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Tricks For Throwing The Perfect Fifties Cocktail Party

Throwing a Fifties cocktail party can be one of the highlights of your year if you pay attention to a few little extra cute details. The Fifties may have come before the Swinging Sixties but the cocktail parties were somethin’ ELSE! Social events for the upper and middle classes, cocktail parties, featured great food, great music and beautiful, beauuuutiful dresses, gah, the dresses! One of the best theme evenings you could go to is a Fifties night – and not just for the amazing music! With these top tips, you could throw the best cocktail party of the year!

Invites- The Fifties were the decade of formality and etiquette and sending formal invitations out for parties were the norm. Make sure you include the correct details for your RSVP request and ring around the week before the party so you get your party numbers.

Food – To truly impress your guests, make sure you bypass the buffet and go for serving hot and cold finger food passed around by a waitress you can hire. This is exactly what a hostess would have done in the Fifties so emulating that era is a darling thing to do! Fruit kebabs, ham and cheese parcels, and anything in aspic would be a popular option! Offer cloth napkins instead of paper ones for a real Fifties touch of class.Fashion – One of the best bits of a cocktail party was choosing your outfit! As these are formal affairs, strapless dresses with a full skirt and petticoat were all the rage. Throw on some small fancy colour diamonds and you’ll be the belle of the ball for certain. High heels, up-dos such as a chignon and a small handbag would set the entire look off beautifully. Browse online images of 50’s movie stars for inspiration, it’s a super fun way to dress! 

Home –A cocktail party at home would have been the best opportunity a housewife would have to show off the home and all your skills for keeping your home beautiful. Cutting fresh wildflowers from the garden and arranging them around the house would be a classy and gorgeous way of brightening the home without going for standard décor. While you most probably don’t like smoking in the home, dot vintage ashtrays through the room, as smoking was popular in that decade.

Cocktails – If you have a drinks cabinet, it’s time to get those bottles polished! You can put together a drinks trolley and offer martinis, side cars, vodka highballs and whiskey sours for a truly Fifties feel.

Music – You’ll need something to bop to so if you don’t have a retro record player, download some timeless tracks onto an iPod and dock it for the night. Not too loud, mind, as you want to be able to have conversation over the music. Crank it up for dancing later on!Your Fifties cocktail party will go off without a hitch and you’ll be the talk of the town just by following these party tips. Vintage doesn’t get better than the Fifties so it’s time for a shopping trip for a brand new cocktail dress!

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How To Throw A Vintage Garden Party, Darling!

 

When you think of a garden party, usually only two things come to mind. Either a barbecue with water fights, or a posh and elegant affair for the ladies. Garden parties are so underrated, and rightly so given that the weather isn’t always the best and most people don’t have the space in the garden to even throw a garden party – especially those in the city! If you are lucky enough to have a collection of vintage items you can use, then your garden party is already successful so all you have to do next is pick an era! Most people like to go for the twenties and earlier, but you do get those who want to relive the Sixties hipster era!

For a vintage garden party, the best food is usually finger sandwiches and delicate cakes. Think an upmarket picnic without the dodgy sausage rolls. Think twenties elegance while you sit in the garden among the flowers enjoying crustless sandwiches and mini Victoria sponge sandwich cakes. A silver tea service (for the truly vintage) would be perfect for a garden party, even if just as decoration. If you happen to have a collection of cups and saucers, they would be perfect for a dessert service of ice cream or Eton Mess. Bonus points for sending them home as party favours!Given that you’re having a garden party I think it’s safe to assume that it’s sunny outside and the right season for beautiful wildflowers. You don’t have to go as far as hiring out Jason Swanson painters to do the exterior of the house, but getting in some vintage tablecloths for table tops and even to act as fabric for a picnic will do the job! Pastel hanging lanterns for the trees if you have them will also be an excellently economical way to decorate. Bunting is a popular decoration for a garden party so match your pastels and you’ll have an elegant outdoor display.Your party will be a picture of elegance and poise and if you have any shabby chic furnishings you can bring from the inside to the garden, you can save yourself some money on decoration as this would be an exquisite piece for food to be on outside. When it comes to music, you could choose to hire in a vintage band, or pop on some old records. If you don’t have a record player, downloaded music will work but there’s nothing quite so lovely as the scratch of a record on a vintage record player. It gives the party and atmosphere a little authenticity. Your garden party can be a huge success as long as you follow the rules of elegance and beauty for the era which you pick. You can also add in little additions like mini pies and quiches for something different to sandwiches and cake. I doubt anyone is going to complain about the range of cakes and puddings you can offer for your party so go and enjoy yourself, darling!

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Women In The Office; Fashion Tips To Make An Impact

You already know how to get the vintage fashion look. It’s time to bring yourself into this century. We all know how high-pressure office life can be, eeesh, BUSY! Getting the right look for work can make or break your reputation. You want to ensure that you’re wearing an outfit that makes the most impact. Whether you’re aiming for the look of a high flying sassy business woman or shy and prim receptionist, this guide to office fashion is hopefully gonna help you a heap load!

KEEP IT SMART – So, remember you’re at work. The smarter you look, the more seriously people are going to take you. It can be hard to be stylish and smart at the same time, but that’s the look you need to achieve, and you can totally do it. Having some staple blazers to return to is essential, I LOVE blazers. The decision between pencil skirts and trousers is also important. Your choice will show your colleagues a lot about the type of gal you are! 

THE RIGHT SHOES – Equally important are the shoes you wear. It can be difficult to decide between high heels and flats, but it’s a decision you will have to make from the off. If you want people to take you seriously, heels are likely to get you heard. You will tower over your colleagues. Exaggerating your presence can only be a good thing if you’re aiming for the top. If you’re after the retiring receptionist role, flats are the better option, aaand, lets not forget, they’re a lot more comfortable!

THE RIGHT ACCESSORIES – It’s not just the outfit you’re going to need to consider. Accessories are crucial too. Getting the right bag is just a must. You’re going to want bags that can go with most outfits, so brown and colours are always good. It’s also pretty good to own a staple black and a standard white bag. That way, you know you’ll always have something that matches. Think about your jewellery as well. Black Starr Frost watches are sure to get you taken seriously, they shriek of a strong together woman. It might also be worth investing in some staple necklaces. That little bit of glamour will come in handy when you’re feeling uninspired by your office wear. Just because you’re dressing smart, doesn’t mean your outfit has to be boring; heck no!

HAIRSTYLE – Finally, consider your hairstyle. Wearing your hair down is great sometimes, but it’s best to mix things up a little, and it’s more fun for you that way too. A tight donut is often a good choice for the office. It’s a smart, classic, fast style that is sure to stay in without any fuss and leave you looking professional. Off the face, hairstyles are an excellent choice. They reveal your face and help build trust with clients. If your eyes are hiding behind a fringe, they’re going to be a lot less likely to put their money in your hands. Stay conscious that you’re not going to have hours to fix your hair each morning, either. You don’t want to wake up at the crack of dawn every day to try and tackle hair pins. Choose a few staples and practice them before hand. Girl, you gonna look DA BUSINESS! 

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You Say You Wanna Dive Into The Sixties?

It’s a biggie. The V&A’s current main exhibition; ‘You Say You Want A Revolution?’ is epic, I mean, it really is huuuuge! My Mama and I spent last Sunday in sunny Kensington and took in all the sights and sounds of this ace exhibition; a good day indeed. The V&A is always utter perfection when it comes to these giant offerings, the scale was that of the McQueen and the Hollywood *still my all time favourite exhibition* ones, you need a good couple of hours to get round it and get it all up in your face and ears, it’s worth it, it’s always worth it with that place. This show covers so much, you don’t know where to look first, and you’re handed headphones on your way in so there’s constant audio too. The numerous rooms cover the latter part of the sixties, conveying the importance and effects of this massively important era, and they present it through fashion, film, music and political activism from the time. Behold the beauty of the vintage clothes that make up part of the show, perfectly selected to give just the right amount of mixed media. I mean, this exhibition can please most people, any age. The ones who lived through it will be queuing up for a hit of sweet nostalgia, vintage fans, music lovers, people keen to learn about the history, this show has a serious pull to many. It covers loads, there’s even a piece of the actual Moon from NASA in reference to Apollo 11 off of 1969. the actual MOON! I was staring at that for a while let me tell ya! It has outfits from The Beatles ‘Sgt. Pepper’ album cover, a Barbarella outfit, a jumpsuit worn by Mick Jagger and actual handwritten song lyrics from John Lennon and the like. Oooof! It’s really very cool. One room is set up as Woodstock, with fake grass and a big stage streaming footage of the event, full marks to whoever curated that neat little idea! It’s a grand show, a really thorough exhibition, lots to read, look at, listen to and watch. It was almost too much, but I guess it means a second visit is a good idea if you wanna soak it all up real good! I’d say go, do it, go dive into the 60’s for a few hours and become absorbed. Be careful with those headphones though, I took mine off at points just to focus on the visual as it’s all quite in your face. My Mum didn’t though, and her, along with some others, sporadically shouted conversation forgetting they had headphones on; ‘Your Dad wore that aftershave‘ pointing at a Brut ad. Yes, Mum, he did, but the whole of the V&A doesn’t need to hear about it. A good exhibition indeed.  

You Say You Want A Revolution? is on now at The V&A until 26th February 2017

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Get The Vintage Fashion Look

Since the 1990’s women have been rockin’ various vintage and retro fashion looks, aaaw yeah they have! Vintage fashions are about waaay more than just what you’re wearing; they say a lot about the music, lifestyle, and your attitude to life. But with so many vintage looks out there, how can you get the right one that looks best on you? Well, read on to find out….

01

1940’s and 1950’s

The forties look has been a pretty popular look for the last ten years or so. It all started to come into fashion around the time that the shabby chic movement began. Maybe it’s something to do with the fact that culturally people always try to look back to a better time when things get austere? Anyway, the 40’s and 50’s silhouettes like the ones shown here have been gaining popularity ever since. In fact, they are so popular now that they are even a mainstay in the wedding dress market. A sure fire sign that they are here to stay, hoooray!

The 40’s look is more about the slim dress that accentuates your curves. Look for covered buttons and pussy bows for the right details. Try stores like Vivien of Holloway or Lindy Bop for these styles. The 50’s look embraces the full skirt more. This is a great look for any shape, as its creates the illusion of a small waist. This is because skirts and dresses in this style are often fitted on the top, with a definite waist and then flared out. You can wear the dresses on their own or with a petticoat which will give you that oomph for a real rock ‘n roll flared look.

02

1960’s

1960’s styles come in and out of fashion pretty regularly. The short shift dresses are effortlessly stylish and show off a great pair of legs. Last season we saw a lot of paisley print in new fashions as well as a nod to the 60’s. Remember that your vintage look, doesn’t have to be made up of purely vintage items. Mix and match new and old for a more modern and up to date take on your chosen era; modern ankle boots and a biker jacket add a great twist to a vintage look creating a bang-up-to-date fressh look just for YOU! Colours that work well for a 60’s look are schemes in greens, blues and orangey browns for that authentic feel. Pair short dresses with flat shoes for throwing some shapes and a high beehive in your hair if you want a really authentic look!

04

1990’s

The 90’s look is probably the look of choice at the moment. Trawl your local vintage shops and ask your relatives if they have anything that the used to wear back in the day in their wardrobes that you can purloin. You can also get plenty of items from vintage stores and 90’s styles new pieces. Neutral minimalism and Grunge were massive iconic looks of the era. Shops like Charlotte Russe are a good bet for some reasonably priced items with a definite 90’s feel. You can get Charlotte Russe promo code online too to save you some money on your shop, which is always ace! Car boot sales and auction sites are a good bet for accessories like mini backpacks and the occasional golden find of an authentic band t-shirt. Speaking of band, t-shirts, even Primark have jumped on the trend and offer cheap Nirvana or Stones t-shirts, which can be cut to make something like this, making it extra cool! 

Pick an era, any era, mix ’em up together and with modern finds, dressing with vintage is the MOST fun ever and is by far the best way to make a look which only you will be wearing!

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