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Tag Archives: Vintage


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6 amazing vintage accessories perfect for summer 2013

As you know, I’m a thrifty kinda gal and don’t like to buy a whole new wardrobe each season when sometimes just a few key accessories can see us through a season. As Summer 2013 bounds into view, I’ve asked one of my favourite vintage stores Mela Mela to put together some top-tips and Summer picks to get your wardrobe looking sunny and on-trend for the season. And vintage fashion is so much more wearable for longer so remember - a vintage handbag’s not just for summer: it’s for life! ;)

1. The Handbag – 1950s/60s crushed leather bag in coral red (below). 

Although the current trend for micro bags is strong, when it comes to picking a bag that will accompany you on every summertime adventure you’ll probably want something a bit bigger. As well as your usual essentials; phone, wallet, diary, keys and lippy, the Summer calls for your camera and film (if we’re going properly vintage!), a bottle of water, sun cream, sunnies, a good novel and a light cardigan just in case the breeze picks up. That’s why I would pick something a little roomier for my Summer handbag. Something in a statement colour such as this deliciously fun coral red is perfect. Accessories were made to be seen and this delightful item is unspeakably vintage. It also would bring some vibrancy to the current monochrome fashions. Your friends will all be hankering after it!

 Summer 2013 vintage accessories red coral bag and floral hat from Mela Mela

2. The Hat – 1950s hat with net and floral detail (above).

Let’s face it, in Britain the sunny days are often few and far between. So to keep the bounce in our Summer its up to us to brighten things up a bit. This pretty little hat beams with vibrant yellows and lush greens, and its floral detail looks very seasonal – and is perfect for summer weddings too. So don’t reserve hats for winter! Well-dressed hair will really finish off your vintage outfit to perfection.

3. The Shoes – 1950s/60s peep-toe shoes in glitter and gold (below).

As much as I love a colossal heel, there are times when they just aren’t practical and frolicking about on a Summer’s day probably calls for something a little more manageable. Something like this gorgeous little peep-toe shoe is ideal with its mid-heel. The open-toe and strappy detail make it perfect for the warmer days and the precious gold detailing make it unique and pretty. Vintage womens shoes are a sure fire way to add a bit of panache to any outfit.

 Summer 2013 vintage accessories parasol and gold black shoes from Mela Mela

4. The Parasol – Victorian Parasol with ivory silk and black veil (above).

There is something devastatingly elegant about a well-dressed woman with a parasol. It adds a picturesque grace to any outfit, as well as having the practical benefit of keeping the sun off your face. Protecting your skin from sun damage is something we all know is necessary, so the parasol seems the most refined way to do it. Although this parasol has a strong vintage vibe, the monochrome colour scheme also means that it’s bang on trend for Spring/Summer 2013. What more could a girl want?

5. The Shoulder bag – 1950s Beige Canvas Bag with Striking Floral Motif (below).

If you only want one bag to last the Summer then picking a statement piece like the coral red crushed leather may limit your wardrobe choices a little. Instead choose something like this canvas bag with it’s vibrant multicoloured adornments. This bag is spacious enough to pack your Summer essentials, can be carried or worn over the body (ideal for a spot of vintage cycling) and offers a plethora of pretty colours in the detailing that you can easily pick out and compliment in your outfit. 

 Summer 2013 vintage accessories floral handbag and mint satin shoes from Mela Mela

6. The Slipper – 1960s mint green satin court shoe (above).

These low heeled elegant shoes are ideal for summer weddings and more luxurious days out. They would look beautiful with a floral tea length 50s swing dress, and would finish off any feminine frock with sophisticated finesse. The cool mint green colour would work well with pastels, neutrals or perhaps a striking buttercup yellow. 

I hope you’ve enjoyed this insight into vintage accessories and would like to join me in thanking Mela Mela Vintage for their professional style advice for summer 2013. Mela Mela Vintage is a vintage boutique located in Teddington, Southwest London who have an amazing array of vintage summer dresses, jewellery & accessories which spans century of fashion. If you can get down to the store, please check them out – or you can always shop for their retro goodies online!

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Inspirations for my retro living room – vases & flowers

After putting up my retro pattern wallpaper, I thought I had nearly completed my retro 60s/70s-inspired living room, but I don’t think I’ll ever really be finished, especially when there are so many vintage bargains to be found in the charity shops and at car boot sales. This week I was lucky enough to find these lovely (or horrid, depending on your viewpoint) vases. It was perfect timing, because my friend had just bought me some tulips and daffodils as a thank you for making her a fancy dress costume and I only had a cocktail jug to put them in. 

Retro Hornsea pottery vase 60s 70s glass vases vintage floral

So I’ve been keeping an eye out for something suitable to display my Spring flowers in and was so happy when I spotted this rust-brown coloured glass vase (which matches the tumblers I use for tealights) and a brown patterned ceramic pot by Hornsea. I thought it might be a flour tub or biscuit barrel but it didn’t have a lid with it, so I bought it for a bargain price and I’ll use it as a vase instead. Or maybe it is supposed to be a vase or plant pot, I have no idea about this kind of thing, so if you know anything more about it please get in touch and leave me a comment below - that would be great! 

Please have a look at my other blog posts about my project to give my living room a retro makeover:

More retro stuff:


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Get crafty in your local charity shop – here’s what I made…

simplicity skirt pattern retro dressmaking sewing diy kit charity shop

You may remember that I wrote a blog post last week about this vintage pattern by Simplicity that I found whilst rummaging in my local charity shop. I wanted to make myself a this skirt but didn’t know where to start with buying fabric - everything I’d found online was a bit pricey and rooting through the big out-of-town fabric stores was also a bit too spendy for thrifty ol’ me. So when I came across this long dress in another charity shop for only a few quid, I saw not only an item of clothing, but also a massive piece of fabric in a funky print so I snapped it up. I knew that the size and style of the dress wouldn’t suit me, but that I could make use of the gorgeous fabric with such a funky pattern and later decided that I would take the plunge with my new pattern and have a go at recreating the retro skirt design myself.

simplicity skirt pattern using charity shop dress fabric sewing construction green floral

I began by cutting open the skirt along a seam and removed the waistband before ironing it flat. Now I could see the size of my fabric and once I’d laid out the pattern on top I realised that I had plenty of fabric to complete the whole design. I was worried that there might not have been enough and I’d considered adding panels of a different fabric around the skirt, which I think would look quite funky anyway, but I’ll keep that idea for another day as I had plenty enough fabric to go round.

simplicity skirt pattern using charity shop dress fabric sewing construction

I pinned the pattern pieces to the fabric and carefully cut around them, then I followed the instructions on the pattern pack to stitch together the pieces. I decided to use concealed seams for neatness and to stop the edges of the fabric from fraying in the future. If you’ve never made a concealed seam, it is super easy and here’s a quick step-by-step to show you how – seriously, you won’t want to go back to normal seams once you’ve seen how neat it makes it and how easy it is!

simplicity skirt pattern using charity shop dress fabric sewing construction DIY tutorial concealed seam 1

1. Place the fabric with the backs together (right-side out) and pin in place. Sew along your seam within 1cm of the edge, like a very thin ‘normal’ seam.

2. Turn your stitched seam inside out to that the right-side of the fabric is on the inside. Iron the seam flat and then stitch along the edge again, this time with a hem at 1.5cm in from the edge, thereby encasing the first seam within the second. Your seam is on the inside and you should not see any of the first seam on the outside.

simplicity skirt pattern using charity shop dress fabric sewing construction DIY tutorial concealed seam 2

3. Open out your fabric and iron the seam flat to one side. Turn it right-side out and admire your very tidy seams; so neat and so simple!

I took my time making this pattern so all in all it took me about 2 hours to complete this skirt – good thing that sewing is my favourite hobby! I love how the skirt has turned out and its great to be able to wear a true vintage look after following the Simplicty pattern. And now I have a gorgeous new item of clothing that I can confidently say that I made myself – and for only a few quid. Next time you’re in your local charity shop make sure that you have a good look at their clothing, fabric and even bedding, as you might just find the ideal fabric for your next project and I’m sure you’ll be able to hunt out a vintage pattern to try out yourself! Please leave me a comment below and let me know how you get on :)

simplicity skirt pattern using charity shop dress fabric sewing construction finished clothing

More of my charity shop finds:


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Inspirations for a retro living room – more garish vintage storage!

You may remember this blog post that I wrote  when I found my first record box from the vintage vinyl fair at Southwold last year. I have never loved a record box, or any storage for that matter, “at first sight” but this time it was different. Because it was orange. And floral. And tastefully garish.

retro record case floral

vintge vinyl record box

But my obsession didn’t start and end in that record fair on that day. Once I’d bought the box home, I couldn’t help myself and trawled the internet looking for more of these pretty little cases. Unfortunately, they are pretty rare and if any do pop up for sale they are invariably too spendy for my liking and with a heavy heart I have to step away from the laptop and reaffirm to myself that I must earn more money…

Don’t be too sad for me though, lovely readers, because I found a new one! In my local charity shop, can you believe it?! I couldn’t! There was a seriously swift grabbing motion in the general direction of the record case as I snapped it up and skipped home with a genuine beauty in blue. When I later peeped inside I found that it even had the old retro label from Boots and the original receipt for it tucked away at the bottom of the case. No key though, but you can’t have everything and I’m not in the habit of locking my records away.

Vintage retro record case lp box blue orange storage

I thought that was it. Until Ebay tempted me. There was an auction for a trio of mini record cases in the same OTT pattern; tiny boxes that much have been for 7 inch records and although I liked these little cuties, I couldn’t justify the hefty price-tag and the storage space gained wouldn’t have been enough to give them the space on my sideboard. So they too passed me by. But after a couple of months, ‘greenie’ popped up and set my watch-list a-fluttering. Noone else was bidding and I kept my fingers crossed until sale day, and thankfully I won the auction for the starting price – not cheap when you consider the cost of delivery, but nowhere near as pricey as some of the LP cases I’d dribbled over in the past. There’s only one downside of buying online, which is that you can’t see it and look at it from all angles. The case arrived in near-perfect condition, with exactly the colours and pattern expected, but with one tiny difference. It was half as deep at the other 2 cases. You’d never know it from looking at these three lined up (thank goodness) but it only holds half as many records. I’m sticking with my story that this is a good thing, as I can barely lift the bigger ones when they are full of heavy vinyl, and the with the slimline one, I can! 

Retro living room interior design record LP storage cases from Boots 70s 60s floral pattern green orange blue

I love my record boxes but that IS IT now, I am all collected out and there’s no more space in the living room for the collection to be added to (and you are welcome to give me a good telling off if I come home with more in the future). I can store my old LPs safely and I’m even using one of the boxes for stashing packs of candles – multi-purpose stoage at its best!

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