Buy Buy Love - This Week's Secondhand Finds

For a woman who spends a large part of her life shopping I rarely end up keeping any of it. Take this slinky 1970s number I picked up in a chazza today. It ticks all the boxes - snake print, halterneck, maxi length - the drawback? It's at least three sizes too big (the sides are pegged) and a foot too long. One for the rail, then.

Or this Kati for Laura Phillips maxi my friend Lynn found me at Sunday's Vintage Village at Stockport. I love the paisley-printed gauzy cotton, the velvet bodice and the massive Edwardian-style sleeves.  Yet again, it's too bloomin' big. The row of pegs I've got running down the back make me look like a stegosaurus. 

Vix 0 - Kinky 2

I don't know how many times visitors to vintage fairs tell me that they only made dresses in small sizes  in the 1970s and that it's impossible to find larger sizes. Almost every bugger I like is always too bastard big and honestly, I'm not that tiny.

Success! Finally, a new addition to my wardrobe in over four months.The first frock of my fifties! I bought this Genesis of London maxi from a fellow trader at Judy's in Cambridge last Sunday and before you accuse me of nicking all the good stuff before the doors open and the general public get in - I spotted this beauty 10 minutes before closing time.

Unlike my Leo Narducci maxi, other than a dress and blouse on Etsy, I can't find anything out about this label so I'm guessing it was a boutique brand that disappeared years ago.

While we were out trawling the chazzas this week I did find a few keepers of the non-clothing variety like this vintage turquoise feather boa (a girl can never have too many) and the 1970s navy felted wool wide brimmed hat. 

As you can see from yesterday's middle-aged s*elfie, I had my hair up so, as we've got similar sized heads (big!), I got Jon to try the hat on. We were in an unfamiliar town and were already attracting interest from the natives so a big bald bloke in a woman's hat was probably the talk of Gloucestershire.

I've been whinging about the sorry state of my fabric stash for ages so was thrilled to discover a bolt of vintage green lamé for £7. Indian or Egyptian? Either way, it's fabulous.

I'm a sucker for a vintage dressmaking pattern illustration. Look at the girl's hair in the maxi! Even if I never get round to making the dress (although it would look pretty good in that new fabric) I'm inspired to do mine like that. 

I always snap up books with an Indian theme. Vikas Swarup wrote Q & A, the book on which Slumdog Millionaire is based and both that and Six Suspects were brilliant reads. I'm already halfway through Saraswati Park, set in the area around VT Station in Mumbai it's an area I know like the back of my hand (see it HERE). A Wedding Man is Nicer Than Cats, Miss is a brilliantly titled work of non-fiction written in 1971 by a teacher working with Indian and Bangladeshi children newly arrived in Britain with their families.

I couldn't resist this grumpy 1950s Tiki vase for 49p.

I've already got quite the collection of these psychedelic 1970s Beefeater plates but a couple more won't hurt. I've seen sets of six sell for silly money on eBay (£245!). I don't think I've paid more than £2.

How fortuitous. I also found an unused pack of 1970s cloth jam covers and sticky labels - perfect for the cucumber pickle I've been making this week (at only £1 for 3 cucumbers I have to buy them!)

(It wasn't all me... me....me we found some decent vintage stock, too.)

WEARING: 1970s Genesis of London chiffon maxi, Lamani coin belt (India) and hoop earrings (50p Indian jewellery stall, Walsall market)

The slinky snakeskin dress, the Kati maxi and lots of my own clothes (Vix's wardrobe rules - one in, at least three out) will be adorning Kinky's rails (HERE) this weekend.

See you soon (if we don't see you in Balham!)

Linking to Patti & the gang for Visible Monday.