Tuesday 15 August 2017

Clogs, Clobber & Classic Cars




There are only sixty-nine Volkswagen Variants left in the UK and our 1970 model, Ebbie, is an LE, of which only 6 are known to exist (Source) so imagine my surprise when I visited the Lotta of Stockholm website (I've gone slightly mad for their clogs this Summer) only to find Ebbie's twin sister heading up their latest advertising campaign. Not only do they sell the cutest and most comfy shoes in the world but they've got impeccable taste in vehicles.


Of course, my penchant for maxi dresses meant that I've had to hitch up my skirt to show off my latest clogs (bought as a reward for surviving the ordeal that was Truck.)


We're hoping to take part in my long-time vintage hero, Wayne Hemingway's Classic Car Boot Sale in London next month. Much as I'd love Ebbie to be our trade vehicle, with his cooking facilities, fridge and rain canopy, dear old Gilbert is the more practical option.


Talking of vintage cars and all things automotive check out some of the sexy motors that turned up at Vintage Village at Stockport on Sunday. My favourites were the glossy black Volvo P1800 (aka The Saint's car) and the ravishing Indian bike.


Although it was lovely to catch up with some of our vintage mates and to meet a couple of cool chicks who read my blog I really should have learnt from past experience and not booked to do a vintage fair in August. Coupled with the 5.30am alarm and the four hour round trip - blasted road works - trade was excruciatingly slow and we had little to show for our efforts (although I did come home with a cracker of a 1970s psychedelic maxi.) 

Courtesy of lovely photographer, David Kennedy

However, on the bright side, I met the textile designer responsible for the print on our star frock, this gauzy cape-sleeved cotton maxi by CanCan, London, which was admired by all who passed by our rails on Sunday. She was paid, a not inconsiderable, £30 by the Tootal group for her design back in 1971 and it's the first time she'd seen it since her student days in Manchester.



In my enthusiasm to book the final two festivals of the season I'd failed to check the dates, only realising weeks later that we've only got one day between trading in Oxfordshire and setting up in deepest Dorset which means that we're going to be on the road for a fortnight ....whoops! The next seven days are going to be a crazed stock buying, washing and pricing frenzy. Thank goodness for good pals, and official Kinky stock hunters, Nikki and Kirk who shop when we can't. Here's the fab vintage haul they brought around for us yesterday - all laundered and ready to go (and exactly the kind of stuff we'd buy ourselves).

Clockwise from top left: 1970s deadstock American dinner shirt; 1970s gents' leisure shirt; Ladies' dagger collar cotton blouse; Vintage denim bell bottoms; 1970s Campri deadstock wind cheater; 1970s Young Motherhood of Finland denim smock; 1970s St Michael beagle collar psych blouse; Vintage St Michael midi skirt; Egon Shop, Germany psychedelic keyhole detail maxi; Deadstock Made in Paris polyester tie blouse, 1960s cotton shift dress; 1970s orange suede trench coat; 1960s Crimplene coat dress; 1960s green leather coat; 1970s cape sleeve silk crepe maxi

Clockwise from top left: 1960s deadstock vinyl shoulder bag; 1970s embroidered leather bag; Tootal scarves & cravats; Vintage deadstock undies; 1960s deadstock fringed shoulder bag; 1960s vinyl shoulder bag
We had a lucky break when we were out shopping this morning, bumping into some vintage traders we hadn't seen for a couple of years. They'd since had a change of direction business-wise and these days only sell student-orientated gear (ie., 1990s and second-hand sportswear) and, as they store all their stock in their van, asked if we'd be interested in taking some Harris Tweed jackets off their hands as the kids aren't into them. How times change! Back in the last century when I was a student all the cool guys wore vintage Harris Tweed. We got a few odd looks from passers-by as we rummaged through sacks of clothes on the town centre car park, handing over crisp banknotes in exchange for pukka vintage gear.


Shell suits and trakkie bottoms? If I wanted to sell clothes I didn't like I'd get a job in Primark. 

WEARING: Vintage gingham maxi, 1970s woven Madeira souvenir basket, bastard massive beads and plastic bangles (all charity shopped), Embroidered, pompom trim waistcoat (Colaba Causeway, Mumbai, 2016)
I'd better bring the washing in (finally, a dry day for pegging clothes out) then I'll be catching up on some Scandi Noir before the BBC's fascinating Partition series at 9pm.

See you soon!

74 comments:

  1. Ha! What about that? Actually, you are a stunning model for Lotta yourself. I'll have a word with them. Ebbie's not so bad either! How wonderful for that lady to see her design again, and what a fab dress it is. I'm loving Valkyrien...you just can't beat the Scandi Noir. Have fun at Wayne's do.
    Loves ya!
    xxxx

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    1. Valkyrien is great, isn't it? Proper gory!!
      I wonder if I'll get to meet Wayne, I'll be speechless with excitement!
      Love ya. xxx

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  2. CandyMan would love all the cars!!!!! How cool to meet the print designer!!!!

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    1. Vintage cars (and bikes!) are so cool! xxx

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  3. WE love vintage cars like you , We have been to the back country living museam with our daughter today and they were our first stop , I went round saying i have one of those lol , I must have been born in the wrong era but am finding that my tastes are changing lol , Dave found it really hard going though and we had to rest every few yards , wish i could persaude him to get a scooter , How amazing that you met the designer of the pattern on the dress xxx

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    1. Neither of us has ever been to the Black Country Museum, isn't that terrible? We really ought to go. xxx

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    2. Ooh, I can boast two family homes at the museum!

      One of the back-to-back cottages was my mom and dad's first house after they'd got married - tiny, but they needed a bit of independence after squeezing into the flat above the Horse and Jockey in Bilston with my baby big sister. It used to be where the car park of the Crown in Woodsetton is now.

      When my mom saw it, all as it would have been she was utterly distraught to learn that they'd done them so that one side was how a young professional couple might have lived and the other was a large family of paupers - and her side was the paupers'!

      Plus, there's apparently a caravan there that may or may not have belonged to my great gran's family, who were Ruiton salt travellers.

      Anyway, do go if you can. It's a smashing day out, lots to see and do.

      Totes agree with myshabbychicvintagefrugallife - bumping into the lady who designed that textile pattern was pretty awesome. It's a great pattern too!

      Lovely clogs too!

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    3. Wow! That is a proper claim to fame. It's made me all the more keen to have a trip there after the festival season's finished. Paupers? What a cheek!! Funnily enough, we've just got back in from a morning's chazzing in Bilston. xxx

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  4. I second Ivy's comment, you'd make an excellent model for Lotta yourself and I love the car.
    Your shoppers did an ace job for you, that's a great haul.
    I'm binging scandinavian noir myself and there's a great new one, Norwegian, can't remember it's name!
    Hope the back to back festivals go well xxx

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    1. We're addicted to Scandi Noir in this house! I think we've watched nearly everything on Walter Presents. xxx

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  5. I have an undying lifelong love for clogs, my leopard print ones are my favourite.

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    1. Oooh, leopard print clogs...I fancy a pair of them! xxx

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  6. Your car is delicious. I love your vest skirt combo! It's brilliant. I have a almost a fetish for deadstock. When I see something old still in the package, it kinda turns me on a little bit. HA ha!!

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    1. Ha! Me, too. I think it's 'cos I'm not used to having new stuff, labels make ma a bit giddy! xxx

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  7. Speaking of dead stock....I've been soring and tagging costumes and come a 1970's office suit. The original hang tag says: for rich girl that are tight fisted. Original price tag: $52! Which in the 1970's was pricy. I'm going the have to check out those clogs...I love clogs.

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    1. That label sounds insane!! $52 was a lot of money in the 1970s - it's more than I'd pay for clothes now! xxx

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  8. My goodness Vix, you exhaust me! You are crazily busy. What interesting facts about Ebbie. I had many, many years ago a 1971 Beetle. Loved it so much and still miss it.
    Love your clogs! I visited the website and just may be placing an order myself!
    My mouth waters when I see all the gorgeous vintage clothing you find. It is sadly lacking in my part of Canada.
    Have a great week!
    Robin

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    1. I still miss our Beetles, I wish Jon hadn't sold them! xxx

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  9. What an interesting blog. You look fab. I just love the Madeira basket. You work so hard are you due for a holiday soon? Xxx

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    1. Thanks, Sally! No chance of a break just yet but I'm looking for flights! xxx

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  10. Ooo I love clogs & Volkswagens!
    How amazing you found the textile designers of that fab groovy print.
    Thank you for sharing your adventires with us.
    xox

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    1. I had a pair of red clogs when I was 5, I've loved them for years, too! xxx

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  11. What an incredible thing meeting the textile artist-I mean, that's at least one-in-a million.

    I have a hard time passing up a Harris Tweed-and you managed a rail of them! Lucky you.

    Good luck with the next couple of weeks, it sounds hectic.

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    1. I know! I couldn't believe it when she told me she'd designed that fabric!
      One of those jackets came from the US, it has a 1960s Norstrom label. xxx

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  12. Hello love, I'm back. Have you got Lottas in every colour now? Must dust mine off. When is the Classic car boot in London? Great new stock you've got there and some ace friends I'd say....how mad that the textile designer rocked up and saw one of her former designs. xxxxx

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    1. Yay! Good to see you back.
      Just three colours at the moment - but I'm working on it!!
      The Classic Car Boot is the 9th and 10th September. xxx

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  13. Ah, I think you've turned me on to clogs. Are they really that comfortable? The wooden heal looks like it might be uncomfortable. Xx

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    1. They're amazingly comfy (unlike Hasbeens). The wood is birch so it's lightweight and easy on the soles of the feet. Lotta do worldwide shipping and free returns, too. xxx

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  14. What a beaut of a car! I'm seriously considering investing in a pair of Lottie clogs.
    How lovely to meet the textile designer, as a designer I know how nice it is to see your work unexpectedly :)
    Enjoy the festivals!
    xx

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    1. Thanks, Hazel! I dithered over buying a pair for years and I'm so thrilled with the pair I chose I bought two more pairs! They're beautiful to wear and a joy to look at (and I'm not on commission!) xxx

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  15. ebbie is such a beauty!! and the perfect backdrop for you in your fab vintage ensemble!! and - i think i need new clogs :-)
    how marvelous is that meeting of dress and designer 46 years later - at your stall!!! (once i met a jacket i´d made after a few years in a 2.hand boutique - it gave me shivers)
    better "the kids" do not wear tweed - so we old cool kids have plenty for us :-D
    hugs&kisses!!! <3

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    1. That must have been incredible to be reunited with your jacket!
      I can't understand why anyone wouldn't be attracted to tweed, it's so practical in our climate! xxx

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  16. I am totally in love with Ebbie! Your photo wouldn't look amiss on the Lotta of Stockholm website, in fact I much prefer it to the original. What a coincidence that they used the same car, though. Speaking of cars, what an awesome gathering of classic cars at Stockport. There is a similar car event in our very own town every month, but somehow we always forget to go. Fancy meeting that designer! Oh, and haven't Nikki and Kirk done well. How fantastic to have such a great team of buyers! xxx

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    1. I'd love to see your vintage car show - I'm friends with a Belgian girl on Facebook who restores the most incredible vehicles! xxx

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  17. Our town has a classic car night every other Saturday-great fun to wander. I wish they would host some vintage sellers of other items, though there are antique/retro shops (super expensive though) all along the downtown. My son would love those jackets-he's like that, and I think so would my older daughters guy friends.

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    1. Vintage stalls would be a brilliant accompaniment to the vintage cars, wouldn't they? Especially if they sold stuff that wasn't cripplingly expensive!
      Your son's got taste! xxx

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  18. You should've bought yourselves another holiday for surviving Truck! Lovely shoes though, maybe you should send them a pic of your take on their ad? Great cars too, I do fancy having a drive in something vintage but have heard stories of old driving techniques like double de clutch, that scare me! xx

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    1. I'd love another holiday, I've found return flights for £20 each, I'm sorely tempted!!
      I don't drive but Jon prefers vintage vehicles to modern ones - they're a lot cheaper to fix, too. xxx

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  19. I think I may be one of those cool chicks Lol. My daughter is absolutely rocking the top she bought from you. She has paired it with a corduroy pinafore - oh my she looks good. (It was a black/silver sparkly top with huge collars). Had a great day fan girling you!

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    1. Hi Deborah! You were one of those cool chicks who made my day! I've been thinking about your lovely daughter this morning, i hope she got the results she was hoping for. xxxx

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    2. AAB and she got into York! She will wear the top for freshers week! Thanks for remembering.

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    3. That's brilliant news, you must be so proud. xxx

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  20. I think you will start a craze for clogs if you aren't careful! I love that gingham dress. Your car should be in a film (with you in it!).

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    1. Clogs are the best! Hopefully if there's more around, they'll turn up more often in charity shops, then I can have every colour in existence! xxx

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  21. Shell suits and trackie bottoms? Aiee. That's a side of the 90s I avoided the first time round; can't imagine why anyone would want it now. Kinky stock is so much nicer. (I can tell by looking at it that I'd never get into that green crimplene coat dress, which is just goooorgeous. I'm surprised you're letting go of the psychedelic keyhole maxi, 'cos you'd look superb in that.

    Good luck with the final festivals!

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    1. I knew you'd love that coat dress but, yes, it is tiny!
      I don't get the 1990s sportswear thing either and fortunately, neither does Jon.
      Back in the late 1980s I went out with a bloke I'd met through work, he looked good in his suit but I was horrified when , on our first date he turned up in a white shell suit. I insisted that rather than staying local we drove to a city 10 miles away! xxx

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    2. *First* date? I hope you'd persuaded him to ditch the shell suit for the second.

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    3. I tried but I knew we weren't a match made in heaven when we went to Crete and he insisted on walking round in a Wolves football strip. Oh, the shame! xxx

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  22. so lovely to see you rocking those clogs, and so lovely that you've got that same car in the same blue color! these are the kind of details I love!
    I adore your gingham maxi skirt and cool bag and those clogs!
    Glad that you met some lovely people and traders and have fun, even if it looks like an exhausting time for you!
    I'm amazed that students don't like tweed jackets anymore!, fast fashion has brainwashed them!?
    besos


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    1. Thank you! Jon hand painted the car in the same colour as my favourite Barry M nail paint. I can't believe there's another one out there! xxx

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  23. I had my feet completely mullered by some clogs years back so I've always been once bitten twice shy since then but those really are gorgeous...

    What's on in this neck of the woods? Wilderness? Rewind?

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    1. I must admit I was sceptical but they're really lightweight and really comfortable. I've tried other makes (Hasbeens crippled me) and nothing compares!
      We're at Towersey in Thame. It's been going for donkey's years but it's the first time for us! xxx

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  24. Ebbie is very precious!! Love your Gingham and clog pic in front of her, maybe you should send it to the Lotta website!! So nice to see you still wearing sleeveless summery things.

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    1. Thanks, Sue! We've had a couple of warm days - still with rain - and I'm determined to wear my summer dresses! xxx

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  25. Ebbie is so unique, just like her owners! You look absolutely fab in your gingham skirt (am I right in loving this skirt on another post?) and your increasing collection of the gorgeous clogs which I'm going to have to save up for (you need to be getting commission!) I love the Can Can story!. Hope the couple of weeks on the road are prosperous and happy. xx

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    1. The last time this gingham dress featured on my blog was August last year. I do have a bit of a thing for gingham, don't I?
      I wish Lotta would sponsor me! Those clogs don't come cheap (unless you strike it lucky on their sale page) but they are worth every penny! xxx

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  26. I might see you at the Classic Car Boot Sale in London-dont think Im a weirdo if I say hello! Lorna.

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    1. Hi Lorna! I won't think you're weird at all, I'd be thrilled! xxx

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  27. Great stock, great car! I love old cars, so classy compared to modern vehicles.

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  28. Your car is a beaut, and as trendy as hell, in a good way. Good design never dies. Do you guys ever go to the VW things at Santa Pod? It is about 5 minutes away from me. You car is such a classic, like those gorgeous clogs. They are lovely and what a fab colour. I was wondering about how comfy that they would be with them having wooden soles. Hitching up your skirt? Shocking behaviour! Still you have great pins and should get them out more often. That is a fabulous dress. I had a look at the vintage boot sale in London. Coincidentally, I am supposed to be in London with the people from work to see the Grayson Perry exhibition on the 9th. We will rock along if we are out and about if you and Jon will be there. Xx

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    1. Jon played at Santa Pod but we've never been to any of the V Dub events since we've owned any.
      Hopefully our Classic Car Boot Sale application will be approved and we'll finally get to meet! xxx

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  29. You are most adorable in your outfit, with this huge floral purse and clogs!! I haven't had the "real" clogs, with wooden soles - are they really comfy? But I love tweed, I'd love to find one that fits me. Old cars are just so lovely. And what an incredible luck for both of you to meet the designer! Beautiful story, so worth recording. Lots of love!

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    1. The clogs are really comfy and believe me, I've tried so many pairs over the years. The wood is birch and so really lightweight and easy on the feet. if they can survive 35 degree heat in Greece without creating blisters on my super sensitive feet then they must be good.xxx

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  30. I shall miss you at the Classic Car Boot sale - I'm at Goodwood that weekend otherwise I would be there! Maybe I'll see you next time, I've often thought about taking my Mini down there - not to sell anything but just as part of the display.

    p.s. I recently caught up with Valkyrien - it's so good isn't it!

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    1. What a shame Goodwood & Classic Car Boot clash, it's been ages since we saw you.
      Valkyrien was fantastic, I ended up watching the entire series over a week as i couldn't wait! xxx

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  31. I enjoy looking at vintage cars, especially ones with lots of chrome and really cool interiors. Your Ebbie is a lovely shade of blue!

    I like clogs, but my feet don't (mind you, I've never tried a pair of the brand you're wearing). I would love a pair of red ones like yours. That is so cool that you met the designer of the print on that dress (which is fabulous, by the way).

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    1. I do love a vintage car despite being unable to drive. They don't make them like they used to!
      My feet are an utter nightmare, I can wear a pair of shoes for months and suddenly develop blisters. These Lottas are so comfy, I can't recommend them enough! xxx

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  32. Your car is Amazing!!! Why don't they make nice pretty pale blue cars like that today? My mum had a pale blue Morris Minor! Your new stock looks super! I'm liking the Paisley scarf!

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    1. I know, cars today seem to come in such ugly colours although I do like the shade of green they use for those snazzy little Figaros!
      My Mum had a Morris Minor! xxx

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  33. I love that gingham skirt! I have also noticed that 90s "vintage" is a thing now, there's is a store in town that seems to now just be 90s "vintage" - lame.

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    1. Tell me about it! I suppose early 1990s is technically vintage as it's 25 years old but it seems far too recent - and I sound like one of those old battleaxes who tut at 1970s fashion and say it's not vintage! xxx

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  34. I'm sharing this with Joey. He's a car nut. Love love love. xoxoxo

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Thanks for reading and for leaving a message. Please don't be anonymous, I'd love it if you left a name (or a nom de plume).

Lots of love, Vix