Another little Video! Bargain Retro-Style Haul.

Here is a little haul video of things I have found on EBay, Poundland, Primark and my local YMCA charity shop... enjoy, nosey peeps!

Cheap Chappette Style (Olympiad & Vintage Event Dressing On A Budget)

There are some events where everyone dresses up. Events where half the point is to people watch, to see and be seen. Events such as The Chap Olympiad, which pop up once a year in the vintage calendar and provoke a mad panic of 'what shall I wear?'. It's part of the fun and part of the hell of getting ready ... and sometimes all those lucky people with perfect late 40s Dior or made-to-measure repro can be pretty intimidating to those of us on a more modest budget. Ha, never fear! One of the great things about these events is their creativity - in all but the most joyless, geekiest snobfest (and who would want to go to an event like that anyway?) when you look closely you'll see a myriad of different styles, budgets and methods. If you look closely at some of the perfect 'just got papped' blogger types, you may well note it's their sharp eye for styling and not their budget that gave them the edge. So here are some ideas on how to dress for those 'big' vintage days out without breaking the bank...

Button Revamp - New Old Top!

Hi all! I hope you're enjoying the bank holiday in all its glory. I was a little worried yesterday as I could see my breath and it was pouring with rain, luckily it's brighter today! I shouldn't really be blogging now if I was a proper blogger, as people don't read it straight away - but heh, you guys can read this whenever. If it starts raining again you can thank me for something to do.

Miss Selfridge via a Chazza

Cute Pocket detail

I was rummaging through my wardrobe recently and found this shirt, which I bought for about £3 from a charity shop a year or two ago. I love the pattern and cute pockets - it also lends itself to being styled with casual jeans or work wear, and can look very 50s gypsy style or hippy chic. Bargain! However, as you can see, it was all crumpled and folorn at the back of the shelf when I found it...

Dying Hair With Spices... Dare I?

I have been considering giving my hair a break from harsh permanent dyes recently. Mainly because it's crispy fried and dry, good if it was fried seaweed from the local takeaway, bad for hair. Not sexy. However I am not prepared to forgo dye altogether - I'm one of those people who (up until a few weeks ago) couldn't tell you what my natural hair looks like. Well, I let some roots grow a few weeks back and I was like 'NOOOO' ... I don't want to see my natural colour. It's brown - not lustrous rich brown but cool, dull crap brown, and where there used to be streaks of red and blonde there are now streaks of grey. Ugh. So, what were my options?

The first, from Superdrug, is simply wash-in-wash-out 'Effects' dye. The stuff you used as a teenager in the 90s! It's pretty quick, easy and cheap, but I have to apply the dye and wait 15 min (to get a good colour) every other time I wash my hair, which is a hassle. I don't mind once a week - or preferably once a month if I can get away with it. So I'm looking at other natural alternatives. At first, I was primed to pop off to Westfield and pick up some henna from Lush (only buy henna from reputable sources m'kay - as a West London girl I've seen the allergies and scars using adulterated, cheap - especially black- henna can cause). But then I got wind of a thriftier, home-made alternative from Youtube; spice dying.

As anyone who has got haldi (turmeric) on their clothes will attest, it's a pretty strong natural dye. The same goes for paprika, cloves, coffee and saffron. See how they can be used on these Youtube clips:

So, shall I try it? Do you want to see if my plain brown roots turn a nice chestnut? Or, which will probably be more entertaining, do you want to see me with an orange scalp and no decipherable change to my hair?

I even have some old bags of spices I forgot to unpack when I moved... lacking in flavour but perfectly OK for DIY dye...

Hickory Vintage ... A Vintage Fashion Film

I was recently sent this fabulous film by Hickory Vintage. With a tense, atmospheric thriller feel, it showcases their garments fantastically, covering four eras - the 40s, 50s, 60s & 70s and the 80s. There are some wonderful scenes and superb looks - check it out...

I think my favourite look it the 80s one - it's so striking with the make-up and oversized hat providing maximum impact!

Directed by Lauren Midwinter, this video overtook Prada in its first week on Youtube. Not bad for a vintage video in the world of mainstream fashion!

If this has piqued your interest in Hickory Vintage, do check out their blog and store. There's lovely stuff to be found...

60s Dress £14

70s Hawaiin Top £6

70s Grecian Maxi £14

Attacking Things From Poundland With A Glue Gun

Ah yes, the weather has been foul so I have been doing things indoors. By doing things, I mainly mean reading trashy fantasy novels and watching YouTube tutorials whilst eating Pringles by the fistful - but eventually, occasionally, I actually get round to making the things I've watched. Yes, crafting. Or in my case, sticking everything in sight together with an overheating glue gun and hoping for the best.

S'cuse the nekkid nails.

Hats & Hair & A Chrimbo Fair

My jaded heart is starting its seasonal melt. I am becoming 'enthusiastic' Perdita again, yes, that annoying one who highlights everything in Time Out and texts a million and one people and constantly organises one after the other 'just a little gathering- you know- some mulled wine.' Christmas Perdita. She gets tiresome quickly, but I don't have to hang around with her, everyone else does. Ha!

New Shoes?

We're in that lull between the autumn festivities of Halloween, Guy Fawkes, Diwali etc' and the time when it's actually OK to be blatantly over excited about Christmas. All is quiet. All activities that are blog worthy also need to be kept mum because they pertain to Christmas presents. So I took one for the team; selflessly, in the name of research post I bought new shoes. It was painful. But I did it.

As a child of the 90s, I was never without a pair of DM boots. Comfy and lasting-for-life, to my mind they can be work with a huge variety of outfits, not just jeans. However, for many years a gal like me had to decide between the comfort of her beloved docs and the glamour of a high heel. A tough choice, especially if you work on your feet all day.

October Outfit

It's Ethical Fashion Bloggers' monthly challenge this week, which is useful seeing as I just about manage to post an actual outfit post about once a month and that if you're lucky. I'm the worst vintage blogger ever, it's like "hmm, I have all these vintage clothes and mid-century items in my house... hmm, I write this blog ... if only there were some way of combining these things. If only!?!"

I take 50 photos, always, always I look angry in them-
I tried to soften my face, it blurred. Damn you Pixlr.