Coats of many colours

I cracked on with some Christmas shopping at the weekend, as there were two craft and vintage fairs to go to, and presents to buy!

Naturally I found a little something for myself in the process...

I'm looking rather ladylike again.

If you knew me, you'd realise this is not much of a reflection of my personality. I might like frocks, but I wouldn't consider myself ladylike in the slightest!

I struggled with the light conditions taking these photos, and since I have neither the money to invest in a better camera, nor the wit or the time to read the instructions for the one I've got, this is the best I could manage.

The lovely colours on this Liberty print skirt have been bleached out, but you get the idea.

That's a bit better.

Do you see an Edwardian lady (called Fanny, obviously) waiting to indulge in an unseemly assignation with an unsuitable beau?

No?

Just me then...

Oh Fanny...

You hussy.

Velvet jacket, 1970s Liberty print gypsy skirt, knit top, petticoat, tights and bangles - charity shopped

1980s boots - Second to None

1970s felt hat and 1960s tapestry/vinyl bag - flea markets

1960s scarf - friend's stall at school fair (it was her late mum's)

Belt - gift from PTA Queen Lucy

You know I said in my last post that I didn't need any more coats?

I really don't.

But I spotted this one...

...and fell a little in love.

The brand name might sound like a range of tampons, but I don't care - look at the 1970s red-checked original-belted gorgeousness! And the vinyl belt has little hinges!

I think I may have to sell the 1960s Eastex coat I bought last week... just to appease my conscience, and the Thrifting Gods.

I wore it to the vintage fairs. It's nice enough.

But I like Feminella more.

What would you do?

Am I the only person who finds it hard to chose between her vintage finery?

Linking up with Patti at Visible Monday, where there is a great array of finery on display!

xxx

English Ladylike

A couple of you were kind enough to liken my recent purchase of an English Lady maxi dress to Missoni.

 

I thought the same, the woven zig-zags on the skirt of this 1970s dress are very reminiscent of Missoni's trademark patterns, like these lovely vintage pieces (found on Google images);

I did once find a 1980s Missoni dress in a charity shop, which I sold on Ebay. But since that kind of lightning is unlikely to strike twice, I am more than happy to wear my English Lady version.

 

 

 

At £8, I suspect it cost a great deal less than any genuine Missoni items I might admire on Ebay or online vintage retailers.

This English Lady needs her faux furs at the moment.

What's the weather like here in the UK?

Bastard freezing, as Vix the Walsall Weather Girl would say!

Luckily this dress is lined, quite heavy, and very warm.

 

1970s English Lady maxi dress - Chesterfield flea market

Boots - Ebay

Cardigan, hat, bangles, and Silver Fox faux fur coat - charity shops

Pendant - gift from Lie Detector Joni

 

Here's a close-up of the lovely Limoges pendant from Joni - adding a soupcon of French romance to the English Lady!

On my trip to Barnsley this week, I picked up yet another coat. 

Do I need any more coats? 

No, I don't. 

But it was a 1960s wool Eastex coat for £3 - what was I supposed to do?

I know the Pyrex whores out there will appreciate the snowflake dish (yes, Em, I'm talking to you!) and I can't resist a 1950s annual.

You may want to heed some of the advice therein, about growing up (old) gracefully.

 

You're welcome.

Thank you to all who played along with sorting out the truthful wheat from the shameful chaff. 

I think I may change my name to Fanny.

Enjoy your weekends, my darlings!

    xxx

Sweet little lies

So I told a few fibs...

The brute brute heart of a brute like you.

But Ray is not my Daddy.

(I do have a gap between my front teeth though.)

source

No naked photos.

Well, maybe one or two...

Really should dispose of those.

My grandmother really was called Fanny, but alas, I am not.

She wasn't psychic either, and neither am I. 

That will be because it's all a load of shite and no one is.

source

I didn't experience any cravings whilst pregnant.

And I did not appear on University Challenge, or any other TV programme for that matter.

I have never been wise, a man, nor had a beard, even a paper one.

Though never say never - who knows whether the future will bring with it wisdom, facial hair, or a sex change?

I did sing in the choir at school, but my days of not quite managing to squeak out a Top A are long gone.

Capers? I have no problem with them.

I did Latin O Level but have forgotten most of what I learned.

I didn't think it was fun. 

Funus, fune, funum.

  

I have never been to Macdonalds.

It's true. 

And I don't see any reason to start now!

And the winner is - Joni.

My spooky blog twin guessed right!

Normal service - you know, frocks and stuff - resumed tomorrow.

 xxxx

Truth, lies and vintage bags

Cold!

My Doreen Shuttleworth faux fur got another outing today, it's been bitter.

No snow for us, but the ivy looked lovely with its dusting of frost.

There's a thermal vest under that wrinkled frock!

I have been on the look out for a vintage tapestry and vinyl bag for ages, and finally found one on Barnsley flea market yesterday. 

Fiver to you, love. 

Barnsley has a stack of charity shops, and after going in about 6 of them without seeing anything worth buying, I nearly gave up hope.

The market and the last couple of shops restored my faith. I'll show you what else I found in another post (haven't taken the pics yet).

I did spot a 1970s Pierre Balmain lurex maxi dress which was rather fabulous, but at £35, while not expensive considering the exclusive label, it was more than I could afford. It looked too big for me anyway, so I would have been buying to sell on. Got to think about the profit margins...

Who remembers the 1969 Peter Sarstedt song Where do you go to, my lovely?

It contains the line Your clothes are all made by Balmain, and there's diamonds and pearls in your hair...

Anyway - I hope someone who appreciates French couture and has £35 to spend snaps that frock up, and rocks the hell out of it.

Dress, leggings and bangle - charity shopped

Cardigan and boots - retail

Candy stripes scarf and leather gloves - gifts

Necklace - handmade by Santa-lovin' Krista

Vampish purple nail varnish - gift from psychedelic Vix 

I have been tagged for a few awards (Liebster, One Lovely Blog, and Sunshine) over the past few months by various blogger friends.

I am notoriously bad at responding to these award questionnaires, they feel like homework and I get all rebellious and refuse to do what I'm told. Because there's no detention or lines for not doing my homework these days...

But I've been thinking that I look a right ungrateful old cow, so I need to say a big thank you to Dawn, Liz, Melanie, Sara, Joan, and anyone else who has been kind enough to include me on their list.

These awards involve giving facts about yourself and answering questions. There are far too many questions for me to tackle, but I have gathered together a list of 11 "facts".

With a twist - 10 are complete lies, only one statement is true.

There's a prize if you spot it.*

• Because I was a tall for my age as a child, I was chosen to play a Wise Man in my nativity play at school in 1972. The costume included a paper fake beard. I was mortified.

• I was a member of the Sheffield University team which appeared on University Challenge in 1984. We lost.

• I am the love child of Ray Davies of the Kinks. I inherited the gap in the teeth, but sadly not enough of his musical talent to be successful. We are not in contact.
•   My middle name is Fanny, named after my maternal grandmother.

• I have a file of naked photos of all my ex-boyfriends. I keep them in case they become famous/infamous, in which case I will sell them to the tabloid press. Most of them deserve it.

• I am allergic to capers.   

• I have The Gift (also inherited from my maternal grandmother, Fanny, along with her name). I don't talk about it, or use it. But it's there. 

•  I have never been to Macdonald's.

• I used to sing in a choir, and can still hit a top A.

•  I can speak Latin. 

• When I was pregnant with my youngest child, I had a craving for burnt toast and hot English mustard or horseradish.

       

So what do you think? Which are the tall stories and which is the Golden Nugget of Truth?

I won't tag anyone else, you'll be relieved to know!

*I lied. There is no prize!

  xxxx

                             

I want to be good, is that not enough?

It's been a busy weekend, but a good one.

Judging by the outfit, you would be forgiven for thinking I've been auditioning for Principal Boy in Jack and the Beanstalk.

Well, we are approaching panto season, after all.

The big highlight was going to see Squeeze last night.

There was a big crowd of 40 and 50-somethings, all of whom sang along and knew every word to all the old favourites (and yes, Vix, of course they played Up the Junction!)

The songs they released from 1978 to 1982 are full of such memories of my teenage years, I played the East Side Story album to death.


Might have had a teeny crush on Glenn Tillbrook too...

It looks worryingly like I have forgotten to put anything on under my coat... how unseemly!

But I'm not even going to ask if this mini dress is too short for me. It's too late now anyway, I wore it out to see the band, and I didn't notice anyone laughing.

Check out my new woolly beanie - it's from Vix!

The postman is working on Sundays now, in readiness for the Christmas rush, and it felt a little as though Christmas had come early when a parcel of deliciousness from Vix was delivered on Sunday morning!

A super-groovy 1960s dress, which Vix had pimped up with extra bling-y braid, a beanie, a gorgeous little fur collar hand made with love by Vix herself, a quilted waistcoat, and Linda Grant's book The Thoughtful Dresser, which I have been meaning to read for ages but never quite got round to it.

Oh and some nail varnishes too, which are awaiting a little clean-up operation after a lid came loose... Vix had the presence of mind to send them in a plastic bag, so the damage was limited!

Thank you, Vix, I love my gifts. 

Mini/tunic dress, Doreen Shuttleworth, beaded pendant, bangles and leather bag - charity shopped

Suede jerkin - gift from Lucy

Leggings - jumble sale

Boots - retail 

See, I told you that jerkin is never off my back - I'm a bit obsessed with it!

Apologies to those of you who are unfamiliar with Squeeze, because you are;

a) too young;

 b) too cool;

 or c) live in a country where the band's quintessentially British observations of life and relationships achieved no airplay or success!

Here they are in their youthful 1978 days, and a more recent version of Goodbye Girl, which might just be my favourite Squeeze song. 

Oh the memories..
 














Linking up over at Patti's, check those lovely ladies out!


 xxxx

If you're thinking 'bout being my faux fur, it don't matter if you're black or white

Or any colour really, I have grey, leopard print, and a strange indeterminate beast of a faux fur which makes me look like a 1970s pimp.

 

And if we're truthful, who among us wouldn't want to look like that?

 

 

 

Yet at Chesterfield flea market on Thursday, I found myself trying on a lovely vintage St. Michael honey-coloured fur, thinking I don't have one this colour... 

 

Sadly it was way too big.

 

There will be others, I'm sure!

 

 

This one is called Doreen Shuttleworth, after its original owner, whose name is written on the label inside. Bless your great taste, Doreen, and the good care you took of your immaculate coat.

 

 

 

 

And this one is the Silver Fox.

 

 

I did have some good fortune at the flea market though, despite the faux fur disappointment.

 

 

 

 

Finally, a Dollyrockers maxi dress! Of course it is tiny and doesn't fit me, neither does the other fabulous 1970s dress (also too small), and the immaculate 1960s Welsh tapestry coat is too big.

To Ebay with them.

Thankfully, I did stumble across Baby Bear's porridge eventually...

 

... this 1970s English Lady maxi dress is just right!

And a printers tray, which doesn't have to fit. I have been keeping an eye out for one of these for ages, and at last it found me! 

It needs smartening up and then it will be a lovely display unit for small random items of loveliness.

 

 

Dress, cardigan, hat, bangles - charity shopped

Boots - retail (sale)

 

 

Black and red were in order for Thursday and Friday, as well as the faux fur love.

1970s maxi dress - Ebay

1980s boots - Second to None

Sequin beret - charity shop

 

 

 

 

It's been bloody freezing here the last few days, but bright and frosty and pretty. 

 

Boots, hats and fur - these are my weapons of choice.

 

 

Out tonight with the Ladies Purse - no quiz, just a boozy evening of much chat and laughter, I expect.

 

Hope you've got a great evening planned too!

   xxxx