September Edition by Lucy Mckee

INTRODUCTION

Important info

Hello from your editor

Publisher: The Vintage Rag Mag

Editor:

STYLE R E M M U ES VINTAG

Lucy McKee info@thevintageragmag. com

Advertising:

CY ITOR, LU YOUR ED

Lucy McKee adverts@thevintagerag mag.com 0790 819 6927

Website:

www.thevintageragmag. com

Photographs

Josh Bolland - JB Cole, Lola Rose Photography, Susanna Guidone- A Room In My House, Chris Wells, Peekaboo Vintage Disclaimer: The Vintage Rag Mag is an independant publication which is published by The Vintage Rag Mag. Opinions expressed by contributors do not always represent the views of The Vintage Rag Mag. The Vintage Rag Mag is protected by copyright and may not be reproduced in any way. The Vintage Rag Mag are not responsible for any claims, services or goods that are advertised in this publication.

ENS UTY QUE THE BEA LAURA GINA &

R ILLIE PIPE GIRL - B R E V O C BOO F PEEKA O Y S O T COUR E VINTAG

Welcome to the second issue of The Vintage Rag Mag. I am very excited to bring you all the second issue and I wanted to say a big thank you for all the help and support I have received with the first two issues. Plus all the lovely comments I have had from you the readers on facebook and through email. I would like to say a big thank you to a number of people who made this issue possible with their help and support. Susanna & Cristina, A Room In My House Ltd, Everyone at JB Cole Ltd and CP Media plus Emily Morris, part of The Vintage Rag Mag team and my family. I would love to know your thought. If you would like to leave us some feedback or follow our next steps then find us on Facebook: The Vintage Rag Mag. Until next month,

Lucy x

Your Editor

CONTENTS WHATS INSTORE FOR YOU IN THE SECOND ISSUE OF THE VINTAGE RAG MAG...

Sixties Fashion and Style plus a photoshoot by Love Alexandra & A Room In My House Ltd.

THE BEAUTY QUEENS

BILLIE PIPER

MEN’S VINTAGE FASHION

Billie Piper Does A Photoshoot For Peekaboo Vintage.

“I’ve always had a crush on vintage. It makes dressing up feel so much more eventful. Clothes with a story, a past is exciting in my mind. One off pieces from another era, it just feels special. “

Recreate The Beauty Queens Sixties Hair & Make-Up Look.

Our Men’s Vintage Fashion Favourites.

SAM GREENBERG VINTAGE

NANA KNEALE’S RECIPE

VINTAGE FAIR REVIEWS

Billie Piper...

WOMEN’S VINTAGE FASHION

A Photoshoot and Article on Men’s Vintage Fashion By Sam Greenberg Vintage

Nana Kneale’s Sausage & Onion Pie Recipe.

Five Reviews Of Different Vintage Fairs & Events Around The Country.

LIFE AT BETTY BEE TOWERS Betty Bee Tells Us All How To Make A Right Display Of Ourselves.

23 33 20

Loves

’S WOMEN

STYLE R E M M E SU VINTAG

A Room In My House Ltd 1960’s Caramel lace jacket - £40 www.aroominmyhouse.com DOLLY VINTAGE Carpet Travel Bag by Jane Shilton £14.99 www.dollyvintage.com

Photoshoot by Love Alexanda & A Room In My House Ltd.

VINTAZIA VINTAGe 1960’s Shift dress £65 Info@vintazia.co.uk

A Room In My House Ltd www.aroominmyhouse.co.uk Striped Shirt - £10 Turqouise A Line Skirt - £16 Love Alexandra Vintage www.lovealexandra.com White 60’s Blouse - £18 Green & Gold Belt - £6 Yellow A Line Skirt - £16 White Cotton Handbag - £5

DOLLY VINTAGE Mustard Suede Pumps by St Micheal £24.99 www.dollyvintage.com LOVE ALEXANDRA 1960’s FLORAL SMOCK DRESS £22 www.lovealexandra.com

Photography - Chris Wells Make Up - Sara Clark Styling - Susanna Guidone

A Room In My House Ltd 1990’s italian leather satchel £30 www.aroominmyhouse.com

TOWN O T N I K GS BAC N I W S E L better! Whilst the 60’s STY e i thought of all that backn By An With Autumn/Winter 2011 fast approaching we begin to think about our winter wadrobes. Retailers have begun swapping their summer dresses for sale rails and exchanging itsy bitsy hotpants for floor length flares and peg-leg trousers. The 1960s Revival is one that was seen splashed over Catwalks in the fashion capitals and has really kicked off in London and New York, with designers at London Fashion Week referring to the swinging 60s and showcasing rainbow colours along with black and white – monochrome combos. Using tweeds and checks and block colour for this season’s trends. The era represents originality and represented an ever growing youth culture when London was buzzing with idea and inspiration. As vintage fans, many of us will already be rocking this look or at least will already have experimented with a bit of 60s styling. The 60s mod move-

ment already has a huge underground culture and a dedicated mob behind it. The look is dramatic, so opt for bold colours, such as greens, purples and mustards in dual and neon tones. Contrasting colours work well for this look.

es hift dress s e g a t in “V ts high boo e e n k d an to look are items ” out for No mod girl is complete without the mini skirt and Vintage shift dresses and knee-high boots are items to look out for. The classic shift dress is key and is a versatile item that can easily transfer from day wear to night time. Accessory wise, 60s Kelly handbags and mini shoulder bags are key items as are gloves and tights in playful colours (go for white for the authentic look). The beehive is the ultimate 60s style statement for the coming season, and the bigger the

combing and worst still, all that combing it out, may fill you with fear, there are many cheats to avoid this such as bumpits and tutorials online. Personally I found a fantastic tutorial on youtube under the search ‘classic beehive’ which provides a 5 minute step-by-step foolproof guide to the perfect hive! Add to the mix big hair and invest in good liquid eyeliner for those 60sesque dramatic eyes. Take inspiration from the likes of Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton and leave lips pale and skin nude. You won’t need to look far to achieve this look. Not only are the high streets full to the brim of 60s repros, the vintage market is stocked up with 60s clothing and accessories with some dealers specialising in the era. A trip to your local vintage fair or online stores and ebay will have you kitted out in this season’s hottest vintage quicker than you can say Austin Powers! Annie xx

Photography - Chris Wells Make Up - Sara Clark Styling - Susanna Guidone

Photoshoot by Love Alexanda & A Room In My House Ltd. A Room In My House Ltd www.aroominmyhouse.co.uk Beige Chino Shorts - £15 Black Beads - £10 Love Alexandra Vintage www.lovealexandra.com Mustard Turtle Neck - £18 Purple Suede Mini Skirt - £20 Blue and Yellow Scarf - £3 Purple Suede Waistcoat- £28

Bold Prints

loves blouses Always tuck bold printed blouses in. This makes for a sharper and more polished look.

Pale Colours

Knot the blouse at the waist for a take on 50’s style.

Pale coloured blouses can be sheer and may be see through. For an edgy style wear your blouse over a black bra. For a less edgy look try a nude camisole instead.

Bright Colours

Love Alexandra Vintage Floral Print Blouse Size 10 £18 www.lovealexandra.com

Love Alexandra Vintage Safari Style Blouse Size 14 £18 www.lovealexandra.com

Bright colours are best worn oversized. Pick a blouse with a loose fit going up a size from your usual size.

This adds to the masculine feel of the outfit.

Love Alexandra Vintage Cut Out JFW Blouse Size 14 / 16 £16 www.lovealexandra.com

NOW FOR THE MAKE UP

TION C U D O R AN INT “The Beauty Queens” are a professional make-up events team, providing make-up application, nail art and hairstyling services at events, parties, festivals, vintage fairs and much, much more! Formed by Gina Dowle and Laura Hunt, who are two freelance make-up and hair artists thriving in the industry. Between them, they have worked on a variety of projects throughout film, tv, commercials, fashion, beauty shoots, bridal and music videos. “ We want to bring our expert advice and knowledge to clients, providing a service where they can have make-up applied and hairstyles created. We work with models, actors, actresses, bands and singers on a daily basis and want to bring to you what we bring to them - a chance to be pampered and to feel like a queen! (or king!)”

HOW YOU CAN GET THIS BEAUTIFUL 60’S LOOK Section off the crown of hair. Using a tail comb, backcomb the hair (lots!) and spray. Wait for a few seconds for the hairspray to hold and then comb the hair quite smoothly- enough so the backcombing can be disguised but not so much so the height gets brushed out. With the same section of hair, twist the ends together and secure it with grips so you have created a half-up/half-down style. Smooth the front sections of hair and then pull them round the back. Secure with grips. Spray any stray hairs down with hairspray and add any more grips if the style doesn’t feel secure enough. And there you have it, a 1960s beehive!

- Prep the skin by cleansing, toning and moisturising. This creates a great base to start the make-up application on. The Beauty Queens love all things Dermalogica when it comes to skincare. - Apply foundation and concealer to the necessary areas. If you have any freckles, it may be a good idea to use a heavier foundation to cover them up at this stage- you’ll see why later! Bobbi Brown have great foundations and the beauty of them is that you can build up the coverage without it looking too cakey. - On the eyelids, brush over a pale colour (it could be nude or even white!) and then in the socket line, fill in with either a dark grey or black eyeshadow. - Revlon eyeshadows are great as they have great pigment and are very reasonable in price. Look out for the quad sets of eyeshadows you can buy on the highstreet. The look in the 1960s was to have quite a stark line in the socket so no blending is needed once you have positioned this line- even though you may think it looks a bit odd! - Add strong black liquid eyeliner on the top level of lashes and also on your bottom set but not in your water line, make sure the line wiggles throughout your natural lashes or just underneath. A fave of ours is Bobbi Brown’s black gel liner. Although you will have to buy a good quality eyeliner brush to go with it, the two products will last for ages. - A trick to make your eyes look huge (and very much like Twiggy’s) is to get a white eye pencil and apply it all along your water line. MAC do a great one which glides on really easily. - Apply mascara to your natural lashes. Now apply a set of strip lashes along the top of your lashes. To get a true 1960s look, apply another set of strip lashes upside-down on your bottom set of lashes. This can be a little fiddly but a good tip is to apply the glue directly to the strip lashes and wait 30 seconds before trying to attach the lashes. The glue should have become tacky and is much easier to position. Eyelure do an amazing selection of lashes and these can be found easily in boots or Superdrug. Why not play around and have different lashes on your bottom lashes from your top?? If you are careful, your strip lashes can be used 4 or 5 times before you need to throw them away. But never share lashes with your friends as eye infections can easily be spread and can be very painful! - A trend back in the 1960s was to draw on fake freckles. This can be done really easily by using a brown eyeliner pencil. Put little clusters on your cheekbones. I used Dior eyeliner pencil in Brown. - Lips have to be very nude or baby pink. Line the lips with a pencil the same shade as your lippy and then using a lip brush, fill in the lips with the lipstick. Using a lip brush will make your lipstick last longer as it gets the lipstick right in the cracks of your lips. - And there you have it- a typical 1960s make-up!

If you would like to book The Beauty Queens for an event then please email us on: enquiries@thebeautyqueens.co.uk Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @QueensOfMakeup and find us on Facebook Hair & Make-Up by Gina & Laura from The Beauty Queens Photography by www.chantalstorrsbarbor.com

introduces you to peekaboo vintages new ganton store

Peekaboo Vintage – the brand favored by die hard vintage lovers, the hottest celebrities and style queens is proud to announce the launch of its first standalone store on Ganton Street, W1. In the heart of Carnaby Street’s shopping quarter, the boutique will boast the very best selection from Peekaboo’s eclectic mix of stunning vintage finds. Classic, to die for Ossie Clark inspired pieces sit alongside must-have Chanel style quilted bags and Terry De Havilland look killer shoes, to bring the Vintage style vixen the very best.

Courtesy of Peekaboo Vintage www.peekaboovintage.com

‘I’ve always had a crush campaign and who on vintage. It makes knows what the future dressing up feel so much has in store’ says Billie more eventful. Clothes Piper with a story, a past is exciting in my mind. One For over ten years off pieces from another Peekaboo Vintage has era, it just feels special. become renowned I met Emily and amongst vintage lovers To celebrate the launch Peekaboo through work and the style set as the of their very first stand and our friendship has only place to go for alone store, Peekaboo developed over the years; unique, show stopping Vintage fan and close very beneficial for my pieces which are truly friend of Emily and wardrobe. Emily started original and luxurious. Michael; Billie Piper to dress me for various was only too happy to occasions, award shows Opened in June 2011 the take time out and show and various shoots and Peekaboo store is a huge us how to wow us in now its a love affair with hit and will be the best vintage. From coy and vintage. I can’t new addition to your demure in a 70’s sheer imagine a party without Little Black Book…. flowing floral dress to an Ossie or a vintage Peekaboo, 2 Ganton screen siren in an eyeBiba. She sources the Street, W1 catching red bell sleeve most delicious stuff and it dress and red hot lips, 020 7434 4142 just keeps coming. We’re she portrays Peekaboo www.peekaboovintage. excited about working effortlessly. com together on this A 10% off code will be offered to those who ‘like’ the Peekaboo Vintage Facebook page.

Courtesy of Peekaboo Vintage www.peekaboovintage.com

U TO O Y S E C INTRODU F CARPET MADE O What is a carpet bag? Originally sturdy holdall for Victorian travellers, this forgotten accessory of elegantly dressed ladies has been patiently waiting for renaissance. Designer Irina Bragin has now created a collection that immediately takes us back to the romance of Victorian times. Irina Bragin, the designer of the collection, was born behind the Iron Curtain and has since lived in six countries on three continents.

made not from a cheap tapestry or a thin velvety throw, but from thick woven viscose Oriental rugs with 7.5mm pile length.

The multicultural diversity has been reflected in her collection which combines Byzantine fanciful intricacy and Mediterranean sunshine with English reserve and precise lines of the Northern Neo-Gothic.

These bags are soft and silky but at the same time thick and firm and this makes them look and feel full bodied and luxurious (they have to be – they are made as carpets!)

Unlike most other ‘carpet’ bags available for sale all around the globe, Irina’s bags are the real thing

These bags will become friends, durable (made in the European Union), robust, discreetly capacious and with a little hint of a colourful past.

www.madeofcarpet.com

Loves

TAGE N I V S ’ N ME FASHION

ROKIT Brown Leather Deck Shoes £35 www.rokit.co.uk

Tags Tags

ATOM RETRO Jefferson FARAH VINTAGE Jumper £54 www.atomretro.com ROKIT Light Brown Vinyl Luggage Bag £45 www.rokit.co.uk

Tags

Tags Tags

Sam Greenberg Vintage www.samgreenbergvintage.co.uk

LOVE ALEXANDRA LEATHER BELT £3 www.lovealexandra.com

ROKIT blue and white polka dot bow tie £25 www.rokit.co.uk

dolly vintage 60’s beige skinny tie £8.99 www.dollyvintage.com

n and a m e h t Meet Sam t a g a b his tage n i V g r e Greenb Sam Greenberg is fast becoming a household name when it comes to vintage clothing. With a legacy of shops around Shoreditch and Soho, and a long established concession space in Topman Oxford Circus, Sam is becoming quite the man on freshly famed ASOS Marketplace.

Sam Greenberg Vintage www.samgreenbergvintage.co.uk

Holding a top 10 spot, out of 160 boutiques, Sam’s metro street styling of pre-loved, golden oldie threads, makes Marketplace the platform for its cool, hand-picked vintage finds. With Autumn colourfully upon us, we can look forward to a nice glass of red, and a quick getaway. The launch of Sam’s

Autumn/Winter bag collection on ASOS Marketplace and in Topman Oxford Circus, introduces a range of luggage in a mix of sizes, shapes and styles. From 50s Madmen leather briefcases to 70s adidas holdalls to Aztec patterned backpacks. These are certainly for the guys looking for an object of everyone’s desire, and hush-hush for the girls too. Launching this month Sam Greenberg Premium is a touch of class with many high

end labels such as; YSL, Burberry, and Brooks Brothers to name a few. Wearing something with a historical background has always been a conversation starter, but the rise of Sam Greenberg Premium pushes haute couture up next to cute casuals at Topman Oxford Circus. It’s time to treat yourselves gents. www.samgreenbergvintage..co.uk info@samgreenbergvintage.co.uk

can n a m o “...any w her inner e embrac yn Monroe” Maril

OU TO OUT FRANCES Y S E C U AB INTROD FRANTIC

Frantic About Frances, Handmade Frivolities is a lingerie label that is fun, quirky, vintage-inspired and made for every woman to unleash her inner pin-up girl. Pretty panties are the main specialty of this retro-inspired label, be it a whisper of chiffon or lace adorning the derrière, or bright and quirky strawberry printed cotton that suggests 1950’s playfulness, you can be sure to find a piece to suit every taste and occasion. Frantic About Frances specialises in pretty decorated knickers, can-can ruffled shorties, Victorian style bloomers, bra tops, hand-dyed camisoles and cheeky thongs. The ethos of this label is to make women feel like stars of the silver screen, no matter what size or age; any woman can embrace her inner Marilyn Monroe or Rita Hayworth with this lovely lingerie.

Frantic About Frances was set up by Jenny Mearns. She says, ‘I started designing and making lingerie, after a stint of health problems, which left me indoors recovering. During this time, I began sketching and developing patterns for knickers, and I realised that I was really enjoying the whole designing and making process. After I became strong enough to go out, I began selling my lingerie at local car boot

sales. I then realised that people were interested in my designs, so I decided to get in touch with The Prince’s Trust to help me turn my hobby into a business.’ Jenny has training in costume design and construction, she graduated from The Arts Institute at Bournemouth in 2007 with a degree in Costume for the Screen and Stage. She spent a stint working in London as a stylist, and then moved to the sunny shores of Brighton, where she worked in a lingerie boutique. During her time at the lingerie boutique, Jenny noticed that lingerie seemed to have a ‘taboo’ attached to it, and women felt that they had to justify why they wanted to buy lingerie. ‘I want my label to dispel the myth that women should justify their femininity, if you are female, then celebrate that! Be feminine and sexy because you want you to be! I aimed to make Frantic About Frances lingerie playful, light-hearted and most of all.. FUN!’ Recently, Jenny has worked with The Broken Hearts DJ’s designing and making costumes for them. The Broken Hearts are darlings of the retro DJ scene, and have their own radio show on Jazz FM. They were recently chosen to DJ by Lily at the opening launch of

Lily Allen’s vintage clothing boutique, Lucy in Disguise.

Fancy a bit of Frantic About Frances? You can purchase her lingerie at: The Frantic About Frances Ebay shop: http://stores. ebay.co.uk/Frantic-AboutFrances Check out the website at www.franticaboutfrances. co.uk for other stockists. Facebook: Frantic About Frances

(Top) ‘Ring of Roses’ set Knickers £18 Bralette Top £18 (Bottom) ‘Something Blue’ Bridal Knickers £42

NANA KNEALE’S RECIPE (left) Freda aka Nana Kneale in 1950

“I used to serve this for ‘high tea‘ on Sundays when I was first married in the 50’s”

Pastry: 8oz Plain Flour 8oz Margarine 8oz Lard Pinch of Salt 3 tablespoons of water

n Pie Filling: o i n O & 1 lb of Sausage Meat Sausage

1 Onion Finely Chopped Level Teaspoon Mixed Herbs Egg for Glazing Salt and Pepper Mix flour and salt in a basin and rub in the lard and margarine with fingertips to form breadcrumbs. Using a knife cut and stir. Mix with cold water to form a stiff paste. Turn dough onto a floured board or worktop. Made with a 7inch pie dish - Serves 4.

E STEP ON

STEP TWO

Roll out 2 / 3 of pastry and line the base of the pie dish.

EE STEP THR Mix the meat, onions and herbs together with your hands to form a ball. Place in the pie dish and spread out. Season with salt and pepper.

R STEP FOU Dampen edges of the pastry with water and roll out the remaining pastry to form a lid. Place on top, trim and crimp the edges. Glaze the top with a beaten egg.

E STEP FIV Bake in the centre of the oven, gas mark 6. 200 degrees / 190 degrees for a fan oven, for approx 40 minutes until golden brown.

The Vintage & Handmade Textile Fair ~

1 October 2011 st

Chipping Sodbury Town Hall South Gloucestershire, BS37 6AD 10 a.m – 4.00 p.m ~ Over 45 stalls of Vintage Textiles Haberdashery, Fashion, Millinery Jewellery, Knitting, French Linens Brocante and much more! Popular Vintage Tea Room ~ Free Admission

intage V p U p The Po stead p m a H Fair in Pop Up Vintage Fairs London hold a monthly vintage fair at two different venues, both in the bustling high streets of Hampstead & Belsize Park, NW London bringing the wonders of vintage to this stylish location. The Hampstead Town Hall is the location for their next vintage fair on September 18th, however their Summer Vintage Fair was held at St Stephen’s Rosslyn Hill a beautiful Grade I listed decommissioned church.

The inside of this old church was breathtaking with its high oak-beamed ceiling, gothic windows and the stone pillars adorned with sparkling fairy lights. As if the interior wasn’t enough, the space was filled with a fabulous array of vintage stalls selling designer and affordable fashion, amazing vintage homeware, antiques, vintage vinyl, film posters, retro homeware, and so much more. We took our time browsing all the stalls to make sure we didn’t miss any vintage treasures.

visited...

We had been reliably informed that celebrity spotting occurs at Pop Up Vintage Fairs in Hampstead as local celebrities are known to pop in for a spot of retail therapy. At their first fair in May, Will Young spent the day helping out on his friend’s stall to the delight of stallholders and visitors alike. Well you can imagine our excitement when we spotted Ricky Gervais browsing the stalls at St Stephen’s. He even managed to stop for a few photos and left with several carrier bags full of vintage bargains and antiques. After all the excitement and having shopped til we dropped we decided to spoil ourselves with a vintage retro makeover at the beauty parlour. With our hair pincurled and rolled and our makeup expertly transformed courtesy of the team from Pincurls & Pout it was time for tea. The tea rooms looked so inviting with a mouthwatering array of cupcakes and homemade cakes all

served up on vintage china. Having sat down to enjoy our afternoon tea the stage was cleared for Elle & The Pocket Belles to entertain us vintage style. This amazing group of vintage beauties sang a range of swing and jazz tunes which kept us entertained whilst we enjoyed our tea and cake! Facebook: Pop Up Vintage Fairs. Email: info@popupvintagefairs.co.uk.

visited...

Antique vs. vintage is a vintage fair quite unlike any other we’ve been to. With the first of two halls packed full of vintage fashion, featuring a nice mixture of original, rare and handmade 1920s50s vintage pieces, more retro items from the 60s & 70s and a few easy to wear, very affordable 80s pieces thrown in for good measure, as well as a selection of homewares, this fair gets off to a great start. But not content with stopping there, the organisers have included a second, equally large hall stuffed full of antiques curiosities, shabby chic homewares, on-trend painted furniture, beautiful jewellery and a whole lot more. If you ask us, bringing together vintage and antique like this is an inspired angle and one that we expect will catch on rather quickly - just re-

Antique s vs Fair in H Vintage ampstea d

member where you saw it first! In addition to all that, we really loved the affordable Victorian sweet stall which added another unique touch to the day, and the pop-up beauty parlour and alterations service which were also both also nice additions. But for us ladies, the icing on the cake was the fact that there are two proper fitting rooms by the vintage hall including nice full length mirrors! There is also talk of the organisers adding attractions such live music, a whole room dedicated to furniture and Rockabetty studios joining to provide pin-up photo shoots, so we suggest you all watch this space very carefully! Just 30 minutes from Central London and nestled on the edge of rural Surrey, the venue is very easy to find and welcoming

inside. The romantic 1960s/70s theatre has wooden panelled walls and red carpeted floors, adding a little character to the Vintage Hall. With roughly 70 stalls in total, it is the biggest and best fair for miles around, so get the antique vs. vintage dates in your diary and prepare to spend a lot of time and a lot of money at this one! Here are the details you need: Next dates: September 24th, October 29th, November 26th & their big Christmas event is on December 10th Times: 10am-4pm (9am Trade) Admission: £2 (£1 with NUS) Address: Bourne Hall, Spring Street, Ewell, Epsom, Surrey KT17 1UFWebsite:www.antiquevsvintage.co.uk Telephone: 07580858929 Email: hello@antiquevsvintage.co.uk Twitter:antq_vs_vntg

visited... y Field Da uidone na G By Susan evening chill came from skinnies or the trend Tug of war on fashion. Who won?

The retro fair ground fun was in full swing, with vintage swings, the beautiful carnival horse carousel, together with tug of wars, sack races and some of the best cupcakes around London – this was going to be a good day! With an overwhelming visual delight of outfits, Field Day definitely inspires people to rock out some awesome fashion.Lady like chic went up against festival funk. Flared skirts, midi and mini, ready for jiving, were everywhere, with the old faithful denim shorts coming close behind. The tops that went with the shorts defined each outfit with some 80’s vintage sparkly numbers and sexy lace standing out the most. Midriffs were well on view across the festival peeping out from under spangley lame, rock tees, sequin crops and florals. In turn layering up for the

chunky knits, the faithful khaki army jackets, and oversized check shirts.

Accessories were bright and colourful with jewellery, bags and scarves fully embracing the block bright trends as well as coloured leathers and florals. Footwear was varied from sensible granny boots to being brave in the face of the oncoming rain with gladiator flats and trusty havianna’s. Retro fabrics were everywhere, and lady-like chic, bang on trend for summer, saw many refined ladies in knee length or longer dresses and skirts in an array of vintage patterns and the nipped in waists were belted with coloured, gold and tan belts. A vintage lovers paradise with these trends set to be key for Autumn to with colours edging towards golds, emeralds and oranges. For men, it was hard not to fall into two categories – the much loved

aware boy-shorts. Men either rocked it with retro t’s, checked or denim shirts buttoned up fully or braved it with smart polo’s neatly tucked into shorts with loafers. Cambridge boating race meets 70’s rock - a great mix, especially when on either end of a tug of war rope! So the boys in shorts won the tug of war, people never stopped dancing, the cakes all got eaten and the red wine ran out – a great one day festival in the middle of our fashion-vibrant capital.

re brics we a f o r t e y “R and lad e r e h w n every - Bang o ic h c e k li mmer” u s r o f d tren

g out in p e e p s y “Midriff r spangle e d n u from s, sequin e e t k c lame, ro florals.” d n a s p cro

t re brigh e w s ie r o d “Access bags an , y r e ll e with jew bracing m e y ll u f scarves t tends.” h ig r b k the bloc

visited...

ent v E e g lub a t The VinBalham Bowls C At

s y Queen t u a e B The Party Launch This month I was invited to attend our lovely ladies The Beauty Queens Launch Party set at 26 Smithfields, Farringdon and I couldn’t wait to arrive and hear all that Gina and Laura had planned for the future of The Beauty Queens. Guest were treated to customised Beauty Queens cupcakes (chocolate with red sprinkles) plus champagne cocktails & left with gorgeous goodies bags packed with Beauty Queens’ merchandise & a copy of The Vintage Rag Mag. Through out the night guests were entertained by Magician John Bulleid from The Magic Circle. Who amazed me with his tricks especially his cards and rubber band tricks which seemed impossible. Music was also playing throughout the night with live DJ Ben Tidy.

Vintage comes to SW12 Sundays will never be the same again!

Laura and Gina took to the stage to give speeches. They started with a bit of history about themselves and how they formed a team and went on to tell us all about their up and coming plans. They started off by explaining the expansion of their team. The Beauty Queens have recently taken on six new assistants. Five of these being female and one male member to help them with their growing busy schedules. The great news continued when we were told about The Beauty Queens expansion into the children’s division with their new brand The Beauty Princesses which will involve coming to children’s events and parties and doing mini make overs and face painting.

In the background there were clips of Laura and Gina performing makeovers on the screen and we were soon to find out that these were clips from their new tutorial DVDs which will be released before Christmas giving step by step tutorials in hair and make up. They even have a Vintage themed DVD along with Girls Night In and many other titles. Don’t miss The Beauty Queens feature each month in The Vintage Rag Mag page 10 & 11. Follow The Beauty Queens on facebook: The Beauty Queens.

Well, fellow vintage fans The Vintage Event rocked into town on Sunday at the Balham Bowls Club amidst a flurry of posters, flyers, tweeting, Facebooking and general buzz on the vintage circuit. Living south of the river, I tentatively arrived at this venue full of hope, anticipation and a vintage wish list and it certainly did not disappoint. I counted around 20 well stocked stalls spread over the main hall area and a couple of smaller outer rooms offering a glittering array of fashion, accessories and highly desirable goodies for vintage fans. In addition the fabulous Beauty Queens were set up across two vintage dressing tables offering a revamp which included anything from eyebrows and eyeliner to a full makeover and an amazing pop up tea and gin bar (served in vintage

china tea cups and teapots) occupied the corner of the main room, aptly named ‘Mother’s Ruin’. From the stroke of twelve the event was bustling with hard-core fashionistas, vintage bloggers, photographers, musos and members of the general public who had popped in to see what all the fuss was about and were now delightedly clutching various vintage dresses, hand and clutch bags, huge floppy sun hats, retro t-shirts and cut-off Levis. A vintage screen had been set up at the end of the main room as a changing area and by 12.30pm this was full of determined shoppers carrying armfuls of clothes. ‘Annie in the Attic’ had on display their trade mark psychedelic unique and generally pristine original 1960s stock including maxi dresses, Biba jumpsuits, mod and festival dresses and seriously retro numbers. These girls simply rock the 60s – check them

out at the next event. Around 4pm, I settled myself gracefully down in the vintage lounge area with a truly lush strawberry cupcake and a Royal Albert teapot full of Gin Fizz to be treated to a hypnotic live set from The Travellers and the equally amazing Chloe Ray (check them both out on ‘You Tube’ now!). By early evening in the long bar an impromptu bit of swing-dance had broken out and the BBQ in the garden was going down a storm. A truly promising start for what looks set to be THE vintage South London event. A visit to their website (www.thevintageevent.com) has also revealed some great blogs/reviews and simply delicious photos. I’m saving my pennies already – see you all on 11th September!

Something For Your Closet Photography: Lola Rose Photography

loves house ltd my chairs in

Vintage Bloomback Chair - £35 Vintage Cushion - £8.00 Facebook: Something For Your Closet

A ROOM IN MY HOUSE LTD www.aroominmyhouse.com

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“A chair can infuse personality into the room while still looking as if it belongs.” Pat Bowling What features in every room of the house? What do we use for more hours per day than any other item of furniture? The humble chair.

The humble chair is part of our everyday lives from eating breakfast in the morning, working at the office, meeting friends for lunch, trying on shoes on a shopping spree, grabbing a late coffee, chatting to a long distance loved one in an evening, to reading the bedtime story to your little ones. When we buy a chair, we are filling a need, whether it is for designed for comfort, style, design or value. Since the beginning of time when Neanderthal man sat on a rock to Robin Day designing the legendary propylene stacking chair, it has evolved into a key design piece for the home, an essential part of the working world and a piece of furniture that can continue to be designed and re-designed to fulfil every brief. “You can’t deny laughter, when it comes, it plops down in your favourite chair and stays as long as it wants” Steven King

1. 1950’s vinyl yellow carva dining chair £60 2. 1970’s Van Gogh style wicker and wood chair £25 3. Tudor-style leather and brass studded dining chair £18 4.Rococco-style green velvet and dark wood chair £35 5.1980’s Bauhaus-style black & chrome carva dining chair £55 6.Upcycled Ercol-style dining chair £45

a room in my house ltd - www.aroominmyhouse.co.uk

Life at Betty Bee Towers “Making a right display of yourself” For lovers of all things vintage nothing quite matches the thrill of finding a really quirky item in a charity shop or at a car boot fair. When someone compliments you on an ornament or painting you have paid literally pennies for it mean so much more than when it’s for a high street find. Making second hand pieces work in a contemporary setting does take some thought though. Unless you want your home to resemble Steptoe’s yard you need to ensure there is a good balance between fresh cotemporary clean lines and unusual thrift store bargains. Properly placed your fifties teapot or sixties vase can look super stylish and right at home in a modern setting.

Here are some of my tips for making the most of your vintage treasures.

Throw a little sour into the sweet... I’m a total polka dot obsessive-long before Cath Kidston made it popular I was hoarding spotty tablecloths and dotty china like a woman possessed. With designs, which have a child like simple quality, it is quite easy to wander into twee territory. To counteract this I always put super sweet finds next to bolder colours or patterns which are very of the moment. So you may have a spotty teapot but by sticking an Andy Warhol tea cosy over it suddenly appears slightly more cutting edge.

Make one item the star of the show... If you have one piece, which is particularly precious, you can use this as a centrepiece to create a great display. I have an old doll which was given to me as a small child and I wanted to have on show. We all know that dolls can seem a little creepy though so I used a few of my favourite Carltonware china pieces with legs, a 1920s plate with a nursery rhyme on as well as a Mabel Lucie Attwell postcard to create a kitsch corner. It may not win any design awards but sitting on top of my piano its guaranteed to make you smile at the sheer daftness of it and I get to look at an item which holds happy memories.

Use Themes... Sometimes when you are a collector of unusual objects its hard to know just where they will sit and how they will work. I create themed areas for my trinkets which helps tie them together .For some I’ve loosely used eras so have put a music box shaped like a Wurlitzer, a dress pattern for a great swing dress and a picture of a bequiffed Elvis in my fifties corner. In others I’ve used country’s so have a rather ooh la la French display which has more than a passing nod to Marie Antoinette’s and the Parisian courts of old.

Colour Blocking... Displaying items, which are the same colour, is always a great way to make a style statement. A sixties vase found at a car boot inspired me to create a monochrome

collection. The simplicity of the vases design complimented one of my favorite poodle ornaments beautifully. I included a Banksy print to add a bit of DIY punk Rock to proceedings.

Be practical as well as beautiful... Never hoard special finds. If you source an exquisite quilt use it to throw over your legs whilst reading. Eat your toast from china plates and stick your shopping in your vintage handbag. It’s not about living in a museum it’s about putting life back into reclaimed objects and enjoying them.

Ring the changes... Change your displays to suit your mood or even to reflect what’s going on in the world. I put together a best of Blighty display as my own little nod to the Royal wedding-Ok it featured Morrissey, Paddington Bear and a postcard of the Superlambanana sculptures but it was my way of acknowledging the event without resorting to union jack bunting.

Betty Bee is a writer and owner of vintage events company the vintage Pamper Box www.vintagepamperbox. com. She is passionate about all aspects of vintage living and writes daily for her popular blog www.talesfrombettybeetowers.blogspot. com. Before setting up the Vintage pamper box she worked as a television director for the BBC. Every month Betty will explore a new area of vintage inspired lifestyle for Vintage Rag Mag in her “Life at Betty Bee towers” feature

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