Saturday 25 December 2010

Merry Christmas one and all

I wish all my lovely followers a very Happy Christmas, I hope you all got what you wished for! This year I had no idea whatsoever what I was getting from my family which was nice because I usually have an inkling but no not at all, so it was a lovely surprise to receive many books and DVDs including a book on Christian Dior and Coco Chanel which was really for  educational purposes but it is great to have these for a bit of light reading, well if you can call it that, my parents also gave me Mad Men series one to three on box set which to be honest I had been on about having it for a while now as it is the series to be obsessed with if you didn't know!  This series has been hitting the headlines this year as the must see TV with curvaceous ladies and handsome chaps who work for an advertising company .


The second box set I got was the whole collection of Marilyn Monroe films!! This made me very happy as I do love a bit of Marilyn so now I can sit at home and have some girly nights in with my ladies!
Once all the pressies were opened we sat down to a lovely meal that my mother made and I have to say I was feeling a bit worse for wear from last nights Christmas eve antics and drunk a  bit too much rum so unfortunately I couldn't eat it all but it was still yummy!
We sat down to watch Singing in the Rain and White Christmas, what could be more delightful!? Since I was young (this sounds rather stereotypical now) my mother and myself always used to watch the old MGM musicals and dream of having an outfits like actresses such as Rosemary Clooney and Grace Kelly once wore. It seemed such a nice way to spend Christmas day just relaxing watching these old films. I can't help but smile when I do watch them, and always try to figure out how they styled their hair, I will get it one day!

 









It also got me thinking on how things such as Vaudeville aren't as popular anymore, I know we have Burlesque which is about to hit the mainstream however would people really want to go see Vaudeville still?  I certainly would, it's definitely something lighthearted which is what we need for people to relax from the stresses of the 21st century however I'm not convinced it would be for everyone with the technical world we live in, it would be somewhat a Niche and underground which is how Burlesque started, but obviously during the early 20th century there was little else for people to do so they enjoyed going to the theatre to see Vaudeville.


So Christmas for 2010 has come and gone and I am now another year older hitting the grand old age of 21 and what a blast it's been. If 2011 is as exciting as 2010 bring it on I say!
Happy Christmas to you all and have a smashing New year, keep off the drink.. I know I will hehe.
Until Next Time
Toodle Pip
xxx

Monday 20 December 2010

Another song to be obsessed with.. until next time

Yes Katy Perry, a lady I would quite love to marry, damn Russell Brand getting there before I did!
I have always had a soft spot for Miss Perry and was rather obsessed with her last album, I recently heard this song and fell in love with her all over again. She seems to have lost her vintage influence but she is still beautiful and her voice is stunning.
The lyrics in this track seem so meaningful, the only thing I found a bit strange in the video was the fireworks coming from her boobs, now I didn't know whether she meant it was the song was coming from her heart or just her obsession for boobs! Either way its a great song and I love it!!
Until Next Time
Toodle Pip
xxx

A few Winter warmers

Winter is staying with a vengeance unfortunately and I tell you it's hard for a girl to keep up  an appearance in a blizzard! During this time of the year I still try to look as glam as possible, but this isn't always easy! Especially when you forget sensible walking shoes whilst working in London in the snow as to which I did a few weeks ago when it decided to pelt down! Dolly shoes are just not acceptable in this weather as I found out. It's so strange to see that some girls go out with next to nothing on still, I have to be wrapped up in my thermals and strap a hot water bottle to me before I even attempt to go out!
I found myself going against everything I've ever said about jeans as they turned out to be the most practical of all of my clothes it seemed, sometimes you have to let yourself go a bit, you can still dress your jeans up though! Well I tried anyway.
However don't listen to me ladies, you can still look glamorous and not seventy years before your time like me hobbling along.
At the moment in high street stores such as New Look, River Island etc there are some lovely forties and fifties inspired coats that look great with a pencil skirt and brogues.
This one is a fab retro inspired coat my dad pointed out to me in New Look today and I thought it would look great teamed with a circle skirt or dress and some great wedges (make sure they cover your toes otherwise they might turn into icicles) You can jazz it up with vintage accessories such as a thermoset brooch and gloves and before you know it you've got an outfit that looks truly gorgeous without having to spend a fortune and you'll look a million dollars.
Another reason to hate winter is because stockings aren't always the best option, the thickest tights possible have been my option when I've been wearing skirts recently, I would love to wear my stockings in the winter but I want some warmth at least, but black opaque tights can look rather sweet I think, at least it makes you look cosy! Team them with woolen pencil skirts and you will be almost feel like its a heatwave!
As for hair styles I've opted for up do's and head scarfs, because I find trying to curl my hair in this weather just doesn't seem to happen, as soon as I step outside the door, it just drops out! So up do's with forties styled victory rolls look devine. But if you're in a rush ladies you can create a quick and easy forties do rag in the blink of an eye with a lovely vintage scarf which you can pick up in charity, vintage and antique shops for mere pennies.
The only thing you will have to style is your fringe and I've found recently that I am able to do this without using heated rollers and simply just twisting and rolling it with my fingers to see what looks good.  See what you can do ladies if you are in a hurry, if it goes well it only takes a few moments so you can spend more time on your make up or choosing your outfit.
If a headscarf isn't for you then there's the trusty beret if you wanted to give your hair a go with curlers, these look adorable with any winter coat but remember to keep it pinned to your hair with grips or you may be having to chase it down the road at some point.

How lovely does this lady look! You can either buy a beret from high street stores or a vintage but if you're feeling really brave have a look for some vintage patterns and try knitting your own, you can have your own colours and have something truly original!
For shoes if you do go out in trousers ( if you still want that vintage look go for some repro forties styled high waisted ones from
Hey day ) and boots are a good option which will keep your feet nice and toasty and dry. Or some brogues which honestly don't make you look like a school teacher, well that's what I tell myself, you can get them from most stores and in different colours so why not try something a bit different?
To match your high waisted trousers make sure you wrap up in a nice thick sweater. Vintage ones are lovely and you can get some bargains as I did with a pastel green cashmere pin up sweater off eBay. If not try
Rocket originals for vintage inspired sweaters
 The lovely Fleur De Guerre in her Heyday forties trousers and Rocket sweater.
See you can look fabulous even in the winter, don't fret ladies there is always a way to look gorgeous. I do wish though sometimes that I would listen to my own advice, maybe that's my new years resolution hey folks!
Until Next Time
Toodle Pip
xxx


Tuesday 14 December 2010

My pick of the pops!

This is something completely off topic and something I haven't really wrote about before however I think it is something I may keep up with if I find people are interested in it (please let me know!)
I've decided to mention a few songs that I am somewhat obsessed with at the moment and I'd like to see if I can get a few of you liking them too, there will be a mixture of music as I am rather eclectic in what I listen to! So here goes...
The first one is by a guy who goes by the name of J.D McPherson and the song is North Side gal, my friend sent me the link to this on YouTube a few weeks back and then I heard it played at a Rockabilly club one night too! Jimmy Sutton is involved with the band playing bass I do believe (those who don't know of him, he is an amazing double bass player and singer from America! check him out!) and to be honest I wouldn't say the song is straight out rockabilly but I do like it, he has got one hell of a voice and I'm hoping to get his album soon!

Next track up is by another up and coming singer that everyone must have heard of by now, yes it's that love to hate fella Si Cranstoun, I'm not going to put up his song dynamo because it has been played so much in the last few months and I imagine everyone is tired of hearing it now, even though it is a brilliant dance track! I am going to mention another song off his album, alternative dance floor fillers, 50s pin up girl (how coincidental I know) but this is another great dancer and it has been stuck in my head ever since the Rhythm Riot, I do have a soft spot for Si because of his and his brothers ska band the Dualers, yes when I was around 15 I was a little Ska chick so when I heard them I knew I'd like them! But yes here is Si Cranstoun's 50s pin up girl, it is a live video I found on YouTube! 
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Now going back to the time where the first two songs were inspired by here are a couple of originals that I am still obsessing over even though I have heard them time and time again.
The first one is Jackie Wilson, I'll be satisfied, I completely blame my fella for getting me obsessed with Mr Wilson (not that it's a bad thing of course) but I've come to hear a lot more of his tracks since being with him and this is one of them, definitely one of my favourites I think and I was so happy to hear the Cleftones sing it at the Rhythm Riot in November! Jackie Wilson was amazing during the fifties and went on to do some great stuff in the sixties and seventies too which I love just as much!

The second one is Wynona Carr, til the wells run dry, I'd always known of Wynona Carr but never had heard this song until recently, I must have been living in a dream land honestly!, I had heard her most famous of course which are ding dong daddy and touch and go but this had slipped on by without me realising, another dance floor filler and is always one to get me in a good mood! So play this out and you'll have me dancing!

.
I hope you enjoy these songs I've put up for you lovely lot, any requests and I'll put them up as and when I can. 
Keep an eye out for my new set of pin up pictures that are doing the rounds at the moment!
Until next time
Toodle Pip
xxx

Sunday 12 December 2010

The return of the The Hollywood Starlet

Whilst I was at Blue water this weekend doing a bit of window shopping (and only that let me just clarify!) I noticed a few things that were quite different in some fashion shops, glamour is coming back ladies and not the trashy page three glamour either, that's right Hollywood glamour, I was looking at dresses, tops and there was a very strong vibe of decades from the twenties to the late forties. A friend and I spotted a 1930s inspired dress which was very Madeleine Vionnet , it was classic and it was enchanting, something that could be worn time and time again and a lady would look just as  beautiful in it each time. With a simple style to it I fell in love, however not so much at the price of £195 I had to let it go, bring on the January sales I say!
It seems people are looking back again at times where glamour was a way of life, women between the twenties and early sixties took great pride in their appearance and wanted to look feminine and beautiful and damn right they should. Women are meant to look glamorous and sexy this is what men love about us right?
I'm after a jumpsuit, I was a bit wary of this idea because I've never worn one in my life and I didn't particularly want to look like an eighties  reject and the majority of jumpsuits in shops are just tacky until I went into New Look and Found what seemed to be a seventies influenced but I liked it a simple black one shouldered jump suit.
See now this is something I think looks rather good(excuse my awful cropping of the image!) I tried it on and it just felt so comfortable, like I said it is very seventies however the seventies took a lot of influence from the forties so If I get this for my birthday I think with my hair pin curled it will look lovely! I like the fact that the trousers have a bit of a flare to them and are high waisted so this means it will suit my hourglass frame a treat!
But it was very classic and so was many other things I saw in shops, I mean of course dress lengths haven't really grown and I don't see them growing any time soon, its either maxi or mini I'm afraid and nothing in between, but the bodices of some of the dresses are very forties and fifties influenced and are very flattering for ladies. I also saw that River Island were selling Pretty Polly seamed tights.
Now obviously these aren't as good as seamed stockings in my opinion but for ladies that want a bit of class every day and a cheaper option these could be right up your street. I love the fact also the design is also very vintage inspired with the streamlined radio, the pose of the ladies legs and the general feel to it, very retro indeed.
You also now notice celebrities who go for the Hollywood glamour look such as Katherine Heigl, is it because they want to stand out from the rest or are they generally interested in past times? Or just wearing something their stylist simply told them would look good?
Katherine Heigl wearing a beautiful evening gown at an awards ceremony with fifties inspired hair, wowee!

All of this could be because of the new Cher and Christina Aguilera film BURLESQUE that is coming out this month. People have  certainly now opened their eyes to burlesque and it is certainly becoming more mainstream so are designers wanting to show this through their garments and give ladies a bit of retro chic?

Christina Aguilera in Burlesque
 Or are the general public simply following another trend similar to the "Mad Men" phase? I quite like it to be honest because I can now go into modern clothes shops and find clothes that are actually similar in design to those of the decades I am interested in, the forties and fifties. I can now mix and match vintage with contemporary without feeling too uncomfortable in it because some outfits now do just scream pure class and this is what I like, call me a snob, I don't care, I like to look good and sometimes high street fashion just isn't for me. Personally being a lady myself there is nothing more captivating than a woman dressed up to the nines in alluring garments with a bit of glitz, their hair styled nicely, beautiful red lips and a damn good handbag, I'm sure most of you would agree. So will we see a bit of Hollywood glamour over the Christmas period, oh I do hope so. Ladies, ditch the jeggings and go for something a bit more seductive with a ravishing evening gown or pencil skirt, or like me a classic jumpsuit.
Until Next Time
Toodle Pip
xxx


Monday 6 December 2010

Entry for Miss Alternative UK


Hi everyone just a quick blog here to let you know that I have decided to enter Miss Alternative Uk! And there is nothing I would love more if you lovely lot could vote for me in January!! I will be constantly sharing this blog and the website so please keep your eyes peeled. I am one of the very few pin up's in the contest so I am hoping  I stand a good chance because of this!! Please help me to get to the final 20!
You never know it might open up a few more places for pin ups like me to go places! There is certainly a mixture of beautiful alternative girls here so get voting!!
Bettina
xxx

Sunday 5 December 2010

The Rhythm Riot 2010

It seems a life time ago now but it's only been a couple of weeks! Yes ladies and gents the Rhythm Riot has come and gone again for this year and what a blast it was, even if a tad on the chilly side!
This year it was my first ever Rhythm Riot, can you believe it?! I certainly can't! I was always a bit hesitant about going because being a bit of a  rockabilly/rock n roll girl, I thought there wouldn't be much for me to dance to! How wrong could someone be?
I saw the line up a few months ago and thought I'd best get my bum in gear and book up! I even managed to convince my parents to go as so it was their first one too!
I don't know what I was expecting, I suppose I thought I wouldn't enjoy it because I expected it to be heavily 1940s influenced with Lindy hoppers everywhere, the only thing I knew was that it would be blooming cold! I Certainly got that right, so I packed my sweaters and away I went. I turned up with my folks on the Friday afternoon and noticed straight away how different it was from other weekenders, probably because I'm so used to turning up on the Thursday! I booked in, dropped my stuff off to the ever so ever so cold chalet which seemed a million miles away, further than my one in the summer at the Rockabilly Rave, was that possible???
First port of call, well of course the vintage clothes stalls! Unfortunately though I couldn't have a proper look around because it seemed that everyone else had the same idea and also headed for them, however I did manage to pick up a vintage yellow checked 49er jacket!!
As the day went by, the sun was going down which meant we better start getting ready so back to the chalet we went. I decided the night before to pin curl my hair, which was my first ever attempt and you know it didn't turn out half bad! I decided to wear my blue Hawaiian dress made for me by Di from Outerlimitz.
Me and my girls Laura and Clare
Now I'm going to be honest here, I can't quite remember some of the bands that played Friday night as I imagine I was slightly intoxicated, my excuse was I was keeping the cold out with all that vodka! I do remember one band and that was Lil Linn and the Lookout boys, I didn't see much of them unfortunately as I forgot my pass when I went back the chalet (I'm sorry but this is where wrist bands come in mighty handy!) But of what I did see they were a fabulous band with a mix of western swing, hillbilly and early rockabilly with a beautiful lady belting out some tunes! I got a text from my friend who I was sharing my chalet with telling me I must go back to the chalet right away, so I did and how sweet of them, they had blown up balloons and got me a very early birthday cake!(Chocolate of course) what a brilliant start to the weekend!! so after having lots of hugs and cake I went back to do some dancing!
I woke up the next day without a hangover which is always good! I had another wander around the stalls and as the day was going on I headed to the queen Vic(no puns please) to watch a band known as the Ladykillers, now I'd heard a lot about these because they were young and up and coming, so I was looking forward to seeing them. I wasn't disappointed, young and full of energy they were very modern  rockabilly and definitely got the crowd going who seemed more then happy with their performance! I am hoping to see them in December when I am back home at the Star fighter Rock n roll club.
The evening came by again, mum and dad headed out early and I spent what seemed like forever deciding what to wear, eventually choosing a vintage aqua wiggle dress.

A image that photographer Ophelia Wynne took of me showing off my dress i wore that night and my lovely vintage 60s wicker handbag

Me and my man scrub up nice don't you think?
 First band I saw, and the only band that I wanted to see was the Cleftones, a doo wop band from the 50s &60s singing songs like their classics Heart & Soul and Can't we be sweethearts, amazing, that's all I can describe them as, since being with my fella I've become a little bit Doo wop obsessed so we both really enjoyed them even though he'd seen then at previous riots.

The Cleftones!!
Next band up was Si Cranstoun, now everyone must have heard of him and his dance floor filler Dynamo? Once again I wasn't quite sure what to expect because he was one half of the Ska band the Dualers, which to me was fine because I am partial to a bit of ska every now and then but I was wondering whether he'd be able to do a full set of rock n roll tracks, but yes wrong again he did tracks such as Don't be angry by Nappy Brown and also got Bobby Brooks Hamilton on stage with him to sing Sam Cook's twisting the night away! I would keep on about the bands of Saturday night but I fear this blog may turn into a bit of a essay! However I will say other top bands of the night were Big Sandy, Lil Gizelle and Dollar Bill!

Big Sandy!

Dollar Bill

The final day of course was Sunday, I told myself that I would go to the car boot, but why lie? I never manage to drag myself out of bed even for a bargain,but what I eventually did drag myself out for was my parents buying me a fab gab (oo bit of rhyming there) jacket as an early birthday present and my fella getting me a beautiful vintage green day dress for Christmas, how spoilt can a girl be? Now on a Sunday night at the Riot was Hawaiian night, fortunately I knew this in advanced so I came prepared with my vintage red Hawaiian dress that I Purchased at Hemsby.


Me in my hawaiian and my man in his vintage pegs and shirt
Now there were only a couple of bands I payed attention to Sunday night and these were Bobby Brooks Hamilton (who is allegedly Jackie Wilson's son but I am very unsure!) and Mike Sanchez, Bobby Brooks looked and sounded like Jackie Wilson so was very entertaining however I thought he could of sung a lot more of Wilson's more popular tracks than some covers he did. Mike Sanchez was awesome as ever, you always know what you're getting from Mike!

The highlights of that night was Big Sandy recognising me (yes not the other way round!) and having a lovely chat with him and just having a brilliant end to the weekend with great Dj's playing some fab floor fillers!
I couldn't get enough of this weekend, it was right up my street because it was mainly 50s RnB which is what I love! it was relaxed and a lot of my good friends were there the only thing I didn't like was the fact it was only Friday- Sunday instead of Thursday-Sunday, it seemed like a lot was squeezed into such a short weekend! And also the fact it was so cold, but hey you can't change the weather can you? 
Any one of you out there who are thinking about trying out the Riot I highly recommend it!!
Until Next Time
Toodle Pip
xxx