Thursday 15 March 2012

My Outfit, A Parcel & The Soundtrack To My Youth




It's Thursday and I haven't set foot in a charity shop for a week.  


Gypsy skirt with bells, a Lonsdale crop top (I've revamping plans for this) and a vintage paisley wool blouse by Country Casuals.
Not that I've needed to, the lovely Clare sent me a parcel of joy today filled with some of her recent jumble sale finds and a fabulous compilation CD of psychedelia, world music and random madness.

 This retro postcard of Spain rocks! 

Thanks, Clare, I love it all!




There's an epic chazzing adventure planned for tomorrow. My friend, Liz, has a day off work and we're touring the charity shops of the West Midlands by bus, stopping at Wetherspoons for lunch. To non-Brits Wetherspoons is a cheap & cheerful pub chain which buys up disused cinemas, theatres and other neglected buildings of local historical interest and converts them into pubs. A hearty veggie meal with a glass of wine, pint of ale or bottle of lager comes in at just under £5.

Agate choker and matching cuff (50p for the set, car boot sale)


The beautiful Pippy tagged me with the High School Play list.



My grammar school years were between 1977 until 1984.


First off it's The Smiths. Morrissey shared my love of gritty kitchen sink novels and was a fellow vegetarian. When I discovered The Smiths back in 1983 I felt like I'd found my tribe.Even now this song still brings a tear to my eye, I love it.




I'll never forget hearing John Peel play Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart on his evening show in 1979. Ian Curtis's voice was mesmerising.



From the age of 11 I had a huge crush on Debbie Harry. Rip Her To Shreds is still my favourite Blondie track.




Back in the early Eighties an amazing man squatted in a derelict house in Walsall town centre and dressed in tinfoil suits, Elizabethan ruffs and Tudor wimples, often accompanied by a dog in a space suit. I was mesmerised from the moment I first saw him and trailed after him in awe. I was rendered speechless when watching Top Of The Pops one night he appeared fronting Culture Club as Boy George and went on to become a huge star.




At school most of our classmates were obsessed with local band, Duran Duran, but Liz and I preferred The Stray Cats and their bad ass tattoos, on-stage smoking and dirty guitars. They were the first band we ever saw live back in 1979.

I'm tagging these fellow music lovers:
Curtise @ Secondhand Years
Sandy @ Vainglorysinner
Clare@ Miss Simmonds Says
Lucy @ Tales From The Faraway Tree
Lucy @Being Of Sound Mind


1970s maxi skirt (The spec-tacular  Helga), cobweb shawl  (20p), vintage wool beret (20p) and denim waistcoat (40p, all from jumble sales),  Day Birger & Mikkelson lurex vest (75p, Age UK)
Tonight I'm planning to eat salad, watch a documentary about knickers and finish off the Havana Club Rum.
Have a fab evening.
See you soon.

73 comments:

  1. Love that agate jewellery, they're really eye-catching. Your soundtrack brings back a lot of memories for me. My best friend was a big Blondie fan, so whenever I hear their songs I'm transported to being back in her bedroom jumping around to the songs, whilst the needle skipped on her record-player. xxx

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  2. I love Joy Division, and that song is one of my faves. Beautiful voice.
    Love that cuff and necklace.
    Hope you enjoy your day tomorrow, sounds pretty damn fab to me.
    xx

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  3. That agate jewellry is stunning.
    I want to come on your trip tomorrow...it sounds as tho' you're gonna have a great time. Can't wait to see all your finds!
    Love the 2 skirts. Yay! The Stray Cats, hit that double bass boys!
    Z xx

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  4. All of your music selections are great, but I just adore The Stray Cats and Blondie! Debbie Harry is soooo crush worthy!

    I love green on you; you've made me want to add more of it to my own wardrobe! And the agate set is to die for. Seriously!

    xo, Anita

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  5. I love your green dress my dear! You look beautiful and snugly! I love that mohair shaw too! Your parcel from Clare feels like summer and that has me smiling! Your day planned with Liz sounds like my kinda day! We have an outfit here in Oregon called McMinimum's and they buy old buildings and turn them into hotels with restaurants, movie theaters and bars, they are a blast to go and check out.
    This high school play list is super entertaining, I might just have to give it a go. Of your 5, Blondie and Stray Cats were the two I also dug!
    Have fun with Liz. Tell her I said, WHAT UP!!!!!
    Loveyou~
    Krista

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  6. Loving that skirt Vix.

    All theses songs made me smile and took me back to many a school disco.

    Have a great day tomorrow and enjoy your shopping Vix style.

    X x

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  7. I'm a bit older than you so your soundtrack brought back memories of my grad school years. I felt the same way about The Smiths and Morrissey. And I'm also a big fan of kitchen-sink dramas and novels including the films 'A Taste of Honey,' 'Girl with Green Eyes' and anything else with Rita Tushingham. I saw on Clare's blog that you gave her 'Saturday Night, Sunday Morning,' another one of my fave films/novels.
    As far as Boy George, well, I'll send you an email.
    Have a great day tomorrow. Look forward to hearing all about it.

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  8. I dig your play list,and the print on the skirt!

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  9. Brilliant list - love them all :)

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  10. Love your shawl and beret Vix xx

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  11. You picked some great tunes! Also love retro postcards!

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  12. I need to make a cd of your picks, those are some of my favorite songs I hadn't thought of in a while! I love the embroidered lion on that crop top, too.

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  13. You look lovely as always and I adore agate!

    I got a parcel from Clare today too; I've yet to listen to my CD though.

    xxx

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  14. woah, I do love that denim waistcoat missy! That retro postcard of Spain looks fab-u-lous!

    Oh and I love your taste in music! Can't beat a bit of Joy Division, Culture Club and The Smiths! :)

    Oh and there's an - dare I say it - AWESOME email waiting for you in your inbox! :D

    XO

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  15. Yay, a chance to talk about music! Thanks for the tag lovely - I'll give this some thought. Unsurprisingly I'm impressed by your choices. I think you're about the same age as my sister. Listening to her music when I was young was what gave me a taste for music from before my years. I went through an obsessive Morrissey and Smiths phase too. I must have seen Blondie about 3 times - I have a friend who's a big fan and Love Will Tear Us Apart is one of my all time favourite tracks xxx

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  16. There is nothing like a blast of Lurex to kick off my day. If the fabric weren't lurexy enough, the name itself is deliciously twisted. You look great and I wish I could stow away on your bus tomorrow! Those songs bring back memories of club crawling and warehouse parties, and especially the mildewy smell of dive studios and mornings after.

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  17. I may just be a little bit obsessed with your jewellery x

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  18. Love your music cholices, esp The Smiths, I listen to The Queen is Dead quite a lot even now! But can never decide which is my fave Smiths song -There is a Light ... or, Please, Please, Please ... both give me shivers, will always love them. X

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  19. I'm so glad you liked everything! The CD does have some rather mad stuff on it - Japanese Samba and risque 1930s songs about cats....

    Love your outfit - lucky you with your tour of the West Mids charity shop, I'm tempted to do a day trip up there

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  20. Jeez,that agate set was an amaaaaazing score! 50p! Bloody hell!
    I love that you wear this skirt a bit;it was slightly knackered,but I loved the print so much....YAY!
    EEEK,as I write this,you'll be gently sozzled and thinking about a good nights sleep for your chazza shop expedition!Hurrah!
    I'm thinking about my double date Friday and a, thrilled to have a soundtrack for it!Cheers!
    Blonide ROCK!Debbie Harry is a creature of wonder!
    Love you madly!
    Helga XXXxxxXXX

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  21. Cannot believe you haven't set foot in a charity shop all week - is that some kind of record?! You have excellent taste in music, though I'd throw The Clash in there too.

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  22. Your necklace and braclet are gorgeous and so is your dress im trying to peek at the silver sparkle top of it. I have no sound on my laptop but Blondie used to be a favourite of mine. Have a great day tomorrow, dee xx

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  23. I love the skirt! For some reason, the print looks like robots from my perspective!

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  24. Hi Vix,

    Had to come out of hiding when I saw this post!

    Loving that fab skirt love the black and green and that shawl looks sooo cosy too.

    Although I never have read the kitchen sink drama books, I used to have a real thing about the films when i was young. A taste of honey, Poor Cow, Up the Junction ooo and Georgie girl too I loved all those films, I have always enjoyed gritty films and dramas. I did have a book many years ago called I want it was amazing about a relationship between two people spanning over 50 years the story is told through letters it is gritty and full of yearning and wanting but not in a wimpy hanky wringing way. The writer was Nell Dunn who I think wrote some of the above mentioned stories! I lost that book a long time ago and have been trying to track it down ever since! One day I will find it.

    As for music Blondie! Wow she was such a babe and I think automic is one of my faves of her's although do love rip her to shreds. Of course I remember the smiths and Morrisey but i think they kinda passed me by a bit when young, but do love This Charming man. I think your choices rock. Mine wouldnt from my school years they would be embarrasing to be honest! lol. Although that said I did love a lot of my mum and dad's records and fell in love with T. Rex he was so cool! Sigh!

    Had to comment on a post about books and music! to much temptation. Lol.


    MBB x

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  25. Oh my, your song coices have brought back memories of my youth - I wanted to be Debbie Harry when I was about 13 or 14 and I adored Boy George and Culture Club. Stray Cats were brilliant as well and although not a fan of Joy Division I do love that song and always turn the radio up LOUD when it is on. I can't say as I know many Smiths songs as I grew up in South Africa and they weren't that popular over there or maybe they were and I just wasn't aware of it x

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  26. love your dress!

    love your playlist.
    i also loved the straycats and what a fascinating story re boy george.

    i've always been a rock and roller!

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  27. love your dress!

    love your playlist.
    i also loved the straycats and what a fascinating story re boy george.

    i've always been a rock and roller!

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  28. Fab. That dress is gorgeous.
    That's a fantastic playlist...I'm with you on Joy Division, and Blondie and hell, all of it.
    xxxx

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  29. I did my school work experience at a radio station and absolutely loved it - I got to acquire the promo singles which weren't needed.

    LOVE the maxi today and the amazing jewellery finds. I imagine you'll make up for lost time tomorrow! x

    ***To those I follow and who follow me - is my blog appearing on your dashboard? Blogger appears to be losing some blogs I follow!**

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  30. Great music choices! I am also watching the knickers (go Mary!) and am an avid Weatherspoons curry night muncher! Enjoy your day out :)

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  31. No chazza shopping for a week?, you must be getting withdrawal symptoms! Hope tomorrow's session is fruitful, (will look forward to seeing your finds) and have one for me in Wetherspoons. Love the print on Helga's skirt and your Agate set was a tremendous bargain and totally gorgeous to boot. Great tunes, but I do love a bit of rockabilly the best.
    xx

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  32. The cobweb shawl, agate jewellery, covet, want, covet...

    The music, a trip down a lane full of memories - Happy chazzing tomorrow, Vix - And Happy Wetherspoon's - I love the way they are colonizing otherwise wasted buildings, like cinemas - Fab!

    Ciao, bella!

    Fhina x

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  33. Lookin mighty fine me Lovely!
    Your music choices are spectacular and take me right back to the good ole days! I lurved that Joy Division song and Blondie is enuf to make ya wanna jump the fence!
    Perfect selection x

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  34. All your clothes are so cool. And can`t believe that the necklace and matching bracelet was only 50p?! Can I come to England and go on that fabulous sounding tour of charity shops with you and your friend? :) Amazing. I always enjoy your posts and little snippets of your life) All the music is wonderful!

    >'.'<

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  35. You look DIVINE. :) This is one of my favorite outfits of yours yet. But who am I kidding, I love ALL of your gorgeous outfits. Sigh.

    Thanks for the ear candy. I will never grow tired of that Smiths song. And Rip Her to Shreds is one of my favorite Blondie songs ever. xoxo

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  36. Your charity shop tour day sounds fab, me and my friend do a little charity shop to Preston a couple of times a year which I love. xx PS love your Boy George story!

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  37. Agate choker and cuff is simply gorgeous. I love you that wonderful print Maxi skirt amor.
    lovely your prosti make up slap.
    I love all your musica..especially MozAngeles. I wanted to watch the chonis Mary show.
    luv ya

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  38. Ooh, excellent playlist, love them all xx

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  39. oh, i love the playlist! i have to be true, i started listening to this bands after i've finished school. maybe someday this playlist request is passed onto me... then i have to remember my old faves in music.

    ohohoh, wish you and your friend an amazing day tomorrow!

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  40. I absolutely love the agate jewellery!

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  41. That maxi skirt is divine!
    The choker and cuff are hardcore awsome.

    Can't complain about pressies coming in the mail. It always turns a boring day FABULOUS.

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  42. Hi Vix!

    We got the same taste in music ,i discovered the Smiths a llitle later, love Morissey what a voice and the music is out of this world!

    Love your green dress Vix , the jewellery is so gorgeous!
    Have a good time with Liz
    Thanks for your comment ,telling me i am a work of art, bh the way you are too!
    And yes i am fun to be around with, Mr. D has a good laugh with me every day !

    Love. Ariane xxxxx

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  43. That necklace and bracelet are breathtaking. Love them. they are true works of art.

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  44. Absolutely love the choker and matching cuff!

    ∞ © tanvii.com ∞

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  45. I love the contrast of the green printed skirt with the rusty brown shawl! =)

    http://pinkchampagnefashion.blogspot.com/

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  46. My highschool playlist would be dreadful (lots of 90's euro techno). I prefers yours, especially Stray Cats! Your outfit is fab - loving the chocker and the bracelet.

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  47. I am so relieved NOT to be tagged, as it would reveal just how ancient I am. The agate jewelry is lovely. And now, I shall go to sleep, pondering the addition of bells to my gypsy skirt.

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  48. Have a fabulous day touring the charity shops today, can't wait to see the treasures you discover and what outfit you wore. I remember seeing the Stray Cats in Leeds in my youth, my partner had to lend them his bass guitar at the time

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  49. Hope you have a fabulous day out today, bet you find some stonking stuff!

    Your music choices just took me right back, we're the same school years!

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  50. Super outfit as usual!

    Ah Wetherspoons, they opened a 'shop front' pub in our borough and did it up, JUST before the most magnificent Victorian station pub/hotel got shut down (it was now a dodgy club serving underage). Both the chain and the locals sighed- it would have been a perfect location had they just waited a few months.

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  51. Tee hee I've been back to you three times today, it's been great listening to your play list. Thank you, lots of memories.
    your agate jewelry is so beautiful.
    Hope you have a wonderful weekend.
    Love v

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  52. You had far better music going around in your grammar school years than I had in my high school years! I'll take any of these over Britney Spears & her ilk any day. I love your outfit! The pattern on that maxi is divine.

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  53. I just adore you jewelry! I love your choice of music, especially Smiths and Joy Division, they're my cup of tea also

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  54. Too funny... I used to do loads of extra work and I'm in the "Rock This Town" video! Not the one you showed though, this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RxBHRZpIdg&ob=av3n Such a small world!
    XXX
    Suzanne

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  55. oooh fab music!!! And a great outfit - what a FAB parcel to receive, full of lovely stuff!

    I hope that you get loads of great buys in your Charity Shop Day Out - can't wait for the pix!

    Ali x

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  56. Love the outift, as always. Fantastic song choices, and oh my god that story about Boy George is amazing.

    Have a fab weekend xx

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  57. Hi Vix, was it Mary Portas's show about we-must-have-British- knickers? I watched it and thought, well, if knickers are such a hard market, why didn't you choose something else? (Something visible, for Pete's sake!)

    Anyway, GREAT charity shop finds. Unfortunately, I'm out of town tomorrow, or else I'd say, let's chow down at Wetherspoons here.

    Cheers,
    Rose from www.foreveronthecatwalkoflife.com

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  58. I used to worship Debbie Harry too!!
    xx

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  59. Love that Joy Division song! Love old postcards too, makes me nostalgic... :)

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  60. Hope you have a fabulous day tomorrow and I love that skirt on you.

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  61. I'm in love with the agate choker and cuff. You find the most beautiful treasures at car boot sales. Your planned epic adventure sounds over the top, just like your musical choices.

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  62. gorgous green eyes and skirt;) and i love all the music you shared with us, joy division, blondie, the smiths, stray cats. i think you should recomend me more music ;)
    love and kiss,mary

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  63. Aaahh, what goodies! You're probably just out and about combing the charity shops and enjoying a glass of vino at Wetherspoons (even I've heard of them). Debbie Harry - when I was 8 I justed wanted to be her :)

    xoxo

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  64. Love all the green in this post! You definitely have good taste in music.

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  65. love your green skirt and fabulous combo with that shawl and beret!
    And so funny remember songs that we loved (and sometimes still love): I remember a mad mixture of U2 and Ac/Dc, with some spanish rock bands!
    besos & rock

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  66. I loveeeeee your music pics Vix! I adore the Smiths too, they're a recent discovery for me but I think the music is wonderful. I also love Blondie and Rip her to Shreds is also one of my faves! As for Joy Division, classic!!! xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

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  67. In love with this skirt Vix!

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  68. What a lovely parcel. The necklace is beautiful. I love the idea of a high school playlist.

    My time at senior school was spent listening to Stone Roses, Happy Mondays etc and rave music! I saw Blondie playing at the INXS concert (my first ever concert!)

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  69. Wow I can't believe the prices at Weatherspoons. I also think it's nice that they buy properties that might otherwise run the risk of falling into (further) disrepair. A lot of of landlords shy away from that kind of responsibility, at least in New York they do.

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  70. Great musical choices I love Joy Division Love will Never Tear us apart I am listening to it whilst writing this.

    Love your outfit too xx

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Lots of love, Vix