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Lou Lou's xx
Tuesday, 10 June 2014
Lou Lou's Bournemouth Vintage Fair
We were in sunny Bournemouth this past Sunday and had such a wonderful time! The fair was held at the Pavillion Theatre with some fantastic views of the seafront. We thought we would share these pictures of all the many treasures we came across on the day. We will be back after August so do keep your eyes peeled for dates over on our Facebook Page
https://www.facebook.com/Bournemouthvintagefair
https://www.facebook.com/Bournemouthvintagefair
Wednesday, 23 April 2014
Daisy Daisy! Give me your answer, do.
Here a Lou Lou's we're loving the fact that spring is here and Summer time is ever getting closer!
Its nearly time to get those mini's out and celebrate the nicer weather in style, and what better way to do it but with a Daisy print!
These dresses are taken from a 1968 pattern from McCall's.
Cute!
We thought we'd treat you to the best Vintage inspired Daisy dresses on the high street today!
ASOS
We love this ASOS swing dress! Perfect for that swinging 60's vibe.
MISSGUIDED
Work monochrome sixties chic in this super sweet daisy print shift dress. In a light yet luxe crepe fabric, this style is and easy and flattering wear. Team yours with cute brogues, opaques and a snuggly mohair jumper for total autumn style.
£24.99
RIVER ISLAND
Daisy print shift dress with shear sleeves and white collar and cuffs for that extra detail.
£40.00
TOPSHOP
If you're more in the mood for some casual shorts these topshop scattered daisy print shorts should do the trick!
£32.00
Hope these have put a spring in your step for the coming months!
Lou Lou's x
Wednesday, 19 March 2014
It's a Twiggy World
One thing we absolutely love about our fairs is hunting through all of the vintage goodies and seeing what treasures we can find from the many outstanding traders. Its always especially exciting when we find a real gem...
And what do we have here? An original Twiggy?!
I came across this beauty at our last Southampton event and I just couldn’t say no. As its such a lovely little thing and a rare one to track down, I thought it would be appropriate to tell you all a little about the “Twiggy” brand and how it all started J
The “Twiggy Dresses” brand came about when the famous model was approached to launch her own label by a well-known dress manufacturer called Berkertex.
What Twiggy was soon to find out was that Berkertex just wanted her name on designs that were already in production, and that’s when she decided to work with a company where she would have more input.
Which is where “Taramina Textiles” came into play!
The company was run by two brothers-in-law, Leonard Bloomburg and Sydney Hills. As they originally made old lady frocks and wedding dresses the teenage market was something quite new to them which was great for Twiggy, as it meant a completely blank page. Right from the start it was agreed everything would be things that she would be happy to wear.
Twiggy even had input into choosing the designers – Pamela Proctor and Paul Babb who were young creative types straight from the Royal College of Art. They would meet two or three times a week to discuss designs and ideas, and as someone who had always wanted to be a clothes designer and had made many of her own clothes, Twiggy truly envied the two designers she worked so closely with, but they made a great team
“I dress very strangely some times and the things that suit me wouldn’t suit everyone else. So things have to be adapted and sometimes toned down to make them commercial.”
The range was launched to the Press in November 1966 via a range of photographs taken by Barry Lategan (whose photo had launched her career as “the face of ’66”), an advertising campaign using the slogan “it’s a twiggy world”, and amazingly Twiggy’s only catwalk modelling. “In those days you didn’t do both and the top girls were photographic models only. Given the fact that nothing ever fitted me (what you don’t see in the photographs is the bulldog clips and safety pins at the back) its a good thing. But the Twiggy Dresses were made with me in mind.”
The range was highly priced – ranging between 6 and 12 guineas at a time when a decent high street skirt would be 50 shillings. Apart from the famous celebrity behind the expensive label, an added sales technique was the unusual “portrait hanger” with the models face on, that came free with every piece of clothing as well as Twiggy mannequins in shop windows.
The personal input and strong branding enabled the label to run successfully for three years from 1967 – 1970.
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Wednesday, 15 January 2014
Hey Girl!
In 1956, Ruth and Elliot Handler were visiting Germany on holiday with their children, Barbara and Kenneth when they found a novelty doll intended as a novelty for adults based on the Bild newspaper cartoon strip 'Lilli'. Ruth had previously been trying to sell the idea of a 1/6 scale fashion doll to Mattel to no success but when she saw Lilli she snapped her up, took her home, reworked her and named her 'Barbie' after her daughter. Barbie premiered at the 1959 American International Toy fair and the world's first 11 and a half inch fashion model was born!
Lilli was intended as a joke gift for adults rather than a child's plaything. Ruth Handler saw the potential that little girls might want to pretend at playing adults with dolls and a wonderful idea came about.
1959 Barbie in her 'zebra' print bathing suit and high ponytail captured the imaginations of little girls who wanted to be pretty, grown up and independent just like her.
Barbie's on TV!
Early '60s Barbie in her stiff costume-like outfit
Barbie proved to be wildly successful and soon acquired a boyfriend named Ken (after the Handlers' son, Kenneth. Not weird at all then!) but after a few years her look became stuffy, she looked like a lady in her late 30s, not the fun carefree young woman she set out as. Her clothing was beautifully made but matronly and dated and her sales suffered as other, more youthful dolls came onto the market. She needed a revamp, the swinging sixties just happened to occur at the right time...
Barbie Goes Mod!
Twist n Turn Barbie 1967
Barbie was back with a bang! Mattel even offered a trade in on your old Barbie when you went to purchase her in the modern 'use it and lose it' sixties style!
By the late sixties Mattel realised that dollies should be as diverse as their owners and black Barbies finally made it onto the market
And their finger was so on the pulse that they even made a 'Twiggy' doll to cash in on the Mod trend all the way from Swinging London!
California Girl
You know when you try out a look and you get so many compliments that you end up sticking with it for years and years? Hello 'Malibu' Barbie. This look from 1971 cemented her as the sun worshipping, blonde and she's never really shaken it off. Her classic aqua bathing suit, sunglasses and beach towel encapsulated the early 70s California sunshine vibe that was so popular and in one way or another has continued to be.
1971 Malibu Barbie-the original prototype for the golden limbed, honey haired beach babe
By the late 70s she'd kept the tan but lost the suit and become a full blown Disco Diva!
Superstar Barbie 1977
1980s Princess
Peaches n Cream Barbie 1984
Here's the first one I remember. Every girl at school I knew had this beauty, I still remember the texture of her crazy paving bodice and how it looked after it had been kicking about in the bottom of a toy box for a few months.
I still have a fondness for peach chiffon.
Benetton Barbie and friends 1990
WOOO! I had this one! I loved her so much that SHE NEVER HAD HER OUTFIT OFF. I kept her completely in tact, bah, hat boots, socks earrings neckerchief and all. That's high praise indeed. I loved her crimped hair and the wild use of colour and pattern and she's probably what pushed me into pursuing fashion as my main interest. Thanks B!
The 90s saw a lot of stuff happening for Barbie, she had loads of careers, made lots of new friends from around the world, there was even a a Barbie released who was in a wheelchair, never more had she represented the massive social changes that were happening globally. Say what you like about her, I think she may have not always got it right but she's done almost as much good as she has caused damage (see: a world of crazy boob jobs and hair bleach) or at the very least, she tried. Since the 60s she's had a range of diverse friends, hundreds of different careers, mastered the skills to drive or pilot almost every type of vehicle, stuck it out (mostly) with her BF Ken (even with his strange hairstyle and pant choices) and all the while she's done it whilst on the cutting edge of fashion. I think she's alright.
Lots of love,
xxx
Wednesday, 1 January 2014
Promises, promises….
Did everyone have a good Christmas and New year? We certainly did, you could say we had too much fun and now we're feeling pretty sorry for ourselves and so in annual tradition we've decided we're going to go on a self improvement mission! 2013 was a blast but if you're feeling the financial pinch and post excess blues this January here are some New Year's resolutions and solutions that cost nothing, keep you entertained and teach you some skills in the process!
1: Spend Less On Hair and Beauty
There are literally HUNDREDS of hair tutorials on Youtube. Mostly all you need are a comb, some hair grips, decorative bits (slides, flowers), hairspray and some hair to recreate them yourself at home. Practice really does make perfect and most of these girls have been working on these styles for years. Lisa is one of my favourite youtube teachers, her vast back catalogue, cheeky smile and relaxed attitude really does make following her tutorials super simple and fun. I have no doubt that whatever hairstyle you're looking for she has it covered.
2: Make Do and Mend
Come on, admit it, how much money did you spend on dresses and skirts last year that have never again seen the light of day because they're just a bit too long or need taking in a smudge? We're all guilty of it, it seems like such a good idea at the time and then you just never get around to taking it to the dry cleaners to be altered. Well guess what? Wonderful Youtube to the rescue again! Lots of tutorials to show you how to do everything from threading a needle to tailoring a jacket. They sell packs of cotton and needles at the supermarket so there's no excuse for not being able to sew your own buttons on.
3: Learn To Cook Like Grandma
Fed up of eating ready meals? Tried every modern World cuisine and frankly a bit bored with it? Not to worry, there is a wealth of (sometimes wild and) wonderful vintage recipes floating about out there. If you don't trust the lurid, green tinged pictures of them displayed in the books head over to The Mid-Century Menu who tests them out so (maybe) you don't have to. Be warned, the recipes are in American measurements but there are tons of online converters that you can utilise.
4: Get Bootylicious
Ok so not all of us have either the inclination or desire to be gym bunnies. Some of us have, like, lives, you know but it's always a good idea to keep yourself in some sort of shape and if it's the shape of a pin-up girl, all the better! Here Natalie demonstrates some original vintage work out moves from the 1950s with charm and humour. Much nicer than sweating it out on the elliptical.
Good luck and Happy New Year!
Love from LouLou's Vintage Fair
xxx
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