Charity Shop Finds - Simple Fixes

Sometimes it's a simple as changing/replacing the buttons. I got this gorgeous vintage Hardy Amies wool jacket in Shelter in Stockbridge for a ridiculous bargain of £8. Two buttons were missing from the jacket and I looked for ages for something with a bit of interest. I came across these gorgeous buttons on lotsofbuttons.com which were absolutely perfect:

I love the heritage style of the buttons, they go really well with the tweed but from a distance don't distract from the overall blazer. I got some other gorgeous buttons from lotsofbuttons that will hopefully make their way onto things soon. Massive recommendation for that website, it took about 5 days for them to arrive and they were being shipped from the US! 

C x

Inspiration: Twin Peaks

I've just finished watching the first series of Twin Peaks, how good is old TV?? I love Sherilyn Fenn's character Audrey, she's exactly the type of femme fatale lacking from current telly. Her outfits are particularly fab - close fit sweaters and plaid skirts with a perfectly permed bob - so 50s for the early 90s.

C x

Tulle Time

I love when tulle isn't a powdery or icy colour - the material is already so feminine, it's great to see it in some stronger colours.

via duitang.com

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via weheartit.com

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Colour Analaysis: Turquoise

Behold, someone who really pulls off turquoise without looking a bit Costa del Sol:

Beautiful buttons on the lace back - these really make the dress. I think warm skin is really set off by turquoise, bluey-pales tend to look a bit cyanotic unless the shade is less yellow/green. 

•  Winters like Lucy Hale (et moi) suit pure, Lagoon blue shades:

• Springs look super in the natural turquoise stone colour -Rihanna is not a Spring but it's a good example of the right shade:

There's more yellow in the shade, and it's much warmer than Lucy Hale's .

• Autumns need to find rich shades - there isn't strictly speaking a 'rich turquoise' - it's a bit closer to warm teal.

• Summers get the most variety with turquoise - anything from a pastel turquoise to a teal/turquoise crossover. Summers look best in a variety of shades all worn together., or shimmering to soften the colour like Ellie Kemper

C x

Charity Shop Finds - Winter

Here's a round up of finds from the last couple of months.

 I got this cute knitted top with a bow for a bargain £3 and the pink 100% merino knit (Uniqlo) for £4 in Shelter on Forrest Road. That shop always has nifty bargains.

This M&S Limited Collection 100% silk blouse was a steal on the £3 rail at Save The Children on Nicholson St.

These were from my favourite charity shop of all - Barnardo's Stockbridge ♥ - The cardigan was £6.99 and the blouse (Dotty Ps) £4.29. 


More pictures to come!


C x

Vintage Inspiration: It's A Wonderful Life

Oasis pleated dress, $50

Franco Sarto suede platform heels, $89

Noel S.B. Overcoat, $465

Polo Ralph Lauren A21-C1559 Grey Trousers, $392

The black Oasis dress is still available on sale for £30 online. Doesn't the tweed overcoat look so cosy? I've seen quite a few like them in charity shops going for very reasonable prices (especially in the Morningside and Bruntsfield areas). And you could pick up a club tie in just about any charity shop you walk into. Your man could look like James Stewart too!

C x

Style Inspiration: Last Night

I watched this a wee while ago, and had mostly forgotten about it until I saw a photograph of Keira Knightley which reminded me of how stunning she looked in this film. I'm not a KK fan, and I thought 'Last Night' was beautifully shot (by Peter Deming, Mulholland Drive) but not really saying what is was trying to say particularly well, but she was styled divinely throughout the film (by Ann Roth, Cold Mountain) in gorgeous classic pieces:

The 'Night' is spent in a beautiful cashnere camel coat and royal navy silk dress (which I wish I could identify!)

I also liked her casual outfit, the oversized grey ♥cardigan♥ in particular.

So all in all, not a film to put high on your 'to-watch' list but it is worth a flick through to see some impeccable styling, and some of the locations used were terribly stylish too - when is a film set in New York not?

C x

House of Colour Make-Up Sale

I do love a good sale. I treated myself to an early Christmas present at the House of Colour Make-Up sale. Got myself 3 lovely nail varnishes in various Winter shades, and a white mineral eye shadow for post-exam parties (I forgot to include it in the picture).

I got Shocking Pink, Deep Fuschia and Burgundy, all super-cool Winter tones.

Check out the sale yourself here: www.houseofcolour.co.uk/hocshop/pages/sale (I'm not sponsored to advertise or anything, I just really like their products for the huge range of colours!).

C x

Judy's Affordable Vintage Fair

Y'all know I heart vintage. But you also know that I am a stingy son of a gun, so I'm not a habitual vintage shopper. I still thought I would check out 'Judy's Affordable Vintage Fair' when it hit Edinburgh yesterday, and honestly, it was heavenly. No ripped old tatty Laura Ashley granny dresses in size 18 like the vintage rails in some charity shops seem to be filled with: instead rows of neat sport blazers, thick knit Arran jumpers and regularly sized silk blouses and leather shorts. The jewelry stalls were neatly laid out, no need to spend ages untangling chains and prices went from dirt cheap to moderate but sensible for real vintage jewelry. I was surprised at how much menswear there was, and indeed how many men came along, but what surprised me mosst was how little kitsch there was - I always think of vintage fairs as being filled with Dita Von Teese clones in Vivien of Holloway bombshell dresses with perfectly permed roll fringes, but in fact the fair was full of average people just looking to get their hands on something no one else has.

Wanna see what I got?

Diamante & plastic pearl brooch, £4, Rare and Flair

Lee Cooper t-shirt (for the gentleman), £5.

Ralph Lauren cotton shirt-cum-nightshirt, £5.

Poodle plastic brooch, £2, Goodbye Norma Jean.

I really don't have anymore room in my wardrobe for clothes so I was very strict with myself, tempted as I was to splurge on a cute 70s red batwing dress ("But when will I realistically wear it?").

So the next time the fair is in town, I will pop back along, perhaps armed with a little more idea of what I actually want to find. Have a gander at the website to find out when the fair is coming to your city: theaffordablevintagefair.blogspot.com

C x

Charity Shop Finds: Karen Millen Top

Karen Millen knit zip-up top, £5.29 Barnardo's Stockbridge:

(I wanted to make sure it went with plenty of things in my wardrobe) 

I love the zip up the back. The material is a pretty thick knit, so I can see it being worn most during the winter.  I think purple is a really versatile colour, it really does go with pretty much any colour:

C x

Winter Coat Inspiration

You may find this a touch premature, but as we ease into September in Scotland, it's time to start thinking about gloves, hats and coats. I have a lovely classic black wool wrap coat, but on those gloomy afternoons when it's dark by 6 o'clock, I wish I had something more cheerful and bright to wear. Coats can appear at any time of the year in charity shops, unless the shop has storage space (doubtful in the city centre). So, it's worth keeping your eyes open for a good Winter coat throughout the year. Unfortunately, folks don't want to be parting with good warm coats, so for a quality coat, you might want to check out John Lewis, Jenners/House of Fraser (origin of my black coat), Zara and M&S, all of which are worth paying the price for quality. Or you could win the lottery and buy one of these beauts:

Blugirl AW11

Bottega Veneta AW11

Alberta Ferretti AW11

Gucci AW11

Diana von Furstenberg AW11

Alberta Ferretti AW11

Elie Tahari AW11

(images via style.com)

C x