IS SHE FUR REAL?

Throughout history fur has been thought of as a luxury that only the wealthy can afford but in our time faux fur coats and vintage furs can be bought for affordable prices that anyone can now get their hands on one which is great.


Fur is one of the items that defines the vintage look aether it's real or faux. You can add a fur coat to just about any look and your glamour level automatically reaches the top of the scale.
If you look back at old photos of Hollywood stars, pin up models and royals they have all at one point worn fur. Real fur.


Now this is what I really want to get down too on this post.
The thought of people in this day and age hunting an animal, killing it, skinning it and making it into a beautiful coat is appalling to me! How can people be so cruel as to do that? And as beautiful as the coat might eventually look I would never buy or wear it because it would make me feel like a murderer and I'd be supporting the slaughter of animals in an age where we have the ability to make faux fur that looks just as real, plush and beautiful as real fur.
Although we all want to look glamorous and fashionable it is not worth the sacrifice of those animals.

 

But here's my question...

It it okay to wear vintage fur?

Is it okay to wear a coat made from an animal that was killed over 50 years ago for the sake of fashion?

Does vintage fur carry the same stigma as that of a fur coat made today?

There are two ways you can look at it.

1: The coat was made a long time ago when fur was acceptable and animal rights were not such a big thing so technically there is nothing wrong with wear it? Anyway it's cool to wear vintage and it will make me look good.

2 :No matter how long ago it happened animals were still murdered for the sake if fashion. It's a moral crime and a crime against all animal kind. All fur should be banned and people should be ashamed to wear it.

 I want to hear your opinion on this.

Are you against the fur trade?

Would you consider wearing vintage furs?

Is it hypocritical to appose the fur trade an then  wear vintage furs?

Debate!

Till next time,

Laura Lou x

Vinter Warmers

So here in England we all go really excited when, last month, we were all told that the "weather would stay warm till November!"

BEST NEWS EVER!

Well guess what... they lied. It's bloody freezing here!

In my last post I said that I have no inspiration for any posts and what not but this toe curlingly cold weather has given me the idea to do a post about vintage winter style and where to buy the best and most affordable vinter (no I'm not trying to do a German accent it's a mix between vintage and winter... I just made it up) wear.

However I have a feeling it will take me a bally long time because my internet provider doesn't care about me anymore as my current lack of internet would suggest. You'll be luck if you ever get to this post to be honest.

Anyway, I'll stop digressing and get on with it shall I...

 I don't know about any of you but when I think Vintage and Winter the three main things that spring to mind are wool, fur and hats, I love all three of those things but unless you can dress like these women here being vintage in winter can sometimes end up looking like grannies closet in winter and unless your grannie was Audrey Hepburn I don't think that's what we want.

I find that whem buying my vinter warmers it's best to get vintage inspired clothing or repo clothing because unless you've got the money to be buying the best its difficult to find true vintage winter clothes that are in good wearable quality.

Places such as eBay, Lindybop, Collectif, Vivien of Holloway, Hell Bunny and Asos.com are great for vintage repo and vintage style clothing that doesn't cost the earth (psst Collectif have an amazing sale on right now).

However this season my favorite cheap shop Primark have some amazing vintage style pieces that are great for winter, take a look....

 I'm definitely buying that coat!

When you put your vinter outfits together remember accessorizing is important to put those finishing vintage touches in place. A brooch on you cardigan/jumper, a beret or fur hat and small dainty (but warm) gloves always pull and outfit together nicely.

I know you'll all look georgus this coming season so till next time,
Laura Lou x   

Hello!
I know its been a long time since I blogged but the truth is I just haven't been feeling it.
I still love vintage and collecting antiques but with my heavy work schedule and my new business taking off... I'm a makeup artist now!.. I just don't have the time to dress up, spend hours trying to take the perfect photo and write a post about it.
I really do miss blogging though and I miss all of you, my readers.
Truth be told I feel like I've lost myself a little, I've changed a lot, matured in lots of ways but I lost the motivation I had before for being artistic and creative with my dress and my blog.
Its truly sad times.

However with the new year approaching and resolutions coming back into fashion I am going to make one of my own... which I haven't done in a long time... and my resolution is this... to bring Laura Lou Vintage back to life with a new look and a new approach.
Vintage will always be a part of this blog but it's not the only thing I will be focusing on, I want to bring in aspects of beauty, my other interests like books, nature. I want it to be more personal instead of just about style.
I hope you will all support my in my new blogging adventures.

Till next time,
Laura Lou x

Outfit Post: The Wrong Dress!

A few weeks ago I decided I deserved a treat so I ordered myself a dress I had wanted for a long time.

It was an orange swing dress, I was planning to wear it for my friend Sarah's birthday night out.

I'm like a kid at Christmas when I'm expecting a delivery through the door and I waited excitedly for it to arrive all week. 

But when it finally did arrive it was the wrong dress!

Much frustration and many tears were nearly shed as I though the whole outfit I had planned on wearing was ruined. 

However... I couldn't have been more wrong!

The dress that I received was the same style but in the wrong colour... or was it?

I, in fact loved this colour more than the one I had actually ordered.

My world was restored to rights. 

Now for the pictures.

Dress - Lindybop

Hair Flower (that you can't see) - H&M

Also by some stroke of luck my hair turned out perfectly!

I got told in a bar we went into that I looked like a Disney princess... not sure which one he meant as I don't think I've ever seen a Disney Pin Up Princess!

Oh now you can see the hair flower... just.

Till next time folks,

Laura Lou x

Outfit Post: Beamish

It wouldn't be a Bank Holiday without a trip to Beamish!

Well that might not be true for everyone but it is to me.

So I bet you can guess where I went last Bank Holiday Monday... that's right Beamish.

I decided to dig deep in my draws (get your minds out the gutter!) and pull out some old items I haven't worn in a long time and this is what I came up with.

Top - H&M

Belt - Off a Lindy Bop Dress

Skirt - eBay

Petticoat - eBay

I chose neutral coloured makeup with a small beehive hairdo. This is the day I sprayed perfume in my eye, hence the watery look.

Sadly I don't have a picture of my whole outfit where my hair isn't in my face so you'll just have to put with with only seeing half my beauty :p

Till next time folks,

Laura Lou x

Sheffield: What I wore day 3

The last day of out trip was a sad one as it signified the return to the gray North and the return to work... but I did wear a cute outfit so it wasn't all that bad :p

 

Cardigan - H&M

Top - Primark

Skirt - Primark

I wore flip flops on my feet because after two days of wearing naff shoes I had the most enormous blisters  on my little toes... I still have the scars.

This guy didn't look too bad either, in fact he looked pretty damn fine.

On our way home we stopped at Hardwick Hall, as ever with the National Trust no photos could be taken inside but I did get plenty outside.

Take a look...

With this big old tree outside it reminded me a little of Downton Abbey.

Till next time folks,

Laura Lou x

Sheffield: What I Wore Day 2

On the second day of our trip we took a wonder into the town center.

Once again the hot sun was out and it was a beautiful day...I chose to wear a petticoat, a decision I later came to regret. Boy was I warm!

Here's what I wore

Dress - lindy-bop.com

Petticoat - eBay

Shoes - Primark

I have to say out of all the Lindy bop dresses I won this one is my most favourite.

I couldn't go anywhere in it without some one stopping me to compliment it or without hearing some one say something about it was I walked past.

The best thing is that Lindy Bop not have it in 2 other colours... guess what I'm getting!

Once again I couldn't be bothered to sit and pin curl properly so a quick curl was all the hair got.

Excuse the mess, it's the misters, my side was spick and span(ish)

Check out my sunburn.

I was lobster red in that area for a few days, lesson learned!

Till next time folks,

Laura Lou x

Sheffield: What I Wore Day 1

A few weeks ago my mister and I took a little trip to Sheffield... not the most exotic of places but I must say I enjoyed it immensely.

The sun was shining and there wasn't a cloud in the sky the whole 4 days we were there which meant summer outfits came out to play! (they went straight back in upon returning to cold and rather gloomy Shields however)

On our first day we took a trip to the zoo and got a wee bit sunburned oops!

 Anyhoo here's what I wore.

Trousers - ASOS

Vest Top - George

Kimono - A Gift

Shoes - Primark

I adored wearing this outfit I felt so pretty in it until a little girl stood on the back on my trousers with her muddy shoe, then I just felt a bit of a scruff :/

For such a relaxed outfit I felt simple hair and makeup were in order... plus I couldn't be bothered sit and pin curl.

All in all it was the perfect day out made better by this guy...The monkey... scroll down

He's so darn cute!

Till next time Folks,

Laura Lou x

Outfit Post: My Vinatge, My Way

I have found myself lately getting really down about my style.
It's not because I am starting to dislike it, I love the vintage style perhaps even more so than I did when I started out, it's because I can not achieve the level of vintage style that I've always thought I should have.
I have always strived to be more and more 1950s with every outfit that I have put on but lately I just can't seam to do it and I put myself under so much pressure when I get dressed. I scrutinize everything about my appearance from my eyeliner to my shoes, each time thinking 'it's not vintage enough!'
But why?
Maybe it's because I feel I owe it to all you readers to show you something really great or maybe its just me always looking for perfection but if the truth be told I don't have the time nor the energy to set my hair every night. It would be highly impractical for my to wear a petticoat and dress to work everyday and sometime I just want to throw on a hoodie and joggers and be a slob for a while.

I don't want to change the way I dress, I adore getting all dolled up for a day out, it's one of my favorite pastimes, but I'm coming to realise that I can't be a living embodiment of all the pictures I see of those 1950s beauties. I can only be me, Laura Lou.

So I'm going to do my vintage, my way.

Now I've got that off my chest here's the outfit I wore to tea on Mothering Sunday.

 None of what I'm wearing is vintage but there are so many great midi skirts and cardigans ect out there in the shops that I haven't needed to scout around on eBay in a while.

Top- Primark

Cardigan - Primark

Skirt - Primark

Headband - Her Curious Nature

 

I loved wearing this outfit so much! The cardigan is so light and delicate it really does give off a great retro feel. The skirt looks heave but its nice and light to wear and gives a great shape to the waits and hips with all the folding pleats. Also this top comes in so many different colours and designs... I have them all.

I teamed it all with black opaque tights and sliver glittering Red Or Dead shoes (which I didn't get a photo of)

I succumbed to the shame of a bathroom selfie as it was the only place I could get a full length photo.

I hope you all had a wonderful Mothers day!

Till next time folks,

Laura Lou x

Her Curious Nature

On Sunday I received a very late but much appreciated Christmas present  from my Aunt Angela.
It was this utterly beautiful headband from hercuriousnature.com/ 
I'm not normal a headband type of person, if I wear a hair accessory it's always either a headscarf or a hair flower but this head band I will definitely be wearing!
Excuse the photos, I wasn't expecting to be taking any so I'm not at my best.
But anyway here it is!

 

It reminds me a lot of a head piece a flapper would have wore in the 1920s which is great because I have the most perfect 20s style dress to wear with it! 
You can't really tell in these photos but the detail on this is so
 delicate and beautiful and the feathers are so soft.

 

I'm glad I got this as a present because otherwise I would never be able to afford it, they are pretty pricey.

Now I don't normally advocate spending tones of money of one thing but I think you should all go visit their site even if it is only for a look.

Till Next Time Folks,

Laura Lou x

In the beginning...MAKEUP!

Before the 1920s makeup was generally thought of badly and seriously frowned upon by society and religious groups. For instance if you went out wearing rouge on your cheeks and lips people would have whispered behind their hands about your 'occupation'. To be honest I don't see why people couldn't just let people be people, there's nothing wrong with women wanting to look pretty is there? But maybe the world of makeup wouldn't be what it is today without all the hullabaloo?

By the start of the 1920s people's attitude to makeup was changing (hurrah!), painting your face wasn't such a no no, it was becoming acceptable to redden your cheeks and draw in your brows and women wanted to copy the looks of the actresses on the silver screen like Marion Davies and Clara Bow.

Not everyone was so accepting of the new fashion trends though. While women were openly applying face powder and roughing their lips in public instead of hiding away in toilets some women were trying to get makeup banned.

I find it so fascinating how people were so reluctant to accept change back then, how even some women didn't want women to progress (either through fashion or politics) in the world.

However those women weren't to prevail as today's trends show.

Although there was a selection of products available to women there wasn't even half of what there is today.

Products available included...

Mascara came in black and brown (but was most common in black) wasn't is a tube like it is today but in cake form. It was with a small brush which you would wet, scrape along the cake and apply to the lashes.

Eyeliners came in more colours that mascara but brown and black were most often used and used for more that one purpose. Women would put a small amount along the upper eyelid nearest the lashes and it was also used to colour in eyebrows. Other eyeliner colours included blue and violet and would be blended onto the lid of the eye with a finger.

Face powder was available is a variety of natural looking colours and was mainly used to cover blemishes and such.

Blusher or 'Rouge' was in a powder compact, cream or paste much like today. The powders came with a very small puff as not many application tools were available in the 1920s and pastes and creams were applied with fingers.

Eye shadows available in blues, greys, greens, browns and purples were applied lightly at the lash line and blended towards the brow with a finger.

Lipstick wasn't popular with most people until further into the 1920s and was more worn by younger women or on an evening. Also used in the 1920s were tinted balms and salves.

As with most eras there were guidelines for what colours to wear depending on your skin tone or hair colour. In the 1920s it all depended on your eye colour.

Grey, blues and browns were 'best' for blue eyes while green eyes were supposed to stick to greys, greens and browns. Brown eyes on the other hand were told that browns, purples and blacks were best. so basically you wore the colour of your eyes... I could not have stuck to that rule for sure, I need choice and lots of it.

Now I know we have some pretty wacky trends in our time but I think some of these really take the biscuit.

Lesser popular makeup trends in the 1920s included painting shapes and pictures on your knees, rouging your ear lobes and finger tips, lash beading which involved rolling small balls of wax and sticking them on the ends of your lashes, and leaving a strip down the middle of your painted lips bare. Needless to say non of these trends caught on and they soon died out. But I think it's fantastic that even then people were experimenting with the makeup they had at their disposal, even though it wasn't a lot.

I personally don't look good in the 1920s style, I know this because I did myself up in the style especially to show you all but I look pretty weird so y'all will have to wait till I cant perfect it better. And because of that I am for the first time truly glad I was born in my era!
Well I hope you all enjoyed this little history lesson, do you know of any strange makeup tips/trends of the 1920s?

Till next time folks,
Laura Lou x 

*sources from Retro Makeup by Lauren Rennells*

Vintage Valentines part 3: What to Wear?

Weather you are going out for a fancy dinner or staying in for a cosy home cooked meal on Valentines Day you want to look fabulous, you want to knock your partner dead right?

Right!

So I have compiled a list of my favourite internet buys for you to slip on over the lingerie sets I showed you in part two.

Now when you think of Valentines Day the colours you think of are the obvious black and red.

Well why should a girl be so obvious eh? How about this beautiful sky blue from...

I own this dress and I must say it is unbelievably pretty! It reminds me of an 'under the sea' themed dance.

Normally £29.99 but on sale right now for only £22.49 from lindybop.co.uk

For those of you who are a bit more Rockabilly that vintage how about this Nautical number?

Oo sailor!

£29.99 from eBay link below

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/50s-Lady-Nautical-Sailor-Vintage-Style-Swing-Full-Circle-Rockabilly-Pinup-Dress-/111263673820?pt=UK_Women_s_Vintage_Clothing&var=&hash=item19e7d4eddc

If you want to look like a true Valentine this dress will be perfect (and it won't break your bank)

£16.99  from eBay link below

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ROCKABILLY-50s-RED-VINTAGE-STYLE-PIN-UP-PARTY-SWING-PROM-EVENING-COCKTAIL-DRESS-/301050563761?pt=UK_Women_s_Dresses&var=&hash=item4618030cb1

You will look blooming lovely in this adorable Stephanie Doll Dress

£59.50 from collectif.co.uk

If you want to go all out prom style how about this beauty?

I really love this dress, it had some lovely detail at the back.

Normally £34.99 but on sale right now for £29.99 at lindybop.co.uk

I hope you all have a wonderful Valentines day wether you celebrate with a loved one or friends.

Till next time

Laura Lou x