Rejuvenate Old Clothes

A top tip for breathing life in to old clothes. I recently bought a faded vintage Laura Ashley dress, in a colour I wasn't so keen on but loved the style. Laura Ashley can be pricey second hand so I jumped at the chance to get my hands on this dress and won it for £12.50. It barely got through the letterbox before I started its transformation

From light blue... to black. Actually, it's more like navy. Who knew there are various shades of black to chose from?! I love it and will wear it tons in the months to come, feeling VERY smug that I'm wearing a real one off piece.

You can buy Dylon fabric dye from most hardware shops.

A good tip before dying is to check the fabric content. 100% cotton will dye well, but things made from manmade fibres tend not to take the colour so well. Things like stitches and zips may stay their original colour as a result. Make sure you wash dyed pieces on their own for the first couple of washes too.

Gold and Gingham

Vintage gold - a neck full of talismans

Green Molly Goddard gingham

 And scruffy trainers made for walking in and out of town for lunch with friends

DLR

Taken on the DLR at Stratford, way before public transport triggered a world of anxiety. It's one of the best places for people watching... I love these ladies' saris, and their big bags and coats thrown on for the commute.

Tie-dye and embellishment - when getting dressed in the dark before work ends up being a semi successful look!

Frills

Outfit details - wearing Molly Goddard and vintage Burberry blazer to Molly's SS20 show

Cleaning Day

Polishing my treasure 

Demy

Demy de Vries from Viva Model Management late last year

Styled by me

Clash

V in to a rowdy colour clash at the moment - which was particularly evident this week when I had to wear all black and felt like an imposter all day in my serious get up. Why look boring when you could look a bit nuts?

Namesake

When you're 16 and literally can't think of ANYTHING cooler than making a pair of jeans in to a mini skirt and sewing your name in gold beads. A great archive find...

A great tan, flower head dress and embellished gown - details from a guided tour round Dulwich Picture Gallery from my dear friend Tom

Spanner & Wingnut Look Book

 Finally got the pictures from a jewellery look book I styled a few months ago up on my tumblr

See it in full here

Valentino Gold

What's not to love - especially those doorstopper rings. Less likely to find one of those in my favourite pawn shop haunts I reckon.

A long time coming

It's been a long time coming. Almost 10 years since the boy with the Del Boy ring (see here).

A birthday and Christmas windfall allowed me to run in to a favourite Shepherd's Bush pawn shop and finally realise a teenage dream.

More is More

Big fan of this really annoyingly titled ( 'too much of a good thing is superb') story shot by Richard Burbridge for ID. 

Inspired styling is by Charlotte Collet.

Spanner in the works

Pawn shops do make me sad, but then I think how happy I'd be if I had this bolt and spanner bangle

Gathering Gold

I have been gathering jewels for an up and coming shoot and am reminded of the many heart shaped pieces of jewellery I have...

I have started deconstructing the various pieces of neglected tat that I've picked up over the years and making new versions of them. My favourite trick is adding hearts to my gold hoops

Turns out it's quite hard to take a picture of your own ear.

Pope's Rings II

I often refer back to a blog post I wrote about Raphaels's painting of Pope Julius II, and his amazing rings. This weekend while at the Musee de Cluny in Paris, I saw some real Pope's rings up close and I really wasn't disappointed - they were enormous!!

 

These rings are even older than Raphael's painting and date back to c.1464, taking the trend for statement jewellery back to the 15th Century...

Arrow To The Heart

 Another Charlie inspired post (see below) - I love this little gold arrow ring she bought from a pop up shop on Redchurch Street recently. Especially like how the feathers of the arrow wrap round to make the band of the ring.

NO GUTS NO GLORY

 

My new purse which was a present for my birthday, and a motto to help me see through New Year's resolutions currently taking shape on the horizon. 

Jewels

Accessories are such a great way of showcasing personal style, especially pieces that look like they never come off. More to come on this topic but for now here is a snapshot of some great jewels I've long admired.