The 2 year anniversary of Decades of Elegance!

 

Vintage and antique jewellery everywhere – love it!

Hello my lovely, I hope you are having a fabulous week in this tropical heat!  Well, I just had a look at the weather forecast around the world for the Decades of Elegance reader-base, and I know that the Nordic countries are blessed with some beautiful sunshine and summer warmth – lucky you!  The same definitely goes for the UK (it is so toasty in London right now, wonderful!) and also for you Australian east-coast and American west-coast readers – not to mention sunny Dubai!  You lovely South Africans who are almost always bathing in sunshine are having a bit of colder spell at the moment, but you will surpass the rest of us in glorious weather soon so I hope you are alright about it for the moment 😉  And for the rest of you lovelies, I hope you are also having a fabulous summer – or winter for those of you in the Southern Hemisphere!

Art Deco pearl and marcasite earrings

And that is the Decades of Elegance Weather Report for the day.  I really didn’t mean to go on a tirade about the weather, but I was looking at my Google Analytics page to see where all you lovely readers are based, and that is what inspired the unusual intro to this post!

So we have been around for a wonderful two years this July, and my very first blog post was called Vintage and Antique Jewellery Today – which definitely inspired our catch phrase Vintage and Antique Jewellery Worn Today, which you can always see in our logo.  The post came to me as I was wearing this lovely 50’s necklace that my dear sister gave me – you might remember this picture, which also featured in that very first post:

The 1950s necklace that inspired my first blog post back in July 2012.  Copyright: Michelle Lindsell Photography

It has been such an exciting journey ever since!  Lots of hairstyles have been created that either show your antique jewellery beautifully, or where the pieces have been incorporated into the actual hairstyles:

We have travelled across continents – from the UK to Sweden, Dubai and Cape Town:

 Antique jewellery from Sweden – amethyst ring and bracelet.  From one of my favourite blog posts to date: A window into early 20th century Sweden

The amazing gold souk in Dubai, photo from the blog post Dubai’s Deira Gold Souk earlier this year.

In Cape Town we have visited beautiful wine farms – from the blog post Vredenheim Wildlife & Winery in Stellenbosch, Cape Town…

… not to mention all our exciting trips to the Jewel Tree in Cape Town – here a tanzanite and diamond ring from the blog post: You Brilliant Tanzanite

And we will not forget that sparkling month of February 2013, when Tiffany & Co complimented the blog and sent over photos of their collection for the Great Gatsby movie:

Tiffany & Co – Ziegfeld Pearl Necklace from the blog post Tiffany’s Great Gatsby Treasures  

I also so enjoyed the series Your Secret Jewellery Collection, where you sent in photos of your own collections with some historical information on the pieces.  It was an absolute delight to write about them and to see how you keep your favourite pieces stored:

And we have also had the opportunities to work with so many wonderful magazines and websites: The Antiques Roadshow Magazine, The Simple Things, Vintage Life Magazine, Vintage Brighton, Make and Sell Jewellery, The Sloaney, Londonswedes… you can find them all under the tab at the top of the blog called Press & Portfolio.

One of the published Decades of Elegance articles to date – from the blog post: It’s a Vintage Life

And I couldn’t have done any of this, if it hadn’t been for You, my dear reader!  Your encouragement, comments and suggestions give me a whole embrace full of new inspiration and drive, and I love hearing your stories about how the blog has inspired you to wear some inherited jewellery or try a new hairstyle together with a piece of jewellery!

A virtual red rose to you my dear – and let’s take a moment to admire this ca 18th century ring from Sweden – just amazing that antique jewellery can be so well-made that it lasts for 300 years+!

So here is a big thank you for reading the blog and giving me the inspiration to keep learning more about beautiful antique jewellery and spreading the knowledge!  I now believe that if you do what you love, then the universe works with you to help fulfil your dreams.  I hope that the blog gives you some motivation to do what makes you happy here in life.

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!

Vintage reflections

Phew, it has been a few busy weeks on the blog, so I wanted to thank you for coming along with me on all these adventures – here on the blog as well as on Facebook.  I have had the chance to meet so many lovely people, take photos of the most beautiful collections and just enjoy the whirlwind that is London vintage.  Let’s have a look at what we have been up to these past few weeks.

First there was an interview with Cision, a provider of communications software and services that deal a lot with bloggers.  You can find the interview here.

Cision Speedy Spotlight

 We then popped by Londonswedes – a website for Swedes living in London – and provided a guide to the lovely Fulham.

Londonsvenskar

Vintage Brighton then made me their London correspondent and I decided to kick off the series with a visit to the amazing Circa Vintage on Fulham Road.  For the Coming Up-section I wrote about Pop Up Vintage Fairs London, and you really must check out the article as they are working with Battersea Cats and Dogs Home on the August bank holiday fair, and it is bound to be an exciting one!  All about it here.

Vintage Brighton – London Guide

And finally I have an article coming out in Vintage Life Magazine, which I am super thrilled about as the magazine comes out in a soft copy (although you will be able to also download the digital version).  Having an article printed is a dream come true, ever since I took a journalism course over ten years ago and decided that I one day wanted to do this for a living!

So I hope you have enjoyed reading all these lovely magazines/websites – I can promise you that there will be more to come!

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…!