Pattern on Pattern

No such thing as too much pattern for me! Found this jersey white paisley print dress for £1.99 in Oxfam in Birkenhead. Then an Antoni and Alison printed jacket for £8 in TK Max in Staines. The graphic prints and black and white were made to clash with each other.

Garden rugs

Now here’s an idea, I came across when I was styling and photographing these finds in my garden. I found these rugs at a boot sale in Rye for £3 each. They look like they could be 30s rugs, love the floral design,colours and came up a treat when I washed them. So imagine if we had rugs in the garden made out of water resistant material, bringing the inside out. Put them in my bedroom for now and the idea has gone in sketch book, oh to design the world!

Maxis from TK max

Me and Maxi dresses work, I have a few Vintage ones that I have had for about 20 yrs but I fancied a new one for a family wedding and as I have mentioned before when your style thing is in the shops, go buy. I love vintage because of the uniquness and you never usually see anyone in the same item. TK Max works as good as a charity shop to keep my own look as it requires rummage. Rummage equals one off bargains, job done. So to my delight I found both these dresses on the same day in TK max in Croydon after visiting a good friend and in need of some cheering up with retail therapy, maxis a go-go.



The floral maxi is an everyday summer floater; I have worn it a few times with little pastel vest under giving a bit of sporty layering.



The multicoloured maxi looked great at the family wedding teamed with a dip dyed pink wrap and big purple flower in my hair although didn’t need the wrap as it was one of the hottest days of the year

Pleased with the art direction and photography in these photos as the dresses look like someone wearing them but no one is there, spooky.

Flower Woman Power

As you may have noticed I am just a bit mad for pattern and if I had to pick one type of pattern, floral is the one, top of the pile. Why? When I think of floral on women it inspires me to think of floaty pre-Raphaelite women, Liberty prints, Summer of Love, Janice Joplin and a bit of Charlotte Bronte for some up tight good measure in all this freeness. Here is my washing line full of my floral fuys all waiting to be worn for a camping trip, fingers crossed it rains so I can try out the Kagool!



Floral shirt (very similar look to a Liberty print shirt for a fraction of the price) from TK Max in Croydon £9.99





Floral Kagool from Primark in Hackney £6. I had one of these I used for camping when I was about 13 and thought it was genius a rain Mac in a pack, clever.

Tom Girl Checks

Two style icons who do checks really well for me are Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz in her gingham check dress storming the yellow brick road and Marylyn Monroe in Misfits doing a sexy jeans and western shirt look. So when I found this blue check dress in a charity shop in Surrey for £4 I got very inspired to play with these looks this summer.



The dress is by Monsoon so I its either late 80s or early 90s and because of this could also do a bit of a Bananarama tom girl look. I bought this and was due to go out that night to the country for a 40 th birthday and as a strict rule I don’t wear charity shop clothes without a good wash. Being so desperate to wear it I washed and ironed it dry in 2 hours.



The check shirt is from TKMax in Croydon £12.99 a good little number to wear with denim and looks just fine with the navy cuffed army style trousers I bought from Debenhams in Croydon, £15 in the sale. Do I ever buy anything not on the cheap the answer is no not in these times love!



Can’t beat a good check for a bit of pattern

8os hair combs and long Victorian gray hair

When I found these hair combs I had two memories the first my great grandmother and how she use to wear these in the plainer colours and how she keep her long old gray locks all tied up neat with one or two of these combs. The neatness of her hair and cunningness with her combs said Victorian properness all over it. The second memory, my early teenage years in the 80s, wearing the combs to school, neon flashes trying desperately to lift my navy school uniform. I feel they are due a come back, especially in these colours and the tribal abstract print on the comb would look right on any East London fashion lovely. I found and bought for 20 pence each at a boot sale in Surrey so I splashed out and bought five for a pound.

Real exotic suburban bond girl top

This top was found at a boot sale in Surrey for a £1 the older lady I bought it from made it herself and she couldn’t remember what size it was. I absolutely get a kick out of buying vintage things from the actual people that made them. This top reminds me of exotic bond girls making cocktails and photos of my grandmother’s suburban cocktail parties in the 70s. I am going to wear it with my clogs (walking the dog in clogs post)and Charlie’s Angles Jeans (in my tk-maxing post) another suburban cocktail darling?

Walking the dog in clogs

Seasonal fashion can be cruel or kind depending on your personal style and body shape. A look can be in for a season that totally suits your fashion thing and then out the next. So I have learnt to stock up when my era 40s, 50s or 70s is in the normal shops. Then the rest of the time I rummage for it charity and vintage. The return of the clog was one of these moments for me this summer. Clogs’ are so right for a 40s or 70s look. They give height and balance my legs as lets put it this way I couldn’t ever join the Jeggins gang as leggings don’t do anything for my legs. I bought these clogs from Kurt Geiger in Bond Street on sale for £59, love them they look great with floral dresses, big leather belts and Charlie’s Angels style jeans. sadly I still make mistakes as I bought these red Indian style sandals on the same day from Kurt Geiger for £29 ( sale ) and hardly worn them. Strap round the ankles not that great or easy to walk in as my feet slide around in them. The heart ring was a lunch fuy £2 from Primark in Hackney, that has to have the trendiest customers I have ever seen in a Prirmani.