Bygone Beauty



Just discovered a wonderful blog called Beauty is a Thing of the Past filled with countless magazine clippings from the 1930s and 1940s providing tips on styling your hair and creating the perfect make-up look. I'm obsessed with stuff like this, even if I don't always have the time to sit and painstakingly pin curl my whole head.

you got a pointy bra, 10-inch waist, long black stockings all over the place...

Also purchased today were the following pieces of lingerie...


...from good ol' Toppers. Topshop are really enjoying a moment for vintage-style bras and I'm certainly not complaining! I would, however, like to complain about the lack of a 'briefs' or 'knickers' page on their website. All they have to offer are 'thongs' (y'all better know how I hate thongs) or boxer shorts for girls (ditto). They DO sell knickers in store, so why the absence online? Means I don't get to post pics of the matching bottoms I got for these bras. But trust me, they're just as cute as their top halves.

Cruising online I found even more lovely bras and 'bralets' to put on my fantasy shopping list. If my boyfriend is reading, take this as less of a hint, more of an order!


xxx

Kinky Boots

Today my mum treated me to this fab 'n' kinky pair of black patent leather boots from Dune...


I've been after a pair like these for ages (and a black patent leather belted mac to match for the ultimate in streetwalker chic), the heel is just the right height for everyday wear, and seeing as the leather is waterproof I can happily kid myself that they are 'sensible' footwear for the winter weather.

Get tHe Look

Great spread in issue .22 of Tush magazine. Photos by Txema Yeste and make-up by Victor Alvarez.



Images courtesy of fashiontography.

Silk Stockings Thrown Aside, Dance Invitations...

I'm on a blogging roll today! Just discovered a great hosiery designer, Les Queues De Sardines. Check out their site. I'm in love with this pair, but sadly they aren't available anymore :(


Quel dommage!

In Praise of PJ.






Because the Lady Loves... Pam Hogg

Just a few pix to show off the wild and wonderful personal style of Ms Hogg.....


Matchy-matchy with Dame Viv.

In black at Alexander McQueen's Memorial.

At the NME Awards with Bobby Gillespie.

In a gorgeous powder blue coat at the Whitechapel Gallery.

In one of the most fabulous fur coats... one of her own, I think (?)

I'm sure I've posted this picture before, but it's a favourite.

x

Matchy Matchy

A style tip for all befuddled lads out there: Shave your eyebrows off and match your outfit to your dye-job.

In Praise of... Topman?!

Yeah, not something I ever thought I'd be raving about, but Topman have some great jewellery in at the moment - almost better than their TopSHOP sistas.
While looking for Christmas presents for my 16-yr old brother (what do teenage boys like?? Any ideas??) I happened upon these beauties to fill my own stocking.... if I can wait that long.


Bat brooch - £6. This will look lovely on my new long black velvet hooded cape. The man in the shop said they also do bat necklaces. Need to prowl in the bigger branch to check these out.


Silver cross two finger ring - £4. Have been after one of these for ages. I would be slightly perturbed if I saw a man wearing either the brooch or the ring, these are strictly witchywoo items, not for the trenchcoat mafia!

Also showcased in thee above photographs is my latest manicure effort. I'd been the proud owner of long and strong talons for months until the other night when I broke them while trying to open a taxi door. If only there were chivalrous men in the world........ Anyway, I decided to make the best of my newly little nails with a coat of my new Accessorize nail polish in Shade 6 (virtually identical to Topshop's 'Lead') and dipping the tips in gold glitter by W7.


Accessorize nail polish - £4 / W7 glitter polish - £1.99

Bygone Fashion

Just discovered a great livejournal style blog, Bygone Fashion. Here are some images by the photographer Mark Shaw who shot some of the most classic and elegant fashion photos of the 1950s/1960s and was also known for his  documentation of the Kennedys home life.

Model in Dior

1920s style shoot for LIFE magazine.

Model on the beach, circa. 1950

'50s Ballerina

Paris 1960.

Bowlie 2

This weekend I'm off to All Tomorrow's Parties, a.k.a Bowlie 2 at Butlins in Minehead, so expect no posts til next week! I'll be taking a camera so hopefully I'll have lots of nice photos of what we got up to (the good, bad and ugly). Here's a list of the various acts playing. I'm pissed off that I'll miss Best Coast because I only have a pass for the Saturday and Sunday. But I didn't have to pay for it, so mustn't grumble!

Today's Purchases


Earrings (set of 2): Urban Outfitters £8.00 / Ring: Topshop £8.50

Ankle boots: Primark (I KNOW, right?) £20

Lovely Rita

Xmas List

I went shopping (again) today and came home with an empty wallet but a mind full of ideas for future purchases (or things I can hint at to generous folk)...
Topshop rings:

Words cannot express how excited I am at the prospect of owning some armour rings. No longer will I walk past that poster of Meatloaf and feel a twinge of jealousy at his golden claw.

Urban Outfitters loafers:

Was so tempted to buy these today, were it not for the ankle deep snow. I probably wouldn't be able to show them off til April.

Dreaming of Daphne

I just posted about Daphne Guinness' latest charitable endeavour over on my other blog, and while continuing my stalking session I came across this beautiful photo set by Bryan Adams (yes, that one) for Zoo magazine (not that one). Among them are some of my favourite images of the great lady. In images that recall those by Man Ray and the silvery sparkly portraits of Cecil Beaton, Adams succeeds in capturing Guinness as a surrealist heroine (in one image she is seen drinking out of a Meret Oppenheim-style fur teacup) of both the past and the future.






view the complete set here.

Charlotte Olympia





Ralph Vaessen

I spotted German designer's Ralph Vaessen's incredible range of handcrafted horn eyewear in the December issue of Vogue & just had to share.





And check out these beauties from his 2009 collection....