That something being hunting for more stock. The festival season might be nine months away but that's no reason to rest on our laurels.
Latest finds include - a 1970s Bernshaw maxi (a keeper!), a 1970s Ann Green silk & sequin cocktail top, a 1970s belted cord coat, a vintage embroidered velvet tunic, a 1960s Jack Tabor, London Indian block print beagle collar shirt, a 1970s novelty print dagger collar shirt, a 1980s handknit jumper featuring textured sheep, a Joe Brown Welsh flannel "mountaineer shirt" from 1971 and a 1970s Emily Sue cowl neck jumper.
A 1980s English-made jumbo cord overshirt, a 1960s St Michael all wool mini kilt, a 1980s St Denis embroidered blazer, a 1960s Frank Russell for Mansfield wool jacket, quilted batik leopard bag, 1980s House of Lavinia cotton V-back midi dress, 1970s Dunlop heeled wellies and a 1980s Classic Silks silk shirt.
1980s Champion Club Italian-made leather zip front pencil skirt, Karl Lagerfeld swim shorts, Cheap Monday, Stockholm jacket (which Jon's overdyed), vintage reversible satin brocade/embroidered kimono, Cos cotton top, Free People Indian cotton embroidered mini dress and a heavy cotton dress and jacket hailing from Northern Thailand (which has mysteriously found its way into my wardrobe!)
You know me, I absolutely love the sun and inbetween unpacking the van, reorganising the stockroom, shopping and swimming last week you'd have found me basking in a bikini on the lawn devouring books. Between Tuesday and Saturday I'd read five, all of which I'd re-donated to the charity shop on Sunday morning.
This is my current read and it's utterly mesmerising.
The UK is finally enjoying some decent weather and I've been able to give a lot of my clothes their first (and possibly last wearing) before I'm back in long sleeves, boots and jackets. This was Wednesday's outfit, my handmade 1970s seersucker maxi skirt was a recent acquisition (for the princely sum of £3) and the saffron linen tie shoulder suntop a useful charity shop find last year.
The yellow Lotta from Stockholm clogs were new in 2018, the matt black nail varnish is by Ghost and was 50p from the Ambo (Air Ambulance charity shop) as were the Zara earrings and Kashmiri beaded necklace. Ann (Polyester Princess) gave me the red bangle and the Kashmiri papier mache trio has been in my collection for donkey's years.
The abalone and Mexican silver hair slide was bought from fabulous festival neighbours, Shilpa Silver, at End of the Road.
This was Thursday's outfit. My 1970s embroidered cotton midi dress was snaffled from my friend Molly's legendary £5 rail from her stall, Vintage Relics, at End of the Road.
The orange Lotta from Stockholm clogs were an eBay find back in 2020. I've got twelve pairs of Lottas, I think I might have a problem.
The Mexican silver earrings were from Shilpa Silver, another End of the Road purchase.
On Friday we met up with my brother & Tony for Turkish food at
Salt 'n' Pepper. I didn't get round to taking photos as I was too busy eating, but here's a rare moment of calm at
The Black Country Arms, where we enjoyed a few pints of award-winning real ale before dinner.
Jon wore this Indian block printed shirt he found when we were charity shopping on Wednesday. His old school Adidas were from eBay last year.I bought my Indian block print maxi dress from Anokhi's Chowpatty branch in Mumbai back in February, 2020. The 1970s Polaroid sunglasses were a car boot buy back in 2009 and the Sofia B Italian leather bag was a recent chazza fund.
A trio of necklaces - the snake and the evil eye from
Ethanasia in Corfu Town and the vintage Indian atomiser from my friend Caroline at Pilgrims.
Sunday's outfit was a secondhand And Other Stories linen off-the-shoulder top worn with a vintage maxi skirt with an embroidered, applique hem with Rajasthani mirrorwork.
Although it's made in India, it's got a bit of a Mexican vibe going on, hasn't it? Apologies for the blonde/silver roots, Lord Jon's just touched them up.
Today (Monday) I wore the vintage Marion Donaldson maxi skirt I'd found a few weeks ago along with an chazza-shopped orange cotton top, originally from River Island.
I found this beaded African (?) belt in a handbag when I was sorting out the stockroom & unusually for me I haven't a clue where it came from. The wooden guitar earrings were from the Migrant Empowerment Group (
MEG) charity shop, a brilliant local charity which empowers displaced people by offering classes in computing, sewing & knitting skills, dance, music, English and maths.
I'll leave you with some garden and William photos. He's a handsome lad, isn't he?
I'm off to squeeze in a bit more sunbathing before we meet the gang for a cheeky beer and curry session. See you soon!
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William has fur of velvet - looks very handsome indeed - He must be so happy that yourself and Lord Jon have returned home x
ReplyDeleteHe's got the pair of us right under his paw! We're very honoured that he chose us as his family!
DeleteWilliam is looking happy to have you back. Your belt found in a bag looks very 70s it's lovely. I don't know how you wade through so many books! I can't manage one in a month even :) I'm currently reading Chris Packham and the only tv I have time for is Gardeners World (cos I love Adam Frost) and the very slow going Woman Behind the Wall. Other news: hubby has treated me to some lovely things from Naked Generation - they seem very planet friendly. Your garden looks great, I have neglected mine in favour of my allotment! Are you growing veg this year? nows the time to get your onions in :) Betty
ReplyDeleteMorning, Betty! Baked Generation has some fabulous stuff, I love my two dresses I found on ebay. You are a lucky girl! Jon is a big fan of Chris Packham and I adore Adam Frost. Our garden has been very neglected but we've done well with rhubarb, raspberries,rocket and beetroot. I'll remind Jon about the onions, we usually get ours from Wilco, sadly shut now! Hopefully Morrisons will have a few left! X
Deletechuckled , the shopping never stops does it , said the lady who came home with a 4ft fish kettle the other day....lol
ReplyDeleteI haven't seen a fish kettle since my catering days! I bet it'll make a great planter!
DeleteIt pretty much goes without saying that the clothes you save from landfill and magically manage to pair up with the right people at festivals are just wonderful.
ReplyDeleteBut I am most taken with William who is looking gorgeous and your garden See that you have agapanthus which have not yet completely gone over. So do I - and it is bonkers, mine always used to flower in June but this year they did not start to bloom until August and still have some colour.
Our agapanthus was really late this year and sadly short lived, normally it blooms the week after Glastonbury and brings joy to anyone passing by. William's such a lovely boy, his coat shimmers like silk. By 7am this morning he'd already polished off two sachets of cat food, a bowl of cat milk, treats and cat biscuits, he'll be panther sized soon!
DeleteOh my, haven't you done well on your stock-hunting? I have to confess that my eyes immediately zoomed in to the keepers!
ReplyDeleteFabulous outfits as always, my particular favourites being the seersucker maxi with the saffron sun top, the off the shoulder top with the Indian mirrorwork maxi with the Mexican vibes and today's outfit with the Marion Donaldson maxi. The guitar earrings are everything!
And Bess agrees that William is a handsome lad indeed :-) xxx
We've found some excellent stuff, I hope its a sign of things to come.
DeleteWilliam sends love and licks to Bess! xxx
What a lovely post, lots of gorgeous outfits and colour. So cheerful Vix. I don’t think I’ve read that Rachel Joyce book, I’ll have a look for it in the library. Doesn’t the festival season seem to have gone quickly this year. Plenty going on up north as we are on a full house renovation at my sister’s house. It’s so good to have her back here.
ReplyDeleteLove to you both xx
Thanks, Lynn! The festival season has just fled by, I can't believe we're halfway through September already.
DeleteI'd not heard of that Rachel Joyce book. My copy was a proofreaders copy, maybe I should have held on to it! I didn't love it as much as the Harold Fry books but it was a good read. xxx
Amazing Post, i love all the Dresses. The Cotton Midi Dress suits you beautiful. And all the colorful Flowers looks like the are a Home for fairies
ReplyDeleteThanks so much! I love that, a home for fairies! xxx
DeleteWell done getting ahead of the game with the stock acquisition! I like the sheep jumper and the matching dress and jacket! I have a West-German vintage sheep jumper though I am thinking it's getting a bit too tight for me sadly! Also love your seersucker skirt!
ReplyDeleteWilliam is looking very healthy! That cat knows he's found a good home!xx
I thought I'd better get cracking - we've sold 75% of our stock over the summer! That sheep jumper is insanely good, it didn't half make me giggle when I spotted it. What a shame yours feels a bit tight, you'll have to pop it on Vinted and use the funds for more Cosplay gems! xxx
DeleteHunting for stock is a never-ending job, I love the jumper with the textured sheep, wool is one of my favourite textiles both to sew with and to wear. I can't knit unfortunately due to a shoulder injury but pounce on any hand-knits I find in op-shops. Love your wardrobe and how everything seamlessly fits into what you already have. Your hair is looking amazing, I really like the change in colour as it gets longer. Have a great week ahead.
ReplyDeleteHello Diane! What a shame about your shoulder injury preventing you from knitting. I love finding handmade jumpers in charity shops, they're really popular with customers, even on boiling hot days they'll often make a beeline for the knitwear rail!
DeleteThanks for the kind comments about my wardrobe and hair. I'm really enjoying watching it transition from jet black to reddish blonde! xxx
Every outfit's a winner! I love the maxi dress you grabbed for yourself, Vix, and just really vibing on your great outfits. Having dipped my toe into the festival experience this past weekend, I found myself thinking, "Vix would make a KILLING here!"
ReplyDeleteOh, sweet William, what a look! I bet he's happy to have you home again.
Thanks so much, Sheila! I've got a thing for Bernshaw dresses, the two I own (the silver halter neck I always wear at festivals and the white cut-out maxi I wore as Medusa) are firm favourites. I'd love to trade at an overseas festival - we'd need to charter a private plane to get there! xxx
DeleteOh my, you are finding some great items for your stock room. The dress and jacket combination (dress suit?) has your name written all over it. I don’t think I have ever seen Lotta’s for sale or anyone wearing them, but they suit you and your dress sense so well. I used to wear wooden-sole leather-top clogs in the mid-70s with bell bottom embroidered jeans and a cheesecloth shirt. Sometimes I look at your photos and see my mum in her late 60s/70s heyday. She loved Indian textiles and made her own clothes throughout her life. She worked as an operating theatre sister in West Middlesex hospital where most of her colleagues were the most beautiful and hospitable folk from India. Then she went to college to do a BEd, main subject Sociology, so you can see she was a bit of a hippy. My grandad even had a gold VW Camper van which my parents used to borrow for holidays leaving their three children with the grandparents at Goring by Sea where a day wasn’t complete without an early morning sea swim followed by ‘antiquing’ at Brighton and Arundel. I loved staying with them. Has your weather broken yet? We had a lot of overnight rain but it still feels muggy in the South Downs. William is indeed the handsomest cat. Lucky you that he found you and vice versa of course. Our son is now back in London and is finding it hard to give up his secondhand clothing business - not surprising when he tells me he is making a profit of £6k a month! I used to get scared when I saw the amount of stock he had but he seems to have developed a niche business specialising in mountaineering and trekking wear with some old school for good measure. I have a book recommendation for you that we read for book group this month: The Great Passion by James Runcie, a beautiful read. Lovely post Vix, and your festival trading was clearly a blast. Sarah x
ReplyDeleteHello Sarah, how lovely to hear from you. Your mum sounds like such a cool woman (as do you) with a strong sense of fun and a great eye for clothes. I'm very flattered.
DeleteThe rain reached us on Sunday but it wasn't until yesterday (Thursday) when we noticed much of a change in temperature. It's been absolutely gorgeous though and finally feels like we've had something of a Summer albeit a short one!
Your son's doing wonderfully well with his reselling, isn't he? We know a lovely young man in his 20s who started buying pallets of secondhand menswear from Eastern Europe and selling them at Freshers Week in Leeds when he was still at university. He's now got a huge wholesale business and a team of staff.
Thanks for the book recommendation, I'll add it to my Kobo/ Abebooks wishlist and see if I can track a copy down. xxx
Oh Vix, what a treat for the eyeballs. Every outfit is delightful, it's hard to choose a favourite, although that dress you bought at the end of the road is definitely a contender. I love how you have such a clear vision of what your style is. I feel like I have that, but then I'm afraid to get rid of ANYTHING and end up holding onto things that were once my style but aren't any more, just in case. If I could just let go, I could probably move into being happier with how I look every day rather than it being a bit hit and miss, and me looking back at photographs and thinking, why on earth have I wore that? Anyway, looks like funtimes Vix. xx
ReplyDeleteYou are kind, Louise, thank you! The only trouble of being aware of your style is that you can get very blinkered and a bit obsessive, ending up with hundreds of things that look very similar. I really must learn to step away from the block printed Indian cotton clothes (she says after coming home with another item from Urban Outfitters' end of season sale yesterday!) xxx
DeleteYou're a class act and doesn't William know it??!Look at him bloom!xx
ReplyDeleteThanks, Annie! xxx
DeleteLovely, lovely outfits, Vix. You look gorgeous in each and every one. And what fab finds in the chazzas - the 1970s maxi dress and the amazing Thai outfit with matching jacket. When we go to the Thai restaurant in Kettering I'm always admiring the women's traditional outfits; but even if they donated their cast-offs to the local chazzas they'd never fit me; they're all tiny little women...12 pairs of Lotta's? More power to your feet!
ReplyDeleteI, too, started reading 'Savage Lands' last week but gave up as I wasn't enjoying it. I have several Orhan Pamuk books on my shelves including the one you're reading and must get round to reading them. I'm due to select another batch from the shelves for my TBR pile and must try and remember.
Your garden is looking colourful but it's that time of the year when things are coming to an end and I always find it a bit sad.
William is an extremely handsome lad!
xxx
Thanks so much, Vronni! Summer dressing is my thing and with the disappointing one we've had there's so much stuff I've not worn this season! I've never been to Thailand but when I was in Malaysia I visited a department store and asked where the sandals were only for the tiny shop assistants to fall about laughing at the size of my feet and send me to the mens department. I bought a skirt in an XL!
DeleteI picked up Savage Lands because there was a rave review by Hilary Mantel on the cover, I found parts fascinating but the sadness was relentless! xxx
So much eye candy Vix! I put most of my summer stuff away a couple of weeks ago and of course - cue a mini heatwave lol. Thankfully I had a storage box under the bed with some frocks in it - I don't know how folks do a 10 item capsule lol Took me back to motorcycling days when we had a pannier each to last 2 weeks ...
ReplyDeleteI got the Elizabeth Siddal book by Jan Marsh and steamed through it this morning. What a shite time to live through and how dreadfully class-ridden and stay-in-your-lane it was. Very sad - but - enough sparky eff-this-for-a-game-of-dominoes characters (thankfully). Also with all the laudanum kicking about - our very own historic opiate crisis.
I have bought 2 new frocks! And a small kantha elephant from TK Maxx! I have a large-ish one that I bought when the original East shops closed down - I think it might have been used as window/shop dressing - so now I have a pair awww. I think my bestest chazzer lately has been a pair of Jeffrey West Muse shoes - they are men's size 6 black leather wing tip chisel toes and fit like custom £6.50 (retailing over £200 new). Love me a goth shoe. I'm now hearing the siren call of only black clothing and dusting off my Underground skull-fastening winklepickers - oh noes - step away from the crimpers ....
Hello Elaine - so it's you we've got to thank for last week's heatwave, is it? Ta very much!
DeleteThat Elizabeth Siddal book is on my Abebooks wishlist, I'll try and snaffle a copy. Most of those Stunners didn't have the best lives, did they?
How exciting about the new frocks - and the elephant, one can never have enough kantha in their lives. Cracking find with the Jeffrey West Muses, always a good seller and even better if they fit and you can keep them! I'm reliving the 1980s by plaiting my hair before bed, a mate sent me their old BaByliss crimper during lockdown but it exploded in a puff of smoke! Underground boots - I have a pair of their black suede winklepickers lurking somewhere! xxx
I am not surprised you have to stock up months in advance :) William has certainly blossomed - he seems to have 'filled his own space' x
ReplyDeleteLovely yo hear from you, Kate! William's looking really well, isn't he? xxx
DeleteI love that embroidered white midi dress! I would feel great wearing that one!
ReplyDeleteWilliam is gorgeous too!
I am sure you have been enjoying the hot weather. We are changing to Autumn here , the afternoons are still like summer but the mornings are different and a few leaves have begun to fall. Last week we had a pod of orcas ( killer whales) in our bay! It is rare they swim into the bay. JanF
Thanks so much, Jan! I was really pleased with the fit of that white dress, she'd had it for years and I was the first person to get the zip up, it was meant to be!
DeleteHow wonderful to see those Orcas! xxx
I absolutely love the perfume atomizer and those guitar earrings have given me an idea 💡
ReplyDeleteHi Cherie! Isn't that atomiser sweet? I got a pair of earrings in the shape of African drums, I'll have to share a photo. xxx
DeleteHi Vix, William is looking lovely as are all of your outfits! . The garden is still so colourful and the plants around the doorway spectacular. I have "Call me red" but have never read it so I will do now!!"Loved your last festival post, by the way!! I've never been to one but you never know!! Make the most of the sunshine, winter is coming!.... but not yet! Sending you love from a very hot and humid Barcelona. xxx
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Diana. the garden was late blooming this year but our week long heatwave seems to have woken all the late developers up, I've even spotted a dahlia I'd forgotten to lift last winter!
DeleteMy Name is Red is so good, I love that it's made up of lots of short chapters, so easy yo pick up and read when I have a few minutes spare.
Sending you lots of love from us & William! xxx
I mean "My name is red", not "Call me Red!!
ReplyDeleteI'll call you anything you like, Diana! x
DeleteOh very nice coordinates
ReplyDeleteThank you! xxx
DeleteWhat a funny coincidence! I have been rereading My Name is Red and as always I'm fascinated by it.
ReplyDeleteGreat minds think alike! x
DeleteHello Vix! You are making great strides in replenishing stocks, even if the odd item is falling into your wardrobe!
ReplyDeleteI love the colours in your seersucker maxi skirt, accessorised to perfection.
I remember loving those abalone and Mexican silver hair clasps, but sadly they were never strong enough for my unruly mop! The Mexican silver earrings are gorgeous, as is that Marion Donaldson maxi skirt.
You were probably right to make the most of those gorgeous summer clothes. The weather's definitely taken a nose dive....I'm trying to figure out my winter wardrobe and get ahead of the game. xxx
Thanks so much, Claire! I'm really impressed with that hair slide, it stays put all day - even in the Meltemi wind! I'll get you one next year if Shilpa Silver's got any left.
DeleteI'm looking at my wardrobe and wondering if I ought to pack my white dresses and halternecks away and drag out the velvet & wool! xxx
Glad that you could enjoy some summery weather at home before your holiday!, and so lovely to see your colourful and brilliantly accessorized outfits!, actually I love every detail!.
ReplyDeleteYour garden looks fab!
besos