The beauty of All Hallows’ Evening

What would be a more suitable day for a wander in the cemetery than Halloween itself?  I think it will be very atmospheric tonight with lots of candles and extra flowers by the gravestones. It is a nice opportunity to reflect over the lovely people that have come and gone in our lives, and think about the things they have taught and given us.

Ca 1960s necklace in green and gold

1920’s Cocktail ring with a green agate and marcasites

1920’s Cocktail ring with a green agate and marcasites

I love wearing jewellery that go nicely with the colours around me, and today I thought that this lovely 1960s costume jewellery necklace in gold and green would go well with the autumnal colours outside.  I paired it up with the glorious 1920s cocktail ring with a green agate, which you have seen before, and which I absolutely adore.

 

Do go for a walk if you haven’t been already!  The parks are bursting with reds, greens and yellows and the most beautiful winter berries are starting to decorate the trees.  Autumn brings such a different beauty after the bright summer days and isn’t it just the loveliest thing to get wrapped up in knits and wool on these long walks, only to end the day with a warm cup of tea at home?

Happy Halloween dear!

Meet the dashing Decades of Elegance peacock

I am so pleased to be introducing the new logo for Decades of Elegance:

I have always found peacocks fascinating with their natural elegance and grace – and frankly, who wouldn’t want to look fabulous 24/7 without having to make an effort!?

The logo has been created by a wonderful graphic designer who I would warmly like to recommend to you.  I am absolutely delighted with the way she captured the image of the blog, so if you are looking to have a logo designed for your company, please find her details here:

kathdav@gmail.com

The photos above were taken two years ago in South Africa on one of the lovely wine farms, and have been a great source of inspiration for me in creating this blog.  As a result, the choice of image for the logo wasn’t a very difficult one!

I often find that beautiful images are a great way of keeping creativity and motivation going, as they tend to fuel one’s own urge to create something gorgeous.  Whenever I am lacking inspiration I browse through pictures of objects that I find particularly beautiful, and seeing such a rainbow of stunning images usually reignites my creativity in no time!

How the world fell into the hands of Art Deco

1930s pearl and marcasite earrings

I absolutely love Art Deco jewellery so I wanted to dedicate today’s post to exploring this fabulous style, which started around the 1920s and kept influencing so many aspects of art for many years to come.  The earrings above inspired me to write this post, as they are from the 30s and carry the strong geometric forms that were so typical of the period; circles and squares were often explored by designers during this era.

I meet a lot of interesting people when I scout around for antique and vintage pieces, and they often have the most fascinating stories to tell!  A lady in Cape Town told me that when she was young in the 50s everyone wanted to get their hands on Art Nouveau jewellery, whereas Art Deco was considered nothing special.  As a result you were able to buy the pieces really cheaply – as opposed to today when Art Deco pieces are so sought after, and priced accordingly.  I do wish I could travel 60 years back in time and get a good collection of these treasures!  For now I will just have to do with the earrings above and this lovely ring which I have introduced to you previously, and another pair of earrings at the end of the post:

Silver ring with a green agate and marcasites

The name Art Deco came from the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs Industriels et Modernes, an international exhibition of decorative arts held in Paris.  The style embraced elegant lines and clean shapes, which can be compared to the style preceding it – Art Nouveau – which presented lots of intricate detail, often expressing the beauty of nature.

It makes sense that Art Deco design was more practical and simple though, since women no longer sat at home, draped in jewellery, helplessly fluttering their eyelashes.  World War I made sure that they assumed responsibilities outside the home, and as a result they were suddenly involved in a wide variety of activities – everything from sports to politics.  As a result fashion took a similar turn and the uncluttered style took precedence.

Typical features of Art Deco were bold stones, such as onyx, turquoise and coral, cut into geometric shapes.  Diamonds were often cut into baguette shapes – something that you will for example see in lots of 1920 engagement rings.  If you do a search for Art Deco Jewellery you will see a very clear style, which you will most likely then be able to identify if you attend an antique fair.

I hope you enjoyed this humble bit of art history – below is another pair of earrings so clearly in the Art Deco-style:

1920s style sparkling costume jewellery earrings

Timeless elegance in a pair of 1930s earrings

1930s faux pearl earrings – please click here to order

1930s faux pearl earrings – click here to order

Super easy bun that works from day to night – see below for instructions

First of all, thanks everyone for your feedback on my posts – I am so happy you are enjoying the hair styling posts so I will make sure to keep them coming.

These precious little gems are from the 1930s – a pair of costume jewellery earrings with a faux pearl in an entwined gold coloured setting.  Such perfect everyday earrings for work, that would also go beautifully with a more dramatic outfit, when jewellery is kept to a minimum.

I have created my favourite hairstyle above, which takes no more than three minutes and goes with everything:  just put your hair up in a ponytail at a good height (higher rather than lower is best here) and take sections from the ponytail that you loop outwards and back in again, pinning them at the root, next to the hairband.  I usually end up with about six sections and just roughly estimate how much hair I need to grab for each one of them.

Happy weekend dear!

This is true love

I am just looking out the window and all I see is a rather grey October morning sky, so I wanted to create a post bursting with colour and beauty to keep us going until spring!

This beautiful yellow rose lives in a garden near to Johannesburg, South Africa.

Can you imagine having these beautiful flowers to wake up to every day?  They would also be absolutely gorgeous at a wedding venue – colour scheme butter yellow for example.

See how beautifully the light shines through this ‘Durban July’ rose?  Gosh it really is the little things in life…  

We get so much beauty from nature, so let’s look after it well so that it keeps on giving!

It is so easy to be caught up in work, commitments and general stress that we suddenly forget to look at the beautiful things around us.  I have probably told you before that one of my main reasons for loving vintage is that it is such a wonderful example of recycling, as you are not contributing to the headless mass production of jewellery today.  In addition to this you get the intricate details, the wonderful handy work…  they all just make the pieces so special to wear!

It is also very easy to think that my small every day choices can’t possibly make a difference, but I can promise you that they do – there are so many of us that producers simply have to listen.  By buying fairtrade products or demanding that the merino wool jumper you are buying has been responsibly sourced, you can enjoy your items with a wonderfully clear conscience.  Just think once extra before you buy something and together we will end up looking after our beautiful planet in the most wonderful way and our kids will be able to see the same animal species and surroundings that we are admiring today.

I know that this little seal family (and many others with them) is waving their thanks to you for looking after their home:

Happy seal family sunbathing outside the coast of Cape Town, October 2012

Antique treasures at the heart of Kalk Bay

You do find the most charming things in these lovely shops – an antique cash register with a clear explanation of its duties..!

Absolutely stunning antique lace – maybe an idea for that veil you had in mind?

I did wonder who this lovely doll might have belonged to back in the days and what her life story could be. 

Unexpectedly I ran into this bowl from Scandinavia!  It sure must have travelled far to get all the way to South Africa!

It is so special to have antique dinnerware on the table, very unique and often incredibly well made.  Far more charming than the mass produced products we find today!

… another hat for grandma’!  Such an elegant style – I absolutely love it and sooo regret not buying now, it would have been amazing this winter!

In the heart of the boho chic Kalk Bay you can find the lovely Kalk Bay Antiques Centre.  Definitely worth a visit if you are ever in SA!

While in South Africa I also ran into this lovely antique shop in Kalk Bay, where I was able to look at beautiful old hats, dolls and all the things that you can see in the photos above.  I especially liked the beautiful lace collection, as you would be able to find the perfect lace for a handmade wedding veil for example.  How unique to wear something that carries so much history on your wedding day!

I also adore the red hat which you can see in one of the photos, as it would go so well with my black winter coat and give a wonderfully elegant air to the look.  Love!

The key to finding things in antique shops is taking your time to look at everything and try to understand where they come from and what is so unique about each piece.  I love the shops which are not dusty and dark, but where everything is presented in a lovely way and you just end up wanting to buy everything!

A fabulous 1960s golden and black bracelet with faux pearls

1960s Gold and Black Costume Jewellery Bracelet with Faux Pearls

This stunning bracelet is from the 60s and just waiting to be worn again.  You could wear it with a black dress and it would also easily go with your work outfit – I am just loving the look of Kiki’s black nails together with the bracelet in the photo above!

I also simply had to team it with this fantastic drawing from Vogue in 1957 by Eric Stemp, as the colours go so well together.  I also find this specific drawing to be such a wonderful example of how fashion repeats itself: here we have a lovely lady modelling this leopard print jacket back in the late 50s – and now just look at Carlos Miele’s Spring 2013 collection where leopard print is once again in demand!  Absolutely fabulous, and you can of course order the bracelet here if you love it!

A rainbow of hairstyles and vintage brooches

 

On Friday we were playing around with hairstyles and came up with the ones above – perfect for an evening out with the girls!

They would also look lovely if you added a vintage brooch to them, so below are a few favourite oldies – and a couple of newbies – to give you an idea of what you can do to spice things up.  The brooches below can be bought here, if you love them lots and lots!

 

One of my favourite brooches decorating a messy updo – 1950s silver brooch with two blue topaz

A lovely sidebun can always be beautifully accentuated with a brooch snuggled up right next to it – 1930s costume jewellery brooch

I am that sorry this photo is out of focus – but hopefully you can see how the same vintage brooch has been entwined into a side ponytail – 1930s costume jewellery brooch 

I wore this to the wedding in Cape Town – I bumped up my hair at the back, made a sweet little braid on one side and secured the brooch in the middle at the back – 1940s silver and marcasite brooch

Surely you know my love of pearls by now – a similar hairstyle to the previous one, only decorated with a pearl necklace

I hope this post has inspired you today – go and experiment, that is the best way of getting to know what works best for your hair and what styles are the most flattering ones for you!

A romantic Cape Town wedding and a fabulous Kitchen Tea

Oh I am so excited to be writing this post!  We went to this beautiful wedding in South Africa, where I had done a bespoke jewellery search for the bride.  I found her a pair of vintage style earrings and a ring, which you can see below, so if you ever need help looking for wedding jewellery do let me know and I would be delighted to help you out!

In South Africa a Kitchen Tea is the bridal shower/hen party and here the theme was The Mad Hatter’s tea party!  

Everything was perfectly aligned with the theme, from the most divine grenadilla cupcakes to the decorations and hats that everyone wore for the day.  

I delivered the jewellery right on time for the Kitchen Tea.

Here is the bride wearing her 1920s style earrings with marcasites.  The protea is the South African national flower – quite stunning indeed! 

The 1960s silver and marcasite ring finally went where it belonged. 

A closer look at the earrings

The tables were decorated in the most divine boho chic-style.  Simplicity really is the most beautiful thing, don’t you think?

I arrived in SA just in time for the Kitchen Tea and was able to bring the jewellery with me.  The bride-to-be then tried them on for the first time and I am happy to say that they were a perfect match!

On the day she wore her hair up with a gorgeous 1920s style hairpiece that went so beautifully with the protea flowers in the bouquet.  Wearing some vintage or antique pieces really do add that stunning bit of glamour to your wedding look, so I would warmly recommend it!

Also what I learnt from this lovely and laid-back wedding was that if you are planning one do keep it simple and don’t try and overdo things.  The tables were so nicely decorated with some flowers and candles, and what more do you need to create a lovely atmosphere?  Lots of good food, gorgeous desserts and a dance floor in the middle of the room – those I think make a wonderful wedding!

I hope you enjoyed this post – it sure was great fun to write it – and if you are planning your wedding don’t hesitate to get in touch with me for some ideas for jewellery!

Where the prettiest antiques go in Cape Town

I absolutely adore this romantic little tea set, as it has such an Alice in Wonderland feel to it.  

With a hat making grandmother I am always drawn to the most fabulous hats!

Some gorgeous silverware were towering on the shelfs in Joy’s shop 

Obviously I also ran into the most interesting African art and design in these beautiful antique shops… 

… posters and paintings in a glorious mix

All the lovely treasures above are from Joy’s Collectables 

In Cape Town I snuck into this fabulous arcade populated with lots of beautiful antique shops called The Long Street Antique Arcade.  It was lovely to be able to lose myself in wonderful array of vintage clothes, shoes, handbags and jewellery!  In the photos above you can see the prettiest things that Joy sells in her shop Joy’s Collectables.

There were a few jewellery shops and also some shops that focused more on ornamental antiques – not to mention your usual grandmother’s closet-shops where hats and shoes are fighting for the most prominent places to be admired.

I absolutely love the tea set in the first photo, as I intend to put together a very varied collection of tea mugs, saucers and tea pots in my house one day. You can usually pick up the most beautiful tea sets at car boot sales, for almost no money – the same goes for sweet little vintage and bric-a-brac shops.