Up, up and away....back in two weeks!

 

Me and my Nana, on my first trip to Spain in 1995.

Just a quick note to say 'bye', as I'm off to Spain to stay with my Nan and Grandad for two weeks without any internets. I am just going to well and truly relax! As my first time abroad in 8 years, it is well and truly needed!

So I hope you all have a lovely couple of weeks and I'll speak to you when I return!

Pip pip! xx

Menswear style inspiration: my Dad.

I have started a menswear blog, because I have all these menswear inspirations and ideas and, due to being a vintage-sporting female, not able to express them. ET VOILA....here is born 'Moustaches & Monocles'!

My first post is about my own Dad's sartorial stylings!

Pip pip xx

Family, charity shops and bowling...

Hello all!

How the devil are you? This weekend has been very busy...and lovely! My mumma and little sister came to stay with me last night. They are having a big London adventure as it's half term for my sister.

Yesterday I met them off their train at Kings Cross, we popped back and dropped their stuff off at mine, then we went off up the road to crouch end. My mumma used to live here when she moved to London from Edinburgh when she was younger. Thing is, we didn't get very far, due to the distraction of good charity shops (you can see where I get it from). We bought some lovely things though!
Then after the shops closed, we met up with some family friends and went for a most delicious dinner! Fettucine with ham and asparagus in a garlic and olive oil sauce, topped with parmesan cheese. YUM.

 

You can't see that well in this picture but my sister and mum asked me to do victory rolls in their hair for the day, so here is my little land girl sister in her mum-made knitted coat.

This morning me, mum and my sister started the day with a healthy breakfast in bed of sweets, crisps and chocolate, before going out to see another family friend. Then we met up with my aunt and cousin and...we all went bowling!

 

I got this fab old printed cotton dress from the charity shop yesterday...my mum thought I shouldn't buy it. She says it's a 'Dot Cotton' dress, though I fail to see how this is a bad thing! 

I often have Dot Cotton clothes envy.

Dress: charity shop, £6.

 

Bowling shoes!

Aren't these record cases fab? I already owned the small 7" one (my Dad bought it for me from a carboot a couple of years ago, and today when we visited one of our family friends she dug out this bigger 12" version for me that she has had in her house....they are the exact same! So pleased!

She also gave me these crying kewpie baby salt & pepper shakers. Slightly odd, but I love them! They are marked 'foreign' so pretty old, though I'm not sure exactly how old. What do you ladies think about kewpies? I simply love them and their pointy heads and cute individual characters.

 

Oh poor bubbas!

Pip pip! xx

A (1946) vintage valentine!

Yes it's that odd day, where we are forced to make meaningful and extra-special plans and pressure is put on to have a romantic time!
But whether you love it or loathe it, you can't deny the fabulousness of this vintage valentines card! Printed in 1946, by Barker, Cincinnati, USA. I fell head-over-heels for it on ebay, unused and everything. So Mr Mike was lucky enough to recieve my dream card for V day. I'm going to frame it and admire it. The dog's lead on the front is real string! So darling!

On saturday after my vintage adventure, I got my apron on and made a batch of valentines shortbread.

Of course we scoffled it all almost immediately!

 

 Mr Mike enjoys my forays into baking!

I might even post the recipe up at some point, if anyone is interested! It's very easy, and makes for super scrumptious shortbread!

I also thought you ladies may enjoy this cider I found....

 

 Isn't she fab!

And just thought I'd share what I wore out to a meal on Sunday:

Dress: made by me.

1953 Coronation carriage brooch: gift from my aunt.

Vintage 1930's cardigan, gift.

Belt: charity shop.

Teamed with my Clarks suede heels.

Better dash, I'm starting work at 6am tomorrow...sigh!

Pip pip xxx

Crouch end adventures and vintage finds!

Hello lovely blogland.
How have your weekends been?

This is what I wore for my saturday adventure:

 

 White snood: ebay.

1940's dress: ebay.

1940's jacket: ebay.

YSL belt: charity shop.

Art deco brooch: charity shop.

Yesterday I took a trip up to crouch end in search of some bargains, and it was such a lovely sunny day that I thoroughly enjoyed the adventure. I was on the phone to my mother making plans for her visit next weekend, and as such I got distracted and walked totally the wrong way in search of the North London Vintage Market! But I found it eventually (after about an hours walk!) and perused the stalls in search of some bargains. It was in a church hall, lots of little stalls set up and lots of people milling around- twas pretty busy! It mostly seemed to be little housey things I already had, a few bits of lovely clothes I couldn't afford (like some 1930's silk high-waisted knickers) or slightly overpriced items. But I did snag myself some lovely things...

Vintage (1950's?) 'St Michael' apron, £2.

 Sewing basket, £5.

 

Edwardian shoe pinushion, £7.

I was on the phone to my mumma when I saw the pincushion and told her about it (as she had bought me one of these for my birthday) and when I mentioned it she decided she wanted one for HER birthday! So I bought it....we will have matching edwardian shoe pinushions! What are the chances!

I then loaded up my sewing basket with my finds and trotted off back into the sun. Now, I was walking to the bus, intending to go straight to the supermarket....but I just couldn't pass the charity shops without peeking in. JUST IN CASE. I just had this feeling. So in I popped, and boy was I glad I did!

A very kitsch pink plastic wall-mounted bathroom unit, £10!!

...and the mirror lifts up to reveal more shelves!

Yes, some may say this is hideous...my mum did! And Mr Mike's face was a sight when he walked in to find it.... but I love it! And I just couldn't not buy it! I don't even have the space to put this up and use it anywhere yet. But, one day? Hmmm, totally worth the risk.

Country casuals skirt, £3.50.

 It is a loose weave linen-mix with a sort of late 40's/50's feel to it. I think it will come in handy for summer!

When I got home from my adventures, I put on my new apron and made some shortbread too...but more on that tomorrow!

Did you pick up any cute buys this weekend? Or go on any adventures?

Pip pip xx

The North London Vintage Market...

Bonjour!

This is just a quick one as I simply must do the washing up and a bit of a tidy in our flat!

But for all you vintage guys and gals out there, I thought I'd let you know about this event happening tomorrow! I discovered it on facebook, and as it is up the road from me, I am certainly going to be popping along tomorrow to see what it's like!

Tomorrow Saturday 12th,
The North London Vintage Fair, in Crouch End. 10am-5pm.

I do hope this is of interest to you! And you never know, I might even see some of you there!
Pip pip xx

A quick outfit post and a hearty dinner!

It's tuesday. Phew! One day back at work and I'm already feeling knackered!
I used to be a brilliant eater when I was at uni, but my kitchen laziness has overcome me since working full time and now having such a teeny, freezer-less kitchen.

BUT, I have been trying recently to do more decent cooking, not just the quickest oven-ready meals I can purchase from the corner shop. And more vegetables!

Here's tonights hearty homemade meal....

 

I made a cheese, chive and herb potato bake, served with asparagus in garlic butter (which is my current favourite veggie dish, I did my asparagus like this yesterday too!). It was delicious, even if I do say so myself!

 

My not-so-perfect presentation, but my beautiful blue bird's are enjoying it!

Are you an inspired foodie? Or a lazy mabel? 

And a quick snap of today's outfit (though please ignore bad quality/cheesy grin!)...

 

Pale green knitwear: Charity shop.

YSL leather belt: Charity shop.

Tweed skirt: Primark.

Wool ankle socks: Topshop.

Brown brogues: Primark.

I'm off for a gin and elderflower (oh-so amazing), a quick nailpaint and bed.
Pip pip! xx

A fleeting visit to Brighton and some old-lady treasures...

I LOVE BRIGHTON!

And as it happens, three of my bestest chums from home currently live there, so it's pretty much the dream place to visit!

It was only a fleeting 24 hour trip due to work, but my did we pack a lot in!
We had drinks and dinner. We watched a screening of a bollywood film on massively comfy sofas, drinking g&t's and eating croissants, crisps and chocolate bars. We went into two pubs in town and had many more g&t's. We had chips and ran for buses! We got up late. We went to charity shops. We had turkish pancakes. We had lunch in the lanes. We did more shopping. We had a speedy meal and then we ran for my train back to London (making it by only 30 seconds, phew!).

 

The three Brighton beauts!

 

Me and Joanny enjoying the film screening.

Whilst in Brighton I got a load of treasures from the shops there!

Here's a peek at the bits I picked up from a charity shop I went to...

 

This darling necklace was only £1.

 

My brown old-lady skirt, also only £1.

 

Look at the gorgeous pale green knitwear I picked up for £4!

 

...and a matching sweater for £3?

And oh look....

 

The same in pale yellow.

Oh my, it's the perfect spring knitwear!

This is possibly the MOST old-lady charity shop swoop I think I have ever made. The lady serving me certainly found this amusing! She said my purchases were very 'me'. I am an old lady!

In the lanes there is a treasure-trove of an indoor fleamarket called 'Snoopers Paradise', which is full of the most wonderful things. You do have to be prepared to sift through piles of unwanted junk at times, and some stuff can be a tad expensive, but everytime I go there I always come away with at least one thing (and longing for lots more). There was a 1950's dressing table with curtained drawers and a glass top that I was pining after for £75. Oh, if only I had the transport!
If you are ever in Brighton, it's certainly worth a look for thrifty ladies/fellow hoarders.

 

On this visit, I picked up a cute painted wooden hat stand for £8.50.

Just perfect for one of displaying one of my vintage hats.

 

These gorgeous hair combs are a tortoiseshell effect, with gold running through it.

The tortoiseshell plastic hair flower is a nice alternative to a classic fabric hair flower.

And the gold atomiser with fur...well! Do I need to explain why I just had to have this?

All of the above were from a store called 'Jaffa Hair'.

I also picked up these cord shorts from a cheapy clothes shop for £7.50. I took the turn ups down to give them a longer length and am convinced I can sport a rather land-girl look for summer, teamed with a nice blouse and a pretty headscarf or snood. What do you think ladies?

I love Brighton...my dream is to live there one day!

What do you all think of Brighton?

I do hope you all have had rather lovely weekends my dears.

Pip pip xx

Stylish Blogger Award for moi?

 Well, it's been a busy week and my internet disappeared for a few days so I've been rather poor with my blogging, but after recieving another wee award nomination, I have finally gotten around to doing this....

The lovely ladies at The Butterfly Balcony, Land Girl 1980, Missy Vintage, Nifty, Thrifty Retro Mama, Miss P..., Tea and Crumpets Vintage and Miss B's Daydreams (please drop by their fabulous blogs if you have not already, though I'm sure you all have!) have all nominated me for a stylish blogger award, oh my!  How kind!

,

So, as is traditional, here are the 7 things about me...

1. I have 4 tattoos. Above is my cotton reel (the photo is from when it had just been done, so please excuse the transferpaper border), done by a very talented family friend for me. She even made the centre of the flower a button...how thoughtful!

2. I have two siblings... my brother is three years younger than me and above is a photo of him, me and my nan, from my grandad's birthday lunch.

I also have a little sister who is 15 years younger than me! She is 8 and has grown up so much every time I see her!

3.  I did an internship with the fabulous menswear designer James Long during my second year at uni, working on his collection for LFW AW09 (see some of my work with him here) and from that, I got the wonderful opportunity to work on some jackets for Take That to wear on their "Circus" tour! I helped hand sew on metallic trimmings and vintage madallions to the silver blazers, and you can the end result above...vaguely!

4. I am a hoarder....massively. I like things, and as a result, I own a lot. I end up with quite a lot of accidental collections of things I like. Such as 3 dressmakers dummies, 3 typewriters, 3 full size sewing machines and 4 vintage mini sewing machines/childs ones, and at least 7 vintage suitcases!

 

5. I love taxidermy. This is somewhat controversial, I know, but alas, I just cannot help it! My parents have a fantastic collection, all very old and bought from carboots and auctions etc. My step-mum made me this fabulous lady (above) a home- Mrs. Squirrel had a room with wallpaper and a mirror on the wall, and she is wearing a rather fancy feather hat, with pearls and jewelled bracelets on, and a glass of gin unsteady in her hand! I love her, and she is one of the most beautiful things I own! I do hope this doesn't offend anyone, I feel that having old taxidermy that is now often unloved and tatty, is taking something that is old and looking after it and admiring it!

6.  I am a big fan of moustaches! I see it as the most stylish of male facial accessories, and love a good twiddly one. I even did a menswear project for my degree where I designed a collection of clothes with detailing inspired by moustaches!

7. I want a cat. My dad and step-mum have three, and they are lovely. Mouse is my favourite, she is black with white boots and is tiny-sized. I have this vision of me in the future with my own little shop, where I sit and make things and my cat comes with me and she or he would wear little bows and jumpers and would be my companion!

Now, here are some great blogs you should go visit...

Vixen Vintage

The Freelancers Fashion Blog

Retro Chick 

Vintage Vixen 

Belle of the Bald

Pip pip! xx