Lanvin for H&M - inspiration from the past

I haven't been blown away by Lanvin's collection for serial collaborator H&M - a few too many corsages and bling details for my liking. I may be in the minority of people who wouldn't want Carrie Bradshaw's wardrobe - more specifically, I'd take the wardrobe, possibly turn it into a study, but she could keep the clothes.

However, the presentation on the homepage reminded me of the Theatre de la Mode exhibition I've recently been researching for a piece I'm writing on the history of the little black dress.


To celebrate France's release from German occupation in 1945, and to reinvigorate creativity in an industry heavily restricted by wartime rationing, the top French designers of the day, including Jeanne Lanvin, presented their designs on Elaine Bonabel's wire dummies.

Premiering in Paris' Theatre de la Mode, the show exhibited collections by designers such as Balenciaga, Balmain and Nina Ricci, and finished its world tour in 1946 at the De Young Museum in San Francisco.

Looking back, as well as the obvious Eighties influence - acid brights, tulle skirts and OTT detailing - the inspiration for Lanvin's highstreet collection can be seen in much earlier pieces by the French fashion house.

I love the floral detailing and va va voom volume skirts of these evening dresses from online archives, though perhaps a little bit more expensive than the H&M pieces...


Image source


Image source


Image source

Brighton POD

Trawling vintage boutiques, charity shops and flea markets for original retro gems may be the perfect way to spend a weekend for many lovers of past styles, myself included. But you don’t have to spend your days hunting for that elusive perfect piece to get the look you want for your home.

Brighton POD, which stands for Promoting Original Design, does just what it says on the tin, acting as a shop window for a selection of Britain’s independent design talent.

As well as cute ceramics, contemporary lighting and unique jewellery, there are some fab vintage-inspired homewares on offer that add fun twists to classic designs.

Get the vintage look for less effort with our pick of some of the best pieces from the site.

Get the 1950s look


Clockwise from top: Three-tier cake stand, £32.95, I Love Retro; Decoupage seaside trinket box, £65.00, uoldbag; Pin up girl cushion – Maureen, £37.00, Crumpet & Skirt; Talulah A3 print, £10.00, Nicky Snow; Tin coasters, £8.00, Nicky Snow; Large vintage embroidery cushion 2, £35.00, random retail.

Get the 1960s look


Clockwise from top: Atomic coat rack, £15.95; Pink flowers wall sticker set, £17.95; Trimphone, £36.95; Set of three flying ducks, £16.95; Kitsch cuckoo clock, £17.95, all I Love Retro.

Bargains - a/w10

A selection of bargain buys from recent months, along with some old favourites and retro homewares.

Dress: £20 Topshop sale
Boots: £16 Traid
Bar: £30 Spiral charity shop
Cat: £1.50 Spiral charity shop
Couple figure: £2 Spiral charity shop
Ice bucket: £4 North Laine flea market
Roberts radio: £6 BHASVIC car boot sale
Lamp: £4 Shelter charity shopAs above
J letter necklace: £10 Tatty Devine at Clothes Show London
D&G little black velvet dress: £40 Oxfam charity shop, Western Road
Lou Shabner framed print: £25 Oxfam charity shop, Western Road
Long gold bird charm necklace: Handmade
Faux fur coat: £20 Upper Gardner Street Market
Red Formica table: £30 Spiral charity shop
Fur coat: As above
Purple court shoes: £15 H&M
Telephone table: £10 BHASVIC car boot sale
Joker painting: Commission Vicky Roberts
Floral H&M jacket: £5 charity shop in Crouch End
Black Topshop jeans: £6 Traid
Bird print shirt: £15 River Island sale
Small leather satchel: £10 Ebay
Typewriter: £15 Age Concern George Street
Mui Mui glasses: £175 Specs opticians
White coat: £5 BHASVIC car boot sale
Russell & Bromley boots: £30 Vintage @ Goodwood
Chair: £15 Spiral chairty shop

Silhouette necklaces

An image of this Yves Saint Laurent necklace (£1,010!), featured in the November issue of Vogue, reminded me of a few similar, cheaper, silhouette necklaces that have caught my eye of late.

I can't work out if they're childishly charming, or a bit creepy. There was something about Tinkerbell, for example, that always freaked me out. Especially Julia Roberts as Tinkerbell - scary stuff...

Anyway, I spotted wooden silhouette necklaces such as the one below in a few pretty little boutiques in Cornwall in June, and have since become a little bit obsessed with the Stolen Thunder website.

A friend of a friend, Maggie Angus, has also starting selling acrylic jewellery online, and has some fun jive and ballroom dancer necklaces in her collection.

And I couldn't write about silhouette necklaces without bigging up Tatty Devine - the experts in iconic acrylic jewellery. This swing girl necklace is one of the Best Of Tatty Devine, which they describe as "a set of 50 favourites modelled by some of our best friends and favourite folks".

1960s telephone table

Today I went to BHASVIC car boot sale, looking for small things - a old but working watch, some desk storage, perhaps a little something pretty...I bought a 1960s telephone table.

I ummed and ahhed about how I was to get it home, but luckily the man selling it was a friendly chap, and offered to drop it round for just £2 extra, bringing the grand total to £12. Take that Snoopers...


Unfortunately, someone had tried to pimp my telephone table (it was always going to be mine) by reupolstering the seat with some ill-advised material - shiny, crinkly and spotty. The colours were all wrong for the flat too, ours being a red and orange home.


However, Mr Table Man told me that this was covering the original black vinyl - and seemed quite surprised when I said that I would much prefer that - so I set to work with my screwdriver and pink jewellery pliers, taking the table apart and performing some arduois staple surgery.


There were moans, there were accusations of drama queening and there was a tiny, weeny tantrum when I screwed the seat back on to the wrong end of the table top.

But the job only ended up taking an hour and was pretty damn satisfying, especially when the staples came out whole (similar to when you're extracting a splinter) and the simple and sleek black seat was revealed.


My collection of winter boots is now residing in the slide cupboards, the BT box is hidden and Irish will no longer have to sit on the toliet lid when on the phone to his family. A happy day.

Montreal's magnificent skyline

Montreal's skyline boasts some of Canada's most striking modernist buildings. The best place to take full advantage of the view is down at the harbour. Look across the water and you could be forgiven for thinking that you're looking both into the past and the future.

One of the most exclusive and sought-after addresses in the city, the bizarre-looking concrete boxes that make up Habitat 67 were built to celebrate Expo 1967, the World's Fair grandly entitled 'Man and his World'.




Another of the Fair's lasting legacies is the Montreal Biosphere, a futuristic-looking dome which houses interactive exhibits aimed at increasing understanding of environmental issues. After a fire burnt away the 'bubble' in 1976, the structure was left out of use and in disrepair until bought by Environment Canada in 1990.


Turn around to look back at the sky-scrapers that define the city's skyline and another iconic architectural achievement stands out. The Aldred Building (in the background of the photograph) is similar to the many Art Deco masterpieces that jewel New York's panorama, and indeed was completed in the same year as the Empire State Building.



Click on the images to enlarge and see some of Sussex's best Art Deco buildings over at www.vintagebrighton.com.

Ethical fashion feature in Fat Quarter magazine

My very talented, creative and hard-working journo friend Katie Allen has put together the second print issue of her fab magazine Fat Quarter - an alternative to women's glossies.

This issue features an interview with enterprising musician Laura Kidd, aka She Makes War, a short story by Michele Roberts, author of the Booker-shortlisted Daughters of the House, instructions for a DIY textiles project, a piece on the lives of Japanese women, book reviews, music reviews and loads more! Delicious.

Plus, there is a feature written by my fair hand on ethical fashion. Just how much do we really care?

See the piece by clicking on the PDF link below and buy your copy of Fat Quarter for just £2.50 (plus £1 for P&P in the UK) here. It's well worth it.

Fat Quarter Ethical Fashion