Treasure Trove

It's fair to say I grew up with a liking for treasure. Surrounded by my father's fine art books and enchanted by weekend visits to stately homes, I developed a magpie like love of the ornate things of times gone by, especially the fashions.
From the Japanese lolita street style to the gorgeous fashions of the glamorous fashions of the 20th century, there's something so thrilling about collecting a really special piece. You never know what gems you might find when vintage shopping, and from staple blouses to princess prom dresses I've found some really beautiful pieces through my vintage shopping adventures and I love the rich history they have to them. I'll never forget the joy of finding my first piece of 1950s vintage in the form of an exquisite lace peplum blouse.
This last year I've also discovered some real treasures through auctions, from tea dresses to statement hats. There's no way of shopping quite so exhilarating as the excitement of the auction, and then so satisfying when the lot is actually yours. Barnebys is a gorgeous new website dedicated to showcasing lots from the best UK auction houses and there really are so many wonderful lots to explore. From arts to furniture, and from jewellery to fashion and vintage, there are such delights to be found. So go on and create your own auction adventure.

Mint Ice Cream: A Spring/Summer Moodboard

♥ Hello Kitty carousel necklace off Etsy

♥ Vintage bolero from Cow Manchester

♥ MUA eyeshadow, Pearl Shade 26

♥ Charity shop reading: The Mitford Girls by Mary S. Lovell

♥ Chocomint two way bow

♥ Primark socks

♥ A much loved childhood toy by the name of Millie

♥ Primark rose earrings

♥ Macaron bear from a £1 capsule machine

I've realised that mint has quickly become one of the most prominent colours in my wardrobe. Between my Oasis winter coat, yummy Tesco jacket and other recent acquisitions there's even more mint amongst the photos than pink! I think my love of the pretty pastel colour started to grow at one of my first lolita fashion meets where a girl wore a beautiful pink and mint split wig. Luckily for me there's lots of lovely mint on the high street right now and it works perfectly with other candy shades I already own such as lavender, blue and of course pink.

Fondant Fancies: A SS12 Moodboard

♥ Christian Louboutin espadrille wedges

♥ Vogue UK March 2012 with Lana Del Rey in Louis Vuitton SS12

♥ Chocomint 2 way fluffy star clips

♥ Oversized TY Hello Kitty bunny plush

♥ Vintage dress

♥ Backstage at Meadham Kirchhoff SS12 in Marie Claire Runway

♥ Crown & Glory fascinator

Petal and Pink, the Little Black Dress Earrings

Last month I was so lucky as to win these gorgeous earrings from a giveaway on the blog VioletSage.
They come from a delightful little Etsy shop called Petal and Pink run by a lovely lady called Erin, a self-taught jewellery designer from Massachusetts.
The Little Black Dress earrings are both gorgeous and versatile. I wore them first on a morning when I hadn't had time to get copious amounts of hairspray out of my hair, having previously been attacked with a can during the creation of a pin curl look the day before, so I twisted my locks back from my face and into a ponytail. My outfit was a cute little polka dot dress with Peter Pan collar from New Look and denim effect leggings from Next, which is a relatively casual look for me, but the earrings added a bit of elegance.

The earrings are quite simple compared to my usual taste but they're still fun. Despite being dangly they're light and unobtrusive which is always a positive. I also think they'd look great in the evening and I've spied two ever so pretty pairs in Crystal and Pink in addition to my Black in the Etsy shop. I can see myself going back to them again and again and I'm very happy with this new edition to my collection. Thank you very much to both VioletSage and Erin!

Super sale vintage style

Retro Rehab (91 Oldham Street) was one of my favourite vintage shops in Manchester with rales or pretty, wearable dresses and blouses, so if you're looking for a bargain and are in the city on Wednesday 3rd March they're having a special sale where you can buy a bag for £10 and stuff it full with whatever you like- well that sounds good to me!

My previous purchases from the shop can be seen here and here.

Fabulous find

A few days ago I was having a charity shop book spree- giving money to good causes and saving trees- and I could not walk past this gorgeous patterned Laura Ashley top. =D Absolute bargain and good for the environment. It's in wonderful condition and I'm already wearing it lots.

I like the way you can bring out the different colours in it depending on what you put it with.

The bracelet madness continues

A cheap and cheerful fix.
I made the bracelets myself and the bangle was my mum's, I wrapped round a ribbon and there you have it. :)
It's fun experimenting with unexpected combinations.

Vintage Manchester

The last time I was in Manchester, I was there for a LAMDA exam and it wasn't really a big shopping day. I headed for Selfridges (how I love that store- they have Chanel) and Harvey Nicholls but didn't really explore the city. I went again today for college (not too much shopping again, another trip needed I think), and well the haberdashery where I bought my beautiful fabrics was on the same street as several vintage shops, and Fashion Pearls of Wisdom had kindly told me of some, so I had to give them some time.
I am now a complete vintage convert- Pearl, your advice has proved very dangerous to my funds. And of course going vintage is better for the environment than buying equivalent new.
I bought at two vintage boutiques. (purchases tomorrow, shops today!)
Retro Rehab was very near said fabric shop, so it really couldn't be helped, look at the lovely window display.

Next up, as recommended by Pearl, is the newly opened Cow, which apparently also has stores in Birmingham, Nottingham and Sheffield. How did I miss the brum boutique? I definitely need to go.
The dresses in the window were so incredibly lovely, and all those colourful rosettes also won me over- very Mulberry/Luella.

Even the flyer is a rosette. Fabulous.

Do you buy vintage?

Pale pink obsession

It's my parents' wedding anniversary today, and I've always loved my mum's 'going away' outfit. Unfortunately I don't think it would fit me if my skeleton had 1% fat on it (my mum's only just over 5ft, my dad's 6ft 4&1/2, go figure), but it's nice to look at.

This along with my love of Chanel, has brought on my adoration of pink tweed jackets.

These two are recent vintage acquisitions.

My mum (she's so lovely!) also brought out her bag from the event and gave it to me. :-) The strap's detachable by poppers and I feel a craft project coming on.

Happy anniversary mum and dad!! I love you lots.