The End of Summer

Soon it will be time to pack up all my pretty Summer dresses and strappy sandals and to swap them for warmer cardi's, scarves and beautiful hats. Although this would fill most with a sense of sadness, I am rather looking forward to the new season ahead of me. In a very short time I will be moving away from home and starting University in a little place on the Scottish Borders called Galashiels. A wonderful setting to see the greens of Summer change to the richer oranges and browns that come with Autumn. The heart-fluttering excitement I am feeling can only be compared to the feeling I get when I see a gorgeous vintage dress or beaded bag that can't help but make you think of the past and all the wonderful stories it could hold. And so I get on to what this blog is about...

I will be studying 1st year Fashion at University, and prior to me starting, I was given a little project to be completed for my first day. I had to make a double page magazine spread about myself which had to be in the style of a certain magazine and we also had to create our own blog but we could put in it anything we wanted. I came up with lots of ideas for what I could write and things I was passionate about, but the one that kept coming back to me was my love for all things vintage, mainly the 1920's to the 1950's. Although I am not kitted out in vintage clothes or have a house full of antiques I do appreciate items that have a history to them and love nothing more than sitting looking at old, weathered photos of era's gone by.

I don't really know where my love of vintage came from I just started seeing polka-dots, old faded florals, records and petticoats and instantly knew I was born too late! From my cream retro record player to my bright green 50's telephone and a dash of red lipstick, there are small hints towards my fondness for it.

There is something about the lifestyle and the elegance of these decades that seems to no longer exist today, that makes me want to bake flamboyant pastel cupcakes while wearing the frilliest apron I can find or go out wearing a lovely puffy dress and an extravagant hat or dance about my bedroom singing to Etta James and other long forgotten champions of this time.

I think we all need to capture a bit of the vintage in us and try to bring things back like home baking, which is already on the rise, home crafts, along with big petticoats and pencil skirts. I like to think I get a lot of my inspiration from things like this and want to devote my time to updating these classic designs and making them something new and personal to me. I can't wait to start creating things and learning how I can make my own vintage inspired clothes, but will no doubt have other little projects along the way as there is so much I want to learn from Millinery, Crochet and Glass work to Upholstery and Screen Printing, which I hope I can cross over and incorporate with each other to come up with something unique.

I will be posting lots of pictures of things I spot that fill me with ideas and also my dress for my brothers 21st which I am very excited about!

Bye for now,

Stacey