My grandmother – my style icon

As a vintage lover you can get your style inspiration from many places – books, films, paintings. Yet nothing beats chatting to the people who pioneered the styles we are trying to emulate. Vintage fashion blogger Mia Lane, who writes Used and Abused Vintage, caught up with her style icon and grandmother, Gloria Lane.
Read more

Make do and mend your home with architectural salvage

For years architectural salvage was reserved for the eccentric and the expert – those with an eye for the hidden value of fixtures and fittings ripped from the carcasses of demolished or gutted properties. But today, as modern builds lacking the charm and character of period properties saturate the market, and as an increasingly stoic wartime mentality of ‘make do and mend’ kicks into every aspect of our recession-occupied lifestyles, architectural salvage is enjoying a new popularity. Tara Gardner explains how you can salvage some treasures for your home.
Read more

Vintage wedding photo gallery

Vintage wedding photos are strangely fascinating. Not only give they great insight into bygone wedding traditions and fashion styles. They also capture an important, intimate moment in a person’s life, a moment of utter joy and happiness and sometimes of strange seriosness. QueensOfVintage.com has compiled a gallery of truly fascinating vintage wedding pictures.
Read more

Yves Saint Laurent: a retrospective

Since Yves Saint Laurent’s death in June 2008, every possible superlative has been used to describe him. ‘Fashion Icon’ (CNN), ‘Giant of couture’ (New York Times),  ’Magician’ (Paris Match), ‘The greatest fashion designer of the 20th century’ (BBC). Lucie Goulet takes a look at the man behind the accolades.

Read more

Gift voucher give away! Win £50 for a vintage Valentine’s at Alfies Antique Market

Alfies Antique Market, London’s largest antique market and home to 75 leading dealers, is on hand this Valentine’s Day to help solve the age-old conundrum of how to find a unique gift that will speak louder than words to your loved one. With antiques and vintage pieces that range from jewellery to perfume bottles and picture frames to heart shaped trinkets, you are bound to track down the perfect romantic, erotic or outrageous love token that you’ve been looking for. To make things even easier, one lucky reader will win a £50 gift voucher to spend at Alfies!

Read more

Stuck in a rut? Then get wardrobe inspiration from How to Marry a Millionaire

It’s official, the warmer months are just around the corner, the discernible chill in the air is gone and we can begin to brave the outdoors wearing short sleeves and sandals, and about time too. With a change in the season comes a change in the wardrobe, so where better to take your style inspiration from than the classic film How to Marry a Millionaire (1953). Holly Fraser has all the details.
Read more

Lonely in Sixties suburbia: Colin Firth on new film A Single Man

Colin Firth’s performance in Tom Ford’s directorial debut A Single Man, based on the story by Christopher Isherwood, has already been nominated for a BAFTA. And rightfully so. Set in the US in 1962, Firth plays English college professor George Falconer, a man struggling to come to terms with the death of his long term lover Jim (Matthew Goode).

Distracted momentarily by old friend Charley (Julianne Moore) and curious student Kenny (Nicholas Hoult), he cannot ignore the profound sense of loss he feels and so resolves to do something about it. Here, Colin Firth talks about working with Tom Ford and life and politics in Sixties America.

Read more

Well worth collecting: The Ridgway ‘Homemaker’ range

Who would have thought that one of today’s most sought-after ranges of tableware was once sold at Wollworth’s at two and a halfpence a piece. Designed in 1957 by Enid Seeney for the Ridgway Potteries (Stoke-on Trent), the ‘Homemaker’ range, decorated with black stylised images of household items, has now become one of the most collectible dinner sets. With its abstract black and white design so typical for the era, it’s also one of the most beautiful Fifties sets around.
Read more

Five amazing Mad Men dresses to buy right now

Regardless of your favourite character or whether you are more of a Betty, Peggy or Joan, the fabulous early Sixties dresses that feature in drama Mad Men have pretty much everyone glued to the TV. If you’d like to dress like a Sterling Cooper employee yourself, here we have five fab dresses, all available online.

Read more

TVs at the ready: Mad Men returns

As Season 3 of our favourite vintage drama returns to the UK and kicks off on BBC4 this evening - power struggles, hard-core smoking, constant drinking, infidelities and all – we take a look back at what’s been happening so far and have ten fast facts you might not know.
Read more

Next Page »