Monday 15 May 2017

Vintage Village At Stockport - We Came, We Bought, We Sold, We Posed....



They think it's all over, it is now! Yesterday Stockport's Vintage Village was our last fair before the festival season officially kicks off.  When we got up at 5.30am the sun was shining and it seemed like the perfect day to wear the 1960s barkcloth Hawaiian maxi I bought from fellow Judy's traders, Retro Bambi, last month. By midday most of the population of Stockport were questioning my sanity as they buttoned their coats up against the chilly breeze. Jon was far more sensible opting for the tan leather jacket he bought from Wednesday's car boot sale. It was originally meant for stock but Jon made a fatal error by trying it on and, of course, it ended up in his wardrobe.

Paula, Lynn, Curtise and me!

This photo makes me happy.  Never mind all that b*llocks about women over a certain age needing to tone it down & start dressing like grown-ups and all that tired old tripe. This is what happens when you rip up the rule book, shop secondhand and stick your fingers up at the fashion magazines and so-called style experts, you end up looking like us, a collection of individuals who could never be described as invisible.


Stockport's ace! Over the years we've traded there we've made friends with several of the other traders and customers, like Pat & Matthew (A Vintage Affair) & Lynn & Philip (One I Made Earlier Today), who keep a look out for stuff for us when they're out at charity shops and car boots. Pat found me these 1980s sequined appliques and some pots of coloured sequins (perfect for embellishing) while Lynn snapped up some great clobber for our festival stock.


Vintage Village really is the best place for buying incredible vintage. Yesterday I bought this amazing tab collared 1960s maxi by super cool Carnaby Street label, London Mob from Joan of Mama J's Vintage Goods which I shall be wearing this week come rain, shine or, like yesterday,  f*cking enormous hailstones. The psychedelic pussy bow maxi was from Maggie at Garbo Antiques' legendary £5 rail.



On Mama J's rails I also spotted this 1960s velvet midi. I'd always fancied a vintage one-shouldered dress so this had to be mine. It's by rare fashion label, Annacat. I've got another piece by them, the red waistcoat I'm wearing in my last post (HERE) which, funnily enough, also came from Vintage Village.

Images: Patrick Lichfield with Janet Lyle (Get Some Vintage-A-Peel),  Patrick Lichfield with Janet Lyle of Annacat (left) and Michael Fish (centre) circa 1968 (Dandy in Aspic), 1960s advert (Get Some Vintage-A-Peel), The label from my dress.

Annacat was formed in 1965 by party girls and good friends Jane Lyle and Maggie Keswick and backed financially by fashion photographer Patrick Lichfield (the Queen's first cousin). The shop started at 23 Pelham Street but moved to Brompton Road in 1967. Known as the Biba of Brompton Road Annacat was "in" with the swinging London scene of the 1960s who loved their historically-influenced sexy shapes and extravagant finishing touches which often included ostrich feathers and lace. Annacat was also a firm favourite with British Vogue. In addition to their own line, Annacat offered pieces by other designers (including Lichfield) and was the first London outlet to stock Laura Ashley designs in the late 1960s. In 1968 a New York branch of Annacat opened on Madison Avenue. Annacat began designing for wholesale in 1970 but the venture failed to take off and led to the label's demise.

1960s Annacat velvet midi dress worn with 1970s red leather platform boots (vintage fair, 2014), handmade (by me!) pom-pom choker, vintage umbrella (50p, car boot sale, donkey's years ago)
And that was Stockport, great sales, fab frocks and good company (and I got to meet up with Curtise and her lovely young man!!!)

See you soon!

Linking up with Patti for Visible Monday.

81 comments:

  1. You and Jon both look fantastic and I love the one shoulder dress and your gorgeous brolly.

    I have never once been to a vintage fair, I tend to get overwhelmed in places with lots of pretty things and don't know what to do with myself! xxx

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    1. Thanks, Melanie! I think you're head would explode if you came to a vintage fair! xxx

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  2. Zowie! Those are some gorgeous frocks!
    As for women of a certain needing to tone it down- BS! We need more color!
    xox

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    1. We do need more colour. No invisibility for us! xxx

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  3. Oooh! I love that pic of you with the ladies...your dresses are so pretty! That photo makes me happy too!

    I'm glad your 2017 post-Goa, sales pitches are off to a great start.

    Happy thrifting ;)

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    1. Thanks, TP! I love that photo, too!
      Hooray for decent fairs, hopefully they'll pay for a little trip soon! xxx

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  4. Love the one shoulder dress - looks fab on you! Now to gear up for your festival goers, do they buy quite different stuff? I imagine more summery attire/boots/heels?

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    1. Thanks, CC! Yes, our festival stock is slightly different, there's plenty of proper vintage but a lot of trend-led stuff too (1990s fashion, vintage sportswear, cowboy boots, denim and band tee shirts). xxx

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  5. You and your three friends in the photo are perfect examples of why women 'of a certain age' should indeed wear exactly what they like! You all look fabulous, and confident, and completely individual. Long may it continue! As for myself, I've only just, in my mid-forties, started wearing whatever I please - usually the more colour the better, often vintage or vintage-inspired - and I don't intend to give up any time soon.

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    1. Hello, Fran! Thanks for the comment! Yes to wearing what the hell you like, the more colourful and vintage-y the better. Those that tell us otherwise need to get themselves a hobby and stop mithering about stuff that doesn't matter! xxx

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  6. so great to see curtise!!
    you 4 look so fabulous - so full of life - no chance to blend in with the wallpaper!
    glad to hear that stockport was good and successful, your newest stuff looks divine - especially the velvet midi you´r wearing. totally awesome on you and with your cool accessories!!!!!
    off to the festivals! xxxxx

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    1. Curtise needs to blog more often, we all miss her! xxx

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  7. Loving the striped cold-shoulder midi!!!!!!!

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    1. It's black, it's midi length, I shouldn't love it but I do! xxx

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  8. of course Jon kept the jacket, he looks fab wearing it. Do all the little white stripes on the one shoulder number match? Be still, my heart, it looks like they do.

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    1. It really suits him, doesn't it?
      Those stripes do line up. Annacat was very expensive back in the day and handling this dress you can see why. The velvet is so soft. xxx

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  9. That's a group of women I'd rather hang with than the fleece wearing brigade. No invisibility there!

    Britain-the only place where velvet in summer makes perfect sense ;)
    I'm keeping my fingers crossed you get some sunshine soon. I like the asymmetrical dress on you-that's a great look.

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    1. Ha! You're right there! I could wear a fake fur coat all year round (and often do!) xxx

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  10. Loving the off the shoulder dress but i love velvet so that's no surprise there xxx

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    1. I love vintage cotton velvet, it feels like nothing else! xxx

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  11. Both your Hawaiian maxi, and Jon's jacket, are fab! I can totally understand why he didn't want to part with it. Just looking at that photo of you four gorgeous, colourfully dressed girls, makes me happy too! Some day, I swear, I will make it to Stockport! Love both your new maxi frocks, and the velvet one-shoulder midi dress looks divine on you, especially combined with those red boots and brolly! xxx

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    1. You will love Stockport, Ann, but you'll probably need to hire a van to carry all your finds back to Belgium! xxx

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  12. Never mind all that b*llocks about women over a certain age needing to tone it down & start dressing like grown-ups and all that tired old tripe. This is what happens when you rip up the rule book, shop secondhand and stick your fingers up at the fashion magazines and so-called style experts, you end up looking like us, a collection of individuals who could never be described as invisible.
    Yes, I know you wrote it , but I copy to paste not to EVER forget. Not that I follow the rules,hahhahah
    Wonderfulllllllllllllllllllll

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    1. You are the queen of the rule breakers. You wear what you like and bring joy to all who set eyes on you, art personified. xxx

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  13. oooh, that cold-shoulder dress with the red boots - so fabulous! Hello to dear Curtise too. xox

    -Patti
    http://notdeadyetstyle.com

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    1. Isn't it good to see Curtise pop up? xxx

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  14. I'm happy that I came across your blog (and Curtise!) some years ago - life will never be the same after one meets such colorful dressers as yourselves! The green dress is wonderful, love the floral print so much. And the striped b&w number is so playfully elegant, especially with the red boots and that umbrella (that's right - we have to make the best out of rainy days!). Jon looks sharp in his new jacket. Happy to see you with your lovely friends, what a beautiful and inspiring bunch you are! I strongly believe that life is meant to get ever better, and our feeling of fulfillment and happiness has nothing to do with age. Lots of love!

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    1. I strongly believe that life is meant to get ever better, and our feeling of fulfillment and happiness has nothing to do with age - you have such a wonderful way with words, Natalia! xxx

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  15. I love it when you do your "historical" bit. I'm aged 68 and I can relate to quite a few of the labels.I used to work at Brindley's in Derby in the 60's . I loved the Dollyrockers label. Couldn't afford much of what we sold. I was only a junior sales. But I did have a lime green brodiere anglais one.We had our breaks in a separate room from senior staff and NEVER called anyone by their Christian name. Are You Being Served? hit the nail on the head! Lol.

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    1. Brindley's sounds fantastic, Caz! I do remember department stores like that when I was a little girl.
      Your Dollyrockers dress sounds wonderful. No fast fashion in those days. You saved for your clothes and loved them unlike the kids of today with their disposable Primark tat. xxx

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  16. What a colourful quartet you make, invisible you ain't never gonna be! I read today that some 'fashion' blogger has been advising that women over 53 should not wear jeans! WTF! Do these people really think we'll be influenced by them?
    What a find the Annacat frock was, truly lush and you must keep it as you look absolutely beautiful. Loving the vintage brolly too. xxxx

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    1. Good god, where do these people get their ideas from? Does that include men or is it just women who aren't allowed jeans? No doubt written by some twenty-something foetus! xxx

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  17. Super interesting blog. How lovely to meet up some of your friends who you have so much in common with. The weather didn't sound too great but we've started an early winter here and to be honest I think summer forgot to come.
    Love the gaiety which you all bring to stinky weather, it's a real treat to browse.

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    1. Thanks, Sally! I should know better, we're averaging one decent day every 9 days or so then it goes back to Winter. xxx

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  18. Jon looks very dapper and his leather jacket is ace! I love your beach dress but you must have been frozen...

    What a lovely picture of you women of a certain age - all looking fabulous and definitely not invisible.

    The maxi dresses are brilliant and can't wait to see you wear them in future posts. The Annacat velvet maxi is wonderful and looks wonderful on you. I don't recall this label at all but it seems they were in decline by 1969/1970 when I first began working and had money to buy my own clothes. I probably couldn't have afforded them anyway; my first wage was £9.15 shillings a week and I had to give my mum half of that!

    I mis read the caption under the photo of you wearing the (self made) choker and read it as you had made those fabulous platform boots. Are there no end to that woman's talents, I thought!!

    Hailstones? Wtf? The weather is freaky!

    Hope you have a lovely week
    xxx

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    1. I'm glad Jon kept that leather jacket, it really does suit him.
      Annacat were only around for 5 years and looking at some old magazines I found one of their blouses advertised for 11 guineas, pretty much out of reach of most working girls!
      I did a shoe making course at Walsall's Leather Museum a few years ago so, if push came to shove, I could possibly run up a boot although it might take me months! xxx

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  19. Oh my word, Jon looks very dapper in that lovely jacket and your maxi dress coordinates with him perfectly. You both look amazing. What a beautiful photo of you and Curtise, et al. Blooming, stylish ladies at any age. You all look fabulous and could give all the 3-d browed, Instagram clones a licking in the style stakes. I think that your Annacat dress looks very Bianca Jagger a la Studio 54. I an in love with the purple maxi. That print! Oh, I found "The Love Witch". It was quite fun, very Russ Meyer/Jess Franco but a little funny. I was in complete lust with the costumes. They were all very you. Xx

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    1. I really need to get The Love Witch on DVD this week!
      Those one-shoulder dresses remind me of Studio 54, too. I know they were fashionable back in the day but I think I've only ever come across a couple of them. xxx

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  20. Great group photo, you all look amazing. You even manage not to look cold! Jon's jacket is fab too.
    I love the one shouldered dress, it looks unique.
    It sounds like a successful, fun weekend :)
    xxx

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    1. I was in denial. People kept asking if I was cold and I said no so many times I started to believe it! xxx

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  21. "Tired old tripe"? That could describe me tonight! Ha, I love love love that photo too, can't be arsed with toning down, capsule wardrobes or "how to wear..." so-called expertise. It was so lovely to see you and Baker again, and to meet Lynn and Phil, Paula, Pat and the other good folk at Stockport - finally made it and loved it! And your Hawaiian dress might not have suited the Stockport chill, but you were rocking it, love!
    You found two beautiful maxis, but my goodness, that one-shouldered Annacat midi is a real stunner and fits you to perfection, you tiny little non-snacking thing you!
    I adore my skirt, I surely won't fade into the background wearing that one, will I? The young man enjoyed the market too, just wish we could have had more time to chat (over a curry and a few beers, preferably!)
    Love you! Xxxx

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    1. Ohhh, curry and beers, we should make that happen!
      So good to see you both on Sunday and excited that you got to meet the Stockport gang, too. They're fab.
      Love you! xxx

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  22. Oh my! You truly do score some of the very best vintage. I'm swooning over that Annacat and your new London Mob maxi dress. Wow!

    You both look amazing as well as the group of ladies that came to visit you.

    So nice to see Curtise was able to visit you.

    One of these days I'm going to come over there and raid your racks. Don't take that the wrong way. ; p

    bisous
    Suzanne

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    1. You'd be most welcome to come over and ransack the racks!
      I'm going to need to accessorise that London Mob dress with wellington boots, a raincoat and an ark at this rate.
      It was Curtise's first trip to VV and she loved it! If I wasn't working we'd have spent the day in the pub. xxx

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  23. That Annacat dress was destined to be yours, it's fabulous on you! Sounds like a super day was had. X

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    1. Thank you! Vintage Village really is fantastic, I defy even a non-vintage loving person to leave empty handed. xxx

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  24. The photo of the four of you makes me smile too. You all look awesome. I'm 41 and sometimes wonder 'should I really be wearing this?' and my wardrobe choices can hardly be called outrageous, I wonder if I'm too old for trainers, denim jackets and dungarees, but then I think 'sod it, if I like it and feel good in it, I'll bloody well wear it'. I'm not trying to look young, I'm trying to look like me. And we all know how wonderful it feels to find something that makes you feel like the best version of yourself - clothes can be powerful things.

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    1. "I'm not trying to look young, I'm trying to look like me". You're so right. Its not about fitting in or looking fashionable, its about feeling comfortable in our own skin and having the confidence to wear whatever we fancy, to hell with what anyone else thinks. xxx

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  25. YaY for women expressing themselves in their clothing - sod this dressing for your age discrimination! I find that OTHER women are the most disapproving especially the older generation. My best/worst example is when my mother very pointedly told me that once women hit 30, no hair should be beyond the shoulder and for every following decade should be shortened further. My hair is 2 decades too long!

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    1. You're right, women are the worst! decades long, brilliant! I'm with you there. xxx

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  26. I really love the Annacat style. Don't have any at the moment, but do have some home made pieces that are definitely strongly influenced by key pieces.

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    1. I'm going to try and make one, can't guarantee it'll resemble the Annacat but it's worth a try! xxx

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  27. Your new one-shouldered dress is gorgeous!

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    1. Thanks, Bobbi! I want to make a one-shouldered gypsy top next. xxx

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  28. I have loved watching my Mum wearing younger and younger clothes as she's got older. She's far less middle aged now than she was in her thirties!
    Arilx

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    1. Fantastic! The older we get the less we care about anyone else's opinions or if we fit in. xx

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  29. I love that umbrella, you do find the most amazing things. How bloody fabulous do you ladies look there is hope for us all. xx

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    1. Vintage umbrellas, can't resist them even if they're riddled with holes!
      I love that photo, I didn't realise how colourful we looked until I downloaded the photos from my camera! xxx

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  30. Pretty velvet dress!! Great red boots too!! Yay, you got to see Curtise again!!x

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  31. You ladies definitely did stand out in the best way possible! Love that one shoulder dress! :)

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  32. Enjoyed learning the history of Annacat, and drooling over that velvet midi! So nice to see a photo of you colourful dames together too. Of course Jon had to keep the leather jacket - it looks fab on him.

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    1. I thought of you when I picked that dress up, knowing how fabulous you look in black! xxx

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  33. That one shouldered dress is absolutely beautiful. I love it with the red boots, it's so glamorous. That picture of you all looks fabulous, you look like you're having fun and so bright. Not boring, blending into the background. I hope the weather starts bucking up for festival season, it's bloody awful at the moment! xx

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    1. Thanks, Louise! Hasn't it been awful? Its only just stopped raining. I've forgotten what the sun looks like. xxx

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  34. I am in LOVE with the one shouldered dress! You look amazing as always. There is nothing like vintage. Newer things, and I do admit there are some very fine modern items, often don't have the pizzazz that vintage things do.
    xo
    Lynn

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    1. Thanks, Lynn! You're right, there is some fine modern clothing but I things I like are usually prohibitively expensive! xxx

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  35. so lovely to see all of you looking so fabulous, so lovely that you encourage anybody to be visible and genuine!
    That velvet dress is an amazing piece, it fits you like a dream, and love it with those red boots (even the red umbrella is lovely).
    besos

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    1. I'd be so happy if every women dressed as cheerfully and brightly as we do. It makes everyone happy, doesn't it?
      Umbrellas are a permanent fixture in the UK! xxx

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  36. The dress is lovely, Vix, but I'm eyeing the red umbrella and wondering why I own so few brollies that could be considered fashion accessories.

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    1. et collecting, Beth! You can't beat a cheery brolly! xxx

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  37. Jon's jacket looks fabulous and your velvet midi is spectacular with those red boots.

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  38. An Annacat! That was a good find. And how nice to see you all together - it's great to see curtise, though I haven't come across Paula before. Is she a blogger too?

    If Jon can't shop his own stock, whose can he shop, eh? At least it proves your stuff is good, because you'll wear it yourselves.

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    1. It was a good find. There is a real thrill at finding rare vintage labels.
      Paula's on Instagram but not a blogger. She's one of the Stockport regulars with incredible style. It was fab to see Curtise.
      Jon was very good and swapped a couple of his other jackets to keep that one. xxx

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  39. You all look great! I love the one shouldered dress that you found, it looks fab on you xx

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  40. I'm behind again, but I've been on nights all week so everything is out of sync. You're slowly coming around to a bit of black aren't you?! That hawaiian maxi is fantastic and think that the purple pussybow number would look better without sleeves. xx

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    1. You could be right, it's very covered up, isn't it? xxx

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  41. Hi Vix I wonder if you can help me. I seem to have accidentally acquired an Annacat dress some 10 years ago which has been hanging around the back of my wardrobe with a tiny quarter inch hole along one seam where one of the children tugged it. I am not a clothes person at all but I am a history person and so I am a bit perplexed about what to do with it. Is it of historical significance in your opinion? Should I have it repaired and stored somewhere safe or is it okay to loan to friends etc. If it is 50 years old how does one even go about cleaning such a thing? so many questions! I just want to do it justice if you know what i mean.

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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