Taking Care of Business

As part of the big trip to Tennessee and as an Elvis Presley fan, a trip to Gracelands was clearly in order. I've been to Gracelands before and of course, the house stays the same but there is much more to Gracelands than just the estate itself. Around the edge of Gracelands, owned by EP enterprises is a collection of museums (housing his outfits, planes, cars -including the pink Cadillac- and more), a variety of shops and a handful of diners including 'Rockabilly's Cafe'.

We started the day with tour of the mansion itself, walking up those famous steps and through the front door into what is, by today's rock star standards, a modest, comfortable, personal family home with more than touch of extravagant 70s kitsch!

With my plane, obviously.

Vivien of Holloway at Gracelands, Memphis

I have been a huge fan of Vivien of Holloway for some years now. It's the first repro-vintage brand that  I discovered, back when the shop was over a motorcycle shop at the back of Camden market. Since then the brand has gone from strength to strength and it's very easy to see why! Unlike some of the other authentic reproduction brands, Holloway have a relatively quick turnover of new prints and styles so there is always something new for vintage fans to covet (my poor bank account!). 

I've tried a few different styles of Viv dresses over recent years but the style that fills my wardrobe (like many other fans) is the halter neck circle dress. For those who are yet to sample the delights of Vivien of Holloway, you need to know your waist size and order according to that. If you shop in store, I would recommend going at least one size (maybe two depending on the fabric) up from your modern sizing. The circle dresses are cut to finish perfectly with a standard length petticoat, zip at the back and have a boned and shaped bodice for a super flattering fit that you really won't get from a lot of cheaper vintage brands.

Now, many people reserve these dresses for special occasions but I will generally take any opportunity to wear a pretty dress. I've worn my dresses to theme parks, for days out in the country, shopping in the city and of course, for weddings! Back in February, I was lucky enough to win a picture competition on Viv's fan page and I put my winnings to work on a couple of new Viv dresses -a cherry halter dress and (daringly for me!) a leopard wiggle dress. I recently wore the white cherry halter neck circle dress for my mum's wedding in Memphis and I thought I'd take the opportunity to show this gorgeous dress off in a wonderful location!

At the chapel at Gracelands

Gracelands

Outside Gracelands -fan graffiti!

Sun Studios

Sun studios

Arcade Restaurant, Memphis

Like I said in my last blog post, I am a huge Elvis fan and during my last trip to Memphis, I was lucky enough to see a lot of Elvis related sights. Among the lesser known haunts on the tourist trail, is the fabulously retro Arcade Restaurant. In the 50s, as Elvis' career took off, he found it more and more difficult to go out without being harassed by over-zealous fans. The Arcade provided his favourite food, discrete staff and most importantly, a quick getaway route should the place become swamped with petticoats and bobby socks ;)

I ate here twice during my trip, for lunch and breakfast and both times I wasn't disappointed. Vegetarians are clearly not common customers in the South and it can be a little bit tricky to find anything other than a garden burger in most bars and diners. The Arcade are very flexible when it comes to breakfast, offering to replace the meat with a fruit platter for no extra cost and providing a pretty good choice of salads, pizzas and sandwiches.

Of course my favourite thing about the diner is the history and retro decor which doesn't appear to have changed in the last half a century. The faded atomic print on the diner tables, bar stools and advertisements are authentically mid-century and it is without doubt, my favourite diner.

South Main Memphis

Memphis has changed a great deal since I last visited 7-years ago. The biggest change for me, was the very visible regeneration of the South Main district which is now full of pretty boutiques, art shops and cafes.

South Main stretches from the Orpheum theatre (one of the most beautiful theatres you will ever visit), past the Civil Rights Museum and up towards STAX studios (now also a museum).

I was lucky enough to get to see one of my favourite artists, Ray Lamontagne, at The Orpheum while I was in Memphis but the venue has a regular plethora of top notch artists to choose from, along with showings of classic movies and plays. The interior is simply stunning and the stage is HUGE! I found it impossible to get a good picture of the entire stage area and frame even from the circle area because it is simply gigantic! Definitely go and check it out if you have time!

One of my very favourite finds in the South Main area was the vintage and repro-vintage store, Red Velvet Vintage. I could tell from the window display that it was going to be right up by street but the service was incredible and the mixture of authentic vintage clothing and accessories with reproduction was just fabulous. I spent way longer than I should have in there and emerged with a beautiful circle dress and a vintage chinese box bag, which I selected from several that I could happily have bought but (unfortunately) couldn't have carried home. The prices are great and the quality of the handbags and purses in particular are fantastic. As a Brit, I simply don't come across the pieces that Red Velvet stock at home, so visiting this shop was a real treat, made even more special by my free Red Velvet cake pop and hair flower (selected by Eryca, the beautiful lady who served me, to match the dress I was wearing). If I lived closer, this would be my favourite haunt for sure!

Another favourite vintage find in South Main is the wonderful Hoot and Louise, just around the corner from Red Velvet and a few doors down from one of the King's favourite burger joints, the Arcade Diner. I tried this wonderful 50s party dress on for size but alas, it didn't fit! My loss, another lady's gain I hope! I did however, emerge with a lovely coral diner dress with sewn in arrow darts :)

As well as these two vintage gems, South Main is also home to numerous art shops, specialising in recycled, New Orleans style art, a wonderful old-school bike shop (Mid-Town Bike Company), bakeries and the fabulous Ernestine and Hazel's (a juke joint/ dive bar) right across from the diner. I love that the whole area has a small town feel to it, staff and shoppers alike made a real effort to stop and chat and to make us feel welcome. Living in a recently regenerated and now thriving city myself (Liverpool), I understand the pride that people feel when their town begins to attract new tourists and visitors and the people of Memphis definitely have a city to be proud of.

As an Elvis fan, one of the key reasons for visiting this street was to experience the Arcade Restaurant, a place renowned as being a favourite spot of the rising star in the 1950s. Elvis would sit in the back booth next to the exit, so that he could slip away easily if he needed to. On top of that, quite a few movies and movie stars have frequented the diner in recent years. Scenes from My Blueberry Nights (Norah Jones), Elizabethtown (Orlando Bloom, Kirsten Dunst), Walk The Line and Great Balls of Fire were filmed here and it's very easy to see why. The decor doesn't appear to have changed since the 50s, nothing deliberately kitschy, traditional faded pinks and turquoises and atomic printed table tops. The menu is traditional American breakfasts, sandwiches and shakes. More about the Arcade Restaurant in my next post!