Madam's Vintage

There's a new Madam on the scene and she wears fabulous glasses! Madam's Vintage has been taken over by vintage lover and fellow blogger Alex, of The Forties Floozy. Her great clothing taste has extended into her spectacle collection and I think it's fair to say that we are now well and truly spoilt for choice in the glasses department!

 

Fifties frames a plenty, you can find everything from sunglasses to the classiest, engraved frames in a range of colours and shapes. It doesn't stop there, she also caters for the men out with there with a variety of fade and tortoiseshell frames! Alex is happy to help and discuss your needs, send more pictures or source something particular you may have in mind.

 

There is also a very useful 'Swapsies' idea- if you are bored of your existing frames and fancy a change, Madam's Vintage can work out a way to swap your current frames for some new-old ones and use your old ones as a discount!

 

Brighton people, please allow room on the pavements for one vintage lady running to Specsavers for an eye test to renew that prescription! I promise I haven't been purposely squinting...

 

Here's a selection of some of my personal favourites

 

Hannah xxx



Marilyn

Cynthia

 



Peggy

Delores

Two's Company

It's been a while since I did a photoshoot, but as the weather has (slowly) improved, I have suddenly had quite a few!

 

First on the list was a sunny Saturday evening around Shoreditch and Brick Lane. How trendy. Normally it is just me in front of the camera, however this time I was joined by my usually camera shy boyfriend, for a tatts and vintage inspired shoot! Beware- this is quite a picture heavy post!

 

 

 

 

 

The above photos are by Steve Mannell Photography and below by Rob Grimes Photography, two brilliant photographers that put us at ease and got some shots I love!

 

 

Top: Vintage from Wolf&Gypsy

Skirt: Vintage

Cardigan: H&M

Shoes: Rocket Originals

Hat: Vintage

 

Hannah xxx

Where To Find Me

A smaller post for today to let you know that I have branched out and can now be found on other social media! I keep my Twitter and Facebook regularly updated with musings, chatting with other vintage lovelies and post lots more pictures and event listings.

 

You can find me on Facebook here and Twitter here! I would love for you to give me a follow or like and don't forget to say hello!

 

Hannah xxx

 

 

Hey Pageboy!

Whilst I normally favour a set, victory roll or hide beneath a brightly coloured headscarf, last Saturday I had a little time on my hands and decided to try a new hairstyle. I have recently rediscovered my love for Dita Von Tease's' perfect waves and modern pageboy hairstyle, and thought I would give it a go. 

...Sigh, these are all so perfect!

 

I hadn't set my hair the night before (lazy!) so decided to also pin curl it first using my curling tongs. I separated my hair into three sections, back and two sides, and then curled big chunks of hair towards my face. Tip- a little hairspray before using the tongs works a treat! I would say I got three pin curls per each section of hair. Immediately after releasing my hair from the tongs, I rolled them into the pin curl in the direction that I wanted the curl to be, secured with a Kirby grip and gave a quick spray of hairspray. The most important part of heat styling is to allow the pin curl to fully cool before releasing it.

 

 After doing my make up, I released the pin curls and gently brushed the curls out with my Kent brush. I tried to brush the individual pin curls out so that they merge with the other pin curls from that section of hair. I then rolled them underneath and secured with a Kirby grip, another blast of hairspray and 'et voilà!'

 

 

I am really happy with how it turned out, especially considering it was my first attempt! I think this will be a perfect hairstyle for when my hair gets a little longer as I will be able to embrace Dita's look completely. I am not keen on constantly using curling tongs as I am petrified that I will kill my hair, so plan to try doing this style with a set. I will tweet and update my Facebook with how I get on!

 

Hope you like it and I would be grateful for any tips!

 

Hannah xxx

 

Homeward Bound

So long surrounded by dress, suit or shoe inspiration, my desire to have a bedroom reflecting my love of vintage sometimes gets put on the backburner. Continuously visiting flea markets, vintage fairs and charity shops definitely has it perks and every now and then, I snap up a bargain for 'my dream bedroom'. It then ends up sat in the cupboard...how sad.

Whilst my dreams feature an old hospital steel framed bed, Utility Wardrobe and fifties dressing table, I will have to settle with some pretty pictures, mirrors and bed linen for now. I have been wracking my brains for crafty, cheap and creative ways to revamp my bedroom and I think it could be instantly improved by some of my following ideas...

 

• I have a plan to make a duvet cover and pillow case for myself with some beautiful fabric. A thrifty option is to make is reversible, perhaps atomic on one side and a ditzy floral pattern on the other?! An even cheaper option is to just make the panel in the middle with the expensive fabric. I have been admiring the fabrics on 20th Century Cloth and Sanderson.

 

 

 

• Another option is to make some cushions. I love the idea of a simple cushion like in the picture below, with a beautiful forties, dress making pattern esque lady on one, and slick male dreamboat on the other! The bobbles around the outside are so cute. I am tempted to purchase from lovely Brighton based designer, Lisa of Foxy Flamingo who makes beautiful cushions!

 

...Sigh!

 

• I love the idea of using a retro drinks tray or serving tray as a way to store my perfume, rings and bits and bobs. A quick look on Ebay reveals many suitable trays!

 

• A vintage vanity case or suitcase can be easily picked up in charity shops or flea markets and would be an ideal way to store hats, stockings, gloves and more goodies!

• I currently store my headscarves and scarfs in a tall glass. This was picked up from Snoopers Paradise in Kensington Gardens for about £10, and is an efficient and pretty way to store and display your finery! Another option is the tall glass sweet jars!

 

I am busy trying to hunt down trinkets for my new display cabinet, which you can see above. I plan to display my hats in there along with hopefully lots of fabulous finds.

I would love to hear about any of your vintage finds perfect for furnishing your bedroom! Please inspire me more, and maybe I will brave a picture when the transformation is complete.

 

Hannah xxx

What I Wore

In my previous post I told you about my visit to the Vintage and Retro Emporium at Emmaus in Portslade. I rode my bicycle over there and decided to choose a slightly more sensible outfit than the dresses that I normally end up wearing which are not cycle friendly at all!

 

 

I am desperate to be paid as I am hankering after some Freddies of Pinewood Classics, but made do with some Topshop Jeans that I have had for around a year. They are quite sweet with small white polka dots on them, and I like to think they look more fifties when I roll them up to become more of a pedal pusher style. My only problem, as I generally find with all high street brands, is that they just do not fit properly for curvy ladies.

 

I paired them with my Olivia's from Rocket Originals and Norma Jean top from Freddies of Pinewood.

 

As we took a breather on the beach, it dawned on me that I was wearing a similar outfit to the young Marilyn Monroe, so couldn't resist the chance to do my own version of the classic Norma Jean shot.

 

 

Quite a difference but I would love to try and recreate it properly!

 

Lots of love,

 

Hannah xxx

Emmaus Vintage and Retro Emporium

Another sunny day (could summer ACTUALLY be here?!) caused for another bike ride. Can anyone tell I'm on a mission to lose some flab?! Anyway, back to the point. We rode our bikes over to Emmaus in Portslade Old Village to check it out after everyone we know telling us how fantastic it is there. It's safe to say that they were right- what a treasure chest! We first visited their Vintage and Retro Emporium.

Quite literally a bedroom from heaven

The Vintage and Retro Emporium hall is stunning

 

As much as I love the vintage scene that Central Brighton has to offer, I definitely notice a difference when I head slightly further out of town. There is generally lots more choice and sometimes I am even lucky enough to find items for slightly cheaper! Here you can expect tons of reasonably priced furniture to kitsch home wares and trinkets a plenty! Everything has a sticker on it marking the price, with the most expensive being £5 and all furniture is labelled. I really was overwhelmed by the quality and incredibly reasonable prices. What a fantastic cause to donate to, whilst also bagging a beautiful bargain.

 

Say hello to our new display cabinet!

For those without a way to collect the item, don't worry. Emmaus can help with delivery and charged us a mere £5 to deliver from their store to Central Brighton.

 

There is also the Second Hand Superstore, full of more furniture (including one Utility Wardrobe I was determined to get my hands on), lots of home wares, pictures and general bric-a-brac that I love browsing through. I managed to bag myself what appears to be a Lucite necklace and very beautiful diamond and emerald necklace, both for a pound each! I love a bargain.

 

I also love this jacket that I found, but sadly decided against purchasing it!

 

Hope you had a lovely day,

 

Hannah xxx

Sunday Best

With a visit to a Vintage Fair on the cards, I decided to get my Sunday Best out. The sun was shining and I thought it a perfect opportunity to debut some recent purchases.

 

I recently got this Dollydagger Strawberry Picnic Bustle Dress, and have to say that I love it so much that I have been wearing it everywhere.  The neckline is very square which reveals a very demure amount of collarbone before gathering in at the waist. It is a bustle dress, so defines the waist and then 'poofs' out slightly to give a very flattering shape which I think is quite 1940's Dior New Look, like dress number 4 below. Dollydagger have some new designs coming in soon, with the same style dress but in a strawberry and gingham print which is below too.

 

I paired it with my new Rocket Originals Olivias, rose brooch from my previous post, vintage hat, vintage handbag and H&M cream cardigan. Both bag and cardigan are looking slightly worse for wear, and I was quite open to potentially picking up some replacements at the vintage fair but unfortunately it turned out to be a bit rubbish! It looks like I will be indulging my Ebay addiction again!

 

Hannah xxx