Wednesday 19 January 2011

Going For Gold



Last time I wore this dress was a very bad day for me and it's been hanging in the wardrobe for months as I've been too scared to wear it again. Today I was brave and reckoned I'd try to reverse the bad karma caught up in the crimplene.



What do you know? I took some of the tackier jewellery I'd looked out last week to a local jewellers and exchanged it for enough cash for the equivalent of two return flights to India. Hooray, it must be a lucky frock after all.


Am I bad for selling off the family gold? I don't wear posh jewellery and to me gold symbolises scary respectability and convention. Give me gilt, wood, plastic, brass or Indian silver any day of the week, perferably all at the same time.

From left: '60's wood ring, modern ring, '60's wood ring,'70's mood ring, modern ring, '80's brass cherub ring

Costume jewellery is so much more fun. The nail varnish is Boujois Violet Intense.


1970's maxi dress (eBay), 1950's tweed jacket & Edwardian boots (Both charity shopped),
1980's African brass choker and bangles (Inherited)

How many different eras can a girl combine into one outfit? Talk about a vintage tart.

57 comments:

  1. I really need a waisted, tailored tweed jacket. I much prefer your rings (and I hadn't even thought of wood!) and think you did the right thing to exchange rings for flights. No question.

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  2. As you know I love jewellery, especially rings, give me chunky, the bigger the better. The louder the prouder etc. :)
    I do have some dainty family jewellery but keep it more for memories than anything else.

    xx

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  3. I like the the pattern of your dress and I want that mood ring!:D

    ***** Marie *****
    allthingsmarie.com

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  4. You know what they say about riches - you can't take it with you - much rather have amazing experiences - love your tweed jacket. Brave you for turning around percieved bad luck in a dress into a small fortune!

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  5. Oh result! I don't like gold either, plus I always really worry when I'm wearing one of my few pieces of "proper" jewellery in case I lose them. Money for flights is a much better option in my opinion!

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  6. The print of the dress is so lovely, and as much as I seem to hoard everything, I think you did completly the right thing. We can't hold onto eveything forever.
    A flight to India will almost certainly make for wonderful memories and something you can equally treasure xxx

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  7. I love gold -I'm sure I was some 50s brassy seaside fortune teller with heaps of it in a- unusual, second hand and tacky too! But that's the wonderful circle of life in a way: some folk get their flight money, others get their 2nd hand bling fix, everyone's happy!

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  8. doh... I mean 'in a past life'. Darn typos!

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  9. What a brilliant deal on your gold. I have a hate thing about gold too. Although I was persuaded (against my better judgment) to have a white gold wedding ring the first time I got married. "Against my better judgment" summed that marriage up really - I only got £7 for it when I sold it for weight at the jewellers lol!

    Love the colours of that outfit on you.

    Shirl xxx

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  10. My darlingest twin!!!! You're only bad in the BEST possible way!!!
    Your Mama would be thrilled that you've got a lovely trip in India and still enough gorge costume jewellery(and how)to look totally divine whilst there!!! If it is no use to you,why not sell?!Bloody good going, I say!!!
    I've missed you terribly,gagging to chat,and have a goood dribble over your recent posts!
    LOVE Helga xxxXXXxxx !!!!!

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  11. Wow great deal! I'm not particularly sentimental about 'family' stuff unless it has a particular meaning to me, you can't keep hold of everything. My Dad died a couple of years ago and when I was really little he went to Singapore and brought back such amazing things, one of those were top end binoculars in a smart leather case, I used to love them as a child and they were always 'mine' they are now on my bookcase in my office, i have no need for them but a special attachment to them.

    I would prefer flights to jewellery any day of the week!

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  12. O,and as for being a vintage tart?!
    YOWZA!!!! XXXXXXXXXXX

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  13. I don't really think you can keep everything and it nice for it to be used for a purpose rather than just kept in the loft or something.

    I love your taste in jewelery. And you may be a vintage tart but you're OUR vintage tart xxx

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  14. I'm not a fan or gold either, I much prefer silver - I had my wedding ring made out of silver to match all my other rings. Its funny - there are outfits (and jewellery too) that I haven't worn for a while because something bad happend whilst I was wearing them. I keep telling myself not to be so supersticious (crap spelling!!) but somehow find it difficult to shake it off. I think you've done the right thing though by wearing your dress as the good has now cancelled out the bad - does that make sense or am I chuntering?
    TTFN gorgeous. xxx

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  15. so with you on the jewellery front! I'd much rather my array of trashy 80s clip-ons than diamond studs ;)

    x

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  16. Loving todays outfit, the dress fabric is amazing, just like your nails! :)

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  17. Oooh congrats on the gold price! I'm glad you reversed your dress karma too.

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  18. You are so fantastic my dear friend...I couldn´t agree more with you. We acnnot give things the power that only belongs to us. I do not own real gold eithe. I don´t like to wear anything that is worth more than me hehehehehe.
    Mil besos GUAPA.
    XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

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  19. I love the jewelry you KEPT....think the outfit you're wearing is intriguing, and am still chuckling about your last post (All About Me)! You are amazingly creative, funny, talented and beautiful. "One of a kind" in the VERY best way.

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  20. I've recently sold off some family gold too Vix and the way I see it, it's better to cash the gold in and use the money for something you'll really enjoys, than hold on to something you get no enjoyment out of. Love the nail varnish x

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  21. Vixcita,
    I am so happy for you amor..your Mama is looking out for you..that tweed jacked is the best paired with that maxi skirt..love all your jewelry..your hair looks lighter..I love it..that polish color looks good on you.

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  22. Well, lovely lady, I think you were right to overcome the fear and wear the dress again, it seeminlgy was more lucky this time. AND you look rather dashing in it too!
    Well done on the flights to India, what a wonderful trade! xx

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  23. Hi my dear-so pleased the bad karma turned good-excellent in fact-2 return tickets to India for the gold, it was meant to be, so very well done indeed!! Looking lovely in every piece of vintage you're wearing, you truly are a vintage vixen ;-) xxx

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  24. That dress is gorgeous! Gosh I wish I owned something that pretty. You're lucky. :) I also love your nail polish color. It reminds me that I need a manicure very soon! Hehe.

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  25. Hurrah! Reversed perfect and honestly after the Australian floods I'm thinking how to par everything down! xx

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  26. I love the rings you wearing!
    Also is so meaningful when are able to get your trips to India out of your mom's old jewelry!

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  27. A trip to India is much more important than non-sentimental jewellery that you don't even like. What great luck, you showed that dress who is boss. (ps we can't see your boots, show us yer legs!) xx

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  28. My lord you are the expert at mixing and matching eras, fabrics, styles... I love that maxi with that jacket. Any chance we can see the rest of the dress?

    All those rings are divine - especially love the mood ring and the 60s timber ring.

    And YAY YOU! for getting such a good price that you're heading back to India. You've got some serious life skills Vix!

    Sarah xxx

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  29. Not at all! Selling it means you are going to make someone else a very happy owner of pretty jewellery - and you're making yourself happy with a trip to India. A win-win situation! What an amazing tweed jacket, Vix! xxx

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  30. How fab to recycle the gold for so much cash! Glad you cleansed the dress of any bad feelings - it shall evermore be known as the Golden Gown!! That jacket looks great on you - a really good fit, makes you look as tiny as you are!

    I do hope you actually wear all those rings together - never understate what can be overstated!

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  31. One should definitely keep things one wants and exchange rest for better things! :) I agree with Sabine. It is a Win Win!

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  32. I am not a big fan of gold jewelry but look at it from an investment point of view:-) Love ur rings esp. the modern ring. I would love to wear rings like these but they really irritate my fingers and interfere in my typing so now just wear my wedding bad:(

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  33. I am so like you ..Superstitious .. and we have had so much bad luck this year already.. I feel I have done something the wrong dog let in the new year .. or we have a poltergeist ! I love your dress, I love the jacket even more and the rings are amazing xx

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  34. I love gold jewellery, but I also love silver, plastic, base metals... anything that spangles really. I don't think you're bad at all for selling off the gold, if you aren't going to use it and you can get enough money from it to buy something more useful then you would be crazy not to! xx

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  35. Thats fantastic about the flights! I love all your rings together and that nail varnish is gorgeous xx

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  36. You rock a blazer like no other! Era's an idea - the more the merrier!
    xx Comtesse xx

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  37. Now that's what I call a cracking exchange deal! Are you bad for cashing in the family gold? No way!!! You'll be using it to make fanastic memories for you and Jon to cherish for the future. And what could be better than that? Happy holidays! xx

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  38. I prefer costume jewelry to the real deal myself. I'm often stunned what people receive for old jewelry...two trips!?

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  39. Good swap I say, now you can afford to go a bit further than India next time ;)

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  40. Fab tweed jacket.

    Not wrong at all. If it wouldn't be used it's better that it goes somewhere it will and you get some benefit.

    x

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  41. lol, funny :-P I love the almalgamating of eras! it's one of my main fascinations of fashion!

    If you feel so strongly then it's not a bad thing, not a bad thing anyway but much better to have an adventure in India than have a museum for a tradition you don't like.

    The round wooden ring is fantastic!

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  42. Dearest Vix, you look fantastic as always. I'm glad the dressed proved to be lucky in the end. Well done on making the cash for your next trip.

    I don't wear gold either, only silver or costume jewellery. I've found quite a few pieces from the early nineties that I'm going to start wearing again. I've tried the minimal (ish) look, it's not gone well. I'm going back to more is more! Love C xx

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  43. Wow! They must have been worth a lot! Glad you managed to turn the luck of that dress around...It is beautiful and would be a shame to have sitting around feeling bad about itself!

    xx

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  44. well done with selling the old jewellery, i need to be less of a hoarder and get rid of some thingS!
    And i'm glad that dress made it back out of the closet, it looks lovely!

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  45. Costume jewellery is much more fun! The dress is gorgeous and it MUST be lucky xxx

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  46. I thin it's fine to sell your family gold. At least you an then get something that you actually like for yourself. I'vetrid to wear gold but it just doesn't suit me at all. Silver is more my thing...and you never know when you have to make it into bullet to fight warewolf :)

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  47. I don't like gold either! The time I tried to take a gold neclace and exchange it for cash the told me it was fake! The shame! I'm sticking with silver (and like you said, wood, plastic...)

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  48. So perfect Vix !
    Just as always !

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  49. ooh, you have got a special style ;)

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  50. Beautiful, beautiful outfit! it makes me think English Country, but in a totally non-stuffy way...feminine, lean, edgy. You're not going to go riding on a fine day -- you're going to set the horses loose and watch them run free o'er the moors. Once again, you look like the rare sort of fashion editorial I'd like to examine, tear out, and keep.

    Congratulations on your gold cash-in. I don't think you're wrong. I think the best that family jewelry can hope for -- esp. if it's tacky family jewelry -- is to be turned over to someone who will enjoy it more, and that the money goes to a wonderful experience like India.

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  51. WOW! Enough dosh raised for 2 return flights - that's brilliant. Friend has talked me into Thailand for the joint 40th this year I think, although if I was to push my choice I'd prob argue the case for Goa. Ah well, good excuse to go next year! xx

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  52. But i love the mix! I hate to use the word but it's very eclectic and really suits you Vix
    It might actually be one of faves ;)
    x

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  53. I can't believe you were able to let go of some amazing rings, they're so beautiful!
    Love that dress, I hope you were able to reverse that karma ;D x

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  54. I totally agree. Costume jewellery all the way, I can't help but feel a little bad when people buy me "proper" jewellery as presents as I know I will rarely wear it:(

    Carol x
    www.mystylisms.blogspot.com

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  55. I love the colour of the nail varnish. It is so striking. You almost look ready for the business world in that outfit. Lord help us. Laugh.

    Love you!

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Lots of love, Vix