Holy Moly-Patricia Field Online!

While I was surfing earlier, I found Patricia Field's website and blog, which revealed that the Sex and The City Movie comes out May 30th-hurrah-I CANNOT WAIT!!

I also thought I would show some of the items she has on sale on her website :-)







Holy Moly Leggings

Latex Leggings

Zig Zag Dress

I must admit these styles are not really my bag, but I'm sure you're guaranteed a whale of a time in any of them! I like the leggings best, given the choice, though!

This necklace is more me :-)

Currently on sale-Kenneth Jay Lane strawberry necklace

Vintage Fashion Shopping in London

After doing my post on London, one of my favourite bloggers, Siljes of Siljesfashion.blogspot.com asked if I could recommend some vintage shops in London.

I have added on my favourite website list, youlovefashion.com's vintage fashion in London.

I heartily recommend you go on it, as it lists addresses, telephone numbers, website access and opening hours and it is listed in geographical order around London.

I've also added Timeouts recommended charity shops in London, which also list the addresses, telephone numbers and opening times. These can also be browsed by geographical area around London, too.

I have been to Blondies and Rokit in East London and Rellik near Portobello Road, which is ideal for designer vintage goodies. If you do go clothes shopping at Portobello Road, it is recommended to go on Fridays, as there are more market sellers out-check out the stalls near Ladbroke Grove end. Brick Lane is also worth a visit on Sunday mornings for their boutiques and indoor market stalls, too.

Regarding charity shops in London, I have heard and noticed they can be dear. But you never know, there may be the item there that you've always wanted!!

My favourite places in London

I absolutely adore London and now summer is fast approaching, I'm hoping our day trips will be more frequent for shopping, sightseeing and people watching.

I'm going shopping on Saturday to Sloane Street and Harrods, more than likely this will be window shopping but it's highly likely I will get something from the Food Hall at Harrods- I could stay here all day as they have so many different departments within it-cakes, chocolates, meats, cheeses- we generally like to buy our sandwiches and snacks here and then eat them in Hyde Park, which on a summers day is heaven!

This is Greenwich Park-the Royal Observatory. The boys went to the top of the hill and rolled right down to the bottom!! An ace place to sit and watch the world go by!

Greenwich has an ace market, the Cutty Sark and from here you can take a river cruise and stop at Tower Bridge, the Embankment or Westminster-we did this last summer and it was fantastic!

On Fridays and Saturdays, Borough Market on the South Bank at London Bridge is open. Its wonderful for all types of different foods to take away, or eat there-the smells are divine! A must try (if you dare!) is oysters warmed in champagne-very different!

Brick Lane is open on Sundays until 2pm and is mainly known for its abundance of curry houses. However it is a vintage fashion heaven, with plenty of boutiques and market stalls and if you're hungry and don't fancy curry, try a bagel or some other multi cultural delight!

I love Hyde Park-after a picnic, its lovely just to sit back and people watch and see the world go by. Plus, if you've the energy, one way leads to Knightsbridge (Harrods, Harvey Nichols and Sloane Street) or head off in the opposite direction for Marble Arch, Bond Street and Selfridges, another favourite haven of paradise!

I also love Regents Street- we go and see the Christmas Lights nearly every year and it's always nice to pop into Zara and Mango, which I think have the best selection compared to the other London branches, Hamleys and of course Topshop at Oxford Street-although their online shop is hard to beat, the vintage section in the basement is to die for!!

Quirky-Or What?

There is a lot of 'tagging' going round the blogs about everyones 'quirks'. As I'm a newbie to blogging, I don't know enough people to tag who haven't been already. So, I thought I would post my totally trivial quirks:

1. I must have mild OCD, as I check locks (at work and home) at least 3 times before I walk away.

2. I have to finish a boot sale from 1st to last stall, as I'm frightened to death I'm going to miss an absolute steal of an item.

3. I am a neat freak regarding my clothes and wardrobe-no piles anywhere for me!

4. I love fruitellas (chewy fruit sweets) and as I'm not eating them during the day, I've started having 1-2 before I fall asleep at night.

5. I pretend to be half asleep first thing in the mornings, so Chris now brings me a cup of tea in bed every day-it's been so long now, 'my turn' has now disappeared!

6. I used to really love reading, but for some reason I cannot get back into it. I've a cupboard full of unread books, but I tell myself there's always something better to do than read.

It's funny what you know about yourself when you think hard enough about it!

Ooh la la Chanel!

Check out Chanel's website-their leather bags and accessories are to die for! I have the website listed under my favourite websites-check it out!------------------>

Plus, there is some funky music to listen to when you browse all the different bags-Oh, to be a millionaire!

Pashmina/Scarf

Now the weather is getting warmer, I'm tending to wear lighter jackets and if needed, one of my pashminas when it gets breezier.

I find this is such a versatile garment-I love the different ways you can wear them, as Lindsay Lohan and Jessica Alba show below.

The most trendy styles at the moment are wound round the neck and left open; wound round the neck and tied up, or the newest trend is folded into a big triangle, worn to the front (middle eastern style) with the ends dangling to the front or back.

There are plenty of people doing them-from top end designers to the ethnic suppliers with their own market stalls or high street shops- a definite spring staple!!

Sunday Boot Sale and London Drive

It was Boot Sale Sunday and I think nearly all of Essex tried to get to Dunton, as the traffic was astronomical. Still we were fairly early, so got in ok. My bargains of the day were a vintage 1980s Dorothy Perkins floral playsuit and this beautiful eelskin turquoise leather saddle bag-the colour is so deep and gorgeous and the bag is so cute and dinky-I love it!

Chris had to drive to Thornton Heath, which is just past South London, so I went for the ride and took these photos out of the window. We drove over Tower Bridge and managed to get these shots. I absolutely adore going to London, whether its for a drive or exploring on foot. There is always something new to see or find and London just has a mystique all of its own.

The Tower of London

Tower Bridge

View of the River Thames from Tower Bridge

Saturday-The Search for Baby Bum Butter

Oh yes- thanks to the Daily Mails article about this product, it has been flying out the door like nobody's business. It is for baby's bottoms but apparently does wonders for your face too. Chris's mum asked us to go to our nearest Waitrose to see if we could track some down, so we drove to South Woodford (East London)-but alas, it was temporarily sold out.

Yum-Yum, baby bottom butter, unavailable at Waitrose, £2.49

We consoled ourselves with a yum-yum each (a very long twisty sugar donut with caramel and pecans on top) and I got Chris to drive me to the high street there to check out the charity shops. I picked up a vintage mens grey blazer for a whopping £1, a lovely mexican style wool fitted waistcoat for £3 and Robert got a game for his playstation.

The boys and I then went on a lovely bike ride around the local park-twice (yes, I was saddle sore!) and then we came home. I retired to the back garden for some sunsoaking and relaxing with the papers-bliss!

Jeans of a new kind!

Ok, these are not my cup of tea, but the people who designed them (they are made in Brazil) obviously feel there will be some takers for them-not me, thats for sure!

Funnily enough, I can't stop looking at them-I certainly don't want a pair, but I find them very .........intriguing? Unusual-definitely!

Yum yum-Marc Jacobs Grapefruit Splash

Yes, it was a treats day today! The young men of the house were getting gadgeted up with an I Pod touch and I Pod Nano, so I headed in the opposite direction for my shoes and perfume.

This fragrant cooling splash does exactly what smell it says-it is divinely grapefruit, very citrus and fresh and light-and so yummy!

There are two other limited editions- pear and basil, but this one was just what I was after!!

My new Shooz!

I went shoe hunting today-in cheap and expensive shops, to find a flat, strapped shoe. How very exhausting! I don't really like shoes-I generally live in boots or sandals (I have plenty of both), but for some reason I only have 2 pairs of 'comfy shoes'-which are both for work anyway.

After trying on a variety, which ranged between uncomfortable to outright painful, I found these in Marks and Spencers.

They are ideal to wear with jeans or denim skirts and I've had them on all day and they feel fine!!

Zandra Rhodes Dress from Ebay

The Zandra Rhodes for Topshop dress also came today-purchased from EBay and was crumpled to death! Do people not know how to fold things?

I did originally have a picture of me in it posted, but it was so crumpled so I will post again with a better picture at a later date-the dress is shown in my previous Zandra Rhodes post.

Again, although I like the dress, the seller omitted to say the Zandra Rhodes label was cut off the dress. The dress was only £21, so hardly megabucks, but it is the principle of the thing-if I had of been told, I could have made the choice of buying, or not. But I think I will still keep it as it is a lovely dress-it does need a slip underneath though.

New Ossie Clark Dress!

I finally managed to get an Ossie Clark floral dress into my collection! I purchased it from EBay and I must say, although it is a very perfect fit, it unfortunately suffers more damage than what the seller admitted to. The material is very sheer, so damage is to be expected, but it should have been sold with a more honest description. Saying that, I still love it and because of the florals, the flaw holes (approx 3 or 4) are not immediately visible. At least I can treat this dress as a summer day dress and wear it without thinking about cosseting it too much.

Ossie Clark by Radley double layer tiered dress-my first floral in my collection!!

Hermes Lovely Little Gems

As I didn't go to the boot sale yesterday, I have gone from looking at ultra cheap chic to ultra more expensive chic. Browsing the Hermes website, I have come across some gorgeous goodies in a variety of price ranges:

Pink Silk Twilly Ribbon Scarf £66

Hermes Scarf Ring £85

Hermes Double Kelly Tour Bracelet £205

Hermes Enamel Bracelet £285.00

As well as these lovelies, there are two features under their silk scarves section, which is called 'Playtime with your Scarf'. If you are into scarves, this is brilliant as it shows you all different ideas of how to wear your scarf and these can be downloaded-I definitely recommend this-as summers coming up a scarf can be worn in so many different ways-head, neck, waist or wrist.

Check out their on line boutique now!!

Ossie Clark-Original v Relaunch?

Ossie Clark-Relaunched by Avsh Alom Gur

sorry, but not my cup of tea I'm afraid

An Ossie Clark original

I would adore this in my wardrobe!!

It goes without saying I am a great fan of Ossie Clark. I have not read his diaries, but I have his biography which is a brilliant read by Judith Watt.

While googling today, I found some more facts about Ossie, that I previously didn't know and which I thought I would share. These are from Fashion Encyclopedia:

As a freelance designer, he not only sold to Quorum in London he also sold worldwide to Henri Bendel in New York, Mendes, a french ready to wear firm and to Fiorucci in Italy.

In 1977, Ossie had his own company using the design label Ossie Clark Ltd, which unfortunately went into voluntary liquidation in 1981.

In 1986 Ossie went into partnership with Gina Fratini, producing a lingerie label called Rustle.

Ossie was still producing dresses as late as 1987, these were one off, made to measure dresses for Evocative a Grosvenor Street boutique.He came to a very sad end, but his clothes are still loved and highly sought after.

I personally wouldn't buy from the relaunched Ossie Clark label by Avsh Alom Gur, because I feel the original just cannot be beaten by any designer (thats no reflection on Avsh's designs, just what I prefer).

I love vintage and thats why I adore the original Ossie Clark designs, they are of another era, they have an aura and mystique of their own and the quality back in those days sure beats what is on offer today.

Given the choice and the money, I would spend £1000 on a beautiful Ossie Clark original than either the Ossie Clark relaunched version or that of a modern day designer-vintage just has so much more to offer for the money.

Ossie Clark Offerings from around the Globe!!

On 7 April, this beautiful Ossie Clark dress was for sale on a buy it now for only 250$-which is about £125.00!! It was only up for 2 hours when it got snapped up!! What an unbelieveably brilliant bargain!!

The one that got away-NOW SOLD:-(

There are however some really lovely Ossie Clark items for sale on Ebay.com at the moment-take a peek:-)

Selling from USA-seller is Koko1954

Selling from Honolulu, seller is queensofhawaii

Selling from Australia, seller is luka999dog

Happy drooling everyone!!

Fave Belts

One thing I love is collecting vintage and modern belts when I'm charity shopping or doing the boot sales. They generally can be picked up for next to nothing and you can get some unique styles. Here is my favourite vintage belt, which is very Hermes-esque and my favourite modern belt which is from Topshop and is a hairy leopard print belt.

Elastic cinch belt-very Hermes!

Topshop leopard belt

Yummy-My New Bag!!

I treated myself to a new bag yesterday-it is gold leather and is by Jasper Conran for Debenhams. It was 50% off, so a real good bargain.

I love it because it is a modern satchel style shoulder bag, is nice and light and has a little zipper on the side.

Zandra Rhodes

Last summer, Zandra Rhodes brought out her 4th collection for Topshop, which was one of her most vibrant and dynamic ever. Featuring signature Rhodes prints, items included maxi dresses, jumpsuits and playsuits, as well as bikinis and swimsuits.

On Thursday I bought the green halter maxi dress from EBay and I'm sure its going to be bang on trend for this summer, as prints and maxi dresses are hot this year.

The May edition of Harpers Bazaar has a four page spread of Zandra's career to date and life in general and is a cracking read.

Stars In My Eyes!!

I am loving this jacket-it is currently on Topshops website now for £55

Wardrobe Wishlist

Well, it goes without saying that my wardrobe wishlist will always include Ossie Clark, Celia Birtwell, Lee Bender for Bus Stop, Jean Muir and Yves Saint Laurent, but on a day to day wearability basis, I need to look for basics that are there when you want them-but not necessarily a favourite, as such.

Well, the said wishlist had included a plain black leather jacket, so I was pleased when I found this last week in Sue Ryder for £5.75. It is by Mango, one of my favourite high street shops and will go with virtually anything. It is supersoft and very light-unlike my previous black leather jacket, which was an 80's vintage biker jacket. I loved it, and still love that look, but some vintage can be very heavy.

Another item which I need is a decent denim skirt. I bought one at the boot sale last week, which was a good fit and style, but the streaks and fading put on the denim made it look cheap and chavvy so it went to in the bag for the charity shop.

I organised my wardrobe this morning, so I can clearly see all day to day basics-jeans, t shirts and everyday tops and blouses. Apart from the denim skirt, my wardrobe is in quite good shape-I have a number of summer dresses and jackets already, so I'm prepared for the heatwave-whenever that may be!!

Mango Black Leather Jacket, worn with Jil Sander white blouse and Levi's

My New Celia Birtwell Dress!

Well, I only won this dress and paid for it yesterday, so when the postman knocked and had the parcel, I was so excited! It was like opening a birthday present! I was ecstatic when I tried it on and found it fits like a glove! So, as the sun was out, so the camera came out as well!

My Celia Birtwell for Topshop Clown Frill Dress arrived today!

I thought I would take the chance to show you two other items in my collection:-)

Celia Birtwell for Topshop Mystic Daisy Pussy Bow Blouse, worn with Levi's skinny jeans

Celia Birtwell for Topshop Flowers for Puccini dress

Bus Stop Mania!

Lee Bender at Bus Stop is a very busy label at the moment-it is being sold and highlighted on Vintage-a-Peel.co.uk and there are some lovely pieces currently on EBay, too. I love Ossie Clark and Celia Birtwell, but I have a soft spot for Lee Bender at Bus Stop, too.

Lee Bender for Bus Stop dress sold on EBay last year

2nd image of dress sold last year

I found this beautiful lace jacket at the boot sale last year. It has the label cut out, but I'm 99% certain it is a Lee Bender for Bus Stop piece-I stand corrected if I'm wrong, of course!

Reasons being are the dress above that was sold on Ebay, late last year, is in exactly the same print and material. My jacket is typical of the 70s styling- with balloon sleeves and fitted detail. It is also very well made.

My unlabelled Lee Bender for Bus Stop Jacket/Blouse

The label snipped out was black/gold

Celia Birtwell Day!!

I was really pleased this morning, as I won a dress on EBay that I'd had my eye on for a little while, it is the Celia Birtwell for Topshop clown frill dress, from her 2nd collection. It's all bought and paid for and should be sent by the seller today.

This afternoon, I took Christopher to his uncles house and while I was shopping, lo and behold-not another Celia!! This one was in the 'Sense' charity shop and is from her 'Celia B' for Allders range. It is in a slinky black rayon and has a lovely satin and net applique neckline and decolletage. It was only £4.75 and my size as well!!

Just as well I had my declutter on Friday-that was obviously meant to be!! Piccys will follow, as this black dress needs to be cleaned.

Alice Pollock Blouse

I've been swooning over this blouse for a while now, its on http://www.vintage-a-peel.co.uk/separates/alicepollock.html.

This website is one of my favourites, as it has a lovely selection of Ossie Clark, Lee Bender at Bus Stop, Jean Muir and other British Boutique Movement labels.

Also, thanks to Miss Peelpants for mentioning my blog on your blog!

Beautiful Alice Pollock blouse with Celia Birtwell print, available now