Spiffing sporadics of a vintage girl

A sunny Sunday stroll

2012-02-26T15:50:00.000Z

We are having glorious sunny weather here today and we made the most of it with a long seaside stroll.

stupidly I took my new hand muff, but it was far too warm to wear it,
so I ended up carrying it under my arm most of the time

I wore my hair in a bun

beautiful streets near the seafront

a very chic address

wearing the Fleur wrap dress from Heyday with a tweed jacket with
added faux fur leopard collar from Asos (via eBay)

I love colourful beach huts

Hope you're having a sunny Sunday too.
Lina x

The mid 50s shift dress

2012-02-25T16:06:00.000Z

I got this dress on eBay a few days ago. It's a mid/late 50s shift dress, in cream with a brown abstract pattern that is reminiscent of Japanese writing. The material is also made to look like shot silk, so all in all it's a nod to the oriental fashion that was all the rage in 1955-56. The label reads Morvic London.

I'm wearing my bakelite scotty brooch, a knotted pearl necklace that used to belong to my
Grand mother-in-law and 50s brown and white shell earrings

kiss

me and my flanimals

Martha got fed up with posing and took off

the waist detail

The dress didn't fit particularly well when I got it, it was way too big in the waist and bust. As I have "child-bearing hips", ehum (otherwise commonly known as a pear shape), when I buy a fitted dress I go by my hip measurement and then take in the waist if necessary. I'm terrible at sewing but it's really very easy as these dresses often have darts in the waist area that are very easy to add a couple of inches to.

As you can see, the hair is still straight, but I'm planning to wear it up in a bun tonight when we head over to a friend's house for drinks.

Hope you're all having a great weekend!

Lina x

Birthday eve

2012-02-23T21:00:00.000Z

Today is my birthday folks. I had a lovely evening with a very tasty dinner at a cosy pub and a stroll along the beautiful Brighton seafront. Now we're about to put on a feel-good movie. Perfect birthday evening for me.

Here comes some dusky pictures.

the pub

I got a hand muff for my birthday. Very snuggly!

Straight hair. I will pull myself out of this hair durge soon. Or perhaps cut a bob, we'll see.

yeah, nom.

the famous bandstand

the lit up seafront with the Grand Hotel illuminated in blue

the pier and the 'Brighton Eye'

a better photo of the birthday pressie. It's a 40s mink muff, it's so incredibly warm
because inside it has a lining stuffed with goose down!

Lina x

Vintage girls and the straight bob

2012-02-22T23:29:00.000Z

Thank you all for the comments on my last post. It's so reassuring to see that I'm not alone in my hair troubles! And thank you for the Poirot-love, he is adorable, isn't he? (He's also a destructor-monster that eats and chews everything, but that's another story).

I admit it. Today I blow-dried my hair and wore it down and straight. For the first time in months. It felt a bit like freedom! Today was quite a grey and rubbish day weather-wise, it was windy and drizzled a bit. Walking to the train station I actually enjoyed the wind blowing through my hair and knowing that it didn't matter one bit, because it wasn't exactly going to get any straighter than it already was.

So to help with our dropped-set-blues, I thought I'd do a little inspiration post for vintage style with straight hair. Come on, it's doable, isn't it?!

I recently came across Swedish vintage girl Elsa Olsson's inspirational blog - Grandmother's pearls
Elsa often wears her bobbed hair straight, but still looks incredibly elegant and "vintage".

Doesn't she work that hair beautifully? It helps that it's a really gorgeous red colour too.

If you're in the UK and following BBC's 50's drama Call The Midwife, you may have spotted the girl with the straight bob. She may be portrayed as the more dowdy of the girls and her hairstyle is probably chosen to reflect the straight-laced and shy personality of the character (in comparison to the Marilyn-esque hair of the girl on the right, who is the resident wordly man-eater), but still, the hairstyle is pretty much the same as Elsa's above, it's all in the styling and accessorising.

Someone else who rocks a bob is Naomi Thompson of Vintage Secret and the Vintage Mafia.

There is nothing that beats a nice 40s/50s set in my opinion, but then again, a bob can be really versatile and works for those days when curls just won't happen. Curled it also looks gorgeously 30s.

Carol Lombard

Well, I am tempted. How about you?

Lina x

hair savers - when things go wrong

2012-02-21T17:39:00.000Z

I had a really good hair week last week. Not just a day, but a whole week of great hair! My set lasted like a dream. I didn't even sleep in rollers every night, I popped a hair net on and still woke up with lovely hair. Nothing would make it budge. Unfortunately all I have is this crummy photo, taken while we were having friends over for drinks, but you get the idea.

However, this week has been disastrous so far!... you know, you brush through your hair in the morning and it's looking lovely, the waves form like you want them to and you feel pretty pleased as you walk out the door. And then, you catch a glimpse of yourself in a mirror a couple of hours later and your hair looks like this....

These frazzled straight ends were perfectly curled - what happened?

The weather wasn't particularly bad, it wasn't raining, it wasn't particularly windy, but I suppose there must have been a bit of a damp in the air. Even though my hair is permed, it doesn't stand up to much at all. And flagging set hair is never a good look, it always looks dishevelled and unkempt. I find myself fantasising about a sleek bob and to hell with vintage hair...

As I have another work thing to go to this evening, I needed a quick solution. So I popped a bun rat in my hair and created a side-swept bun. I've never worn my hair like this before, it seemed a bit too 'trendy' and not quite vintage enough, but it's done the trick for tonight.

someone is stealing the shot

If you've followed my blog for a while you know that I used to love to wear my hair rolled up at the back in a 'gibson roll', sometimes with the help of a scarf. For some reason I haven't worn it like that much recently, I've suddenly started thinking it makes me look matronly. It must be age-related angst as my birthday is coming up!

I can't tell you how envious I am of you girls with natural curls. But the rest of you, cursed with pin straight hair like me, do you ever despair over the vintage set and wonder why you bother? What are your favourite solutions when sets fail?

Lina xx

Glorious glasses

2012-02-14T10:13:00.000Z

Building on the last post about my new vintage glasses, I thought I'd post a few optical treats for your perusing pleasure.

1950s
The decade of the cats eye frame! I think I am right in saying that in the early/mid 50s lenses were a little deeper, as compared to the narrower and sharper cats eye towards the end of the 50s and in the early 60s. As exemplified by Marilyn's glasses from 1953, in comparison to the adverts from 1959 and picture from the early 60s.

1959

1955

Be-bop fashion specs without prescription lenses!

Chrysler ad, 1950s

Manhattan, 1953. These sunglasses must have been very fashion-forward

(source: Life photo archive)

(source)

early 60s cats eyes

1940s

These light celluloid frames became very popular during the 40s. They were something new after the darker plastic or tortoise shell effect frames of the 30s.

1940s

1940s (source)

1930s

(all pictures borrowed from here). Glasses in the 30s had larger lenses and the fashion was to cover the metal frames in black or tortoise-shell effect plastic.

tortoise shell effect and some exposed metal, which was not generally the rule

the very round 30s specs are possibly a little more unusual to see on contemporary vintage girls, but I have seen men wear them.

however, these deeper frames are quite universal and timeless

and something in the middle

1920s

(again, all photos are borrowed from here). Advances in the production of plastic meant that in the 20s frames started to be covered in plastic, usually in black or tortoise-shell effect. The nose bridge and arms were usually exposed wire.

Etsy favourites

Here are my picks from current Etsy listings!

I'm fond of Tura brushed silver frames with decorations, such as this fab pair!

effectful frames with hammered silver wings from here

very pretty frames and on sale too!

I love the simplicity of these pink and black frames!

These gold embellished Tura frames are spectacular!

a third Tura pair (I did say I liked them, didn't I?) and just how pretty are these?

30s or 40s frames are hard to find, but these are pretty good aren't they?

They're made by ArtCraft, the same US optical company that made my new specs.

Lina x

Spectacular Specs

2012-02-10T16:54:00.000Z

Ladies and Gentlemen - My first pair of vintage specs! Hurrah!

These babies are 50s new old stock, so no one has worn them before. I got them from Dead Men's Spex on eBay for a very reasonable price indeed. I got a new prescription from a high-street optician and emailed it off to Darren at Dead Men's Spex and had my prescription put in for only an extra £45 (hard-coated plastic with anti-reflective treatment) on top of the £35 I paid for the frames. Not bad! And it only took three days from giving him my prescription to the glasses arriving at my door!
When I received the glasses in the post this morning and tried them on for the first time (I said to myself: "please fit, please fit") they didn't sit right as the arms were bent at too much of an angle to fit neatly behind my ears. But no harm, no foul, I've had this happen before. I popped into town and asked a high-street optician to adjust the arms for me. They're happy to do this for free and it only takes a couple of minutes. Now they fit me perfectly!

Although these are my first vintage prescription glasses, I already own a few pairs of vintage sunglasses. So I have some experience in buying vintage glasses online without being able to try them on and making sure they are going to fit my face. My only tip here is to pay close attention to the measurements, and compare them to a pair of glasses that you already own, this will give you an idea of how wide they are, the depth of the lenses, the width of the nose bridge etc. Don't worry too much about the length of the arms to the bend, because this can be adjusted! However, make sure that the width measurement is going to be right for your face. Vintage glasses tend to be narrower on the face than modern glasses. Although cats eye frames are a little wider at the edges, the actual lens might be narrower than you are used to in your modern glasses, but this is just something you have to get used to!
Having said all this, I have a pretty round face and I haven't had any trouble finding glasses that don't look too narrow (I hope you agree!).

I chose this pair because I wanted a pair of glasses that were true to my style but subtle and easy to wear, as well as a tad bit sophisticated for work. I also wanted a change from the dark frames I already have, and I figured the pearly white half-rims wouldn't "take over" my face as much as the dark fully rimmed ones do.

What do you think?

vintage violin brooch with rhinestones

dress: Lindy Bop, I got it from Pin-Up Parade after I won £20 in a competition a couple of months ago!
It's not authentic-looking but it's one of those dresses I wear when I'm having people over for drinks (which I am tonight) and want to be super comfy, as it's very stretchy and nice to wear while sitting curled up on the sofa!
Lambswool cardigan: used to be my mum's, it's modern but has a nice 50s look to it.

Specs ahoy!
Lina x

Say hello to Poirot the pug puppy

2012-02-09T15:20:00.000Z

Meet Poirot... our new little puggle baby.

He is actually not a thorough-bred Pug, he is a cross-bread, his mum is half pug and half shitzu and his dad is 3/4 pug and 1/4 shitzu. But he looks very much like a pug, perhaps he'll just be a little smaller than the average pug when he's fully grown. He's not going to be a show dog, he's just going to be our cute little poppet, so what do we care!

a kiss for his poppa

He loves our cat Martha, he bounds up to her wagging his tail and wanting to play... unfortunately she
is a little scared of him (she's not the bravest cat!) and usually runs away with a hiss!

he fell asleep while I took these pictures!

Lina x

hard-to-wear vintage hats - or the Ninotchka hat

2012-02-08T14:34:00.001Z

Hello dears,

there have been many posts about hats among the vintage bloggers in the last week or so! I think it's great, because I do love a good hat and love to see how others wear theirs, and have a peek at their hat collections (which are invariably larger and more interesting than mine).

However, I recently bought an interesting hat, and thought I'd show it to you. A so-called Ninotchka hat, so named after the 1939 film Ninotchka starring Greta Garbo. The film depicts the Soviet Union under Stalin, contrasted with scenes from pre-war Paris.

The hat is symbolic of the sheer silliness of consumerism in the West and of the pleasures of
fashion and a rejection of the strict dress-codes of Stalinist society.

Imdb says: Although Greta Garbo's famous hat in the film was made by her regular

costumier Adrian Greenburg, it was actually based on a sketch by Garbo herself.

The Ninotchka style hat was a bit of a fad even before the film Ninotchka came out, and appeared in other films, such as on Doris Nolan in Holiday, released in 1938.

here is a Ninotchka style hat worn by an everyday woman (photo borrowed from here).

Now look at my new Ninotchka hat! How do you like it? Would you dare?

You know, personally, I'm not sure if this is a style that is meant for posterity! I think it may just have to be one of those curiosities of the past, that stays firmly in the past. Although, I do really like the brim with the bow detail. This hat was made in the US, and found its way to me from Denmark. It does make you wonder about the journey this hat has made and what it's seen along the way. Perhaps a very fashionable and worldly Danish woman once owned it? I like to think so.

Interesting hat, isn't it! But flattering... not sure about that.

What's the most interesting vintage hat you own?

Lina xx

feeling the cold

2012-02-03T15:06:00.001Z

We're experiencing a cold snap in Europe at the moment. Here in Brighton it's beautiful - crisp, cold and sunny! Even though it's only a measly -2 C, it feels really cold! But I have nothing to complain about in comparison to my relatives in northern Sweden where it's currently -39C.

Here's just a quick little post about keeping warm and looking vintage.
My top tip is woollen tights! Although I prefer to wear stockings and a girdle, so I cut my woollen tights off at the top of the leg and wear them as stockings instead, with a pair of pretty bloomers, or 'pettipants' over the top for warmth when I go outside. Another option is to wear a pair of knee-length wool socks over your regular stockings, and there's lots of pretty and wonderful patterns and colours out there!
These are cute, eh?

I keep warm in a mid-shin length wool coat

woolly tights/stockings and 40s brogues

a slightly longer dress helps too!

as we all know, berets are fab accessories and keep your bonce warm!

For extra warmth, tuck a fluffy puddy cat under your coat

... And guess what, there's someone else who will soon offer me warm cuddles on chilly days....

His name is Poirot! Not the detective himself of course, but this little fella. Our new puppy!

He's 3/4 pug and 1/4 shitzu. He's only 6 weeks old, so we have to be very patient and

wait another two weeks before we can take him home.

I can't wait to bring this little cuddly teddy bear home!

Hope you're staying warm and snuggly!

Lina xx

A good hair day

2012-02-02T22:11:00.000Z

I seem to get settled into the way I'm setting my hair now and for once my hair is cooperating! since it's grown a little longer, it seems to sit better. This is the second day of a wet set with the usual pink foam rollers. Excuse the excessive posing coming up....

Pip pip! Lina xx

A little Sunday outing

2012-01-29T17:50:00.002Z

we took a Sunday day-trip to Worthing, along the coast from Brighton where we live. Well Worthing itself was perhaps not that exciting, but since we don't know the places around here yet we like to explore!

we had a pot of tea for two at a local cafe.

I wore my Fleur dress from Heyday and a vintage hat bought last winter with an added hat pin

with a lovely flared nostril, just about to laugh!

Oskar puts on a thoughtful pose

my new bag, bought a couple of weeks ago at an antique store in Lewes. It's faux persian lamb with mother of pearl detail. I've added a little silver dog brooch myself.

early yesterday morning I found a new Chanel lipstick on the pavement outside our house.
No doubt some poor girl lost her new lipstick while out on the town the night before! But what can you say other than her loss, my gain...

And this is the colour on me (I did give it a wipe first! But it was brand new, so I feel really happy about wearing it even though I found it on the street). I consider it my reward for getting up at 7 am on a Saturday, after only 3 hours sleep.
As I'm showing you it, I may as well give you a little mini review: It's really lovely to wear, my first thought on wearing it was "comfortable", so it was funny to discover that's exactly what the blurb claims:

The new ROUGE COCO formula combines hydration and comfort. Created by CHANEL, the Hydratender complex delivers 8-hour hydration with a single application. The choice of pigments with an utmost quality optimises the formula’s comfort.

For once I would say that the marketing blurb is pretty accurate, it really does feel nice on the lips and it's a great red for everyday wear. Even though it's a hydrating lipstick it's semi-matte with rich pigmentation so it lasts really well (I'm also wearing it in the photos above, where it looks a bit different because of the light).
The details are: Rouge Coco, 19, Gabrielle.

Hope you've all had good weekends!
Lina x

Using bun nets

2012-01-22T17:44:00.000Z

I know it's been very quiet on this blog for a while now - Sorry! I have been pondering whether to give it a good overhaul and maybe change quite a few things and make it all a bit more sophisticated, but I just haven't had the time. One of my major problems is also not having anyone to take photos for me and no good place at home to set the camera up, but I will try to work on those things ~ and work on my motivation to post more often!

Today I tried something new ~ I used a bun net to keep my hair in place in my usual gibson roll (my unset hair saver!). Brighton is a windy ol' place as it's by the sea, so I am building up an arsenal of tricks to keep my locks under control!

I bought these bun nets on eBay very cheaply ~ they're 'bun nets' because they are smaller than a full hair net, specifically to be used over buns! They're made for ballerinas and other dancers who need to keep their buns tidy while dancing.

You can hint the net over the roll. The hair slide is vintage 40s and the black barette clip is a modern one.

I tried something a little different ~ I twisted two front sections and fastened with a barette clip before rolling it all into a gibson roll (around a hair rat).

And here I am walking around in Hove earlier today ~ sticking two fingers up to the blustery wind!

What do you think? Does anyone else use hair nets and do you have any good tips for hairstyles using them?

Lina x

Hullo 2012!

2012-01-02T01:26:00.001Z

I hope you all had a fabulous time ushering in the New Year last night. I was aiming for fabulousness, but was a little let down. For the first time, we bought tickets for somewhere (rather than going to a private house party) and my hopes were high as cabaret and burlesque was promised, along with swing music and such, but it didn't really live up to my expectations. That being said, I still had a great night, it's what you make of it, isn't it?

So, here it is - 2012! Let's hope it's a good'un! ~

Excuse the quality of these photos, I'm having trouble with my camera so I'm relying on my mobile. Also, sadly, I don't really have many photos at the party, because it was just too dark to take photos.

Dress: 50s vintage. Stole: 30s vintage. Drink: Hendrick's gin with tonic and an olive. Mood: expectant.

Jewellery: 40s vintage aurora borealis necklace and earrings. Hair: two rolls on the right side (left side awaiting the adornment of a hat, which I'd yet to put on here).

Neckline: symmetrically pleasing. Hat: mini felt topper with ball hat pin and dangling glitter balls, made by WoolWoolCymru
.

Heels: Re-Mix Ritas

Husband: suited and merry

I captured a snapshot of the entertainment.

To a happy and healthy 2012 ~ cheers!
Lina xx

A few Christmas gifts

2011-12-30T19:22:00.000Z

Hello dearies,

Lookie what I got from Santa!

A bakelite clock from the late 40s/early 50s - it used to hang in a Czech factory, how cool is that?!
It's in beautiful, pristine, condition with not a single scratch on the curved glass front. I love it.
Oh, and it's been converted to run on batteries, which is handy.

a framed original Rowntrees advert from 1954. I actually got these three framed adverts back in November, because Oskar just couldn't wait to show them to me! But I don't think I've posted them here before.

Crunch advert, 1957

Mars advert, 1948.

The kitchen wall, complete with clock and pictures! The oil painting below the clock is an original that Oskar gave me for my 30th birthday last year, and the small painting to the right is one of my own.

A marcasite flower sprig brooch

A fabulous perpetual calendar in bakelite and chrome. I've been wanting one for my desk and I love, love, love anything with a scotty dog on it! And I love bakelite, of course. So this was spot on for me. I just need to make some little month labels that were sadly missing.

Look at this beauty! It's a beaded evening bag from the 40s, made in the US by Du Bonette. It's beaded in midnight blue 'carnival' glass beads. The husband really outdid himself with this one!

it's in beautiful condition, near perfect.

Inside the bag. I love the lipstick compartment! I can't wait to carry it on my arm for New Years Eve.

And finally.... I hope you all have a wonderful New Year's Eve and I wish you all the very best for the coming year! Lina xx

Bolles pin-up via this blog.

1 sleep...

2011-12-23T23:42:00.001Z

For me it's only one sleep left until Christmas! That's because I'm Swedish, and in Sweden we celebrate Christmas on the 24th. So the upside of spending Christmas in England is that I get to celebrate it two days in a row ;). The husband and I are celebrating just the two of us tomorrow, opening our gifts, and then we head up to Lincolnshire and the in-laws for Christmas Day.

I've been aware that my posting hasn't been great of late. I've been too busy and not had a chance to take pictures in daylight, or had anyone to take the pictures for me. But just to put something on here at least and to wish you a very happy, spectacular, fun, relaxing, over-indulged, time over the holidays!!! So here comes a few snippets from today:

pressies under the tree!

wearing a 40s/50s persian lamb hat (I *may* have found a matching muff winging it's way over to me!)

50s aurora borealis necklace. Art Deco paste brooch. Wool sweater; vintage John Smedley.

two fascinators/hats from WoolWool Cymru! The red one is for Christmas and the black little top hat is for New Years Eve! (the photo in the background is my mother when she was ickle!).

A beautiful Art Deco brooch in silver with marcasite, depicting a phoenix rising from the flames, which I received today as an early Xmas gift! I have a lovely husband ;)

Enjoy the festive times!

Lina xx

Christmas party ready

2011-12-16T13:12:00.000Z

Rita shoes by Re-Mix

my favouritest, softest, cashmere sequined cardigan from the 50s. Lined in silk. It's pure luxury. You may remember I bought it last winter, and I am so glad to bring it out again this year.

sterling silver and marcasite dress clips from the 1930s. A gift from Oskar last summer.

the dress is 1940s crepe and lace.

the shoes bare to be repeated!

50s cocktail hat with brown silk bow and mink pom-poms

50s clip-on rhinestone earrings with a brown centre stone to match the hat (although you can't tell in the photo)

the necklace is white gold with a diamond, originally given to my mum by my dad on their wedding day in 1978.

excuse the self-portrait

close-up of the hat (bought on Etsy this summer)

Alternative footwear due to the rain! Modern black suede wedges with vintage 40s red leather and suede shoe clips

shoe clips are great for transforming a pair of very plain shoes!

That's me getting ready for the work Christmas party folks!

Hope you're all having a nice festive time as well!

Lina xx

Long time no see...

2011-12-07T22:17:00.000Z

Hello chaps and chapettes,

I have a broadband connection - hurray!

Finally we are up and running here in Brighton! Just to fill you in a little on the last few weeks; it's been hard work, exciting, tiring and awesome. We're moved into a nice little flat and *almost* unpacked (you know, these things take time).
I'm getting used to being a busy career girl, as opposed to a PhD student working from home, but so far I'm very excited about what I do and it's all been very rewarding and interesting.

.... and hey, it's Brighton! This place is so inspiring in itself.

I don't have any great photos to share with you as we haven't really had the opportunity to go out and take some outfit shots around Brighton yet, so I'll just share a few random photos off the old iPhone and promise to come back with more posts soon! I have so much to show you, including my gorgeous pinafore skirt made by Debora of The Black Pinafore.

loving my new shoes - from left; Re-Mix open toe spectators (a bargain via eBay), Italian vintage boots (£4 from a charity shop!), and 1940s vintage oxfords

I bought an old wardrobe that proved way too small, so it's already gone to make way for a clothes rail instead - dresses are pretty on display aren't they?

a 1950s atomic coat rack with coloured balls.

a 1940s jacket/blouse that needs taking in a bit. It does also have it's matching fabric belt.

excuse the self-portrait. This is my "new" vintage wool coat. It's 80s but it has a nice 40s shape with shoulder pads and a flared skirt and big pocket flaps, and it's a nice forest green, which you can't really see in the awful quality photo. I'm wearing a very fluffy sheepskin scarf with it, but I also often wear it with a leopard print collar as you can see in the photo above. The coat itself has no collar at all, which makes it perfect for adding one of your own fancy!

Hope life is treating you all well, and I promise to be back soon with some outfit photos around the lovely city of Brighton!

Lina xx

Tweet twoo

2011-12-04T23:24:00.000Z

Howdy strangers! It's been a while hasn't it? Well,we're still waiting to have our phone line installed so we can finally get our broadband up and running. But, if you've missed me you can now follow me on twitter! I've finally taken the plunge and ventured to learn what this twitter thing is about. I just didn't get it... Hash tags smash tags as far as I was concerned, but as soon as I actually got it I figured it would actually be quite fun to give it a shot! I haven't got any followers yet, so I'm still just posting into the void - so please follow me! Pwetty pweease?
You'll find me under the name SpiffingLina! See you there! :) x

All things new

2011-11-16T11:25:00.002Z

Hello dear readers!

I have safely arrived in Brighton!
We had an ordeal with the removals company who left half of our things behind in Nottingham
but that's a whole other story. We're now finally installed in our new home, a lovely little flat in central Brighton. Yes, the operative word is little, at least when you're moving from a house, but the ceilings are really high and the space is well laid out so we're really pleased. And the real selling point of course was the garden!

I started my new job on Monday and so far it's going really well and I can't believe my luck in landing this job! The job, the place, it all seems almost too good to be true!
Oskar has also found what looks like will be his ideal job. We feel like we've lucked out! Well, the only person who isn't loving Brighton is poor little Martha, our cat. But that's mostly because she's not allowed out just yet.

Unfortunately I won't have an Internet connection up and running for a few weeks, so in the meantime I'm posting on my iPhone! Hopefully it will look OK.
I don't have any photos from Brighton yet as I just had the genius idea that I could post via my mobile (I know, I'm a bit slow) so I'll just add a few from our last weekend in Nottingham instead. If this mobile posting works I'll be posting more often, I promise!

UPDATE: nope! I can't seem to add photos.. if anyone has any experience or advice with this let me know!

Finger waves - try no. 2 with sectioning clips

2011-11-04T13:14:00.001Z

I wasn't going to post again before we move, but then I tried these new sectioning clips last night and I was so pleased with the result I had to share it...

I spotted these long clips, sold as 'sectioning clips', but which looked very much like the wave clips of yesteryear. So I picked some up to give it a whirl! I found mine in Morrisons, but they may be lurking in other stores too by the hair accessories, if you're interested in giving them a try. Somehow I'd not noticed them until now.

This is how I went to bed...

wet hair and shape with a comb, clipping as you go along at each wave point

I can't be bothered to curl... the rest is going up in a gibson roll!

Sleep on it, remove the clips the following morning and spray, spray, spray ... and this is what you end up with:

I struggled to take a good picture, it actually looks better in reality, but I'm very pleased with the waves. Much better than the previous try with crocodile clips, I have to say!

Back to packing! .. Lina xx

A very short post on preparing for my new working life...

2011-11-03T21:07:00.000Z

Waiting excitedly....

for my 'new' 1940s brogues ...

good sensible shoes for working librarian-style chic!

and my 40s style pinafore skirt

The Black Pinafore on Etsy

I have wanted a pinafore skirt for a long time, and finally I bit the bullet and asked Debora of The Black Pinafore to make me one! I went for the A-line skirt rather than the pencil, but I'm pretty sure I'll be returning for another version soon.... My skirt will be moss/bottle green with red buttons. Don't worry, I'll post an outfit picture in my new finery once we've landed in Brighton next week!

From the land of packing boxes... Lina xx

The compromise red - lipsticks for work

2011-10-26T11:17:00.000+01:00

Hello dears! Sorry I have been so absent of late. However, I'm back with a short post about lippy! I am about to embark on a career in academia after a looong time as a student, so as you can imagine, 'how to take vintage to work' is a topic that has been on my mind lately.

One aspect of how to take vintage to work is of course lipstick. Like many of you, I love my red lippy! I usually wear a bright blueish red and I have certainly been known to put it on before a regular trip to the supermarket. But my new job involves a range of situations where a bright true red lipstick may just be a little distracting - I will have to sit in a lot of important meetings, talk to audiences, to members of the public and to policy makers in local government. I need to look like I mean business!

I'm sure I'll still wear my favourite true red shade as often as possible, but for those times when it doesn't feel quite appropriate... here are some alternatives! Excuse my pasty face, I didn't want to put any effect on the photos since I wanted you to see the shade of the lipstick clearly.

To start off with... for comparative reasons; My favourite red: Boots No. 7 Stay Perfect in "Cherry".
I can't recommend it enough - It's a blueish red matt lipstick with a lot of staying power, without being as drying as MAC Ruby Woo. It's a slightly darker and richer shade than Ruby Woo as well (for those of you who are familiar with that one).

The alternatives:

1. Boots No. 7 Stay Perfect in "Classic Rose".

This is also a matt lipstick in a muted pink shade that looks and feels appropriately vintage. A very good alternative to red that is so easy to wear! I have worn this one faithfully for at least a couple of years to university meetings and the like.

2. Boots No. 7 Stay Perfect in "Raspberry".

This one is unusual for me because it has a sparkly sheen. It still has very good staying power and is a semi-matt lipstick, but it has a sparkle. I'm usually not a fan of sparkly, in my eyes it can look quite cheap, and it might not be very authentically vintage either, but I thought I'd give it a try as Boots currently do a "buy 2 get 1 free" offer on their cosmetics. The colour is a pinkish/mauvish red which is quite easy to wear and less in-your-face than a true red.

3. Poppy King for Boots No. 7 in "Power".

This one is a sheer pinkish/brownish red. The texture is creamy and moisturising. It's comfortable to wear and an easy shade to pull off. In the picture I had slathered on quite a thick layer for the colour to show up in the photo, but it could be worn much more subtly if you only put a quick swipe on. It doesn't have great staying power at all, but due to it's sheer creamy texture it wears off evenly and you are left with a nice sheer pink tone which is not a bad thing. This is the most subtle of them all and I can see myself wearing this happily in the winter when it will nourish my lips in the cold.

From left to right: Power, Raspberry, Classic Rose, Cherry

Until soon... Lina xx

New horizons

2011-10-18T21:57:00.000+01:00

Changes are afoot in my life again - I got a job! In Brighton! I'm so excited.

Brighton is an exciting place to be ~ and full of vintage!

The move is in 3 weeks, so I have to yet again apologise for my absence and my lack of regular posts. I'm really sorry I've not had time lately to post. Once we're settled in Brighton and I've started my job, things will hopefully go back to normal again! Thank you for hanging around and for your patience with my silence of late.

Until soon... Lina xx

Der Neues Palais, Potsdam - interior

2011-10-13T12:35:00.000+01:00

Good morning darlings!
I promised to post some pictures from inside the palace, so here goes.

About the palace:

The New Palace (German: Neues Palais) is a palace situated on the western side of the Sanssouci royal park in Potsdam,Germany. The building was begun in 1763, after the end of the Seven Years' War, under Frederick the Great and was completed in 1769. It is considered to be the last great Prussian baroque palace.

In addition to splendid royal apartments, four grand staterooms (festival halls) occupy the central portion of the palace. On the ground floor is the Grotto Hall, attributed to Carl von Gontard, with walls encrusted with shells, stones, marble, quartz and semi-precious stones, which were enriched in the nineteenth century. With the design of the hall is a marble floor depicting marine animals and plants and an 1806 ceiling painting.

On the second floor are several interconnected apartments, all very grand.

a very early bath, installed in the early 1900s by the last Kaiser of Germany who then lived there

bells for the lady to call her different chamber maids

imagine the grand balls that were held here...

two interesting facts about this room... Mozart once played on that piano, and in the room beyond (that you can hint through the open door) Kaiser Wilhelm II ordered the Austro-Hungarian attack on Serbia that started the first world war.

Auf Wiedersehen! Lina xx