There is a little horse in the garden

Here’s another one of my ceramic fancies, I so love these little bits of nothing. A friend once told me he had an aunt who had “shelves full of nothing “meaning all these kitsch sentimental orniments. Another one for the collection for the real fairytale. Found and bought this little one from a charity shop in Shepperton for £1.50 and it’s a gift aid, get me.

Style Diaries: World Fashion from Berlin to Tokyo

A book about bloggers and their style, picture heavy, could have had a bit more context and words in it. It’s an international whirlwind of a tour of style bloggers, recommend. The other interesting thing about this book is the copyright issue as only a handful of pages are not the copyright of the bloggers. The rest of the copyright belongs to the blogger and they are in most of the photos and the angles don’t look like DIY shots. Begs the question, who dose the image belong to? I found and bought the book at the V&A shop for £19.99 after a meeting about teaching a 1 day digital t-shirt design course in March 2011. Took the book into a workshop with my styling students at LCf and they enjoyed flicking through the style candy.

Garnet Girl

Oh you’re a Garnet girl a vintage jewellery seller once said to me. I found and bought this Silver Garnet ring at an auction in Berkshire for £19. Caused a bit of a storm buying this as the dealers get very territorial about anyone else bidding, hello it’s an auction. I think its Victorian as it looks very similar to another ring I bought from a trusted dealer the year before. Photo not that great showing the detail, trust me it’s a stunner.

More royal mugs and prince and princesses

My fancy, collecting royal mugs to use as everyday use seems even more appropriate with the announcement of Kate and Wills wedding this year. For now here are some of the others who decided to either tie the knot or be king or queen. I am fascinated with the kitsch royal ceramics and have branched out into prince and princess orniments. Fear not there is a reason for this I have been collecting for a while now to use a characters for a real fairytale book, shameless TV programme style, when I get round to it. Found these royal mugs in an Berkshire antique shop in the £1 box and orniments 50p each in the 50p box, love a rummage through a get rid box.

Baby you can drive my car

I wish, I have been learning to drive forever and the closest I have got to own a car is this 1930s vintage pink glass ash tray. Oh well 3rd test lucky, try to pass this year and you never know the vintage ash tray could be a real car. Found this for £1 in a charity shop in surrey. Tip, vintage ash trays look great with a tea candle light in, a touch of the cosy needed right now to chase those January blues away.

Club Tropicana – Jump Around ?

Jumps suits, all in ones there not right and I don’t know why I do it to myself. It’s as if each time I buy one I believe this is the one that will perform jump suit magic on me. Boyfriends never like or understand them and I stubbornly won’t listen even if he might be right on this one. I bought this for the bright jade green colour and crazy appliqué pattern and it reminded me of what a lively older lady would wear if she retired to the sun. This piece for me is so Florida mixed with 80s Wham Club Tropicana, where I am sure by the time I retire the drinks won’t be free!



Found and bought in a charity shop in Weighbridge Surrey, very posh round there they know how to charge £8. Listen to me I have been living in planet boot sale for too long. Well I only hope I jump around in this jump suit in spring, if not its going back to the chazzer, not sure about this fuy: (

Men seldom make passes at girls who wear glasses - Dorothy Parker

One of my favourite Dorothy Parker quotes, why because she was so right back then in 30s! I adore beauty and brain in a gal, darling! Sadly I am coming to that time in life where I squint at the London A-Z. So check these vintage reading glasses and another pair of sunglasses (remember my draw full of sunglasses in previous blog) found at a boot sale in surrey for £1.50 each. I bargained the lady down from £2 a pair to £3 for both.



Here’s another little tip I had a pair of vintage glasses updated with new lenses at specsavers a couple of years ago , luckily the guy that was serving me collected all sorts of glasses, a bit of a geek and was up for giving it a go. Today I am the proud owner of pink and white vintage wing reading glasses. It’s all about the wing when it comes to vintage reading glasses style. These ones are next in line for the new lens transformation, books at the ready gals.

Dare to be different – you bet baby

The slogan says it all really, Lulu Guiness make up bag found and bough for £19.99 from TK Max on Charring Cross Road London. What’s TKs doing in Central London? Guess it’s a sign of the times, prime site with St Martin’s Fashion Students being right opposite.

Lepoard Lady

Forever, since my college years I have always had a Lepoard item in my wardrobe each season. From a big old vintage coat to Lepoard print converse. This AW I found a little Lepoard print cardigan from H&M Oxford Street £14.99, worn it lots so it was a good buy, looks great with a bit of tweed and blouse. Got excited about the styling of this find as I feel I am starting to explore making the clothes look alive in a still life photograph. If this chair was a woman she defiantly seen a lot world and its men, a posh Bet Lynch type of lady! How rude!

Maggie’s got her tea cosy hat on !

Now I have a strange thing about Maggie Thatcher as a feminist. I find her power that was intriguing; it’s a love hate thing. I also have a thing about using tea cosies as hats. So this post is a two in one. The tea pot is an old find, found in a skip 12is years ago in Old Street, before the mass trendy move east. I keep my change in my Maggie head teapot as Maggie once said “look after the pennies and the pounds will look after themselves” Scary how relevant this is again. The tea cosy was bought at a church fate in Staines for £2, hand knitted by the lady I bought it from.

South African Statement Necklace

Found this mother of a necklace at a boot sale in Surrey for £3 one of my fav haunts for bargains. The lady I bought it off said she bought it in South Africa, as a holiday treat. I was drawn to as it has an insect inside the main feature bauble and at first it reminded me of Victorian mineral jewellery. Then when I got it home realised it was more tribal than Victorian. Styled it on a Victorian vase my sister bought me for my birthday a few years ago, the vase is the real McCoy, completely over the top home wear.

Autumn Winter wardrobe change over

Most of my clothes are Vintage and due to my hording, when it comes to clothes, the change of season is a dress up, trying on fest. Remembering the pieces I had forgotten all about and I own. The first stage is easy anything Spring Summer in a pile, then do I want to keep it. The answer is usually if it’s vintage yes and if it’s anything else did I wear it and dose it still fit. If not then two more piles a storage pile for next Spring Summer and a Charity shop pile, back to the source for most of it. I kid you not some of the pieces in my wardrobe I have had for 10 years or more. So I went for it a couple of nights ago and here’s what my wardrobe is looking like this season.

Peter Pan collar

This sweet little Peter Pan collar, spotted blouse is from TK Max, told you I was mad about the max! It’s by Gharani Strok and found and bought it for £6 in Staines Tks.

Heart of Glass

Can’t believe what a romantic I am, it’s shocking me. Wonder if I could have imagined this when I was jumping around to Blondie “Heart of Glass” desperate to be cool and live in London.
Totally enjoying doing this indulgent blog and reflecting on what I buy for a year and analyzing my attraction to the objects, why do I buy?


Heart glass dish marvellous for a dressing table and holding lady bits and bobs – bought at a boot sale in Surrey for £1

Feminist Princess

When it comes to my home I am such a Princess with plenty of comfort, softness and muted romantic patterns and images. Oh and did I mention I am a feminist, work that one out!



Tapestry Cushion covers – bought from Hampton Court Antiques, 4 for £12

Super Grannies

October was full on for me, hence no posts, with the teaching year starting at London College of Fashion where I teach Styling. Also my infamous “Red Dress Project” that I have been teaching for about 14 ish years at St martin’s, same brief with different students and outcomes every year, LOVE IT !. I have so many fuys to post its untrue so here I go. I am slightly (so in denial) obsessed by older women and their formidable style and attitude. Growing up two of my many style inspirations were my grandmother and Super Gran a children’s TV character from the 80s, gutsy older lady. She’s a crazy mix of granny and superwoman in tartan, gentle but tough, like it!

This post includes bits and pieces I have kept since starting this blog to inspire me and put a concept look together leading onwards and upwards into new work. Earlier this year I had to style and pack my grandmothers wardrobe as she needed to move into a home and there is no doubt about it as well as her being am enormous influence on my entire fashion existence, this experience has also influenced what I have been finding and buying.

One last word Granny Chic is big this A/W season, for me it’s been a part of my look since being a teenager but the older I get the more realistic it looks, be warned Tavi arrghhh so I think “funk my granny up” with fluorescent knits !


Mohair Hat - charity shop in Wittering £1


Vintage Buttons - Charity shop in Shepperton 50p


Dark Green flex knit cardigan - charity shop in Wittering £3
Fluorescent Pink scarf - charity shop in Wittering £1


Knitting patterns - charity shop in Wittering 25p each


Florescent Green and Navy Blue crochet scarf boot sale in surrey 50p


80s Black carved bracelet ¬- Staines Antique Fair 30p (part of 3 for a pound deal)


Fluorescent Pink tank top with knitted Black Rose – boot sale in surrey £1


Broach - Staines Antique Fair 30p (part of 3 for a pound deal)


Orange nylon ruffle front top with back button fastening charity shop in, Paignton, Devon £6.99



Tartan weekend bag – perfect for all the Supergran finds, Charity shop in Midhurst, Surrey £2.50

Oh England my boot sale heart

What to do the morning after a 40th party night in the country near Rye, feeling a little worse for wear? Hit a gentle boot sale on mass, I loving going in a group and seeing what finds and objects everyone goes for. So no further a do here are our finds from the booty on glorious sunny day in the English countryside. Ahhhhh

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.