Stripe It Lucky

"Prancing 'round the street, wind blowing on face.

Oh me golly gee, everything's dandy,

fancy that Venus.

Stripe me up, give me the twist,

I've got a taste of the 70's"

~ Tahirih Boodhoo

I recently dipped into the wonderful world of vintage for the very first time (see here), and it's fair to say that I absolutely loved it. And from the lovely feedback I've had from you guys (thank you!), you seemed to love it too! I've been sent so many lovely photographs of your vintage purchases, and you have inspired me to seek out more great retro clothes and accessories.

I found this lush, stripy 1970s dress online; Beyond Retro is a glorious cornucopia of the most amazing vintage treasures. It is now my go-to website for cool retro pieces. I can't wait to visit their store next time I'm in London!

In a very chic navy and white colour-way, my cute 1970s dress features diagonal stripes, contrasting panels, patchwork appliqué and a back zipper with hook and eye closure. As with all vintage, this dress has a story; it has obviously been much loved and very well looked after by God knows how many lucky girls over the past 30 or 40 years. This is a new chapter for it, and I am honoured to become part of its story.

Styled with very modern, high-shine, metallic flat shoes from ASOS, this is a cool way to bring a vintage dress bang up to date.

Get The Look:

Dress: Beyond Retro 1970s Vintage Day Dress in navy/white (similar)

Shoes: ASOS MAMBO Flat Shoes in silver/black
Photos: Kate Carpenter Photography ©

Yellow

"What is yellow?

The sun is yellow,

Caressing the morning with its soft glowing light.

Daffodils, the fever, a flickering candle flame

Glowing in the dark on a cold, listless night.

Sour lemons, melting butter, the stripy back of a bumble bee,

the hive full of sweet golden honey delight.

Sunflowers nodding their giant heads,

Bewildering the fields of tiny buttercups.

The dancing girl with the flaxen yellow hair,

O what a glorious sight!

Yellow."

~ Fiona Ufton ©

This outfit makes me happy; that's what yellow does, it is a bright, happy, uplifting colour. It reminds us of carefree, sunny Summer days which is quite perfect for this outfit as the Emma Manley collection it is from was inspired by "the freedom of summer as a sweet sixteen. The feelings, the memories, the smells and the spontaneity of it all".

The bright yellow 'Piper' skirt is midi length and made from cleverly placed panels of sheer silk chiffon and a less sheer viscose mix. The most sheer of the panels can show a sexy silhouette of leg. The matching 'Sian' top features the same clever panelling, with the soft, sheer chiffon draping over the chest and cap sleeves, and a heavier silk material falling from above the bust area to the the waist.

I styled my beautiful, sunshiny two-piece with a very cool pair of Christian Louboutin shoes; the Tiger print toughens up my otherwise ladylike look a lot. For a final touch, I added a scarlet clutch bag to match the colour of my bright red lipstick.

Get The Look:

Top: Emma Manley 'Sian' Top in yellow

Skirt: Emma Manley 'Piper' Skirt in yellow

Shoes: Christian Louboutin 'No Prive 942' Sling-back Peep-toe Shoes in tiger (similar)

Bag: Lulu Guinness 'Lips' Clutch Bag in red

Photos: Mike Lawrence ©

I'm Wearing Your Dress

"I'm wearing your dress.

Found amongst the rails of second hand clothes,

bought for a second hand price.

I'm wondering who you were,

As I stroke the ancient fabric

With its tear-stained hem,

Alive with memories and a timeless charm.

Styles come and go but something beautiful remains,
Because I'm wearing your dress."

~ Fiona Ufton ©

Always late to the party, I am only just beginning to get into the idea of wearing vintage clothing. Given how much I love a 1970s look, this surprises everyone who knows me. Two things have always held me back though; 1. that second hand thing, and 2. there are just so many gorgeous 70s style clothes out there to buy brand spanking new.

I stumbled across Peekaboo, an online vintage boutique, completely by chance the other day (thank you Twitter!) and as I perused their very lovely range of clothing, I saw this absolutely adorable 1970s mini dress. Its ridiculously purse friendly price encouraged me to take a chance on a vintage purchase, so I ordered it. It arrived a couple of days later, beautifully packaged, and I am absolutely delighted with it. Quite besotted actually, it is lush!

A genuine vintage mini dress from the 1970s, it is brightly coloured in rich shades of reds, pinks and oranges. The all over pattern is one of olden day warriors battling on horse-back (I defy you to find anything like that on the High Street!). In a cute baby doll style with a deep v-neckline and long sleeves elasticated at the cuff, it is a one-off, completely unique dress that I am so happy to add to my increasingly eclectic wardrobe! I styled my pretty dress with another cool vintage piece (oh there's no stopping me now!), a gorgeous tan coloured, tooled finish 1970s shoulder bag. This was a great online find from Beyond Retro, the celebrity go-to vintage shop, and once again, the affordable price of such a beautiful bag was quite unbelievable.

Sticking with the 70s theme, I added a great pair of tan heels from Reiss; I bought these shoes many seasons ago, they are still going strong and they always add a cool, retro vibe to an outfit.

Get The Look:

Dress: Peekaboo Vintage 1970s Dress (similar)

Shoes: Reiss 'Cedar' Wood Platforms in cognac (similar)
Bag: Beyond Retro Vintage 1970s Tooled Finish Shoulder Bag in tan (similar)
Photos: Kate Carpenter Photography ©

Piper

"Into the street the Piper stept,

Smiling first a little smile,

As if he knew what magic slept..."

~ Robert Browning

To say that I merely love this dress would be such an understatement. 'Piper' is the hero piece in Emma Manley's extraordinarily beautiful S/S15 collection and it might just be the most beautiful dress I've ever owned!

Piper is a work of art; made from embellished navy suede, it features a zip down the centre back, and a sexy, figure flattering spandex bodice with a semi sheer back. Appliquéd hand cut leather circles in champagne and silver are secured with metallic studs. They feature heavily at the hemline and spread upwards in a delicate and dispersed manner. As with so many of Manley's studded pieces, it jingles and sings to me with every single step. I can't even tell you how beautiful that is.

I styled my gorgeous dress with a lush silver clutch bag by my favourite accessories designer, Nadia Minkoff; the beautiful silver compliments the detailing on the dress so perfectly. I then funked the look up by clashing a cool pair of zebra print heels by shoe God Manolo Blahnik. I think this might just be my favourite outfit ever.

Get The Look:

Dress: Emma Manley 'Piper' Dress in navy

Bag: Nadia Minkoff 'The Kensington' Clutch Bag in silver

Shoes: Manolo Blahnik 'D'Orsay' Peep-toe Shoes in zebra (similar)
Photos: Kate Carpenter Photography ©

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The Blue And The Grey

"Lonely the wind calls

Over the fields

Of the blue and the grey

And slowly the night falls

It hides and conceals

Oh the blue and the grey"

~ Tony Clarken

US brand Halston was synonymous with the 1970s and the iconic era of Studio 54. Their huge influence on the pop culture of the time was cemented with clients such as Bianca Jagger, Elizabeth Taylor and Anjelica Huston wearing their beautiful designs. Halston Heritage reimagines some of the classic designs from the brands archives, giving us a very modern take on 70s glamour.

This gorgeous washed-satin dress is a beauty; I can imagine Bianca Jagger wearing it back in the day at Studio 54 or Sex And The City's Carrie Bradshaw wearing it more recently with killer heels in NYC.

In a cool, dark-gray colour, it features rolled kimono style cuffs, slit pockets to the side and button fastenings through the front. It is cut for a slightly loose fit but a drawstring at the waist can add some definition.

Unable to get Carrie Bradshaw out of my mind when styling the dress, I paired it with gorgeous Dior shoes that featured in the first SATC movie; they are pure 1970s and more comfortable to wear than you can imagine! I added a glossy pink lip and a blue clutch bag for a very contemporary take on 1970s cool.

Get The Look:

Dress: Halston Heritage Washed Satin Mini Dress in Dark Gray (similar)

Shoes: Dior 'Extreme'Shoes in metallic (similar)

Bag: Ally Capellino 'Rose' Clutch bag in blue (similar)