Pretty Vintage

Modern Vintage: Office T-bar heels

I've been on the look-out for a pair of T-bar heels for quite some time now, and never seem to be able to find a leather pair that fits or that has quite the aesthetic I've been after, which is why I was shocked to notice these two beauties in the autumn offerings at Office!

The sweet blue pair are a little brighter than I'd usually choose, but I'm finding myself drawn to jewel-bright statement shoes lately, and think they'd be a sunny welcome to the dark winter month I'll be spending in Scotland. The purple hued, Art Deco-esque lovelies on the right have won my heart completely - perfect in suede with gold trim; with a longer-lined t-strap for a slimmer looking ankle; and a rounded, sensible heel, perfect for wearing all night and dancing!

As always, T-bars go best with 20s and 30s stylings and these are no exception. They're both available from Office.

A style question...

This is a question I've been pondering for a while and I thought I'd put it to Pretty Vintage readers, so that I can get some measured advice!

I've been admiring pairing ankle socks with kitten heels / stilettos since I fell in love with The Wizard of Oz as a little girl. It's a trend that has been popping up for a while now on stylish vintage bloggers (and non-vintage, for that matter), but what do YOU think?

Is it a cute way to add a sweet touch to an outfit, or too juvenile and kitsch for words?

Would love your comments!

xx

p.s. These anklets are all available from Sock Dreams.

Modern Vintage: Matalan finds...

I'm enjoying a lovely and much needed day off work today, and what better to do than watch Mad Men and scour the internet for vintage-inspired pieces on the high street to create into lovely outfits?

I decided to challenge myself to find a vintage-inspired outfit from just one store (makes it a little tougher 'n' all) and I chose Matalan. The outfit is mainly 40s inspired, although there's a touch of the 50s in the suedette heels.

I particularly love the cinching and gathering of the dress and the houndstooth print of the jacket and the gold detailing on the cinch belt and the quilting detail of the bag and the stand-out statement purple of the shoes... and... and... obsessed? Moi? Maybe a little.

The dress, snake cinch belt, houndstooth jacket, quilted bag and purple heels are all from Matalan.

Modern Vintage: Hunter floral wellies

One of the fabulous side-effects of economic recession is that people are turning to old-fashioned pursuits, such as growing their own vegie patches, to save a little money - way to Dig for Victory! As a side note - of all the eras in modern history, WWII is the one I hold dearest. Not for fashions of the time (although I do love them), but for the steely attitudes, the cautious optimism and the stoic bravery of  the people of so many nations.

That tangential thought aside and on the subject of Digging for Victory, I'm rather enamoured with these lovely wellies available from ASOS. A classic Hunter boot - originally produced by the North British Rubber Company, who supplied millions of pairs of wellies to British troops during both WWI and II, in fact - these are part of the Royal Horticultural Society range. With a beautiful print, featuring Scottish thistles and forget-me-nots, the print alone is enough to have me happysighing all over the place!

Modern Vintage: 1950s inspired polkadot peep-toes

Of my Top Ten Favourite Shoes in my shoedrobe (wardrobe for shoes, you see), four of the pairs are from Office in the UK; which is why I always keep a close eye on their sales.

As I was poking about their current please-buy-our-very-last-few-pairs offerings, I happened to spy this sweet little pair of leather polkadot peep-toes. The shape had a touch of the 1940s in its shape (although a bit less clunky), with a large dose of 1950s in the bright print, slingback and fabulous bow detail.

They're in the Office Sale for around 60% off, so if you love them and happen to be a UK size 3, 4 or 8 (curse my size 7 feet!), they're quite the bargain! As I'm not able to take advantage, I hope one of you can! x

1980s inspire the ASOS shoe range...

If you can't quite stomach the thought of going 80s-styled from head to toe, you can always settle for the latter with a new pair of shoes! ASOS, who are always on trend, have long been offering 80s-styled goodies, including these very obvious nods to the decade of totally over-the-top fashion. From lacy boots (can't you just picture Andie from Pretty in Pink in them?), to strong colours, to ubiquitous statement 'power heels', the 1980s had it all. Great for adding a little touch of nouveau vintage to your look (I'm still of the opinion that the '80s aren't quite the "classic vintage" of the 20s-50s), they're available from ASOS.

Across the Blogosphere...

Best of Lovely Blogs this week...

- Hygge Nook sources some very beautiful bed linen for the little ones in your life...

- Chicklish is giving away a signed copy of Y.S. Lee's 'The Agency', about an intelligence service tucked in the attic of a girls' boarding school in the 1800s!

- Five Minutes Peace discusses encouraging your children to read (a subject near and dear to my heart!).

Vintage favourites...

- Bobby Pin Blog finds some fantastic vintage hair items on eBay for your delectation!

- Shoeperwoman finds some Miu Miu heels worthy of Marilyn Monroe (pictured), not to mention some 80s-inspired power-packed stilettos for the bold of heart!

Modern Vintage: Diva-worthy Dune peep-toes

When I'm feeling blue, I love to put on my most glamorous heels and strut about the house. It doesn't matter if I'm wearing a ball gown or my least beautiful pyjamas, it's the most effective way to make me feel like a princess in no time flat. And speaking of glamorous heels, I'd very much like to add these stunners to my shoedrobe!

From Dune, these diamante embellished peep-toes are serious statement heels. In a great ivory/nude satin, which will make your legs look practically Amazonian, they're rounded off with a killer metallic stiletto heel.

Prep your toes with some red polish and wear with a vintage prom dress or, y'know, your PJs. You can pick up a pair at ASOS.

Vintage Pick of the Week: Persephone Vintage bow-embellished heels

Be still my shoe-loving heart! I think I have just found the most perfect pair of heels I've ever seen - and I used to work for Shoewawa and write about shoes every day!

Classic, elegant, stunning, splendiferous - if it's a positive adjective, then it's going to apply to these beauties. They're in a lovely neutral embossed silver - which means they will go with anything - and I don't think I'll ever get over the diamante-embellished bow! Swoooon!

Vintage Remake: Shoes by norakaren

When it comes to vintage style, it pays to be creative, and this is certainly something that designer norakaren has done. Using dead stock vintage princess-styled pumps as her canvas, she creates outrageous and fantastical wearable art! With bird motifs and feathers a common design element among her offerings, I can't help but feel that these shoes would make you feel as if you have wings! One-of-a-kind (and she will do custom jobs - yay!), these were just two of my favourites...