The weekend I got a divorce and ran away with Viv the Spiv

With the release of the latest issue of The Chap magazine (featuring the very lovely Diana Dors on the cover), I thought I would put up some pictures from the photoshoot I did for that very same publication. 

Obviously not Diana Dors,
Adam Ant graced the cover of Issue 60

 It all came about because my dear friend Viv the Spiv asked me to be 'his lady' for a photoshoot about correspondent shoes, to be featured in the Dec/Jan 2012 issue of The Chap.  The story for the shoot was essentially the plot to 'The Gay Divorcee', with a woman trying to obtain a divorce by being caught in an adulterous situation, they too end up in a Brighton Hotel! 

Sadly this wasn't the hotel we used

How do Viv and I compare?

I was to play the unhappily married woman, who was hoping to be 'caught' by a Private Detective while in a hotel room with... gasp... a man that wasn't my husband.  Cue Viv the Spiv.  And you thought it would just be some pictures of shoes?  The reason for the link between divorce and two-tone brogues dates back to a famous divorce case in the '30s where the whole case hinged on a photograph of a pair of correspondent shoes being left outside a hotel room. 

 I was meant to look scared at the prospect of Viv coming through the window and anything untoward happening before the Private Eye came in.  In the end I was overcome by Viv's charm (who wouldn't be?) and we left the hotel together, much the same as Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers had done in the aforementioned film.

All those years of not doing drama classes are finally paying off

My outfit consisted of a Vivien of Holloway Pencil skirt, jacket with a detachable faux fur collar that my mum found in a charity shop, a hat made by me, CC41 suede gloves, '70s heeled brogues and for the photo in bed, a beautiful 1940s Chinese silk dressing gown.  When I first received a call from the editor of the Chap asking if I had any vintage nightwear, my first thought was: 'this photoshoot is taking quite a different direction than I was expecting' but then I realised I had the dressing gown which worked brilliantly.  It's just a shame you can't see more of it.  When I eventually get 'round to taking photographs of all my clothes (mainly so I can remember what I've got!), I'm sure they'll get put up here.

Outside the Hotel Pelirocco

Viv was very sweet when taking the photograph of him lighting my cigarette as he knows I don't smoke.  However, I was more worried about naked flame being that close to my Utility gloves!

Anyway, I had an awful lot of fun at the photoshoot and it was an absolute dream to be in a magazine I have been an avid reader of since 2005.

A behind-the-scenes photo of Viv,

editor Gustav, writer Neil and myself.

Taken by our esteemed photographer, Russ Bell

As I mentioned Diana Dors at the beginning, I thought I would relay a funny story I once heard about her.  When she went back to her home town of Swindon to open a church fête, the vicar wanted to introduce her by her real name (Diana Fluck) as she was a local girl done good.  In all the excitement, and being a little anxious at mispronouncing her surname, he ended his introduction with "...Ladies and Gentlemen, Miss Diana Clunt."  Vicars, eh?

Blind Pig Returns

We stopped off for a quick drink (at the Bristol Arms if you're interested) before heading on to Blind Pig at the Proud Ballroom in Brighton.



The chaps doing all of the necessary technical checks

The night was organised by Carolyn Watt, an established aerial performer and fashion student.  The Blind Pig started out as a fundraiser for her end of year show, organised with her fellow students.  This was the first time it was solely under her leadership and we were interested to see how it went.

During our interview Carolyn Watt, the organiser

Ethan

The night's entertainment came thick and fast, which meant a fair amount of dashing about the place by us with a plethora of cameras (and our fancy new mobile light).  As we arrived, Ethan (the first male pole dancer I've seen) was performing a very athletic routine.  Seeing a man pole dancin,g somehow highlights how strong you have to be to accomplish some of the moves. 

Next came a traditional burlesque fan dance from Cherry Bella.  I was particularly impressed with her outfit, a very nice mix of pastel pink and blue satin.

Cherry Bella's first performance of the evening

Burlesque nowadays is often solely associated with well dressed ladies becoming rather less-dressed, but it has a fine tradition/association with comedy too, (Mae West started out as a comic performing in between the striptease acts).  With this in mind, came the first double act of the night; the Big Brad Wolf and Acacia Blue performed a rather amusing burlesque centreing around a robbery - gun included!  It's always refreshing to see people trying something new in burlesque.

Miss Bombshell was up next, performing another pole routine to the evocative 'El Tango de Roxanne' from Moulin Rouge.



Lexi Allure

Miss Bombshell

Lexi Allure, who I believe made her own costume, was another traditional burlesque dancer.

Ethan & Miss Steel

Ethan appeared again, but this time in a two person pole routine.  Joined by Miss Steel, what followed was quite an innovative display of strength and athleticism.

A second appearance from Cherry Bella rounded off the burlesque performances of the evening.  In an intricate black outfit, she lit up the stage with her fire breathing act (sorry, that was awful) .

Cherry Bella 'lighting up' the stage - get it?

As promised, there was a live band in the form of This is Laura, whose music perfectly suited the mood of the evening.  Kieren interviewed some of the band later on, but you can see that when we release the footage.

Jennie, a lady known by many names

After all the live performers had appeared, DJ Arthur Shillin' (oh, I do love a good pun), who had been playing in between acts, continued with the rest of the night's entertainment.  He played almost exclusively electroswing, but did include some swing music from between the wars.  I did also manage to get a couple of dances with fellow blogger Jennie (of Fancy Dresscapades fame).  She too was there taking the odd snap and being interviewed by professional media types (well, me).

Normally I'm more comfortable wearing clothes from (or styled as though they were from) the 1940s and '50s.  However, as this was a Speakeasy, it would be churlish to not go for full flapper finery.  I'm slightly limited when it comes to 1920s clothes (I've got a black lace '80s-does-'20s number or a very fragile original peach silk and lace frock, but that wouldn't really do for dancing).  In the end I went for a modern dress in a vaguely '20s casual day style (replete with obligatory sequins).  I had great fun waving my hair and pinning up the curls at the back, in order to simulate the shorter styles so in vogue at the time. 

 

I'll soon have a post on how to do said hairstyle, but for now that is all from me.

The truly fashionable are beyond fashion. Review of Style Me Vintage by Naomi Thompson

After spending the day with Naomi Thompson, the lady behind Vintage Secret, I was immediately compelled to read her new book ‘Style Me Vintage: Clothes’.  And this I did – cover-to-cover in an hour!  I was really impressed with the tone of the writing.  It wasn’t dumbed down, nor was it elitist as often vintage writing can be (e.g. ‘if you don’t already know, we’re not going to tell you’).

 

The day started off with Leslie and I driving down to Naomi’s lovely flat in Portsmouth.  With views of the sea, it was the perfect place to conduct our interview.  We chatted a while about Style Me Vintage, The Vintage Mafia and generally about vintage clothes.  But I’m not here to relay the entire conversation – that’s what we have our cameras for!  What I’d like to focus on today is her book.  As I said earlier, I couldn’t put it down and found it really engaging. 

The book is in two parts, firstly a decade-by-decade guide picking out the key looks, features and details of each period ranging from the ‘20s to the ‘80s.  The second half contains hints and tips for the general care and purchasing of vintage clothes.  It also has dedicated sections on foundation garments (or shapewear) and swimwear. 

The book features a few stock photos, but mainly contains photos taken just for the book, with models some of you may recognise, (did someone say the Vintage Mafia?)  The clothes shown are mostly original, including some absolutely stunning 1940s hats and 1920s frocks, but I was pleased with the inclusion of some reproduction clothing as well.  Clothes from companies such as Heydey! and a personal favourite, Puttin’ on the Ritz , are an informed addition.  The ease of care and more uniform sizing of reproduction clothing make them a viable alternative to buying purely vintage, but one that is occasionally frowned upon by some of the more diehard vintage wearers.

I also liked the way each decade was split into day and evening looks, as it is able to show, especially in the earlier decades, how social change could sometimes be slow but precursors to some key looks could be found decades earlier.

There were a fair few tidbits I found really interesting, particularly Laver’s Law and the changes in hemline.  The book is also peppered with famous quotes about style and fashion, my favourite being ‘The truly fashionable are beyond fashion’, Cecil Beaton.

For the uninitiated, there are some indispensable tips on dating, buying and trying on vintage, which are great as shopping for vintage can be rather daunting.  I will definitely be taking a tape measure out with me next time I go shopping, I can’t believe I’d not thought of it before!

At the back there is also a pick of the best vintage fashion blogs, the best sort of places to source your vintage goodies, important labels you may not know and some choice online boutiques.

Overall, (as you can probably tell) I’m really impressed with this book, and I think it will be a boon to those with previous vintage knowledge and those just getting into it.  It comes out on February 1^st and I’m sure it will be flying off the shelves (it’s currently sold out on Amazon).  Congratulations Naomi on a superb book.

Wallis Simpson - a woman of seduction, scandal but ultimately, of style.

I recently saw an advert for the new film W./E. and was quite intrigued as the story of Wallis Simpson and King Edward VIII has always interested me.  http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi2921176601/ 

Often decried as the woman that almost caused a constitutional crisis, who apparently picked up some 'persuasive' talents whilst in some rather dubious establishments in Shanghai and who met with Adolph Hitler in the advent of war, one thing is certain: Wallis Simpson was a very stylish woman.

 

Right and Left -

Dress by Schiaperelli, Photograph by Cecil Beaton, two people with whom Wallis Simpson was very much associated with.

Wallis Night
by Roland Mouret



She is still as relevant as a style icon as ever she was, even inspiring a new gold maxi dress from Roland Mouret, Wallis Night.  I imagine there will be lots of fashion magazine inches dedicated to the late Duchess of Windsor in the coming months, so expect sharp tailoring, bateau necklines and centre partings to be making more than a fleeting appearance.



Taken in the summer of 1936,

before the relationship was widely

known by the British public

As well as being tremendously elegant, Wallis was also smart, witty and outré, a little too much for the sensibilities of the day.  However, she immediately caught the attention of the then Prince Edward when they met in January 1931, who found her a refreshing change compared to his usual company.  Having had more than his fair share of dalliances with married women, an American socialite, who was already on her second husband, was no challenge.  It was not all Edward's doing though, in a letter to her Aunt after her initial meeting with the Prince, she wrote "I've had my mind made up to meet him ever since I've been here."  She also wrote of what a "treat" it had been to finally meet him.

Taken aboard the yacht Nahlin

in the summer of 1936

 Mrs Simpson was only granted a divorce from her second husband in October 1936, mere weeks before Edward abdicated officially on the 10th December.  The country, over whom Edward had ruled over for less than a year, had little time to react to the news.  There had been a 'gentlemen's agreement' stopping any British press from reporting the story (this wasn't the case in Europe where the relationship had been widely reported for years).  Parliament and the Church were worried about the influence someone foreign (with a questionable past) could have on someone so close to the crown (no one wanted another Rasputin, and anyway, Wallis wouldn't look good with that beard).  After the King gave his abdication speech, which was the first many knew of the seriousness of the relationship, the people of Great Britain seemed to be against Wallis (or 'That Woman' as she was sometimes called), especially as she was taking away a very popular King.



An intimate portrait taken by Cecil Beaton.

A favourite subject of Cecil Beaton, Wallis and Edward were photographed by him many times, with Beaton even taking the official photographs at their wedding at the Château de Candé in 1937.   



Wedding dress by Mainbocher in 'Wallis

Blue', photograph by Cecil Beaton

The designers of Wallis' trousseau read like a 'who's who' of 1930s fashion.  Mainbocher created her beautiful crêpe satin wedding dress in 'Wallis Blue'.  'Wallis Blue' was in fact Windsor Blue (fitting really, as she was the new Duchess of Windsor) and was the colour of ribbon worn by those bestowed with the Order of the Garter.  Schiaparelli (who was a favourite of Wallis' and whom she modelled for) provided  a black crêpe day dress replete with white turtles as well as an evening dress (again in 'Wallis Blue') with yellow butterflies.  The butterfly motif appeared to be a favourite of the newly married Duchess of Windsor as it was again seen on the lapels of a blue tweed jacket and a variation of the famous Dali lobster gown.  Molyneux, Chanel and Paquin also contributed to the bride's wedding wardrobe, with her matching Bridal hat (of blue straw and pale blue tulle) made by Reboux.  When Edward first saw Wallis in her wedding gown, he remarked "Oh, so this is the great dress? Well it's lovely, very pretty".

 

Wallis modelling the famous

Schiaparelli gown with a lobster

painted by Dali (1937)



Much of Wallis' personal wardrobe was designed by Mainbocher who was perhaps chosen over Schiaparelli as Wallis wanted something slightly more demure for her wedding, no lobsters this time!  

 

  

Customarily sporting a centre-parting in her raven hair, with the subtle make up of the day, it was her clothes that made an immediate statement as well as a vast selection of sumptuous jewels and accessories. 

In 1934, Edward lavished his 'friend' Wallis with £50,000 worth of jewels for Christmas before deciding it wasn't quite a generous enough gift and presented her with a further £60,000-worth within a few months.

Despite being refused the style 'Her Royal Highness', Wallis maintained a very regal air throughout all her social engagements.  The couple were known for throwing lavish parties at their home in France and continued to be the toast of European society.

After a self-imposed exile to France following the wedding, the couple planned to return to England after a couple of years.  They were resolutely told by the King (George VI, Edward's younger brother) that they were not welcome without an explicit invitation.  After a few years during World War II in the Bahamas, where Edward was Governor (to keep the Nazi-sympathetic pair out of Europe and a position of political influence) they returned to France where they spent the remainder of their lives.  Even though they only made infrequent visits back to England, the couple remained darlings of society for the next 35 years until Edward's death in 1972.

Whatever your opinion of her as a woman, it cannot be denied that she amassed a beautiful wardrobe and we are lucky that there are so many photographs of one of the most stylish women of the 1930s.