A Grey Gardens Diary?

Apparently Edith "Little Edie" Bouvier Beale who became infamous for living like a recluse with her mother in their Hamptons home has a childhood diary! "Little Edie" who was a cousin of Jackie Onassis and is most famous for playing herself in the 1976 documentary of 'Grey Gardens'. Where both Edie and her mother were filmed living in their Hamptons House along with cats, racoons and dillusional dreams of Hollywood. 

The diary, called I Only Mark The Hours That Shine, was apparently written in 1929 when Little Edie was only 11 and is set to be published.

I am a huge fan of Grey Gardens and cannot wait to get my hands on this book. I find both Edie's so fascinating and I cannot wait to read all about Little Edie's childhood and I wonder if at just 11 years old Edie was as hopeful of her quest for Hollywoods dillusional and unobtainable glamour.

I wonder....

London Exhibition: Horrockses Fashions to go on display at FTM

HORROCKSES FASHIONS:
OFF THE PEG STYLE IN THE '40S AND '50S
Exhibition : 9 July 2010 - 24 October 2010

Horrockses Fashions Limited was the manufacturer of one of the most well-respected ready-to-wear labels of the 1940s and 1950s.

The company are best known for their full-skirted dresses which were sought after by women everywhere and were even worn by Queen Elizabeth II. Although they were produced in considerable quantities, the firm maintained an air of exclusivity for the brand, with an emphasis on good quality fabrics with custom-designed patterns and fashion styling with Parisian couture overtones.

The colourful prints will provide a visual feast for visitors to the FTM exhibition, which focuses on the range of the firm's production, from glamorous evening dresses, to vibrant summer frocks and sophisticated housecoats and beachwear. It will follow the story of the Horrockses dress from initial fabric and fashion design, to production, promotion and consumption.
 Curated by author and design historian Dr Christine Boydell, the exhibition will also be accompanied by a book published by V&A Publishing.

The exhibition will open on the 9th July 2010 at the Fashion and Textile museum in London. For more information visit the FTM website by clicking HERE.
ALL INFO FROM FTM WEBSITE.

My Hipstamatic Scrapbook

The Louis Vuitton Retro Collection & Marc Jacobs Vision

"Designers are always saying they’re going to do a collection for women, but then every girl on the runway (catwalk) is under twenty”  - Marc Jacobs, backstage at the Louis Vuitton A/W10/11 show.

When I first laid eyes on Jacobs collection for Louis Vuitton for A/W I was so excited, relieved, in awe...almost a dream like state took a hold of me. I could not believe my eyes and I am convinced that Marc Jacobs must of somehow heard my cries. Finally a designer was designing beautiful dresses for fabulous women. There was not a mini skirt, heart print or knee in sight at the show! Instead we saw creative couture at its best. Jacobs collection includes halter neck dresses, corsets, voluptuous tulle, opera length gloves and best of all...bow trimmed shoes. What is not to like? 

The collection is obviously a nod to the 1950s, but Jacobs has used an updated 21st century colour palette and clashed every fabric possible to keep his collection a fresh perspective for 2011.

What do you think? Inspired?

They'll always have Times Square...

The nurse who was famously photographed during the VJ Day celebrations whilst being kissed in New York's Times Square by a sailor when World War II ended, has died at the age of 91. It is so strange as this image is so iconic and yet no one even knew their names.
We now know that the nurse was Edith Shain. Edith passed away at home in LA on Sunday.
Sad, but Edith will always be remembered through this amazing photograph.

Katy Perry and those Latex Dresses...

Katy Perry sure can rock a latex halterneck dress like no other!

Vintage at Goodwood: 1950s Betty!

1950s Betty! My 1950s Betty ensemble includes everything a Betty needs for a 50s look for Vintage at Goodwood this August. Taking inspiration from Lucille Ball who starred in the popular 1950s American series 'I love Lucy'. I have selected a bright 1950s vintage prom dress that has just been added to Natasha Bailie Vintage Clothing Company. The perfect fifties dress for walking along Vintage at Goodwoods 1950s themed high street. Wear with Betty Draper hair and bracelet length gloves for a Grace Kelly demure look. This vintage prom dress will take you well into the evening for happy hour and jiving. What could be better than sipping a cocktail whilst listening to a live band play all your favourite 50s hits? See you on the dance floor dolls!

For more information about Vintage at Goodwood and how to get your ticket to this MUST vintage event click HERE.

The vintage dress, vintage bag and vintage style hat pictured above are all available at NBVCC, click HERE to visit my haven for 1950s dresses and fabulous vintage accessories.

Vintage at Goodwood: The Fabulous Forties

Honey as soon as you put this 1940s vintage dress on you will feel like Ann Savage! All you will need is a cigarette, your red lipstick and the 'love em or leave em' attitude will come naturally. This fabulous forties dress is available to buy at NBVCC, it is a size 14 (uk) and costs just £75.00. Team this fabulous 1940s dress with a faux fur (of course), some seamed stockings, Rita Hayworth hair and an extravagent hat and you will have a classic vintage forties ensemble fit for VINTAGE at Goodwood.
Have you got your tickets yet? Vintage at Goodwood is the only Vintage event to attend this summer. Goodwood open their gates on the 13th to the 15th August for another fabulous vintage event. Vintage at Goodwood is not just another event though, Vintage at Goodwood celebrates "5 decades of British Cool" featuring vintage fashion, music, culture and design. Click HERE to visit the Vintage at Goodwood website and see what all the fuss is about.
I will post more vintage dress ensembles to get your creative juices flowing for your Vintage at Goodwood closet, but untill then visit Natasha Bailie Vintage Clothing Company and start putting your own vintage outfits together. I am adding vintage daily so make sure you don't miss out dolls!

Mad Men Season 4 premieres 25th July!

AMC

It is almost time for all new Mad Men! Here is the new poster for Mad Men season 4 which premieres in the US on the 25th July. I can hardly contain my excitement!!! Check out this pic of Peggy...very Jackie O. What do you think?

Where to Shop for Vintage Inspired Swimwear:For Luna

It is holiday season and one of the most important things to take on your annual break from reality apart from your passport and a Katie Price novel (I kid) is a bathing suit. Now it sure can be confusing to the untrained eye as swimming threads come in an array of colours, shapes, cup sizes and even pieces. Don't get me started on sun tan lotion!

I personally find the high street choices to be overwhelming and I most certainly don't base my suit of choice on trends so this leaves me with what I know and I know myself. I certainly don't have "it" so I will not flaunt it, so I have decided a cover up would be fabulous for me.

However, have you seen the swimming costumes on offer? Geez louise, but have no fear my fellow cover uppers for it appears us vintage broads have been heard; For Luna swimwear offers a gorgeous vintage swimwear range for all sizes, shapes and paranoia.

For Luna stocks the Esther Williams swim wear range and What Katie Did as well as other leading brands. For Luna is a haven for 1950s inspired swim wear including 50s halterneck swimming costumes in leapoard print like the picture below, sailor themed ranges and bikinis are also available. Every vintage loving gal is catered for at For Luna.

Click HERE to go straight to the For Luna website.

Pictures taken from the For Luna Website.

Strawberries & Cream with your side of Tennis?

Forget football! Anyone for Tennis?
It is time for Wimbledon. Now I think it is fair to say I hate sports, although strangely I like watching Boxing and my workout to Tracy Anderson should be called a sport, but apart from that...I digress. With everyone going World Cup bonkers I welcome Wimbledon. Wimbledon is my breath of fresh air from the St.Georges flags, (I giggle when I see them on the roadside), football holliganism and beer guzzling football fans who think its appropriate to take off their tops if the temperature reaches above 15 degrees. This by the way is not ok.
However Tennis is THE game of choice for me this summer. I will partake in the British ritual of Strawberries and cream and I will gladly watch some of the worlds fittest men grunt and swing their rackets. With pleasure and hopefully...pride. Although you can set the British weather by Wimbledon. Rain is on its way.

1950s Vintage Floral Prom Dress, Size 14/16: Just added to NBVCC

Just added to Natasha Bailie Vintage Clothing Company: 1950s prom dress in a size 14/16 (UK).

Perfect for vintage events, wedding parties, garden swarees and special occasions. Or if you are feeling glamorous maybe you could get away with this vintage dress down your local Somerfield to buy some milk? Wear with your mother's pearls and bracelet length gloves for a chic fifties vintage look.

For a closer nosey at this vintage prom dress click HERE.

Katy Perry Californian Gurls Video

Katy Perry's new music video for her single "Californian Gurls" was just released. It will bedazzle you from beginning to end. It sure is a colourful affair...

Be a Magazine Star for Essentials!

Essentials is a magazine for real women and they want to celebrate the fact by featuring a fabulous reader in the magazine! Yes you or a friend, relative, sister, mother or other fabulous woman in your life could be a magazine star. Like the sound of that? I do.

Go on, don't be shy...
We all have body hates and bad hair days - but don't let that stop you appearing in or applying for a place to feature in essentials. Celebrate who you are, what you do and how you have got there.

Yes you can!

Everyone and anyone is invited to come forward and volunteer to be an Essentials star and appear in many features they have coming up in this years issues.

 

You've got what it takes...
You might be the one who is perfect to grace Essentials fashion and beauty pages. Or, you could be a budding Nigella and able to lend a hand to Essentials food editor in the test kitchen. Or maybe you just have an amazing story that you want to share in one of Essentails real life features.

Everyone is welcome

Rest assured, everyone is welcome and Essentails are not looking for the next Kate Moss- far from it. This is every 'real' woman's chance to stand out and shine. So what are you waiting for...get applying.

Get the VIP experience

The readers shortlisted to feature in the magazine will be invited to London for a day to meet the team, have a special lunch, plus you will be sent home with a fabulous essentials goody bag - the full VIP experience!

How to enter
1. Simply copy and paste the title of this post into an email with all the details below to ensure that you send ESSENTIALS all the information they need.

Name:

Age:

Address:

Postcode:

Telephone Day:
Telephone Evening:
Height:
Top Size:
Bottom Size:
Shoe Size:

2. Attach two clear photographs that have been taken in the last three months (no hats, sunglasses etc.) Essentials need one head shot and one full body shot.
3. Finally, send ESSENTIALS 100 words telling them why you're amazing!
Email your application to: amazing_essentials@ipcmedia.com

The model search closes at 9am on 30th June 2010. You must be available on the 2nd July 2010 to attend a casting for shortlisted entrants and 15th/16th July 2010 to attend the photoshoot.

Dandies by the Sea...The Wedding Outfit.

I can and will honestly say I am not being vain, but seriouSLY I have yet to see a photograph of myself from the wedding I had the pleasure of attending last weekend that is of me in a full head to toe shot. I was far too busy it seems getting the bride down the aisle and dancing the night away to the greatest musical playlist ever created! I did however seem to get everyone else in a photo...dang.
It was a glorious weekend after a week of British summer (rain). The sun shone just as the Bride got to the groom it was magical.

The weekend was a biggie for me as the bride was my best buddie. The wedding theme was "Dandies by the sea" and guests were encouraged to dress to impress. However as always I took the theme and let it run off into the distance...with me.
I like to shine away from the usual suspects of "occasion dresses" and outfits a magazine deems appropriate for a summer wedding so I ended up choosing a fabulous Vintage of Holloway frock. I have worn a few in the last few years and they fit me perfectly and more importantly make me feel like a million bucks. It just happened to be my lucky day when I went online to find the VOH anchor print dress!!! £69 later...yes only £69 I was a nautical schweetheart. Visit http://www.vivienofholloway.com/ 

I love hats and fascinators and I am always looking for a good excuse to adorn some fancy head threads. After muchos googling I found the striped bow fascinator you can see on my head in the picture above at Coast. It is the perfect nautical companion for my anchor print dress and only £25. To complete the whole look I decided to indulge in some very high Irregular Choice platform shoes covered in red love hearts for £79.99. Regular readers will know I have been boring you with the fantasy of buying these shoes for an eternity. Well I did it.

Now I know what you are thinking....NB, you cannot wear three different prints...well I DID!

So what do you all think? TOO much? Have I inspired you a little?

Photographs taken from Irregular Choice website and Vivien of Holloway website.

Marilyn Monroe's Pink Gown Sells For $319,000 At Auction!

Named as one of the "most iconic dresses of Hollywood and film history" Marilyn Monroe's pink gown worn in 1953 for the film "Gentlemen prefer Blondes" has sold for $319,000 at an LA auction!! (Roughly £213,000 pounds) Yikes.

The hot pink satin gown was worn as Marilyn paraded around an elaborate Hollywood set singing and dancing to "Diamonds are a girl's best friend". The famous pink gown was estimated to sell for anything between $150,000 - $200,000. Along with other notably famous items from Hollywood this dress worn by Monroe was one of the major collectibles.

In 1999 the famous sequinned dress Marilyn wore and was sewn into for JFK's birthday sold for a staggering $1,267,500!!!!

1950s Vintage Purple Prom Dress, Size 12, £120.00: Just Added to NBVCC.

Just added to Natasha Bailie Vintage Clothing Company: A 1950s prom dress covered in purple flowers.

The perfect vintage prom dress for garden parties, summer swarees, vintage events and glamorous occasions. Nothing says style like wearing vintage dolls!

Click HERE to go straight to my online haven for vintage dresses.

Lady Gaga pays Homage to Vintage Madonna in Alejandro Music Video

This is a selfish blog post so you have been warned. This is Lady Gaga's NEW VIDEO ALEJANDRO.
It is all the normal things; underwear, crazy spectacles, blood and guts. God it is brilliant. For those Gaga haters just skip this post...for all the lovers...
WOW. It is breathtaking...there is so much to take in. Visually stunning...a feast for the eyes. Groundbreaking as always, but are my eyes decieving me or is there lots of vintage Madonna in this video? Has anyone else picked up on this? From the bullett bra to the black and white "Vogue" waistcoat and trouser suit. Madonna has clearly inspired Gaga and this music video.

I once read an interview with Lady Gaga where she said that an ex boyfriend said she would be never be or amount to anything and she looked him straight in the eyes and said "One day you will not even be able to walk down the street without hearing my name".
Lady Gaga has balls of steel and I love it.

Enjoy the video and keep your paws up!

InStyle Magazine Launches A Fashionable Treasure Hunt!

INSTYLE LAUNCHES SUMMER’S MOST INCREDIBLE FASHION HUNT

Fashion and beauty bible, InStyle is launching an exciting new Fashion Hunt which will take place over 7 days from Monday 7th June. Readers across London have to find the location of our InStyler who will have a hamper of goodies to give out to the first people to find them.
Based in a different location over the course of seven working days the InStyler will have amazing designer fashion and beauty items at each spot. And each day will have a different theme!

Prizes’ range from beauty hampers, must-have designer handbags, cult label jeans, stunning jewellery and vouchers to spend in store. Readers simply have to find the location (and the goodies) by following InStyle's Twitter account and checking out instyle.co.uk. However they MUST also come along with a copy of the new July issue of InStyle.


Brands including Selfridges, my-wardrobe.com, Matthew Williamson, Givenchy, Missoni, DKNY and Erikson Beamon are all confirmed to take part. Altogether the prizes are in excess of £7,000.
Readers are asked to sign up on Twitter to get the location and bring along a copy of the July issue of InStyle with Gwen Stefani on the cover (which also has an exclusive Moschino shopper, free with every issue)
Eilidh MacAskill, Editor of InStyle says “Bringing together Instyle’s relationship with key fashion and beauty brands, our relationship with our many readers and a huge element of fun – this has to be one of Instyle’s best initiatives. I may be running around London myself, trying to find the goody bags.”


The July issue of InStyle is on sale now. Log on to www.instyle.co.uk for further details or http://twitter.com/instyle_co_uk


Photos of the winners with their goodies will also appear on instyle.co.uk

Vintage Frank Usher Dress For Sale...Who Was Frank Usher?

"In 1944 Frank Usher was started up during wartime austerity and rationing. It was at a time that all manufacturers needed textile trading coupons to operate. So armed with both coupons and a ready made name of Frank Usher the company was formed.

A first collection of tailor made dresses was produced and sold to a London department store. Success followed quickly as women loved the idea of buying a couture look at realistic prices - especially since Christian Dior had introduced his new look.

Frank Usher opened their first west end showrooms in the mid fifties and started to create a solid UK and international business. The press too got the Frank Usher bug, and Vogue featured many dresses modelled by such luminaries of the day such as actress Kay Kendall and top model Barbara Goalen." - FrankUsher.co.uk

Just Added to Natasha Bailie Vintage Clothing Company: A Vintage Frank Usher Dress, Size 12 £150.00 at www.natashabailie.com

Click HERE to visit my online boudoir for more pictures and details on this fabulous piece of vintage design history.

1950s Vintage Wiggle Dress makes life a little more peachy!

Just added to Natasha Bailie Vintage Clothing Company: A Vintage 1950s Wiggle Dress, Size 14, £75.00 at www.natashabailie.com

This vintage cocktail dress is perfect for parties and all special occasions like weddings, proms, birthdays and themed parties and events.
The design and fit of a 1950’s dress is truly amazing. The bodice of this vintage wiggle dress has been beaded with such care and precision. The dress is lined and supported to give you that great pin-up bullet shape. It lifts your bust whilst nipping in your waist to accentuate your natural curves.

Click HERE to visit my online Vintage Boudoir www.natashabailie.com

I'm not angry...I'm just disappointed...

I love how Mark Kermode promises he will not rant and he does it anyway...Love him! Every word is true...SATC2 the review.

Irregular Choice of Shoes...Hello Lover!

"HELLO LOVER!"

Oh my word...be still my beating heart, look what I have found. Made by Irregular Choice of course! Those crazy creatives have only gone and done it again with their latest crafty footwear designs and they have also made it impossible for me not to look at the Irregular Choice website every day...it is my version of window shopping...online browsing? Online stalking? Online dribbling?

With a wedding or two coming up this season I have found myself constantly browsing online for anything quirky and individual to wear to my buddies summer swarees. Always wanting to have a vintage edge or an individual look I would normally shop vintage, but irregular choice have always had great designs, fabrics, prints and they are very unique shoes. They are also based in Brighton and I love supporting my local talent.

The shoes pictured above are called "KIM OH NO" and they are available online at Irregular Choice at £79.99. Click HERE to go straight to Irregular Choice. If you like these I promise you will love all the other many designs and styles of shoes on offer over at Irregular Choice.

Picture taken from Irregular Choice website.

I LOVE SHOES...