Full On Flapper Vs A Glint of Gatsby

We just can't get enough of flapper fashion so thought we'd share with you some cool styling tips and ideas to really get into the swing of things when it comes to 1920s style! It's always fun to really go all out and mimic the authentic art deco look but you can create the same glamour and elegance by simply popping on a tassel necklace or coveting geometric shaped accessories.  

Its fun to experiment and push the boundaries with your look but here we have simply pepped up a low key, stylish evening outfit with some glamorous accessories. The trick here is to choose one dramatic statement piece like the chevron clutch and choose items that compliment it. You can create a 20s look without going over the top and it looks great to mix  some Gatsby glamour with a modern contemporary outfit.

Here we have toyed with the idea of mixing old and new by recreating a flapper girl look with this stunning pink and white dress but have selected on trend colours and silhouettes. The bright fuchsia and orange hue bring this dress up to date, along with its figure hugging fit but the textures, crystals and embellishments reflect the Hollywood glamour of the 1920s. 

Style Steal - Perfect Pastels

Perfect Pastels

We simply adore this cute 50s floral number that the fabulous 

Eva Mendes is wearing! Teamed with the dinky pastel clutch and nude headband she looks the epitome of elegance! Flared silhouettes are super flattering and suit almost any figure, whilst the kitsch dark floral shade adds striking interest and works well teamed with pastel accessories. So why not try this quirky retro look yourself?  We've styled out Firework Print Dress with our Nude Clutch Bag , Gold Sunburst Ring and Green Art Deco Hair Clips and accessorised with a mint court shoe (Ravel Hamden Court Debenhams). With its eye popping print and contrasting colour combinations, the overall effect is cute and kitsch. Which as retro enthusiasts, is always a good thing...

Fresher Survival Guide

Rule 1 - The Padlock

One of the 'key' things to remember to pack for fresher's week

is a padlock! An essential item, that will stop your flatmates pinching

your precious jammy dodgers and homemade stew your mum made

the night before . It's good to be prepared. Or you could just give them

a hint with these cute Vintage Padlock Earrings.

Rule 2 - Talking Point Clothes

When you're feeling all shy and nervous on the first day, it's always a great

idea to wear something that stands out and can become a talking point.

Think about it, you'd want to talk to the girl with the fab floral print dress

or bright quirky necklace. People, will be asking you where you got this 

one in no time.

Rule 3 - The Shopper

You will be doing a lot of endless trips to the shops - supermarket to buy pot noodles,

book shops for those lecture essentials and the off licence for, well everything in there!

So, you are going to NEED this Showpony Clarissa Eco Shopper bag , trust me!

You will long for the days mum and dad did the weekly food shop.

Check out the rest of our should bag collection here. 

Rule 4 - Fancy Dress

Load up on supplies of neon body paint because themed club

nights and society socials will take up the majority of your spare time.

Save any brightly coloured tops, plastic glasses and garish makeup

because you never know when they'll come in useful.

There will be bucket loads of 80s themed parties. Don't worry when

the occasion arises we have got you covered.

Check out our collection of brightly themed outfits here: Brights. 

Rule 5 - An Outfit a Night

You are more than likely going to have the most nights out you

have ever had in your life this fresher week, so you are going to

need shed loads of pretty outfits. Be prepared and stock up,

because god forbid you are wearing them same outfit as the

girl next door to you in halls!  Wear yours with a vintage twist.

Shop our New In Dresses collection here. 

Beam me up Hottie!

We love it when technology makes fashion more gorgeous and we are even more thrilled when we can sneak it into our vintage style dresses collection! Laser cutting is seriously hot right now and with brands like Self Portrait making sparks, it was only a matter of time before the High Street muscled in on the action.

Self-Portrait 

The glory of laser cutting is the intricate lace inspired patterns that can be created and the current trend of mounting these on nude layers add a seriously sexy overall look.

We have finally been able to introduce some pieces to our new season collection including this pretty spectacular laser cut black playsuit. Oh-so seventies with those bell sleeves and full of playful details, this 1970s style playsuit is a party dress alternative that will knock yours socks off.

If you are more of a classic chick, or are looking to imitate the current catwalk looks, then go for our lace prom dress in black or blue - these stunning vintage style prom dresses are still Mad Men gorgeous but that cut out detail and daring neckline, make these dresses one of the hottest styles we have ever stocks.

So, while you are dancing in those night club lasers, bring a little laser action to your vintage style dress too!

Shop our New In Collection Now!

See you at the funfair: candyfloss, lollipops and lemons

We're off to the fairground with these carnival style summer picks! Capturing the candy cool atmosphere of the funfair, the carousels and teacups, lollipops and circus themed rides, we're just set to experience the thrill! It may not be pennies for the rides anymore but our retro wonders are definitely taking us back to the good old days...

The longer days and nicer weather (okay, so we meant ten minutes of sun in-between downpours!) mean you can kit yourself out in kitch and ride that helter skelter in style! Our Gold Shell Clutch oozes the vintage glamour of those 1920s circus girls, paired with the Lucas Jack Gold Star Cuff and you'll be glittering with gold, flapper style. We know our Lemon Print Playsuit will look oh-so-cute at the coconut shy, and our Lolly Pop Print Prom Dress matches the sweet scent of cotton candy and will have the crowd oohing and aahing underneath the big wheel!

Your festival survival guide - 5 essentials

1. The maxi.
You'll be thanking us for this when you're trying to get changed in the smallest tent around. Check out our maxi dress collection, they're super comfy to wear...if you haven't got one, you need one!

2. The wide brimmed hat.
Protect your head with 1970s sass...our summer hats will be best mates with all of your festival outfits!

3. Waterproof mascara.
An absolute essential. Panda eyes look cute, on pandas.

4. Dry shampoo.
What else keeps your hair looking nice and bouncy after 3 days of dirt?

5. The backpack.
This staple accessory is totally practical and can also be super stylish! On par with the shoulder bag, a festival favourite, this will see you all the way through the season. Who wants to be trudging back to the tent every few hours?

Uh oh...here comes trouble! Get Peaky Blinder style...

We're super proud of our Birmingham heritage and what could be better than the magnificent show Peaky Blinders returning to our screens tonight at 9pm!

The inspiration for the show is fascinating and you can read more about it here. The original Brummie boys, the 'Peakys' were local gangsters from a century ago. These violent criminals would sew razor blades into the peak of their flat caps to use as weapons and had a distinctive sartorial style that set them apart from the rest! The girlfriends were described as wearing ornate pearls, a goudy silk handkerchief covering their throat and showing off a full fringe obscuring the forehead, we can only imagine what they would have looked like in one of our dresses...

We really think that Polly and Grace's dark vs light twenties styles really rock the gothic-luxe trend on the catwalks this season, why not take a look at our gothic 1920s style headbands and chokers for a more sultry flapper vibe?

    

    

We love the way this piece of history has inspired one of the most gripping shows we've ever seen...so excited!

Get in the mood with our flapper dress collection, art deco jewellery and flapper headbands for your next night in with the Peaky boys...

        

Top 2 trends for your wardrobe this spring

Dark Romance vs Prairie-chic

Erdem SS16

We're mixing serene angels with rebel cowgirls this spring, and we think the white lace prairie dress looks super hot with on-trend black leather pointy cowgirl boots, witchy style! Complete the look with a floppy festival hat and a badass biker jacket and you know this will be your best band-watching outfit for the warmer (we hope!) weather.

Underwear as Outerwear

Burberry Prorsum SS16

From the boudoir to the ball, this summer we're styling lacy delicates with party accessories and showing them off! Our pink lace flapper has all the dreamy bed-time glamour, but with a party dress twist. Finished off with coral hoop earrings and some summery sandals, this look will take you from bedroom to boho in no time!

#WeddingWednesday The Bridesmaid Edit: Rose

It's #WeddingWednesday and we've put together our current fave bridesmaid outfit! Look at those beautiful rose tones, what bridal party wouldn't look sweet in pink? The Rose Tan French Connection Sunray Dress is cool in chiffon and swirly enough for a good dance later on. Teamed up with the glitzy Silver Evening Clutch and gorgeous Ivory Pearl Bracelet your leading ladies are good to go. Complete the look and bring together those floral hues with our exquisite Rose Gold Hair Comb. We adore this edit so much, we can't wait for our first wedding of the summer!

Don't let those dark clouds get you down...style it out!

You probably mourned the loss of a whole range of umbrellas lately, even that pretty polka dot one you were convinced would totally stand up to those gale force winds. We're sad about this too. Don't worry though, you might not know it yet, but this grey weather is a stormy style opportunity!

Embrace those subtle greys and dark hues, those moody blues and mystic purples with our new Dark Clouds trend. From soft grey clutch bags to midnight black brooches, we've got it all! Keep your hands warm in our elegant wool gloves with faux leather button detail, team up with a weather-friendly scarf and embrace those April showers!

3 videos for your vintage guide to life

1. How to wear your makeup, sixties style.

What, no contouring?

2. Your guide to dating

Dating in the 1940s. So...things have changed a bit since then!

3. Your vintage guide to glamour

Here's a treat for all you gals! Learn from a womens etiquette expert, how to possess the
glamour, poise and charm of a fashionable girl from the 1940s!

Think Unique: Alternative Bridesmaid Ideas For Your Wedding Day

Yes we know the bride is the babe of the ball but we shouldn't forget the best mates! The bridesmaids will want to strut their stuff too, they are on display ALL DAY…so why not give them something to show off? Styling your bridesmaids in vintage style will give you a completely unique bridal party. It’s one of the most memorable days of your whole entire life, so go ahead and make it uber-special by creating something no one else will have…

We know some of you love your girls to be all matchy-matchy, but if your dreams are made of rainbows, why not try different colours together? You can vary by style and even by fabric.

What a cool alternative idea for bridesmaids! (via rocknrollbride.com)

We totally love the idea of teaming your bridesmaids up with similar style dresses in different colours! Take a look at our lace dresses below...

You could even try different styles, same colour. This makes it super easy to cater for all your girls, by letting them wear a dress to suit their shape!

(via apracticalwedding.com)

Pink your thing? Our dusky tones make the perfect colour coordinates!

Does a theme take your fancy? We've got all the bridesmaid dresses you need, from 1920s flapper styles to 1960s go-go girl. If you don’t feel at one with an era…why not follow one of the hottest trends of the season and mix your spots and stripes, patterns and prints?

We adore this pattern combo! (via modernwedding.com.au)

Try mixing and matching our vintage style prints for a wedding as unique as the dresses themselves!

Not a fan of pattern fusion, why not flaunt some florals?

(via rockmywedding.co.uk)

Our floral dresses are bound to make your gals feel fabulous!

If the bridal gown search has left you panic stricken then why not leave the creativity to your leading ladies and let them choose their own dresses? Decide on your theme, colour or pattern and send them on a treasure hunt treat…sorted. That once reluctant bridesmaid is now totally buzzing in her new fancy frock she found herself!