Vintage Hair Lounge visit Harlem Hair, Hove

On Monday, I joined the girls for an afternoon being models for a training session run by the amazingly talented Gloria and Sharon of Vintage Hair Lounge, at Harlem Hair in Hove.

The team spent a busy afternoon curling our hair into beautiful vintage styles, some of us receiving 1940's pin curls, 50's victory rolls or 60's beehives. I had no idea how many layers went into making these styles the proper way, it was incredible to watch them all slowly building up. Now I truely understand why girls used to say they couldn't come out, they had to do their hair! 4 hours later, with make up done and hair perfetly in place, we went downstairs for a little photoshoot with photographer Scott Chalmers.

Here's the first picture they've posted up so far :)

As soon as they've finished loading all the other girls, I will share them all with you, you have to see their hair!! Jaw dropping stuff I tell you!

Hair - Anna Lewis

Make-Up - Molly Dickie

Dress - Oh! So Vintage, Isle of Wight

Cardi - Made by Me!

Bracelet - Antiques Fair, Rottingdean

Harlem Hair will be offering Vintage hair styling in the future, so next time you are planning a night out in Brighton, I would thoroughly recommend you go pay them a visit. I have been waiting for somewhere in town to start doing this, and my prayers have finally been answered! I'm sure I'll be visiting them again, can't wait to see next time's creation :)

Jenny Mearns of Frantic about Frances was also having her hair done on the day and she had THE most amazing Beehive. Being all dressed up at 5pm and nothing to do, we had to go for cocktails with the boys after! It would have been silly not to ;) hehe. Naughty Naughty, drinking on a school night!

 

I even managed to sleep with a headscarf on and keep the front up the next day! That hair was rrock solid, perfect for a windy day at the seaside.

Much Love from Brighton,

L.J.

xxx

Lady Jardin is now on Facebook!

I finally pulled my socks up and have created a separate facebook page for all things creative, burlesquey and blog related, so if you fancy joining me, here I am:

Lady Jardin

Thank you again for all the comments on the recent burlesquey themed posts, it's really helped boost my confidence with it, and I'm already planning the next routine, woop!

Busy crocheting away on my first hairpin lace project, photo's to follow tonight :)

Much love from Brighton,

L.J.

xxx

Shimmy Shakin' what Mama gave me!

First off, I want to say a massive thank you for all your lovely comments on last week's posts. I was actually really nervous and felt a bit shy after posting those pictures up. Wasn't sure how you were going to take it! But you have said nothing but kind words, in a week where I really had to overcome my bum and thigh complex, because I was about to bear all to a rather larger audience than I'm used to!

And also welcome to my new followers! I promise, there will be some un-burlesquey and more crafty posts to come. And I have finally hit, and gone past my personal target of 75 :) woop woop! This means I need to get organised and run a long overdue Give-away! More details on that later this week!

Last Sunday I was very lucky to take part in the Brighton Boutique Charity Fashion show, being held at Oceana on the seafront. Jenny Mearns, the brains behind the super cute pin-up lingerie shop Frantic about Frances asked me to open up her show on the day (she's a brave girl, she'd never even seen me perform before...but then not many have! Must make more effort....). Aaaanywho's....we met last year at the Vintagebrighton.com's 1st Birthday, and I have kept my eyes peeled on Jenny's site since, and watched the collection grow into the amazingly kitch cute line it is now!

She made me an outfit, even picked out the music, and I had about 10 days to make up a routine in ready for the show on the Sunday, yikes! However, many frantic email back and forth leading up to the event, we had a last minute run through when we arrived and then spent the morning getting our hair done, faces painted, and panties positioned.

Here's a sneak preview from behind the scenes, with the models just having gotten into their outfits, how cute are they?

Needless to say I was exceptionally nervous. I haven't done one of these shows since the Royal Wedding themed one last year, and that was only to a crowd of 20 people, this one was to 200+ *gulp*

So how did it go? Apart from having horrible visions of falling off the stage straight into someones lap, legs feeling like they were about to melt away, it was actually extremely liberating!! I had such an amaazing time, and now I remember why I did it last time! The stage was super narrow...it was a catwalk, but I'm proud to report I got through it, no one was hurt during the perfomance (apart form my parasol which is now looking a little worse for wear), and no nipple tassles came flying off. Hurray!!

So here are some piccies taken by the lovely photographers from the day:

Backstage, seconds before going on. love those bows on the front of the corset!!

And in chronological order .....If you switch through them quite quick, it might look like a movie....it's worth a try anyway : P

Photography by Patrick Le Garsmeur

Photography by Patrick Le Garsmeur

Photography by Patrick Le Garsmeur

Photography by Malcolm Tam

I'm looking forward to helping Jenny again in the future, and if any of you are in Brighton this Saturday, make sure you head down to the Mesmerist, she's going to be holding a sample sale of all those lovely knickers!!

 Much Love from Brighton

 L.J.

xxx

What to wear to the office today?

The morning after the show, having slept in a headscarf to try to keep in the hair-do', I wanted to wear something a little more snazzy, but office like, since I had to go to work (boooo!). So I grabbed my sheer black blouse with big frilly sleeves and collar and turquise green sparkly skirt (I swear I did iron it before I left at 6.30am, but a day running round the office soon reversed the effect).

Just a few quick shots taken in our basement patio. This is about all the sunshine we get down here. As you can see, the plants don't like it much, but then I haven't been trying because of this crappy weather we've been having. If any of you green fingered ladies (or gents) have tips on what to grow in a very shady garden, pretty please do let me know! I want to find me some pink flamingo's to stick in the bath tub, have the BBQ sitting in the corner waiting for some good weather, the bar is fully stocked, it's the summer soltice this week....come on sunshine, I'm waiting for you impatiently!!

 

The Mister was trying to make me laugh....hold it in....hold it in!

Outfit:

Vintage Blouse - picked up at a pop-up shop

1940's Skirt - To Be Worn Again, Brighton

Belt & Shoes - New Look

Much Love from Brighton,

L.J.

xxx



What to wear to the office today? - the challenge

Now the sunshine is making a welcome return, I've got more time to make a bit more of an effort in the mornings getting ready for work. Getting up at 6am is always more motivating when it's sunny out! I'm setting myself the challenge of wearing heels at least twice a week (I get lazy, and it's faster to walk to the bus stop in flats. More of a lie in for me! ) putting on some nicer dresses and doing up my hair. I might even crack out my new 50's suit next week....

So here's result number one:

It's super sunny outside and I'm stuck in the office all day, so sunny clothes are in order! I don't often venture into Beyond Retro in Brighton anymore. I used to, when it wasn't so busy and they had lots of nice bits that weren't too expensive, but then it got really trendy, it got crowded, and the prices seemed to mysteriously shoot up....they were trying to sell a 1950's prom dress that was cream, covered in lipstick and red wine, with tears through the netted for £80! I even asked if they would reduce it as I would have to get it cleaned and mended, and they flat out said no. There's obviously someone out there who would buy it, but not me, although it was a stunner, no longer wearable

:( BUT I did get to find this 1940's dress for £20...now how does that work? Tiny little mark on the hem but blends in with the pattern, bargain in comparison! It's still worth a rummage on occasion, although you gotta dig pretty bloody deep to find it!

Lunch time at work. Thank goodness I have a colleague who doesn't mind induldging me in our break outside! Thanks Moni :)

Work's got used to me now over the years, but I do get some funny looks on occasion from passer's by!

Much love from Brighton,

L.J.

xxx

1930's Boudoir Shoot

 I'm trying to get back into the world of Burlseque again, so when my lovely photographer friend Kristy Hobden got in touch with me to do a shoot, of course I said yes!

Kristy has been working on a collection of portraits for her recent exhibition, all of lovely tattooed ladies in various stages of undress, and I was lucky enough to be one of them. Thank you Kristy! If you've been following my blog for a little while, you'll have noticed a couple of shoots we've done together, and I have to say, I have never felt so comfortable pretty much stark naked, bar a carefully placed nipple tassle or two and a vintage (see through) dressing gown, with anyone other than my Mister. She definitely knows how to put you at ease, and if you're honest with her about which bits of you you feel self concious about, she knows the exact angle to make it all better again :)

So without further ado, here are my boobiloos, tattoos et all:

 (look away now if you don't wish to see them!)

Hair and Make-up by Moi

Outfit (what outift?!):

Nipple tassles and match fascinator: Goth Fox Designs

Dressing gown - Beyond Retro, Brighton

Much Love from Brighton,

L.J.

xxxx

KRISTY HOBDEN
Freelance Live Music & Portrait Photographer

www.kristyhobden.com

www.twitter.com/kristy_hobden

Roses are Pink...and so is my dress!

Well these roses were anyway!

I've been a little quiet on the blog front, but for good reason....I was prepping for the Brighton Boutique Charity Fashion show, twirling and wirling my way down to my undies (yikes!). It's been well over a year since the last time I stepped on stage to wiggle my wobbly bits, and I have to say, I was a little terrified! But more on that later this week, just waiting to get some photo's in that are from the most flattering angle possible ;) hehe.

So I picked this little pink number up at our local Barnados Charity Shop for £25. Yes, steeper in price than the average charity shop, but this was a 50's Carnegie, beautifully made, and happens to go with all my other pink bits and bobs (even though pink is my least favourite colour....how did I end up with so much pink in my closet?!). Anyways, I'm quite taken with it, all its gathering on the bust and the lace details (should have taken a close up, I know), and it fits like a glove. This, my dear, is an investment piece and I shall be keeping this until the day I die...or at least until all that cake catches up with me and I can no longer squeeze into it!

Hair and make-up was done courtesy of the lovely make-up artists and stylist at above mentioned fashion show. And it lasted even after getting all hot and sticky on stage!

Should have ironed the back....damn it!

1950's Carnegie dress - Barnados Charity shop, Brighton

1950's wool fleece jacket - Lewes Flea Markets

Petticoat - inherited

Shoes - *cough* Primark *cough*

Mucho updates on the progress on my hair-pin lace crochet adventures and shimmy shaking to come!

Much love from Brighton,

L.J.

xx

Experiments in Vintage Crochet - Part 2

My journey in re-discovering crochet continues! After completing Experiment 1, I stuck to the shrug theme and went ahead and tried this one out. Looked reasonably simple:

You too can purchase this 1950's Sleeve-Shrug PDF here from Cremetarian's Etsy shop!

So, how did it go this time? I think it turned out rather nicely, even if it was (again) a little bigger than anticipated, but I'm kinda enjoying the slouchy shrug with this changing weather!

The pattern was actually quite simple to follow, and was a matter of making a rectangular length, doing a cuff then fastening off, starting again from the first chain, and mirroring on the other side, you just gather up the back a bit and sew up the arms, and voila, you got yourself a Sleeve Shrug! This came up pretty quickly after spenidng a windy afternoon at a car show sat inside the car!

I think this is my new favourite :)

If only I could be bothered to make up the tassles, but I will soon, when I'm not distracted by the next project!

Posing it up at the Old Steine in Brighton on my way home from work:

The great thing about this pattern is once you've made it up once and know the measurements of the bits, you can make this up in any kind of stitch. So for the next one I'm going to attempt it in a lacy shell stitch, but in chunky wool as it's all I could find at the charity shop on the way home. Plus it makes up a lot faster ;) impatient as ever!

And a few close up's back at home:

I think I've decided to make this my year of crochet and focus on trying to make up my own patterns later in the year once I've mastered a few of these. So keep your eyes peeled for more experiments, and please do let me know if you have any hints, tips or your own crochet projects!

In other crochet related news, I've just attended my very first Hairpin Lace Crochet class at Super+Super HQ in Brighton in a 4 week course. It's AMAZING! I am so excited about next weeks class where we will learn how to join up all our little bits of hairpin crochet. I stupidly forgot to bring my camera, and wine, along to this week's class, but will do for the next and will be reporting back on my progress :) They run all sorts of creative classes as well as vintage swap shops, pop-up shops, blogger meets and more. Definitely worth paying a visit next time you're in town.

Anyone else been busy crafting away over the rainy Jubilee Weekend?

Shrug - Made by me!

Dress - Dig for Victory, Brighton

Shoes - *cough* Primark *cough*

Bracelet - Antiques & Collectors Fair, Rottingdean

Much love from soggy Brighton,

L.J.

xxx