Granny Chic.

The latest theme for our Equestrian Team Social was "Grannies"...something which is a bit different but rather comical.

My outfit pretty much all came from Hepwrights Vintage on Bedford Place, Southampton. A darling vintage shop which my lovely friend Catherine owns. 

The only things I added myself was the cardigan, headscarf and belt. Mainly just because I already had a huge selection of those items at home.

Lucy (left) and me (right)

Grannies CAN drink Sex on the Beach....

The group - great collective effort on the outfits!

Kayleigh (Edna) demonstrating my vintage stockings!

Having much fun...

xx

p.s I actually really loved my outfit and wish I could get away with wearing it more often ;)

Wedding Dress.

So I totally forgot that I failed to post pictures of my Mums wedding dress once it was finished!

It was an ivory silk halterneck dress with pleated detail, vintage brooch and lace detail at the hemline.

Only 32 buttons.....

Vintage Brooch and pleated detail.

Lace jacket detail.

This reminds me of the 1960s. I'm not sure if it's just the dapper suit.

Congratulations Mr & Mrs Bowden!

Finished!

So I have finally finished the curtains I have been making for my favourite vintage shop - Hepwrights. It's taken a long time and wasn't without complications! But then nothing worth doing is ever easy. That's what I keep telling myself anyway.

Well initially we thought there were alot more meters of beautiful vintage fabric than there was. So I had to re-jig my original plan. Then once I rolled all of the fabric out it was apparent it wasn't entirely square (meaning print wobbled a bit and so did the selvedges) which made it a bit tricky trying to measure panels accurately. I overcame that, thank goodness and thankfully they turned out just lovely!

 A tip for any one considering asking me to do something for them, if you don't give me a deadline it will possibly take a long time for whatever it is to get done! This hasn't been helped by my being at work virtually every day over the last few months. So thank you to Catherine for being patient, I hope they were worth waiting for! Just a simple one left to do and that's almost finished!

I'm pleased with them and think they work really well in the space.





Looking pretty in the tie back.



Vintage Earrings.

Today I bought two pairs of vintage earrings from Hepwrights, my favourite vintage boutique.

What I would actually really like to do is photograph some vintage jewellery with tea cups and saucers. Perhaps when I have a free hour I'll do get round to doing it. For now these quick snaps will have to do...

Wedding Bells...

Fashion/Life: Back in September, on my birthday I was told by my Mum and Step Dad they had some big news to tell me. As we'd had the house for sale for well over a year I automatically assumed it would be that they had at last sold it! I couldn't have been further from the truth...they were getting married. After 20 years of being together they had finally decided they would 'tie-the-knot' as many call it. I responded as most people did when they heard the news "well, it's about time!" it's possible that a glistening tear slid down my cheek, I am so happy for them. It won't change anything but it's just lovely.

The next part of the conversation naturally for a fashion student, revolved around the dress. My Mum wanted me to be the one to design and make it but only if I was happy to do so. Of course I was, it was a challenge and that's something I never like to turn down. Almost immediately I started conjuring up ideas of what would best suit her, silhouettes, fabrics and colours.

One weekend when I was back in Dorset visiting them we went to a lovely, welcoming Bridal Boutique: Butterfly Brides in Poundbury, Dorchester. They were extremely helpful and I can deny feeling a little bit guilty that they were being so attentive yet both myself and my Mum knew we wouldn't be purchasing one of their delightful dresses. The problem is, when someone doesn't often wear dresses it is infinitely hard to know what will suit them and also what they will like. My Mum was certain she didn't want a 'wedding dress' yet that is exactly what she fell in love with.

Eight months on and with less than a month to go I have ordered the fabric. Last minute by most peoples standards but I know that to be truly motivated and create a beautiful thing I need to be under more that just a little bit of pressure. I have made the toile and fitted it to her perfectly, so all that remains to be done is to recreate that in the lovely Ivory 100% Silk Taffeta I have ordered from James Hare. For obvious reasons I can't post any pictures of the toiled dress or the design, you'll have to wait a little while for that. I did however purchase a lovely vintage brooch, which will be incorporated into the design, from my absolute favourite Vintage Boutique: Hepwrights Vintage, Bedford Place, Southampton . So here's a little sneak peek at that:

Other: For your information, my Mums' name is Debbie. Formally Deborah but she hates that.