At the heart of London’s Vintage Fashion scene: Vintage Modes

Hello my dear!  So I wanted to take you to last week’s Thursday’s vintage catwalk at Vintage Modes in Gray’s Antiques; you know the beautiful building just behind Bond Street station where you can revel in antique jewellery, watches, objects d’art, exquisite amber designs…

                                  Vintage Modes Fashion Catwalk at Grays Antiques

   This met us when we arrived at the vintage fashion catwalk at Vintage Modes in Grays Antiques

The downstairs area of Vintage Modes had been turned into a catwalk, and the models came pouring down the runway, wearing the most gorgeous vintage outfits!  I had a lovely chat to the newest member of the Vintage Modes team, Geeta Handa of C-Atomic, who showed us some of her own designs that often feature original period fabrics as well as our favourite details from eras gone by.  I fell in love with this 70s style dress and I couldn’t take my eyes off a 60s dress in a dark blue pattern fabric and that time typical high collar!

                    Umm hello 1970s!  From Geeta Handa of C-Atomic at Vintage Modes

                       Vintage Fashion Catwalk at Vintage Modes, Grays Antiques

The funny thing is that we see so much 7os revival fashion in all the contemporary fashion shops around town at the moment – and here we are, walking into Vintage Modes where the walls are draped with all these stunning pieces that are actually FROM the 70s!  I don’t think that I am the only one preferring to do my shopping here, where we know the designs will last us years and years..!

                          Vintage Fashion Catwalk at Vintage Modes, Grays Antiques

Who can say no to some Brigitte Bardot inspiration on a vintage shoppimg? Apparently she rivalled Marilyn Monroe as the world’s most photographed woman

The catwalk featured designs from Chanel, Biba, Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior, and Ossie Clark and gave us some great inspiration for the autumn.

  Just a few pieces from Arabella Bianco‘s vintage costume jewellery collection 

                                          Vintage accessories from June Victor

                                 Vintage Costume Jewellery from Gillian Horsup

                      Suffragette jewellery from Richard Ogden, Burlington Arcade

And wore this glorious pieces of suffragette jewellery from Richard Ogden to the catwalk, love!!!  You might remember that we have looked closer at the suffragette movement in an earlier post: Suffragette Jewellery and the history is very fascinating indeed. In the pendant the three colours of the movement; green, white and violet, are symbolised by a pear shape peridot, three natural pearls and a round pink topaz.

And so I just can’t wait for the next show at Vintage Modes, and I do hope to see you there my dear! (Please watch this space for further info on timings!)

Vintage Fashion Catwalk at Vintage Modes coming up

Hello my lovely, I have just found out that Vintage Modes at Grays Antique Centre is organising a fabulous day next Thursday, the 10th September from 12pm-5pm!  You might remember that we have visited them before, in the blog post Vintage Modes in Grays Antiques Centre?

Who can say no to bubbly and a catwalk I wonder?  And our favourite Arabella Bianco will be showcasing their lovely collection – we have obviously them quite a few times before and lost ourselves in their wonderful collection: Arabella Bianco on Decades of Elegance:

We will get spoilt even further on the day, as June Victor, Gillian Horsup, Linda Bee and C-Atomic are all taking part with their glorious collections – this is one that all you Vintage lovers really mustn’t miss!  Last time I popped by Gray’s I ended up having a lovely chat with June and I have seen what treasures they possess, so I can warmly recommend that you check it out for yourself!

Just a small preview of June Victor’s collection of vintage pieces… anyone looking to make                                               a fabulous entrance at the next cocktail party!? 

Just a teeny tiny fraction of what Gillian Horsup has to offer us in terms of vintage and                                                                                vintage-style jewellery

So I am really hoping to see you at Vintage Modes next week for a day of stunning vintage fashion!

Vintage Modes

Lower Ground Floor

1-7 Davies Mews

W1K 5AB

 

 

Decades of Elegance Summer Look-Back

Hello my dearest, I hope you are having a lovely summer week so far!  I am very excited as I have just found my camera, after having lost it about three months ago!!  And no, I don’t know how it ended up behind the fridge, but I will make sure to put it to great use again.

Vintage 1950s Necklace i Multi Colours

I have had an admin day today with my photos and thought that a little look-back at these past few years was in place!  In the photo above I am wearing one of my own favourite pieces – a 1950s costume jewellery necklace that my dear sister gave me for my 30th birthday.  She envisaged me wearing it with a white dress, and so for her 30th birthday party this is what I ended up in – a white silk and lace dress by Haiku Kimono.

Onyx and Marcasite Art Deco Cocktail Ring

Onyx and Marcasite Art Deco Cocktail Ring and a very handsomely dress Tedi

And at her 30th birthday party my sister then wore this Decades of Elegance Art Deco onyx and marcasite ring, and she paired it up with a white shift dress in silk by Haiku Kimono and her hair so beautifully half up half down with a black bow.

Vintage-Style Leopard Bracelet at Marys Living and Giving Event in 2013

And of course there was this glorious Leopard bracelet, vintage style and also Cartier style – you might know how beautifully Cartier designs their leopard jewellery pieces, and this one always makes me think of their designs!

I would love to hear about your favourite summer styles and what vintage or antique jewellery you wear at the moment, so please email me a photo and write a few lines: info@decadesofelegance.com

Happy Summer!

Magnificent Jewels at Sotheby’s Auction, New York

A sneak peek from Sotheby’s upcoming auction Magnificent Jewels…  Lot number 263. Cultured Pearl and Diamond Bracelet Clip-Brooch combination and a pair of Earclips

Hello dearest, so I will be going away for two weeks to our lovely South Africa, and since the weight of my laptop is about half the checked-in luggage allowance, I must leave the laptop behind and the blog will be back again the week starting 4th of May!  But before I bid you farewell, I have a few wonderful jewellery events to share with you:

Magnificent Jewels by Sotheby’s on 21 April at 3pm

Sotheby’s Magnificent Jewels auction is coming up on 21 April and here on the blog we are just beyond ourselves with excitement:  many of the pieces are spring-themed and all these beautiful colours and designs just make us want to dress up in pastels, sun hats and light summer dresses.  We have also learnt that Sotheby’s will be partnering with eBay on this occasion, so it will be the first time the jewellery sale is available on eBay’s live auctions platform.  It means that even if we are not in New York, and even if we can’t afford these amazing pieces, we can still watch the bidding live – a bit like some high-end auction-window-shopping really!  And I have of course picked out a few pieces that I thought you might love:

153. PLATINUM, PADPARADSCHA SAPPHIRE AND DIAMOND RING, CARTIER
Estimate $125,000 – $150,000  Centering a square-cut padparadscha sapphire weighing approximately 13.10 carats, accented by single-cut diamonds weighing approximately .25 carat, size 5¾, signed Cartier, numbered 3998311.

What an extraordinary stone!  We haven’t yet learnt about Padparadscha Sapphires here on the blog, but will do in an upcoming post.  The definition of Padparadscha Sapphires is debated within the jewellery community, but many agree that it captures sapphires that hold a colour between pink and orange.  Unusual and just beyond beautiful!

78. 18 KARAT GOLD, FANCY VIVID YELLOW DIAMOND AND DIAMOND RING, BULGARI
Estimate $30,000 – $40,000 Of stylized floral design, centering a round Fancy Vivid Yellow diamond weighing 2.04 carats, accented by round diamonds weighing approximately 4.50 carats, gross weight approximately 12 dwts, size 6¼, with expandable shank, signed Bulgari, inscribed CM 2.04.

Oh I just love the spring-colour combination in the ring above!  Yellow diamonds are glorious in their own right and fetch very high prices – often higher than colourless diamonds – and paired up with white diamonds and yellow gold in the Bulgari design above encapsulates a sunny spring day for me!

81. WHITE GOLD, STAR SAPPHIRE AND DIAMOND RING
Estimate $15,000 – $20,000 Centering a cabochon star sapphire measuring approximately 18.1 by 14.7 by 12.6 mm, framed by round and baguette diamonds weighing approximately 2.60 carats, size 6.

Given my obsession with star sapphires I just had to include the ring above.  It is like looking at a starry sky in a clear night – magnificent!  We already know that in 100 sapphires found, only three will be star sapphires – and only one of these three will have a beautiful star as well as a beautiful colour, in case you remember the blog post A Star Ruby Romance.

114. PLATINUM, DIAMOND AND EMERALD BRACELET
Estimate $15,000 – $20,000  Set with square, baguette, old European and single-cut diamonds weighing approximately 14.20 carats, accented by pear-shaped and calibré-cut emeralds, length 7¼ inches, one small diamond missing; circa 1930.

I was delighted to find this circa 1930s bracelet in such a distinct Art Deco design.  The emeralds have such a vivid green colour and there is nothing better than old cut diamonds – you know the kind that outshines and out-sparkles any modern cut diamonds when worn in a candle light-setting?

169. HIGHLY IMPORTANT PLATINUM AND DIAMOND PENDANT NECKLACE
Estimate $3,800,000 – $4,200,000  The pear-shaped diamond weighing 52.26 carats, suspended from a chain set with eight round diamonds weighing .87 carat, length adjusts from 16 to 17 inches.

I just had to include this diamond pendant with an exquisite pear-shaped diamond.  A girl can always dream, right?  So let’s keep an eye on the auction to see how much these stunning pieces end up going for – and if you click onto the event page you will be able to dive into the rest of the collection…

21 April 2015 – Magnificent Jewels at Sotheby’s 

Frock Me! Vintage Fashion Fair at Chelsea Old Town Hall

And before I go I also have to tell you about another exciting event, which takes place a little closer to home: The Frock Me! Vintage Fashion Fair at Old Chelsea Town Hall.  Very pleased to be presenting the flyer above, which you must print and bring along to the fair on 26 April at Chelsea Old Town Hall, for your half-price entry!

Afternoon tea at Blackbird Tea Rooms at the Frock Me! Vintage Fair

We are already familiar with this fabulous fair, but for any readers, it is London’s leading vintage fashion and textiles fair and they have the most amazing vintage and designer pieces on display!  Our favourite cafe, Blackbird Tea Rooms, will of course also be there, and thinking about it, I haven’t yet posted from my last visit:

It is 7:45am as I am writing this, and I am now having massive cravings for Afternoon Tea!!

And if you haven’t been yet I would so recommend that you go!  The best thing is when the most unexpected things just jump out at you and you find yourself coming home with a beautiful collection of vintage clothes and accessories!

Frock Me! Vintage Fashion Fair / Sunday 26 April / 11am- 5.30pm

I now wish you a wonderful day in the sunshine and I will see you again on Wednesday 6th May!

More Vintage Treasures from the Frock Me! Vintage Fashion Fair

Today I would like to take you through three exquisite stands of vintage fashion collections that I had the pleasure of visiting at the Frock Me! Vintage Fashion Fair:

Clifton Vintage Boutique at the Frock Me! Vintage Fashion Fair

We are starting out with Clifton Vintage Boutique “fine cloth is never out of fashion”.  

Beautiful colour palette at Clifton Vintage Boutique

I sometimes find myself inexplicably drawn to certain shops, and in this case I was able to pinpoint why quite quickly: the lovely lady who runs it says that she doesn’t really specialise in any certain eras, but rather buys things that she loves, and I believe that you are bound to get a beautiful collection if you do things that way!  Here the colour scale of white, cream, silver and gold (my very favourites) looked so enticing and alluring, and I just had to have a closer look:

Fabulous gold coloured pieces from Clifton Vintage Boutique 

Extraordinary antique ring from Clifton Vintage Boutique

This ring was just stunning!  I can’t for my life remember when it is from but the design is just spectacular, and I bet that you haven’t seen anything just like before.  Again, one of the most wonderful things about antique jewellery is that the pieces are unique as they are handmade and you won’t run into someone else wearing an exactly replica of your pieces!

The collection of Compact Queen, Deborah Bouain at the Frock Me! Vintage Fashion Fair 

I then met Deborah Bouain, Compact Queen, who has a beautiful collection of vintage accessories – jewellery, handbags, shoes etc – and also provides pieces for our very favourite Downton Abbey.  I wish I had had more time to spend looking through her collection, as there were some stunning pieces, like these two Dior handbags:

How much do we love!?  You can find such amazing bargains at vintage fairs…

Vintage handbags getting some TLC 

Some more beautiful accessories from Compact Queen, Deborah Bouain

And finally we have the lovely vintage jewellery collection from Louise Ferdinando at Ferdinando Jewels:

A lovely set of earrings and a necklace by Joseff

A close up of these beautiful earrings 

This necklace and the matching earrings are just divine, which is not surprising as they are by Joseff of Hollywood – the most renowned designer of on-screen jewellery during the Golden Age of Hollywood.

He supplied 90% of the jewellery in Hollywood movies during the 1930s and 40s, and his designs were worn by Marlene Dietrich (a Diamond and Sapphire Brooch in “Shanghai Express” – 1932), Vivien Leigh (an Amethyst, Diamond and Silver Necklace in “Gone With the Wind” – 1939) and Marilyn Monroe (a Gold and Pearl Earring and Necklace combination in “Some Like It Hot” – 1959), only to name a few. (1)

I am obviously hunting for lovely brooches this February, and Louise Ferdinando had a wonderful selection!

Aurora Borealis earrings from Ferdinando Jewels

Sometimes it can be hard to date a piece of jewellery, so I thought that we could use the earrings above to learn something new, so that we can figure out how old certain pieces are.

You can see that the top part of these gold coloured earrings feature a lovely reflection of a rainbow of colours: pink, blue, purple… In the early 1950s Swarovski were experimenting with coating their crystals with thin layers of metal to create brilliance and reflection, and in 1955 Manfred Swarovski had perfected it and created the beautiful Aurora Borealis stone.  He would work closely with Christian Dior and eventually they presented this rainbow stone to the world, which was named after the Northern Lights, that are also known as Aurora Borealis.

So if you find a piece of jewellery that features this lovely reflective look, then you will know that it dates back to 1955 at its earliest.  (2)

As always, if you see anything that you just love, do send me an email and I will put you in touch with these lovely vintage fashion experts!  info@decadesofelegance.com

Sources

(1) Joseff Jewellery

(2) eBay – Aurora Borealis

A Travelling Tiara from the 1830s

Early 19th century tiara at Richard Ogden

This is a ca 200 year old tiara that I found while rummaging through in the secret cabinet at Richard Ogden.  Robert Ogden told me the story behind it and also why it is referred to as a “Travelling Tiara”:

Antique 19th century tiara at Richard Ogden

The wealthy ladies in the 18th and 19th century didn’t want to bring their diamond-set jewellery along on long horse drawn carriage-journeys, so they had the workshops design identical pieces in paste (glass) that they could safely carry along on their travels.  This tiara is a wonderful piece of history, which has stayed in such great condition, despite having almost 200 years on its shoulders:

Travelling Tiara ca 1830s at Richard Ogden in the Burlington Arcade

In the 1700s Bohemian glassmakers’ designs were the most sought after in Europe, and they had just surpassed the once unrivalled Venetian glassmakers in skill and design.  Their designs were like works pieces of art, mirroring precious stones so perfectly (1) and it became common practice for all the great jewellers to sell paste jewellery alongside their precious pieces.  Even royalty – for example Elizabeth I, Mary Queen of Scots, Queen Anne, the wife of James I, the first Duchess of Marlborough and Henri IV of France – owned paste jewellery (2).

In 1869 the following statement could be found in Queen magazine:

“If the profession or career of the husband requires that his wife should go much into society on a small income, she would be perfectly justified in wearing imitations to save money… it cannot be wrong for a lady who cannot afford and has not inherited them to wear a moderate amount of paste.”  

The article added that she should not give the impression that her “jewels” were of any value.

Antique 19th century tiara at Richard Ogden

The designs were very clever, which we can see in this little beauty: it can be taken apart and turned into a brooch and a smaller tiara/headpiece.  You can see the mechanism at the back in the photos above and below here:

The tiara comes apart and splits into various other pieces

… it can be worn as a lovely brooch… 

… and as a smaller tiara!  A girl can never have too many tiaras, right?

Eventually, in the mid-2oth century costume jewellery was made popular on its own, by various designers, and high as well as low priced brands would become renowned names in costume jewellery; Crown Trifari, Dior, Chanel, Miriam Haskell and Monet.  I am pleased to say that we have had the pleasure of encountering designs from quite a few of these previously on the blog!

Sources:

(1) The Legend of Bohemian Glass: A Thousand Years of Glassmaking in the Heart,
by Antonín Langhamer

(2) How to spend it – the real appeal of paste jewellery 

Aladdin’s Cave at Christique Antique Centre

A stunning old picture, ca 1920s, that so beautifully overlooks the vintage jewellery  

So I spent a lot of time in Dorking last week, going through the never-ending treasure troves that are the antique and vintage shops: I visited two divine afternoon tea cafés and found the most glorious vintage glassware in the shape of champagne coupes and wine glasses.  I had a reeeeeally long wander through Christique Antique Centre, as around every corner you find something new that you just HAVE to have!  Love it.

Rummaging through these cabinets and imagining what stories the vintage pieces would tell if they could speak…

I will write a few posts on Christique and I wanted to start out by taking you to their vintage clothing and accessories section, which is located up a winding staircase in which you will bump your head in the low tudor style ceiling if you are not careful!  It is all part of the charm!!

An old wedding dress just waiting to be worn again – pretty sure you could find a whole outfit for your wedding in this shop – check out the fabulous gold heels on the right!

In there you just want to get dresses up in one of the beautiful gowns hanging from the rails, drape some pearls around your neck and wear lots of red lipstick, 20s style!

Just one of the rails with beautiful pieces of vintage clothing.  I would recommend going to a vintage shop to buy for example a dress if you are going to a wedding.  It is just lovely to see the exquisite designs and also knowing that no one else will wear the same dress! 

You can spend hours sifting through the clothes here… and yes, I know that vintage furs are a hot topic – is it alright to buy them or not?  Would be interested to hear your thoughts on it… would you wear vintage fur? 

Diving in, head first into this glorious treasure trove of vintage jewellery and accessories!

I have a couple of weddings coming up this year, so I am definitely coming back here for some fabulous accessories that will go with my dresses!  I am quite tempted to wear a hat but I will be travelling quite far for both weddings, so might have to give that a miss… but when one tries on these beauties it is hard to think rationally!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas dear!

I hope that you are looking forward to a beautiful Christmas and New Year my sweetie.  I will be taking a Christmas break, and so the blog is back again on the 5th of January 2015.  There will still be beautiful things coming up on our Instagram page though, so do keep an eye on that – and if you take any fun photos where you are wearing vintage either at Christmas on maybe at a New Years Eve party, then do send them over and I will share them here on the blog, that would be just wonderful!

Very Happy Holidays to you all!

 

 

 

Andrew Prince Jewellery

Oh it was such a fun day in the shop yesterday, as Andrew Prince popped by (you might remember him from the earlier blog post Andrew Prince – Downton Abbey).

I was sitting at my desk in the shop when Andrew suddenly said: “Don’t move, I am just putting a little something on you”.  Now, one of my absolute favourite things in this line of work is of course trying on all the beautiful pieces, so I just sat there quietly until he had finished fiddling around with the necklace – and then I looked in the mirror, expecting a little something dainty:

Andrew Prince Jewellery

Yes, I should know by know that Andrew doesn’t do little or dainty – he does fabulous, glorious and exquisite, and all of his pieces makes you feel like you are the Queen of the World.  There is a thought behind the placement of each and every one of the pearls, red stones and the glorious sparkle, and I love how it all comes together in this necklace to create such an impact piece!  Oh well, just another day in paradise!

I hope that you are having a lovely day in the sunshine my dear – and don’t forget to put on your favourite pieces of jewellery!

Ann’s 50- & 60-tals Bijouterier

Is there anything more romantic than a collection of vintage pearl necklaces?! 

I just realised that I had one shop left to write about from Vintagemässan in Stockholm earlier on this year!  Ann’s 50s and 60s Costume Jewellery – in Swedish known as: Ann’s 50 & 60-tals Bijouterier.

Some of the glorious necklaces worn by the ladies in the 50s and 60s

The vintage fair in Stockholm was incredibly popular and busy, and at one point I found myself floating along the tide of people through the venue, more or less unable to choose where I wanted to go!  Well, luckily I came to a halt by a table decorated with all these beautiful vintage costume jewellery pieces – from beaded necklaces to pearls of all colours and sizes with matching earrings and bracelets:

A blue vintage dream of a necklace

This blue beauty immediately took me back to my Finnish grandmother’s atelier when I was a child, with all her hats, beads, trinkets and stones – as the walls in the room were this very colour!

Gold and reds.. such a beautiful match – what would you wear them with?

As for the Swedish ladies in the 50s – they all followed the international trends of wearing figure hugging dresses with tiny waists and full skirts, and they would accessorise this with pearl or beed necklaces like the ones above, and also wear high heels and stockings.  Women drew inspiration from Marilyn Monroe, Grace Kelly and Brigitte Bardot, whereas the gents were greatly influenced by Elvis Presley and Jimmy Dean.

Some more beautiful pieces of vintage costume jewellery from Ann’s 50 & 60tals bijouterier

Some happy yellows to brighten your day!

Often the ladies would wear outfits with colour coordinated accessories, and the jewellery definitely was neither subtle nor  minimalist!

Such an array of colours and styles!

So if you anyone of you wants to get in touch with Ann, do write me an email on info@decadesofelegance.com and I will make sure to pass it on.

Now go and put on something gorgeous to meet the day!  I for sure got inspired while writing this post, so will have to wear a lovely dress and some matching jewellery today!!!