Vintage Sunglasses in Winter.

I noticed today that the cat's eye frame is very much the go-to currently. Not as exaggerated as the original 1950's shape, this is a blacked out, larger frame that extends out at the top both sides.
Here is Nicole Richie wearing a pair out in LA.

And Anne (previous customer, may have mentioned that already...ahem) Hathaway in a slightly less opaque pair in New York.

And Anne's stylist, Rachel Zoe in LA again, with the GORGEOUS Skylar, in a similar pair.

We have, for a while, stocked vintage inspired sunglasses as the only "new" pieces in the shop. This is due to the fact that most of the vintage sunglasses have unknown levels of sun protection. We make sure our sunglasses are from a reputable source that offer the highest level of sun protection, for the best price. Our sunglasses are just £10 a pair and the best sellers currently are very similar to the celebs choice, but with a slightly more forgiving tortoiseshell frame that suits most colourings.

We sell these all year round, so if you want the fashionistas look without the price tag, come up and see us sometime... 

xxx

Vintage Celebs pt 2; Gwyneth Paltrow

Thought i'd drop another blog about celebrities who are into vintage, but don't shout about it. Today is the turn of Gwyneth Paltrow. I was sceptical when I was told Ms  Paltrow was a bit of a vintage collector, but after doing a bit on a hunt online, I found a surprising number of vintage pictures of her in vintage pieces.

At the Oscars 2011 Gwyneth sparkled in vintage costume earrings.I can't find the name, but no doubt they were YSL or Christian Dior.  This is the perfect way to wear vintage if you are new to it, just a little bit to add to the outfit. It's the safest way to wear a vintage piece without it feeling in anyway "costume-y".

Here she is again at an awards ceremony in 2011 in vintage Yves Saint Laurent. Elegant and understated, set off with classic hair, red lips and gold drop earrings. 

At the Breast Cancer Research Foundations "Hottest Pink Party" in 2008, Gwyneth wore this Schiaparelli pink vintage Christian Dior dress, found at Decades LA (NB: Decades my inspiration for setting up Scarlet. It's gorgeous!).

Gwyneth doesn't wear vintage exclusively and usually mixes it with her designer pieces at the same time, so she is another good example of a celebrity we wouldn't immediately consider a "vintage gal"!

xx

Nights in Vintage Velvet.

It's always lovely to get a bag full of clothes from a seller and find an absolute gem in it. I am an absolute sucker for an old piece that is in need of tlc (I have drawers groaning with "projects" that just need holes sewn up, sleeves reattached and silk sorted etc etc...). So when this little lovely came in, I couldn't resist. 

Full length, velvet and asymmetrical, I think this dates from the mid 1930's. She has since lost her silk lining, there were remnants attached to various seams which, sadly, could not be saved, but her buttons and (most) or her other fastenings are still with us. She has pointed cuffs with small buttons attached creating a slight leg'o mutton look. There are pulls on many seams, re-sewn arms and a hem that had obviously been stepped energetically on at some point...but I LOVE all this. What has she seen? As I was sewing up the hem, I could almost imagine a glamorous lady stumbling out of her taxi with a beau in tow, giggling hysterically as she unhooks her shoe. And how had the arm been damaged? Reaching for that champagne saucer or a too energetic dance move on a marble dance floor? Perhaps our beau had become too amorous for his own good and treated to a forceful slap across the chops...

 The label inside says "Marshall & Snellgrove, Vere St & Oxford St W1" and then, the best bit, "Tea Gown Dept"...Oh my! Doesn't that just conjure up images of ladies shopping for just the right gown for entertaining at home? 

Tea dresses have been around since the late 19th century and were generally kept to be worn at home, but could be worn to dinner, if the lady was dining informally with family. They were usually very comfortable and made from sumptuous fabrics that hung well, but were not constrictive. This one fits the bill perfectly as it is a beautiful light velvet and simply fastens at the hip. Perfect for lounging on that chaise in front of an open fire...

We see the Marshall& Snelgrove label infrequently and the pieces are always beautifully made. This is no surprise as they were one of the only stores to house a couturier workshop that ran alongside their ready to wear pieces. Quality of workmanship was paramount to James Marshall and John Snelgrove and that is obvious from their, still wearable, pieces.

Sadly, the store was forced to merge with Debenhams&Freebody in 1919 when it was hit by financial woes after the 14-18 war. This merger continued amicably for 50 years until, in 1973, Debenhams finally removed James' and John's names, and Marshall&Snellgrove were no more. Luckily for us, they left behind beautiful pieces like this for us to treasure for some time to come...

xx   

Hour Friends in the South.

So, finally some quality tv arrived on our screens last night in the shape of BBC's The Hour. A gorgeous piece of escapism, The Hour's look and feel is perfectly in keeping with the 1950's. Some clever person, somewhere, is saturating and mixing colours to make every scene and every colour a tone that is reminiscent of that decade. 

Last night's scene in the club was an absolute gift; an array of all the things we aren't supposed to like anymore; champagne, cigarette smoke and mink, HEAVEN! 

Newcomer (and recent customer-shhh!) Hannah Tointon, in her role as Kiki, the "Market Stall Marilyn", was fabulous, all cream satin, platinum blonde and rhinestones. Apparently the director even made her wear padded hips to give her that authentic 1950's hourglass shape. She had a very brief encounter with Man About Town Hector, played by Dominic West, and suffered the violent consequences.

Romola Garai and Oona Chaplin (yes, Granddaughter of Charlie) starred as Bel, Hector's boss and Marnie, his wife, the two other women caught up in Hector's path of destruction. Marnie is left at home at night baking cakes whilst her errant hubby cavorts with showgirls and Bel spends her time worrying whether her wayward anchorman will make it to the set in time for a live transmission.

Both ladies go some way to encapsulating the style of the era in differing ways; Bel's red wool suit and gold brooch, is all business, but the cut of the outfit results in a strongly feminine silhouette. 

Marnie's traditional, but ultimately impractical, circle skirt and blouse in soft pink fit her role as the ideal 50's housewife to a tee. Pretty and flouncy, it is a sugary outfit that perfectly matches her Perfect Home and Perfect Hair. 

(all photo's courtesy of BBC)

In all, it was a beautiful opening to a series and I do hope the story lives up to the fashion and feel of the piece. One thing is for certain, The Hour has arrived back on our screens just when we needed a little reminder of why we pay our licence fee....

xx 

Ossie, Ossie, Ossie! Oi, Oi, Oi!!

Well, there certainly seems to be a lot of hoo-har around the "relaunch" of Ossie Clark label in the fashion world, some great blogs ahve been written about the situation, so I thought i'd throw my tuppenny's worth in.

It was announced this week Debenhams would be selling newly designed Ossie Clark dresses via concessions from February of next year.

This is not the first time Ossie has been unceremoniously resurrected; in 2008 Marc Worth, co-founder of WGSN bought the name and relaunched the label at London Fashion Week.

Rightly or wrongly, Avsh Alom Gur (the creative director for Worth) did try and create some semblance of Ossie's original designs in the short time the label existed, which seems to be somewhat lacking in the Debenham's range. See exhibit A...

(Ossie Clark at Debenhams....hmm, what's that underground spinning I can hear...?.)

At Scarlet Vintage we have plenty of 70's dresses brought in that have been made in the "Ossie style". Admittedly, they generally don't come close to his original designs, but as buying patterns and dressmaking was so popular throughout the 60's and 70's, you can usually find something which resembles the great man's work in the shop, even if you can't afford one of his originals. The likelihood of seeing the same dress elsewhere is close to zero, the fabric and fittings will all be of the same era, the garment will have aged like an Ossie and you'll be wearing something authentically vintage. So, surely, if you want a piece of the Ossie magic, and you can't afford an original, you're better off getting something authentically "of the time" even if it's not "of the designer"?

Here's a couple of our vintage dresses that we currently have in stock that will give you that authentic 1970's silhouette and cost a lot less than the £189 price point of the Debenham's range.

I guess this sort of sits at the crux of the whole "vintage" or "vintage inspired" argument, which crops up again and again. Big retailers are losing customers to the vintage/second hand scene and their regular cry of "Keep buying new! That is SO last season!!" seems to be falling on deaf ears as more and more people start to realise that that way madness/poverty lies. The multinational retailers have to find new ways of keeping their deserting customers spending £££ with them, and so they look at copying areas that are booming on the fashion scene, ie vintage. But people are becoming wise to this and this latest attempt at "cashing in" on the vintage scene only highlights their desperation. I mean, honestly, how did they ever think they could compete with something as beautiful as this...

xx

Capes and Stefani.

Just thought i'd post a quick blog post on capes! We have quite a few in at the moment, (although our oldest, a French Victorian cape, went to a good home this morning...sniff!); we still have in - a short brown swing cape, a 1940's faux astrakhan, a blue woollen full length and long black velvet.
Capes are so versatile and chic, they don't restrict movement and cover a multitude of sins, meaning I can indulge in pudding without worrying about my buttons giving way as I leave the restaurant! So I was mighty pleased to see style icon and general GODDESS Gwen Stefani in a gorgeous example of cape-ness this afternoon. Perfect with the peaked cap (Burberry? Bus Conductor? Either way, fabulous!) and the ubiquitous dog tooth check underneath.

Perfect, no? 

Have a fab weekend y'all! And remember to wrap up warm! xx

Vintage Celebs part 1. Gillian Anderson

We are always hearing about celebrities wearing vintage, as it is afterall, the only sure fire way of wearing something that no one else will have. They know wearing vintage means never having that awful "she's wearing the same as me!" moment. However, there does seem to be several names that repeatedly crop up when vintage is being discussed; Kate Moss, Sienna Miller, The Olsens, Jamie Winston et al. And whilst there is no denying these ladies look phenomenal, I thought i'd try and start highlighting those people who wear vintage that perhaps you weren't aware of.

I'm starting today with Gillian Anderson. Yep, her of Mulder and Scully fame, that 1990's sci-fi series, The X Files, and more recently (and dramatically), Great Expectations.

Here is Ms Anderson looking very un-Havisham-like at the BAFTA's in February. She is wearing a 1950's Sybil Connelly couture gown. It doesn't scream VINTAGE and could easily be a modern day piece. It's subtle and flattering and complements her skin tone perfectly. Well chosen, lady. 

How about a bit of vintage Christian Dior? In 2011 at a celebration of 10 years of InStyle. Not flashy, not revealing, this ice white gown stands out from the crowd as relaxed, elegant and classy. And what girl doesn't love pockets? 

A personal favourite of mine was this 1968 Ossie Clark number. Revealing and daring, but cut so well, it's pure art. 

Gillian is a brilliant example of an elegant women wanting to wear vintage in an classic, understated way. And I for one, think she pulls it off rather well. 

xx

Sandy & New Website Soon!

Gosh, our hearts go out to all in New York at the moment. The pictures look horrendous of what Sandy did to the city overnight. We heard from one customer who; "had no power" and was "conserving cell phone battery", eek. Hope everyone stays safe and warm. Love that city. One of my fave places in the world, most vibrant shops, restaurants, bars, galleries. Those New Yorkers will pull together and pick themselves up from this, i'm sure. Meanwhile, we're all thinking of you guys. xx

On another note, we are getting sooooo close to the launch of the New Website!! Eek! Excited! Have been photographing some GORGEOUS one off vintage pieces for the launch and we are planning to do a promotion for your first shop, so watch this space! Hope y'all like it, but do let us know what you'd like to see, what you like/dislike about it etc We will always try and and answer your emails as promptly as we can (enquiries@scarletvintage.co.uk). Meanwhile, here is a little sneak peak of one of the new (vintage!) pieces coming to the site....

CFDA/Vogue

Well, this week saw the outing of fashion savvy celebs at the CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund event at Chateau Marmont and later Bouchon.

There was a plethora of lovely ladies (and gents, hello Mr Beckham...) in attendance. Out very own VB was dressed in one her own creations, a little tennis style outfit in all white (only the uber-rich can wear all white without worrying about grubbiness and dry cleaning bills). She was joined in the evening by the high priestess of fashion, Ms Wintour, who must have a portrait in an attic somewhere, because she never seems to age.

Earlier in the day at Marmont, January Jones was one of the best dressed in a very vintage looking jump suit whilst cosying up to James Marsden. C'mon, who doesn't love pockets!

Perfectly relaxed, but chic look for an afternoon's party/meeting. LOVE. 

Winter draws on....

Phew, it is feeeeeeeerrrreeeeeeezing out there! I can feel snow in the air! And it sort of came out of nowhere (well, if you don't read weather forecasts...) So of course, I have no proper winter clothes out of storage. Luckily, if you are in the same predicament, we have some stonking vintage coats and capes in at the moment. My favourite is obviously the sable and astrakhan that has been gracing our mannequin all week. The type of coat that would have been a favourite with Ginger Rogers, i'm sure. It has just the right amount of Hollywood glamour and practicality to fit that particular leading lady. Here is a pic of said coat, expertly captured by super bloggers indiebath.wordpress.com

If the high end glamour of the above doesn't float your boat, how about an insanely practical cape? We have a number of different styles and lengths to suit. A long black velvet cape, a short brown capelet or a black with flame red lining, mid length. 

And if your other extremities are feeling the cold, we have a plethora of gloves just in-pretty much name your colour/fabric etc and we will have it. And they are a bargainluscious £10-£15 a pair, what's not to love?

So, there you have it. This Winter wind will not get the best of us if we have some vintage lovliness to snuggle into! 

Bond Girl... (I wish!)

Well, yesterday saw the opening of the 23rd Bond movie and I for one cannot WAIT to see it. This is Daniel Craig's third outing as the charismatic, yet "blunt", Bond and, by all accounts he is really hitting his stride with the character. Those naysayers that waxed lyrical about the fact he was "too blond" to ever play the role successfully must surely have their words served to them on a plate now.

Looking at the offerings on the carpet, we had a real mix of fortunes; Craig was impeccable (as always-yep, *slightly* biased), his new Bond Girl Berenice Marlohe really knocked it out of the park, IMHO, in her scarlet Westwood. Classic Vivienne, worn with minimal embellishment and heavy, smoky eyes. Go to the top of the class, Ms Marlohe. Good choice of colour too...
Next up was Naomie Harris in the finale dress from the 2012 Marios Schwab runway. If i'm honest, this didn't seem to have the impact that the Westwood did. It somehow seemed a little, dare we say, casual? I'm not sure how, being full length, with black chiffon and sequins, but there you go.

Shame, because she looked amazing appearing in the film in this classic Amanda Wakeley dress that we found on Vogue.co.uk. It had far more of the old school glamour about it, which of course we are going to LOVE...

In fact this dress did remind us of a few of our own golden gowns in store, along with some stunning vintage furs, that would satisfy the tastes of any Bond Girl worth her Walther PPK....  

It's Dior, Darling!

Continuing on the theme of fabulous new pieces in this week, I bring you...ta-dah! A vintage Christian Dior beaded evening top. Absolutely love this piece. Would work perfectly with slim black cigarette pants or skinny jeans, a la Ms Moss. The bugle beading around the bottom of the top catches the light and all those sequins just shimmer in the light. If you are looking for a perfect Christmas top (pop it in your bag and then throw it on over your work trousers, voila! Christmas office party ready! This is also lined with silk chiffon, so it won't scratch against your skin. It is around a size 8/10, depending on how you wear it and is priced at £185.

Whilst we are still on the Dior theme, how about this little beauty that came in a little while ago and is currently residing in our window. The original Dior saddle bag, created in 1999 as one of the first cult bags by John Galliano, this is a little piece of (recent) fashion history. Complete with all it's accoutrements (Dior logo key chain etc) it's a great size and in pretty good condition considering how well loved it was by the previous owner. We have it priced at £200.

J'adore Dior! 

Gorgeous Designer Gowns Galore!

As I am here, thought i'd start to post a few things that came in recently that have yet to make it to the shop floor, but will be getting there soon. 

First up today, a ST-HUH-UNNNING Jonathan Saunders rainbow gown;

(photo courtesy of Vogue.co.uk)

Gosh, this is just darn amazing. This really is one of those, "Who's that girl.." dresses. It appeared on the catwalk for Saunders Autumn/Winter 2007/8 collection (http://www.jonathan-saunders.com/collections-archive-aw0708.html) It was also used for the opening of Lulu&Co, under the Fashion East umbrella (the boutique that champions up and coming new designers). Saunders is one of Lulu Kennedy's success stories, hence why she chose to bring him in. He was part of the capsule collection of hand picked designer dresses at Lulu&Co in Harvey Nichols. Here she is in the dress with George Lamb at the launch night in October last year.

(photo courtesy of www.thetrendboutique.co.uk)

Created to really make an entrance, this dress is super dramatic, and was originally meant as a catwalk gown. Being 100% silk means it is not only spectacular, but comfortable and cool as well. You can't see it from the picture, but the main dress is panelled with satin pieces and the sleeves are cuffed with the same. I think this may have been worn once, but no more than that. It is in amazing condition. This would have retailed at over £1000 and is a size 10/12. We have priced it at £480.

Jumpsuits, baby...

Love it when one of my fashion idols starts rocking a look that we are stocking in Scarlet! When Rachel Zoe launched her "major Must Have's" range at Jockey today, she chose a black lace maxi dress, but when spotted earlier in the day, she was rocking a black, sleeveless jumpsuit. I think this may be from her own range, the Edith and retails around $500. 

But hey! You don't have to travel to the states and fork out all those spondoolicks when Scarlet has one in stock for a FRACTION of that price! (£45 squid to be precise) Voila!

Werk it like Zoe with some ankle breakingly high heels and some colour pop accessories. Sooo relaxed and sexy for a night out. A sort of version of le smoking for 2012. Perfect! xx 

Long time, no see...

Gah, been ages since I have done me any blogging and sooo much has happened! Here at Scarlet Towers we are gearing up to the imminent relaunch of the website-very exciting! Have to get as much as I possibly can photographed, measured and described in time for the relaunch. Also had some AMAZING things brought into the shop to sell. I'm talking as old as the 1860's dress, or the 1920's day dress and, in the designer section, lots of stunning Leonard of Paris, Jonathan Saunders, Armani, Balenciaga and Lanvin-eek! All to be put on the site when it goes live-so stay tuned!

Been loving the pics of Vic Beckham at 31 Rue Cambon (the lucky so and so...) Admittedly a petite peu of air brushing went on, i'm sure, but the pics are very pretty nontheless!

Who can blame Vicky for loving a bit of  Coco? A teensy bit of Chanel is enough to brighten anyone's day, non...? 

Oo, look what we found in the shop....xxx

Private Vintage Fabulousness!

Well, it's been a while since I blogged, so many apologies! But it's been busy at Scarlet Towers! Those of you lucky enough to get a ticket to our Private Vintage Club in April (see above pic) will have witnessed at first hand the fruits of our work-and we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did! It truly was a fab night with our glamorous guests being treated to champagne, nibbles, stunning lingerie and gawjus vintage from Hannah Dulcie (www.hannahdulcie.co.uk) and ourselves. Even though the British weather did it's best to put everyone off, Opa was still packed to the rafters (we even had two ducks come up from the river hoping to get in!). 

The models were the epitome of professionalism and gorgeousness and the venue (www.opabath.com) was utterly perfect. We of course also were honoured to be helped by the fabulously creative Artizan Hair (www.artizan.co.uk) and the ridiculously talented Sophie Bee make up artist. And also along for the ride this time was Re:treat massage therapy (www.saltyourselfout.co.uk) and Hot to Pop popcorn! With the addition of the Little Theatre's usherettes to hand out the half time canapes, we had ourselves some amazing collaborators! Have a look at the photos at  http://www.hammondsphotography.com/  And, hey, as soon as we have caught up on sleep, we shall be seriously considering the next event, so watch this space...

Oscars, London Fashion Week and Bath in Fashion!

Its that funny trans-seasonal time isn't it? Lucky we have London Fashion Week and the Oscars to pull us out of the dolldrums with their eclectic, eccentric mix of fashion and frivolity! Its putting me in the mood for Bath in Fashion, which this year looks like it is going to be so much bigger and better than it ever has been. With the likes of Stephen Jones, Manolo Blahnik and Barabara Hulanicki, Bath is certainly going to be buzzing with celebrities come March! Have a look at the site here www.bathinfashion.co.uk for more info and tickets. We are also super excited at the prospect of the first Vintage Sunday that will be rounding off Bath in Fashion. Of course we are going to be involved in the shenanigans, and more info can be found here http://www.bathinfashion.co.uk/whats-on/sunday-1-april/vintage-sunday-the-secret-tea-party.html

After all of this, we are in the planning stages of the next Private Vintage Club, due to take place at the end of April in a highly secret location in the centre of Bath! We're getting volunteers on board to add some extra bits of "excitement" to the proceedings-so be sure to snaffle some tickets as soon as they come out, they're sure to go very quickly! (last time we had to turn people away!)

So, whilst February maybe a little on the grey side-we have LOTS to look forward to in Spring! So lets, prepare for when we can leave our burrows, squint at the sky and say...I think 2012 is going to be a pretty cool year.