Amber Butchart's Fashion Miscellany - a review (I know, two in a row)

In advance of interviewing Amber Butchart later this week (more of that below), I was lucky enough to be sent her new book, Fashion Miscellany.  Before even opening Fashion Miscellany, you are struck by how beautifully it is presented, with a gorgeous hardback cover (in dare I say it, cerulean) and traditional gold lettering.  The book is organised much like a glossary and as such is easy to dip in and out of.  It is full of so much interesting information and covers all areas of fashion, from youth subcultures to tailoring terms, and fashion documentaries to Karl Lagerfeld's cat!  The tone of the book is very conversational, like a friend imparting a fact they've just learnt over tea and cake.

The book is also dotted with quotes regarding fashion and style from luminaries such as the ever quotable Coco Chanel and Oscar Wilde.  One of my favourites is "Style is the simple way of saying complicated things", said by Jean Cocteau (I also love Sophia Loren's "A woman's dress should be like a barbed wire fence: serving its purpose without obstructing the view"). 

So if you are interested in fashion history, learning more about the terms used or want a comprehensive index of the most influential fashion photographers throughout the past century, then this really is the book for you.  It was a joy to read Fashion Miscellany, and I'm sure I'll be looking up some of the facts now and again.  Congratulations to Amber as I hear Fashion Miscellany has almost sold out and is going into reprint and after having read it, I'm not surprised! 

*Bonus*

I'll be interviewing Amber this Friday at Puttin' on the Glitz at the British Library for The Vintage News, at a talk she is giving (along with Christopher Laverty of the Clothes on Film blog) on fashion in the 1920s and '30s.  There is also a cocktail party afterwards, hosted by our good friends The Vintage Mafia with entertainment from The AlexMendham Orchestra and hair and makeup from Pretty Me Vintage.

When my 45s and I took a spin up to London

I have been incredibly rubbish at posting anything recently, and for that I can only apologise.  The reason for my lack of writing is that I've just been so busy - mostly fun things so hopefully I'll get round to writing about them all at some point!

Anyway, I thought I'd write about something I did last Monday (I've still got to write about the Chap Ball and interviewing the Puppini Sisters as well, but I'll get to them).   As I mentioned in my last post, I occasionally DJ and as a result, I was lucky enough to be asked by Diddy Wah to guest on his monthly radio show that goes out on NTS.  Diddy Wah's shows always have a theme and because of my sideline of painting fans for my etsy shop, The Vanity Case, the theme was temperature - keeping cool, getting hot - that sort of thing.  The show itself is recorded in a little booth just off of Kingsland High Street in Dalston and I was asked to take a handful of 45s to play during the show.

Me and Adam (aka Diddy Wah) during the show.

In between the records, we had a little chat about some of the stuff I get up to, mainly DJing with The Gin Slingers, filming with The Vintage News and hand-painting fans for The Vanity Case.  Rather than write much more, I'll leave you with my selection of temperature-tinged tracks.  If you like what you hear, you can listen to the whole show on NTS's mixcloud.  I've also just posted my latest mixcloud show which you can listen to here, and as it's the festive season... it's all about booze!

 

Got the Water Boilin' - Tommy Bruce and the Bruisers (1960).  The b-side to their gravelly rendition of Ain't Misbehavin', Got the Water Boilin' was originally a doo-wop record from 1955 by The Regals, a version that is well worth searching out.

 

Jungle Fever - The Tornados (1962).  Jungle Fever is the flipside to The Tornados #1 hit, Telstar, famously a Joe Meek production, recorded at his home studio on Holloway Road in North London.

 

Chills and Fever - Jet Harris (1962).  There are many great versions of Chills and Fever (including Tom Jones' debut single) and this one was released by Jet Harris just one month after he left The Shadows and is the 'chills' to Tom Jones' 'fever'.

 

Turkish Coffee - Tony Osborne (1962).  I just love this instrumental track from Tony Osborne (who worked as the musical director of The Six-Five Special on the BBC) as it has a great middle-eastern sound.  Fun fact, this is the record I'm holding in the picture above. Oh, and it's also featured in my latest mixcloud.

 

Fever - The McCoys (1965).  Released on Immediate, this much covered song is given the garage treatment as you can see in this clip from US show Hulabaloo.

 

 

The Sunday we went to Kellerman's...

This post is long over-due as it is about an event I attended at the very beginning of September.  After our coverage of Casablanca, Future Cinema invited us back to attend another of their immersive cinema spectaculars.  The film in question was Dirty Dancing and I couldn't resist taking a few cameras along to capture it.  Follow the link here to see the footage.

 Like many ladies, Dirty Dancing has been a firm favourite for years and surprisingly for me, it isn't the dancing as much as the music that really captured my attention.  Early '60s hits from the likes of Otis Redding, Mickey & Sylvia and the Ronettes were blasted across the corner of Hackney Downs that had been converted into Kellerman's family resort.

My crew for the day, Katie and Hayley

Dotted about the 'resort' were all sorts of activities you'd expect to find on a family vacation; archery, aerobics and life-drawing were just some of the things you could get up to.  There were also plenty of food stalls present, with styles as varied as lobster, macaroni cheese and venison!  I had a schnitzel burger from Speck Mobile and it was amazing - the best value of all the stalls I looked at and was incredibly tasty.

 

When we settled down on our blankets to enjoy the film, the legions of Johnny Castle's adoring fans started getting rather excited and were almost beside themselves by the time Mr Swayze made his first appearance (I think drink may have helped as well).  Just as key scenes of Casablanca were acted out during the build up to the film, all of the dances (clearly most important parts of the film) were performed around the resort throughout the film.

 

I think I actually enjoyed this more than Casablanca, mainly because it felt like you were on holiday with 4,000 (mainly female) Dirty Dancing fans.  Future Cinema's next venture is bringing Ghostbusters to life.  It's not quite in our time range, but I can't wait to see what the next classic film to be given the Future Cinema treatment.

A short dress and long drinks - The official Bootlegger launch

Sorry for the lack of any posts, I've been spending a lot of time in London and setting up my etsy shop (I make fans if you didn't already know!) This does mean I've got lots of things to write about - but no time to write about them!  I've decided to forego chronology and write about the latest event we covered. 

 

I was handed a cocktail as soon as we arrived
- it's a tough job but someone's gotta do it

 

We were invited by Bootlegger White Grain Spirit to their official launch, which was held in the Clapton branch of the über trendy Blue Tit salons.  I've seen Bootlegger at a few 'vintage' events over the past few months (they even sponsored the Brighton Blogger meet up in July) as they seem to have really targeted that scene.

Not recommended for dogs (unless they're real booze hounds - I thank you)
 

The salon is consciously cool, with lots of distressed wood, reclaimed furniture and vintage props, which made it the perfect place for the launch of a drink based on the erm, spirit, of prohibition era booze.  Of course, there were plenty of cocktails doing the rounds, my favourite was the Moonshine Cooler, a mix of Bootlegger spirit, sugar syrup, cloudy apple and lime juice.  There are two other Blue Tit salons in London, one in Dalston which co-owner Perry described as a little more in the Edwardian side and the newest of the three, the Peckham branch with its Art Deco styling and original Victorian tiles.

Interviewing one of the salon owners, Perry

 The Vintage 78s DJs (whom we met at the National Vintage Awards) were on hand to spin a few platters as well as providing an array of parlour games to keep the guests entertained throughout the night.

 

A selection of gramophone needles

With Annabel from the Vintage 78 DJs
doing our best promo girl poses

 

Anyone for (miniature) croquet?

 I'm sure there will be many other Bootlegger events of the vintage scene, but for now I'm going to sit back after a hard day of editing and have a nice glass of Bootlegger and apple.

During our interview, James from Bootlegger joined me in sampling
some of the prohibition-inspired spirit

 Oh, and while I remember, my dress isn't vintage - it's actually from ASDA (!) and I bought it about 7 years ago for a Christmas party.  I don't wear it very much as it's quite short but I just love the print.

 

 Have you ever tried Bootlegger or bought a really short dress from Asda ... or both?

Row, row, row your boat...

 For a fair few years, I have attended the Chap Olympiad (the last couple have been with work but just as much fun).  We'd always intended to do a pre-Olympiad "training" (if I can use the term in its loosest sense) video, in the style of the numerous programmes released in the lead-up to the London 2012 Olympics last year.  We finally managed to organise a get-together this year which coincided nicely with a photoshoot Time Out were doing for their 'Parks and Recreation' issue.

 

 

We met up in Victoria Park in East London - a beautiful park that I'd not been to before.  Our first scenario for the photographer (and one of the highlights)was a spot rowing.  After going backwards for a bit and getting one of my oars stuck in a bank, I discovered I had quite a hidden talent for it!

 

 The lovely Zack, who was subject to my sometimes maverick rowing style, looked like one of Waugh's dashing gentlemen, lounging in the boat with my umbrella.  After the lake based fun and a few rounds of croquet, it was on to the serious business of devouring a Fortnum and Mason picnic - champagne and all!

 


Kieren and Johnny Vercoutre
and our Fortnum and Mason hamper

After Time Out had got all the shots they needed, we set about getting the vox pops for our piece, with the lovely canal boats and pagoda playing backdrop - it even involved me interviewing myself...   

Zack, with the beautiful pagoda in the background

The lovely Jenny, founder of Frantic About Frances

It was a brilliant day and I just hope I remember to pick up a copy!

Contortionists, comedy horns and cocktails.

This is going to be quite a picture-heavy post as I am rather tired after quite a busy but brilliant weekend.  By force of habit, I tend to take my camera everywhere with me now and this weekend was no exception.

Hayley looking delightful

You may have seen my previous post on the Ric Rac club and how brilliant it is, so I made sure I could be in London for the circus themed bash.  All of my early costume ideas centred around face paint (to which I am allergic) so it wasn't until a couple of days before that I decided to don my best tight-rope walker/Big Top outfit (yes, I went as a tent). 

 

My outfit consisted of a gorgeous '50s sunsuit (label - "Sun fashions exclusive with Best's" - anyone have any information on them?), nude fishnets with a black seam, incredibly uncomfortable ballet pumps (courtesy of Primarché) with added ribbon and a hat I cobbled together the night before.

 

Sunsuit - vintage
Shoes - Primark
Hat - made by moi

 Here are some pictures of my lovely chums in all their circussy glory.



Much joy was had with the comedy horn

The lovely Jeni Yesterday

Sara and Russell looking splendid as always

Fleur, Bethan and Auntie Maureen during the infamous raffle 

 

As well as Auntie Maureen on the decks, there was also a fantastic contortionist by the name of Stephanie Valentine.  In the words of Hayley, "she's so bendy!"

 



My best attempt at being a contortionist!

After a lovely leisurely Sunday morning, Hayley, Katie and myself headed into town for a spot of lunch at the Brasserie Zédel and cocktails in the adjoining Bar Américain - that is, after quaffing some free champagne in Burberry, admiring some of the Great Gatsby costumes in Brooks Brothers and dancing to Trinidadian Calypso in Regent Street.  I'll do another post about Brasserie Zédel later on or this will get too long!

  

Did any of you attend the Ric Rac club?  What would you wear to a circus themed party?  Have any of you been to Brasserie Zédel?

 

The day I got my cape on... well, capes. The Tweed Run 2013.

I am somewhat of a fair-weather cyclist (who wants to go out in the rain really?) but that didn't stop me looking forward to spending the day astride a velocopide of my own, taking in some of London's most iconic landmarks.  The event I am talking about is of course TheTweed Run, an amazing day when the streets of London are filled with be-tweeded (?) folk going for a leisurely jaunt, all in aid of charity.

The first time I'd attended the Tweed Run was the Ralph Lauren Rugby sponsored event in November 2011 and we returned for the April edition last year.

Competitor for most English photo ever?

 The route this year took in some of the most iconic sites in London including the Houses of Parliament, Regent Street, Trafalgar Square and Buckingham Palace - the tourists really got their money's worth that day!  We also revisited a few places we've filmed in the past, including the Athenaeum Club and Savile Row.



 

I am indebted to AuntieMaureen, who answered my plea for a tweed outfit at short notice.  The weather was quite changeable, so for the ride itself I wore a combination of a 1970s tweed cape suit, a lovely knitted woollen top and the tweed jacket I wore last year.   During the tea break, I got a bit chilly, so I changed the short cape for a knee length houndstooth number, which I also wore when I went to see The 39 Steps earlier in the week.  To complete my outfit, I wore a 1960s (I think) Edward Mann felt hat, which I had to stretch the night before because it was just a tad tight, a green snood, my 1940s dead stock brogues, elbow length leather gloves and a scarf that I got from Lush when I used to work there.  Being the rubbish blogger that I am, I didn't get any proper photos of my outfits (yes, plural) so this will have to do (also see the picture of me during an interview further down). 



Courtesy of Jim Moore



 My camerawork and presenting skills were really put to the test, as I was filming and doing pieces to camera - all while riding an unfamiliar bike (a beautiful Pashley I may add) in a pencil skirt! 



Courtesy of Jim Moore

 My formative years were spent listening to punk and new wave (this is going somewhere), so when I had the opportunity to interview David Vanian, lead singer of the Damned, I was a little over excited!  We had a lovely chat about bikes and tried very hard not to be a total fangirl!  

Look at that contained excitement!

 I touched upon it in our newsreel, but all of the riders owe a huge thank you to the marshals who kept all 500 of us out of harm's way - quite a task when you imagine so many cyclists of varying levels of experience, careering across Oxford Circus in the middle of the day!



The marshals all gathered at the start

I had so much fun, even when it started raining towards the end of the ride and it was lovely being able to catch up with a few London friends (and one cheeky chap from Brighton of course).

The lovely Katie and Mai, who came for an impromtu jaunt
down to Brighton after the Run



I'm not sure why Jenni is quite so excited,
she gets her photo taken all the time!



Zack, on Regent Street, in one of my favourite photos of the day

I can't wait to take part next year - perhaps my bike mounted camera work will have improved by then?!  Anyway, here is the film we made if you fancy seeing more of what the day is about.  Let me know what you think, were you there or would you love to attend a Tweed Run near you?

 

Pretty Knickers and Gin? Ra-ther!

As I may have mentioned before, I am quite the fan of What Katie Did lingerie.  I have slowly built up my collection of stockings, shapewear and bras to have quite a nice little collection now (started with one of their fabulous Sophia corsets, not the most obvious starting off point).

Some of the lovely new things for SS13

Anyway, poured into various items from their A/W 12 collection and wearing a green lace dress I'd been altering until the early hours, I went up to their Portobello Green boutique after being invited to some sort of a show, and of course gin cocktails and cake...

 Along for the ride was Vintage Vessel and Kieren (it was technically work after all!)  In September, we'd taken a trip to the lovely boutique to see a preview of SS13 (and the launch of AW12) so I wasn't sure what this event would be if it wasn't going to be another catwalkesque  show.

The lovely Vintage Vessel,
also known as 'Snappy Browne'

We were in for a treat though as the faces of SS13,  Slinky Sparkles and Sophia St Villier did what they do best and performed burlesque routines wearing the Marlene and Coco sets, respectively. 

 

 

 

 

 Sophia also wore another new addition to the shop, a Bernie Dexter dress (the Beatrice dress in tiki mask print in case you were wondering).  I'd not actually seen any Bernie Dexter dresses in real life - just yearned for them via the internet, so I was pleasantly surprised to see that they are made from really good quality material, much better than you normally find in repro dresses.

 I was lucky enough to interview Katie again, the founder of WKD and she was lovely as ever.  She told me about the plans to stock Miss L Fire shoes in the near future - as if we need any more reason to go to that little paradise in Ladbroke Grove?!

 Here is the footage from our visit if you'd like to take a look.  Here is the link to the show in September if you'd like a better look at the whole collection, I even did captions so you know which piece is which - you're welcome!  And I may have treated myself to a little something after all the filming was finished, but I couldn't possibly tell you what...

 Do you have any What Katie Did in your wardrobe and what's your favourite piece from the new collection?