Ready To Go - Travel Packing & Some 1970s Inspired Finds

The Seventies are dead...long live the '70s! By the frequency with which flamboyant sleeved tops & platform soled shoes are turning up in charity shops it seems that the craze for all things 1970s-inspired is on the wane and those of us who dress that way because we love it rather than because the fashion mags told us to can now snap up our favourite styles for a pittance.

This black top was £2 from Scope last week. Deadly boring on the coat hanger but perfect with the £1.99 zig-zag print bell bottoms I bought from a charity shop in the Autumn.

I usually wear this 1970s maxi with nothing more than a heap of ethnic jewellery and a pair of shoes but today I'm winterising it with a flared sleeve top, new with the original shop tags still attached, which I found in the clearance charity shop on Friday for £3. I remember salivating over these suede platforms in Topshop a few years ago so I was thrilled to find a pair in my size for £2 - a saving of around £58! Like I always say, if you wait long enough, the object of your desire will always turn up in a charity shop.

Ready to go? You bet! With just over a fortnight to go my India bag is packed. Here's my final cut. Gone is the denim waistcoat, my Dollyrockers skirt and the 1970s Miss Selfridge crochet vest - I've been ruthless!

Clockwise from top left: Three crochet bikinis; 1970s Chelsea Girl block printed maxi skirt ; Indian kimono sleeve maxi dress; Crinkle cotton maxi with ladder detail; Butterfly vest; Aztec print column dress; Cotton zip-up bustier; Vintage block printed tunic ; Black cotton tiered maxi ; Bejewelled Indian tunic top; Crochet halterneck; Indian waistcoat trimmed with mirrors & pom-poms.

Yes, that's 35 days worth of clothing. Don't worry, if the NEW dresses I'm taking fall to bits along the way I can guarantee that there will be plenty of shopping opportunities.

 Three bags - not pictured is the massive tote bag I use as a beach bag I made from a 1970s curtain ; a selection of Indian scarves & sarongs plus my new Polarised sunglasses (recently bought from eBay). I have terrible trouble with my feet when we're away, it doesn't matter how regularly I've worn my sandals, after a couple of days in India my feet are a mass of blisters - this year I'm taking no chances and taking four pairs. There's my silver Birkis, the £3 Havianas from eBay (don't bother with cheapo flip flops, these really are good), some rose gold leather chappals which I bought in Mumbai back in 2015 and will probably be replaced this year (I usually pay around £3.50 for a new pair) and the bronze leather gladiator sandals were from a charity shop a couple of years ago. I bought the straw hat from eBay for our last trip, it's foldable and ideal for squashing into my beach bag.

My jewellery (and the belt Kelly gave me when she popped by to see us in London back in September). It goes without saying that I'll be travelling in my rings & bangles - I stick them on after I've gone through the X-Ray machine - not that it matters, the screws in my hip always set the alarms off. That's five necklaces, four pairs of earrings, a couple of toe rings, anklets and armlets.

Here's the toiletries. Other than the sun stuff I never buy new, I take whatever is in the bathroom and replace it when it runs out. I'll carry tissues, hand sanitiser, toothbrushes & tooth powder and mozzie repellent in my handbag along with my reading glasses, sunglasses and e-reader.

The make-up - Tweezers, Sleek creme blusher, Barry M kohl, lip & nail paint (toes only when I'm travelling) and a pencil sharpener. I apply individual lashes the day before I fly and replace them as and when they fall out.

The make-up, toiletries and jewellery as well as a pack of black hair elastics and a couple of hair screws (HERE) comfortably fit in these two bags. Both can be hung up which is essential when you're staying in a titchy beach hut with limited space.

WEARING: Vintage Alexander Clare of London Crimplene maxi dress (99p, eBay, 2013); Contemporary knitted top with flared sleeves (£3, Cancer UK); 1970s Sheffield Stainless Steel pendant (Car boot sale)

I've decided to make my own Xmas wrapping paper this year so I've got 16 metres of brown paper to block print before the weekend. Nothing like leaving stuff to the last minute, is there?

I'll leave you with the inspiration behind today's blog title, Hurts - one of my current musical obsessions.



See you soon!