GLASGOW VINTAGE BINGE

Today I come baring some good and bad news. 

The good news is, this weekend I am going to Glasgow with my boyfriend to visit his family and to do some hardcore vintage shopping.

The bad news is my boyfriend goes back offshore on Monday. He's only been home a week and already he's been asked to go away again. He'll probably be away for another three weeks so as you can imagine, I'm really sad. I guess this means we have to have an extra amazing time in Glasgow this weekend however!

Photo's of James and I in Glasgow last year

We saw Greenday live - hence the image of the Greenday confetti laden floor and my little feet

I dyed my eyebrows bleach blonde then dyed them back dark... hence the ginger-hued eyebrows.

I absolutely adore Glasgow. Before I decided that I wanted to study Fashion, I was adamant that no matter what happens, I would pursue University there. The people there are so friendly, the architecture is gorgeous and the shops are a step up from what I have in Aberdeen. Sadly, my dreams to study in Glasgow fell through as I discovered that the Heriot Watt Scottish Borders Campus University (such a mouthful, I know) was apparently THE place to be in Scotland for studying Fashion. 

I still love visiting Glasgow from time to time and on this particular occasion, we are staying for only one night.  We have made it our GOAL to seek only the best vintage the city has to offer. I MUST FIND SOME OUTFITS FOR LONDON FASHION WEEK!

We depart at 6.00am tomorrow, arrive at about 9.30am, shop our hearts out all day, go out for dinner, go back to James' grandpa's, rent a movie and eat some Ben & Jerry's, sleep, then go home the next day. 

Here are some vintage stores I wish to explore tomorrow. 

Starry Starry Night

Mr Bens

Handbags And Gladrags 

RETRO

The City

Tatty Bon

Although I am unbelievably excited for shopping, I take my vintage hunting very seriously. I try and follow a very strict criteria. 

1. Material - does the material feel luxurious, soft and most importantly, stable? Is there any wear and tear and if so, is it noticeable? Are there any buttons falling off? Does anything need to be repaired which I can then negotiate the asking price?
2. Price - am I paying lots of money simply because it is a Designer name even though the garment itself is not in good condition? Am I receiving excellent value for money if this is a genuine Designer piece? Can I find something similar elsewhere for a cheaper price?
3. Fit - Will any alterations be required? If so, can I do this myself. If I can't, I usually walk away. Can any buttons be moved to alter the size? Will taking up hems effect the patterns on the garments? Is the comfortable to sit down in?
4. Assistance - Are the shop assistants clingy and protective? I can't stand being in a vintage store for more than 5 minutes if they are. The shop assistants should be attentive and helpful, suggesting matching accessories and voicing their own opinion of the overall outfit - without being pushy.
5. Most importantly, LOOK - does the garment reflect you? It's so easy to get wound up in the excitement when vintage shopping. I often find myself flocking to garments I would usually never take a second glance at. Will I actually wear this crazy 1960's dress in public and feel comfortable? All outfits should be tried on with a good pair of heels for comparison! A good vintage store will offer this. 

I really hope that I DO purchase some gorgeous pieces while I'm in Glasgow, but I already have my reservations. You may remember the post I wrote a while ago regarding a vintage store in Aberdeen called The Closet. The shop owner and I managed to come up with some outfits I could wear to Fashion Week and I purchased some garments from the store. I already have my eyes on some pieces I could not afford at the time - I'm keeping this in mind whilst shopping in Glasgow and I shall constantly be asking myself "Are these clothes as good as what I have seen in The Closet?"

Some pieces I purchases from The Closet recently...

Sheer black body and Jaeger shorts

1960's gingham belted dress

From The Closet, I have my eye on a white sequined pencil skirt and a pair of original Paul Smith brown tailored trousers with hand stitched flower detailing - both to go with my black sheer top as pictured. 

I'm also in love with these Escada heels that have been in store for a while now... They're calling me!

At the risk of sounding repititive (I know I covered all of this in my previous post about The Closet) the stock is just incredible and the prices seem insane to a keen vintage lover. I study Fashion and I know that the prices they offer for excellent conditioned vintage such as Miu Miu, Jaeger, Dolce and Gabbana, Fred Perry and Lanvin is unbelievable. 

Their selection of hats are beautiful too. I aim to return to The Closet nearer London Fashion Week and accessorize some of my safer outfits with some avant garde millinery. 

The owner of The Closet Elane also has an online store on ASOS - please check it out as I understand many of you may never experience the delightful Closet vintage up close. Some great pieces ready to be bought!

Lime Green 60's Lanvin shift dress

Click here to see Elane's ASOS collection

Wish me luck for a weekend of vintage shopping! I'm so excited, but I have a sinking feeling I may come home empty handed as Elane and her team at The Closet were so helpful with my LFW dilemmas. Something tells me I may not be as lucky when I go to Glasgow this weekend!

xoxo

P.S - All images from inside The Closet have been taken from Closet Shop Facebook page - Click here for Facebook page

SPOT THE DIFFERENCE

YES! Its the hat.

I am in love with foxes. I recently sited one outside my house (very unusual as my area is so urban) and named him Pierre. 

I love this hat, I bought it on line a couple of years ago and I think its so cute. Its made of felt so it does not crease and is water resistant. Whenever the weather is crummy, I wear this and feel better. All hats are made from scratch to order too.

I got it from this website www.kyaaa.biz

There are lots of different animal designs, here are some of my favourites.

I am fascinated by hats. I think hats are an extension of ones self, you can tell a lot about a person judging by the hat they are wearing. 

Hats are so daring to me, I wish more people wore hats. A good hat can really communicate the look you are trying to create, it can really take an outfit to a whole new level. 

Me looking very Pete Doherty at a house party nearly two years ago. I wore this bowler hat with a white lace dress to toughen it up a little. When I see these photographs I kind of miss my black hair...

I think anyone can wear and look good in a hat. I think wearing a hat takes courage but the gamble pays off when you marry a beautiful hat with the perfect outfit. 

My favourite hat of all time! How could I not refer back to this when I'm writing a blog about hats? It reminds me of a mint humbug. With this, I'd wear a very plain outfit. A black dress would do. 

I still feel unbelievably honoured to own this Philip Treacy hat. It stays neatly in its rightful box!

I was so thrilled when I worked at Philip Treacy as I was able to expand my knowledge of millinery. I applied for many Fashion internships after I finished my first year at University and I can honestly say that I wanted to work with Philip Treacy the most - even above my heroine Vivienne Westwood. I felt this way because there is so much you can learn from accessories. At University I have been fortunate enough to learn the basic crafts of a Fashion student - pattern cutting, sewing and actually bringing Fashion drawings to a finished fully functional garment, but I'd never worked closely with accessories. I've always had a love for hats so working at Philip's studio was a dream. I loved being able to see how hats are developed and it was beautiful. The hard work it takes to create a hat is astounding to say the least.

I felt that working at Philip Treacy really aided me to broaden my Fashion horizons. I was essentially taking a crash course in something I'd had no prior knowledge of at University. If I worked for a clothing designer, I knew the basics of how a garment is made. With hats, from the creative process to devising a finished piece was a mystery to me. 

One woman who I think can carry a hat like no other is Isabella Blow - she was a close friend of Philip Treacy. She had a "more is more" attitude, no design was ever too over the top for her. I think this philosophy has been applied to the hats she wore. I love her signature flamboyant style. I also love referring back to her quotes - one of my favourites "If you don't wear lipstick, I can't talk to you" headlines my page.

 I also love her response to why she wears such elaborate hats (the majority of the hats she wore were Philip Treacy designs)...

"...To keep everyone away from me. They say, Oh, can I kiss you? I say, No, thank you very much. That's why I've worn the hat. Goodbye. I don't want to be kissed by all and sundry. I want to be kissed by the people I love."

Here is Isabella Blow wearing some of my favourite Philip Treacy creations.

How could you not be in awe of these hats? I could spend hours pining over the detailing of these beautiful creations. You can imagine how beside myself I must have been working there...

Other celebrities have turned to Philip Treacy for avant garde millinery.

Britney Spears

Cheryl Cole

Beyonce

Pamela Anderson

Grace Jones and Iman

Naomi Campbell

And probably most famously...

Gaga

Maybe if I am very lucky, I'd love to work for Stephen Jones one day too, just to see how another milliner works. 

I'm excited for what the future holds, if I was fortunate enough to be rewarded with such a wonderful internship in my first year of University, I'm very excited with the prospect of working with other designers too.