Snooping around in Snoopers Paradise, Brighton

Just a collection of stunning vintage handbags at Snoopers Paradise in Brighton… love!

So I am still in Sweden, now enjoying the glorious summer weather that has finally reached us!  Since my laptop decided to let me log into the blog again, I have been sifting through photos from just before I left the UK and I realised that I hadn’t posted these lovely ones from my recent trip to Brighton.  I went to Snoopers Paradise with a friend where we were in vintage heaven, looking through so many beautiful vintage purses, bags, shoes, books, objects d’art etc. etc.

All these beautiful things kept us rather occupied in Snoopers Paradise, Brighton…

After having spent a good halv hour downstairs we made up to the first floor which is my absolute favourite place in Brighton – Snoopers Attic!  We were greeted by this lovely staircase:

Snoopers Attic

We have visited Snoopers Paradise before, in case you remember the blog post A Vintage Take On Beautiful Brighton.  The lovely upstairs Snoopers Attic has collected over twenty designers who showcase their  collections, and where you can find the most fabulous pieces of vintage clothing and accessories:

Snoopers Attic

So if you have a day to spare I think it is time that you head down to Brighton and start treading through this vintage treasure trove!  The day I am decorating my house I am so heading back down there to look for unique and fun pieces – like those pretty lamp shades or a million different looking teacups for my afternoon tea parties… good times are ahead folks!

What would you look for in a place like this?  Clothes?  Shoes?  Bags?  I am dying to know!

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!

Beyond Retro and Vintage Brighton

So my second article for Vintage Brighton is now live on their lovely website and you can find it right here!  I am reporting from an event in east London and this was the invitation:

Above the Rail at Beyond Retro

It is so much fun to be reporting to a magazine in one of my favourite UK towns – and believe me, with this heatwave in London there is no place I would rather be than on Brighton beach!  I can just imagine watching the waves roll in amongst all those lovely vintage style bathing suits.  I haven’t shared too many other vintage blogs here yet, but I loved what Retrochick wrote about vintage inspired swimwear  – I am sure you will fall in love with a few of those gorgeous outfits, my favourites are the first and the last ones!

Beyond Retro‘s east London branch: 110-112 Cheshire St, London, E2 6EJ

Okay let’s hop back to Beyond Retro on Cheshire Street and the opening evening of The White Canvas Project.  My article in Vintage Brighton will tell you more about this project, where 16 artists are painting on reclaimed clothing, and here are a few photos from the opening evening of July 11th:

Supermebeing’s ‘The White Canvas Project’ at Beyond Retro

Will Barras’ painting on reclaimed clothing from Beyond Retro

Will Barras, one of the artists, told me about The White Canvas Project and what a unique experience it is, as the artists are able to draw inspiration from the different materials that the canvases are made out of (t-shirts, furniture etc) – as compared to painting on a white canvas, where the inspiration is drawn from elsewhere.  Do check out Will’s website – I am no connoisseur of art, but I love how he uses vivid colours and creates a sensation of constant movement in his paintings.

A 1980’s corner of glitter and glam 

Beyond Retro’s vintage shopping heaven – the shop is huge with a massive collection of funky vintage gear, so you really must pop by sometime to check it out!

To you Swedish readers – there are four Beyond Retro shops in Sweden – have you visited them, and what sweet pieces you find?  The same question goes out to you UK readers as well!

A walk through sunny Brighton…

I have had a few questions about Brighton from you lovely readers, so I wanted to take you along on a stroll through the town to finish off our Brighton-chapter.  Let’s start at the Lanes and walk all the way down to the beautiful Brighton Pier.

 Yes please, I can totally see myself living on this delightful road!

One of my favourite things about the town is the vast amount of small independent shops: carefully selected cheese and saucisson shops, vintage cafes so beautifully decorated and sweet shops importing little treats from every corner of the world.

Well hello Swedish sweets at Cyber Candy!

Charlie would be in heaven here!

If you are missing your sweets from back home you are bound to find them in this little gem of a sweet shop

I have never seen such a wide selection of root beer! 

The outside is just as sweet as the inside – Cyber Candy on 15 Gardner Street

The Laine Deli, 31 Trafalgar Street, Brighton

 

Catwalk Cakes, 22 Bond Street, Brighton

Such a charming little café – Catwalk Cakes (love the name too!)  I will try it out next time as the customers looked incredibly delighted with the place.  

 Brighton Pier with its gorgeous white design and wonderful funfair:

I absolutely adore old merry-go-rounds as they are so romantic and always make me think of old movies, like Marry Poppins.  You might remember when they leave the funfair behind and ride away on the horses?  We passed this one in the sunset with the light reflecting so beautifully off the horses too…

Seagulls in flight…

So thank you dear Brighton for having us, and we look forward to seeing you very soon again!

Kate & Aud in Brighton

As I zigzagged down Brighton’s charming streets – among the many shops, skateboard riding dog-walkers and ladies dressed in vintage top-to-toe – I suddenly found myself outside a rather quaint looking vintage clothing shop: Kate & Aud.  I couldn’t possibly resist this lovely shop window and had to pop inside for a closer look: 

Kate&Aud – 27 Trafalgar Street, Brighton

A sneak-peek through their shop window, where the most alluring old pieces were on display

The shop was so nicely decorated and it felt like stepping back in time when I walked around among vintage pieces, remade vintage clothing, handmade leather bags, and jewellery – all very reasonably priced too!  Downstairs I was browsing through their lovely clothing collection, and all this charming jewellery so cleverly hung up on an old mannequin:

Lots of ethnic-style jewellery in various colours and metals

 

It is all about presentation – with a shop decorated so beautifully, you can’t help but lose yourself in all the fascinating pieces that are for sale

Perfect for those sunny summer days – that are bound to come soon!

I then realised that there was an upstairs as well, so I walked up the winding little staircase and found myself in yet another room filled with old treasures…

 

Make sure you have a good chunk of time to spend on browsing through the railings of vintage pieces.  Grab a few items that might not be your style at all and give them a try – with vintage you never know what to expect until you are actually wearing it!

… don’t leave any corners unexplored as you never know what might hang at the end of that railing

This charming boudoir screen add that perfect touch of glamour to the shop – and I of course love everything with beautiful little birds on them!

Beautiful vintage hat to crown your outfit and with its soft tones it goes so well with the pearl necklace and light blouse

 

I can imagine these worn for example with a floral vintage dress 

 

An old photo features in this jewellery cabinet and emphasises the vintage look and feel

… beautiful details can be found throughout the shop…

Thank you Kate & Aud for having me – and with your stunning collection you are bound to see me very soon again!

A Hope & Harlequin saga

From time to time a shop unexpectedly sweeps me off my feet, which is exactly what happened on Friday in Brighton, when I visited Hope & Harlequin:

Hope & Harlequin 31 Sydney Street in Brighton

You might remember that we first met Hope & Harlequin at the Frock Me! vintage fair in April, where their stall blew us away with their soft summer hues and stunning designs.  Well, when I received an invitation to visit Brighton I made sure that they were at the top of my list of places to visit, as that lovely stand made me wonder how they would have styled their own shop!

This stunning dress completely distracted me from my photography.. 

The red dress above was hanging at the front of the rail when I went in to take photos, and I immediately had to stop what I was doing and take a closer look.  The colour is just exquisite, and you should feel the fabric!  It will drape around you so beautifully, and be perfect for that special summer party, or maybe you would wear it to the races with a lovely hat or fascinator?

One of the services that they offer is bespoke recreation of dresses and vintage wedding originals, and this dress is an example of a recreation of a vintage dress that belongs to one of the Hope & Harlequin ladies.

The blues and turquoises are just waiting to be worn with a crispy white summer dress… 

This 50’s prom dress in lace and tulle is such a Midsummer Night’s dream!

A wide range of styles, all so tastefully presented throughout the shop

You know how I love sparkle and shine, and you can never go wrong with feather accessories!

A shoe collection to die for…

Eventually I ventured toward the back of the shop, where the most magnificent collection of wedding dresses was awaiting me…

Above a humble introduction to the wedding dress collection – all these shades of white…

You know how much I adore Audrey Hepburn, so you can imagine my dreamy sigh when I saw this glorious wedding dress; yes it is called The Hepburn…

… with a few carefully chosen accessories to perfect the look…

 

… all in the air of vintage of course!

This breathtaking wedding dress is the ‘Hepburn’, a Made-to-order silk taffeta dress, based on an original 50’s ‘ Worth’ gown.  There is a six month order time so do make sure you are getting in touch with Hope & Harlequin in good time – and the price tag says £2000.

I then found the most beautiful lace wedding dress… 

A close up of the intricate lace pattern

I also just had to take pictures of this stunning lace wedding dress, which was so sheer to the touch and incredibly beautiful in its simplicity.  The drop down waist brings thoughts back to the magnificent 20’s designs, and I would love to see it worn with a gorgeous, sparkling 1920s headpiece.

Another stunning tulle and lace dream…

… a close up of the design that creates such a romantic look…

… and what a reasonable price for a wedding dress!  

Every bride has her own style and I know a few of you that would look just stunning in this lace and tulle treasure from the 50’s!  With some simple yet elegant accessories that wouldn’t steel the attention away from the design, and your hair so beautifully done up, you will be floating down the aisle…

Also the perfect place to go shopping a wedding guest-outfit!

What I love about vintage dresses is that you can find such gorgeous designs for almost no money at all, so if you don’t have a huge budget you can still find your dream dress!  And why worry about spending far too much on a dress that you will wear only once, when you will look your most gorgeous no matter what you wear on the day?  I am also all for vintage wedding dresses as the thought and time that have gone into making them are just amazing. 

And then there were the shoes..

… in all styles…

… not to mention the stunning wedding accessories… 

… again, so reasonably priced yet beautifully made…

Now do tell me, which one of the three wedding dresses is your favourite?

And thank you Hope & Harlequin for having me, you can rest assured that I will return very soon, that red dress at the top is in my thoughts constantly…!

Blackbird Tea Rooms in Brighton

With the whole vintage world raving about the Blackbird Tea Rooms in Brighton, obviously we had to check it out:

Seating upstairs with old photographs, vintage china and furniture – all creating that authentic look and feel of a traditional tea room 

I obviously jumped at the opportunity to wear some red lipstick and my favourite vintage pearl necklace! 

When we arrived at the Blackbird Tea Rooms on a Friday afternoon we were immediately transported back in time: our waitress, beautifully dressed up in vintage from top to toe, showed us to our table, while Al Bowlly’s soothing voice sang out of the speakers.  I loved how everything – the decor, music, menus, photos – were so well thought through and we almost expected the Fitzgeralds to join us at our table at any moment!

… charmingly mismatching teacups and saucers added to the charm and feel of the era… 

We ordered the Cream Tea and were delighted to see that our tea arrived in beautiful vintage teapots, with lovely little silver tea bag holders on the side.  I can promise you that you will feel like a queen sipping your tea out of a vintage teacup mismatched with another style saucer!  I had the Earl Grey with Blue Flowers, as recommended by our waitress, and it really was such a great choice – what better time to try an exotic blend than this!  The Red Berries Tea so perfectly soothed a sweet tooth and went down oh so well with the scones.

Some gorgeous cream tea…

… with the most amazing scones!

The scones were absolutely delicious and the clotted cream and raspberry jam melted in our mouths, and were of course all served on quaint vintage china.  All these small details added to the exquisite charm of the tea room, and with the sea breeze softly blowing in through the open windows it was the perfect afternoon tea experience.

You will love the decor downstairs, with the funny little vintage tins populating the pretty old shelves and mouthwatering scones and cakes sitting on vintage cake stands:

… the only problem is choosing what to go for, as everything looks delicious! 

… homemade scones just waiting to be eaten…

… not to mention the stunning cakes…!

… such a lovely vintage counter with all these scrumptious sweets on display…

We also popped into the garden, which was so charming with its white walls, old wooden tables, vintage signs and sweet flowers in small teacups.  At the moment they are working on getting some gorgeous wisteria up on the wall, and I simply cannot wait to see the result!

So when you next head out to Brighton do make sure that Blackbird is on your list of places to visit.  Few other venues present such an authentic experience of travelling back in time, and enjoying some truly delicious afternoon tea in such a beautiful setting!