Mega Mix of Vintage and Fashion Links

Posted on 04/03/2011 by Penny Dreadful in Vintage Round-Ups

Milliner Ashley in a fab mustard turban via Tales of Endearment

Hope you have all had great weeks and are looking forward to the weekend. I am very excited to be going to see The Mikado at the London Coliseum tomorrow; I’ve never seen a Gilbert and Sullivan before so it should be a treat. We wanted to eat beforehand and I suggested sticking with the Japanese theme, so we are going to Abeno-Too to have okonomiyaki for dinner. If you haven’t had it before, it is like a savoury Japanese pancake loaded with lots of yummy stuff, and grilled at your table. In the morning I am dragging Mr D along to the second-last day of the fashion illustration exhibition at the Design Museum, so it is going to be a full day. What are all of you guys up to?

There have been so many good things to read in the last fortnight, this has turned into a bit of a bumper round-up. Those of you who like fooling around with your hair are particularly lucky, with FOUR great style tutorials.

Fleur from Diary of a Vintage Girl posted a video tutorial of how to style your own victory rolls. I love having short hair but wish I could have it longer just for a day, so I could try this out. She makes it look so easy, and you hardly need anything to do it. If you have longer locks it is definitely worth giving a try.

My friend Ree Ree Rockette has just become an ambassador for weekly magazine The Lady, and spent the last week digging into their archives. I loved the scans she did of these wig advertisements from 1902

Another lovely gal pal, Jeni at Yesterday Girl has given a photographed tutorial for setting your hair

Lady Cherry has written a history of 20th century barnets (that’s hairstyles to non-Brits)

Tami gives a video tutorial on creating a 1930s finger wave hairstyle

Lottie Loves posted great advice on tips and tricks to looking after your nails. I need to take all of this advice because I still bite mine, shocking!

Veronika at Tick Tock Vintage demonstrates a 60s beehive hairstyle tutorial

Carrie shows a cute little 1930s style knitted pixie hat she made, along with the pattern and instructions. Someone knit me one please?

Now to serious matters: the Livia Firth Oscar dress controversy. Livia Firth decided she wanted to wear ethical clothing choices on the red carpet – hurrah! The way in which she decided to do this, was to employ a designer to cut up eleven rare 1930s evening gowns in order to create one new design. Err, what? The dresses were initially described as being the very best that the Greenwich store they sourced from had to offer, but after outage from the vintage community they have been rapidly changing their story and claiming the dresses were completely destroyed and irreperable (well, they certainly are now). What do you all think? Read about it at Retro Chick, Love Miss Daisy, and The Huffington Post.

The Vintage Baroness posted a video via Glamour Daze of a 1930s fashion show in full colour

Lena from Style High Club argues that there is something from every era, for every body shape.

Rhia from the Evil Dressmaker gives instructions on how to repair vintage lace

The Womens Room found a fun retro 70s style box bag for bicycles

Liberty London Girl had huge problems with her Gmail account, and has given simple and invaluable instructions on how to back up your emails

Kate shows how to make your own 1940s style seamed stockings

Lena gives advice on how to create a 20s evening look

This one might not be for all of you, but it is something that is so seldom talked about in ‘polite company’ that I thought it was worth passing on for those who are interested. Tami of My Moving Finger Writes recommends her top picks of porn for girls.

Land Girl 1980 has written an interesting little bio of the suffragette Emily Wilding Davison

DIY atomic paintings from Tara at The DC Metro Retro

A two-parter on Barsony ceramics from Kitty’s Vintage Kitsch, an Australian company producing kitsch ceramic lamps and vases in the 50s and 60s.

A short history of 1940s utility clothing in the UK from Lady Cherry Loves

A history of the House of Worth from This Girl’s Vintage

Phew! See what I mean? Too much good stuff to read, you might want to take your time with all of these. Now to a few of the images I have loved lately.

The photographer Vivian Maier is discussed over on Checks and Spots. I had never heard of her but she sounds like the one of the first amateur street photographers. From the 50s to the 90s she took over 100,000 photos of real life on the streets of Chicago and other places she travelled to.