Get The 1920’s Look – Live By Night

Live By Night is a very cool, stylish and captivating movie. Written, directed, co produced by, and starring Ben Affleck, (crikey, he’s been busy!) and with Leonardo DiCaprio taking on the shared role of Producer too, you know you’re in for an exciting watch. Set in 1926, it focuses on a Boston bred mob of gangsters who set up shop in balmy Florida during this prohibition era, facing off against their competition. You’ve got everything to make your heart beat and your eyes go heart shaped; beautiful vintage sets and fashion, money, molls, love, sex and speakeasies. It’s a dang thrill for sure. This ace film is already available as a digital download, but from Monday 22nd May we can get our hands on the DVD or Blu-ray here in the UK, hoooray! So, with it’s release being imminent, I wanna help you get the perfect roaring 20’s look, for day or night, because, trust me, after gettin’ your peepers on this flick you’re gonna wanna get some of that vintage lushness in your life!

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With the talented gals that are Elle Fanning, Zoe Saldana and the utterly captivating Sienna Miller all in this film, the fashion reigns supreme for me, gah, the beauty of it all! You get all the looks in this flick, casual daytime looks and the faultless flapper look that every girl loves, right, We ALL love a flapper dress? When it comes to this era of fashion you need to be thinking; femininity, pretty florals, dreamy pastel shades, cottons, silks, and beads. If you wanna wear a daytime look from the 20’s, think delicate cottons, slim flattering cuts, cloche hats (or a Fedora or Newsboy Cap for a more relaxed look too), neat leather bags, and Mary-Jane or T-bar low heeled shoes. A delicate sophistication, a simple and effortless elegance. The women of this era dressed with poise and politeness. But then in the evening, they turned into dazzling and sparkling coquettish glamour girls, with piles of pearls hanging from their neck, tassels, beading, dainty bags, cool cigarette cases; it’s a gorgeous fanciful and frolicsome look, I LOVE it!! Embroidered silk shawls, stockings and red lips make this a really sexy look that you can either add elements of to a modern look or go the whole way and re-create the look to perfection. With authentic vintage items from this era, well, we’re talking about pieces that are nearly 100 years old and so not only can they be rare to find, as many have been lost to time, but also, it can get expensive. But, if you do wanna spend on an original 20’s dress in good condition, hey, it really is worth every penny as it’s an investment and a gorgeous piece of history to keep. If you just wanna add a 20’s touch to a modern outfit you could source a little beaded bag, or a beaded collar necklace to add to a new dress, to hint at the style. Below are some pieces I think are just wonderful, the pink beaded dress is a modern version of an old flapper dress, so you get one in new condition that is less fragile and is generally more affordable than an original 20’s flapper dress, this one is just adorable for a party or wedding! The dress with the bow on the back is (absolutely DREAMY) and is an original dress found on Pinterest, just as inspiration. The original 20’s peach cotton day dress is for sale in my online shop and is a perfect example to team with Mary-Jane’s and a cloche hat. The minty beaded one is also in my shop and is an 80’s dress which clearly has 20’s vibes, finding an 80’s beaded dress is often a cheaper way of getting the look too! All other items I have shown here are on Etsy, get looking on their pages to find gorgeousness galore, and you may just find your dream dress or the perfect accessory to create the look. Hey, a cute idea is to get some 20’s style going on and spend time with friends watching Live By Night; that sounds like a sweet treat of an evening to me!

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Live by Night is out on Digital Download now and available on Blu-ray and DVD from Monday 22nd May 

The Magic of Old Dresses

Fashion from the past is forever finding a way back into our modern lives, becoming valid once more to a new audience. Fashion in the 1920’s was a frivolous and whimsical affair reflecting society’s feelings of liberation once war had ended. So it’s perhaps perfectly fitting that as the weight of the recession seems to lift, we see the release of the brand new Woody Allen film, Magic in the Moonlight, set in the 1920’s; making us all fall slap-bang in love with the care-free and relaxed fashion of this era to match our new found hope.

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I defy any girl not to fall under the spell of the adorably dressed Emma Stone in this charmed film. Magic in the Moonlight refreshingly focuses on the day wear of the 20’s more than the typically favoured Flapper evening dresses, making this enchanting look a much more wearable option for us today. Delicate fabrics, dainty detail and loose shapes, all provide a beautifully simple new silhouette, gone were the corsets and rigid underskirts, replaced with a light hearted weightlessness and freedom of movement in unstructured shapes. Petite boyish collars, soft muted colours, dropped waists and elegant mid-calf lengths are the leading elements to this look. Day wear had a delightful androgyny to it then, women wore adapted men’s suits and sailors jackets; a trend Coco Chanel inspired.

Fashion always has a way of reflecting the current attitude of society and the casual grace and ease of Emma Stone’s character in this film will have us all wishing for an easy-going, relaxed style; this enchanting film will inspire the 1920’s girl in us all!

Getting the look of this era whether you’re wanting the original thing or a modern interpretation is a perfect way to dress heading into the new season. Designers and the high street are endlessly looking to this era for inspiration, with many dresses and separates superbly supplying you with an up-to-date take on the look. When it comes to the real vintage version, the dreamy day wear is a more attainable option than original Flapper dresses. Look for dresses, blouses and skirts with an effortless nostalgic tone, a good vintage find of this age is always adorable and a great collectors piece. The more notorious evening dresses from those days are becoming a rare treat to find, dresses embellished with sequins made of wax quite often had the print of a hand melted onto the waist from a dance partners hold, and the fragile silks have commonly become torn and tatty from the weight of their decorative glass beads; a heartbreaking shame for those of us who covet dresses from those days but a cute testament to the celebratory and spontaneous joy that was felt at the time, surely a brilliant way for fashion to show how we live our lives!

Get the look….

1920's red cotton day dress from Prim Vintage Fashion, £165

1920’s red cotton day dress from Prim Vintage Fashion, £165

1920's cream cotton day dress from Prim Vintage Fashion, £165

1920’s cream cotton day dress from Prim Vintage Fashion, £165

Crepe pansy dress from Prim Vintage Fashion, £145

Crepe pansy dress from Prim Vintage Fashion, £145

Beaded 1920's Flapper dress from Prim Vintage Fashion, £265

Beaded 1920’s Flapper dress from Prim Vintage Fashion, £265

1920's purple silk evening dress from Prim Vintage Fashion, £245

1920’s purple silk evening dress from Prim Vintage Fashion, £245

Peach 20's style dress from Cos, £79

Peach 20’s style dress from Cos, £79

Satin & wool 1920's style dress from Miu-Miu, £1470

Satin & wool 1920’s style dress from Miu-Miu, £1470