Gin in jam jars and the most beautiful bride

lou16Well, what a super summer wedding. One of my most lovliest of friends, Louise, got hitched last Friday and it was nothing short of glorious. This current heatwave, combined with a breathtaking venue made for one of the most relaxed and happy days I have spent in a while. Lou and Andy were the most perfect hosts and my goodness, that little place out in the deepest depths of Norfolk, was just about expolding with love on that sunny day, what a joy to share it.

The location was perfection. A new venue, The Keeper and The Dell, is a good distance from the city of Norwich and allows you to feel like you are entirely in another World. A deep grassy dell with wooden seats and hay bales set into the slope, Lou had dressed the venue seamlessly. An original old handmade marquee, backing onto woodland, a swing in the tree, lanterns hung in the branches; the tranqulity and sense of space was a real treat. A sincere and informal ceremony in front of their loved ones, Lou looked breathtaking. Brides always have this immense glow to them and Lou, well, she truly sparkled. Her dress was a nod to the 1930’s, silky, body hugging and feminine, she radiated happiness. Their cute-as-a-doll daughter is called Iris, so, of course, Lou clutched a bunch of these as she walked to meet her groom.

Afternoon tea in the marquee, oodles of Gin in jam jars, live music and much sitting on the grass barefoot made for a day that dreams are made of. To fill our tummies, a fish and chip van (a classy, award-winning one mind) arrived to serve us and the merriment continued till it got dark, when we all gathered around an open fire with the band playing an accoustic set. Wonderful.

James and I have been a couple for around 13 years, we don’t have any real intention of getting hitched, it’s not something we feel we want to do, but weddings do tend to bring out the very slight romantic in me. Pledging your absolute love and devotion to your partner in front of your friends and family is a really special event and always, momentarily, makes me wanna do it too!

My outfit was a last minute choice, having been busy of late I hadn’t decided what on earth I was going to wear! I had this red lace dress in my closet. This dress has a story of sorts. It was mine, I loved it, but never wore it. So I popped it in the shop window over Christmas the other year, I guessed it would look pretty and festive while we were closed for the holidays. On the first day of opening after Christmas, I arrived a little late to the shop and James had sold it!! I informed him, whilst trying not to look too sad, that I wasn’t sure I actually wanted to sell it. I guessed I’d never see it again, but thought of it often. Then recently, the girl who had bought it mentioned it and said she had worn it once and was finished with it, so, I suggested I buy it back off her! She agreed, and the dress was back in my arms. So, for Lou’s wedding, I decided this dress was gonna be worn. Red lace 1960’s wiggle dress with spagetti straps; I teamed it with some 1970’s gold Russell & Bromley heels, a 2004 Dior perspex cuff and my 1970’s Magazine clutch bag.

A happy day indeed.

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Dress the 1920’s; book review by The Prim Girl

Dressthe1920sGreatGatsbyI was asked by the lovely publishers Bennion Kearny to review this super new book which has just been published, what a wonderful excuse to sit in the sunshine and read about vintage fashion, lucky meee! This new publication, avaliable as an ebook or on Kindle is a really cute and informative read indeed. ‘Dress the 1920’s- From Flapper Chic to The Great Gatsby’ by Julie Burns is one part of what will become one big printed book on all eras of vintage fashion. With the 20’s being all the buzz right now it was fitting to look at this one first. Julie Burns is a writer and stylist with a specialism in vintage fashion. Most girls who like vintage have an adoration for the 20’s, it’s frivolity and sparkle is pretty fantastical and this short and very readable book is a great thorough guide to the era and its fashions.

Whats not to love about the 1920’s? Splendour, escapism and extravagance; this period made for pretty special fashions and through this book, Burns perfectly summarises it through facts, history and cultural reference. With just a quick read of this book, you will have a bigger knowledge of the era, she covers lots of subjects with concise and relevant details, without the need to go into too much depth, a great way to get to know your vintage fashion. Cute tidbits of information too, like an image of The Queen Mother’s wedding dress which I had never seen, wowzers! 

Once she has summarized the 1920’s Burns goes on to offer style advice on dressing in both original and reproduction vintage and gives great help on vintage fashion shopping as a whole, great for people who are new to the idea aswell as those who have shopped it for years. A great short reference book with a good measure of images too, a recommended read if you fancy a bit of frivolity in your life.

For more information and to purchase the book, visit here!

 

Prim girl goes Punk; Chaos to Couture in NYC

METBeing a girl who adores fashion exhibitions, and being a girl who was just recently in New York City, it must come as no surprise that, whilst in Manhattan, I headed straight off to The Metropolitan Museum of Art to take a look at the current Costume Institute exhibition; Punk: Chaos to Couture. Concieved and curated by the British Andrew Bolton and designed by Sam Gainsburg, this exhibition was a real delight. Having had some critiscm for not representing the gritty, agressive, druggy and anti-establisment culture of punk, Bolton has instead curated an exhibition of fashion through the years which pays tribute to and embraces the ethos of punk and its visual language. He deliberately didn’t want to do a nostalgic retrospective on punk,  “I don’t want this to be a trip down memory lane”, I think by making that choice he has provided us with a really fresh take on the genre and its enduring influence on high fashion. The exhibition has done exactly what it set out to do, it is a fashion exhibition and not a look at music, politics or the subculture of punk itself.

This exhibition is a feast for the eyes, no glass boxes, no stuffy layout, all the clothes were in the open and perfectly grouped in each gallery, some gallerys were light and modern with a clean monotone pallette while others were dark and loud and multicoloured. Each gallery was totally different from the last and each was stunning. The exhibition looked at the origins of Punk in the 70’s, covering both London and NYC, with cute mock-ups of seedy club toilets and the Vivienne Westwwood Sex shop. It then covered all aesthetic influences of punk with galleries each dedicated to a theme; DIY Hardware, Bricolage, Graffiti & Agitpop, and Destroy. Some of the clothes were beautiful, some were a little experimental, but stunning in their creations none the less. It was great that there was really recent fashion there as well as some older pieces, original Westwood items from the era alongside a 2010 Punk inspired Moschino dress. The clash between the creaftmanship of couture and the ameturism of real DIY punk clothing was both subtle but deliberate, as Bolton himself said, both stem from spontaniety and individuality, therefore embracing the punk ideal. The styling of the mannequins was great, very strong with matching wigs of exaggerated spiked and coloured hair. The lighting in each space was theatrical perfection. I loved this exhibition, I saw fashions that I adored and I saw styling that was humourous and well thought out, the fact it was in my favourite museum in my favourite city on a balmy hot day made it all the more super. I’d recommend this to people who love fashion, if you were an original punk and looking for a representation of the era and all its anarchy then you won’t find it here, this is about fashion and the influence punk has on it; its a pretty kind of punk. Pretty cool.

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  1. Christopher Bailey for Burberry S/S 2013
  2. Original Westwood/McLaren Seditionaries T-shirts
  3. amazing studded skirt from Too fast To Live, Too Young To Die, 1972
  4. general exhibition view
  5. black dress on the left by Versace S/S 1994 (famously worn by Liz Hurley)
  6. black bin bag dress by House of Moschino S/S 1994
  7. outfit of pearls by Maison Martin Margiela  S/S 2006
  8. plastic bag dress on far right by House of Moschino S/S 1994
  9. general view including Katherine Hamnett slogan T-shirts
  10. spray painted Alexander McQueen S/S 1999
  11. general exhibition view
  12. dress by Miguel Androver 2000
  13. the final mannequin gives the finger

Punk: Chaos to Couture is at The Met until 14th August 2013

A sunny Brooklyn flea market

fleaOn my first saturday in Brooklyn, Kristin and I headed up the street to my favourite flea market, it was suuuuuper sunny and so was a perfect morning to mooch around and look at the wares. This flea market is a great size, big but not too big, lots of clothes, furniture and crafty bits; more craft and less vintage than when I was last here and more pricey than my last visit, but, good vintage dresses are becoming harder to find so I totally understood the higher prices. Some stalls did have great prices though as I did find an amaaazing pair of pink and gold 80’s Bally shoes for $20 though which made me squeal out loud on first glance. I also bought a cute cat softy for my nephew and the coooolest handmade card for James.

It was so sunny, I was crazy hot and then…. ta-daaah!… I saw People’s Pops among the stalls….whoop…I haven’t ever seen this cute brand before and I LOVED IT! The branding, the simplicity, the concept and on a hot day, their pure fruit lollies or cups of shaved ice are perfection! The guys were really popular, with a huge slab of ice they shave off enough to fill a cup and add a shot of fruit syrup on top, or you can have a lolly laden with fruity goodness….mmmmmmm!

A good day indeed.

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Williamsburg, Brooklyn

 

Williamsburg

On my recent, rather super holiday, I stayed with my friend Kristin in Brooklyn, NYC. Much as I love Manhattan, I’ve been lucky enough to see it many times and so it was ace to spend more of my time in Brooklyn on this trip. I’ve visited Kristin here before and loved it, this time I wanted to explore even more. So, with my camera in hand, I decided to explore the neighbourhood of Williamsburg on my way to meet another friend of mine, Simon, who is based in this cool spot. I’m a bit of an observer in life and I rather enjoy walking around looking at people and places; anywhere in America is great for this. I walked around some residential streets, it was a glorious sunny day and the dappled sunlight was hitting the clapperboard houses and the sun faded flags, America and patriotism go hand in hand from my experience. I love the irony of ripped faded stars and stripes proudly hanging next to the tatty doorways and rubbish bins. Walking around Williamsburg, it almost felt like a small mid- American town, cute houses with personalized and kitschly decorated front gardens, quaint dated hair salons and bars, and the odd friendly local eager for a chatter. The fact that this cool, independent area, with a ripe character of its own is a mere moment away from the craziest city on Earth is a wonderful contrast, I really love it.Williamsburg

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