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I can't say I've got a problem with Mondays but this month, with its dark and dismal days, really does feel endless. Thank goodness for good friends, swimming, quality TV, books and vintage clothes!
On Friday, I wore another of my vintage Dollyrockers maxi dresses with an original Afghan gilet and my stompy boots. The pool was really busy but despite having to squeeze in-between two of the regulars I still managed to do my mile in 42 minutes. After breakfast in Spoons we had a quick look around the charity shops.
We found a couple of things in the chazzas....a Quo battle vest (the only band we've been to see live and left a quarter of the way through the set!) and a rather slinky vintage '80s maxi dress (sadly, too big for me!) Jon also found some decent vinyl in the £1 box, Don McLean's American Pie and Bob Marley & The Wailers Exodus.
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It was another wet day so, unable to take any Vinted photos, I replaced the zip in one of my dresses and read with William keeping me company.
After tea we continued watching the first series of British cop drama, After The Flood, which we'd started the previous evening. It's got an impressive cast including Lorraine Ashbourne (last seen in Riot Women) and Philip Glenister.
After we'd finished watching that we decided to rewatch the fabulous swords & sandals Ancient Roman romp, For Those About To Die. There's supposed to be a second series but I wouldn't be at all surprised if shooting the first one didn't bankrupt the production company, the cinematography is magnificent and must have cost millions.
A hungry William got me up early on Saturday morning, so after I'd fed him I made mugs of tea andwent bcak to bed, reading till gone 9am.
Remember this Shubette maxi dress adorned with mythical beasts? I bought it from a fellow vintage trader at one of the London fairs we used to stand at. I'd not worn it in four years so it was time to redress that. Obviously I don't hold with that nonsense of getting rid of anything you've not worn in six months.
After breakfast we headed over to Birmingham as we were meeting a contact with some vintage clothing to sell. As usual, we'd arranged to meet up at Steve and Graz's fabulous shop, Moseley Vintage Hub.
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It's always a joy to meet up with our mates and were even more excited when Jen, Simon and their gorgeous boys turned up...we'd not seen them for six years. It was like a Moseley Vintage Fair reunion!
There's several pieces I really, really love but seriously need to part with a few things first so I can squeeze them into the house. Jon bought himself more vintage vinyl...there's always room for that! A 1980 album by The Ruts and a 12" pressing of Lene Lovich's Lucky Number which I bought (and still own) on 7" back when it came out in 1979.
Moseley Vintage Hub is open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and you'll find it at 1, The Basement, Bowyer Street, Digbeth B10 0SA (website HERE)
Unable to resist the lure of the clearance charity shop in Perry Barr, we popped in on the way home, snaffling a weird Adidas military style coat from 2015, an Austin Reed boating blazer, a 1990s Monsoon wool blend cardi and a pair of Clarks Originals "Desert Rain" boots with the £84.99 price tags still attached (Jon's thrilled with these!)
Later we watched The Electrical Life of Louis Wain, the often-heartbreaking true story of the Victorian artist who changed the way the public thought about cats. What a cast...along with a voiceover from Olivia Colman, there's also Benedict Cumberbatch, Claire Foy, Andrea Risborough, Toby Jones, Siobhan McSweeney and Adheel Akhtar to name but a few!
Although the pool was open on Sunday morning (the first time in ages!) we decided to go on Monday instead, spending the morning pottering around, wrapping & dropping off parcels and sorting out the stockroom.I wore a vintage Indian block printed maxi dress. It was yet another depressingly dark, damp & dismal day and the vibrant combo of red and royal blue was just what I needed to lift the sartorial spirits.
Here's the vintage job lot I bought from my contact on Saturday...
A Louis Feraud raincoat, a West Germany cropped velvet jacket, an Adini slip dress and a cropped suede jacket.I wish this super sharp black mac was my size, I love it! There's also a handmade gingham maxi dress, a Slumberland quilted gilet and a 1980s English-made taffeta dress with a net underskirt (I wore a near identical black one when I collected my A level certificates in 1985!)
I finished my Lady Hester Stanhope biography and started Dictator, the last of Robert Harris's Cicero trilogy. As usual, Harris's writing is superb, I was quite glad of a bout of insomnia last night so I could crack on with reading it!
We'd swapped our Sunday swim for Monday so this morning we walked down to the pool at 7am and was pleasantly surprised with how quiet it was after the madness of Friday.
I'd not worn this 1970s Louis Carling dress in ages and had forgotten how cosy it was. It's ideal for swimming days as it doesn't crease and I can take it on and off without undoing the zip, lazy dresser that I am!
After breakfast in Spoons, we had look in a couple of charity shops and got chatting to a lovely chap who got all nostalgic about the 1970s when we saw how I was dressed, telling me that he'd seen Roxy Music (amongst other bands) play Birmingham back in the day. Walsall has just been voted the most deprived town in the UK (see HERE). It might not be fancy but the people who live here are the best!
See you soon!
Great outfits as always. Walsall is fine by me, it was great when I visited family there in the 80's and as you say the people are the best! I love those library type drawers. My husband had a book shop in the Holloway Road for quite a long time, before he owned it, it was owned by a Polish tailor and he left behind sets of wooden drawers like the ones in your post. We loved them but had nowhere to fit them in our home so they stayed in the shop for years. My husband sold them when he retired to a very trendy young couple who had a loft apartment in Shoreditch so they went to a good home. I hate this gloomy weather too, hurry up Spring. Regards Sue H
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sue! I'm glad your memories of Walsall are good ones. So mnay people used to come to college here and never leave. Its not posh or hipster but its authentic and friendly, what more can anyone want?
DeleteYour husband's book shop with the inherited furniture sounds like a dream place and I love that the drawers went to a hip younge couple who, I'm sure still own and love them to bits!
Gah! It's so grim. I've not even seen any snowdrops yet, harbingers of spring, surely they should be here by now? xxx
That vintage fair shop was a literal treasure trove. I'd love a good explore but hear you about needing to get rid of some pieces to make room for others. It's bitter cold here and I have another dental appointment so this Monday is a very Monday.
ReplyDeleteIf ever there was a good reason for getting rid of some furniture, visiting Graz and Stve's shop woud be it!
DeleteGood luck with the dentist! xxx
The first pic at the vintage shop brought memories flooding back, those tiny drawers! my father was an industrial chemist and had drawers like these full of different coloured pigment (used in paint), it was a kaleidoscope of colours and I loved opening the drawers althugh if you even breathed, the particles might be disturbed! It was walnut - looks like the one in your pic might be - I would love to own one. Just think Vix, you could keep all your jewellery in there! I also noticed the turquoise wing back chair and thought it would be a great companion to your new sofa. Lucky I wasn't there as I love those places and the only thing stopping a purchase might be getting it home! I love your gilet in the tiktok video, Im on the look out for one, a real one with sheepskin inside, unfortunately they seem to be made in very small sizes when they do turn up. Nice to see your wicked eye earrings having an outing - I still wear the jumka earrings you gave me :) Looking forward to sunnier days but, like you, catching up on films (Night Manager is getting a second chance). Betty
ReplyDeleteBetty, I adore that description of you as a little girl excitedly opening those drawers! My Grandma collected those tiny Victorian apprentice pieces and would hide treats in them when we visited, we used to be beside ourselves with excitement to see what we'd unearth! Do you remember how those drawers used to smell, too? Lush actually did a fragrance inspired by the smell of antique cupboards at a grandparents, it was wonderful!
DeleteThere's actually a par of those drawers, we could have one each!!
I loved the turquoise chair and there was a wonderful old copper topped pub table with cast iron legs which would look fabulous in one of our bay windows covered with plants, not to mention the galvanised steel trunk, the vinyl and teal bar and the standard lamp with the olive green shade!
I hope you get over your fear of Tom's hair and enjoy The Night Manager as mucg as we are! xxx
Wow, those dressers are so beautiful! And I love that wicker armchair with the high back, too.
ReplyDeleteThe photo of you and your friends turned out really lovely.
xoxo
Thanks, Andrea! That wicker furniture is so pretty, isn't it? I'd love to live somewhere hot and sunny and have furniture like that outside on the verandah...in my dreams! xxx
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ReplyDeleteI think I wouldn't have a problem with Mondays if I didn't have a full time job! You are fortunate to avoid that! 😁
Your assortment of dresses are beautiful! Your final outfit is my favourite!
That place looks amazing /!! I'd love to visit!
So nice to see friends and have an empty pool!
Xx
I had to laugh when we came back from Tenerife. It was a Monday and the bus driver was blasting out The Boomtown Rats' I Don't Like Mondays, the other passengers were locals and I don't think they got what we were giggling at.
DeleteThe empty pool was bliss - much as I really like the other swimmers, its so chilled when there's hardly anyone else!
It's that pop of mustard that makes that dress is lovely, I don't know why I didn't wear it all of last year! xxx
Such a wonderful title to all things fabulous on your ventures. Wow, amazing furniture! & so much more. So great to see what you wore too. Seriously, January flew by here, in spite of sub zero wind chill. Thanks for sharing your reviews on books and TV. Such a beautiful post! Thanks again for visiting my blog. Winter tends to bring scary stories. Perhaps it's just cabin fever.
ReplyDeleteHello Ellie! I'm glad your month is going quickly! I think it's because we've got something exciting planned for February so it feels like it's taking an age to get here!
DeleteI hope you're staying warm and cosy! xxx
January has been flying by in our house.. I can't believe it'll be over soon. Those shops are amazing.. look at all those beautiful pieces of furniture. Back when everything was made with real wood.. wow.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad January's not dragging as much for you, mind you you've had a birthday to celebrate which always adds some joy!
DeleteYes, real wood and properly made, none of this flatpack, self-assembly nonsense! xxx
Lovely outfits, I have a weakness for the mythical beasts dress! and totally agree about not letting go a dress because you haven't worn in a year or two (it's taking a break, and will probably make a come back soon!).
ReplyDeleteYou look fab in those dresses and afghan gilets/coats and your cool fedoras!, you're totally inspiring!
But my fav thing has been the vintage drawers and all the gorgeous furniture!. So beautiful shop and so lovely to met with friends!
besos
Thanks, Monica! I do love that Mythical Beasts dress and sometimes giving a dress a break for a few years makes it all the more exciting when it gets a rewearing!
DeleteHow incredible is the stock in Steve and Graz's shop? They have such a good eye. Those drawers make me go weak at the knees! xxx
The library card catalogue is my holy grail. I want one. I could store my knitting needles, embroidery threads, pens.
ReplyDeleteHe who thinks he's in charge says over his dead body. He should watch what he's saying he had two silent heart attacks last year. He really did and I know I sound heartless. Damn, the hole is getting deeper. I'd better stop digging.
Mondays are always a good pool day. A lot of people have Fridays off.
January is nearly over, so there is February to look forward to.
Isn't it an incredible piece of furniture? Although, I should say, aren't they incredible pieces of furniture as there's actually a pair of them!
DeleteI don't think you sound heartless at all, I feel your loathing and despair. I've heard the same as you. I rarely wish ill on people but I am occasionally prepared to make an exception. xxx
My eyes fell upon that glorious be-drawered beauty - I have a thing for drawers, not the standard modern type but the ones with stories and odd sizes, each one with it's own niche use. I would love one like that but know that which ever one I opened it would not be the one I needed ....
ReplyDeleteHaha! That's a very good point! I absolutely love those drawers, they'd be brilliant for sewing notions or jewellery although I'd feel bad about removing all the slides inside! xxx
DeleteI read a post where someone said that January is the Monday of the year, so I guess that makes Mondays in January double Monday, or possibly even Monday squared. They really are a drag, and seem to come round every three days somehow...
ReplyDeleteMy husband likes Status Quo. I do not. The Chaz'n'Dave of rock, I feel.
Your dresses are fab - completely the right thing to hang onto them. Trends come and go, but personal style lasts way more than six measly months.
Ha! You're right. I keep checking and its still bloddy January, when will it ever end? We haven't turned the lights off today, its so blooming dark!
Delete"The Chas'n'Dave of rock"..brilliant. Francis Rossi did make us laugh at the gig, asking everyone in the crowd who were wearing Sketchers to put their hands up, I swear everyone including the band raised their hands.. that sa the moment we knew we were in the wrong place although the lead singer of the support band did ask if he could have a selfie with me!
That's the thing with not following fashion and just buying clothes because you love them, you're not going to go off them, although I occasionally give them a break, pack them in a case and come back to them a few years later. xxx
Ooh, I've got that Ruts album. They're still going, we saw them a few years ago in Cornwall.
ReplyDeleteI'm scared to go to the Moseley Vintage Hub, I'll be broke and have stuff piled up in the garage unless I can bring myself to clear some stuff out. It's all so fabulous there.
I really don't get the criticism of Walsall (and Brum too for that matter).
The architecture in Walsall is gorgeous, and the Art Gallery is fantastic. The shopping area is no worse than many others these days with so many people shopping online. People just love to moan 🙂xxxx
I was pleased to see that Babylon's Burning was on that album! I know Jon saw them back in the day being an old punk. I love that they're still playing.
DeleteMoseley Vintage Hub is fabulous, I'd kill for those drawers!
The West Midlands gets so much bad press. I was laughing at some of the comments on Facebook. Someone was moaning that Walsall was rubbish now that Woolworths & C&A were closed...like they still exist elsewhere in the UK!!! xxx
I could spend serious money in that shop, if I had any to spend.
ReplyDeleteI never really understood how Status Quo got as popular as they did, but hey, there's music for every taste.
-Goody
Yay, Goody! Great to hear from you. I think you'd be a permanent fixture in that shop, the brooches alone would have you drooling!
DeleteNo, I didn't get the Status Quo thing either. I wonder if the origianl owner of the battle vest saw the light? xxx
Hey Vix, always great to see what you have been up to. I've been reading up a storm with John Le Carre and others and also Maigret which I found for bargain prices. Just had a 45o day here in Melbourne, even too hot for you I think. I wonder have you got a sunshine break planned. We had Vivienne Westwood exhibition that I recently went too, it was very interesting. Stay warm.
ReplyDeleteHello Diane! We have the same taste in books! I remember devouring Maigret as a student, maybe its time I revisited him!
DeleteWhen we were in Corfu last year it reached 44°C one day, it was mostly spent under a tree with intermittent swims in the sea. It was hard work!
I bet that VW exhibition was a sight to behold, you lucky thing.
We have a trip coming up very soon although I don't think it'll be very sunny, although I live in hope. Jon's getting desperate!
Stay cool! xxx
There can be no dark and dismal Mondays with you around!!What a scoop for Lord Jon getting that vinyl. It's going for such silly prices up here!Francis Rossi was booked for a local venue on a book tour but the organisers had to change it to a much smaller place when that dangerous concrete stuff was discovered and it had to be shut down. He cancelled! Obvs didn't fancy appearing in a small parochial town. Was good enough for Fish to have his retirement concerts there!Lovely pic of you and your pals.January always goes quick for me with three family birthdays in it!xx
ReplyDelete***local venue to me!!
DeleteHappy Belated Birthday to all of you!
DeleteJon does really well with vinyl although, when we got home, he told me that he'd left an album by The Bay City Rollers signed by all the band behind. I hope someone who loved them as a teenager snaps it up, it must be worth more than a quid!
Fancy Francis Rossi throwing a strop like that. Fish comes across as a lovely chap. Tony loved Marillion , we gave him a couple of old vinyl albums for Xmas. xxx
Thank you, as always, for sharing some of your life, times and style. Thanks also for the tip on For Those About To Die - that's going onto my list. Years ago, HBO had a series - Rome - that was a favorite. If you haven't seen it, might be worth a look. As to Quo - I'd only ever heard of them once, long ago, but your blog mention tickled my brain. It was a BBC declutter series, and a member of the band and his wife were on it. For the vintage fashion alone, this might be worth half an hour? : ) https://youtu.be/7wzKYqvCtTw?si=_sSX9LOZHzUOPG7o
ReplyDeleteHello Elizabeth. Thank you. We watched Rome during Lockdown, I'd forgotten about it, I must gibe it another go, it had a great (mostly British) cast. That link sounds very interesting, I'm off to investigate! Take care! xxx
DeleteHi Vix, what a great time you had browsing Moseley Vintage Hub. Lucky you! I would have enjoyed perusing the brooches though I did buy myself 2 last weekend from a local vintage shop in my village. I have seen Status Quo quite a few times over the years as they are one of the favourite bands of my other half!!
ReplyDeleteThe colours in your Indian block printed dress just sing out in these grey days. We all need an inhection of colour right now. Do you have any tips for washing your vintage dresses? Hand washing? Preferred detergents? Many thanks for your intelligent and thoughtful blogs.
Hello Alysia! Moseley Vintage's jewellery cabinet is incredible, not just the contents but the actual piece of furniture, its from an old department store and revolves. I'd love to own one!
DeleteA girl can't have too mnay brooches although, with all my hair, they tend to get lost.
There was nothing wrong with Status Quo, they play well and Francis Rossi is really funny, but once you've heard a couple of tracks, they do all sound the same (with the exception of Matchstick Men!) Mind you, Jon loves Gong, once you've endured one of their endless sets anything sounds better!
I wash my Indian block printed dresses by hand. I use liquid handwash. For my other vintage clothes they go in the machine on a 15 minute tepid water cycle. At the moment I'm using some Ecover non-bio laundry liquid that we found reduced to clear in Dunelm.
Always lovely to hear from you. Yours in vintage love, Vix xxx
Vix, you should write a post all about the highlights of Walsall. I'd love to read it. X
ReplyDeleteI knew you were going to love The Electrical Life of Louis Wain! I think I even wanted to recommend it to you. The film is exceptional. The cast did an amazing job, and everything is so well written and acted. I love when films tell real stories respectfully and I feel this one does. It shows mental illness in no uncertain terms, and yet it shows the person first and foremost. Louis Wain was such a fascinating person and artist. I cried a lot while watching this movie and I think I will watch it again. Of course, it is also a perfect film for cat lovers....
ReplyDeleteWilliam is quite adorable keeping you company while reading. When I moved to my fifth apartment, a cat came with it. It is our neighbour's cat but she made herself at home with us as well. She was purring under my feet as I sat and drank chocolate on my terrace.
Oh, I felt I was with you in that marvelous shop, Vix! I'll just be drooling over that jewelry case. As always, I love seeing your finds - I learn a lot about UK labels from you! That black coat is amazing!
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