Review - Lindy Bop 'Vera' Blue Rose Stripe Print Swing Skirt

As part of my summer haul from Lindy bop I bought the gorgeous 'Vera' Blue Rose Stripe Print Swing Skirt. 
I'd had my eye on this for a while so I was happy when it went into the sale for £20.00. 
I must say I am pleased with it from the top to the bottom! 

The waistband is thick which I find essential on these types of skirt, too thin and they just loose that lovely structure. 

The skirt is  full, not circle, with some gentle pleating which falls really nicely, this shape is perfect for the office because anything bigger and I will knock things off shelves! 

The skirt comes to below the knee and thankfully is lined. I always wear hosiery and never leave the house bare legged, cotton skirts can have a habit of riding up against nylon clad legs but the lining stops this happening. 

Wether or not something has a lining is something I would check before ordering again as I'd have a strong preference to the lined skirts. Whilst writing this post I discovered if you type "fully lined" into the search bar of the Lindy Bop website the lined items will appear - score! 

The pattern is gorgeous, swirled stripes with red and blue roses. I love how the pattern is traditional and not too novelty. It's bright and fun but not too garish. 

In terms of fit I bought a 16 which was perfect for me, it's a little looser than some of my Lindy Bop dresses but I sit down all day so prefer the extra space! 

How I wore it 

I decided to wear my yellow bakelite bangle again as it goes with so many things and it was accompanied by these Splendette blue and white marbled bangles which mirror the colours in the roses. 

I wore a blue vest top and this red bolero (RIP BHS) to tie in with the accent colours. 

The brooch seems sufficiently floral for such an outfit. 

In my earrings I picked up on the green with these plastic bakelite-esque earrings that were a 50p charity shop find. 

This red Kelly bag is a new favourite, I had been after one for an age and I found this in my local Mind charity shop for £6.99

It was hot and nearly the end of the week so my tired feet had a ballet pump treat this day! 

My lipstick of choice today was the NYX Liquid Suede cream lipstick in cherry skies. 

My roots are driving me a little crazy now but it has given me an idea for a blog post on hairstyles to hide your roots! 

Until next time 
Love 
Lucy 
xx 

Charity Shopping Abroad and Costa Del Sol Haul

On Saturday I flew back from Spain having spent a delightful week with my wonderful friends in Cartama.

I love to visit charity shops wherever I go so I hit a few up on my trip. Here are some things to bear in mind when thrifting abroad:

Finding charity shops: I try to read blogs and reviews before I go but on this trip I mainly relied on google maps, just type charity shops (insert place name) into google maps and it shows you what's around you, what did we do without modern technology?

Language barrier: It's lovely to try out your language skills in a new place with local people and I always recommend people learn the basic phrases of a transaction - please, thank you, how much is this? could I have a bag? - all of this will help you and also shop assistants appreciate when you are making an effort so don't be shy!

Supporting local causes: I love the idea of supporting local charities and thrifting is a nice opportunity to get something to remind you of your holiday that is unique to your trip. If there are things you are not taking home you can also donate to them if you have washed them of course!

Torremolinos- there was only one charity shop in the centre of town which, with the help of google maps, I found pretty painlessly. I don't have a picture unfotunately but it was a pentecostal charity near the centre of town.

Here were some of the interesting things I saw:

  

 

I picked up these brown shorts for €2 which are a thick fabric and have an elasticated back, they came with the belt too which was handy. On Instagram I did a #toptiptuesday that said to ignore the gender of clothing when thrifting and these shorts are the proof!

They also have the deepest pockets too!

Benalmadena - this is about half an hours walk along the sea front from Torremolinos.  I spotted a few interesting things there and they had a rail outside on which everything was €1:

 

I picked up this polyester tea dress for €4, it had no belt but I knew I could wear this white one with it. It's made by a Spanish brand too!

I love the 40's inspired pattern and the fact that I could just throw this on and run out the door for instant vintage factor.

Fuengirola - Another popular holiday resort, another charity shop. This charity shop was larger and more organised than the others with lots of fabric and homeware. They also had some great vintage dressing gowns.



 

This shop was a little more pricey but hey it's for charity. I spotted this little sweater in my favourite colour for €8 and snapped it up.

I'd love to explore some second hand markets and sales next time I go, now I have my bearings!

I have made a haul video including this lot and some extra bits I picked up in the vintage kilo sale in Malaga over on my youtube channel which will go live on my channel later today.

Which european cities have you found the best for charity shops? I'd love to hear about it.

Until Next Time
Love
Lucy
xx

Review - Lindy Bop Bee Print Tie Front Blouse - We Love Manchester Emergency Fund

When I saw the bee print tie front blouse on Lindy Bop's website I thought it was perfect for a summer to autumn wardrobe. 

It was even better when I read that 100% of the proceeds go the the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund. The cost of the shirt was £20 and it is excluded from special offers or discounts. 

The shirt is 100% polyester and has a lovely crepe feel to it. It's not too man made feeling or sweat inducing. 

It also didn't wrinkle much during a day at the office which is a definite plus! 

It has 3/4 length sleeves which I always prefer as I love my bangles to be on show. The shirt is cropped so it works well with a high waisted skirt or a high waist trouser. 

I always size up with anything that has buttons and since this is not a stretch fabric I ordered an 18 (usually 14-16 in Lindy Bop depending on the fabric) It's looser than intended on the waist but the tie detail means this doesn't matter so much, I am just happy there is no gaping. 

The print is gorgeous, all different sized bees that look to be swarming around. 

I love the little pocket detail which is a faux pocket flap, I prefer this as when the shape of the pocket is stitched in they are always too small on my bust and look a bit silly so I am really pleased that this detail has been left simple. 

The ties on this shirt are generous and this is another plus, if they are too short they don't give an effective amount of "dangle" plus as they are longer you could easily tuck them in to give the shirt a different feel. 

I got a number of things from Lindy Bop and did a haul on my youtube channel which you can watch here. 

I will write reviews of all the other items as I go along so watch this space! 

How I Wore It 

I paid tribute to the bees with bakelite, using my black and gold swirled bangles, my honey like apple juice spacers and this chunky yellow number which is a recent acquisition. 

In keeping with this colour scheme I wore these bakelite clip on ball earrings in a colour affectionately nicknamed "goose shit" 

And of course these days I never go anywhere without Hotters on my feet, these yellow ones get a lot of wear and were perfect with this outfit. 

What do bees love? Flowers! I gave my original vintage basket bag an outing, I am trying to make sure this gets it's fair share of attention whilst the weather is dry. 

In terms of make up I applied a layer of resting bitch face and Revolutions retro matte lip kit in Glory, I am loving dark lipstick at the moment. 

Also aren't my roots doing well? 

Until Next Time 

Love 

Lucy 

xx 

East End Vintage Clothing Store £1.00 sale!

Last weekend I took a trip to the good old East End of London to visit the East End Vintage Clothing Store's £1.00 sale.

I have written about this company before which you can read here.

I have made a youtube video of my stash which you can see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2R3xeChqDA 

I still can't get over how many lovely bargains there are at these sales, but I thought for the blog I would write some additional advice on how to approach these sales, which I do with military style stealth.

1. Don't get there early/make two trips

My friend Jo and I arrived just after opening time at 11am and not much was laid out and things were still being pulled out of the warehouse as we arrived. Last time I went on the second day of this two day sale and there was much more laid out. So I'd actually say don't be the first there (but don't be the last) or go twice, this also occurred to me.

2. Take your own bag

I took one of those blue ikea bags for this purpose. If you see something you like don't inspect it there and then, you will likely be four deep at the rail, take it off the hanger and stuff it in your bag. Find a quiet corner and inspect it later. without a shoulder bag your arms will be full off stuff and you won't be able to look any further, plus the queues to pay can be long and your arms will ache, also you have got something to carry it all home in which goes over your shoulder (which is why the ikea bags are perfect)

3. Wear a vest

In fact wear an outfit that you have a thin layer underneath, like a vest or a slip, or a vest and leggings. There are fitting rooms at this sale but there is often a queue and people were stripping down to try things on in the yard (which is a regular occurrence) Since I was buying loads of shirts I could try them all on whilst maintaining my dignity since I had a vest top on.

4. Think out of season

There is no ryme or reason to these sales so if you see a coat you love but it's the middle of summer buy it and put it away, there is loads of knitwear at this sale and some of it is really good for vintage looks. All thrift shopping is about what is there at any given point in time which is what makes it so fun but forget "seasons"

5. Pee before you purchase

There are no toilets at this sale and very little nearby to accommodate. Just saying.

Here is a sneak peak of some of my bargains from the day...yep, thats a ballgown!

I have been doing some youtube videos recently so do visit the channel and let me know what you would like to see! 

Until next time 

Love 

Lucy 

xx

The 10 Best Things About Dressing Vintage

I hear from so many people that they would love to dress vintage, but... much of peoples hesitation centres around confidence, they don't know anyone who wears the same, where do they start and would they be doing it right?

So here is my list of my top 10 best things about dressing vintage.

1. Compliments

This had to be number one because contrary to belief I have had far more compliments than negative comments on my vintage style. It might sound contrary but people regularly stop me in the street to say how lovely an outfit is. The proof is in the pudding and once you start dressing vintage these comments can be a little addictive.

2. Community

The vintage community is huge in the UK and beyond. I was into the vintage style before I found all the wonderful vintage facebook groups full of people who love the same. I have now made true friends with some of these people and they have been there for me through really tough times, and they understand my love of vintage too. If you put yourself out there you will find like minded people and expand your social circle.

3. Recycling

Whether you are wearing 80's does 50's or true vintage, all second hand clothing is recycling and it does feel good to know that 95% of my wardrobe has avoided landfill and is being utilised. That's not to say that I don't buy anything new but my footprint on the world is definitely less than average in the wardrobe department.

4. Avoiding fast fashion

Read any blog on fashion industry ethics and behold the can of worms. Buying cheap and buying lots comes at a price, not just to the person making it but to you the consumer as you will have to replace cheaper items more regularly. Buying quality second hand goods that will last means buying less of this fast fashion.

5. Feeling unique

Whilst the community is large if you wear vintage or vintage style everyday the chances are you will stand out in the sea of highstreet clobber and that's a great thing. I hate to be dressed like everyone else and vintage provides me with the opportunity to dress how I want to and express some individuality.

6. Your granny will love it

Seeing the faces of the older generation light up with recognition of a style or a dress really makes my day, it seems to make theirs too and I always come away from conversations with the older generation with a little warm glow.

7. It's old so it never gets old

Classic is classic, I don't have to follow high street trends because I maintain my vintage style but back when I did I felt that I was constantly chasing the next trend and wanting to be "current" and it's all a bit stressful. With vintage as my chosen style I don't have to follow trends, worry about whether they suit me and if I will look back and cringe in years to come. I've got the 90's for that!

8. It's cheap and cheerful.

At least it is the way I do it. As with anything you can spend a little or a lot and I like to spend as little as possible for everyday items, I went to a £1.00 sale today and got some truly quality clothes that will work for so many vintage inspired outfits, all for less than the cost of one highstreet item (£17.00 total spend in fact)

9. You don't have to go near the high street

I used to treat shopping like a hobby, visiting the same shopping centre on a Saturday and seeing the same stuff week in week out, I spent so long dressing for my life I wasn't having a life. Now I thrift but then I find better things to do with my afternoons that don't centre around the high street which has proved refreshing.

10. Events

Dressing vintage means that I have a whole season of events that I can attend to wear my favourite styles, ogle other peoples and listen to fabulous music. These vintage specific events make the vintage dresser feel really at home, no other clothing I have ever worn has had festivals dedicated to it.

So there you have it, my top 10 things about dressing vintage... I will have to write a 10 worst things though, by way of balance...watch this space.

Until Next Time
Love
Lucy
xx