a look at this gorgeous 1950s mirror I found at my local tip!!! She's a beauty. I'm thinking she really ought to go up in my hallway for that final outfit check. What do you think?

Shoes: Miss L Fire Cherry Bomb; Pencil Skirt: Kelly Brook for New Look

Oh I do love it that other peoples rubbish is long forgotten treasure! Can't help wondering who elses reflections she has revealed across the years?!
(Just need to ask Mr.Redressing very nicely to get the drill out now.....)

Have you been vintage hunting over the weekend too?
                                x

Accessorizing, old style! The Dress Clip

I bought a beautiful floral vintage inspired dress last week and I wanted to alter the shape of the neckline. I remembered a clever little vintage invention which seems to have gone out of fashion these days; the dress clip.

Art deco 'Duette' £47 BraceletstoBuckles. Etsy.com

The Dress clip was used to hold back gathers of fabric or to add interest and detail to a dress. They were usually sold in pairs and many, when fastened together, formed a brooch (Duette). Clever huh?!
I wanted to achieve this effect with my floral dress so I came up with a few inspired ideas.

The dress is what I would call an Audrey style and can be worn slightly off the shoulder. I was trying to get from this (above) to more of a sweetheart neckline. I tried some clip on earrings in one of my local vintage shops but they didn't have a long enough back and promptly fell off (which is why authentic dress clips had little grippers on the back), so in leiu of real dress clips I tried a brooch or two...

TaDa!

The brooch proved a really good idea as I could hold all of the spare fabric tightly together. The only problem was that I don't have two brooches the same so I tried a different one on the other side.

 

This worked well visually, but the size of the brooch meant it kept poking me under the arm! I really need to find some proper dress clips, but it's a start!

It always amazes me how many clever and beautiful things things from yesteryear have got lost over time. I love being able to bring them back. Here's some vintage inspiration for you and a few rather glamorous and gorgeous dress clips I've spied recently on Etsy.

Wallis Simpson in dress clips (source)

1940s clips £24.87 Etsy.com

Filigree clips £5.89 Etsy.com

Grapes Clips £6.54 Etsy.com

Rectangular clips £9.16 Etsy.com

Makes you wonder what else our fashion paced, fast fashion modern world has forgotten about? Have a great Wednesday folks!
            x

Fab Frock Friday! The Vintage Fashion Guild Frock Timeline

Today's Fab Frock Friday is all about the Vintage Fashion Guilds Frock Timeline showcasing the changes in Women's fashions and dresses from 1800 until the present day.

The guild is an international organisation dedicated to the promotion & preservation of vintage fashion. The website is a fantastic online resource for style information, dating of vintage pieces and the discovery of appropriate accessories! The timeline is of excellent value whether you love authentic vintage fashion or enjoy dabbling in the reproduction vintage world, whether it's the emerging trend for the W.E look of the 1930s through to the Rockabilly alternatives within 1950s fashion. The timelines have it all.

So, all you have to do now is decide which decade you fancy from the VFG Timeline. Enjoy!

1940s dress

1960s dress

1950s dress

If it's authentic vintage that you're after, why not pop on over to BeBopaLouLou Vintage for some fab frocks and gorgeous gowns. If Vintage Inspired is more your thing then nip over to Redressing's Vintage Chic Collection.

Don't forget to accessorise with gloves, belts, handbags and of course.... Hair!  (My Adventures in Vintage Hairstyling blog coming soon!)
             x


*information and images courtesy of the Vintage Fashion Guild.