I have just read the most fabulous book! Silent Murders is a stylish murder mystery set in 1920s Hollywood. Not only is it an un-put-downable (that’s totally a word) story, but it’s set against a fascinating backdrop of real life film stars. The main character, Jessie, an ex-Vaudville actress with a rather shady past, lands(…)
I had to share this with you today. It’s a bit different to my usual posts in that it’s not about 20th century fashion, cinema or cake, but I found this book was fascinating and I thought you might too. Anyone who’s a designer out there will know about Pantone and their colour guides. I(…)
The nights have started drawing in here, and the weather has definitely had a more autumnal feel to it over the past few days (probaby something to do with the persistent North wind which is battering us at the moment). I love this time of year though. To be perfectly honest, I love all times(…)
It’s not often I’m lucky enough to come across a book with indulges my love for all things vintage, so I was delighted when I started to read Astor Place Vintage and found that it combines my love of a great story, with a passion for vintage fashion and my fascination for the past. The(…)
THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THE WINNER IS Martina Alban. CONGRATULATIONS MARTINA, YOU WILL BE CONTACTED TO ARRANGE DELIVERY OF YOUR PRIZE. Amanda Rosenbloom, proprietor of Astor Place Vintage, thinks she’s on just another call to appraise and possibly purchase clothing from a wealthy, elderly woman. But after discovering a journal sewn into a fur(…)
I love cookery books. I have an enormous collection of them. So many in fact that they’ve spilled out of my kitchen bookshelf onto windowsills and work-surfaces. So imagine my delight when my lovely friend Lou Lou introduced me to a ‘vintage’ cook book: “right up your street” she said, and I totally agree! The(…)
I’ve been thinking for a while about doing some kind of study-at-home course to learn more about the history of fashion.When I chose my university course all those years ago I didn’t choose things which particularly interested me, I chose something which I thought would be fun (I got to live abroad for a year)(…)
When I first started finding out about vintage fashion I had a pretty good idea of the stereotypical fashions from each decade. There were flappers in the 1920s, smart suits with padded shoulders and neat little hats in the 40s, nipped in waists in the 50s, minidresses in the sixties (and so on). The one(…)
1940s Fashion: The Definitive Sourcebook is the most wonderful book! It’s packed with nearly 500 pages of 1940s fashion photos and illustrations which take you through the whole decade: from wartime austerity and fashion influenced by the war effort and rationing, to Christian Dior’s iconic ‘New Look’ from 1947. If you’re fascinated by vintage fashion(…)