Gin Soaked Girl - the chap ball and my fabulous dress!

Just a quick post really, as so many others have or are writing their own experience of the evening and to be quite honest my memory is somewhat hazy...

So, Saturday night was the second Grand Anarcho Dandyist ball, as run by The Chap magazine.  I went to the first bash and wasn't going to miss the second, this year held in the beautiful surroundings of the Bloomsbury Ballrooms.

I was the guest of the ever stunning Fleur de Guerre and so thought it worth making a little extra effort, and luckily, just the week before, I had bought the perfect dress from Gem of Bake do and Mend.

Gem's pic:

My badly taken pic:

I also set and styled my hair in a waved pageboy, using my wonderful Mervin clips and perm rods and then brushing the curls under.

I arrived just before 9pm after a very glamorous bus ride through London and quickly found my chums - Gem, Fleur, Bethan (the blogless), Jeni of Yesterday Girl (who was running the Vintage Dating service typing out the love letters) and the wonderful Miss Penny Dreadful herself, whose blog also features a review of the night.


The night was wonderful - fantastic acts including my very favourite, Mr B. the Gentleman Rhymer, entertained us.  We danced and drank until the am.  Unfortunately though, I didn't realise quite how strong the gins were.

Very, if this posey photo and my illness the next day are anything to go by (I have been assured they were LARGE doubles and I am not a complete wuss). 

Photo courtesy of Miss Penny Dreadful, arrogance courtesy of booze.

I haven't included pics of the other gals partly because I didn't take any and don't want to steal from chums and partly because I'm vain.  Hah.

The best pic of us all together was taken by Jeni and I'm sure she will post it up soon enough so keep visiting her blog for her second Chap Ball post.

For loads of other pics of the night please click HERE.

Born in the wrong era? A vintage rant.

I am a tad (read hellishly) hungover and so I apologise for the rant but this blog is about something that really bugs me.  What is it that causes me such rage?  It is when perfectly intelligent, reasonable, adult women state that they were "born in the wrong era."  So many vintage aficionados seem to do this and it is something I'm seeing mentioned more and more. Personally I find this sort of comment incredibly naive and shortsighted.

I suppose it depends on what attracts you to vintage in the first place.  For me, and I think most of my vintage loving friends, half of the fun is in the looking different.  It isn't just about liking a particular era for its aesthetic, it is also about standing out.  Many of us have come from the goth, skate or punk scenes and this is an extension of the enjoyment we always had in dressing differently.  A more grown up take on it I think.

Let's think about this then.  If this is something you enjoy about wearing vintage, well, if you were actually living in the 40's you wouldn't stand out.  You would look just like everybody else.  Not so much fun then, perhaps?

Also, if you were living in those "times gone by" you would not have as much opportunity to actually find a way of looking different.  We are lucky in that these modern times, in the first world countries in which we live,  we have the freedom to express ourselves through our clothing more or less without fear of attack or being ostracised from society (a notable exception being the case of Sophie Lancaster, a terrible story, truly shocking).

Back in the "Golden Era" only the very rich and thus charmingly eccentric were really allowed the luxury of being visibly different, the average girl on the street would need to confirm to societal norms which were quite restrictive, if she didn't want to be the target of damaging negative gossip.

We also live in times of plenty in comparison to the 30's or 40's where we would not be able to afford our vast wardrobes of finery - how well would any of us, with our eBay and Etsy addictions, really cope with clothing being rationed.  Only 48 coupons a year, 11 for a single dress, 2 for a pair of stockings.

Is it because you want to be a housewife?  Seriously, no one is stopping you.  You don't need to go back to the 50's to have that life if you want it.  Feminism gave us the CHOICE to do what we want whether that is becoming a fire woman or baking cakes and cleaning house.


If your hankering for the past lies elsewhere, in the politics of the era perhaps, then that concerns me even more.  Do we really want to go back to times of racial segregation and child labour?

We live in great times really; of anaesthetic, running water, central heating, effective contraception, freedom of speech and the internet!  I am happy to be living now and not in the 30's during the depression, not in the 40's during the war.  Hurrah for 2010 (though it has been a hard year) and for 2011 to come.

What are your thoughts?  Would you really want to live back in your favoured era and why?

 

Another finished knit! I'm on a roll...

Woot!  I'm on a seaming roll (yes, it is procrastination and preferable to ironing) and just finished my 1950's cardigan.

I actually wasn't sure about this baby until it was buttoned up and tried on and it looks so much better on than off.

The wool is a heathery blue worsted, really nice to knit up, and the pattern available free here, was quick and easy.  I do need to buy one more button though!

I think this, though not glamorous, will be great for winter, it is very cosy.

A finished knit - "Made so quickly" from A Stitch in Time

Hurrah!  I have finally, 100% finished something.

I'd been looking for something to make from A Stitch in Time for a while but felt daunted by the complicated look of the patterns (I think a symbol for level of difficulty would be useful in all craft books).  After consultation with my favourite knitting guru, Katie of  My Vintage Dresser fame, I decided on "Made So Quickly," an update of an item from Woman's Weekly, September 1936 and described as "a pet of a jumper in easy knitting."

It was a fairly simple pattern, though I did have some problems with gauge, only lengthwise though....it seems I'm a long knitter!  But usefully, this book has pattern diagrams showing the measurements and so I used these rather than sticking to the listed number of pattern rows.

I used a true red cotton DK yarn from Debbie Bliss which I won for a song on eBay and was, contrary to reports online, not splitty at all.  This was my first time knitting in cotton yarn and it did take me a while to get used to its lack of stretch, but as it was a good quality yarn I quickly got over that and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Here is the original pic from the book, and here is my little red number.  The pics aren't great.  My camera is worse than the darn phone.  Grrr!

I'm feeling rather proud of myself.  In fact I shall have a glass of wine to celebrate.  Red wine.  :-)

A failure in the making - the infamous "3-hour sweater"

Finally, a knitting post.

I am trying to do some stashbusting and as a result was searching Ravelry for something to use my three balls of pink worsted on.  Not enough for a cardigan, I already have scarves...and so what was the only vintagey item that I had enough for and that wasn't knitted on the dreaded circular needles...the "3 Hour Sweater".

I tried to knit this originally way back at the start of this year, in fact just when I first started knitting, because it seemed easy - just stockinette, ribbing and basic increases and decreases.  Also, if over 200 people have made it, surely I could, right?

Wrong.  I made a basic schoolgirl error and supplemented a chunky for the worsted stated in the pattern, didn't do a tension square, and ended up with something which I thought was much larger than required (though looking back it probably wasn't that bad).  I frogged it and had a cry and put it down to a learning experience.

So now I'm facing the beast again, and it is a beast.  The pattern calls for very large needles (10mm for the main body) and these are very tiring to knit with; the tiredness somewhat slowing down what should be a quick knit.

As it's going I am not halfway through and 5 hours in, so lets call this a 12 hour sweater, 10 hours of knitting and 2 hours of sewing up (I loathe sewing up).

So far it isn't looking too bad, a very loose knit but this is a 30's pattern and I've seen some original items with this kind of gauge.  I am worried about the sewing up though (did I mention how much I hate it?) as it is so loose and I'm concerned about gape.

So anyway - watch this space and I'll let you know how it turns out.  I really don't have high hopes for this one.

I also don't believe ANYONE, EVER could have done this in 3 hours.  Well, apart from this lady:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfRZnN2rL4Y

Getting crafty at Paper Dress Vintage Boutique

Hello again all

Now that the nights are drawing in so early and it is getting harder and harder for me to haul my lazy self from the sofa of an evening my thoughts have turned to indoor fun...NO, not that you crude thing, more the make do and mend sort.

To help me get the craft bug back I decided to take a few classes and lo and behold, what arrived on my facebook page but an invite from Paper Dress to attend their new and exceedingly affordable craft classes.

Paper Dress Boutique is one of my favourite vintage shops and is very handily located near my work in Shoreditch.  Following their opening in September 2007 the shop has gone from strength to strength.  The boutique sells vintage clothing from the 1900's onwards, all quality hand sourced pieces (on of my favourite ever suits comes from here...happy sigh), and frequently hosts gigs, classes and shopping events as well as being available for private hire.

The craft classes are run by Paper Dress' in house alterations team (perfect if you need a few tweaks to make your new purchase perfect) and include crochet, knitting, sewing and embroidery.

I have attended two of their crochet classes so far, taught by the lovely Yolanda who runs her own 1940's inspired fashion company (I need to know more about this and will ask next time I see her).  I found her teaching style to be incredibly warm and patient and the atmosphere in the Paper Dress coffee shop perfectly calm and cosy.  The time just flew by, aided by the mulled wine no doubt.

After just two classes I have learned to make a chain, slip stitch, single, double and treble crochet and made my first granny square.  Look at the beauty!

I really can't recommend these classes enough and at just £2 for each session they are ridiculously bargainous.  I have thoroughly enjoyed myself at each one and am looking forward to classes to come.

Who knows - maybe one day I'll be able to make gorgeous 1940's designs like my classmate Mara's beautiful bag from Vintage Secret!

If you fancy getting crafty join the Paper Dress facebook group here.

Beauty review - the perfect daytime red

I think I've finally found a good, affordable daytime red.  Up until now I've always used good old MAC Ruby Woo, the vintage girl's favourite, but it can be a bit OTT in the daytime, and it is nice to be able to switch from a gentler colour to something more powerful for a night out too.  You don't get that if you've been wearing the Woo all day!

My discovery was completely accidental, I was going to meet some friends and realised I'd forgotten to bring a lippy with me (quelle horreur!) and so nipped into Boots and picked up the first thing I saw that I hadn't tried before....Rimmel's Colour Show Off lipstick in Red Fever.

I have to admit that initially the packaging put me off, it is thoroughly cheap looking and very lightweight.  A hot pink metallic tube worthy of Jordan herself.  I was, however, pleasantly surprised by the product.


Though it looks shiny in the tube it goes on beautifully matte.  Compared to Ruby Woo it is soft red, though most users who have reviewed in online so far consider it bright, and I guess it would be for someone unused to wearing a red.  It is also a much softer texture than the Woo and therefore not as drying, which is definitely a winner for daytime.

 MAC Lady Danger, the Rimmel, Ruby Woo (click to enlarge):

It lasts reasonably well, better than most drugstore lipsticks, though you do need to reapply after eating to keep the colour even, but at around £5-£6 a tube that isn't too worrying.

Here is what it looks like on, please excuse my morning face:

Just the one layer there.

I think you'd need a few to pull of the colour of postergirl - Georgia May Jagger:

Overall I'm really pleased with this red.  I might even investigate the other colours in the range now, they have a lighter red and a few pinks to choose from.