Emma aime ... Coco avant Chanel

My hubby and I had the pleasure of seeing Coco avant Chanel recentely. It is the story of rise from obscure beginnings to the heights of the fashion world. The movie stars the delightful Audrey Tautou whom I adore. A great biography of Chanel can be found over at Queens of Vintage.
Chanel made her name by creating outfits that were unristricting and unfussy. This was completely different from the Belle Epoque look of the time. This can be seen by the outfits that Coco (Audrey) wears in the film and I was very much inspired by Coco's sailor shirt look sported above.

To get the look bag yourself one of these Russian army naval/marine sailor stripe thsirt top. Sold by lukkybid on ebay for the bargain price of £12.99 (£5.50 postage). I'll be pairing mine up with black skinny jeans, black booties and toping the look of with a straw boater.
Happy shopping dear readers ... x

Make do and Mend: Update

Whilst browsing the net for 1940s and 50s clothes patterns I came across a fab site: Vintage Purls. The site has some great vintage patterns for you to download and try. I especially like the tie neck jumper. My knitting skills are non-existent at the moment but I will certainly be trying some of these patterns out in the future.

I also found this great blog post on Housewifery.com with Build Your Own Wardrobe to download. The book was originally published in 1943 by the American Thread Company and has some great info on making and adjusting clothing.

Happy stitching dear readers ... x

Glasses: update:

After posting a blog myself last week about my dilema vis a vis picking the right glasses I have come across a whole plethora of blogs on the subject. This delightful one by Gingey Ginge stood out. I especially love the piccy of Marilyn Munroe from 'How to Marry a Millionaire' which by happy coincidence I watched this week whilst under doctors orders to rest my back.

Make do and Mend

I've been feeling a bit down in the dumps all week after having a mole removed from my back which left me in quite a bit of pain and gave me the added fustration of not being able to bend or strech and this has left me at a loss for things to do. My melancoly was lifted somewhat by the arival of two parcels.

The first being '1940's Hairstyles & Face You Can Do' which was sent by my lovely Mummy from Blighty after chatting to her about a recent hair dilema. In these days of emails and mobiles theres something quite nostalgic about receiving a handwritten letter that I adore.
The book was compiled by Keith Scales it includes instructions on how to dress and style your own hair in many different 1940s styles together with original 1940s articles on makeup application. I will be trying out some of the styles and will bring you the results in future blogs.

The second being 'Make Do and Mend' a reprint of a leaflet issued in the war by the ministry of information that I ordere from Ebay a few weeks ago and had completely forgotten about until it arrived in my postbox. It is “A delightful reminder of the techniques for household economies extolled by the wartime government. First published in 1943, all of the tips can be used to spruce up your wardrobe today. Old fashioned remedies for everything from washing silks and mending your clothes, to replelling the 'moth menace.”

Looking through this book has made me realise just how many skills we have lost over the years. My sewing knowledge is limited to turning up hems and sewing on buttons. In todays throw away culture clothes are just not made to last therefore we lack the skills that our grandmothers and great grandmothers would have needed to 'make do and mend' in wartime. However in with recession looming and being on somewhat of a budget myself I have decided to take it upon myself to learn some of these useful skills and decided to sign up for a dressmaking and knitting course. In future blogs I will bring news of my mission to 'make do and mend' so stay posted.

Emma aime ... Faster Pussycat

I adore these Pussycat Cardigans by Faster Pussycat however being on a budget I dont have $89usd to spend on knitwear so I had a go at creating my own customised knitwear. I got these cardigans on sale at SES for $6.99 each and found the cute patches being sold by Ozzie Gold Digger on ebay for $7.50 each. So for just $14.49 per cardigan I have these cute winter woolies. I think thats a bargain!
How do you like them dear readers?... x

New Glasses ... the Perpetual Dilemma of Style vs Praticality

I picked up my new glasses today, a week after my initial appointment. Having forgotten what actual frames I'd decided on in the end I was both pleased and disappointed with the results. Pleased that I had gone for a style and colour that were practical and suited me. However I was also a little disappointed that I didn't stick to my guns and go for the bright red 50s style cat eye glasses I first decided I wanted before having set foot in the opticians.

In hindsight I think I made a hasty decision. Maybe I should have taken longer to pick my frames. I think I may have got swept along in the optician whirlwind of here's your prescription lets pick some frames. Not that the optician is to blame you understand. I was quite aware of here gently guiding me towards the more expensive frames with a subtly persuasive sale technique.

In truth I am more disappointed with myself than my actual purchase. The fact that yet again I did not speak out for myself. I did not just say thanks but I cant see frames of the style I really want. I'm annoyed that I once again did not go for the style that made a statement and settled for practicalities. Yes there is sense in being practical but sometimes its just a little... well... boring.

By some stroke of serendipity whilst catching up with one of my favourite blogs Chic and Charming I noticed the links for these fabulous posts by Already Pretty and You Look Fab. They both offer great advice about picking your frames. Its just unfortunate that I did not find these before I picked my glasses but there's always next time! I certainly will follow their advice in teh future definately in regard to taking pictures wearing certain frames and sleeping on your decision.

In the meantime I will try out my new glasses with some of my 1940s and 1950s inspired outfits that I love and see how it works out

...watch this space dear readers ... x

Emma aime...bowling

The hubby and I went bowling with a few friends this weekend which gave me the dilemma of what to wear. I needed something both practical and stylish so decided to draw my inspiration from the divine Jayne Mansfield.

To me bowling always conjures images of the 1950's and rock and roll. So I adore this set on polyvore. I especially like the poodle skirt by Rock n Roll Dancewear. They also have a great range of bowling shirts. Check them out here.

The 50s by a l i c i a♥ gotta.find.you. featuring Balenciaga bags

Needless to say in the end I went for my denim pedal pushers and self customised black cardigan with 50s swallows. I topped the outfit off with red cats eye sunglasses and a red chiffon scarf for my ponytail. I will bring pics of this look in future posts.

Prepare to be bowled over dear readers ... x