"I collect watches..."

"...because I'm always late, and I need to know exactly how late I'm going to be - in order to come up with a good excuse" (Colin Hanks)

I'm not sure I ever showed you this beautiful watch that Marto bought for me. Perfect for my little wrists, vintage inspired but yet actually works (unlike my old 1950s handwinder which was stunning but used to inconviently stop, usually about midnight and conned me into thinking the night was yet young). Having a child has required more, shall we say, efficient time keeping. What with multiple feeds, naps and appointments, it is far easier and pleasant to have a watch than to have to keep finding the old phone. Especially as an iPhone is to a baby as catnip is to cats. Or something like that. 

Anyway, this watch is just one of a gorgeous collection by Olivia Burton, available from Belle & Bunty and Harvey Nichols, among others. You're welcome.

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Photos from Olivia Burton

Vintage Christmas Decorations

Aren't these beautiful? Vintage Christmas decorations from Shikasuki. They are just so gorgeous that I couldn't resist sharing them with you.



These are both 1960s US decorations: glass lantern style baubles with little angels and Christmas trees inside. They would look stunning both on a Christmas tree or suspended at varying heights in a window or archway.


These are Russian glass 3d pine cones in a rainbow of shades with glitter frosting. They are 1940s-50s from the Soviet era USSR and look fantastic grouped together in a bowl or vase as well as hung in the traditional fashion on a tree.

And no tree or mantelpiece is complete without an angel or fairy. These are 1940s feathered angels. Standing 8 inches tall they have porcelain heads and perfectly coiffed porcelain hair.

Prices from £3-£35. All from Shikasuki, 67 Gloucester Avenue, London, Nw1 8LD.

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Re-published from the archives. We decorated our tree this afternoon and as I unwrapped my beautiful vintage bauble collection I wanted to re-share the information about obtaining them.

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This is not a sponsored post. I paid for all my decorations myself, although I did use to help in the shop, which I was delighted to do, as Shikasuki is my absolute favourite vintage shop.

Florence and Florence

Seems I'm a sucker for vintage websites with pretty things. Not content with my blanket from Bucket Tree, I've now ordered something from Florence & Florence. (I will share it with you when it arrives - it may or may not be suitable for part of a present I have planned for an event later in the year. ooh, the crypticness...)

Anyway, have a look at their beautiful website with stunning photographs. You won't be disappointed.

Photo by Florence and Florence

Oh, and I went to a charity shop and found another cake stand for a fiver. I think I might need help...

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Florence and Florence via Anna and the Ring

Spring Sunday in Bristol

 

Husband and I drove to Bristol on Sunday. We met up with my sister and Fauxbro for a little picnic by the Suspension Bridge, tasted some wines for their wedding and then headed to the Zoo, to the Bristol Vintage Wedding Fair. Sister and I pottered round the fair, chatting to vendors and selecting things for my second wedding (ha) and buying one or two bits (her, for her actual wedding). Husband and Fauxbro sat and drank coffee from teacups and then sampled wedding cake.

We then headed into Clifton, pottered in a few shops (I bought some lining paper for an old chest of drawers that we bought from a junk shop in London a while back) and then we had a cream tea in a little cafe in the evening sunshine before heading home again. 

The wedding fair was curated by Bristol Vintage (further post coming as they hire lovely vintage tea sets for weddings, and given my troubles in finding such a thing in 2009 I am keen to list as many as possible). Bristol Vintage had lots of cake stands for sale, as you can see in this photograph above. Despite owning no less than 3 different variants of cake stand, I was sorely tempted to add to my collection. A friend of my Grandmother's, knowing my fondness for vintage tableware, has sent a bag of tableclothes and the like down for me, which will be delivered by my mother on Saturday. Given that the last set included Swiss lace table mats from the early 1900s, I am most excited. And another cake stand would have been perfect for the afternoon tea for an early mothering sunday that I am planning this weekend and also for the hen party and baby showers which are approaching in May. But, I was good and resisted. And the 3 I already have will be just. fine.



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All photos by me (and not re-touched. the sky really was that blue. and yes, I need to start using a camera not an iphone)

vintage tea sets

When we were planning our wedding - and I can't believe that we started that process two and half years ago; how time does fly - we spent a lot of time looking for vintage tea sets. I started out thinking we would hire them but there was a distinct lack of options. Even the ones that looked promising initially turned out to be a disappointment and so we decided that we needed to take matters into our own hands, painstakingly collecting - in conjunction with our families - a hundred sets of dinner plates, tea plates, cups and saucers. (and cutlery too). It turned out to be beautiful and well worth the effort; we took two sets on our honeymoon and even today we eat off some of the tea plates. I also have enough tea cups and saucers for an extremely large royal celebration next April and every single junior member of my family has inherited part of it for their university lodgings.



Planning a wedding now and I understand that is a myriad more options. Just today I stumbled across Vintage Tea Sets, a company who essentially offer a similar service to what we ended up doing ourselves. They also sell candles in vintage tea cups and other tea party essentials as well as hiring crockery for events of all kinds. They are also based in the West Country, and, if you are planning a west country wedding (as we did) they must be well worth investigating. I think I must have been drawn to them as they feature two of my favourite things on their website (vintage crockery and peacock feathers).

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Top photo by me and of our crockery and napkins. We bought all 100 of those too.
Bottom two photos borrowed from Vintage Tea Sets, showing their crockery.

Shikasuki

One of the things I miss most about London is shopping. From the weekends I used to spend in Shikasuki to browsing in Liberty to Camden Passage and all manner of shops in between. These days, in Somerset, where the shops are full of walking gear or worse quality than Primark but at 10 times the cost, internet shopping is where it's at for me.

Most of the high street shops sell on online so I managed to buy a Jil Sander for Uniqlo suit in the sale, and a little jacket for a wedding from Topshop but my passion for vintage has gone unrequited for a while now. Not for much longer. My beloved Shikasuki is almost online. The blog has launched and soon will come the website.

One of the other things I have missed is London Fashion Week. I was very sad to have missed Shikasuki's fashion show in February and hope to get back to London in September for the next one. The image above is from February's show and would look perfect as a guest for a summer wedding or for a swanky meal on a glam holiday.

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Photo from shikasuki.com

Summer weekend in Shropshire

One day, I might actually have enough time to write a proper post. We got back from Shropshire at 12.30am on Monday morning and I am still playing catch up at work from our holiday. We spent the weekend at M's parents' golf course helping out with M's father's captains weekend. There was a black tie dinner dance on the Saturday evening and then on Sunday M's parents were hosting a marquee on the 11th green, serving refreshments including a barbeque to all the players as they came round. All 200 of them. Here I am helping out.

I also wanted to share this little insight on twitter. I am not sure about it being grand enough to be Jane Austen but it certainly felt a little like Miss Joan Hunter Dunn. But I love how English the weekend must have sounded. And it was. Tea, sandwiches, burgers in rolls, sunshine, golf and vintage dresses.

AmidPrivilege RT @peacockfeather: On our way to shropshire for M's dad's captains weekend. Black tie dinner dance tonight. [sounds like jane austen:)]

 {photo by M of me in a 1950s vintage American sundress and panama hat. Despite the occasion being so English I wanted to channel a Madmen-esque look of being decoratively supportive}

Vintage in Somerset

I found a vintage shop in Somerset! I thought I was destined to return forever to London but today I found somewhere to while away some happy hours looking for bargains. Shikasuki will forever be my favourite but my discovery of Heartfelt made life a little happier today.

Review at Somerset Bound. Photos of the Ferragamo skirt I found to follow...

Lovelane Caravans

Still looking for that elusive place to go with Husband for our first wedding anniversary. I have three requirements: in Cornwall/Devon/Somerset, falls under the umbrella of 'vintage camping' {i.e. has echoes of our honeymoon yurt} and isn't bank breakingly expensive.

Lovelane Camping is on the Lizard Peninsular of Cornwall and has retro and vintage caravans set up on their site in a semi circle in a field round a campfire. Looks fabulous for a festival type vibe (especially if a big group of friends hired the entire set) and *perfect* for a small wedding celebration.

Lovelane Camping is almost right, but sadly, not quite. For nigh on £100 a night I think I am looking for more than a caravan in a field of other caravans. Pretty though they are.

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Images via Lovelane Camping

via Pasties & Cream via Design Sponge via klovescoffee

Sequins for the winter party season

A few of my favourite sequined pieces from Shikasuki to cheer up a rainy Sunday afternoon...

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All images by Shikasuki
Prices start at £45 for tops & £85 for dresses

Vintage Christmas Decorations

As promised, a few photographs of some of my favourite vintage Christmas decorations from Shikasuki. All decorations are either American or Russian from the 1940s-1980s and in excellent condition considering their age. Some are slightly faded but this all adds to the charm.

I cannot wait to buy some for our tree and I am also considering a bowlful of them on the coffee table just like the middle images above. They look so sparkly and beautiful and festive altogether in a great pile.

In addition to the knitted & card angels (top left) there are a range of large feathered angel with a head like a doll (they are gorgeous and I will try and photograph them for another post soon}.

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All decorations from Shikasuki
Prices from £3-£35

If you don't live in London and are interested please contact me for purchasing on your behalf. Otherwise please do come in and have a look {but give yourself a good time slot. You will get distracted by the sparkly dresses & accessories}. I am in the shop on Sundays, 12-7pm but the shop is also open Monday - Saturday 11am - 7pm.

Shikasuki: 67 Gloucester Avenue, London, Nw1 8LD. Website is coming soon...

dresses for engagement & other parties

The winter party season is nearly upon us. This week in Shikasuki we have started selling vintage decorations* and all manner of sparkly, sequined dresses, tops and accessories. Each day I am there I find a new favourite. I love this time of year. Just being in the shop cheers me up.

In just 3 weeks time it will be December. I think our party season kicks off with a birthday dinner on the 1st and then a glamorous cocktail engagement party on the 3rd. In my dreams I will wear this Lanvin Fall 09/10 nude ruffled dress (but with black tights and different shoes) which I fell in love with months ago.

In reality I propose to wear a vintage velvet high necked shift dress with a silver beaded embellished bib which looks like a large necklace with peeped toe black high heeled sequined shoes. This year has not been kind to me financially so it will be vintage not Lanvin for all occasions I feel.

{Image by Lanvin via Style.com}

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* Please contact me if you would like details of the vintage decorations which are absolutely beautiful. I will try and do another post on them soon. (or come to the shop & see for yourself).

Vintage: Engagement Party Outfit

Two good friends of ours just got engagement. Congratulations A & M.

To celebrate they are having a Halloween Engagement Party & have asked us all to dress up, in a couple if we are one.

I saw the most perfect(ly awful) dress in the sale at the vintage shop yesterday. Does it look Heathers enough if I dress Husband up as Christian Slater...?

But, shhh. Don't tell. I don't want anyone copying me...