theprimgirl /

Shoop-Shoop Shooooes.

Goodness me, shoes are just glorious, what girl doesn’t love them? Like most, I have a pretty sizable collection of shoes. Some I wear to death, others mostly sit there to be admired and slipped on once in a while. I love both vintage and modern shoes, I love sexy high heels, I adore snakeskin and good old leathers, I love glitter and bow details……I also loooove boots, mostly brown boots and 80’s kitten heel ankle boots. With both my shoes and boots I like them to look lived-in and well-loved, I like to look like I walked a few blocks in them, don’t know why but I don’t like the look of brand new shoes, I want my shoes to look as if I have had good times in them. My bedroom is pretty littered with footwear, they are as much ornamental as they are wearable and as with all my vintage pieces, I like to wonder about where the shoes have been worn, who by and how much dancing have they done.

A few of my most favorite pairs of shoes are; my 1920’s silver leather shoes, so flapper, I imagine these danced the Charleston a few times! A great pair for all sorts of outfits that require a feminine and pretty neutral shoe, very dainty and girly, pretty comfortable too.

Another amazing pair are my 1940’s black suede shoes, I call these my ‘Cage’ shoes as they make it look like your feet are in little ornate cages, I love how the foot is pretty much fully on show at the same time as being covered, part of why I love shoes is that ultimately, I think women’s feet look so sexy in them and this pair of shoesies are a great example. These are so classically 1940’s and in stunning condition, you don’t see a lot of shoes like this, a great statement pair worn with a plain dress.

These 1980’s pink and white leather heels are just ace. So definitive of their era and pretty unusual too, great with skinny jeans and a blazer.

These 1980’s black suede and diamante bow slingbacks literally make my heart jump, sooo cute with their over sized bow and so feminine with their open sides and slingbacks…perfect with a black dress.

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The Fashion Year. 1983.

James’ Dad has a good habit of finding great old fashion books for me, and for my most recent Birthday he didn’t disappoint. I simply love old books on fashion. They are so perfectly representative of a time and movement, and this one on the fashion of 1983 is just ace. I have always really appreciated 80’s fashion, I like the fact that people either love or hate it, I like the eccentricity of it and to be honest, I think it’s a damn sexy look, it’s also really refreshing against the current overload of feminine ‘vintage’ 40’s and 50’s looks. ‘The Fashion Year’ was published in 1983 and is;

All the glamour and romance of one whole year in the International World of Fashion……A panorama of the Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter collections from the Fashion capitals of the World-Paris, London, New York and Milan……interviews with the year’s most exciting and innovative Designers-Miyake, Lagerfeld, Armarni and Alaia…..

 

The book has loads of content; photos and writing, it looks kinda dated but also still really current, the big Designers are still all around today- Giorgio Armarni. Calvin Klein, Vivienne Westwood, Halston, Oscar De La Renta, Ralph Lauren, Chanel, Missoni, Versace, Thierry Mugler, Sonia Rykiel, Gaultier, Kenzo……the book looks at dresses, hats, lace, sweats and swimwear as well as Models of the era and fashion icons such as Princess Diana. Original Fashion books reinstate how classic looks are timeless as well as how cyclical all fashion trends are….if you leave any look long enough, good or ‘bad’, it will ultimately be beck on trend again. It’s an amazing read and the pictures are just gorgeous, a great little original book!

The book will be kept at my shop Prim Vintage Fashion if any of you fancy a rummage through the pages!

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I SHALL go to the Ball

The exhibition has been on for almost half of this year…but I finally managed to fit in a visit to the Ballgowns exhibition at the V&A in London. Maybe I put off going because I knew I would kinda be overcome with amazement and glee at the mere sight of all those dresses in one place….oooooheeee, it was, as I expected, breathtaking.

‘Ballgowns; British Glamour Since 1950’ is a dream to view. Ballgowns are pretty much my favourite thing in fashion and Sonnet Stanfill who curated this exhibition, did so to utmost perfection. The ground floor of the exhibition showcases 30 ballgowns from the 1950’s up to the 1990’s, and on the upper area there are 30 dresses from recent seasons of the best British designers. Each and every gown is visually stunning, and the way they have been displayed is gorgeous. Grouped in colours on the ground floor, the sense of grandeur and vintage sophistication is ripe, the dresses all behind glass like an untouchable nostalgic memory. Upstairs is white and spacious with holograms on the ceiling and giant pearlescent baubles and modern white wooden chandeliers gathered around the mannequins. I adore the contrast between the two areas, each wholly elegant and magnificent but with totally different atmospheres. This exhibition shows British fashion designers off to their best. The textures, silhouettes, fabrics, colours, effects and glamour are indeed wondrous.

I loved both areas, but as a vintage loving gal, I was more in awe of the older gowns, my very favourite was the chartreuse coloured satin gown by Worth, London, 1960. Oh my….! And upstairs I loved the 2012 black and white silk tulle Marchesa gown. There were two other dresses in the upstairs area which I adored, the silver leathered dress by Gareth Pugh, 2011 with a great big high neck, I also rather loved the Atsuko Kudo lace printed lurex dress from 2011, amazing construction on both of these. Goodness me, all the dresses were spellbinding and I’m pretty pleased that I finally got to go and see them…be still my beating heart…..an utterly dreamy exhibition.

 

  The exhibition is on until 6th January 2013, for more information visit http://www.vam.ac.uk/

 

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