Vintage Outfits: The 1980s Ball

Hi!

I’m back from my break and kicking off 2012 with a bit of a retro dresscapade today.

Way back when (approximately December 2009) I shared a house with two law students who asked my friend Sadie (of The Vanity Case) and I to do a Lindy routine at their Christmas Law Ball.

In exchange for a free meal (and lets just say that most dancers are easily bought with a free dinner…) we agreed to do a small performance before they opened the dance floor to the Lawyers.

I’m not going to lie… the performance was dreadful! We were so nervous we forgot a large portion of the routine and I’m sure the look of horror wasn’t disguised too well.

But that’s not important!

What does matter is that the Ball was 1980s themed! Which meant dressing in a suitably bright way with big hair and bright makeup.

I tried to take a bit of inspiration from the Human League for the make up, and Alex from Ashes to Ashes for the hair.

80s makeup inspiration

Make up wise wasn't about being subtle for me, I rarely stray away from that classic black eyeliner look so I think I went a little bit over board with the blue. The high cheekbone blusher is ESSENTIAL for that 80s look and rounded off with a bright pink lipstick.

Now I'm no D.I. Drake, but clearly we both have impeccable choice of colours

The hair was quite short at this point so I rolled it during the day to add some curl and volume and sprayed it to make it as big as possible- with a big bow to make it a bit more girly.

For the outfit itself I had a shiny electric blue swing dress with cut batwing sleeves and an inbuilt petticoat that I purchased from a vintage seller from eBay for around £5. I added a classic 80s style patent waist belt and some gloves- it was a ball after all!

I couldn't resist a bit of lomography for that 80s feel :D

Sadly, I was wearing my dance shoes in the photo so you can’t get a sense of footware… nevermind. Pixy boots would be the perfect way to finish this look I think.

So that's it for now!

Just one side note, I had my tickets for London Super Comic con confirmed so I'm currently working on a costume for that- as what you ask? I'm not telling... yet... but watch this space!

Until then- Happy Dresscapades!

Vintage Style: Christmas Jumpers

Just a quick post before Christmas and I’ll be back in the New Year.

After a brief resurgence of the Fair Isle jumper last winter it seems that the British Public have truly embraced the jumper this year!

From vintage hand knitted wonders to Primark Fair Isle replicas they come in all shapes and sizes. Even I have one! Although at the time of writing this post I don’t have access to a photo of it :(

Here’s a picture of me with some Fair Isle earmuffs on the Eiffel Tower last December (it was very very cold!):

Initially booming in the late 80s and early 90s the heavily patterned jumper always had an element of the ‘geek chic’ about it. I remember having jumpers as a kid with faces of cartoon characters, snowmen and even the odd reindeer on them but the current resurgence is not just for kids and Noel Edmonds!

Not a Christmas jumper, but close enough...

Several Brighton shops have championed the patterned jumper such as Ju-Ju and student favourite Dirty Harry.

With this ease of availability the young hipster kids in their vintage jumpers have helped to bring the Christmas Jumper back as a fashion staple this year, but the current economic status, the increase in hand-me-downs and the boom of vintage have all contributed to the rise of the patterned jumper.

Hipsters! Image source

They have been in the media for many years though, possibly most famously in the movie 'Bridget Jones' Diary' where Mr. Darcy is seen for the first time wearing a reindeer jumper.

Even the BBC have caught the trend with their latest Christmas ident displaying a knitted reindeer and their Christmas feature advert showing their biggest stars this year all wearing Christmas jumpers and singing in a festive house.

BBC cast form their 2011 christmas advert: Christmas Jumpers!

Even current Doctor Who Matt Smith gets in on the action... with a Cyberman:

I even managed to catch a glimpse of Marge Simpson wearing a Christmas jumper in this festive edition of the Simpsons!

Ironically the one person not wearing a Christmas jumper this year is Noel, who seems to have opted for the safe suit in his latest Christmas specials- it would seem he is just destined to be out of style :(

Vintage Events: A Collectif Party

After an exhausting day packaging my brother onto a train back home for Christmas I decided to stop by the new Collectif London opening party at Old Spitalfields Market. A perfect location for the 50s style shop with its frequent vintage fairs and proximity to the thrift shops of Brick lane.

Spitalfields market

I have been a fan of Collectif ever since I stumbled upon their shop in Camden market a few years ago.

I’m not sure the clothing can be considered vintage reproduction as the measurements and sizes are not vintage (like say Vivien f Holloway) so when you try on a size 12, it really is a size 12. But the styles are certainly rockabilly and vintage 1950s inspired even if the colours and styles are somewhat exaggerated. But I really do love the over the top style!

I particularly like their doll dresses as they give you a great swing and they have a longer length to maintain your dignity even while doing an American Spin.

(A small word of caution when ordering online, their sizes are very variable so make sure you check their measurements!)

The party at the market was a fun event with music playing, pinup clientele and a sip of Sailor Jerry’s.

Folks in the party mood

Rails of the lovely dresses

There was also a pop up pin-up photo booth and make up service provided by Rockabetty Studios. They were able to provide ladies with the vintage look in no time and their photographer was downstairs to take photos in the lovely dresses.

Creating the vintage look...

...then capturing it on film

I have had my eye on the Tammy dress in navy for some time, however they only had the red available for me to try on.

Tammy dress in red

Although it was very nice, I do have several similar red dresses like this, so I will probably be ordering the navy version from their online store.

Collectif have also recently branched out in to winter dresses made of velvet, like the Trina. Although I am not typically a fan of this look, the shape of this dress is just so flattering! Sadly they didn’t have the dress in my size either… but at least I can order online!

Trina dress in sky... and a size too small :(

All in all it was a fun event, I wish I had arrived a little earlier so there wasn’t such a big queue for a photo session. Who knows, maybe I will have my own done some time?

P.S. I'd also like to mention the Lego Christmas tree in St. Pancras station. It was pretty cool!

Cosplay Costumes: A Purr-Fect Catwoman Costume?

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As you may have previously read I attended the London MCM Expo over the Halloween weekend this year. Although I have already reported on one of my costumes here and I thought it was time to tell you about the other.

As it was Halloween weekend I thought something slightly themely was in order, and as I am apparently on a secret mission to see just how many times I can adapt and modify the same catsuit, Catwoman seemed like an inspired choice. After all, I am certainly not the first, nor will I be the last person to dress as a black cat on Halloween.

Miranda and Carrie from Sex and the City

As Miranda from Sex and the City says:
'The only two choices for women; witch and sexy kitten.'

It was at this point that the really tough decision had to be made: which catwoman?

The timely appearance of photographs of Anne Hathaway from the set of The Dark Knight Rises and their striking resemblance to the 60s catwoman portrayal by Julie Newmar that made this decision easier for me (I even wrote about it here). Well that and the fact I didn’t feel I would suit the pixi crop as seen in the Catwoman comics...

Can anyone else feel the retro vibe here?

As I already had most of the costume,  I begain by buying the ears. They were a little larger than the typical cat ears, but I wanted big hair as befitting of a 60s legend so the size of the ears would have to compensate for the size of the hair.

The waves were achieved by rolling my hair under the black canary wig the day before and then brushing them out in the morning, I then parted the hair so I could have a small beehive at the back, but could still pull the front sections over the headband to make the ears look more ‘natural’.

For once the make up was straightforward, I used a basic tinted moisturiser base with a small amount of blush, then simple 60s lined eyes and pale lips.

Here is the final look:

I felt the look was fairly successful, but perhaps not as much as Black Canary the day before. I saw several other Catwomen on the day, but none were 60s style so I was pleased with that!

Overall the day was great, I felt much happier being part of the fancy dress crowd than when I had visited the expo in May (read about that here)- perhaps I’m just getting a little more daring about these things :D

There were a few exciting panels, in particular a session with Gail Simone who told us about how she got into writing comics, some of her projects, old and new, and answered some really tough fan questions about the DCnU!

I was also lucky enough to try Mario 3DS and Luigis mansion 2 at the Nintendo unleashed stand. From what I managed to play, I’d say both come highly recommended!

The folks at Nintendo unleashed were also giving away a little special something in honour of the release and success of Ocarina of time on 3ds- A real working ocarina! And believe me I have been playing mine almost every day since I opened the packet.

What was the first thing I played? Well… after warming up with a little row row row your boat, I launched straight into the Stargate SG1 theme tune :D

All I can say is do I feel a little bit of Lady Link cosplay coming on?

I’ve had a few ideas for further costumes I’d like to have a go at, but sadly the comic cons are over for me until the new year. I am hoping to attend one in February though, so keep your eyes peeled for that!

Vintage Inspirations: Is 2011 the year of the vintage style wedding dress?

So I’ll admit in posting this I am slightly bias… (okay I’m very bias) given that I’m planning a wedding myself but while researching wedding things it has become apparent to me that the trend of having a ‘vintage wedding’ is on the rise.

Vintage weddings have always been popular, as evidenced by websites like Rock N’ Roll Bride and consistent wedding features in VintageLife Magazine. But these days it seems that even the more main-stream wedding has been leaning towards the more vintage-y feel.

In Spring 2011 the wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton was seen by millions of people in the UK alone. The event was celebrated with street parties and pub parties, in-fact many shops shut during the ceremony so staff could watch!

While the day was not exactly vintage, the day was steeped in tradition and had a very old fashioned feel to it. In particular Kate’s dress:

The very traditional dress designed by award winning designer Sarah Burton at Alexander McQueen and had a distinct vintage flair- with many parallels drawn between this dress and Grace Kelly’s:

Kate with Grace

Image source: eonline

My favourite aspects of the dress are the beautifully fitted lace sleeves and the sweetheart bodice that shows a small amount of decolletage while still remaining very classy- perfect in a wedding dress. Overall the gown managed to look traditional without looking frumpy and is steeped in sumptuous detail. I get the impression people will be asking for replicas of this dress for many years to come!

Speaking of replica gowns the dress was kept under wraps until the moment the future Princess stepped out of the car! However replica dresses have sprung up form several places including high-street store Peacocks. My favourite of the ‘inspired by Kate dresses’ are the shortened versions like The Cambridge sold by Dolly Couture- for the bride aiming for a more 50s swing dress look.

Of course William and Kate was not the only big wedding this year!

The other wedding I am referring to is that of vampire Edward Cullen and Bella Swan from this years Twilight franchise film Breaking Dawn Part 1. Twi-hard fans have been waiting to see Bella’s wedding dress since the books release in 2008. The dress is very well described in the book as a 1900s vintage dress with lace features and modern twists and the final design for the film was kept just as secret as Kate’s!

Bella’s Caroline Herrera designer gown was recently valued at $35 000 and made with satin and Chantilly lace. The dress had a distinctive 20s feel to it, with the plain front, deco lines and again, lace features:

Beautiful lace details

 Image source: HeyUGuys

Although the wedding itself was very quaint its strong rustic feel and use of flowers help to give the ceremony the traditional feeling. However the wedding was filled with some quirky touches that made it seem a little bit different, my favourite of these being Bella’s decision to wear her white sneakers under the dress.

Several replicas of Bella’s dress have surfaced already- in particular this version by Alfred Angelo.

Now I’m not the first to draw parallels between these two weddings, I even found one article suggesting that Pippa Middleton’s dress was the inspiration for Bella’s! However I feel that the similarities in the retro choices of the brides reflect a greater general trend towards vintage styling, as seen in the high-street with 40s tea-dresses, 70s colours and 90s jumpers, but that’s just my humble opinion…

…and in case you were wondering vintage styling will be something I will be considering with my choice of wedding dress ;) but I can’t share details on that yet!

So for now,

Happy Dresscapades!

Vintage Outfits: Flapping Around...

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As you know, I recently visited an event in Brighton called Blind Pig (click here to see what I thought of it). The theme of this event was 1920s speakeasy with an electroswing style, which of course means only one thing at Fancy Dresscapades... Flappers!

Flapper is the name given to the Charleston dancing girls that wore drop waisted satin and lace dresses, feathers in their hair, cloche hats and seamed silk stockings that were very popular in the roaring 1920s.

 Image source

The finest of Flappers

Anyone who knows me a little will know that I am a keen lindyhopper and have picked up a fair amount of charleston skill during my time performing with Sussex Swing under the careful instruction of Lizzie Abrahams a few years ago. So this event seemed like a perfect oppertunity to dress the part and put on my dancing shoes again!

Basic costume design

 I have been to a few different events of this type and have worn mainly the more characature style charleston dress that is a box shape and often has some fringing to it. For a change this time I wanted to wear something a little different and went with a navy lace number I picked up at Frock Me in Brighton last year- for a meer £5 I may hasten to add! The dress itself is actually from the 80s, but after pinning in the sleeves I felt it had quite a 20s shape.

 For hair and make up I curled my hair by pinning it up an a pseudo-victory roll style- a hot tip I picked up from my friend Sadie Doherty (reporter extraordinaire for the Vintage News and the former head of the University of Sussex Swing Dance Society) and took them out just before the evening. This meant my hair was lovely and curly and sat underneath my cloche hat rather nicely.

My makeup was a very toned down version of the 20s look with silvery metallic eyes, dark eyeliner and lipstick. I might have pushed this a little further had I had a bit more time to get dressed- woops!

I feel as a costume it worked quite well

Let me know what you think

I’ll have a gallery of some of my former flappers up in the new year too if you’re looking for some more inspiration on the look.

Vintage Events: Blind Pig - Brighton's Fabulous Fundrasing Speakeasy

Held at the beautiful and chic Proud Brighton Ballroom the Blind Pig is an event that mixes burlesque cabaret and dancing to the tunes of an electro-swing speakeasy.

Blind Pig takes its name from the prohibition era Speakeasy where owners of bars and clubs would charge guests to see a novelty animal while serving a complimentary alcoholic beverage- thus exploiting loopholes in the anti-liquor laws.

This piggy however was created for a different purpose. The night was conceived as a fundraiser for students at Brighton University studying Textile Design, their aim being to provide funds for their end of year degree show.

When asked about creating the night, Carolyn, one of Blind Pigs organisers stated:

“Many other year groups/disciplines hold fundraising nights and I wanted ours to be different, appeal not just to the student market and also be something I could continue with after graduation. Burlesque and dance is all I know and I wouldn't know how to put on another type of night! I wanted to make it accessible to a younger audience who may not have been to such an event before and have a mixed audience of all ages and backgrounds.”

Photo Source: 1 and 2 Lucid Photography and Blind Pig. 3 FD.

Some of the acts

I felt that this attitude of the organisers was certainly reflected in the wide range of attendees. The opulence of the Brighton Ballroom provides a perfect back drop for the speakeasy stylings of this event, with its deco mirrors, trendy bar serving sumptuous cocktails and its beautiful domed ceiling.

The event itself started quietly with most guests seated around the bar and table areas, but as the place filled up the acts came thick and fast! The show sessions consisted of around four or five different burlesque based acts- ranging from a male pole dancer (correct terminology?) to a pasties sporting fire eater. The acts themselves came in two blocks and began almost as the doors opened so DON’T BE LATE! Numbers were announced by compere Kat Frost and separated by perfectly selected and mashed electro-swing songs by DJ Gareth Jones.

Compere Kat and DJ Gareth

After the show portion of the night had finished the dance floor opened for a fine selection of tunes playing until the wee hours of the morning.

All in all the night ran very smoothly, with rapid turn around of acts, a vibrant buzz of attendees and still enough room to Charleston (…just!).

Photo Source: Lucid Photography and Blind Pig

Well dressed attendees!

My favourite act of the night was a lovely fan dance by Cherry Bella with seemless movement and a beautiful traditional performance.

Cherry Bella

Many of the organisers of the event were also performers at the show, and their enthusiasm for their art was clearly evident. This is the 4^th event that they have held at the Brighton Ballroom and hopefully they will keep Blind Pig going long after they graduate!

In my time as a lindy hopper I have had the opportunity to attend and even perform at a few Speakeasy type events, and always enjoy dressing for the part. With this in mind I asked Carolyn about Blind Pig's attitude to costumes:

“I think people love to dress up, with this sort of theme it's quite easy as well. You don't have to go all out, just a few accessories can make you feel the part. It is always great when people do go all the way of course! It definitely helps with the mood and atmosphere, if people put the effort in before the night starts then you know they are up for a good night!”

Photo Source: Lucid Photography and Blind Pig

The era of the feathered headband

Just looking around the venue you could see that many people shared this sentiment, the popularity of the feathered headband and dicky bow-tie was clear although some extra special outfits were also seen. My personal favourite costumes were a couple dressed as and RAF officer and a 20s siren.

Photo Source: Lucid Photography and Blind Pig

Dressing Fancy indeed!

It was exceptionally difficult however to get many good photographs at the event as the lighting and quick movement was simply more than my little camera could handle. However their resident photographer Simon Callaghan at Lucid Photography more than made up for my incompetence, taking some fantastic shots during the evening (they can be found here)!

Photo Source: Lucid Photography and Blind Pig

My fiance and I

The Blind Pig will return in the new year, but the exact date is still hush hush- you never know who may be watching!

But you can find out more here or follow on @BlindPig1920 on twitter for the latest updates.

There'll be another post on my costume for this event following shortly...

Happy Dresscapades!