Girl Power...

Last night I was whiling away a very lazy hour or so on the sofa, cemented firmly in place thanks to a gluttonous couple of days.  I feel pretty disgusting if truth be told.  I adore food, it's my favourite thing but right now, I am ready to sign up to a detox programme. A programme that keeps me firmly away from the fridge and any manner of wine. The gorging is over, let the salads prevail.

There was nothing on the TV (of course, there never is at Christmas) and so I was flicking through other vintage blogs on the net and occasionally dipping in and out of another love......Etsy.  Somehow however,  my surfing led me to a picture of Charlie's Angels from the 1970's. And there is was, staring me in the face in gorgeous triplicate...I am a child of the 70's and that is my true fashion self.

It was like an epiphany. I had always believed that I was from another era (in terms of dress) but in my mind that era was 1940's/1950's. Don't get me wrong, a full circle skirt or beautiful prom dress will always tempt but it wasn't until I properly thought about it that I realised Bosly's girls below, are my true style icons and always have been. I loved the show as a little girl and begged my dad to let me stay up late and watch it (no iplayer or 4OD back then!). I dreamt of growing up just like them, sassy, cool and with hair that bounced and shone as if it were styled by the gods. I still dream of hair like that now as I have never been able to recreate the 'Angel Wave' but I excel at the 'bed-head disappointment'.

The picture above, for me, epitomises their style and I love every inch of their look;

• Tight fitting polo neck jumpers, a staple of the sexy secretary wardrobe as well as beautiful crime trios 
• Pussy bow blouses in super sexy ever-so slightly see through fabrics 
• Wrap dresses  - we thank you goddess Von Furstenburg 
• Belted skirts that were floaty enough to skim the hips and the knee but still flattering enough to show a little of the female form 
• Strappy sandals and high heeled pumps  

Then there's the flip side below..... Androgynous suits with collars fit for Virgin airlines cabin crew
and waistcoats covering the modesty of the low buttoned shirt underneath. I went through a phase in my early 20's of wearing a suit and tie when I went out. I loved it, it was navy blue and double
breasted. I would change the tie colour often and despite it not being the most practical of choices for the dance floor, I wore it with pride to Mr B's nightclub. Strangely, it was a real talking point as men would often come up and comment on it or ask curiously why I am dressed like that. I always found that a little odd as they would bypass my best friend who did everything she could to put herself 'out there' with how she dressed in order to ensnare a catch for the Saturday night slowies at 2am. The memory will always stay in my mind as I never wore it in the hope it would attract anyone, I just loved wearing it for me, craving to be different from everyone else. But it always got more attention than anything else I ever wore but I do believe that fashion can be an amazing conversation starter and that in itself is a very powerful tool. 

I think our leading ladies look very alluring in their suits. Sexiness isn't always about what you can see, but the very strong suggestion of what you can't and that is the trick. 

And then there is the disco wardrobe. Think lurex, sequins, satin leggings, the polar opposite of the men's suit. A look that screams sex and leaves the victim powerless to resist. Again, not all the outfits are tight. A lot of Halstons designs that were a mainstay at Studio 54 in its heyday were long flowing pieces that used meters of silky fabric and yet he will always be remembered for his iconic disco wear and celebrity followers like Lisa Manelli, Bianca Jagger et al. 

Jacqueline Smith is so beautiful, don't you think? 

So this child of the 70's is off to embrace her true self and rifle through her  dressing room for some Angel Apparel worthy of Charlie himself...

All white on the night...

Christmas parties are a very British tradition. I remember when I lived in France, my work colleagues  were fascinated by the idea that pretty much every workplace has one and that it is such a big deal on our social calender. The outfit, the theme, the question of with or without partners, do you drink in front of the boss and many other dilemmas. A particularly memorable one for me was when I worked at the Bank of Ireland many moons ago. It was a Moulin Rouge themed night and we went all out. Corsets, fishnets, top hats, it was great fun preparing for it let alone enjoying the night itself. That said, it was right up there for scandal also........a fight broke out between two 'ladies' and they fell into and destroyed the enormous chocolate fountain, somebody seemed to forget where the toilets were and decided to relieve himself over the Christmas tree which then promptly shorted the lights, there was a 'romantic' interlude in the toilets (which probably started the chocolate fountain incident) and last but not least, I managed to slip and break my wrist walking in to the event. Walking out would have been explainable after two many grape juices but walking in? That was a first even for me.  After a few of the aforementioned grape juices however the pain subsided and it wasn't until the next day that it properly hit me and a trip to A&E ensued and being plastered (in a cast) for Christmas.

I usually rely on John's company for a great Christmas night out as up till now, partners were always invited. This year we weren't unfortunately so I was really disappointed. Luckily I managed to get a last minute ticket to my works party (being the new girl) which only gave me two days to think about an outfit. The event was a carnival theme but not having a massive stash of Carmen Miranda-esque costumes, I opted for this dress instead. I posted about it recently, it was an amazing find from a shop on Gloucester Road in Bristol. I had never been in before and I sadly can't remember the name. It was a quirky shop full of incense burners and Bob Marley memorabilia but they had an amazing vintage rail at the back of the shop.  Once again, I fell in love and had to buy it. When you wear it, it makes you feel like a cross between Joan Collins and a cupcake. There are so many layers of satin, the picture doesn't really show them to their full effect. White is a brave decision for me. It's not something I lean towards if truth be told. It's not traditionally a colour favoured by the curvy but in the absence of a choice of colours, white it was. Cobalt blue would have been the dream.

And it held up its end of the bargain and saw me (and my outlandish) dance moves well into the wee hours. And even while snoring and cradling a bottle of bubbly in the car on the way home, it returned home as good as new (as good as second-hand at least). Needless to say, I had a great night. I danced for hours and it's been a while since I've  done that anywhere.

A quick note about the cage shoes, which aren't second-hand (don't report me) BUT... they rank very highly on my bargain finds list. Originally £95 which is a ridiculous sum for shoes even for me - an addict, they were eventually reduced down to £15 and I snapped them up. My last true bargain before I left Wallis. They are so comfy. And the bag.....another Maggie bag from St Peter's Hospice Nailsea shop for £4.50. I am racking up quite a collection in homage to Dame Thatcher. Quite apt as a lot of the items from her collection went on sale this week. The necklace which you can't quite see is a a amazing twisted snake - £2.99 from a charity shop. I shall post a better picture soon.....

So there you have it. I survived my first Christmas party with a new company and no broken bones to report or scandals to hide from. Apart from my dance moves. Not sure they were ready for those. Not sure if anyone ever will be.....

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!....

Goodwood Revival...

I am unsure as to how my all things vintage radar has never picked up on this event - The Goodwood Revival.

Once a year a group of like minded individuals come together to bond over their love of vintage motor sport and clothing (circa 1940-1960) and looking at the photos from previous events, it is right up my retro alley. Last Sunday was an extremely lazy day glued to the sofa while I trawled the internet for information and images of the best dressed attendees, gazing on in awe as wave upon wave of outfits  presented themselves. Poor John was informed almost instantly that next September we will be attending and that we (emphasis on he), shall be dressing up accordingly. After several sighs and a lowering of the head he nodded as though he knew putting up a fight would be pointless. The thought of him dressing up as an old RAF officer or any other period uniform gentleman (note the use of the word Gentleman), is so exciting. I haven't seen him dressed smart since our wedding and if he could have got married in shorts and flip flops, he would have.

So now that this is firmly on the Merchant-Locke calendar, so too is the search for the dress. THE dress. The one and only, totally unique, genuine vintage piece that will knock his socks off (and mine).  I would never really call myself competitive, it's never been something that drives me (compared to others), but for some reason, as soon as I saw that there is a best dressed competition each day of the festival, that was it. The gauntlet has been well and truly laid down, grabbed and held high.

A thousand ideas are going through my already very crammed mind such as where can I procure such a piece? Do I design it myself and have it made (although that does somewhat go against the whole vintage concept). Do I keep scouring charity shops in the hope that I will find that little gem that nobody else has noticed? Do I up my game at vintage fairs and pay a little bit more for that totally unique piece? Or do I wear something I already have (John's favourite option) and be happy with it. I do have a couple of genuinely lovely things I could wear but neither would be 'winners', when comparing them to what some of the ladies seem to sport. Here are a few pictures to help put you in the picture!

The lady here in the hat won the Best Dressed title in 2013. 

Men in uniform......no comment required. 

And here are some of the dresses that I love and that will be my inspiration when out there hunting around second-hand emporiums...

The ultimate. Absolutely beautiful. Strangely, this very picture is featured in one of my many vintage

 books but sadly it  doesn't give me any history about it which is a shame as it obviously has a 

wonderful story to tell. 

I would give anything  to find a dress such as this. What a conversation starter. 

Another hooded number. 

Embellishments and corsages.....I can never have enough. 

So there you have it. A somewhat large challenge but definitely achievable. What john doesn't know however is that if we stay overnight and go for two days then I think I may even have to find two outfits. Thank god I have 9 months.