Vegan for January: This vintage dame does without dairy

Hello!

Happy New year all of you gorgeous lot out there, I really hope you had a great turn into 2014 what ever you may have gotten upto. I spent the evening Djing at The Black Dove in Brighton with The Gin Slingers, mixing pretty much every spirit I could get my sneaky little hands on! Oooops!

Well as you may have gathered from my title I am giving ‘Vegan for January‘ a go. Many of you out there do detoxing , giving up something, starting something or just picking up where you may have left a new years resolution last January! For me I have decided to cut out all dairy products from my diet. This includes milk, butter, cheese, eggs & of course meats also the processes of making food that may use animal bi products.

Why you may ask? Well I eat very little meat anyway, only on rare occasions when eating out or very rare occasions me and the boy may put our pennies together & buy a packet of sausages! But the truth is it’s not just the price of meat, I actually like veggie Soy alternatives! They taste good & alongside nice chunky veg I honestly (for the most part) do not miss my meaty portion! I drink soy milk & buy non diary yoghurt before out of choice because they’re tasty. So..because of this I have decided to go a step further & go into Vegan territory. (ohhh – ahhhh)

I have never really had any misconceptions about Vegans, I am going to be honest & say I always sort of scrunched my nose up a little at the thought but being a Brighton lass, with Brighton being a quite alternative & open city, I always thought ‘Each to their own aye’.

When doing research on how I would go about this change in diet & also what on earth I was going to eat, I did find many different opinions on why choosing not to eat meat & diary is bad for you & that Vegans tend to be sickly & weak….hmmmm I wasn’t convinced. I found hundreds of fantastic blogs & reciepe sites over spilling with tasty ways to not eat diary! I will post some blogs for you below  – be prepared for serious food envy on every level.

www.cestlavegan.com

veganyumyum.com

hellyeahitsvegan.com

mynewroots.org/site/ ( not exclusivly vegan but tons of food porn that it gluten free too)

This brings me to my 3 reasons I am Vegan for January:

1. My main reason for doing this though is to quite simply be more informed about where the food I eat comes from & the processes it goes through before it goes in my shopping basket. I think this is key. Once I know what it takes to have all these products on the supermarket shelves I can make more informed decisions on whether I choose to eat it or not.

2. I am also doing this for health reasons & weight reasons. I am hoping to loose a few pounds by the end of the month. I am by no means overweight but I do feel like the flab is sticking as I get into my late 20s & I really don’t want this to continue! I started jogging before Christmas too, spurred on by my ‘Happiest 5k run’ back in the summer. Although it’s probably not the best time of year to begin running as I have been rained on several times & had the odd skid on wet leaves but it’s at least a start. I do really enjoy it too which I never thought I would say!

3. I consider myself an average to below average cook/baker so I really want to start pushing myself to make more of my own food. Many Vegans make alot of the stuff they eat from scratch. I am terrible at baking cakes. I LOVE cake & I want to get better at baking sweet healthy treats! Plus expanding my own eating habits to take forward with me at the end of the month.

Have you ever been Vegan?

Are you Vegan now?

Are you doing Vegan for January?

Could you ever try it?

Let me know! Always love you comments,

Love (Vegan )VVxx

 

A few things I have been upto before the year is out

After a really great weekend at the Rhythm Riot back in November, I had to lay low for a while & gather some more pennies together!

I had my Birthday at the beginning of December, I got loads of lovely bits and pieces including some gorgeous Rosita Bonita leather tooled earrings. I’d met the gorgeous Rosita at The Best of Britannia show back in October

My Boxing Day outfit , I have worn them tons since I got them, they’re so beautiful.

I also had the opportunity to attend The Chap Ball with the Vintage News again this year. This time around I knew more people than I did last year & the evening was really fun. I wore my 1940s crepe dress with silver sequin trim. It’s nice to go glamorous & put that extra bit of make up on. Here are some snaps:

Photo: The Vintage News

With the love Jeni. You can see the ‘squiggly’ sequin detail around the neckline here too. The star earring I am wearing are a pair I bought at Rhythm Riot & hadn’t had a chance to wear them.

I also got a chance to rat my hair & dust off one of my Mod dresses as my Boyfriend’s club night The Big Itch worked together with the Duke’s at Komedia to put on a John Waters night with a screening of ‘Hairspray’ & a night of music from his films! I am a massive John Waters fan & it was really great to try out doing my first ever beehive. Despite the fact that I used to be a Mod girl I always had short cropped hair so never got the chance to try the style.

The dress is one I have had for years & to be honest its most likely early 70s from the collar style but the pastel colours are really nice & matched the accessories I had

I also wore my 50s frames from Madam’s Vintage Specs

And for the back I hid all the tucked in bits with a chiffon scarf that I tied into a bow & pinned into place

It survived wind & rain that night but it took loads of conditioner to brush out! I really don’t know how women got through all the ratting & hairspray. For that reason it won’t be a style I will do too much but I really enjoyed sporting such a sky high do!

So seeing as it’s the season for making resolutions here a few of mine for January 2014:

• Keep running at least twice per week
• Buy a sewing machine (so I don’t have to keep hand sewing everything!)
• Make a wiggle dress
• Go Vegan for January

I am sure you will hear about at least a few of those over the next few months, I will try not to leave it so long between posts! Have you got any New Year resolutions? Ever been proud of a hair style you haven’t tried out before?

Hope you all had an amazing festive holiday!

Love VV xxx

P.S You can also follow me on Instagram  @Vintage_Vessel ( I have only recently joined & I have to say, I love it! It’s great to see other girls & guys styles!)

 

Rhythm Riot 2013

This time last week a group of 7 of us were in Pontins for Rhythm Riot. The whole weekend was amazing, I had such a great time from start to finish!

Sadie & myself caught the train to Rye which from Brighton which is about an hour & a half, it was a nice opportunity to ride along the coast past Eastbourne. (mental note at how far away it is for potential future visits)

I had been warned that the chalets were pretty cold, so I wasn’t sure what to pack knowing that I had to be practical and attempt to be stylish at the same time. Which as I am sure most of you know if tough sometime with vintage  clothing. I had kept my eye out a few weeks previously and had managed to pick up two nice cardigans. One a lovely baby blue dead stock cashmere cardi & the other a ribbed knit cardi. Both came in very handy & the cashmere has become one of my favourite items at the moment!

I’d always wanted to go & this year I have made some great pals in London dwellers Bethan, Fleur, Katie & Jeni plus Hanson, so when the suggestion came up that we should try & book a chalet for the long running vintage weekender we were all up for it.

We booked a basic chalet which was about £30 each plus the weekend pass was about £100 and that’s for four days so not too expensive.

And then there was the packing! What to take?! Knowing that I was 110% going to have outfit envy for most of the 4 days, I tried my best to put together pieces that would work for day & evening. This being a massive challenge when most of my wardrobe are clashing colours & prints! I have realised I need to buy some plain staple items!

When we arrived we registered & headed to the chalet, which although basic was nice and well equipt and i found it pretty toasty all weekend.

I loved getting ready with everyone! It was so nice. Enough of my chatting though, let’s have some snaps!

Everyone in the house! Posing with our amazing Vanity Case fans, available HERE

Friday night: I am wearing my hand made wool pencil skirt that i hand stitched together! Took me hours but I have enough fabric left to make a matching top too but I will buy a sewing machine before attempting that! Plus my charity shop buy gold lurex top & one of favourite brooches.

Picture by Sadie

Saturday: On Saturday we had a little look around the stalls with some of the nicest bags, dresses and accesories! I wasn’t really on the look out for anything but it’s always nice to widen your knowledge of different patterns, cuts and styles. There was an amazing vintage bus that was going to near by Rye, which is little bit like Lewes, with winding streets and little shops.

(photo by Hanson Leatherby)

(photo by Sadie)

Saturday night I wore my 50’s cotton fleck dress that I bought a few months ago and have worn a few times. I really wanted to be able to have a danc without being restricted, which is something you notice when you start to jive. You gotta have arm room! Again in our chalet 171 we had a proper a laugh getting ready and drank several bottles of gin & rum.

(photo by Sadie)

Love a group shot (photo by Sadie)

(photo by Hanson Leatherby)

Sunday: On Sunday after two nights of partying we were all alittle tired! The Sunday was the vintage car ride out during the day & we all got onto an amazing route master double decker bus! The cars were amazing, truly swoonworthy!

That’s the lovely Minner in the middle! (photo by Sadie)

(photo by Sadie)

The Sunday night was Hawaiin themed and it being the last night most people make more effort to get dressed up! I had a turquiose and black felt tribal print skirt to wear and a black VoH gypsy top which I burrowed from Katie!

I will do a sperate post on the items I purchased as I bought some nice bits. I had such an amazing time at Rhythm Riot and we’re all already trying to plan going to Hep Cats Holiday next year. So look out for us!!

Please have a look through Hanson’s photographs from the weekend as there are some amazing shots!

Speak soon my dears!

”Those bloody Vintage girls!” – Rhythm Riot 2013

Love VV xxx

New threads: Powder blue & Pastel pinks

Oh dear! My Beyond Retro thrifting has struck again.

I mentioned in my last post about the pastel pink patterned late 50s/early 60s dress I wore to Get Hot or Go Home. I thought I would take a few more close up snaps of it as I love the fabric. It’s almost cartoon like in its colours and the fabric is so light.

The label is a little tatty around its edges but I have come across this ‘Westbury Fashions’ before in another dress I bought

I also found this beautiful 50s jacket in amongst all the 80s shoulder padded outerwear..I added a metal painted brooch I found in an antique shop in Lewes & i think the colours really sit well together. It doesn’t pin very well on thinner fabric but on this material it sits nice & straight.

It’s the sort of jacket that has that Dior ‘New Look’ about it, the hips are tailored into the sides, it also has a double vent at the back & no lapels. It’s so neat & trim. The tailoring is speaks for itself & is a simple answer to that often asked question ‘why do you wear vintage?!’

Ok I will stop now. Here is a snap of me giving the jacket its first turn about Brighton. I went to buy some button & fabric for my Halloween costume. fulfilling that Vintage Gal stereotype to the max. All I needed was someone to wrap bunting around me & hand me a cupcake!

Check out that super 70s filter! I wore it with a white knitted jumper from Brussels, Skirt VoH & Beret H&M

It’s sort of odd that I have acquired an eye for materials, I spotted this powder blue wool fleck & instantly knew it was 50s – Does anyone else have that vintage 6th sense? It also helps in a place like Beyond Retro as there is so much to trawl through!

Have any of you found any sweet threads lately? Link me up in the comments below!

Have a great weekend

Love VV xxx

Get Hot or Go Home! at Archway

This is the second time I have been to Get Hot or Go Home, the clubnight is in a Tiki bar on the side of Archway Tavern.

I wore a new pastel coloured dress that I bought from Beyond Retro with my hair ratted into a more 60s style

Before we went out we had a few rums at Jeni’s as she had a TV crew from France over to do a piece of film on her vintage style and how she gets ready for a night out with fellow vintage girls (and Hanson…) Sadie got this great snap of all of us which I really like!

Here is my back & Jeni with her Vintage Mafia bespoke fan from The Vanity Case

It was really great to have us all together! With a tiki house cocktail for just £5 & some of the best vinyl rotations you can hear, I highly recommend it!

All snaps from Hanson Leatherby Photography!

Love VV xxx

Inspiration #1 : Dressed down style to The Marvelettes

I was inspired  to finally start putting together an inspiration series by Jeni’s Yesterday’s Beat girl post . My style has definitely started to change again, I think partly to the music I have been listening to & collecting lately. Much more late 50s to mid 60s. I have always been a decade hopper but mostly jumping from the 40s & 50s and I love having the freedom to do so! Now I seem to be progressing through history into another decade entirely, although maybe it should be regression, as my obsession with vintage fashion & music started about 7 years ago when I started going to Mod nights. The feel this time though is trans atlantic and I am looking to the USA for much of my inspiration.  These won’t always be about style, maybe images, people & sounds that I want to share as things that make me sit up & pay attention…

First up is Jeni herself. I always love Jeni’s dressed down style.

Mid Century advert design: Paynes Poppets advertisement. 1955

The amazing Divine as Dawn Davenport in ‘Female Trouble’

I am a massive fan of all John Water’s work and the star of many of his films was larger that life, uber trashy Divine!

These girls

I love these girls goofing around in their very Freddies-esq loose fit jeans & saddle shoes – just perfect!

Virginia Johnson’s amazing sweater collection from Masters of Sex

Honest to God her wardrobe is fantastic & now that Mad Men is out of my life this is my new necter.The knitwear in particular! Plus I love her soft whispey Audrey Hepburn fringe.

The Marvelettes

I have loved The Marvelettes work for a very long time! One of my favourite track is ‘Playboy’ as it brings back great memories of when I first started listening to Soul & Motown. Boy these babies can sing!

The insanely gorgeous & very stylish Miriam’s Kafferep

Without fail, everytime I take a peek into the world of Miriam on her blog, I get a pang of awe & inspiration. I love the colour palette she uses & the wardrobe she has. She can still look so feminine & stylish in baggy 40s pants & a shirt. She has that pure Swedish style!

My Grandma & Grandad with the brood (minus my Auntie Sharon)

This phot only surfaced when my Grandma passed away a few months back. I love it so much. My Dad is in the middle looking right at the camera with his little romper & sandles on. I am loving my Grandma’s cha cha heels too.

The 1964 French film ‘Band A Part’

This film is great. I love Anna Karina’s chunky wool & tartan skirt combo. I  have been rocking the look myself recently. What can I say? Watch the film & do Le Madison with me…

I hope you have enjoyed the first installment, I am going to try & do this post weekly.. Feel free to comment below linking me to some of you inspiration posts!

Love VV xxx

Our finest hour: The 2nd Best of Britannia show 2013

Last Saturday I travelled up to Farringdon to visit the 3 day trade show Best of Britannia, which is housed inside the Farmiloe building. The Farmiloe building is a gorgeous landmark of Clerkenwell. Built originally by George Farmiloe & Sons merchants and completed in 1868. The shows layout was in the multi floored warehouse part of the building which is open in the middle to reveal exposed wrought-iron beams, hoists and also untouched paint work. The building was left untouched for many years & still boasts its original panelled office compartments with original fixtures & painted wallpaper, which I found out on the day is used in BBC period drama ‘Downton Abbey’ for location shots plus several other film appearances

Best of Britannia is in its second year of showcasing a selection of brands all contributing to rebuilding British industry. From jewellery to knitwear, trainers to furniture. The atmosphere was buzzing and visitors were in their thousands. Everyone I spoke to was so passionate about what they were producing and also interested in the publics feedback. The layout flowed up through three floors and it felt like you really got a great view of the whole buildings inner workings. That alone was worth the trip.

The guys at Brighton based Small Batch Coffee wearing their Dawson Denim Barrister aprons!

Kamm & Sons looking good!

I fell head over heels with Rosita Bonita’s leather tooled jewellery!

Rosita Bonnita’s painted bust with the most gorgeous necklace & earrings!

She shared a stall area with the lovely Pip Jolley too! Talk about a tempting combination!

Swoon worthy sunnies from FANoptics with frames made in the UK using Italian acetate

The main reason I visited was to see Kelly & Scott with their stand for Dawson Denim! It looked amazing, they’d brought along their custom scooter which is an original 1950s Lambretta (a wider model than the later scooters and was endorsed by Jayne Mansfield!)

They were launching their unisex jeans too and had the new look book printed. You can see more shots from the look book here or on Create’s site here

I also got to try out a new alcoholic ice tea who I will be doing a taste test for in my next post, so stay tuned! Oh & here is a reflective window shot of my outfit

I look forward to next years BoB event!

Love VV xxx

Pimples, Lipstick & Hairspray: A 60s playlist for girls with big dreams and high hair

What does one do with oneself when the boy is at band practise and you’re on your own… You eat dumplings, drink rum and make youtube playlist of some of your favourite 60s sounds!

Enjoy kitty cats…

Pimples, Lipstick & Hairspray: A 60s playlist for girls with big dreams and high hair!

A selection fit for any teenage girls record collection. With Swooners, Girl Group harmonies and 1960s Dance Floor Crazes.
For when the leader of the pack doesn’t ask you to be his date at the school dance – You can sing along to these sweet sounds while ratting your hair and dreaming of the day you will be asked to go steady, run away to the motor city & join a girl group…Where girls with big dreams and high hair can jump the grooves.

A self indulgent list of some of my personal favourite 60s vinyl rotations.

Love VV (a wanna be hair hopper) xxx

Dawson Denim: Revisited (or should I say re-rivited)

A while ago I interviewed my very talented Friend Kelly about her Selvedge Denim workwear brand Dawson Denim, since then she has expanded into making beautifully hand crafted totes & helmet bags made with vegetable dyed leather . They have enjoyed the succeses of being stocked in Japan, featured numerous style sections including Jocks & Nerds Magazine, a drive style book by Horst Freidrichs & have been picked up by genuine traiders all over the world.  Click here for the Blog.

I didn’t really know much about the Selvedge Denim world before I met Kels & have learnt so much from her! For Dawson Denim, everything is still 100% Brighton Made, made in the UK (sometimes even Kel’s Dad gets involved!) with authentic Japanese Selvedge Denim.

And yes…that is me!

The reason for my revisit is to tell you about what Dawson Denim have been working on recently. So, if hand making aprons & bags wasn’t enough, those talented digits have now created a Jean!

The jean itself is a unisex, regular fit & will be launching in October at the Best of Britainia show – Details here! (it was only last year at the first BoB show that they ‘officially’ launched their Aprons!) These guys mean business!

Here are some sneak peak shots from a shoot we did just last week with the lovely Kenny at Create in Brighton.

It was an awesome day! The studio was great and to be honest it was just a bunch of mates hanging out pulling serious some ‘Blue Steel’ looks! Stay tuned for the Look Book that should be out next week!

Love VV xxx

Colour Run Brighton! This Golden era girl dons her leggings & get’s sweaty!