We're often approached by people wanting to sell us their old clothes. A lot of the time its moth-eaten fur, repro or just not good enough to adorn our rails (not all vintage is good vintage) and we have to graciously decline. Last weekend was different. A visitor to our stall told me she had a pile of brightly coloured & boldly patterned clothes purchased from various Liverpool boutiques in the late '60s and early '70s and wondered if I'd be interested in taking a look.....hell, yes!
These are the fourteen pieces I had to buy.
How about these four gorgeous maxi skirts? A stunner of a Liberty of London & Marion Donaldson collaboration. The brown moss crepe beauty is hand painted with multicoloured dots.
The lady bought this 1960s mini dress by Shelana as it was very Cilla Black, seemingly every Liverpool lass's sweetheart back in the day. I love the Zanie label on the Ossie Clark inspired blouse.
The John Charles bib-fronted velvet maxi was another dress she'd bought after seeing Cilla in something similar .
She'd never worn this pretty glazed cotton maxi dress by London label Dolly Day.
What are the chances?! I own this Medieval-inspired brocade 1960s maxi by Dollyrockers (the groovy fashion label modelled by Patti Boyd, George Harrison's first wife) in blue. This wine coloured version has never been worn.
Three slinky printed maxis, all made in England.
A seriously groovy psychedelic catsuit.
This psychedelic maxi dress by Samuel Sherman (the in-house designer for Dollyrockers) takes my breath away. Anne bought it as it reminded her of the artwork from The Yellow Submarine.
She wasn't wrong, was she?
All of them are fabulous and colourful enough to grace the Kinky rails!
Its been a full-on couple of days in preparation for our next festival, Indietracks. As a distraction from the tedium of washing, ironing, pricing and mending I dusted off my Hot Sticks (£1 from a car boot sale) and curled my hair.
I was born with a poker-straight hair but always loved curls. As a child I insisted Mum rag-rolled my hair before bedtime and throughout the 1980s had a love affair with the Babyliss crimper followed by a succession of spiral perms. At the tail end of the Naughties I splashed out on a beach wave perm at Toni & Guy which I absolutely loved. I'm tempted to get it done again.
Right, I'd better get back to the pricing pile, we've got to pack the van tomorrow (and hopefully squeeze in a car boot sale) and there's still loads to do.
See you soon.
PS: Check out my interview with the fabulous Sara over on Bella's blog HERE!
All of them are fabulous and colourful enough to grace the Kinky rails!
Its been a full-on couple of days in preparation for our next festival, Indietracks. As a distraction from the tedium of washing, ironing, pricing and mending I dusted off my Hot Sticks (£1 from a car boot sale) and curled my hair.
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| Vintage 1970s halter-neck maxi dress (99p, eBay), Mr Brainwash poster (Krista, 2012) |
See you soon.
PS: Check out my interview with the fabulous Sara over on Bella's blog HERE!
What a great set of purchases! I did think 'Cilla' straight away with that bib dress.
ReplyDeleteI got my hot sticks from a car boot sale too, though I think I paid £3. Love your hair like that xx
Gorgeous stuff, hair and you! Can there be so much gorgeousness in the world???
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your next stop! Xo Jazzy Jack
It's all beautiful but I really love the medival brocade. And your curly hair <3
ReplyDeleteOH WOW!!!!!! Those clothes are bloody amazing! What a super haul and no filler at all! Love the Zanie top and that Dolly Rockers dress. How odd was that? You already owning a similar one. I hope that one's going to be a keeper.
ReplyDeleteLooks like Kinky's rails are heaving with retro fabulousity there!
Like you, I've got poker straight hair and have resorted to crimpers, plaits and tongs to create a bit of curl or wave. However, it all drops out quite quickly for me - sigh. Your waves look gorgeous though - hope they last longer than mine! xxx
What a fabulous stroke of luck :)))
ReplyDeleteOh wow, what a collection! The Sam Sherman maxi dress is gorgeous, what great use of the pattern.
ReplyDeleteMy hair is dead straight too, I yearned for curls when I was younger.Tried hot stocks once and was amazed by the curls - only to find they dropped out about an hour later, I caught a glimpse of my hair in a mirror in the pub and was gutted!
Some great buys there!
ReplyDeleteI love your hair with curls. Mine's dead straight too - I have always wanted long, red, curly hair!
M x
Wow, simply gorgeous dresses! Wish I could come buy and try some on (are they for only super-skinny girls?) And your hair looks so fetching with curls - and I think perms now are much more gentle than they once were. Have a groovy day, xox.
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous set and how lovely to have the stories behind them...lovelier still that Anne kept them all.
ReplyDeleteKnocked out by that utterly stunning Sherman maxi. What a beauty. All that colour. I can remember growing up with colour all over the place and clothing was definitely brighter and bolder and a whole lot more fun than now. Kinky's rails look fab.
Love the curls on you. Yup...dead straight hair here too and I always wanted a bonce full of curls.
God, love...I had rag rolled hair form the age of 6! My gran used to use sugar water to make my ringlets even crispier! Bless her, the used to do skinny plaits until Babyliss came to her rescue. I can smell the singed hair now!
Loves ya!
xxxxxx
I love the catsuit would it fit me ???
ReplyDeleteYour hair looks so pretty curled. Funny enough I've just today ordered some heated rollers, I used them for donkeys years and then they packed up and I never replaced them. My hairdresser friend keeps going awol and I'm useless at doing it myself so I thought I'd go back to my old habit of sticking the old rollers in.
Hope it's a good weekend for the kinky couple xxxx
You look so pretty with your hair like that! Well you do ordinarily but I just love the curls being somewhat biased myself!
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful new additions to your rails xxx
Wow some gorgeous pieces there, love the Liberty maxi skirt, Shelani mini dress, psychedelic catsuit and Sherman maxi. Your halterneck is lovely too. As someone with curly/kinky hair, I've always wanted straight hair! Wanna swap?! x
ReplyDeleteMy 16 year old granddaughter was asking me questions about my favorite clothes when I was her age -- The Shelana dress is the exact style of my absolute favorite dress except mine was beige crepe with a lace collar and cuffs -- I can't wait to show her these dresses - She may not "get" the aesthetic of the 60's but it's so much fun to share memories with her!
ReplyDeleteaahhh bless Anne what a lovely lady she sounds and I can see why you bought them all. Each one with a lovely story and a bit of history attached. Love the cat suit and the last dress those patterns and colour just a yummy feast on the eye. Have a lovely weekend hoping the sun is going to shine having to sort my stock tomorrow for Crikey as selling from underneath Bertie's canopy. dee xx
ReplyDeleteI was so surprised to see the very dress I was wed in amongst the treasures you were given!
ReplyDeleteLove the beachy wave look, so soft and feminine,, I was born with porker straight hair as well, rag rolled my hair through out the seventies for waves, never had a perm though,,you look lovely with curls,
that lot of new beautiful pieces really helped fill the racks,
and that's why I said "Yes" to every donation to the costume shop. You never know what treasures are lurking in them. And if you can't use 65 pair of pull on polyester grandma pants, the local thrift store can.
ReplyDeletethey take my breath away. sooooo gorgeous. my hair is so curly and i must straighten it after every wash...x
ReplyDeleteWow, you do look gorgeous with curls! I also have poker straight hair, but it's very low maintenance, and annoy OH who has to spend so much time and effort on his curly mane! What an amazing haul of stock you purchased, didn't she have great taste!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great stash of dresses - and in such great condition. Love your dress today and your hair looks great straight but is also really with the curls today. I hate hate hate ironing so try not to get too distressed doing it :)
ReplyDeleteWow that stock is stunning an d your hair looks beautiful curled you should do it more often xxx
ReplyDeleteI'm amazed you can bear to get rid of those pieces - you'd look fantastic in them.
ReplyDelete(Ohai Polly Piglet!)
That wine-coloured dress looks very Anne Boleyn. I'm quite sure my Mum would love it as she always wanted an Anne Boleyn-style wedding dress. I adore that strpy maxi! What luck.x
ReplyDeleteWhat a treasure trove of finds that woman had for you! You must have been giddy seeing all the amazing things.
ReplyDeleteI love your hair curled. I've always had waves and used to flat-iron my hair straight (funny how you want what you don't have!). These days I go with the flow and just enhance the curl with simple rag curlers. It's way easier. But I would love to have your naturally straight beautiful hair. Not to say that your curls today don't look great, because they do. I guess what I'm saying is that your hair looks good any way you do it!
How wonderful that Anne kept those groovy pieces for all these years, I'm sure they will fly off the rails. Poker straight hair here too, so envious of those people who say their hair goes frizzy in damp weather...mine just goes lank. Loving the curls and side parting darling. xx
ReplyDeleteI have been so busy lately I haven't even sat down at my laptop to read any blogs, I have missed yours so much. I follow on Facebook but it isn't the same. I'm sorting myself out a bit now so I don't seem so busy, hopefully I'm back now though.
ReplyDeleteLove the new clothes, are they all to be for the shop or are you keeping some for yourself? I bet it's difficult to not want to keep everything.
Cxx
Oh wow, that is a se4riously fabulous collection of clothes! What good taste your customer had to choose such beautiful pieces. The striped maxi skirt, Zanie blouse, Ian Peters catsuit, and the Samuel Sherman dress make me swoon. Fantastic. (Are they all teeny-weeny? Might be making you an offer if not, but I suspect they'll be too small for me...)
ReplyDeleteLike you, I have dead straight hair and always longed for curls, hence all those years of perm after perm in the 1980s, and some of the '90s too. I have a set of hot sticks, and can't even get the bloody things to stay in my hair - it's perhaps easier if you have long hair. Or it might be I am totally useless with all things hair-related. Come to think of it, that's a more likely explanation! You look gorgeous with your waves, I'd seriously consider that beach wave perm. I bet the perming solution they use these days isn't quite as noxious as it used to be...
Fabulous halterneck frock too. Now get back to work!
Love you! xxxx
What a great match, bet Anne was so pleased to be able to sell her collection to you, and it will suit Kinky Melon down to the ground. My favourites are the stripy Liberty skirt, the psychedelic jumpsuit and the Samuel Sherman dress. Yellow submarine was my favourite Beatles song as a child, but I prefer Eleanor Rigby now. It's intriguing and melancholy. Cilla wore some great things in her time and she belted out some great songs. Oh, you and me with the poker straight hair and the heartfelt desire for curls. I like the sound of that perm. My only two experiences left me looking like a footballer. You look stunning in your halterneck dress. I love Polly Piglet in the foreground, you in the middle and then your wooden herd of animals on the windowsill. Good luck this weekend. Xxxxxx
ReplyDeleteThat Samuel Sherman dress my Mum had something almost identical but in brown orange white and green she wore it a lot which is why I remember it! I must try to dig a photo out when I am over there next.
ReplyDeleteLOVE the curls! Tres foxy.
ReplyDeleteWhat amazing frockage you scored! Nothing for you to keep, though?!
Love Helga XXX
I love the medieval dress. It's divine. And you look beautiful with either curly or straight hair. I love the way you dress and wish I had the courage to do the same. X
ReplyDeleteOoh yeah, get a perm! I love the waves. I can just see you in that velvet maxi. Will you keep any of them or are they not your size?
ReplyDeleteHave a great time at the next festival. xxx
It's easy to tell when you show pictures of your racks and what you bring to fairs that you have a well curated inventory. Since there is so little true vintage in the states, when we see stuff in stalls or at fairs, it's a lot of crap. I wish we could find better quality -- and true vintage!
ReplyDeleteLove those "Dolly Day" dresses we had something like that here in United States I don't recall the name. I bought a few sewing pattern and made my self a few of them.
ReplyDeleteCoffee is on
The liberty skirt caught my eye, what a fabulous print. Curly hair is fun, suits you!
ReplyDeletethat gal had an excellent taste in clothing at the time!!!
ReplyDeletegorgeous stuff!! and so cool that you could get it for kinky melon!
you look sweet with curls! if you let make a perm then let me know what it does to the hair. i remember the spiral perm of the 80´s as very destroying. had the last one 1989 - after that i had to cut the hair completely - hello miss o´conner ;-) since my hair is white it makes beach-y waves only by wearing it in a bun for a while - practical :-)
xxxxxxx
Oh wow! So many gorgeous skirts and dresses!
ReplyDeleteYour hair looks as lovely with curls as it does straight.
I have naturally curly/wavy hair and have given in to its wild ways but much preferred straight hair when I was younger.
xx
Oh! Love this kind of posts and I really like yor "store". More more more please!
ReplyDeleteOh! Love this kind of posts and I really like yor "store". More more more please!
ReplyDeleteWonderful purchases! I especially like the floral maxi skirt and that "yellow submarine" dress! Same story with my hair: mine is straight and I've always loved waves or curls.
ReplyDeleteYou look GORGEOUS with curls!!! The beauty of us having straight hair is we can curl at our whim.
ReplyDeleteOh my word what a find. I am in love with that Shelana dress. How fantastic. You look great with curls.Xx
ReplyDeletewouu, all those fabulous prints and colors and pretty labels are like heaven!, such a great purchase!!, they're perfect for your pretty fabulous stall!
ReplyDeleteand you're gorgeous (as usual!!!!)
besos
Wow what amazing finds! Like you my hair I deadly straight too. Curly hair is my dream but I have noticed my hair texture has changed in recent years and I have a very slight wave... Which is too exciting lol! Xx
ReplyDeleteWhat a great stash - really like the slinky maxi dress on the right and yes, that does like something Cilla wore! The curls look fab, Vix
ReplyDeleteI always wanted curls when I was a kid (which lead to a horrible all-over perm when I was in High School) too. You look smokin' hot in the spiral curls and the gorgeous halter maxi!
ReplyDeleteWow, that woman had some wonderful clothing - so lucky she found you to sell it to! I really like the catsuit and the Samuel Sherman dress but they are all too small for me. The colours in the print on the Sherman dress does look like the Yellow Submarine art.
Wow, what an amazing collection of clothes! I'm not surprised that you snapped those beauties up, they'll look great on the stall x
ReplyDeleteoh good lordy!! all those garments are amazing! my heart skipped a beat for the liberty skirt, and the dollyrockers dress. oh how i wish i could visit your shop Vix!!
ReplyDeletewow, your shop-tent looks os amazing! It must be so exciting to got through the clothes on every rail! You really do a great job there, I can tell just bve seeing it frm far.
ReplyDeleteNow I go Ironing some stuff for tomorrows flea market sell at our fave bar ...
Woop woop! Such great finds!!!
ReplyDeleteLoved how our interview turned out in the end, I'd forgotten about it!
Hope you are doing well, my friend xx
What an amazing haul of clothes you managed to pick up … that Dolly Day dress is just gorgeous.
ReplyDeletexx
Crazy awesome selection. My fave is the velvet maxi. Loving your curly hair!
ReplyDeleteWOW! You hit the jack pot with these gorgeous dresses and skirts! And you look adorable with curls. If I could choose, I would want to have thick curly long hair for myself. Though pixie will do it for now. :) Congratulations on your interview! xxx
ReplyDeleteI have natural curls but would love pin-straight hair! Yours is beautiful :) Love all the colorful maxis, especially the one in the last shot.
ReplyDeleteJust noticed the size 14 label, which is what I was in the 60s and 70s. It has hips 38 - now a 14 has waist 34! Mind, my hips are 38 but it is some time since my waist was 28!
ReplyDeleteHello darling!! I adore your curly hair too - however you wear it, you are always fabulous. And your new stock is amazing. xox
ReplyDeleteThis lady who sold you these vintage beautifies obviously has great taste but what a shame she never wore those two dresses...they're absolutely amazing, both of them...and it is indeed a freaky coincedence that you have the same maxi dress in blue....and you look stunning in btw!
ReplyDeleteI totally get why you bought all those items from her, because every one of them is absolutely fabulous. Special love for that maxi whose pattern reminded her (and us) of Yellow Submarine cover.
It must be a lot of work doing all that ironing, I hate to do it, but when I love an item of clothing, it is easier for to invest time into caring for it. That reminds me, I have this gorgeous long maxi my aunt gave me that needs a zipper change...I must get on to that!
we may indeed be twins...because my hair is also very straight...and I always admired curls. I'm happy with my hair, but I feel tempted to get a perm ...at least once in my life. The problem is nobody knows how to do it anymore, so if you have found a place that does, go for it.
Oh dear a lord Vix I think I must know if you've already sold three of those pieces I find myself swoon over. The very first maxi skirt in the pictures, the mini dress and the catsuit.........are seriously all pieces I adore and pieces I've been looking for. It's certainly great when someone offers you a look at some old stuff and it's worth, I bet you were delighted. Your hair looks lovely with body and wave to do it again as you said. It's funny because I'm trying to grow my hair and I've been ragging my hair some nights because like you I was born with the straight hair gene and love playing around with it having some body.
ReplyDeleteI'm in love with that velvet maxi dress.Swoonworthy. You always pick great dresses to wear and sell, Vix.
ReplyDeleteI love the velvet frock with a bib - so lovely!! I also love the curls, I have wavy hair but love curls, unfortunately my hair is so fine it only lasts 5 minutes!!
ReplyDelete