A tale of two vintage pieces

Here I have, well, actually four new (to me!) vintage items, but then the title wouldn't really work.

I finished my first week of 'work experience' today, having spent five days working with a fantastic small company who recycle, customise and remake old clothes to create beautiful new pieces. It was both inspiring and informative to be working with the two lovely women who run the company, and I've learnt quite a few new creative skills! As it was my last day in this placement today, I got to customise one of my own pieces of clothing, which I'll hopefully feature when it's finished.. 
Anyway, one of the vital parts of the week's activities was, of course, a visit to a vintage shop! (For, erm, marketing purposes and to research stock.) And while there, how could I resist buying this gorgeous little quilted number - I'm assuming it's a fifties house coat? And even better, it was one of the cheapest items in there at only £18!
I nearly always say this about so many things I feature, but I love this print! The vertical stripes in soft shades of green and cream are just my cup of tea.

So that was the first of the two 'tales'. Part two is my dress, fom that old favourite Beyond Retro. As I walked in, I idly said "I really want a cream shift dress, but it has to be perfect. I'll know it when I see it." And lo and behold, I laid eyes on it literally 30 seconds later! It has this fantastic meandering overlay stitched on top of the lace, and a beautiful airy skirt. Unfortunately it is partially see-through, but I had a trusty underskirt to hand!

And then there's the brogues, ah the brogues! Admittedly they are a size and a half too small, but I couldn't just leave them languishing in a charity shop! (They were bought after a LAMDA drama exam last week.) Not only are they never-been-worn Doc Martens (!), they are also vintage as my mum recognized the store from the label, and it no longer exists. So, they will only be appearing for shoot purposes, but I think they were definitely worth £6!
The bag was acquired at a local vintage fair, and is everything I could want from a bag. A boxy shape, large enough to hold my camera, beautiful buckles and the nicest brown leather! (Which is the only colour to have leather bags daahling.) I was one happy lady after that purchase! Even the stallholder admitted she'd find it hard to let it go.
And the little gold necklace is from another charity shop while the hat is one of a rather large collection I inherited from my great-grandma. The belt was my paternal grandma's in the seventies, and my bracelet is a vintage necklace of my mum's that I wound around my wrist a few times.

So its an absolutely all vintage outfit! Many different eras, designs, colours, places of origin and locations where they were bought, but somehow they've all ended up together in this ensemble! That's the complete beauty of vintage, all these diverse pieces with backstories and previous lives inhabiting my wardrobe. Did a fifties housewife originally own my coat, or is there some story behind the immaculate brogues that no-one wore for years?

My dad took the photos at the top of a hill way up behind my house. (Same location as a two-part post last autumn - Greenery scenery, also involving similarly shaded clothes!) It was a surprisingly cold early evening, so I'm glad I had that coat.

In light of my previous musings about keeping the brogues even though they're too small for me, do you have any clothes or other items that you hang on to even though they don't fit/ have no purpose any more? I certainly know that my brown seventies boots that I styled Emma in are another classic example for me!

I am traveling to my friend's tomorrow for the next week of work experience, so I might end up being even more unresponsive with my blog! Apologies in advance if this is the case, but I'll look forward to catching up when I get back!

A tale of two vintage pieces 2010-07-17T13:55:00-07:00 Rating: 4.5 Diposkan Oleh: Unknown