Ethical designer: Samantha Pleet

Sometimes, you come across something completely by chance, and it really holds your attention. I was reading an article on Ecouterre and an interview video was embedded in the sidebar, and I decided to click play (can you tell that I'm supposed to be writing an essay?! haha). In the video, Ecouterre interviewed young Brooklyn designer Samantha Pleet, who has been producing stunning clothing made using organic & ethical fabric in her New York studio since 2006.

I seriously appreciate the mod influences in some of her pieces, as well as that chilled 70s boho vibe that she has managed to capture. Or, as the website more elegantly puts it, 'intertwining elements of the mysterious and fantastical with a sense of modernity.' All topped off with a cool hat. What's not to love?

Samantha emphasises that she, as a business owner, wants to be responsible about what she produces. She deliberately doesn't follow trends, preferring just to develop her own unique line, resulting in timeless pieces that you can wear for years on end.

I'm not sure what held my attention the most: the fact that such beautiful fashion can be created ethically, or the fact that I'm seriously jealous of her career! Either way, I feel more motivated than ever to keep exploring ethical fashion if this is what can be found.

What is your favourite piece? Have you got any tip-offs about amazing ethical designers?

All images found on SamanthaPleet.com. I urge you to have a peek!

Here's the video:

If you fancy splashing out on some investment ethical fashion, Samantha Pleet is stocked in the UK here.

Sadie xxx

You can never have too many coats...

... or at least, thats what I try to tell myself every time I fall in love with a new coat and 'just have to have it'! Luckily my coat buying habit mostly takes place in charity shops, so I can feel a little less guilty - and that is the case with my newest wardrobe recruit!

I picked it up for just £10 in one of my local charity shops (I'm going to miss my town and its rather high charity-shop-per-capita score so much when I return to university). There is no label inside, so I'm guessing that it was once handmade by a fashionable little seamstress back in the 60s - I adore its peterpan collar and gentle A-line shape.

I donned my beret, bought in a vintage shop in Paris no less, and braved the extremely windy conditions outside to take a few snaps of it with my new camera. Most of the shots turned out to just be of me holding my hair out of my face, but a few of the photos were vaguely successful (thanks dad).

Unfortunately for me (and fortunately for my bulging wardrobe), I'm actually going to re-sell the coat :( boo. After my impulse buy, I realised I really do need the funds - after all, I did splash out on a new camera last week. But I couldn't resist posing in it before putting it up on eBay!

Sadie xxx

P.S. I'm off to a salsa night tonight. This is going to be very difficult seeing as I am completely incapable of copying dances or even dancing to any sort of rhythm... wish me luck.

Monochrome

I had a very exciting delivery this morning - a new Canon digital SLR camera! I've been wanting to buy one for ages, but was always worried about how much use it would get (they are rather heavy and seem rather bulky to carry around!). But after working full time for most of the summer, I really wanted to reward myself with something special, and a new camera fitted the bill. I bought it second hand, a snip at £240, on eBay. I've been fiddling around with my new gadget all day looking at all the interesting features - who'd have thought there could be such a thing as a self cleaning sensor?

Anyway, I ventured off into the countryside and dragged the boyfriend out with me to take a few outfit photos. I think they came out quite well for a first attempt, admittedly with the camera set on 'Auto'. (Handy tip: never give a male a shiny gadget with lots of buttons. You will not get it back for ages).

I'm wearing my absolute favourite new dress, bought in the French Connection sale for around £40, reduced from £90 (another work 'reward'). It is made from a luxurious boiled-wool style fabric, clearly built to last, and in my favourite shade of grey. And yes you can have a favourite shade of grey! The blouse underneath was thrifted for around £2 and is about 10x too big for me but it has a pretty little collar. The tights are from Miss Selfridge and the shoes from Clarks.

My boyfriend's family have befriended this stray kitten - he(she?)'s so tiny and cute but wasn't too keen on having his photo taken. This photo is a bit blurry but I couldn't not include it - and after all, we match!

Sadie xxx

Velvet Cave

One of my favourite things to search for on eBay is 'mod dress' - usually not with the intention of actually buying, but as more of a 'window shopping' exercise and a place to find inspiration for my next sewing project.

Well, I recently found myself scrolling through the search results, when a collection of stunning 60s/70s dresses passed before my eyes - complete with a beehived model and striking 60s makeup. I clicked through to 'See More Items' and discovered Velvet Cave Vintage - an eBay shop filled with all of my favourite things! (i.e. lots of retro dresses).

All Images from Velvet Cave Vintage

If I had the money I'd buy any of these dresses in an instant - and they would of course take pride of place in my wardrobe. I am aware that I say that about most of my clothes... but there is something super special about really cool old dresses. Of course, they would also be the perfect outfit choice for when I'm wailing along to the Shangri-La's when my flatmates are out...

All of these ones are on their eBay page at the moment - with about 2 days remaining until the auctions end!

Oh - and they also have a blog and a twitter :)

Sadie xxx

P.S. I know this sounds like a sponsored post - but I assure you it isn't! I just fell in love at first sight!

The Cheat's Guide to Re-Hemming

I'm always talking about how amazing charity shops are, and forever blogging about my recent finds - but I often fail to mention that with nearly every purchase there is always a bit of extra work involved: re-hemming. Being 5ft 2" and with a particular fondness for wearing most things super short (à la 1960s/because in theory I think it makes me look taller...), I'm fairly used to lopping of the bottom off of dresses and running them through the sewing machine, often only to realise that I have in fact cut off far too much. But it must be said - all the effort is worth it when you realise you have just breathed life into an old unwanted garment that cost you a mere couple of pounds, turning it into a wardrobe-worthy item to cherish.

For those of you who don't have access to a sewing machine, I can imagine that the potential of charity shops seems much more limited - but it doesn't need to be! Although I'm sure most people have heard of re-hemming tape, I feel I should point out just how good it really is - in fact, I may even be ditching the sewing machine for these jobs in future!

For under £2 I bought 10m of tape, enough for at least 5 items of clothing. It can be found easily in most haberdasheries and supermarkets at very little cost. With this magical invention, the entire process of re-hemming takes under 15 minutes!

So without further ado, introducing the item to be re-hemmed - a stunning mondrian-style shift dress, picked up in a local charity shop for just £4. Admittedly, it doesn't look very long in the picture, but you will have to trust me that it just didn't feel quite right!

1) Always try on your item before deciding on a length! Once I had the dress on, I decided I wanted it to be about 8cm shorter. So, allowing for a 3cm hem, this meant that I needed to cut off around 5cm all around.

2) My mum taught me a very quick technique for measuring how much to take off, which means you won't need pins or markers. Simply fold over a piece of paper so that it is the desired width of the amount you need to cut off (5cm for me), and place it against the fabric along the current hem as you cut. Note that this works best with straight hems!

3) I used straight scissors, as I planned to turn the hem in on itself as I ironed in order to hide the raw edge, but pinking shears would also work very well and would mean that the ironing stage is less fiddly.

4) Fold your new hem up inside the dress/skirt/trousers about 3cm, and iron it into place. The dress will hopefully now be your desired length - but double check in the mirror before ironing the hemming web in! In the photo below, I've actually ironed two creases - one to conceal the raw edge. But if you used pinking shears, ironing two creases is unnecessary.

5) Lie your re-hemming tape along the crease and fold the hem over it, ready to be ironed.

6) Making sure that none of the tape is visible, carefully iron along the hem to melt the tape. You will need to have your iron set to cotton heat (but be careful with synthetic materials!) and make sure you press quite hard!

7) Wait for the hem to cool

8) Model your newly shortened dress in the garden! haha.

There are some amazing advantages to using tape rather than sewing the hem - firstly, you can't see stitching (which in my case is always wonky!), and secondly, most types of tape can be peeled apart if you re-iron them - so even if you make a mistake, you can go back and change it easily!

So everyone - go forth and thrift those odd-lengthed and unwanted skirts and dresses and turn them into something lovely!

Sadie xxx

P.S. I will be back soon with an amazing jumpsuit which I am very excited about!

Cabbages and Roses

I know that in my last blog post I mentioned that I feel guilty buying brand new items of clothing, but I just couldn't resist purchasing this charming mod-style dress last week at a designer outlet sale at Kilver Court. The dress is from London based brand Cabbages and Roses, which was founded in 2000 by designer & author Christina Strutt. Since its creation, the brand has expanded from its roots as a vintage-inspired textiles company by adding homewares and clothing departments, all in keeping with their very 'British' image.

Of course, I did feel a slight pang of guilt as I handed the money over for the dress, but after having a look on the company website I feel more than comfortable with the values they represent:

'We cherish quality and individuality. We aim to run our business in the kindest way possible, with the best quality of product and with the best treatment of the people involved in the provenance of the product; from beginning to end. Quality, uniqueness and fair prices paid to all our suppliers are reflected in our prices.'

So... I think I can justify it?

(Also... it reminds me a little bit a lot of the dress I made back in May 2010 - only my new one is properly lined and much higher quality!)

 

I took great care in shortening and re-hemming it by hand, as it was slightly longer than what I'd usually wear. It was nice to sit down for half an hour with my needle and thread in front of the TV - this particular dress certainly deserved more than my usual 5 minute job on the sewing machine!

 

The dress is actually from a few seasons ago (I bought it at an outlet), but I was lucky enough to meet the designer who assured me that they will be bringing out some similar designs this Autumn/Winter. I can't wait to see what they produce!

 

Sadie xxx

P.S. I was recently interviewed over at MissBeliever.com by the lovely Tamsin - do check out her blog!

The Revision Blues

Please excuse my very cheesy title - I always think they are very difficult to come up with and this one seemed to be rather apt!

I haven't blogged for what seems like ages, which is largely due to the stress of first year university exams - new subjects, not knowing what to expect and of course, a little bit harder than A-Levels! So over the Easter holidays my head was stuck in a law text book. I honestly take my hat off to anyone who is doing Law as their main degree (fortunately for me, it is just one module) - there is so much to remember!

Anyway, I have been meaning to show you all this dress for a while now, which I acquired at a carboot for next-to-nothing. It is a lovely bright royal blue, with puffy sleeves, and a little collar that I attached a navy ribbon to. Unfortunately none of the full length shots turned out very well - I blame having to stand on a bed! But you'll have to imagine the rest - it finishes mid thigh, and has a lovely matching belt to cinch the waist. Here is the bad news - I was very foolish and actually sold this on eBay before I tried it on :( - it is already in the post to a very lucky person!


Here is a little snapshot of my life at the moment - tort law revision and a diary full of horrible exams :(. I'm sure it will be worth it in the end though! Just in case I'm absent from the blogosphere for a while - this is what I'll be doing!

One of my flatmates remarked on how colourful my notes were. Does anyone else like to get out the felt tips when revising, or is it just me?

Sadie xxx

Masculin Féminin

I love days off uni - for me, they usually start off with a lie-in (of course!), followed by a raid of my wardrobe (delving to the back for all of the items I'd forgotten about), putting together an adventurous outfit, then parading about the flat in it for the rest of the afternoon. Today's outfit has slight masculine influences, namely the leather tie and my new patent leather brogues.

Words cannot describe how much I love this tie - it has such an amazing retro look, which could be anything from the 1920s to the 1980s (although obviously I prefer to place it firmly in the 60s category!). Unfortunately I'm not daring enough to wear it out on a daily basis, but if I did, then I think it is a match made in heaven for this lace shirt - the masculinity of the tie and the femininity of the shirt strike a great balance. It also looks pretty cool with a brown shirt I own, which is a more subtle look as the colours match exactly.

Anyway, I feel the need to introduce my new shiny brogues, which cost me rather a lot (£50 took a lot of saving up for!) but I love them very dearly. I've actually had them for about a month now, and I still get the same sense of excitement when I get them out of the box as the day I bought them! They seem very sturdy, so hopefully they won't fall apart like my old Topshop ones.

Sleeveless Blouse - Carboot
Tie - Vintage
Cardigan - Newlook
Shorts - Next
Shoes - Clarks

You'll have to excuse the blurryness of these photos - indoor lighting doesn't lend itself very nicely to outfit photos, and there is no way I'm taking my tripod outside to pose (university halls!). Haha.

The title of this post comes from a Jean-Luc Godard film I watched yesterday, which was absolute eye-candy from start to finish. I'm still trying to work out what the metaphors throughout the film meant, but the black and white 'film noir' style, as well as appearances from Chantal Goya and even Francoise Hardy, makes this a new favourite of mine! I've just borrowed A Bout de Souffle as well - have any of you seen it?

Anyway... what do you think of the tie idea? Should I wear it out?

Sadie xxx

Brighton Rock: 1964

Last weekend I was lucky enough to see the new version of Brighton Rock at my local cinema (which happens to have a full art deco facade and matching interiors!). It isn't the typical sort of film I'd choose to watch, but when I heard that the remake was set in 1960s Brighton, complete with mods and rockers, I was compelled to watch it!

The film is based on the book by Graham Greene, written all the way back in 1939. It focuses on a gang of Brighton-based criminals, one of whom finds himself at risk of arrest after the violent murder of a rival gang member along the sea front. In order to stop the evidence reaching the police, the main character Pinkie tries to seduce the only witness, a young naive waitress called Rose.
 
As the plot unfolded, I fell more and more in love with the various sets and costumes used in the film. It was nice to see so much attention paid to the male cast's outfits, perfectly portraying the lifestyle of the characters with a mix of smart shirts and tatty trench coats. Of course, the female outfits also appealed to my inner mod, especially an ensemble comprising of a dusky pink babydoll dress, white trapeze coat and white tights carefully put together by Rose after a visit to a mod boutique.
 

I couldn't help but notice that all of the mods seem to be over the age of 30, so perhaps not quite historically accurate, but they still retain their edge... perhaps the local scooter club were enlisted to be the extras?

 

Anyway, how could I resist the temptation to don my best Mod-inspired outfit after this 111 minute journey into the 60s? Due to a severe lack of funds, I haven't been able to treat myself to as many of the highstreet peter-pan collared delights as I would have liked, so I've combined the jumper from this post with the wonderful polkadot minidress from this post, kindly given to me by my boyfriend's mum. The burgundy cardigan was a bargain at 20p(!) and I've finished the outfit with my trusty Clarks patent loafers!

 

 

If you're interested in finding out more about the film, you can watch the trailer here!

 

Sadie xxx

 

P.S. I've been lucky enough to be selected to try out a Diana F+ camera, courtesy of www.lomographyuk.com! It's arriving at some point this week - I'm so excited!

Mustard

When I first put this dress on, my mum's reaction was 'eurgh!' - mustard yellow isn't her cup of tea! However, I personally am a massive fan of the colour, especially as it's so reminiscent of the 60s. I suppose it is different when you remember the era from the first time around, but I'm perfectly happy to embrace the revival - colours and all!

I found the dress on the same retro rail in Cancer Research as the blouse in my previous post - I love the idea that charity shops have now started to recognise the vintage trend. I'm pretty sure the dress is actually supposed to be a jumper, but who am I to turn down the chance to wear something super short! The dress really reminds of of something Twiggy would have worn, and I love the little Mod-style pockets on the front. It was a total bargain at £5!

What do you think of it? And are you a fan of mustard yellow?

Anyway, although I'm a bit late to jump on the band-wagon, I've just joined twitter - you can find me here!

Sadie xxx

P.S. One of my friends has just started her own blog, Idle but Inspired - have a little look and leave her a comment :D

River Island: Turning over a new leaf?

Image Credit

River Island is always a high street shop I’ve avoided – on so many occasions, I’ve wandered into the shop and then walked straight back out again, disappointed by the quality of their clothes and also their weird tendency to over-embellish things. After multiple trips to the shop which served to confirm my feelings about their clothes, I didn’t go back for a few seasons and they were mentally noted down in my mind as a ‘not worth looking’ shop.

So when I popped into my local branch a few weeks ago accompanying my best friend, you can imagine my surprise (and delight) when I discovered a shop filled with rails of 60s inspired tops, dresses and coats, as well as mock-Alexa bags and stunning knitted cardigans and jumpers. It seems they’re reverting back to their 60s roots, when the brand went under a different name – Chelsea Girl.

A photo of the Manchester Chelsea Girl (photo credit)

I would so love to have lived back then - you don't get shop fronts as cool as this nowadays!

Their new stock is a far cry from the items I remember from my last visit – out with the diamanté, and in with the retro tailoring and quirky pieces that I could easily see slipping nicely into my own wardrobe. I hope this new River Island image is here to stay!

Here are some of my top picks from this season's stock:

Gold Peterpan Collar Tunic - Blue Floral Fairisle Jumper - Navy Pompom Jumper

Leopard Fur Vintage Coat - Blue Fairisle Cardigan - Navy Swing Coat

I may have made a sneaky purchase of one of the above items... I'll leave you in suspense until I visit home next weekend, where I plan to do a little photoshoot with it :).

Has anyone else noticed a big change in River Island over the past year?

Sadie xxx

A Peterpan Collar from Max C

There's a lot of hype about peterpan collars at the moment and I can certainly see why! As a 1960s fashion lover, they tick all the right boxes, and they add a nice cute detail to any outfit. I'm gradually building up a small collection of peterpan collars... I wonder if they'll beat my collection of Breton tops!

Today I wore this beautiful one from Max C - it has a crocheted collar and three little sailor buttons at the top - and its in navy too... can it get any better? :)

I'm wearing it with these culotte style shorts (charity shop!) - a match made in heaven.

What would you wear with it?

Sadie xxx

Motel 'Recycle & Reinvent' Shorts

With university looming, I really ought to be saving up for such boring things as supermarket shops and electricity bills. Unfortunately for my future wellbeing, I keep finding beautiful clothes at temptingly bargainalicious prices, and of course, inevitably end up taking them home to add to my already overflowing wardrobe.

One such item is this pair of Motel 'Recycle & Reinvent' shorts - amazingly, I (think) they were made from an old flannel shirt. According to the label, 'each garment is handpicked, unpicked and reinvented, to change the future'. Even better was the price - just £7.50 in the sale! They had a pair in every colour/pattern imaginable, but I went for these ones as they seem to go with the largest amount of things.

Anyway, I feel like they're justified as a purchase on many levels, as apart from the price and the fact that they're upcycled, they'll come in very handy in October when I plan to be riding my bicycle everywhere: and you can't ride a bicycle in a skirt!

Vintage Silk Shirt - £6
Vintage Jumper - £2
Motel Shorts - £7.50
Vintage Belt - Can't remember!

Vintage Sunglasses - 20p
Loafers - €10

I paired them with my silk shirt and loafers from my previous post, as well as my favourite jumper and belt. The bag you see is a vintage music satchel - I mainly included it because it matches the shorts so well! haha.

Sadie xxx

P.S. I keep forgetting to mention it, but I'm on the Elizabeth Lau website! See if you can spot me!

1960s as Inspiration: Prada, MiuMiu and AW 2010

Despite calling myself a fashion blogger, I don't think I've ever posted about runway trends. Personally, I always prefer reading blogs about street style/personal/vintage style than trend reports, and that's why I tend not to focus my own blog too much on specific designers. However, whilst on holiday, I was flicking though a magazine when I came across the most beautiful Autumn/Winter collection, which I just had to write about here.

Looking like it's straight out of the 1960s, Prada's AW 2010 show was just my cup of tea. My attention was mainly drawn by the stunning tan coloured coat above, complete with an oversized collar. I can easily imagine Twiggy striding through Carnaby Street clad in a similar piece. It has re-ignited my love of coats - the only problem being that I have to wait until autumn until I'll need to wear one! Hopefully the highstreet will take note: I'm really looking forward to seeing some more affordable versions on the rails in my usual shopping haunts.

Aside from the clothes, another notable feature was the hair: check out those beehives :D. The one disadvantage of having a bob is that I can't try out one for myself :( boooo.

In my naivity I hadn't realised that Prada and MiuMiu are infact designed by the same person - Miuccia Prada. How someone can design two whole collections is beyond me, especially when they're both so immaculate! MiuMiu seems to be the more daring, 'teenage' version of Prada - perhaps more wearable for the younger fashionista? Anyway, some of my top picks from MiuMiu would be this mustard yellow dress (especially because of the sleeves and the length) - and I'm also really liking the idea of bows tied around turtle necks.
Seeing these beautifully made clothes has inspired me to get back to work with my sewing machine! I recently acquired a real 60s dress at a carboot for just £2, so once I've re-hemmed it (yep, even 60s hemlines are too long... I blame being short!) expect to see another 60s themed post heading your way!

But in the meantime, I'm keen to know - what is your opinion on blog content? Do you prefer to read about personal style, or about runway collections? Or a mixture of both? Does it become a bit boring when you see the same collections plastered all over the blogosphere?

Sadie x

P.S. All photo credits go to Style.com