Off to Neverland...

This is a long overdue post, considering it concerns my recently acquired but most favourite Pinup Girl Clothing dress. I bought this little beauty from a lovely lady on ebay for a bargain price, after some procrastinating about what size to get from the official website. I don't know about you but I sometimes really struggle with the PUG sizing. I find that a lot of the styles are cut for ladies significantly more busty than me or for ladies with more longer waists. For this reason, I generally have to size down and squeeze my waist into a size smaller than the size chart recommends. This sometimes backfires, for example, I couldn't zip my Harlequinn Jenny up at all (not even close!) however on this occasion, the 'Large' is a perfect fit.

The dress in question is of course the infamous Jenny dress in the fabulous 'Neverland' print designed by my heroine, the glorious Micheline Pitt. I wasn't sure the pink was going to go to do much for my English rose complexion but I absolutely love it! It was the perfect dress to wear for a day in a beautiful Welsh garden...

Dress: http://www.pinupgirlclothing.com/jenny-dress-neverland.html
Sourpuss Floozy Bag: https://www.collectif.co.uk/plain-sourpuss-floozy-bag-p-sp15254-c-pink.html
Pumps: Primark
'D' Brooch: https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/MatchAccessories
Cardigan: TK Maxx

A Girl of Many Talents: Becky Ryan & My New Logo!

Hey you guys! Have you noticed anything different? No, not my hair. What's that? Nope, still haven't lost any weight! I'm talking about my new blog banner! Looking pretty different, eh? Last week my lovely friend, illustrator and photographer Becky Ryan, surprised me with a hand drawn banner for my music website and I couldn't be happier with how it has turned out.

I first found Becky on Facebook after my friend Sarah and I became a tad obsessed with her beautiful burlesque portraits. I had been a follower of Becky's illustrations for a while when Sarah bought burlesque piece from Becky as a gift for her uber-talented artist friend Sarah Fuller. Soon after that, Becky, who is not only a talented artist but a wonderful photographer too, posted a notice on the Vivien of Holloway fan page offering reduced price photo shoots for like minded-ladies. Despite being super shy, I took her up on the offer and we've been in touch ever since.

Some of the illustrations that first sparked my interest in Becky's work.

My photo shoot took place in and around a tiny vintage tea room in Belper and Becky did such a great job, I was featured in Vintage Life Magazine in December 2014 in a feature built around the photos from our shoot. Becky is a lovely, genuine person who does everything in her power to make her clients feel at ease, so it's easy to see why she has decided to focus much of her energy on her career in quirky, personal wedding photography. If you have a wedding coming up, fancy a photo shoot just for fun or are looking for a blog design, Becky should be at the top of your list!

Hello Kitty! A Summer Jaunt with Vivien of Holloway

As you know, I am a huge Vivien of Holloway fan but it was only recently that I decided to treat myself to a 'Kitty' dress. As a curvy girl, I was very unsure about the Kitty and the prints it comes in, particularly as a big bum doesn't generally pair very well with vertical stripes! Nevertheless, for my trip the The Red Rooster Festival, I decided to splurge on the seashell stripe kitty in blue and pink and I can tell you, it was an absolute dream to wear. 

I sized down in this particular style (I am a standard UK 14 and bought a Viv 16 instead of an 18) and it fits like a dream. I'm not still entirely sure about the length and I might take it up by a few inches in the future but it doesn't feel as long as the Runaround Sue (which I took up as soon as it arrived). It's made of a lovely crisp cotton and zips at the back leaving the front to look like an authentically vintage shirt dress. I had so many compliments from the most unlikely people while wearing this dress and I know it's definitely a dress I will wear again and again.

Have you splashed out on a Kitty dress yet? I'd love to see your pictures! :)

Styling it up with Cherry Dollface and The Vintage Beauty Parlour

One of Manchester's best hidden gems can be found hidden in a smart, unassuming street in suburbia. Bethany Jane's 'Vintage Beauty Parlour' has been over for a little over a year now and boy are we northern gals lucky to have this place on our doorstep!

I was luck enough to have my hair done by Bethany at the Haworth 1940s weekend a few weeks ago and have her booked to do my wedding hair and make up later in the year. She is true genius when it comes to creating those intricate, beautiful styles from the past that most of us would never dream of attempting on our own hair. Check out my poodle do!

Anyway, imagine how excited I was to see that youtube sensation and my favourite American pin-up gal, Cherry Dollface, was set to run a hair and make up seminar at The Vintage Beauty Parlour! I booked my place at the show months before the event and was a little nervous about going on my own and what to expect. I shouldn't have been nervous at all. Cherry was an absolute doll; beautiful, gracious, funny and relaxed. She talked our class of lovely like-minded ladies through a full pin-up make up look as well as two vintage hairstyles, taking questions and queries from the class as she went. 

The three hour class flew by and at the end, in celebration of her birthday, Cherry was surprised with a birthday cake along with cards and gifts from many of us girls attending the class. I met so many wonderful ladies that night, that I hope to keep in touch with and meet again in the future.

Don't let nerves hold you back, take every opportunity to have fun and meet new people. Your life will be all the richer for it!

Feeling a bit Sketch-y?

After months of lusting over pictures of the Wes Anderson-esque dusky pink hues of Sketch's Gallery team room, I finally made it there last week to celebrate my birthday. You've probably seen the Gallery popping up on your instagram feed or on various lists of 'must sees' in London this year and I don't mind telling you, it is every bit as magnificent as you might expect.

The walls are lined with sometimes funny, sometimes grotesque and often inspiring artwork by the infamous David Shrigley alongside subtle copper tiles. The seating takes the form of outrageously plush, pink velvet booths and seashell seats on black and white tiled floors and in the centre of the room is a beautiful domed ceiling. The lighting is low and the cliental a mixture of ladies who lunch and excited tourists.

We ordered the standard afternoon tea, which contained finger sandwiches (wrapped up like presents with yellow bows), at least 8 different sweets and a scone with jam and cream all washed down with a pot of the delicious Rose Petal tea. The service was fantastic and the the food fabulous, definitely the best afternoon tea I have ever experienced.

Considering the ultra kitsch and glamorous surrounding of the tea-room itself, it might come as a surprise to find out that the real piece de la resistance comes in the form of the toilets! Walking up a two sided, immaculate white staircase to a room domed with multicoloured stained glass is impressive enough but add to that toilet cubicles in the form of giant eggs and it becomes clear why no trip to Sketch is complete with a trip to the ladies room! A temporary exhibition for Easter has added actual geese (well, actual plastic geese) on the top of each egg and a giant nest in the middle of the room. The whole room -inside and outside of the cubicles- echoes with the sound of the geese honking.

If you fancy a trip to Sketch, check out their website to view the menu and to book a table in advance... http://sketch.london/

 

Pictures from Sketch's own website

Picture from Sketch's website

Picture from Sketch's website