What to wear with a butter yellow bridesmaid’s dress?

On Sunday a dear friend of mine is getting married, and as one of the bridesmaids I will be wearing this lovely 1950s princess dress.  It is of tea length and captures that beautiful vintage look perfectly!

… I am however struggling to decide what jewellery to wear with it, and thought I would ask you for your opinion!  I am definitely thinking gold – and the shoes will be nude coloured, so very discreet.  The purse you can see in the back of the jewellery photos below, in gold and silver sparkle – yet somehow very subtle:

These used to belong to my grandmother and were designed and painted by one of my other relatives.  Ca 1950s

Vintage style earrings that I picked up in a bric-a-brac shop last year – obviously I couldn’t help but buy them as I loved the pearls! 

These were a gift to me from a friend in Hong Kong, beautiful sparkle and gold colour…

So please do leave a suggestion in the comments box below, I would love to hear what you think!  I promise to post photos next week from the wedding as well – there might be a bit of an Easter break here but I will see you again next week dear!

Leopards leopards everywhere…

At the moment I seem to be drawn to very extravagant pieces.  This is something the traders on Portobello Market have caught on to, as one of them showed me the leopard bracelet above, and I fell head over heels for it right away!  Now I just need to find the perfect outfit to wear with it, so that you can see how amazing it looks on… I am thinking a very casual outfit so that it stands out on its own – or something sparkling to really go all out… stay tuned!

Where there is a ball, there is glitter, glamour, sparkle and shine…

So I received a few pictures from the ball to which my friend wore the 1960s rhinestone necklace the other week…

In the picture above we can only see a hint of the necklace, here but gosh how well it suits Miss H – and it was just the perfect complement to her gorgeous silver dress!  Not to mention how much we are loving the 1920s hairstyle… wishing every night was a ball night!

Red lipstick always adds a bit of French glamour and it goes so well with her dark hair and that beautiful complexion!

In this photo you can see a little of the 1950s sparkling bracelet as well, which we have seen before… quite a few times as I love it so much!

Mary’s Living and Giving Shop in Parsons Green

A truly wonderful shop in Parsons Green – which doesn’t just sell the most divine second hand and vintage clothing but is also a charity shop under Save the Children – is Mary’s Living and Giving Shop.

Mary’s Living and Giving Shop

Whenever I pop in there I just seem to find the most divine dresses, skirts and tops – and on average I have probably paid £20 per piece!  No matter how great it is to find lovely things, I must say that shopping with a good conscience is the best kind!

The boutique opened two years ago in July, and its delighted customers were able to find designer clothing, jewellery, footwear and beauty products donated by various brands at real bargain prices.  And from own experience the stock just keep getting better and better!  I also love going in there as the people volunteering are always so lovely and welcoming, and incredibly helpful, as everyone knows what a fantastic cause they are working for.

A pair of Stuart Weitzman heels for like no money at all

Same with these stunning Pradas

I was admiring the interior decor on Saturday and had to ask them about it; apparently there are quite a few interior designers in the area that volunteer in the shop as well.  I can imagine that it builds a really nice feeling of community, when everyone can help out and do the bits and pieces that they are good at.

You can find books and films…

Shoes, accessories and clothes, all somehow so beautifully colour coordinated!

The lovely details, like old newspaper clippings on the walls, make the place absolutely divine!

 Barnes, Chiswick, Edinburgh, Primrose Hill, Richmond and Westbourne Grove are also getting to enjoy Mary’s Living and Giving Shop, and it seems that the people in these areas are also really loving their little bundle-of-joy-shops as they also have happy volunteers and lots of donations coming through.

… yes, that is feel good shopping!

So do pop by if you are in the neighbourhood, I am sure you will find something absolutely divine in there!

You can also read more about Save the Children here.

Deuxieme glory on New Kings Road

As a great believer in sustainable living I love shops like Deuxieme  on New Kings Road, where you can find the most amazing vintage and second hand pieces – clothes, shoes and accessories.  Suddenly you enter a haven of everything from designer to high street brands – and when I last visited, labels like Burberry, Missoni and Michael Kors jumped out at me from the rails!  And the best part is obviously that they are only a fraction of the original price…

Deuxieme 299 New Kings Road, SW6 4RE

A lovely selection of ballerinas

Bags in a all different shapes and colours – any last minute shopping for a bag or clutch for this evening will not disappoint you!

No words needed… 

 … Marc Jacobs, Reiss, Karen Millen all in a wonderful mix throughout the shop… 

When you have shopped until you are about to drop you can relax in the lovely Garden Café at the back of the shop.  They serve some lovely organic, fairtrade coffee – not to mention their homemade cakes:

Gorgeous cakes, perfect for regaining some energy after a long day of shopping – yummm

The garden is open in the summer, until then we can sit inside with a hot chocolate and dream away to gloriously sunny summer days 

It is the little details that make all the different, for example some beautiful teacups and saucers

The lovely decor throughout the shop makes the shopping trip so enjoyable!

Ideas for accessorising in case you are on a last minute shopping spree!

£95 for a Missoni bag… we like!

New pieces come in every day, which means there is always something to explore – even if one find herself in there more than once – or twice – in one week… ehmm….

You might remember that we visited Deuxieme’s sister shop on the other side of the road, but if you would like to refresh your memory you can read about Deuxieme Too here, where they sell the super high-end pieces…

The history of the ring

Today we are looking at the piece of jewellery that has consistently remained the most beloved one through times; the ring.

Rings have symbolised a range of different things through times, and also carried various meanings ever since the Medieval times, which is when it first became popular.  Back then everyone – from poor to rich – would wear rings, and the material would indicate the wearer’s class (copper, gold, silver…) but it was only in the 14th century that rings were adorned with various jewels – amen to that!

It seems that only three cultures have not been making use of rings: the Assyrians, the Celts of Ireland and the Eskimos.  Now the fact that the Eskimos don’t wear rings makes a lot of sense, as wearing a ring in such a cold climate would impede blood circulation.  However, I am pretty sure Admiral Robert Peary – a famous old explorer – would have liked to have been informed of this tiny little detail, before setting off on one of his arctic trips and bringing along lots of rings to trade with the Eskimos – only to find himself dragging around a pretty useless currency!

So what kind of things have the ring symbolised through times?  Well, the most common would be commitment, in the shape of an engagement and wedding ring.  However, some lovely ladies would also wear rings to show their commitment to God.  Signet rings are sometimes worn by family members (back in the days this was very common amongst noble families) in order to symbolise their heritage and community.  Signet rings are also used to symbolise memberships, which is often the tradition at certain schools – something I only first encountered here in the UK.

I was quite surprised to read the other day that the old Pope’s gold ring was destroyed according to tradition, as I would imagine such a ring to be an important part of history; but even that act has a specific significance.  Since signet rings would be used to seal letters by the Pope to validate their authenticity, by destroying the ring they are preventing any backdating or forging of documents with the ring.  It is tradition for the ring to be destroyed by the Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church (basically the admin person working with the Pope) with a papal silver hammer in the presence of the Cardinals.

So there we go, a bit of history of the ring – hopefully it inspires you to wear a ring to work today!  I would love to hear about your favourite ring – where it comes from and what it symbolises, so do feel free to share it with me below in the comments box.  Happy Friday my lovely!

An afternoon on Marylebone High Street

The other day I spent a lovely afternoon on Marylebone High Street with the girls, browsing the amazing shops and checking out the beautiful little streets nearby.

Nordic Bakery

Obviously we had to pop by the Nordic Bakery on 37b New Cavendish Street, as they make the most amazing Finnish rye bread and also have karjalanpiirakka on the menu.  The latter is a Finnish delicacy which you simply must try if you haven’t yet!  Explaining it would make no sense, you just have to try it – and don’t forget to add some egg butter.  I promise you that if you get the freshly made ones they will blow your mind!

We then continued up on the high street, passing amazing pubs and restaurants, like Coco Momo, which I think is such a gorgeous place and it always makes me think of the roaring twenties!

Below you can see Lady H wearing that fabulous 1960s bracelet which we have encountered before.  Some people can really pull off strong colours and make it a lovely fashion statement!  Again, I find that the key to creating a lovely and personal style is mixing old with new, as you will be sure that no one else will be wearing the same outfit:

1960s Gold and Black Costume Jewellery Bracelet with Faux Pearls

1960s Gold and Black Costume Jewellery Bracelet with Faux Pearls

Finally we decided to catch up over some hot chocolate and cheese (yes, a divine mix on a super cold day, believe it or not!) at the Prince Regent pub.  The perfect lazy Saturday afternoon.

 

I would love to hear about your favourite styles and outfits – any specific piece of jewellery or clothing that you just love wearing and that always makes you feel special?

The cameo’s journey through time…

A dear friend of mine gave me the most wonderful book this weekend, 7000 Years of Jewellery, which has turned out to be such a treasure now that we are learning more about antique jewellery.  I was straight away drawn to the Cameos in Jewellery-chapter, as I am sure you know by that cameos are a huge love of mine!  I have a few humble pieces in my collection, which I have used to illustrate this post.

Cameos are so interesting as the design is the complete opposite to the common way of engraving gems.  A technique called relief carving is applied, which means that the stone is carved away so that the design is left projecting ever so slightly from the background in the most beautiful way, and apparently also allows for a great deal of artistic expression.

The 1930s rolled gold cameo which we have encountered before 

Cameos really do go back far in time, in fact the Romans at the end of the second century BC wore them as emblems with ceremonial dresses.

Ca 1960’s cameo – costume jewellery 

The art of cameo making became incredibly popular in the fifteenth century.  In Italy the artists became famous and well known, and soon the rest of Europe caught on to the fashion and started employing these Italian artists.  They would train others in France and Spain, and so the artform spread throughout the continent.

A modern day remake of a 1920s style cameo

You can see in the pictures above how beautifully set the cameos are in their different frames.  However, when it comes to antique cameos they have often been separated from their original frames, so the pieces that are still mounted are rather rare.  A few have survived through generations though, and a wonderful example is a double onyx cameo in a gold enamelled pendant, decorated with diamonds and rubies from ca. 1520-30.  It was given by Pope Clement VII to the Piccolomini family in Rome.

The only cameo jewellery that can be found in the British Museum’s fine collection of classical cameos are finger-rings, and they often came with a picture of  Medusa.  Cameo making seems to allow for a great deal of imagination, but I have noticed that the same motifs keep coming back, like Medusa in these finger-rings, and Rebecca at the Well, a picture which contained a woman, a bridge and a well.

In the 16th century in Italy cameo cutters and goldsmiths developed an artform which came to be known as commessi; it conjoined the cameo and the gold setting in one single design.

Cameos can be found in everything from brooches to earrings and bracelets.  The cameo pearl-bracelet above is from one the stalls on Portobello Market.

Cameos continued their journey through history; they were greatly admired by Henry VIII and they also grew in popularity through the Elizabethan period , although there is not much known about the artists of that time.  In France cameos came back into fashion 17th and 18th century in accessories like hairpieces, belts and combs.  For the next two centuries they were also highly in fashion, and artists started using other materials, for example glass paste.

I think it is time for cameos to make a huge come back, because what could be more beautiful than wearing a cameo with a high collared shirt to work, or as a hairpiece?

The above information comes from the wonderful book 7000 Years of Jewellery, edited by Hugh Tait

Your Portobello Market Shopping Guide

As you know by now, I spend far too much time on Portobello Road, scavenging the vintage stands and roaming through the arcades, so I decided to do something useful with all this knowledge – and would now like to present to you your own Portobello Market Shopping Guide.  Hopefully this will make it easier for you to find your way around the market and locate that specific vintage piece that you have your heart set on, may it be a handbag or shoes or jewellery or clothing!  (You will find a google map at the end of the post to help you navigate your way around!)

A Sweet Introduction – Pembridge Road to Chepstow Villas

For those of us who fell in love with Notting Hill when watching the Julia Roberts and Hugh Grant-movie, the beginning part of Portobello Road gives us just the beautiful welcoming that we were hoping for: quaint and colourful little houses with doors to match and stunning trees in bloom:

The front doors in Notting Hill are so pretty with their glorious colours!

There are a few stalls plotted around this part of the road as well, mostly souvenirs stalls, but I tend to find that the row of houses is what you end up admiring.

These comical signs are always a favourite when you can’t decide what to buy someone for their birthday!

Antiques – Chepstow Villas to Elgin Crescent

On Saturdays this stretch of Portobello Market is lined with vintage and antique stalls and you can get your hands on everything from 1950s toy cars, vintage boxing gloves, silver, jewellery to antique clocks, hats…  Some traders are also here on Fridays but Saturday is the main market day.

I would suggest that you get there at about 10am, because I have made the mistake of showing up super early to see all the goodies, only to realise that half the traders haven’t even arrived yet – let alone set up their stalls!  After 4pm many of them have started closing down (some even earlier) but some troopers are still going until after 5pm.

Be patient and you can find some beautiful pieces.  It is hard to know what is old and what is new – which is why I am here to tell you all about it!

All the styles of crockery – perfect for anyone dreaming of an Alice in Wonderland -tea party! 

This section of the market is like roaming through grandma’s wardrobe and we love it all!

Do make sure to pop into one of the arcades behind the stalls, to check out the more high end jewellery traders’ collections.  These guys operate on a more typical trader schedule, which means that they will be there from 8am until maybe 3pm – it depends a bit from trader to trader.  The rows of jewels that meet your eye are however breathtaking so it is definitely worth a visit!

When your powers start to run out just reload with amazing crêpes from one of the stalls.  It will be loaded with nutella and bananas, or lemon and sugar, whatever takes your fancy… mmm!

Food from all corners of the world – Elgin Crescent to Talbot Road

Freshly baked bread… the smell is just divine and you will end up buying everything!

Fresh fruit and vegetables for a fraction of the supermarket price – and it always tastes so much better when you have handpicked it whilst listening to someone shouting ‘five apples for 50p ladies and gentlemen!’

Oh man, I love this part of the market, where the stalls are buckling under the weight of fresh butternut squash, juicy tomatoes, papayas, lychees… every fruit and vegetable you can think of!  Some stalls sell freshly baked bread and others make paella and serve with a smell so divine you won’t know what to do with yourself!  (Did I forget to mention I am also a total foodie?!)

You can of course also get your hands on some gorgeous flowers on this section of Portobello Road

… and fashion is of course a recurring theme all along Portobello Market! 

An eclectic mixture of everything –  Talbot Road to under the Westway Bridge

This section of the road has a wonderful mix of everything, from modern to vintage, to a Tesco supermarket, cheap mobile phone covers and random gadgets… but don’t make the common tourist mistake here of turning around here, thinking you have seen at all the vintage stuff.  Instead, do continue reading and walking, as towards the end we will get to some very stunning second hand and vintage shops and stalls.

The fabulous Notting Hill bag which you can buy all over the market!

Some of the shops just keep surprising, as they might not look special from the outside, but once you step inside a whole new world of things you didn’t know you needed, are for sale.  These pictures are from Sitara on 245 Portobello Road London W11 1LT. 

I absolutely love mannequins and one day I will have one or two in my walk-in-closet – well, that is the dream! 

Second Hand Fashion – Portobello Road to Ladbroke Grove, after the bridge 

When you have walked further than you think you ought to you will get to the Westway Bridge.  Go under the bridge and you will find to your left a Second Hand Fashion-heaven opening up, and carrying on all the way to Ladbroke Grove:

Stunning handbags

You can spend hours just browsing through the beautiful pieces that the knowledgable traders have searched high and low for

Patterns, colours and materials that have stood the test of time 

  If you ask the trader about the garments they are often able to tell you the most fascinating facts and stories

Second Hand and Vintage Clothes and Furniture – Cambridge Gardens to Oxford Gardens 

This part of Portobello Road is always less crowded than the rest, as the road is oh so very long, and everyone don’t have the energy to go all the way to the end.  Most people don’t even know that there are still treasures to be discovered once you get past the Westway bridge!

Heaven for a true vintage lover, with heaps of bags, shoes and belts!

My friend Lee and I ventured all the way there though (mostly as we were heading to the glorious Thai Rice for some well deserved lunch) and she ended up buying the most gorgeous leather bag, which made the wander totally worth it:

A gorgeous vintage find from one of the stalls between Cambridge Gardens and Oxford Gardens

I would love to read about your experiences from Portobello Market – what you bought or what you thought about the market.  Did you have some exotic food and was it very busy when you were there?  Or maybe you haven’t visited yet but are longing to go?  Do leave me a comment below dear, I can’t wait to hear from you!

Wild cats on the loose

Below you can see the stall on Portobello Market which inspired my blog in the first place last summer!  The gentleman’s fine selection of jewellery always draws me back, and if you see anything in the photos that you like then don’t hesitate to let me know and I will get it for you!

On Saturday he showed me this amazing leopard bracelet, which I fell head over heels for and I am sure you can see why:

Just another Saturday on Portobello Market – shopping some glorious jewellery 

Reproduction of some glamourous 1960s jewellery, Cartier-style

So this bracelet is a remake of some 1960s style jewellery, in the shape of a leopard which wraps itself around your wrist.  You lock it by putting his tail into his mouth, and you can see how beautifully he climbs up on my arm.  How stunning it would look with a very simple and elegant black outfit for example, as the only piece of jewellery, don’t you think?

This guy is going straight to the rock-chic collection!