eggcentric dressing

I was supposed to post this one in April. I have no egg-scuse egg-cept that I did not have the technology to permit me at the time, and now all these terrible egg puns are completely out of context.... 

It is a tradition in my friendship group that we go OUT-OUT on Good Friday. I mean, I go hard or go home most fridays, but Good Friday is a diaried-in-advance-given.This year I thought I'd wear an Easter themed outfit, and stopping short of wearing bunny ears (though I have 3 pairs to choose from) I went for a Mini Egg pastel colour scheme. Back to stripes again - this trousers and braces THING was from an East End Thrift Store fill-a-bag. In 2014 I definitely should not be cooing over things because I think they're like, so Carrie Bradshaw but I'm sorry, I did. Needless to say this cost me about £1.50 so it was worth the risk. You can't see the detail but it's pale pink and white stripes with tiny purple dots on. I could have worn it with a white or black crop top but I was like naaaah, definitely turquoise. The clutch bag was also from an EETSFAB. My Sylvanian Families collector's club pin which is a permanent feature on my leather jacket ties in the easter theme nicely. I look fucking horrendous (drunk, sweaty, bad hair day) but this outfit was FUN to wear.  

a spot of sunbathing

From stripes to spots, how adventurous of me. I bought this dress a few years ago from Sue Ryder charity shop in Woodley. It has no tags or labels so I think it was handmade, but probably only 1980s chanelling 1950s, unfortunately. I think it was £5 - it was very cheap, it had a matching belt that I detached and have now sadly lost. It has a rigid corset top which makes it so flattering.

I'd actually never worn it out the house, despite having had it for years, because I was waiting for some occassion. I've had a pretty up and down few months, and with most of my summer wardrobe still unaccessible in the garage I just thought, fuck it, I'm going to wear this dress to work to cheer me up. This is the attitude I've taken with a lot of my wardrobe now. I love having the right outfit for the right occassion but hoarding stuff for ages and waiting for it's first wear is sometimes just too depressing - the clothes you love should be worn. I don't love the post work hair and make-up, and the shoes weren't the best complinent to it, but if I kept on like that I would never wear it and this dress should be worn! I did bake a carrot cake and take a couple of slices along with a chilled bottle of amaretto down to the Tate Modern to enjoy in the sun on my lunch break with a friend. 

 

yes, the icing is a bit sloppy! 

parallel lines

I really like black and white stripes - the thick '80s kind, not the thin Franco/Marine ones, and vertical are superior to horizontal. I think this sprung from the familial love of Blondie I picked up pace with in my late teens - the striking appearance of the 'Parallel Lines' album cover with the black and white and red. Sexy. Of course Debbie Harry is a huge style influence, hell, even the subject of this blog is named as a Blondie-meets-fashion tribute. Let's enjoy some pictures of Debs in some striped glory before we get to my embarrassing homage... 

 

I went shopping in High Wycombe last week with my friend who was over from Australia for 2 weeks. She used to be quite dubious about charity shopping, but (I like to think) I really got her in to it, so we hit up a load while she was back in the UK. Sue Ryder in High Wycombe was FANTASTIC, I'm very loyal to Sue Ryder as it is but I really recommend their shop in Wycombe - watch this blog for more of the goodies we found. 

I picked up this oversized shirt from their sale rail for £2! I wasn't sure how I would wear it at the time, but then I got a wee bodycon from Asda for £6 and lived in this outfit all last weekend. The shirt provided a good cover to the (at times) inappropriate nakedness of the bodycon, which is what I needed for an outfit that had to take me across all hours and various social situations - many train/tube/bus journeys, a going away BBQ with family members, movies with a friend, a pole dancing competition, Dirty Burger eating - yes the shirt did help hide my post meat-meals belly too, score

 Note - how awesome is my friend's vintage mirror?! and the anchor buttons! Of course Harry gets away with the red lippie pout a lot better than I do

every girl crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man

The precision, the details, the rules - I have a bit of a thing for men's dressing. I love reading GQ Style, it's like erotic literature to me. 8 years ago, when I was doing my fashion journalism masters it was suggested to me that I should watch 'American Gigolo' with Richard Gere, as he looks so fantastic in all of his suits - it's the film credited for making Giorgio Armani popular in the U.S. I have finally gotten round to watching it after all these years, and from a sartorial point of view it did not disappoint. I also enjoyed some of the spicy scenes too, whatchagonnado? The heavy use of Blondie in the soundtrack didn't hurt either. This scene gives me a wide-on - TWO DRAWERS OF TIES.



Lauren Hutton is of course perfection in it too. There's a great scene before Julian and Michelle get it on for the first time and there's a close-up of him taking her red Bottega Veneta clutch and carefully placing it on the table. It's those details ladies, am I right? 

you'll never get rich

As much as I love charity shops (had you noticed?) I do have a few favourite vintage shops. And let's not even get started on my River Island addiction. One of my favourite vintage shops is Beyond Retro on Cheshire Street, and no, not just because of the cat that lives there. The Brick Lane area is awash with vintage shops and it can be quite a headache, but if I'm short of time I tend to only visit Blitz and Beyond Retro. I like Blitz because I find it cleverly curated, which coupled with the smell of coffee from the in-store cafe makes it a nice, sensual shopping experience. Beyond Retro I like because I think the prices are reasonable and I've had some fortuitous times with their sale rail.  Which leads me on to this outfit: 

This dress was £12 from the Beyond Retro sale rail a few months back, and the shoes were £9 from their sale section on Friday. I love the pronounced shoulders and pulled in waist shape of the dress; it's that '40s silhouette I find so flattering, with a '90s print. And the green shade brings out the colour of my eyes, if I do say so myself. The tap/bowling/clown style shoes were from the Clarks sale, I was hoping with this dress I might look a bit Rita Hayworth rehearsing with Fred Astaire. A long shot, I know. 

Michael Jacketson

Judy's Affordable Vintage Fair has been taking place in York Hall at Bethnal Green - a 10 minute walk from where I used to live - for over a year and a half, but I never went when I lived there. Now I'm back in Reading and they've started holding them here too have I actually made it along to one. I didn't go too mad, I only bought a blouse (which I will blog at some point) and this red leather jacket, from Raiders Vintage. I'm concerned it is a bit Michael Jackson, but I think it looks cool with a shirt. 

I wore it to Dowload festival, accessorised with the biker pins my dad used to wear on his leather motorcyle jacket. I don't even want to know why he has one that says 'prick teaser'.... 

Benidorm barmaid blouse y una bolsa de tapiz

I bought a floral jumpsuit from a vintage seller at Glasto last year, and was tempted by this blouse but thought better of its frothy frills and walked away. Not for long though, it had laid a little style egg in my mind, which hatched a few hours later and then I HAD TO HAVE THE BLOUSE NOW WHAT IF ITS GONE OUT OF MY WAY MOTHERFUCKERSSS. AKA I got a bit sozzled and dreamt it in to my wardrobe, because clearly its so versatile. Obviously no one else had bought it. I haggled it down to £8 and then sobered up and never wore it. Elle and I still joke about this as the 'i love youuu' blouse because I was so obsessed with having it, I caressed it and whispered to it once it was mine. I know other clothes lovers will know what I'm saying. It's not even flattering, I don't know what's wrong with me. It seemed perfect to wear to the Spanish food festival on the Southbank.

The bag was a 50p treat from a Sue Ryder sale at the Nettlebed Hospice. Because of it's two different sides it was a versatile bag to pack when I did a cat sit stint. On Friday night I wore it 'Madeira' side out, and on Saturday I wore it hibiscus side out. I am irrationally fond of this bag. 

It also coordinates perfectly with my Mexican belt

strawbeary sunday

The notorious British summertime. I got a lovely strawberry print fabric lined picnic basket for my birthday a few years ago, and every time I have planned to use it, the weather has let me down. Luckily I have managed to give it 2 outings so far this year; there is something so pleasing about picnic-ing properly. As always, I see part of that as dressing appropriately. Realistically this would mean wearing something you don't mind sitting in swan shit in, or spilling houmous down, but we can't let practicality ruin all the fun, all the time. 

The bulk of my summer dresses are still locked up in my parent's garage out of reach as my mortgage application rumbles on, but I have been enjoying this striped a-line summer dress which was my mum's in the 80s/90s. The top part doesn't quite fit but I think because of the sweetheart neckline it doesn't look too bad having the top button undone. Plus the big a-line skirt is good for hiding your muffin top under. On a separate humble brag note, the blueberry muffins I made for the occasion were divine! 

Fifty shades of green

Last Saturday night I went with my mumma, one of my sisters and two of my soul sisters to a charity ball in aid of Macmillan, Sue Ryder and Ian Rennie. My other-mother Elaine arranges fantastic charity balls every couple of years in Hughenden village hall and this fantastic rock n roll covers band (who specialise in Elvis covers) play and I LOVE THEM, so I try and go whenever I can.

As a black tie event this calls for extra special dresses. In September I bought a ridiculous green 1980s prom dress from the East End Thrift Store that just had far too many clashing elements - plunging neckline, cold shoulder detail, glittery lace, netting, poofy a-line skirt. You get the picture, but incase you don't, here's a picture:

 

It was £15 and at that point it was bought with no outing in mind but lots of potential - Halloween, christmas tree dress.... In actuality, it's first outing was New Years for the Ultimate Power/Guilty Pleasures party at Kentish Town Forum. It got a lot of attention and was a dream to wear - the skirt really swings, and the bodice makes a meal of your milkshake.

I've struggled accessorising it, I've worn it with metallic open toe sandals both times, natural pink lipstickm minimal lashes and my hair up in a messy top knot. I think anything else looks too fancy dress or panto.

I don't even know or care if it looks good, its such a joy to wear. Not an easy one to repeat though, is it?

do you love me?

noooowww that I can daaaaaance....

This was just one of the many fabulous motown/northern soul songs we danced to on Friday night aka Valentines Day, or more appropriately, Gallontines Day. Buffalo Bar hosted their monthly Great Big Kiss night, and as I'm temporarily living in Islington (within walking distance!) it was a match made in heaven. 

My boyfriend of almost 8 years dumped me around Halloween time (again, appropriate) but anyway, that's for another blog with another soundtrack, so even though we never 'did' Valentines, as a freshly-single it was still going to be the MEH heard around the world. Luckily, I have my dear friend Elle Bear who is also a fan of dancing, themed outfits, and Macdonalds at 3am. She has been the champion of heartbreak distractions, so it was decided we would go dancing, in little Valentines themed outfits, in homage to the girl groups GBK favour. I have a real obsession with co-ordinating with my friends so we look like a girl band, just ask them, its a sickness.

As I am in temporary accomodation, I'm working from a rationed wardrobe. When I realised that the KEY PIECE of my valentines outfit was in my parents garage along with most of my other accessories I DEMANDED it was posted to me. Luckily my mother understands how important these things are and indulged my diva. And what was this key piece I hear you ask..... 

 

that, my friends is a heart-shaped 'I love Lucy' bum bag. Ok so I've never seen the show, and I'm no Lucille Ball, but I love the idea that it was a female-comedian led, super popular programme. Plus my name is Lucy. Plus it's a BUM BAG. I don't think you are technically allowed to wear accessories professing self-love except in extreme circumstances, like being heartbroken on valentines. I bought it for 50p from the RSPCA charity shop in Upminster a couple of christmases ago, and it has been laying in wait, like a horror movie creep, under beds and in garages. I don't travel light (I have lipstick related indecision issues) so I also took out a tiny, velour heart shaped bag, also 50p from the same charity shop. 

The rest of the outfit was an unremarkable 60s/90s mash-up chosen for comfort, and PINK. Oh, how I love pink, as well we know. That jacket has been discussed previously.

Lucille and Ethel 

Note: hand stamp says 'LOVED'. Heart print shorts

Charlie's Angels. We tried to get him to wear a heart print cravat.

Busting five knots, wind whipping out my coat

In an unexpected turn of events, I attended the Southampton Boat Show on Friday. IT WAS EXCELLENT. 

I've had a soft spot for boats since I went on a boating holiday down the Thames as a kid, with my friend Kate and her family. Actually scrap that, it started way before that, there is a super adorable picture of me  as a toddler, with my big brother, pretending to steer my mum and dad's friend's boat. They had a huge house that backed on to the river in Caversham and to this day that is one of my 'dream houses'. Imagine, keeping your own boat in the river equivalent of a garage. One day I got carried away 'play steering' and it turned out I was steering the motherfucking boat yo! Back to the boating holiday - I loved when we would get to a lock and it would be action stations. We even made up a song to the theme of 'Rosie and Jim' - basically just replace those names with 'Lucy and Kate' and the put Martin and 'laine in there somewhere, oh and the KING'S FUSILIER, as that was the boat name. So cool. The only bad thing was when we got super-pooped on by a bird. But thatcould have happened on dry land too.

Now I take any opportunity to get on a boat. One of my favourite times from holiday last year was the one-day cruise we did around Cyprus. Ah yes, I would get on very well on one of those boats with a sun deck. Or a speed boat. So the long haired animals could sit along the sides and let their ears blow in the wind. I digress... YES, A PIRATE'S LIFE FOR ME. 

Almost as much as I like the idea of having a pleasure cruiser, a 5-man staff in tight whites and magnums of champagne on ice, there is one more shallow thing I like about the idea of sailing on the deep - the clothes of course! I've said it once, I've said it a hundred times, I will always dress to the theme. So to the boat show I wore this boat-neck, nautical striped number from one of the thrift store fill-a-bags. I also wore my captain's jacket (the navy M&S one from the previous post). I wore plain old an ankle boots there. I had got this right, all of the fellow show attendees were wearing tan footwear but there was an abundance of deck shoes! I can turn anything in to a shopping expedition, so I bought the best cheapest pair I could find (well, my boots were rubbing too...)

The top is made of a heavy material and is quite big, so I probably look as fat as a sea cow in it, but it is super comfy to wear, and I actually think it does look pretty cool with a leather mini skirt.

Mae Clarke - bride in Frankenstein

There's so much I love about the late '20s-early '40s horror films, but a big part of my enjoyment (because I'm a shallow, clothes obsessed woman) is the costumes. All the furs, the loooong eyebrows, the men's long, pointy shirt collars. I absolutely adore the lace dress Mae Clarke is in for most of 'Frankenstein' (1931), the picture I've included is the best I could find but it's terrible SO WATCH THE FILM. I also love her wedding oufit, especially the head thing and the big long train. So dramatic, so gothic. 

Eighties bridesmaid Barbie

It feels a bit weird posting this outfit considering the total about-face that the weather has done in the last week, but I actually wore this on perhaps one of the wettest days of this summer (well, the 2 quite decent months we can call summer in the UK). Unfortunately this was the weather on one of my friend's wedding days, but we'd be damned if we were going to change our outfit plans to suit the weather (well, for obvious reasons the bride wasn't going to). I bought this dress months ago from the half price rail in Beyond Retro on Cheshire Street (the one with the store cat!) for £14. I thought this was a total bargain. I wanted to save it for a worthy event, and isn't it just perfect for a 'summer' wedding?

Once the total outfit was assembled, in hand with my post-Barca tan, I realised it was all a bit '80s Barbie...and quite a lot briesmaidy - luckily I knew it was nothing like the actual bridesmaid dresses for the day. But as you can see, we had a bit of fun faux bridesmaiding with one of the real maids (in mint). The shiny, strappy pink shoes have nealy been sent to the charity shop a couple of times but luckily this was intervened and now I am so glad to still have them. I bought them in 2007 in Bracknell and my friend Simone who was with me at the time thought I had lost my mind. The navy blazer is old M&S bought in the Thames Hospice shop in Woodley Precinct for £6 (I have the short sleeved version too!) and the pink tote bag is Jaeger - a new job treat to myself. Now magazine had a thing in their issue out today abot how pink bags are 'the very latest thing' so I feel unintentionally 'on trend'.

I LOVED the bride's dress so much. It was Candy Anthony and looked so fantastic and swishy when she danced.