Vintage York and Pin-Up shoe review!

Well York was a real blast! Unfortunately, as with all the best laid plans, we didn't quite visit everywhere on my rather long list so here's my thoughts on the bits we did manage!

Obviously Cath Kidston was a must and the York store is amazing, just look at some of these room displays!

 The House of Avalon Vintage shop and cafe was simply gorgeous, some fab frocks and gorgeous gowns from the 1930s, 40s and 50s which was a real treat as many 'vintage' shops are a 70s polyester heaven! (Probably very lovely polyester mind you, but not really my thing!) The cafe is a social enterprise and helps people learn catering skills. Here's my youngest enjoying a proper cup of Yorkshire tea!

Unbelievably that was all we managed in York itself , that and the vintage ice cream van outside York Castle Museum!

I had Strawberry! Yummy!

As we were staying in a fab friends cottage near Boroughbridge we popped over there for yet more tea, cake and shopping. I could not believe my eyes when I stumbled upon this gem of a shoe shop, 'Shoeberry', stocking Pin Up Couture shoes no less!!! The shop has only been open 8 weeks and also contains a cafe and has a lovely retro 50s vibe. Fortunately for those of us who no longer live in the North, Lucy sells online and her shoes are a treat for feet everywhere so do visit her online shop or contact her on lucy@shoeberry.co.uk.

Pricey but gorgeous Pin Up Couture shoes!

Fab cafe inside the store

Isn't Lucy's window just amazing?!

 We also spied Betty's in Harrogate as well as York and thoroughly enjoyed tea and cakes a plenty! A trip most definitely to be repeated methinks! I'm off to Norwich next month so will also be reviewing the vintage scene with the assistance of Retro Chick....can't wait!

Before I go, I must also mention the fab giveaway on Shona's blog from Heyday! A Fleur dress as modelled by the stunning Fleur de Guerre of the Vintage Mafia. Pop on over and leave her a comment for your chance to enter. You know how much I just lurve Heyday!

Hope you all had a fab week too whatever you got up too!
       x

Friday's Fab Frocks 1940s style!

Favourite round up of fab frocks for this week...

Heyday have a great selection of Mary Dresses at the moment which are perfect for capturing that quintessential 1940s style!

Mary Dress £60 Heyday Online

I also love this 1940s style dress from the current Redressing AW11 collection!


Redressing 1940s style dress £15

 Reminds me of the gorgeous Vivien of Holloway tea dresses!

Am off to Judy's affordable Vintage fair in Leamington Spa on Saturday so who knows what I may find?!
The fab Le Keux Events will be there too; am very excited about my personal hair styling appointment with them next week!

Have you seen any fab frocks this week?
                           x

All about Redressing events

I have been asked some questions recently about Redressing events so here you go!

The Redressing Experience happens in one of three ways. Firstly you can attend a Pop-In-And-Shop at my house on the first Monday and Friday of the month.

All dresses from all 3 collections are available to try before you buy. The coffee pot is on and there's usually a gathering of gorgeous girls browsing the rails and trying on fab frocks. The event is so named because it does exactly what it says on the tin; you Pop-In (often during your lunch hour) and shop.

There's usually the jewellery collection available, although there will all have to be sold by the end of the year. These events are perfect for busy women who want a divine dress and who know they can simply pop-in and pick out a stunner perfect for a special occasion or simply for Everyday Glam.

The second type of Redressing experience is an Evening Event. These usually take place in other ladies homes and I bring the dresses, the colour analysis scarves, body shape and style consultations, advice and general 'feel-good' factor to the party! Whether you host an evening of 30 ladies or 3 who want to know their body shape and 'best fits', an excellent evening is to be had by all.

The third type of Redressing Experience is one of my own Evening Events. I usually hold these at least once every quarter for my gorgeous girls who work full time and look forward to the opportunity to attend an event, have a glass of wine and a few nibbles and chat together about all things frock. If you'd like to join us the next Evening Event is our First Birthday Bash! Friday November 25th from 8pm. Come and join us and experience Redressing for yourself!

Have you attended one of our events? Which one and what did you like best and what did you buy? I loved refreshing the way you dress!

Angie
    x

Vintage York!

I'm heading up to York for a few days so have decided to blog about my adventures and produce a kind of mini-review of Vintage York.

Cath Kidston Shop, Stonegate, York.

The trip won't be complete without a trip to the Cath Kidston shop (my girls are HUGE fans!) and quite remarkably the glorious Betty's tea rooms are virtually across the road.

Betty's Tea Rooms, Stonegate, York

It's been a while since I last tasted their exquisite coffee and cakes... yum!

I'm hoping to locate quite a few authentic and reproduction vintage shops that I've discovered doing a bit of research. 'The House of Avalon' looks very interesting and has a coffee shop attached! There's also 'Purple Haze Vintage', 'Vintage' and the magnificent 'Banana Warehouse'. I just hope I can find them all!

House of Avalon, York

Banana Warehouse, York

Vintage, Grape Lane

Purple Haze, York

Anywhere else you'd suggest I visit for a review on Vintage York?
                                x

Outfit Post- Why I love reproduction Vintage!

I promised you an outfit post in my new grey 1940s style trousers from Heyday! Here they are. I love them! So comfortable and easy to wash and wear.

Teamed, as always with my vintage style cropped red cardi and hair flower!

It's so easy to create a vintage inspired wardrobe. I love being able to express myself in 1940s/1950s fashions without having had to scour the globe for original (and often ill fitting) garments and so I applaud those like Heyday! , Tara Starlet, Able Grable, Puttin' On The Ritz to name but a few, who make it easy for the rest of us to find vintage reproduction which looks good and fits well. It's also why I have chosen Vintage Chic as a collection tab for many of my dresses, I want to make it easy for women to find the 'look' without having to procure an original piece.

I dress in a vintage inspired way as it enables an outward expression of my inward belief systems; that woman of those era's knew how to look gorgeous and that many understood and inhabited positions of ethics and morality which have sadly almost completely slipped from our day. If you believe 'You are what you wear' then I am all about family values, Community spirit, hard work and perseverance! Oh, and of course encouraging all women everywhere to look and be gorgeous, inside and out!

What does your style say about you?
                    x

Who can wear which dress Wednesday? Guest post: "Working Shifts"

Working shifts

Angie asked me if I would write a guest blog post, so here I am!  I’m a 39-year-old mum of two and I’ll be returning to work at the beginning of December when my younger daughter is ten months old.  Rifling through my already rather capsule work wardrobe trying to find clothes that will fit me in this ‘post-natal things not really (perhaps ever) buttoning up as they used to’ phase, I narrowed my choices down to a Boden black wrap dress and a gorgeous navy shift dress with biscuit-coloured trim at the neck and hem that I bought from Ange at Redressing.  And voilà!  I had a light bulb moment – shift dresses were the solution to my problem.  And judging by the activity on E bay for these dresses I think a few people agree with me.

‘It is never too early to learn that discretion and simplicity are the foundations of elegance’ – so says Genevieve Antoine Dariaux in her style manual A Guide to Elegance – great book!  The shift certainly ticks those boxes and, adorned as I am at the moment in mud, baby drool and dog hair I’m crying out for a bit of elegance.  I’ve just bought a bargain Hobbs shift dress which I’m really pleased with because, although elegant, it’s not too ‘officey’ so it’ll earn its keep by appearing at quite a few different social situations.  The fabric is fabulous, flowing over curves rather than bunching up and emphasising them for all the wrong reasons. 

I’ve noticed I hold myself differently when I’m trying on shift dresses.  I stand up straight and keep my shoulders down and even in those simple alterations I look different – more...  elegant!

So here’s to working shifts and not having to mess about ironing lots of fiddly blouses on a Sunday night! x

Magazine Review: Vintage Life Magazine

Having subscribed to Vintage Life Magazine and received 5 copies already I thought I'd do a quick review of my thoughts.

There's lots I really do like about this mag. The hints and tips on achieving vintage style hair and make up are invaluable, especially the skills required for things like pin up curls and the Marilyn set are getting lost with the world domination of the Straighteners! (At least you can use them to create a pretty cool victory roll!)

The lovely Lipstick and Curls giving advice on all things vintage hair styley! They are a regular feature; hooray!

The Beauty, make-up and hair section from June's copy. This really appealed to me as you know I never go anywhere without my trademark hair flower (just look at my outfit posts!)

There's always some sound advice from Lynsey Le Keux, (I'm going to the vintage salon in a months time- can't wait!)

I particularly enjoy the Betty Bee projects. I follow her blog anyway, and love her make-do and mend approach yet always finished with finesse! You know that subtle difference between 'Home-made' and 'Hand-made'?! Hand-made is always infinitely better! Here's her project from the June issue.

And of course there's always something gorgeous from Cath Kidston to be found somewhere inside! All in all, a good read; a huge number of advertisements and perhaps too many decades are covered for me personally, I do prefer all things 40s and 50s as I applaud the morality and many values found within those years, but a welcome addition to the Mag rack and now available at Sainsbury's too! (Is this where the vintage inspired middle class lady shops then?!)

Just before I go I couldn't help spotting a rather distinct change to the Vivien of Holloway ads...spot the difference?!

before the advent of 'mainstream' vintage.....

After.....

Have you subscribed? What do you think?
             x

Fab Frock Friday!

What with a website update earlier in the week and a fab evening event tonight with Polka Dot jewellery, I thought it high time I showcase some of Redressing's fab frocks before they all get snapped up!

Size 10 £20

My current favourite from Posh Frocks has got to be this little stunner. It's a silk bias cut halterneck gown in delicious browns and creams, just perfect for Autumn and a nice change from black. I hope it goes off to a new and fabulous home!

Size 16 £15

My favourite from Vintage Chic is this glorious Mad Men inspired wool shift dress in hot fuchsia pink. I could so see this being worn with tan tights and heels or with a black polo neck and tight boots depending on which end of the 1960s you favour! I'm sure it won't be hanging around for long!

Size 10 £15

This silky drop waisted tunic style dress is from the gorgeous Everyday Glam collection and I love it. It's perfect for wearing over jeans or leggings and the feel of the fabric is so silky soft.

I wonder which one will go first?! Can't wait for tonight!
          x

Vintage inspiration 1950s style; Tara Starlet and my Telegraph Interview!

Today's outfit post is one of my favourite winter dresses from Tara Starlet. I found it on eBay last year and it was a winter staple. I love wearing it with my red or yellow Mary Jane's and was wearing it last February for my fab interview with Catherine Vonledebur at the Coventry Telegraph and as I have quite a few more blog followers now than I did then you can all read the blog post for that here!

This year I'm wearing it with my new shoes from New Look, cropped red cardi and of course my red hair flower. The dress is a classic Tara Starlet, square neck with two red buttons sewn in the corners. The skirt is flared and although the dress is semi fitted, the cut and type of material make it very easy to wear without too many lumps or bumps.

Tara Starlet have some great vintage inspired dresses this season. I did have one in Redressing, but alas, it was snapped up rather quickly!

I love the fact that it's lightweight jersey material, easy to wash and wear and looks great. So much nicer than boring old jeans and a Tee don't you think? (yet, just as comfy and probably cheaper!) All part of my mission to bring back the frock!

Have you been 'brought back to the frock'?!
                     x

Dresses to Impress: the A-Z of fabulous frocks and gorgeous gowns...N is for Natural Beauty

It's been a while since my last A-Z post so here's N: Natural Beauty!

'Beauty is only skin deep', 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder'- all common phrases we use to shift the focus away from beauty being a visual, physical thing only they don't do that, do they? Beauty is not and cannot be purely a visual, physical thing but rather something found on the inside not the outside. If you have followed this blog for long you will know that this is something which matters a great deal to me and is part of the reason I founded my business Redressing.

I wanted to offer real women the opportunity to buy gorgeous dresses which left them feeling great and without emptying their pockets in the process because real beauty has to come from the inside. It's not what you wear but who you are. Let's be honest though, what you wear really does help especially if you have forgotten that you are beautiful on the inside and need a teeny weeny bit of help to re-discover your natural beauty!

In the famous words of Audrey Hepburn "I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls".
Me too!

Outfit Post- A 1950s nod to Brigitte Bardot and Marilyn!

Today's outfit is a bit of a nod towards two of the fifties screen sirens Brigitte Bardot and Marilyn Monroe with the boat neck sweater. (Wonder if one will be worn in the upcoming Marilyn movie?!)

Marilyn Monroe in boat neck sweater

Brigitte Bardot in boat neck sweater

As the weather here in the UK finally turns to what it ought to be like in October, out come the warm woollies and this is one of my favourites. I picked it up at a flea market but it's a gorgeous bit of lambswool from good old M&S. (I've added the bow diamante brooch for a bit of instant bling!)

The skinny jeans make yet another appearance in this blog as I still haven't managed to find any Capri pants that I really like although Lady K Loves have some fab ones online.
The shoes are a bargain from New Look- I think I love all their shoes and peep toe wedges are so 1950s!

And the jumper matches my Rockalily lipstick to a tee!

There is something so uber-glam about the 1950s- a wonderful era of post war freedom, women who knew how to dress well and enjoyed being girlie and not forgetting the archetypal fifties housewife.  I may not be Elizabeth David,  but I do love a bit of fifties chic in my world! I am proud to be a wife and mother, business woman and re-scripter of identity so all things vintage perfectly capture my frequency.

What's your favourite era and why?

Posh Frock Friday- LBD!

There are some gorgeous Little Black Dresses out there at the moment. I suppose with Christmas parties just around the corner (I know it's still October, sorry!), we all need a wardrobe staple LDB.
Here are just a few from the Redressing Posh Frock collection....

Flapper style sz12 £15

Strapless chic sz12 £20

Audrey Hepburn style sz8 £15

Diamante straps sz14 £20

Black & White Ball sz12 £20

Sparkle and shimmer sz10 £20

Sensual silk sz12-14 £25

What's your favourite Little Black Dress?!......