An English Christmas Fairytale…

Hello my dear!  Today’s post is a completely unexpected one, as I had planned to just write a short message wishing you a Merry Christmas and that we will be back again on 6th of January, however things don’t always turn out the way we expect them to…

16th century cottage.  This room used to hold cattle and the open fire used to be in the bottom right corner of the photo

Yesterday we went to a Christmas party at some friends’ house, and upon entering the house I just couldn’t believe what a Christmas Wonderland we had arrived at!  All the decorations were so beautifully set up and the backdrop of this old cottage just made it all perfect.

16th century cottage, Christmas decorations

We found out that the house used to be an old dairy that dated back to 1560, so before it became a proper home they would keep cattle on the ground floor (the room that you can see in the photos above).  There was a big open fire in the middle of the room and the smoke would rise up to and spread across the ceiling – and most likely leave through the windows that at the time weren’t glazed.

Peeking into the living room from the kitchen – I absolutely adore the beams in the ceilings

A hundred odd years later they added on the wall that you can see closest to us in the photo above and then they built the first floor, so that people could move in and enjoy the warmth that would rise from the animals.

A charming old winding staircase…

The entrance from the living room to the kitchen, where all these beautiful Christmas decorations create such a cosy atmosphere… 

The 16th century brick wall is still standing strong, and you can see how time has painted its mark on it 

A love note found in the house… We can read “Greeting!” on the front page and “With Lilian’s Love” on the back, and when we open it up:

“May Good Fortune add fuel to your fire, And assist you always to keep the Pot à’boiling!”

And now that we have looked at the antique side of things, let’s admire the beautiful Christmas decorations:

Homemade orange and cinnamon Christmas decorations – these smell divine!

Christmas window decorations

So with this Christmas fairytale post I would like to wish you all the most wonderful Christmas.  Enjoy the holiday in the company of your loved ones and thank you for hanging out here on the blog in 2013!  It really has been such a lovely year with lots of beautiful jewellery crossing the Decades of Elegance-threshold, and numerous vintage and antique shops opening their doors for us.

A big thank you also to the lovely vintage shops that keep showing their support for us – I would like to send some very special Christmas sparkle to Vintage Shrewd, Arabella Bianco and the Jewel Tree.

We are back again on 6 January 2014 – Happy Holidays!

A sparkling Christmas party at Grays Antique Centre II

In this last post before Christmas we are visiting DB Gems at Grays Antique Centre, where I was mesmerised by this late 19th century diamond tiara:

Late 18th Century tiara with rose cut diamonds at DBGems, Grays Antique Market

The centre stone is a Rose Cut Diamond, and this sounds so alluring that I just had to find out more:

The Rose Cut dates all the way back to the early 1500s (1) and was a very popular choice of diamond cut during the Georgian and Victorian eras (2).  However, as cutting technology developed the Brilliant Cut became the popular choice in diamonds, as it provided more sparkle in candle light and so the rose cut fell out of fashion for a while.  It did however regain popularity soon again and has remained a treasured choice in engagement rings until this very day.

A rose cut diamond as the centre stone

You might notice in the photo above that the centre diamond is raised above the others?  A rose cut stone is cut to resemble the spiralling petals of a rose, so it features a flat bottom and a dome-shaped crown.  It can have anything from 3 to 24 facets, which are the flat areas on the stone that allows it to reflect light and dazzle us!

Vintage cufflinks at DBGems, Grays Antique Market

I was also delighted to see the amazing collection of cufflinks at DB Gems, that will make the perfect Christmas presents for the gentleman in your life who has everything!

Antique diamond rings at DBGems, Grays Antique Market (please forgive the reflection in the photo!)

I also spent a looong time admiring their necklaces and diamond rings.  We can also glimpse some sapphires and rubies in the photo above, just in case anyone is after a wedding present for their loved one for example..?

Grays Antique Centre, 7 Davies Mews, London, W1K 5AB 

A huge thank you to Grays for having us over!  Hopefully you will get a chance to pop by there during Christmas as it really is a wonderland of beautiful jewellery and works of art.

Sources:

(1) Tracy Matthews

(2) Brilliant Earth

Cape Town Vintage Wedding Dresses – 1950’s Saks Fifth Avenue

The 50’s were a fascinating era for weddings, as the war was over and fabrics no longer rationed, which gave way for more freedom of design.  The silhouette changed so that emphasis was now on the feminine hourglass-figure: a marked waist, rounded shoulders and fuller skirts.  When looking through vintage wedding dress pictures and blogs you will see that tea-length dresses (dresses that reach down to the ankle) from the 50’s are really prominent, and it almost seems like this dress length represents our idea of vintage fashion.  Again, my favourite vintage wedding blog Love My Dress has a whole section dedicated to 1950’s style weddings, and you will note how often the shorter hemlines feature in the posts.

Vintage wedding dress from Saks Fifth Avenue

Our friend Jeanette in Cape Town lent us this 1950’s dress to photograph and it represents 50’s fashion so well with its structured fabric, scooped neckline and zipper at the back – which of course made putting a wedding dress on a two-people job!  The long sleeves are also very typical of this era, when it was still tradition to keep the arms covered, especially during church services. (1)  This fabulous piece is from Saks Fifth Avenue, the American upscale department store based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. (2)  How fascinating it is to see how vintage pieces wander across the continents like this!

Saks Fifth Avenue 1950’s wedding dress

Scooped neckline, bow and pearl embroidery 

Hollywood movies and celebrities were also great influences on wedding fashion in the 50’s: in April 1956 the beautiful Grace Kelly married Prince Rainier III of Monaco, in what was referred to as “the wedding of the century”.   The bride wore a wedding gown which was a gift from the MGM film studios and featured a full skirted silhouette, a high collar, long sleeves and a fitted bodice.  The dress was made of silk taffeta, tulle, 125-year-old Brussels rose point lace, and the bride also wore a sheer veil and a tiara.  You can see lots of beautiful pictures of Grace Kelly on Google if you click here (again, due to copyrights I am not adding any photos here!)  Parallels have also been drawn between Grace Kelly and Kate Middleton’s wedding dresses – and if you click on the link I am sure you will be able to spot the similarities. (3)

The elegant bow at the back

It is all in the small details – like the embroidery on the sleeves

The beautifully embroidered front

As will all of Jeanette’s wedding dresses featured here on the blog, this one is for sale and if you want to get in touch with the her just send me an email and I will make it happen!

Beaded 1950’s wedding dress

After a long day of photographing the three vintage wedding dresses the sun decided to grant us the most beautiful sunset over Cape Town and the moon responded with this glorious moonrise:

Kalk Bay South Africa Sunset

 

Previous posts about Jeanette’s vintage wedding dresses:

Cape Town Vintage Wedding Dresses – the 1970′s bohemian dress

Cape Town Vintage Wedding Dresses – the 1940′s chapter

Sources:

(1) Vintage Gown

(2) Saks Fifth Avenue

 (3)  Henry Roth

Love My Dress

Antique Lace at Diane Harby’s, Grays Antique Centre

So we are still at Gray’s Christmas Party, and we have now come down the stairs where we passed the Haywood Sister’s lovely singing – and we are finding ourselves by Diane Harby’s beautiful antique lace stand:

Diane Harby Antique Lace at Grays Antique Centre

Diane Harby sources the finest quality lace and I loved reading what she has to say about the history of lace:

“In Europe from the 16th to the 18th century the finest quality laces were so highly prized that their value was greater than gold and they became the ultimate status symbol throughout the courts. The tradition of handworked lace continues to the present day. Diane stocks handworked and machined lace collars, shawls, scarves and veils; Normandy and Tuile lace tablecentres; embroidered linen, cut-work and crochet traycloths, and much more. Also available are custom-made cushions and curtains.” – Diane Harby at Grays Antique Centre

Bows and lace… my absolute favourites!

Stunning lacework

Beautiful lace collar and a shrug at the back

Diane Harby Antique Lace at Stand 148, Grays Antique Centre

So all you brides looking for that perfect lace shrug to wear around your shoulders, do pop by Grays Antique’s in Mayfair and have a look around Diane Harby’s collection.  She offers such a wide range of styles and colours that I am sure you will find your perfect piece.

A sparkling Christmas party at Grays Antique Centre

We received a lovely invitation to a Christmas party at Grays Antique Centre last week, which really put the sparkle into this year’s Christmas!

Grays Antique Centre in Mayfair

Grays Antique Centre is based in Mayfair, just by Bond Street tube station and with Christmas coming up it is such a wonderful place to find some very special presents for your loved ones.  You can get everything from very high-end pieces of jewellery (diamonds, emeralds, amethysts etc) to very reasonably priced costume jewellery – from all the glorious decades gone by!

Any favourites?

I stopped by Westleigh Antiques and had a lovely chat with the trader there – and I just couldn’t take my eyes off the most stunning pieces antique and antique-style jewellery!  I was especially delighted to see the most glorious cocktail rings shimmering and sparkling back at me:

30 karat Aquamarine cocktail ring at Westleigh Antiques, Grays Antique Centre

Diamond and pearl cocktail ring at Westleigh Antiques, Grays Antique Centre

Chandelier Diamond Earrings at Westleigh Antiques

The Haywood Sisters at Grays Antique Centre

We also had the pleasure of seeing the Haywood Sisters performing Christmas songs for us.  This lovely vocal trio were styled top to toe in vintage and brought a wonderful touch of glamour and sparkle to the evening.  With backgrounds in West End musicals and other high-end performances they are the perfect addition to a wide range of events, so do check out their beautiful singing here: The Haywood Sisters.

John Joseph at Grays Antique Market Christmas Party

We have seen a few pieces from John Joseph before and I couldn’t resist the temptation of photographing their vintage and antique engagement collection:

Antique Engagement Rings at John Joseph, Grays Antique Centre

They also do the most beautiful cocktail rings with all the precious gemstones you could ever dream of:

Sapphires and emeralds at John Joseph Antiques

We still have a few dealers to visit so stay tuned and I will take you along to see some heavenly antique lace, a late 19th century tiara and some very handsome cuff links – the perfect present for the gentleman that has everything!

A Nordic Style dream in London – chapter III

We are on the third chapter on the Nordic Style series and today we are looking at this beautiful fireplace, some classic Swedish tableware and our beloved writer Elsa Beskow:

Classic Swedish fireplace at Nordic Style Chelsea, Swedish Interior

Having lived abroad for almost seven years, the one thing I cannot help but reflect on is the incredibly comfortable indoor climate in Finland and Sweden.  In countries where -30 degrees Celsius is not unheard of, proper insulation is obviously a must, but how did people do it back in the days before radiators and modern heating came along?

The beautiful Farmhouse Table at Nordic Style

In the 18th century an energy crisis roamed in Europe, and there was a lack of firewood because of the ironworks’ wasteful ways.  On top of that houses were heated with open fireplaces that let out 90% of the heat – not exactly super efficient.  So two gentlemen, Carl Johan Cronstedt och Fabian Wrede (1), were tasked with solving the problem and developed a system that lead the heat through various pipes and spread the heat around the house.  Sweden soon received a reputation in the rest of Europe of being able to successfully sustain warm and lovely houses even through the long and cold winters – and beautiful fireplaces now adorned the homes.

The beautifully set Christmas table at Nordic Style 

Now let’s return to Nordic Style: I just love how they have set the tables in the shop – using very soft grays, whites – and of course also reds for Christmas.  I actually ended up buying the table runner that you see above, and it is the perfect addition to my Christmas table!  I am very tempted to also get the lovely Elliot Napkins above as well…

Aunt Brown’s Birthday (Tant Bruns Födelsedag) from 1925

They also have the sweetest touches of classic Swedish details in the shop, like this book by our beloved writer Elsa Beskow (1874-1953).  Swedish children – and children all over the world thanks to translation – have grown up with these books for over 100 years.  Elsa Beskow was a fascinating woman; she started telling stories as soon as she could speak, and having been brought up in a liberal home where the women’s movement was supported, she also expressed the values and ideals that she stood for in the books. (2)

I could really go on and write about this beautiful shop forever, but I will just go ahead and recommend that you visit the shop on Lots Road in Chelsea!  Thank you to Nordic Style for having me over and for bringing such beautiful pieces of Sweden to London.

 Sources:

(1) Stockholms Läns Museum

(2) Floris Books – Elsa Beskow

Cape Town Vintage Wedding Dresses – the 1970’s bohemian dress

So you might remember Jeanette whose fabulous necklaces we have just had the pleasure of enjoying?  Well, she is quite the Jack of all Trades, as she also collects vintage wedding dresses and turns them into new and shiny pieces!  I had the pleasure of photographing three of these beauties and we have already seen the 1940’s chapter, so after this one we have a 1950’s one to look forward to:

Vintage wedding dress with embroidered sleeves and neckline

There is a debate whether this dress is 60’s or 70’s, but to me the style is so 1970’s bohemian.  It is such a midsummer night’s dream to me and with the embellished sleeves and collar it barely needs any other jewellery.  I would add a pair of dainty silver earrings and I definitely think it calls for a very loose and romantic hairstyle.  Some simple flowers in the hair would perfect the look!

ca 1970’s wedding dress

The 1970’s was an exciting decade style wise, as inspiration was drawn straight from the streets, and no longer dictated only by designers.  1970’s wedding dresses covered a wide range of styles, from hippie and medieval style dresses to pant suits.  There was also a revival of 30’s and 40’s silhouettes and Victorian high collars reappeared!

Romantic wedding dress

The arrival of synthetic fabrics provided an affordable alternative to the more expensive silks, satin and handmade lace that had been used previously, and it was common for the dresses to be two-layered (like our dress in this post).  In the mid-1970s empire style dresses emerged and it became highly fashionable to adorn the neckline and hem of the dress.  The colour of the wedding dress also strayed and it wasn’t uncommon to see cream, beige and soft pink versions.

Beautifully embroidered sleeves

Thank you dear Jeanette for lending us this beautiful gown.  Some very lucky bride will get to wear it at her wedding, and she will know that it has already at least once been worn by a blushing bride – some 40 odd years ago!

Sources:

Wedding dresses in the 70s

Henry Roth

A feature on the Blackbird Tea Rooms website

It is a lovely day here at Decades of Elegance, as we have the honour of featuring on the Blackbird Tea Room’s website:

Decades of Elegance at Blackbird Tea Rooms 

You might remember a previous blog post about a visit to the Blackbird Tea Rooms in Brighton?  We indulged in the most fabulous scones and exotic teas, in surroundings that made it seem like we had just stepped into the 1940’s!  Well, we can still warmly recommend a visit to this little paradise on earth down in Brighton, so go and enjoy some glamour, good food and take the opportunity to dress up and wear that dress and the piece of jewellery that you keep saving for a “special occasion”!  We are definitely looking forward to our next visit – so maybe see you there dear!

Decades of Elegance in Vintage Life Magazine

We have also now added a Press & Portfolio-page here on the blog (you can find it at the top of this page) and looking forward to adding all future antique jewellery articles!

Happy Friday dear and have a lovely weekend!

A Nordic Style dream in London – chapter II

The beautiful chandeliers at Nordic Style

My favourite part about writing this blog is visiting a shop and being inspired to research an era – and then share the fascinating history with you.  This is exactly what happened at Nordic Style, when I came across a few pieces of their Gustavian-style furniture.

Gustavian pieces of furniture are absolutely beautiful and this also happened to be a very interesting time in the history of Swedish design.  It was in fact branched into two eras: Early Gustavian (Höggustaviansk stil) which held some streaks of rococo design and reigned in Sweden approximately from 1772 until 1785, and Late Gustavian style (Sengustaviansk stil) which took over in 1785 and lasted until 1810 and was far less elaborate in style (1).

Classic designs at Nordic Style

Höggustaviansk stil was introduced by King Gustav III, after he spent months at the court of Versailles and wanted to create his own “Paris of the North” upon his return to Sweden (2).  He ordered for his palaces to be redecorated in Louis XVI style, which meant that the dark Swedish winter evenings were suddenly lit up by gilded mirrors and beautifully designed crystal chandeliers.  The trend caught on quickly and soon town houses and country cottages of the more well-to-do families in Sweden were all decorated in Gustavian style – albeit a more rustic and homely interpretation than that of the King (3).

Nordic Style Chelsea, Swedish Interior

Sengustaviansk stil was characterised by strict shapes and less ornamental designs than Höggustavians stil.  France had previously been a great source of inspiration when it came to style and interior, but Sweden now turned to England for ideas – a natural result of the Franco-Swedish War in 1805-07.

The war is obviously a long story but in short Sweden wanted to help England get rid of the fierce Napoleon, when he pronounced himself king of Italy in 1805 and then rather ruthlessly executed young Louis Antoine Henri de Bourbon (4).  There was a lot of fighting back and fort that led to a strong opposition in Sweden towards everything French during this time.  The resistance was especially strong in Gustav IV Adolf’s circles and since they were the main trendsetters, their choices naturally affected design and style across the country.

Later in the 1800’s Provincial Gustavian style was made popular by Carl and Karin Larsson, which we learnt more about in the previous post: A Nordic Style dream in London – chapter I.

Old school Swedish kitchen sofa, Nordic Style, Chelsea, Swedish interior London

The piece of furniture that inspired me to write this blog piece on Nordic Style in the first place was this 18th century original Swedish settle.  For me it brings back such wonderful memories of a beautiful farmhouse that belonged to a friend’s family and where we spent a lot of time as children.  They had furniture very similar to this settle as they had kept the house close to its original style with stunning wooden floors, Windsor-style chairs, lots of red/white and blue/white chequered fabrics and of course chickens roaming in the garden!

Clever storage often used by the maid of the house 

These settles – or sofas – were common in Swedish homes a few hundred years ago, and you can still easily find them scattered around Swedish kitchens.  Back in the days there was often no padding in the backrest or – for some inexplicable reason – on the seat.  Small cushions would sometimes be used to make it a little bit softer though.  These pieces of furniture were often given to the maid in the house to use as a bed, if she didn’t have her own room.  She would keep her clothes and work outfits in the storage space under the seat – an excellent solution for teeny tiny modern day London flats if I may say so!

I am very happy to say that today it is completely acceptable to make your sofa lovely and comfortable by decorating it with cushions and pretty throws.  I would LOVE to have one of these in my kitchen one day, preferably in front of a window, by a big dining table similar to the ones that we can see above.  It would be a terribly comfy one though, as I can’t imagine anything less appealing than an uncomfortable sofa – no matter how traditional it is!

We have one more post coming about Nordic Style – and the previous one you can find here: A Nordic Style dream in London – chapter I.

Sources:

(1) Wikipedia – Gustaviansk Stil

(2) Inspirations from France and Italy by Betty Lou Philips

(3) ft.com – Interiors: the trend for Gustavian

(4) Encyclopaedia Britannica

Cape Town Vintage Wedding Dresses – The 1940’s chapter

Today I would like to give a very special welcome to all of our South African brides-to-be.  You might remember Jeanette’s beautiful necklaces in our earlier posts?  Well, as it turns out she also works wonders with vintage wedding dresses in Cape Town…

Cape Town Vintage wedding dresses

Here in London vintage wedding dresses are incredibly popular right now.  The extraordinary handwork and design that has gone into the making is highly sought after and I think that many of us love how vintage wedding dresses bring our thoughts back to the most exciting and romantic times in the previous century.

Now while we have a wide array of vintage wedding dresses to choose from here in the UK, I understand that the supply is a bit more limited over in Cape Town.  That is why it was such a wonderful surprise to see Jeanette’s collection of restored vintage wedding dresses:

Lace details in the back with a row of beautifully hand sown buttons

The dress that Jeanette has lent us today is a beautiful piece of history, which stems from the Fighting Forties.  An issue of Vogue in 1942 stated that wartime wedding often left little time for preparations:

“Weddings nowadays hang not on the bride’s whim, but on the decision of the grooms commanding officer. He names the day when he grants that unexpected furlough… The 1942 schedule may run something like this: engagement announcement on Monday, invitations sent out by telegraph on Wednesday, the last handful of rice and rose petals flung on Saturday.
” – Vogue 1942 (1)

1940’s vintage wedding dress, Cape Town

With WWII the world of course changed greatly in the 1940’s.  Women took up positions previously held by men, but who had now departed for the war the job still had who had now gone off to fight.  Fashion is always highly influenced by changes in society, and this was no exception.  Wedding dresses were influenced by the military silhouette and this gown is a perfect example of this with its broad shoulders and slim waist.

Materials needed for the war effort were also heavily rationed, and clothing manufacturers could only use for example a very limited amount of silk.  Funnily enough wedding gowns were exempt from these sanctions, but people were still mindful of the rationing and often turned to materials like rayon.  As a result of the war wedding dress designs became simple and understated in design and it was very common to borrow a dress for your wedding (2).

Such gorgeous lace work in the back

Lace back and buttons

Jeanette’s dress so beautifully shows us this 1940’s design, and it is in such great condition still!  I love how these dresses represent such important times in history and it just amazing that we can still learn from these pieces, and get an understanding of what life was like back then.

I hope you enjoyed this post as we have two more of Jeanette’s dresses to look at – one takes us back to Saks Fifth Avenue in the 50’s and the last one shows us a stunning piece of 1970’s wedding fashion.  If you wish to get in touch with Jeanette about the wedding dresses or necklaces,  just send me an email and I will organise it.

Sources:

(1) Bridal Guide

(2) Vintage Gown