Wednesday 24 May 2017

Seamstress of Bloomsbury "Brenda" Dress Review

When I posted my Top Five Alternative Summer Dresses post - which you can read here, I fell head over heels for the Seamstress of Bloomsbury Brenda dress.


The dress is currently available on their website and is £79.00


It might seem a little odd to buy a long sleeve dress for summer but the Crepe de Chine fabric is cool to wear even on warmer days which means this dress will have longevity as I can wear it in all seasons.

The fabric is very soft to the touch and fluid in movement, it's what I love about SOB's range. The Brenda dress is unlined but thanks to the crepe it doesn't need anything underneath it because it doesn't roll under like so many other fabrics and it isn't too sheer.



The skirt is made from a deceptive amount of fabric which is what makes it hang so well and it gives a gorgeous shape.




The dress has a slightly elasticated waist, this is covered by the brighter blue tie belt which is a lovely feature as it really stands out against the pattern and draws the eye to the waist.

There is no side zip to contend with, the only fastenings are the three buttons on the bust and the cuff buttons.

It also has a beautiful pleated neckline which is a lovely vintage feature.


The buttons on the bust and the cuffs are covered in the same blue fabric, good attention to detail is put into SOB products.


The pattern is floral and the colours are rich, it's so bright and summery. On their website it's described as floral sorbet which I think sums it up!

I tend to go for patterns that can work with many accessories and this dress leaves the options open for so many different colours.


In terms of fit I bought my usual size 14, this dress is less structured than the Milly dress I reviewed previously because of the elasticated waist.

I really appreciate how SOB dresses are generous in the bust, it's something I tend to struggle with when I order from other brands and I end up sizing up but I don't need to with SOB.





This dress washes at 30 degrees and is also easy to iron, the SOB products I own have really convinced me of their quality and luckily I have a stockist right on my doorstep so I can try on as many styles as I want!

I will definitely be including this dress in my Twinwood wardrobe, I wore it with victory rolls in my hair but I have recently made a matching forties felt fascinator which I will be blogging about in my next "Craft of the Month" blog.



I'd recommend checking out Seamstress of Bloomsbury if you haven't yet, they have so many beautiful products.

Until Next Time
Love
Lucy
xx

Wednesday 17 May 2017

Happiness in Hat Pins - Craft of The Month

A vintage accessory I haven't written much about but use often are hat pins. There is not an an awful lot to say about them as they do exactly what it says on the tin and pin your hat to your head.

They are especially useful for older, genuine vintage hats which may have lost their combs or clips, or those that are designed as cocktail hats to be worn with a pin and have no other fastenings.


I am a big believer in making things if you cannot find what you are looking for at vintage sales and whilst I have some genuine vintage hat pins I love, I want to have colour variety in my collections.

Hat Pin Making


You will need:
  • Hat pins I got mine on eBay (search Hijab pins if you cannot find them)
  • Beads
  • Glue

1. When purchasing your hat pins make sure to check the length and the width of the pin you are buying, I bought 126mm long, 1mm wide to allow enough room for some decorative beads without the pin then being too short. Be sure that your pins are "headed" meaning they have a little stopper on the bead end to stop them falling off. and they should have a pin guard on the other end too.

2. Buy your beads and be careful not to buy anything where the opening is of a much bigger size than the pin or they might fall off the end, if your pins width is 1mm then try to buy beads with a 1mm hole. Most good online bead sellers put this info in their description or you could take one of your pins to your local haberdashery and just try them out.

I got my beads at Hobbycraft, they do a bead pot for £3.50 in which you can mix and match your beads so you don't have to buy a bulk of beads that you may not use.

3. Glue - I have a hot glue gun that I use for crafts but if you don't have one make sure you are using a glue that is multi purpose since you will be binding different materials together.

4. Plan your design - make sure you try out different combinations of your beads to find the best fit, try some random combinations to get the creativity flowing.




 
 

 


5. Once you are happy with your design you can carefully glue it into place.

6. Let gravity do some of the work for you and avoid undoing your hard work, I placed mine upside-down in a pot.

7. Voila - now you have hat pins to go with your different outfits.


This is a cheap and easy craft that most people will be able to do themselves at home, you could even get the kids involved then you can then have fun trying them out on all your different hats.

I hope you enjoyed this post, I am planning on bringing you a craft each month based on vintage styles or practices and I've got a long list of things to try already!







Until Next Time
Love
Lucy
xx

Thursday 11 May 2017

Remembering Rainham - A National Trust Property

I think it is fair to say that my home town of Rainham in Essex is not the most glamorous of places, just beyond Dagenham at the end of zone six it didn't seem to have much for the 18 year old me, but now I am older I actually appreciate it a lot more.

Recently a property that was closed to the public in my childhood has been opened up by the National Trust and is currently housing a 1940's exhibition, when it was used as a day nursery.


In the summer Rainham Hall is hidden almost entirely by trees but beyond the iron gates lies a wonderful and colourful history.

Rainham Hall was built in the early 18th century by Captain John Harle but due to it being passed quickly through the family it was later tenanted. The house has been painted, decorated and lived in for many years with each tenant leaving their stamp.

Whilst this means that the house is not as historically accurate as other national trust properties it has a lived in charm.


The Day Nursery

The main reason I wanted to go to Rainham Hall was for the day nursery exhibition, the hall was used as a day nurses during the war. Records are scarce and the exhibition uses testimony from local people to get a personal view of peoples experiences. I love the idea of local people contributing to this whilst it is within living memory.

The exhibition spreads throughout the house, introducing what a day nurses was for, how and when they were opened and who ran them.


In the Matron's office some Pathe film footage promoting the day nurseries is projected on the wall. The nurseries were promoted as a very positive thing, allowing mums to go to work and children to be well looked after in the nurses capable hands.


The kitchen was clearly an important part of the day nursery with some of the testimony being centred around food, Roger clearly didn't think much of the fish pie!




The contributors all agreed that the sleeping arrangements were very uncomfortable in these camp style beds. Some reported sleeping upstairs whereas others thought it was in the lower part of the house.



Playtime seems to be fresh in the memories of the contributors, they remembered a rocking horse which must have been such a treat at the time as they almost certainly wouldn't have had one  at home.

There is an old fashioned gramophone in the exhibition which you can ask the staff to assist with.


The children remembered wearing aprons or tabards, each had their own to avoid getting their clothes dirty. Some had images of fruit or flowers. The exhibition pointed out the irony of children wearing prints of fruit they may never have actually held in their hands.


The children didn't recall much punishment and certainly not being harshly punished, they described being happy at the day nursery, one saying she didn't want to leave, and another remarking on what a privilege it was to spend your childhood days in such a place.

There is even a love story that had it's beginnings in Rainham Hall Day Nursery!

Other local interests - there are maps in the exhibition details where the local nurseries were in relation to where wartime incidents, like bombings and plane crashes, took place. I was amazed to see that a V2 bomb dropped right where my own home would later be built in the 50's.



There was also this jar of Rainham ointment which was produced locally in a road I know only too well at 135 Wennington Road, it's a world away from the pharmacy at Tesco!



The Gardens

Rainham Hall has, to my surprise, 3 acres of gardens. These are open to the public and not only house some beautiful meadow like flower beds but some initiatives for local children like the insect village.





I love the way the flowers are not super plotted out like you see in some places but rather left to grow in an integrated way, it looks very natural.


There is a section of the gardens encouraging bees to the grounds which seems to be working!


It would be a wonderful place to come and spend a few hours and now I know these beautiful grounds are accessible I think I'll be spending some summer days there.

There is a cafe in the grounds also where visitors can get tea and and a slice of cake or a hot lunch.

It's fantastic to see this beautiful house opened up to the public and I hope many more people get to enjoy it. I am looking forward to the next exhibition documenting the tenancy of Vogue Photographer Anthony Denney.

I think it's great that the exhibitions are to be refreshed regularly to document the house and it's history of it's 50 tenants. To get to Rainham takes about twenty minutes from Fenchurch Street station, why not pay a visit? 

Until Next Time
Love
Lucy
xx


Sunday 7 May 2017

Lindy Bop Gracia Jumpsuit Review

As part of my birthday treat to myself I did quite a large order from the Lindy Bop sale. I decided with such a big discount I would try something a little different.

Since my wardrobe consists almost entirely of skirts and dresses one of these Gracia jumpsuits hit my basket and I was excited to try it out.

This jumpsuit is a dark blue, somewhere between royal blue and navy. It's a muted tone in keeping with the 40's. The jumpsuit comes with a bow as shown below.
                                                 Image result for lindy bop jumpsuit bow
Image property of Lindybop

Because I like to be able to switch things up a bit I actually unpicked the bow and attached a pin and a hair slide to it, so I can wear it as intended or I can pin it to my hair, a handbag, onto a cardigan etc. That's why it's missing in my pictures.

The Gracia jumpsuit is currently £33 on their website which you can visit here. 



The fabric is nice and heavy which is needed to give the appropriate amount of drape in the legs. It offers a little stretch making it boobie flattering. It's tightness on the top means the bust looks shapley and enhances the overall cut.

The fabric also irons really well, which is a must for someone who is ironing board phobic like me.

The neckline is a lovely sweetheart shape which gives this jumpsuit more of a feminine touch and I think it balances it out really well.


I really like the length of the body, it doesn't look too tight and this is key for jumpsuits to avoid the "toe" It skims over the tummy giving a very clean line.

The legs are wide, I actually love them and had previously thought they would make me look huge but I think they draw the eye to the very pulled in waist and create a lovely shape.


It, of course, has pockets which always goes down well with me!


I decided to go very "Rosie" for this outfit and wear my hair in an updo with a yellow scarf to compliment my belt and shoes.


My trusty red cardigan kept me warm but I'll be wearing this with a white or printed shirt too or on it's own.

In terms of fit I bought my usual size 14 and found the fit spot on. The leg length are very long, I am 5'8 and was wearing 2-3 inch heels so shorter people might have to take the legs up unless wearing very high heels, but better too much material than not enough I say!

I hope you enjoyed this review, I'd like to try some other styles that are new to me and branch out a little this year.

Until Next Time
Love
Lucy
xx

Wednesday 3 May 2017

Seamstress Of Bloomsbury "Milly" Dress Review

I have been lusting after a piece from Seamstress of Bloomsbury for an age. When Rock n Romance had an offer that gave £20.00 off any order of £40.00 or more for filling in a survey I jumped at the chance and that's how I got myself my first SOB dress.

This Milly dress was in the sample section of their website and was £29.00 so I was getting a bargain.


This 1940's style dress is perfect for summer. I adore bright red because it looks great all year round. 

The dress has 2/4 length sleeves (my favourite) It buttons all the way down the front and has an eye and hook at the waist to really nip it in. 


The dress has a higher neckline with a classic shape and this delicate leaf print detail embroidered into it. 



The leaf detail is followed through on the pocket and waist. These garments have a real attention to detail that SOB can pride themselves on. 

The dress is made from the crepe that most SOB fans rave about, if you don't know anything about the brand they specialise in some of the most high quality and historically accurate reproduction fabric on the market. 

Their crepe is utterly gorgeous, there is nothing cheap and cheerful about it. There is a craftsmanship to their designs and tailoring that is truly quality. 


In terms of fit I bought my usual size 14. You should consult the sizing guide for SOB, these items are based on vintage patterns and are so close to the real thing that you may find you need some vintage style foundation garments, I am wearing a corset with this dress as I needed a bit of help in the waist but it had a generous bust. 


I paired this dress with a vintage Kangol hat which I have been dying to wear and I know it won't be the last time I pair these together. 


Delivery from Rock n Romance was swift and it only took a couple of days for me to receive the dress. They carry some fantastic brands at various price points so I'll be keeping an eye on their website. 

Until Next Time 
Love 
Lucy 
xx