Friday 28 September 2012

Make Yourself a Pin Up!

A little while ago the lovely Jessica from Chronically Vintage mentioned the wizardry of online programme Doll Divine

I had a go, and although it started out as something fun, I realised just how far apart this pin-up doll is from me in reality!



My hair never looks that good.  I don't wear blusher or eyeliner very often.  My kitchen floor is not as clean.  I only drink cocktails on rare occasions.  I have frilly aprons that I don't wear in case I spill on them.

I have been blown away by some of the stylish ladies I have virtually 'met' recently, whether through Facebook or blogs.  And I have realised something: life is too short to save all those dresses for 'special' occasions.  Life is too short not to wear the Chanel nail varnish you've been saving for 'best'.  Life is too short not to make an effort.  And it's always better to be over-dressed than under-dressed.  Wear party tights to work.

I intend to 'up my game' as they say these days and I hope that means for this blog that there will be more outfit posts, and I might even get around to doing some tutorials.

Anyway, the pin up doll creator is great fun for a Friday!  I'd love to see your creations - but even more I'd like us all to remember to indulge our real-life pin-up side.

Porelina xx

Wednesday 26 September 2012

Outfit Post: Not Letting Go of Summer

I refuse to pack away my summer dresses just yet!  Last week it was cold but dry so I layered a summer dress with a slip, knitwear, scarf and boots.  Trying desperately to hold off on tights until October.
 

Boots: Wrangler
Dress: New Look
Cardigan: Laura Ashley
Scarf: Peacocks

Monday 24 September 2012

Giveaway Winner Announced!

(drum roll please!)

First of all, a big thank you to everyone who has entered the prize draw to win the lovely Parisian stationery set!  I'm so pleased that it has been a popular giveaway, and that I now have some new followers.  I hope some of you are enthusiastic about vintage style as well as stationery!


To make the prize draw fair I have been through each and every comment and had to take some out that were not adhering to the rules exactly, and any that were just comments and not competition entries (sorry to delete those but I had to minimise confusion!).

Finally, thank you to all those that fed back to me on what 'back to school' type activities they will be undertaking this Autumn - it seems as though there's a lot of change ahead for some of us, and I wish everyone the best of luck with their new endeavours!

Without further ado, the winner of the Parisian stationery set is...

Sara Martino!  Aka dede81.

Congratulations Sara, please message me on Facebook with your mailing address and I will post your prize very soon.

Have a fantastic week everyone!

Porcelina xx

Friday 21 September 2012

Outfit Post: Holiday Wardrobe

A bit unseasonal now perhaps, but here is a pictorial post about what I wore in Spain the other week - lots of dresses really!  The first one pictured was a car boot sale bargain for 50p, and it has flamingos on it.  Amazing.

Tuesday 18 September 2012

London Adventure: Fashion Retrospective & The Ritz!

First of all, welcome to all my new readers!  I had no idea that stationery would be so popular, I shall have to keep an eye out for other sets to giveaway.  Good luck to everyone that's entered - I will be double-checking each comment before I do the random number generator thingy next Monday and hopefully I will find some new blogs to read too as a result.

Anyway, this post is a little report of my weekend adventures in London, firstly the Fashion Retrospective show put on by Bourne and Hollingsworth at the Bloomsbury Ballroom.  I went with my friend Laura, who looked like such a doll in her outfit, and spent the entire day sourcing sewing materials and then sitting with her mini John Lewis sewing machine (in Pistachio!) MAKING a net underskirt to give her dress some 'pouf'.  She did a great job too!


Friday 14 September 2012

Giveaway: Bonjour Autumn!

Would you like to win a bumper set of stationery?  Read on!

Sorry, too slow!  GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED!


 
Autumn is my favourite season and September my favourite month.  I've heard quite a few bloggers say that they feel September is a time of change and resolutions for them, the way January is for a lot of people, and I agree.

So, to celebrate September, I'm doing a little giveaway!  I love stationery, so the prize is...stationery!  It will help if you are going 'back to school' in any way this September - I'm starting a new part-time job and taking up an evening class, so I'm very much in a 'new beginnings' frame of mind.

The prizes are all from the 'Parisian' range of stationery and includes: a hardback notebook, stickers, pen, pencil, eraser, sharpener, ruler, pencil tin, a flatpack pen pot, and a pocket pack of tissues.

To enter:
1) Leave a comment below
2) For another entry repost this on your own blog, and then leave me a new comment with the link.
3) You can get a third entry by going to my Facebook page and leaving a comment after my post there about this competition.

I will post the prize anywhere in the world, but you must be a follower of this blog to enter!  Those of you still looking for the 'follow' button will find this has gone from Blogger now - either use Google friend connect, or copy my blog's url and paste it manually into 'Add new' in your reading list.

GOOD LUCK!!

I'd love to hear from anyone having their own 'back to school' experience this Autumn, please feel free to comment!

I'll draw a winner on Monday 24th September.

Wednesday 12 September 2012

London Fashion Week Event This Weekend: Retrospective

I am back from Spain!  But that's a whole other story - right now I am giddy with excitement that I have been sent tickets to the fabulous Fashion Retrospective fashion show and party taking place this Saturday at Bloomsbury Ballroom.

 
The idea is to highlight the 'cyclical' nature of fashion, and use vintage pieces in the catwalk show to illustrate how the trends for SS13 can be attained.

I really can't wait, but am having a major dilemma over what to wear!  I'm tempted to wear a 1950s style dress with petticoat underneath, but am debating whether that might look a bit girly and frivolous.  I must be worried about being judged - I always wonder whether mainstream fashion and vintage style sit that comfortably next to each other.  Do dedicated followers of fashion look at a vintage outfit as twee?  Is it possible to incorporate modern trends with a predominantly vintage wardrobe?  It's true that there's quite a lot of 'vintage' in modern fashion magazines these days but generally the things that make them vintage e.g. a longer hemline, are often altered by the stylist to make the outfit look more modern.  So is there any point then in using vintage in the first place?

Maybe I'll have an answer to these questions when I report back after the weekend.

In the meantime, anyone wanting a ticket can purchase one from their website, here.

Wednesday 5 September 2012

Porcelina's Holiday

If all has gone according to plan, with flights, and with the scheduled post feature that I am new to using, I will be in sunny Spain as you read this!  A last-chance to get some sunshine with my other half before the UK descends into Winter, and a celebration too for our fifth anniversary.

Imagine me as below, but with a bigger smile, a much more flamboyant cocktail, and blazing sunshine thrown in too.


It was tiresome packing, as always.  A vintage-loving gal really needs a set of steamer trunks, not a tiny little budget-airline limited case.  I've packed 12 dresses, 4 pairs of shoes, 3 bikinis and a hotch-potch of separates that I will probably discover don't go with anything else.

A full report, with many photos of tapas, will be submitted on my return.  Have a good week everyone!

Miss P xx


Monday 3 September 2012

Banjo Playing Gentleman: Frank Fairfield

This weekend I was introduced to a new 'old time' artist, Frank Fairfield.  His songs are old (19th century some of them), and his voice, appearance and demeanour all hark back to those days.  Hard to believe he's in his early twenties!



The talented young man from California plays the banjo, the guitar, and the violin (not all at the same time), with versions of popular folk songs like '9 Pound Hammer' - covered once by Johnny Cash, among others.  The energy he puts into some of the more up-tempo songs on the violin is magnetic, and he seems to go into some kind of trance as he plays.  He's currently touring the UK and I recommend going to see him if he's playing anywhere near you - check the list here.




After the show, I managed to have a brief chat with him about his style of dress, and asked him where it had come from - "I'm just trying to be a gentleman" was his reply.  He also mentioned that there are many "sloppy" dressers in "urban centres".  I couldn't agree more - on my walk home from the pub, past Cardiff's infamous nightlife hotspots, many examples of "sloppy" dressing presented themselves to me.
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