A Good Vintage

The problem with my blog... (or at least, one of them) is that you only get to see a couple of aspects of my style. It's a lot easier for me to write about high street and designer items than it is one-off pieces, like those I've accumulated from sample sales, fashion shows, thrift stores, charity shops, vintage shops, boutiques and pop-up shops, my travels, and inherited items.

However, we live in the age of have-anything-any-time. Vintage shopping takes on a whole new dimension when you can access it via your trusty laptop. It's hard to know if an item has the right 'feel', the right look, the right fit, but there's no harm in browsing, and the beauty of vintage is that you never know what you'll find!

My Vintage is a site that seems dedicated to making vintage as accessible as possible. It gives you the option of searching by colour, era or size and has a range of designer and non-designer pieces and therefore a whole range of prices too. I love the 'Search By Era' option, and personally find the jewellery on offer to be particularly beautiful - I'm especially partial to a nice vintage brooch.

   

    

For similar finds in the real big wide world (well, in London at least), I head to the legendary Portobello Road Market (also my personal purse and clutch heaven), or to the antique shops and stalls on Islington High Street and Camden Passage (just off Upper Street, detailed in this link).

Rokit have been a staple of any London vintage shopper's list for quite a while. I personally visit their Covent Garden and Brick Lane outlets most often. Little did I know, trawling across the big smoke is no longer an issue due to their presence on the good old worldwide web. I will always love Rokit most for its leather goods - in particular bags, belts and shoes (below: Chanel, Bally) but more recently, for their astonishing array of leather shorts. Yes sir, there is indeed such a thing as an astonishing array of leather shorts - see for yourself.

In both the real world and the virtual one, I also visit Absolute Vintage for pretty dresses and cosy jumpers, and Beyond Retro for, well, everything. I got one of my favourite vintage finds - a cream satin and lace pencil skirt - from their branch just off London's Oxford Street.


Granted, these are some of the more 'commercial' vintage outlets (hence their web-readiness) and so can't offer the same bargains that smaller outlets, charity shops and thrift stores can, I know. They also sometimes deal more in 'reclaimed' garments than genuine vintage finds, but if you have money but no time (I have neither, boo-hoo), these are a great option as they minimise the trawling through endless rails (the most fun but most time-consuming part of any vintage adventure).

So take a trip to the past using the technology of the future and really upset the space-time continuum. I'm off to perm my hair, watch Back to the Future and crush on Marty McFly.

Ciao for now,
Charlotte

It Must Have Been Glove

The view from my bedroom window, 27/11/10.

Nothing is worse than frostbitten fingers. And there's only so many Toffee Nut Lattes you can buy from Starbucks to heat them up before you're bouncing off walls. Which is why gloves are a super-important Winter accessory.

My favourites are soft, pale-grey, vintage leather handed down to me by my lovely Nana, the most glamorous woman I've ever known.

My Nana-gloves (pictures here with a leather Jane Shilton clutch, also from my Nana)

Leather gloves are great - they are slightly easier to text with (though not so much on my BlackBerry, and I'd imagine, touch screens) - and are absolutely timeless, making a huge comeback in recent years. There are numerous great styles at Topshop and Debenhams, but why not look for a bargain pair of genuine vintage ones in, say, Rokit or Beyond Retro?

I also like these from my old friend, ASOS (who, incidentally, are offering 20% off at the moment - just enter the code 'ASOS20' at checkout):

ASOS Leather Bow Glove, £16, ASOS

Bows are a great addition to any look in my opinion, and if you're a shade braver, why not get these in red instead?

(Image from www.asos.com)

The only problem with leather gloves is that they aren't necessarily the warmest, providing less insulation than other styles. In terms of wooly gloves, I love these from Topshop.

Camel Bow Cuff Gloves, £8 Topshop

(Image from www.topshop.com)

These are super-practical for texting yet provide full coverage too:

Green Convert Gloves, £12, Urban Outfitters

I love the combination of the green colour with the bronzed button, though they are available in a range of colours too. (I loved the berry ones most but they've sold out! Sad-face!)

(Image from www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk)

Which brings me to mittens. Probably the warmest have to be from UGG Australia.

UGG Logo Mitten Gloves in Chestnut, £85, John Lewis

(Image from www.johnlewis.com)

But I might even prefer the less pricey option from Urban Outfitters. When I was little I remember trying on my Mum's sheepskin coat (before realising just how literal the term 'sheepskin' was) and finding it to be the warmest thing in the world, so these definitely appeal.

Shearling Mittens, £20, Urban Outfitters

(Image from www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk)

For the nostalgic, amongst you, Outfitters also have a range of mittens on strings. My personal favourites are these:

Knitted String Mittens, £16, Urban Outfitters

(Image from www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk)

Not strictly gloves, but you've gotta love the muff (weird sentence), making a huge comeback. This one from Topshop is just the ticket (though, again, Urban Outfitters have a similar style here). Wear with an on-trend cape, an ushanka and killer heels for high-octane glamour (the ultimate in classic Winter elegance), or dress down with your biggest, comfiest 'don't-care' cardigan and cable knit leggings for comfy, warm, student chic. Another bonus of the muff (strange sentence again) is that, if - like me - you can text without looking (both ashamed and proud of this), you can hold your phone safe and warm inside and text without having to expose your pinkies to the elements.

Faux Fur Hand Muffler, £20, Topshop

(Image from www.topshop.com)

And finally, these sweethearts make it onto the list for being the most fantastically ostentatious gloves I've ever seen - from the satin bow to the leather palms, they take glamour to new levels.

'Don't Mind if I do' Gloves, $79.99 (£50), Modcloth

A bit pricey, granted - but I'm sure the quality is high.

(Image from www.modcloth.com)

Keep those digits cosy!

Ciao for now,

Charlotte