A tale of two skirts

If my blogging form of late were to be graded, it would probably score a poor D- (and that would be generous). The dog didn't eat my homework, I've just found it hard to summon up time, energy or inclination. 

Must Do Better, and I intend to try.

I'm in a skirt phase at the moment, and these two have been on high rotation, especially for work.

1950s wool jacket, Hobbs wool skirt, jumper and scarf - charity shopped

Boots - retail (sale)

1950s brooch - flea market

 1970-80s St Michael skirt, top, cardigan and scarf - charity shopped 

Boots - retail (sale)

Vintage Windsmoor faux fur coat - vintage fair

Despite the fact that tartan isn't my favourite print, I do like the colours and the different shapes of these two skirts. 

 I've worked some extra hours lately, covering at other shops and doing some sorting and pricing of stock for the vintage shop. It opens on February 15th, but I have next week off for half term, so yesterday was my final day at my old shop. 

Doors close, doors open.

We've had plenty of rain and howling winds, but the sun does occasionally shines; Owen and I took advantage of a break in the clouds to head to town. He needed a haircut as badly as I do.

 And because I like nothing better than a busman's holiday, I've managed to find time to peruse the charity shops and nab myself some vintage treasures.

1960-70s enamel pan

1970s maxi dress

1960s vinyl bag

1960s sewing pattern

1950-60s Franpear lurex sweater

1960s Petite Francaise silk duster coat

That last one was the real bargain of the bunch - an immaculate vintage slub silk coat for £2.50? Now that's why I go scouring the rails of charity shops on my days off. 

The ever-useful Vintage Fashion Guild's label resource informs me that Petite Francaise was probably a British label, started in the mid-1960s, producing beautifully tailored dresses and matching jackets.

My old tan boots have started to let the rain in, so I was pleased to find these Hush Puppies at half price as a replacement. The old boots will still be fine when the weather allows. 

I'll link to the lovely Patti and her Visible Monday gathering, and I'll be round to see what everyone has been up to as well. 

It's been a sad week. George's funeral was a highly emotional occasion for everyone, but a warm, personal and beautifully thoughtful tribute to a lovely young man. And I'm sorry to be leaving my little team of staff and volunteers at Nether Edge.

Onwards, upwards...

xxxx

More than meets the eye

 

There's a man who lives nearby who always says hello to me; we see each other around fairly often and have slipped into the habit of exchanging a greeting, even though we don't know one another at all.

Today, we met on my street and he announced, that's a different look for you - very Rock Chick. I like it!

 

We had a bit of a laugh about that; he says he can spot me at a distance because I'm usually wearing something bright, colourful and floral.

Since he's always casually dressed, scruffy even, I wouldn't have had him down as someone who would notice what I (or anyone else) was wearing. Which just goes to prove you shouldn't make assumptions.

1970s lurex jumper, denim jacket, leather skirt, ankle boots, tights and bangles - charity shopped

1950-60s tapestry bag - gift from Emma Kate

1970s necklace - vintage market

 

 I had an interesting conversation this week with one of the volunteers at my shop. 

 

Up Where We Belong was playing on the radio, and she said that's my old friend singing. Given our location, it wasn't overly intuitive of me to guess that she was referring to Joe Cocker rather than Jennifer Warnes. We chatted about how she met Joe in the 1960s through her future husband, also a musician, and how they all became friends. 

She recalled the release of Joe's first album With a Little Help from My Friends in 1969, and told me that she, her boyfriend and Joe stayed up all night playing it over and over again. And how that occasion was the first time Joe had heard the album played all the way through, start to finish - on my little record player! she laughed.

 

I like that story for all sorts of reasons. Decidedly Sheffield, down-to-earth and non-starry, it's an endearing snapshot of another time, and a brief, unexpected glimpse into someone's personal history. 

 

People. They can surprise you, no? Sometimes by being utter arseholes, it's true, but just as often by sharing stories and observations which make you look at them again and think there's more to you than meets the eye. 

 

 

Any claim to Rock Chick-ery I ever had is long gone, but perhaps the leather, denim and studs in this outfit are a little nod in that direction. 

 

A grown-up Rock Chick? I'd settle for that.  

Can't do the Big Hair anymore...

(Oops - I told you an inadvertent fib when I said I only have one jumper. I forgot about this sparkly Seventies one. 

How could I?)

It's interesting to speculate about what our clothes tell others about us. Of course they say something - we're all visible, and we make choices about how we present ourselves. But everyone has a story, and appearance only tells part of it. 

There's more to us than meets the eye.

PS. We're going away for a few days, but I'll look forward to catching up with you all when we get back.

xxxx

Stirling Cooper meets Monsoon

Working in a charity shop hasn't dimmed my enthusiasm for chazzing; in fact, I'm always interested in checking out how other shops do things. 

 

And picking up a bargain too, of course. 

Like this 1980s textured jacket, mine for a fiver.

 

The sheer pleated skirt is by Stirling Cooper, a British boutique label which began in the late 1960s and initially featured Anthony Price and Sheilagh Brown as designers.

 

 

Here they are in the Stirling Cooper* shop, which you entered through a dragon's jaws. 

 

Oh, the divine decadence of Swinging London. And how much do I love that dress? 

(*Not to be confused with Sterling Cooper, the fictional advertising agency in Mad Men.)

I had always assumed the skirt was from the 1980s, but thinking about some of those sheer designs I saw at the Yves Saint Laurent exhibition last month, I wonder if it's older than that? 

 

 

A selection of Stirling Cooper clothing from the 1960-70s.

 

I'd love to wear this skirt with the tight-fitting ruffled polka dot blouse and platform shoes (top row, centre). 

 

 

The jacket is easier to date, it's from Monsoon's 1980s Twilight collection.

 

The nipped-in waist and shoulder pads are a nod to a 1940s silhouette, and I love the flattering shape. 

Monsoon has been around for over 40 years now and still has a presence on the high street, along with sister company Accessorize.

 

I'm a bit of a vintage label nerd, I love researching them. 

Since clothing manufacture in the UK largely ceased after the 1980s, you can pretty much assume that most items with a Made in England/Great Britain/UK label are vintage. That, or a high end heritage brand, but even then, companies like Burberry, Jaeger and Mulberry only make a proportion of their goods in this country. 

 1970s Stirling Cooper sheer skirt and ankle boots - Ebay

1980s Monsoon jacket and 1950s diamante brooch - charity shopped

 

Speaking of vintage nerdery, I am hoping it will stand me in good stead; I have just applied for a new job. St Luke's are opening a charity shop specialising in vintage, and will soon be recruiting a manager and deputy. 

 

If ever a job had my name written all over it, it's this one. I have so many ideas fizzing around in my brain, I might explode.  I'm waiting to hear whether I have got an interview or not. 

 

I'll keep you posted!

xxx

The morning after

I don't subscribe to the view that you should wear every item of clothing in your wardrobe x times a year (insert randomly prescribed frequency here) or get rid of it.

 

 

If I did, this skirt would be long gone; it was hidden on a hanger behind another skirt and I'd forgotten all about it. 

 

 

 I'm pleased to be reunited with those bathing beauties.

1980s skirt - Ebay

T-shirt, cardigan, tights, shoes, belt and bangles - charity shopped

 

Enough preamble; I guess you want to know about the result of my interview last week?

 

Alas, my feeling that all was not quite as it should be proved correct, and I didn't get the job. The feedback was positive, so that's something. Still, I'm disappointed, rejection is never a pleasant experience. It's been made a little easier to bear by the outrage expressed on my behalf by so many of my friends; fists have been shaken, feet stamped, and the swearing has been both epic and inventive.

 

I really do appreciate my friends!

 

 

 How about a little flamenco action to cheer myself up? Senor Sexy with the crazed glint in his eyes was another rescued item from the charity shop skip...

along with Nell Gwyn...

and Henry VIII with just three of his wives.

 

 

Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, and Katherine Parr, if you're wondering. 

Maybe Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard will show up next week.

 

 

And I couldn't turn down a vintage Thermos, floral tin or a 1960s Spirograph...

or this 1962 novel with the fabulous cover illustration.

 

 

That's Charlie's tail getting in the way. He's killed his first squirrel of the year. I have a feeling there will be many more deaths in our garden before the summer's out...

On patrol.

Minnie's strictly a Lidl cat food kinda gal.

I'm going on a school trip tomorrow as part of the team taking 90 children, aged 5-6, for a day of activities in Ecclesall Woods.

 

And that, my friends, is as much of a challenge as any interview, so wish me luck!

 

xxxx

 

Doing the double

I'm not a betting woman (too tight for that) but I'd put money on this being the first time I have ever worn Double Denim.

Blame it on the Seventies.

Or the fact that I wanted to get out of the house yesterday morning without over-thinking my choice of jacket.

And if it's good enough for Debbie...

My version is typically thrifty.

1970s C&A denim skirt (£3), belt (£1) and embroidered peasant blouse (£1.49) - charity shopped

Benetton bleached denim jacket (50p) - jumble sale

1980s boots (£8) - Second to None

Beret - free (rescued from the charity shop rag bag)

Total £14.

But if I'm honest, I can't quite get over the thought that Double Denim is just too much of a good thing, and I do prefer a contrast.

Same skirt, plus 1960s jacket and 1970s pussy bow blouse - charity shopped

And the skirt will look best of all in summer, I think, with short-sleeved tops, bare legs and wedge sandals.

I've been picking up all sorts of bits and bobs in the charity shops over the last couple of weeks.

Blingy jewellery at £1 apiece, a 1960-70s raffia bag (£2), and a 1960s turquoise Carnaby Daisy Pyrex dish (£1).

Incidentally, the same piece of Pyrex, also minus its lid, recently sold on Ebay for an astonishing £171. Some colours and designs are very desirable, it seems.

Battered old tin trays with Oriental designs - 50p each.

1976 Brer Rabbit story book with wonderful illustrations - 25p.

1960-70s sewing patterns - 20p each.

I came across a whole stash of patterns, all the same size, so I suspect they belonged to the same woman.

I even know her name - Mrs S Christmas. She ordered patterns from magazines, and several were still in their self-addressed envelopes. Two different addresses - judging from the streets, I reckon she moved from a little terrace to a new house or maisonette on a big estate in the mid-Sixties.

I wonder what that S stood for... Sylvia? Susan? Scheherazade?

Scheherazade Christmas would be a superb name. 

This pattern from Woman's Weekly is the same age as me.

I don't know about you, but despite the ladylike frocks, I reckon those girls are hard as nails, especially the one modelling the Day Dress. I wouldn't mess with her. 

I popped to a small local car boot this morning, and enjoyed bumping into people I know for a chat, and admiring the merchandise.

I managed to resist the Wings of Love and the collection of 1970s bridesmaid dresses...

but for a whole English pound, I thought the 1960s beaded tiger bag deserved a home.

Last of the big spenders, aren't I?

I'll be joining Patti and friends for Visible Monday - see you there!

xxx

Lost and found

Oops, sorry about that - I didn't intend to go awol for a week, but the computer slowed to a standstill and has only just been fixed.

And truthfully, I was pretty downhearted about the loss of Minnie.

But as luck would have it, after an absence of 10 days, a neighbour called round yesterday saying he thought she was hiding in his house. And when we rattled the box of cat biscuits and called her, she came running down his stairs, a bit thinner but apparently none the worse for her unscheduled stay with him. 

 

The neighbour has been having work done on his house, and she must have sneaked in when the workmen weren't looking, and decided to camp out. Bizarre.

Thanks to everyone who expressed their concern and encouraged me to stay optimistic. It's not a trait I possess in abundance, but on this occasion, I am very relieved that my usual doom-laden predictions proved false.

 

Three samey outfits from last week, and three samey poses. So predictable.

 

1970s Lerose maxi dress - Ebay

Jacket, cardigan, shoes, bangles and pendant - charity shopped

1960s carpet bag - gift

 

1970s handmade lurex dress - flea market

Tights and bangles - charity shopped

Boots - retail

 

 

 

1970s blouse - Ebay

1970s skirt (made by me from a 1970s dress)

Tan leather bag and belt, jacket and bangles - charity shopped

 

 

Don't worry, I appreciate it's hard to comment on multiple outfits, so please don't feel under any obligation. I kept taking photos even though I couldn't upload them to the computer, and now I feel I should use them. It's my thrifty nature to make use of what I've got.

 

 

 

It's been a wet old week, and I've felt rather like a soggy rag myself, until today.

Yes, today I am in good spirits, and have done my first shift at the local hospice charity shop. I really enjoyed myself, everyone was very friendly, and I am slightly regretting my offer to work in the new shop due to open soon in the city centre. I think I may want to stay where I am, but we shall see. 

 

Look - it's like a scene from Fame.

Last Saturday, we went to a party to celebrate my friend Alison's 50th birthday. She hired the Lantern, a beautiful little theatre in the nearby leafy suburb of Nether Edge, and various friends performed on the stage. 

 

Here are Claudia (standing, left) and Nina (sitting, right) and friends about to dance to Bad by Michael Jackson (choreographed by Claudia). They opened the show.

 

 

 

I wish I'd had the balls to get up and sing, but alas, I only do that under the influence of an excess of wine when there's karaoke on offer.

Would you join me? What shall we sing?

 

So here's to fresh starts and happy endings, finding what we've lost, and belting out River Deep, Mountain High after one glass of prosecco too many. 

 

You know you want to!

xxxx