Another Rock 'n' Roll Christmas

Twiggy at big Biba in 1971 - the spiritual home of early 70s glam rockers 

So this weekend the festive period actually begins with two whole weekends either side of Christmas to get your sparkle on and get out there. Whether you're going to the office party or out on the town with your friends there's no better time to channel the glamourous rock 'n' roll icons of yesteryear to get into the vibe without resorting to a novelty jumper. Here's my holiday moodboard that should have you reaching for the kohl and glitter. 

Super(groupie)model and friend to the stars Kate Moss in some seriously amazing 90s velvet

The crowned queen of Rock 'n' Roll fashion design Pam Hogg in the 1980s 

Debbie Harry in what looks like vintage 50s leopard print in the 80s. We certainly weren't the first to borrow style from earlier decades.

Stevie Nicks in a stunning jet beaded lace jacket. 1970s. 

Billie Holiday was never shy of a sequin or two

The perfect gift- Marianne Faithfull 1960s

Sara Moon for Biba - 1970s

Why not match your outfit with your BFF like Courtney Love and Amanda De Cadenet did in 1995?

1960s chanteuse Francoise Hardy shimmers in gold chainmail

90s dreambabes En Vogue in stunning 1950s inspired red and leopard gowns

Patsy Cline killing it in a full length sequin gown-1950s

Absolute hair and makeup perfection from 80s soul singer Sade.

Catherine Deneuve has no time for people that go out without a coat on in December and sports a beautiful 1960s leopard print. Pay a £1 for the cloakroom, girls, seriously. 

Time to party with Jayne Mansfield!

Sequins, satin, velvet and fur are hardly groundbreaking textures for Christmas but when worn together with wild joyful abandon and lashings of eyeliner they raise your status from groupie wannabe to rock 'n' roll starlet. Picking up a vintage statement piece such as a sequin top can be worked around black jeans for the work's do then teamed with clashing sequin hot pants and a glamourous headpiece for a show stopping New Year's Eve look. 

Whatever you wear and wherever you go this weekend we hope you have super sparkly amazing party times and that you feel as fabulous as we think you are. 

Lots of love,

LouLou's Vintage Fair

xxx

The Pixie Crop

With the Les Mis premiere last night, I couldn't help but think about Anne Hathaway and having her hair well and truly chopped off for the role of Fantaine, a factory worker who gives birth to an illegitimate child. The movie version of the musical is raw, with live vocals throughout the film and Hathaway's performance of I Dreamed A Dream should rain all over Susan Boyle's parade.

Looking back over the past century a famous female face cutting all of her hair off is nothing new to us. Women with strong, striking features benefited from the chop as it highlighted the face so beautifully. Whether actresses cut their hair off for acting roles, models to stand out from the crowd or celebrities just wanting a change, I feel the crop is always worn by confident, brave women who make statements.

Screen icon Audrey Hepburn is a fantastic early example as she sported the pixie in the early 50s and has been much copied ever since. Similarly to Anne Hathaway, the crop haircut shows off her stunning features and enviable cheekbones.

In 1966 Twiggy had her hair cut short by celebrity hair stylist Leonard as a hair model to test out the "new" crop hairstyle. After a few head shots were taken, the images circulated until she was named The Face of 66 in the Daily Express. The swept crop framed her trade mark eye make up with all of the painted under eye lashes.  It is still said that this haircut landed her the lifelong career she continues to enjoy.

As Anne Hathaway lost her locks for the role of Fantaine, Mia Farrow lost her long blonde locks for her role in Polanski's Rosemary's Baby. Cut in 1967 as a publicity stunt in a boxing ring, Vidal Sassoon worked his magic on Farrow making the transformation even more famous. It is said that her then husband, Frank Sinatra, was drastically opposed to the hair cut and issued divorce papers soon after her new hairdo was revealed!

One of my favourite vintage icons has to be Edie Sedgwick. Her tragic tale is glamorised by her fast paced, whimsical life with Andy Warhol as she frittered away her inheritance on clothes, booze and drugs. Though she wasn't here as long as we would have loved her to be, she left a big dent in the art and fashion world. Her pixie crop allowed her to amp up her 60s makeup as well as her elaborate dangly earrings.

Bringing things back to the modern day, the latest "shock crop" had to be from Harry Potter star Emma Watson. As the epic film series came to an end so did her long hair and apparently it was one of the best things she'd ever done, in an interview for US Glamour she claimed she'd never felt as confident as when she did with that sleek Farrow-esque crop.

So would you take the plunge and get rid of your long hair to make a statement? Maybe one for the New Year? One thing I know is that this style isn't for the wallflower or the particularly round faced...! If you've got killer cheekbones then go get the scissors pronto.

Gina x

Bat For Lashes

While we were down in Brighton we stayed an extra night to go and see the wonderful Bat For Lashes perform at The Brighton Dome. We're big fans of Natasha Khan at The Vintage Fair and not just of her wonderful music and dulcet tones, this girl knows how to dress. But she's had a bit of a style evolution and as she said in her recent interview with The Guardian - "I don't want to go out wearing glittery headbands again because I did that seven years ago." So what now?

It's obvious that Natasha is moving away from Fur And Gold and Two Suns her first two albums, and with it her image has also changed. She's cut her hair into a flapper dancers' bob and seems to have grown up into herself as a performer. Despite this, this quote from an old Cosmopolitan interview still appears to sum up Khan's attitude to fashion:

"It's very much to do with how I'm feeling ... I love to be experimental and use eclectic mismatched things and put them together to see what third entity is created! I'm not really frightened by experimenting - that's the main thing. I really like mixing very old beautiful pieces that are from thrift shops or that have some historical value with quite new futuristic things."

 Statement maxi dresses seem to be a port of call for her on stage and the one we saw her swoosh and swirl around in at her gig in Brighton was no exception. The monochrome panels made a big impact and it also had a daring low scooped back.

The next day she appears on Jools Holland in another 70s maxi dress complete with native american inspired tassles and feathers. The accessories are a source of inspiration that have always been evident in her styling, thinking back to the big head dresses from Fur And Gold.

Promotional shots for the new album reveal a much more dressed down Natasha.

Here's what we found on the high street to give us a nudge towards some Bat For Lashes style.

Dress: Topshop 

Necklace: Johnny Loves Rosie

Rose: Accessorize

Shirt: Tophop

Shorts: Topshop

And I'm going to leave you with a bunch of photos from her recent Guardian interview which you can find here. Ain't she a stunner?

Oh I lied, I'm actually going to leave you with her latest single, Laura.