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!
A sunny day, and vintage fair to be visited called for a vintage get up! I don't know about you, but sometimes I seem to be stuck into wearing the same outfits. I suppose with wearing vintage every day, it is hard to mix it up a bit!
Top: Freddie's of Pinewood Norma Jean Top
Cardigan: H&M Mohair
Necklace: Hand me down from my Mum!
Belt: Leather plaited belt from H&M
Skirt: The Vintage Rogue
Shoes: ASOS
Bag: Vintage
I made the most of the fair weather to debut my latest purchase, my skirt from The Brighton Vintage Fair last weekend. I bought it from trader, The Vintage Rogue, who also had a stand at Wear at the Western Front. She has lots of lovely items and is slowly but surely filling my entire wardrobe! A quick look on her website, laureneva.com shows her styling credentials. If you give her an email at contact@laureneva.com, she will add you to her mailing list and let you know where she is next going to have a stall!
I also highly recommend you take a look at Freddies of Pinewood. They do great reproduction day wear and I am always desperate to scrape some money together to purchase more! Unfortunately it doesn't look like they sell my top from their website any more.
So every Wednesday back our sofas get pushed back and table dragged out of the way, as it is Lindy Hop practice night! For the past 3 Thursdays, we have been learning to Lindy Hop with the lovely and helpful Graeme and Amanda. This is their website! We found the class advertised on the Evolution Arts website, which you can see here.
I have always been a massive Strictly Come Dancing fan, being completely mesmerised by the Jive and Charleston. The Lindy Hop originated in the 30's and the dancing isn't just the fun bit, the music that goes alongside it is fantastic as well, with artists such as Billie Holiday and Nina Simone. The steps so far are easy enough to follow, but I like to practice to make sure that I remember what I'm doing! I do hope to continue with dancing once our classes are over. It is great exercise, a real laugh and an excuse to have a dance and sing on a weeknight!
Not only has the music inspired me massively, but the thirties and forties swing clothing is amazing! Look at these amazing trousers from Vivien of Holloway! (yes please Father Christmas!). I recently bought a dark grey wool pair that are similar from Beyond Retro in Brighton as they were rather a bargain at £22, however they are slightly too short so I resorted to flashing some ankle in them! This style trouser looks very comfortable, as though they would flatter the hips and waist and give a more unusual vintage style for everyday outfits! Teamed with brougues,a cardigan, blouse or even just a plain top, they would be a great retro look and maybe I could burst into dance to complete the image!
Another excellent website to visit for a similar style is Freddies of Pinewood. They sell 40s and 50s style clothes, for both men and women. Their website is great and very helpful regarding sizes for their items which fit a little differently to those on the high street. They also do jeans in a similar style to the trousers above. I would love to try some of these, they may solve my war against skinny jeans!
I am really loving this style clothing at the moment. The cold weather is just so unbearable even in thick tights, I feel the need to wear trousers for a change! If any readers want any information on Lindy Hopping and how to begin learning, or if you are an experienced Lindy Hopper, please don't hesitate to contact me! I would love to hear from you! Maybe one time I will be brave enough to actually go to a Swing night and dance properly...
