Another fancy manor!

On sunday we visited Packwood house which is local to us and we actually managed to get a bit of sun! It was funny walking round because the people thought I had got dressed up for the visit, like when your in first school and you dress as victorians or something! 

"The house is originally 16th-century, yet its interiors were extensively restored between the world wars by Graham Baron Ash to create a fascinating 20th-century evocation of domestic Tudor architecture.Packwood House contains a fine collection of 16th-century textiles and furniture, and the gardens have renowned herbaceous borders and a famous collection of yews."

 http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/packwood-house/

Below are interior photos I took, I wasn't allowed to use the flash so they are a bit blurry but do show just how well kept the house is, it's full of so much and looks like you've stepped back in time.

So here's the outfit, I love wearing a jumper with a shirt collar poking out, can't shake being smart :) This outfit was put together because I'd just bought this jumper from the sunday car boot so I wanted to work out what works and what doesn't. Also this hat was bought from the car boot, it's a man's hat and I think the sellers thought I was slightly weird wanting to buy a man's hat but I love it and I don't think you can tell or would notice. 

Hat: 50p Carboot

Jumper: £1 Carboot

Shirt: £2.99 Charity shop

Brooch: £2 Charity shop

Handbag: £10 Echo vintage clothing

Skirt: £2.50 Charity shop 

Shoes: £6 Charity shop

Doing a dodgey wave!

This was weird but cool, I loved the fabrics on the doll and the styling, but it was so realistic.

Around the house were a lot of textiles, there were a total mix of cultural and ethnic prints/weaves/fabrics, japanese inspired prints were on furniture and walls alongside traditional english fabrics so it was a lovely mix. 

Oh and also if you're into car boots on a bank holiday they run on the Monday too, so two early mornings in a row, but it's worth it! 

Thanks for reading, 

Forties Faux Fringe

My John Lennon sunglasses! I bought them off Ebay, the lenses are usually too small to wear with my usual wear as they don't look right but with a forties look they work really well. I saw on youtube how to do this faux fringe ages ago but only recently decided to give it a go as I'm trying out new styles, I get bored of my hair really quickly!

Oh have I mentioned about this brilliant dress! I found it in Bromsgrove and managed to get it for £5.99. It is in a forties style and it does appear to be old and hand made, so I hope it is from decades ago! It needed a bit of repair and altering in areas but everything was fixable.

The back has a buttoned fastening, with matching buttons on the cuffs. At the back on the waistline I created an inverted pleat to bring in the waist and I top stitched the top part down. 

1940's Hairstyles

I love the hairstyles from this period, they always had some sort of roll or scarf that features on the top of the head that draw the hair away from the face to highlight cheek-bones and lips.

Round Sunnie's

I love this photo! The sunglasses are bold and stand out, the glasses are similar to mine in terms of shape but I wish I had these.

Dress patterns from the 1940's

Just wanted to share these brilliant patterns I found to show the shapes and silhouettes that were common in the 1940's, I found by looking at old patterns it's easier to identify when a style of dress would be from.

1940's film advertisements

McQ A/W 12-13

This hair reminds me of my little fringe roll but in a high fashion extreme way! It's the same sort of thing by wrapping the hair around a hair donut but on a grander scale. 

This collection featured war inspired shapes with oversized military colouring in the coats and jackets, then followed by high waisted early 1950's dresses. This silhouette was a response to the war ending, the newly found freedom and joy that the war was over, this shape was very much introduced by arguably Christian Dior's most important collection 'Dior's new look.'

 I think the make-up is very clever as it adds a shadow onto to eye, then the hair creates a shadow so the eyes appear darker on the runway.

Thanks for reading,

Highclere Castle AKA Downtown Abbey!

On monday my family and I went to Highclere castle and it was so worth the hour and a half drive! We weren't allowed to take photos of the interior but it was just incredible. It made me even more excited for Downtown to start back up again! I decided to wear my Laura Ashley dress with a sweater over the top and a wicker handbag, which I think is actually a small pinic hamper for a girl to play with her bears and dolls :)

This was taken just before we entered the house tour, this is my sister Helen who's really into fashion too and this is one of the car boot dresses I picked up, I shortened the hem to give it a 60's look. I love it on her! We all had such a good day and so many photos were taken so it was hard narrowing them all down.

Jumper: £3 Charity shop

Wicker handbag: £2.99 Charity shop

Sunglasses: £2.99 H&M

Shoes: £24.99 H&M

Dress: £4 Charity shop

What you've all been waiting for, inside of the bag! :)

This was a scene in Downtown Abbey, when the solider pretended to be their long lost cousin........

GIFT SHOP

It was full of Downtown memorabilia but I took photos of my favourite things, The top left picture is a replica jewellery box, then a sewing mouse which you stick your pins into and hold a cotton reel on the tail! Bottom left are copies of the history of Downtown and lastly a really cute vintage style wall hanging!

Thanks for reading, 

Brick by brick.

So this is what I decided to wear yesterday, un-aware of the blazing heat that would creep up! By the afternoon I was boiling! So I'll be saving this outfit for the Autumn I think :)

My eyes are a little squinted here!

Dress: £5 Charity shop

Scarf: £1.50 Charity shop

Necklace: £15 Topshop

Belt: £3 Charity shop

Handbag: £4 Charity shop  REAL LEATHER!

Shoes: Had them for ages I think they were £29.99 H&M

I hope you're all enjoying seeing what I wear, I'm not that hardcore to post my look every day but I'll try to do it regularly. Currently I'm having a massive sewing session from all the car boot things I bought today and there's alot to alter, one stall was selling vintage dresses for £3 each, so I bought 4 and he gave me a good deal, £8! But within them is a lot of work, they all have faults so I'm currently trying to work out how to move back waistbands, cut out the discoloured fabric, taking in seams, hems that need rising and repositioning darts so I've been putting my sewing to the test! One dress I've practically altered all the seams! But it's worth it when you can buy vintage that cheap.

Thanks for reading,

Secretary Smart

This is the first style post I've done in a while, probably because I'm currently living in-between houses but I've just been reunited with my wardrobes pose, pose, pose!

This look to me is a little 70's with the colours and fabrics, especially which my new hair too ;) Middle parting and waves! My mum gave my hair a trim recently, I'd rather spend that £30 on bargains in charity shops! 

I started by building this look with the shirt, this skirt was the only plain unpatterned skirt I had so it went straight on. I played with accessories till I found something that worked. I love neck ties!

Mr-Moustache.

Top: Charity shop £3.99

Scarf: Charity shop £2

Belt: My mums donation to me

Skirt: Primark £6 £3

Shoes: Office £69 £15 (such a good sale!)

Examples of how to wear a neck-tie

I love this far left shirt with the matching hat! I didn't realise at first but this shirt has the Eiffel-Tower repeated which is a unique touch. This was off a brilliant blogger site,

www.saraxcloset.com

Thanks for reading,