The Clothes Show Live: what I bought

So as I mentioned in the previous post, I was delighted to spot the fantastic Blue Rinse at the Clothes Show.

The thing that caught my eye first was a rack of re-worked vintage playsuits in amazing patterns and colours. I'd like to say that I was really drawn to this one:

But to tell the truth I could've bought about 10! Most of the ones I liked were navy blue so I picked this one as it was one of the few black ones, and black goes with most things I own.

I absolutely love the print and it fits great, despite none of them being sized; swiftly trying it on in the toliets over my shirt and leggings was all I had to go off!

The waist is elasticated, as is the top- finally, a playsuit which isn't too much hassle to get on and off during toilet trips on a drunken night out!

It was a little pricey for me at £25, but what can I say, I fell in love!

I'll try and post a picture of me wearing it at some point.

The 'Manhattan Vintage Jewellery' stall was one of my favourites too (I did have a picture, but my laptop blowing up on me again means I can't really access it!)

For me, it really stood out from the other jewellery stalls, which were mostly vintage-style jewellery. These stalls were fairly samey and I'm always reluctant to fork out £12 for a plain necklace with a charm on the end- I know how easy these are to make (indulged in a little jewellery making myself for awhile)

This 'K' necklace caught my eye immediately- I'm a bit obsessed with name necklaces! I also picked up something for a present too.

And... that was pretty much all I bought because I'm fairly brassic en ce moment! (okay, and Company magazine and some Tigi hair products)

I also forgot to mention something else of interest- the Clothes Show's new 'Sknitch' zone! I may do another post on this. I had some pictures but as I mentioned, they're on my laptop which has decided to fail on me one too many times!

Foxy x

Kendal kicks

So as I mentioned yesterday, I went to Kendal today, a town in Cumbria.

I actually used to go to Kendal a lot (I spent one night a week humilating myself at the town's dry ski slope for some time) but haven't actually been for a few years.

I couldn't believe my eyes when I spotted a vintage shop on the drive in- not what I expected to find here!

As my bearings are difficult to establish in areas I frequent a lot, I already had a pretty poor chance of finding the shop once parked up in the immediate town centre.

After much walking, a near heart attack and a bit of google maps, I found the shop- which was closed!

Yeah so apparently the shop opens between Tuesday and Saturday. It looked pretty interesting so I'll definitely be remembering it for next time.









Vintage Revival has an online shop which meant I could still have a browse.

Some pieces are a bit pricey but on the whole, it's pretty reasonable. It was duly noted that the shop offered student discount- hope this transfers to the website too!

So onto the charity shops...

I actually didn't find many, four or five I think, although I didn't have a great deal of time to explore.

I bought this blue, embellished batwing jumper from Scope for £4.95.





I'm not so hot on the colour, but I like a good batwing style top and the sequin and bead embellishment is really intricate and pretty- so I bought.

I also bought this bag from Age UK for £3.50.



I can't decide whether the bag looks cheap or not, but I liked the gold metal detail on the straps.

I bought the dress today too, it's from Topshop and was £35. A rare treat as I don't buy too many new clothes nowadays but this one's for a night out.

I also got this unusual long necklace from Oxfam for £3.99.



It's a porcelain pendant on a long, gold tone chain. The face is dark blue and has a victorian looking couple on the front.

It's marked with 'La Reine Limoges Porcelaine France' on the back. I've been trying to find out a bit about this mark but without a great deal of luck.

From what I can tell, they are an old reputable porcelain company who took over another manufacturer.

I've found my piece and similar ones elsewhere like one on ebay which I'll be watching to see how much it makes. Maybe mine's worth something!

On another note, I bought some bright red hair dye (Live Color XXL in 43 Red Passion) as I'll be attempting to dye it red once again- goodbye black hair! (If all goes to plan...)

Charity shop crawl

On Friday (would’ve posted then but absence of my camera prevented this) I ventured out to my local town of Skipton for a heavy session of charity shopping.

Skipton is hardly the Northern capital of style, although it was once crowned ‘Britain’s Best High Street’ (the how and why evade me), but it is however the mecca of charity shopping.

Okay, okay I may be exaggerating ever so slightly, but for such a small town it really does pack in its fair share of charity shops- I found about eight!

Navigating ones way around this maze of infinite treasure troves was a task I wouldn’t have wished upon Christopher Columbus; I, however, managed to hit them all (I think) before my 2 hour short stay car parking expired- score.

I might further explain that while 2 hours is rather a long time, the sheer amount of rooting, searching, rummaging, scanning etc. required in this activity is extensive; plus I needed to get a new mascara and the time I chose to pop into Rackhams (that’s House of Fraser to me and you) happened to be the time that the bloody fire alarm decided to go off and I was kicked out for a good 15 minutes whilst the staff and fire brigade created a suitable farce.

So, back to the matter at hand; I started out at what appeared to be a new addition to Skipton’s charity shop repertoire- Greyhound Rescue. This shop is fairly small but has some good quality bits and bobs in stock.

I spotted a necklace and clip-on earring set which I loved for £3.50. The set is gold with what can be described as peach-coloured droplets attached. These are pictured with a belt below.

Next, I visited Scope- one of Skipton’s larger charity shops. It is here that I made my favourite purchases of the day. The first item which caught my eye was these vintage Levi orange tab jeans.





They’re a perfect fit, a high 28 inch waist and just what I’ve been looking for to cut into shorts for my upcoming holiday; although it almost seems a shame to dismember them. For only £5, I don’t mind so much.

I’m not sure how old these are. Orange tabs were introduced in the sixties but they definitely aren’t as old as that! The care label doesn’t mention shrinking either which was typical of the older ‘shrink to fit’ styles. They are 891’s and the care label reads ‘891 0216’ then ‘367540 0598’ if anyone has an idea of the age please let me know!

I also bought these great vintage sunglasses for only £1.50- They came in handy too because it was a scorcher outside and I’d forgotten mine!





Another new (I think) charity shop I found was the Martin House Children’s Hospice which is on the high street.

I thought this one was great for household bits, the upstairs area is large and holds a wealth of kitchen and other household goods as well as larger pieces of furniture, mirrors, large picture frames etc. The menswear section is also upstairs.

Nothing really took my fancy, other than this navy, white and gold belt, pictured with the necklace and earring set I mentioned previously. The belt was £3 which isn't bad considering that it's leather.





Other shops I visited were Sense, Oxfam, British Heart Foundation and not one, but TWO Age UK shops!

If it’s vintage jewellery you’re after (and if you’re in the area of course) then I found Scope and Martin House Children’s Hospice to have very well stocked desk cabinets- don’t be afraid to ask them to unlock it so you can have a good look!

Martin House Children’s Hospice and Sense were good on household bits and bobs. Sense in particular had two very old cameras which I was tempted to buy but I doubt I’d have use for them! I’m sure someone into photography would find them interesting though.

Vintage clothes seem to take a fair bit of digging out in any charity shop. Increasingly I’m finding that they’re overstocked with cheap, mass-produced modern clothes from brands such as Primark and George.

Note to the volunteers- we love the old stuff, bring it out to the shop floor!

A chain reaction

I've recently started a bit of a love affair with gold chains...

I've become some kind of gold-obsessed magpie for all things bling, but unfortunately for skint little old me, I can't afford the real stuff.

However, my penchant for junk jewellery is as strong as ever and being the bargain hunter that I am, I'm still getting my style fix with the shrapnel found in the bottom of my purse.

I bought this great extra-long chain necklace the other day from my local Age Concern for only £1.50.



It's a double-chained necklace with one distinctive long-plated chain which gives it some extra character.

I've been layering it with this other short rope style chain (pictured) which I picked up at a car boot sale last week.

As much as I try though, I can't help but lust after the amazing vintage Chanel chains available out there.

Awhile back, ASOS launched its 'Vintage Designer Jewellery' section- providing more than enough unattainable treasure to drool over (on my measly student budget anyway!).

I recently came accross a few more of these Chanel chains on Matches whilst doing a bit of Windows shopping (see what I did there?!).

I particularly like this classic, quilted 'double C' chain- but at £1095, it's just not happening is it?



I also like this one with embedded diamantes (only £850 this time. 'Only'?!)



Diamantes, for me, usually conjure up images of gem-encrusted tat found on the sale rail at River Island, but if anyone can do them right it's Chanel.

The second chain also reminded me of a necklace I bought at one of Birmingham's vintage fairs, so I was prompted to dig it out.



In the process, I also found this great chunky gold bracelet from H&M- a piece of jewellery sure to quench my bling thirst!

New room furnishings

As I've mentioned, I'm also moving flat which means redecorating! I've been rooting though old draws and cupboards to find old bits of stuff which may get an airing at the new place.

I just wanted to share this great old jewellery box I found which I was given as a child- perfect for cramming in all the jewels I've been buying!



It did play a tune but the music box doesn't seem to wind up. The ballerina inside has also gone and disgraced herself by losing her tutu. But I reckon she now looks like a much cooler 50s pin-up girl in a gold bathing suit! What do you think?



It will look great in my new room, which I anticipate to be decked out in creams and florals. I'll post some pictures once it's finished.