Yesterday, when G&T offered me this silver Sixties trouser suit they'd recently found in a charity shop I couldn't take it off their hands fast enough. At first I thought it was a bit Jane Fonda in Barbarella but once I tried it on, H-Bomb Helen, the legendary vamp who appeared in of hundreds of Bollywood films in the 1960s & 1970s, sprung to mind. HERE's a post I dedicated to her seven years ago.
So I put up my hair, applied lashings of matt blue eye shadow (Revlon's Venetian Blue, bought in 2008, now discontinued but you can find it on eBay) and, using a felt pen eyeliner, drew a thick black line both beneath and above my eyes, flicking them out parallel to one another. I used an original 1960s matt lipstick, Max Factor's Teasing Pink (great colour but like all vintage lippie, stinks to high heaven) then added my usual Sleek creme blusher and a pair of cheapo false eyelashes from a discount chemist.
Sadly I haven't got Helen's exotic ancestry (half Burmese, half French) so no doe-like brown eyes, just bog standard British blue ones.
So what's with today's Bollywood love? I'm celebrating! I've only gone and booked our flights to India 'cos there's nothing like distracting yourself with an intense internet search when you've got a full-on weekend of vintage fairs to pack for. Wanna know the best thing? Two Birmingham to Mumbai return tickets with Air France are half the price of the Manchester to Goa cattle class flight we used in January. In fact, at just over £300 each I think they're one of the cheapest deals we've found in 20 years of visiting India (Kayak, I love you). Three months and counting......
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| WEARING: Vintage Carnegie of London, silver Lurex embellished trouser suit (charity shop find by our friends) worn with a pair of early 1970s silver platform sandals by Ravel (Charity shop, 2010) |
Talking of India (sorry if I'm alienating non-Brits) but I have to say that last night's new BBC series, Ganges With Sue Perkins, bored the silver lurex pants off me. She seems like a nice enough woman (not that I've ever watched that cake baking programme people seem obsessed by) but haven't celebrity India travelogues been done to death? There's only so many banal comments about cows in unexpected places, interviews with middle class Westerners who've jacked in a corporate life to do something worthwhile and pulling an "ooh, that must hurt" face at bendy yogis. Yes, Sue's on a quest to achieve inner peace after the death of her father six months ago but having to endure her chucking up due to altitude sickness, moaning about her bones aching and being a bit sarky about the standard of her backpacker hostel don't exactly endear her to me. While the climate change & environmental issues Sue touches on are important I'm inclined to think that if our TV channels didn't show so many celebrity travel documentaries they'd be a lot fewer tourists buggering up far flung places.
And just when you thought I couldn't find anything crazier in a charity shop this week than a pair of suede Lederhosen.....ta-dah! A vintage showgirl costume found yesterday for the princely sum of two quid!
Just what every 50 year old needs in her wardrobe (well, this 50 year old does, I can't speak for the rest of you!) Perfect for dancing around the bedroom to Piya Tu Ab To Aaja.
And just when you thought I couldn't find anything crazier in a charity shop this week than a pair of suede Lederhosen.....ta-dah! A vintage showgirl costume found yesterday for the princely sum of two quid!
Just what every 50 year old needs in her wardrobe (well, this 50 year old does, I can't speak for the rest of you!) Perfect for dancing around the bedroom to Piya Tu Ab To Aaja.
We're doing the double this weekend and trading back-to-back with Judy's Affordable Vintage Fairs at two gorgeous English Spa towns - Leamington Spa on Saturday (details HERE) and Bath on Sunday (details HERE). It would be fab to see you (and I promise not to dress like middle-aged Bollywood showgirl!)
Yay for you and showing us all how to shimmy round the house. Gorgeous Trouser suit, I wish I still had mine from the early 70’s I loved it.
ReplyDeleteHave a fab weekend, hope it’s a busy profitable one with lots of nice people xxxx
My pleasure! I'd shimmy for a living if I wasn't scared I'd put my hip out! xxx
DeleteWow you look fantastic , What a bargain with your flights too , Hope you have a good trading weekend xxx
ReplyDeleteThank you! xxxx
DeleteUtterly bloody fabulous!I do love a shimmy. Glad to hear that the flights are booked. All is well in the world when you're booked for India!
ReplyDeleteSee you Sunday...can't fecking wait to see you.
Loves ya!
xxxxx
Yay! So good to see you on Sunday. it's been far too feckin' long! xxxx
DeleteThat trouser suit is gorgeous! I'm always in awe of people who can do eyeliner. It takes me ages to get it even half right, so I rarely do it. As for vintage lippie, I remember the awful smell and taste from when I tried out my Mum's as a twelve year old. Great deal on the India flights, I bet you can't wait! Meanwhile, have a good trading weekend. Oh, and for some reason I keep thinking of you in that showgirl costume (surely only you can pull this off!) in a double act with Jon in his lederhosen! xxx
ReplyDeleteBlimey, we'd make a right pair dressed like that - Sonny & Cher do the charity shops of the Black Country or what?!
DeleteIt's funny, when I'm not going anywhere my eyeliner goes on like a dream but try and do it when I'm going out and it looks like I've been on the beer. xxxx
Your dancing photos are so happy that I want to dance now! I love the tassels /fringes on the costume too. What a fantastic way to spend a Friday afternoon.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on the great priced flights, just the countdown to go now.
Have a good weekend of trading. xxx
I do get a bit carried away when I know India's on the horizon. Filmi music and curry on a daily basis! xxx
DeleteSee you on Sunday!
ReplyDeleteMissed you! xxx
Deleteyou found wanda jackson´s dress!!! how cool!!
ReplyDeletebut the silver suit is totally chic too! and you look stunning in it - a 60´s movie star - ready for the red carpet. fab makeup!
halleluja for finding flights at that good price - india is waiting for you.
wish you a successful and fun weekend!!!
xxxxxx
I had to Google Wanda Jackson - wow! How fab was she? xxxx
DeleteHa ha! Shimmy lady! Shimmy! That looks like so much damn fun.
ReplyDeleteI'm envious how you look so amazing in silver/white. Must be the black hair but it really suits you.
How wonderful you got such a deal on your flights. It's always so much easier to manage to get through winter when you know you have a great vacation planned.
Wishing you loads of sales this weekend!
Suzanne
It's funny, it's a colour I rarely wear - maybe I'm emotionally scared from having to wear hideous white blouses with my morning suits way back when! xxx
DeleteI remember my Mum having the most amazing orange lippy in the 1970s....I found it and tried it out like eyeshadow...she wasn't very pleased! I'm amazed she let me get through childhood in one piece sometimes!
ReplyDeleteArilx
The true orange lipstick in the 1960s really was the stuff of my dreams.
DeleteMy Mum had a couple of huge plastic boxes of eyeshadows by Biba & Mary Quant in all manner of mad colours. I still remember their weird greasy smell. xxx
Do you have white go-go boots to match the dress? You look so happy-love it!
ReplyDeleteHope you have a great weekend.
You've got a good memory!
DeleteTo be honest I was going to wear it with the boots but by the time I'd worked out how to step into that leotard without garroting myself on the fringing I'd lost the will to open the wardrobe. xxx
Two fabulous outfits. Don't believe you would actually need anything else in your wardrobe. Hope you have a good couple of days away and can collapse in a heap on Monday. Zxx
ReplyDeleteThanks, Z! I don't really need anything until I see it and have to have it! xxx
DeleteYou look bloody fabulous!
ReplyDeleteI'm ashamed to say i have no idea how much my flight to India cost but the price of the hotel is horrifying, however as work don't seem to give a shit I suppose I shouldn't either. I just need to get a new passport my visa and all my jabs!
Thank you!!
DeleteI was astounded at the cost of your hotel! Talk about a land of extremes. you'll absolutely love it though, promise! xxx
Yeah Baby! (someone had to say that) well done on your flights! Plus your gogo dress - fantastic! I am still hoping for a seatsale to Rome but nothing yet. Right now 4 of us is costing $5000 CAD just for flights (this will be a super expensive holiday but a one off) which is GBP 3000!! Even if I could get that a little lower I would be happy.
ReplyDeletegah! How much? Italy is a cheap option for us, it's only a few hours away. Good luck with your quest. xxx
DeleteYou are just so darn cool. I love your eye makeup - so much more personality than the girls on instagram and you tube.
ReplyDeleteBecause of you, I've been starting to save for a dream vacation - but can't decide on what magical and fabulous place to go. So many choices!
Have a great weekend!
I'm so excited to hear that you're saving for a dream trip. Once you know where you want to go to you can print off photo, stick it in your purse, it's a great incentive not to fritter away your cash. xxx
DeleteEyeliner! I can barely manage a straight line, lol.
ReplyDeleteGlad you found a cheap flight. Air France can be very, er, awful. Their flight crews are snarlier than Air Canada.
I can't always get it stright, must have been my lucky day!
DeleteAir France have been lovely when we've flown with them previously. One time Jon was asleep and a very handsome steward sat next to me and had me in stitches for hours. xxx
you just shake your groove thang, your putting most 25 years olds to shame. My BFF and I have been binge watching Penelope Keith's show where she tours English villages and waxes on about the past. She's a bit of a pill, but the villages are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI remember that series, it was charming. Have you seen the series with Timothy West & Prunella Scales cruising around Britain in a narrow boat? I think you'd love it. xxx
DeleteYowsa! Look at you in your showgirl ensemble!! Glamour to the max!! I think you look plenty exotic in your wonderful silver suit. I'm glad you mentioned that vintage smelled to high heaven, I have always felt the same way. But no-one else I have met has used vintage lippie, so I was never able to confirm my suspicions were correct.
ReplyDeleteKayak rocks!
happy thrifting ;)
Thank you! Yes, vintage lipstick does have a very distinctive smell and a very waxy consistency - great colours, horrid to wear! xxx
Delete"but haven't celebrity India travelogues been done to death? "
ReplyDeleteWhat really irritates me is that these travelogues go to ALL the same places over & over! There's so many "off the beaten path" beautiful & interesting places to see in India. It's like a talk show where the guests are always the same but the host is different - rather tired & dull.
"I'm inclined to think that if our TV channels didn't show so many celebrity travel documentaries they'd be a lot fewer tourists buggering up far flung places."
Buggered up or not - far flung places could really use that tourist money- especially after the disaster that was demonetisation & the new GST asininity.
Gracious, with that white pant set & go-go dress you're gorgeously all set for a trip to Vegas & Palm Springs with the Rat Pack!
Yes! It's always the same old places. When we travelled to Coorg even the Rough Guide only managed a couple of pages about it although the state tourist board does tend to discourage tourism - their latest campaign says something like " Visit Coorg but don't come back too often and spoil it!" Made me giggle. xxx
DeleteA showgirl outfit! And it's vintage! How cool. So much excitement- I'm sure you're beyond thrilled, counting down to India. Hope you have a great time and enjoy the weekend. Xxx
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jess! It's so good to have the flights booked, I'm usually so last minute and miss all the bargains! xxx
DeleteThe white trouser suit is fab! Having now seen your loveliness in person I can truly imagine you wearing it! I saw the ads for the Sue thingy programme and decided not to bother. There are so many celebs travelling to everywhere that it got tedious very quickly and I'm not keen on her anyway. That and cooking shows must be cheap telly as they are all over the listings like a rash!
ReplyDeleteAw, you say the nicest things, Maureen!
DeleteYou were right not to bother with Sue Thingy, I doubt if I'll watch the rest. I can't be doing with cooking programmes either having worked in the catering industry for years. Bring back The Sewing Bee! xxx
The showgirl outfit was made for you! But outside your bedroom when will you wear it?
ReplyDeleteI loved the trouser suit and as for those silver ankle strap shoes; I swear I had the same pair only in black suede. You look ravishing in the outfit, Vix. A definite vamp! Helen was pretty cool, I had never heard of her before.
As for flights - what a fabulously bargainous price. Well done you.
Have a very profitable weekend.
xxxxx
You never know...my Grandma always said to buy it and the right occasion will present itself.
DeleteMy heart skipped a beat when I found those sandals all those years ago in the grottiest Black Country town known to man. xxx
Cor, Vix, you look ah-bloody-mazing in your outfits. I truly don't know which one I love best. You have a great pair of pins and nice to see you showing them off. 50-bah! Age is just a number, I work with a load of younger people and they are really tame by our standards. You look freakin' fabulous. That was great BTW finding those cheap flights to India. You must be so stoked about going. Helen is magnificent. I had looked up the H-Bomb after Mim posted about her. What a hottie. I love her style. Xx
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kelly! I never cease to despair at how tame the younger generation seem to be, I'm sure we were way wilder back then. xxx
DeleteWow, wow, wow! I love lurex and this is one of the most fantastic examples I've seen. And, how the heck do you get that eyeliner to look so perfect?
ReplyDeleteI think everyone 50 yo or older would benefit from a vintage showgirl costume in her wardrobe. Sometimes you just need to break out the really fun stuff!
Theresa
Thank you, Theresa!! I'm a massive Lurex fan, too!
DeleteI always start my eyeliner on the outside of the eye (the wing bit) and work inwards, seems to go on a lot straighter than the conventional way. xxx
Legs eleven! Blimey, I hope Jon enjoyed your showgirl shimmy. I would have had to buy the costume too. I no longer talk myself out of ridiculous purchases, they're the most fun! Xx
ReplyDeleteThe more ridiculous the better! xxx
DeleteDoing quick conversions in my head on your flights-sounds like a bargain to me. Now I wonder if I started to do more shimmying in my bedroom if I might get a little of my old (twenty years ago) figure back?
ReplyDeleteThey are a bargain, just shows how booking well in advance can save loads of money instead of our usual last minute antics! thank goodness for a successful festival selling summer. xxx
DeleteWell, who needs celebrities when we have you???!!!
ReplyDeleteIf the BBC ever want to send me to India I'd do my best to make an interesting travel documentary! xxx
DeleteThe thought of India has sure spiced you up. My worry is one of these times you won't come back.😭
ReplyDeleteThey won't let us stay longer than six months - they had enough trouble getting rid of us in 1947! xxx
DeleteNothing like scoring a bargain to inspire a woman to dance! We cannot doubt Tina Turner would claim you as a soul sister from the "Black Country", if she could see you shimmy. (I do agree with Goody about the white go-go boots: much safer!)
ReplyDeleteThose strappy platforms aren't the best thing to dance in. I'll have to take Goody's advice and look out the boots! xxx
DeleteAh ha, you're ready now for the Vix in Vegas show. All white just like Elvis!
ReplyDeleteI hadn't thought of Vegas - maybe that'll be my next stop! xxx
DeleteShake it, Vix!! You look effing fantastic!!! Great score on the tix.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Melanie! xxx
DeleteEveryone should Be More Helen. That eyeshadow looks fantastic - Gisela and I were both grousing over how boring all the eyemakeup in shops is right now. I like a bit of brown, but it shouldn't be the only colour.
ReplyDeleteYou look ace in those outfits. The trouser suit is really chic.
Tell me about it! I was looking for a replacement green eyeshadow the other day and the choice was appalling, brown, brown and more brown which looks terrible on me. xxx
DeleteYou look the dog's whatsits in your 'new' trouser suit...really! Those seventies platforms are absolutely ace and couldn't be better with this outfit.
ReplyDeleteExcellent work on the tickets, just have to hope the pilots aren't en greve that week. xx
I love those platforms but they're definitely taxi shoes, no good for my usual stomp down the hill of doom to the pub.
Deletexxx
Shake and shimmy, you're a star! Congrats on the ticket score - I love that part of planning, hunting down a good bargain. Stay fabulous, xox
ReplyDeletePatti
http://notdeadyetstyle.com
Thanks, Patti! xx
Deleteohh, that pants suit is fabulous!!, it fits you like a dream, and you look so gorgeous wearing it!, so cool hairstyle and makeup!!, I'm a huge fan of eyeliner, yeah!! You're like a rockstar, dear lady!
ReplyDeleteAnd so lovely to see more pics of a legendary Bollywood vamp, she looks Fabulous with a f*ck*n' Capital F!!
I'm also bored of all those tv programmes too, famous people showing you places that you would enjoy by yourself way better tan they do!.
besos
Thank you! My eyeliner worked first time - that's not always the case, i need more practice. xxx
DeleteCrikey, look at you! You're looking absolutely fantastic in white! Both outfits are a dream! I love your eye make up, which I wouldn't even attempt, I have a hard enough time trying to get mascara on without poking myself in the eye! xxx
ReplyDeleteThank you! White's a colour I rarely wear, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the photos! xxx
DeleteGoodness Vix, you do look great in everything!
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful weekend at your fairs!
Thanks, Robin! We did have a great weekend of trading, it's almost time to pack for the next one now. Where does the time go? xxx
DeleteFanbloodytastic! Your dancing pics made me laugh with joy! The trouser suit also looks amazing, white and silver suit you - as does every colour under the sun. xx
ReplyDeleteThank you! I think I need more silver in my life - and not just on my arms and fingers! xxx
DeleteThat trouser suit is amazing, as is the showgirl costume - I need one in my wardrobe too! xx
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, congratulations on getting your tickets to India! Second - I don't know anyone else that would look as Damn-Frickin'-Fabulous in the white pantsuit and showgirl costume. You've got the perfect hair for it, and of course, the perfect attitude as well ;)
ReplyDelete