The Invasion of The Crop Top

Anyone else suddenly feeling a little bloated? A bit podgy? Thinking of cutting back on your sweets? Yeah...me too. I reckon it's all down to the rise of the T-shirt hemline from a sensible hip level to dangerous below bosom heights! The crop is here. And I fear it may be here to stay.

Oh I'm just bitter. The crop looks damn good on most of the ladies out there! In fact, they have done for decades, it's a fashion item that just keeps coming back to the catwalks and this time I blame the likes of Balenciaga, Louis Vuitton and Prada.

We've seen this style of top from the 1940s worn with with high waisted palazzo pants as worn by the gorgeous lady below on the left, through to the 1960s and the high necked, sleeveless styles seen on the right styled with monochrome high waisted shorts. A gorgeous 1960s sewing pattern and lastly, Kelly from Saved By The Bell showing us how the 80s and 90s chose to resurrect the crop!

Here are our picks of the best vintage, vintage repro and high street crops out there. 

Gypsy Crop from Vivien of Holloway

50s 2 piece from Hell Bunny

60s inspired crochet Topshop

90s cool Motel

Denim to go with everything Beyond Retro

More retro 2 pieces Hell Bunny

xxx

Orla Kiely S/S13: Swoonfest

I am not often blown away by the high street (have you not guessed yet from this blog?) but I've just stumbled across the new Orla Kiely Spring/Summer collection and YOWZER I am simply in love and I must share. I first started looking at Orla Kiely's designs when I saw Carrie from Wish Wish Wish wearing a beautiful frock from last years range, have a nosey below.

But this is all about getting a spring in our step! Named as "the queen of prints" by The Guardian, it;'s no surprise this collection champions this seasons' graphic designs as well as the ever present florals. The designer has taken hold of this seasons' biggest trends, pastels, monochrome, neon and 60s creating a timeless collection with some really special pieces. You can expect to fork out upwards of £300 for a dress, but some of these may well be making you the envy of the bride at that Summer wedding! Take note of the pink lipstick too, a perfect companion to all of these outfits.

Ooh! I do love these frilly knickers, well, bikini bottoms. Not for everyone, but paired with some bold cat eye sunnies and a 50s hairdo, you'll be rocking rockabilly on the beach with ease. Oh and don't forget the pink lipstick, keep your lips matte to channel that 60s vibe into the 21st Century. Try NARS Semi Matte colour in Funny Face for a super bold lip.

Well. I need to do some serious thinking for when this collection finally drops! What to buy...

Love
Gina
x

Vintage Icon: Edie Sedgwick

As fashion goes mad for mod, and with breton stripes as popular as ever, I can't quite get Edie Sedgwick off my mind. Edie lived a whirlwind of a life, and died tragically in 1971. However, she made a lot of noise on the music, art and fashion scene especially when she was hailed as Andy Warhol's muse. Edie was the IT girl of the moment, a classic socialite whose inheritance money was splashed on on booze and drugs creating the addiction that eventually took her life.  But I'm more interested in the "factory girl" and the ballsy and beautiful girl from Warhol's photography and films.

Sienna Miller played Edie in the film Factory Girl which gives a sort of insight into her lifestyle, though some would say it's rather inaccurate it's a beautiful film despite it's inevitable tragic end. I particularly love Miller's performance, she captures Edie's presence incredibly well, plus there is a striking resemblance, see below.

Sedgwick inspired a generation of girls to cut off their hair, experiment with heavy make up and free their legs! This pixie crop, doe eyes made up in true mod style, the huge dangling earrings and the ever present cigarette were Edie's trademarks as well as her endearing, kooky personality. Here are some of my favourite images of Sedgwick, Warhol's "superstar".

The girl's petite frame was made for the Quant style mini dresses of the era, which she wore in abundance, never afraid of showing too much leg, clad in opaque tights or not. Glamorous accessories were also key to her look including chandelier earrings and luxurious leopard print coats. The video below shows how confident, honest and charismatic Edie was, but perhaps also how innocent and vulnerable she was too. 

Taking inspiration from this style icon of the 60s, we look to capture some of that "superstar" in our own wardrobes, minus the pop art idol at our side. 

Breton jumper Mango

Opaque tights Tights Please

Factory girl replica earrings Steve Sasco

Eyelashes by Katy Perry in Oh My!

Magic Ink Eyeliner by Benefit at John Lewis

Leopard Print Coat Vera Moda

Wireless lace triangle bra Topshop

I shall leave you with an interview from the Merv Griffin show in 1965 with Warhol and Sedgwick. She's wearing the cutest little lace collared jacket and talks the entire time! "What is art anyway?" 

Gina 

x

The Swinging Sixties Are Back: Monochrome

Didn't I say there were but TWO huge 60s inspired trends hitting our high streets this Spring/Summer? Well! Hitchcock Heroine you may well be, but if you want to be a little groovier this season then monochrome is for you.

Moschino, Louis Vuitton, Marc Jacobs

Louis Vuitton Escalator Catwalk

Monochrome. A recurring trend, it comes back every few years but this time it's different. It's pure retro cool with bold graphic prints and classic 60s shapes. It first emerged with the rise of Mary Quant and her daring mini skirts, freeing women from the full skirts and tight wiggle shapes of the 50s. Below are two amazing examples of Quant's designs, there's no mistaking where Marc Jacobs got his inspiration for the latest Louis Vuitton collection. 

So let's go shopping! The high street is positively riddled with monochrome beauties...

Breton striped dress H&M
Monochrome loafers Office

Monochrome coat Zara
Geomettric spot top New Look

60s vintage dress Rokit

Tights Henry Holland
White Satchel, The Cambridge Satchel Company

If you're after the real deal, you'll be hard pressed to find a real Quant shift dress (well I found it tricky!) but I did find this Quant-esque shift on Etsy for a cool 30 Euros. You've just got to do some virtual rummaging.

love

Gina x

The Swinging Sixties Are Back: Pastels

Two huge trends on the horizon for this Spring/Summer stem from that favourite fashion decade of mine, the 1960s. Say a big hello to the first of these with the prim wardrobes of the elegant early 60s.  With Hitchcock hitting our screens soon, 60s leading ladies should be our go to for style inspiration with pretty pastels, twin sets, lace frocks and cat eye sunglasses. The catwalks were awash with 60s prettiness.

Oscar De La Renta - Christopher Kane - Oscar De La Renta

Tata Naka

For some Hitchcock glamourous outfit ideas, look to the beautiful Grace Kellly and for a more recent revival of the style look no further than the women of Mad Men as they grace the new decade with some serious style.

Here are a few ideas to get you into the Spring spirit, a lace dress as a base can be embellished with a multitude of prim accessories. 

Cat Eye sunglasses: ASOS

Blue Jumper: New Look

Nude Lace Dress: Ted Baker

Vintage 60s clip on earrings: Etsy

Embellished Floral Collar: Marni

The next trend comes tomorrow. Can you guess what it is?

Gina x

The Ossie Clark Revival

First there was Biba for House of Fraser and now there is Ossie Clark for Debenhams. Famous for his flowing dresses, billowing sleeves and Celia Birtwell prints, the Clark revival brings us vintage style shapes and 70s inspired prints. The prints originally used by Clark were more often than not designed by his (eventual) wife, Celia Birtwell, one of the most famous collaborations in 20th century fashion! But is this revival all we could hope for from a collection under the famous Ossie Clark name?

Clark and Birtwell

Inspired by the ballet dancer Nijinsky, Ossie Clark wanted his designs to allow movement and not to restrict the wearer so in came the maxi dresses and the angel sleeves of the 70s. His designs were were incredibly influential, you could say he styled the 70s, well, I say so...! He dressed the rich and famous including Mick Jagger, The Beatles and Liza Minelli and his designs were sought after world wide.

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Emma Watson wore vintage Ossie Clark to a 2009 film premiere which pricked up a few fashion lovers eyes and ears to the rebirth of the cult British designer, but it's unbelievable that it's taken four whole years for a range to hit our high street!

So let's have a look at my top picks from the new range of this Ossie Clark revival. Admittedly, I wish they had been a slightly more brave in their designs, where are the huge sleeves? The iconic prints (or at least hints towards Birtwell)? I can't help but think the spirit of Ossie Clark is missing, there's no spark...however, there are some lovely things and all are between £49 and £189. You can view the collection here.

Black Moss Crepe Maxi

Blue Floral Maxi

Chelsea Day Dress

Watercolour Print Day Dress

But...I'm going to be honest, the originals are far superior in design and if you can afford a splurge then invest in an original. This stunning Peekaboo Ossie Clark maxi, by (coincidentally) Peekaboo Vintage is a fabulous example of one of Clark's Moss Crepe dresses.

Oh and at our Shoreditch Vintage Fair, we had an entire rail of Moss Crepe wrap tops and dresses by the man himself. Maybe you'll get lucky at one of our fairs? 

Gina

x

Bewitched

Happy Halloween! I thought to myself, what spooky post could I do today? Then I realised Miss Havisham has been done to death and  I hadn't heard of this nifty witch in some time. So, remember Bewitched?

Elizabeth Montgomery made a very loveable Samantha in the iconic 60s-70s TV series Bewitched, the ongoing story of a witch married to a normal man in the American suburbs. Hilarity ensues as Samantha tries to solve everyday problems magically with just a wiggle of her dainty little nose. It's a really charming programme and I remember watching it with my Nannan over and over. However, only now have I realised how wonderful the styling is and just how beautiful Montogomery was.

Samantha wears very pretty shift dresses like this floral number, but my favourites are the late 60s roll necks like the two shifts below. If you look back, you often see Samantha and Darren in bed together and the nighties are gorgeous! She wears pale pink, blue and white baby doll dresses with matching floaty robes while Darren wears those neat and tidy matching gentleman's pyjamas.   

Now there is no forgetting Endora, Samantha's incredibly dramatic witchcraft embracing Mother. This lurid green and purple maxi dress works so well with her wild red hair. What a fabulous woman and a nightmarish mother-in-law, poor Darren.

The hair and make-up in this series is very much "of the time" and I adore Samatha's voluminous waves set with gallons of hairspray no doubt. Her heavy lid eye liner, spider like lashes and pink lipstick is equally typical. This is a lovely screen shot of Samantha doing the dishes with her hair set in huge rollers. Cheryl Cole had to get it from somewhere, right?

It's Halloween after all, so if you've got a spare ten minutes watch a bit of the episode below from 1966 with original adverts. It's called "No Zip My Zap".

Gina x