Capture the Castle

Where did the summer go?  September always seems to arrive sooner that I anticipate.  I've had a few weeks (well-deserved) time off work, and Chris and I headed to the coast of West Wales for a few days.  On the list of things to do was a trip to Cilgerran Castle.  It wasn't too far from our friend's caravan where we were staying, so we headed there armed only with a small picnic rather than medieval weaponry.

Old, With Tags

My obsession with vintage workwear continues.  You might remember the fabulous his-and-hers chore jackets that Chris and I bought from a car boot sale.  I'm not seeking this kind of thing out, it just seems to find me!  A recent chance conversation with some regular sellers at our local car boot sale led to being able to visit their Aladdin's cave (warehouse), and I came away with some gems.  The latest additions to my collection are a pair of "deadstock" (still with tags on) housecoats or aprons.  Firstly is this fabulous 1960s mini length little housecoat, in eye-popping colours and a sweet daisy print, with ric-rac on the pockets.  This one had no brand label, the tag was a plain paper one with 'Wx' (W for women?  And x for large or freesize?) printed on it.  Price £1.47 and 1/2p.  That's equivalent to £28.23 of purchasing power today.  I read in the Mary Quant exhibition that a Bazaar shop assistant earned under £7 a week.  I wore this jazzy number for a day of chores around the house, including scraping wallpaper, sewing, cleaning, and picking some tiny but tasty plums from the trees in our front garden.  I especially like the exaggerated sleeves, they stick out to give an American football player silhouette.

The Mermaid Pool

Last week I turned 40 years old in style, by spending my birthday with my husband at the incredible Art Deco extravaganza that is Burgh Island hotel.  Originally a resort for the rich and famous, the iconic hotel is situated on its own private island.  It certainly was a decadent beginning to my next decade  - start as you mean to go on!  I will be sharing my experience in full detail but before I can do that, I have hundreds of photos to wade through.

In the meantime then, I wanted to share my first outfit on the island.  This was my "arrival outfit", which also included a jacket, hat and bag, that I removed for our first stroll around the island.  I'm glad I took the hat off.  The wind was quite strong uphill and Chris nearly lost his hat a few times!

We retreated therefore to this charming, secretive little cove, reached by a wooden staircase (I was pleased it's not reached by a rickety 'Jacob's ladder' as described in Christie's novel, 'Evil Under the Sun').  At the bottom is the 'Mermaid Pool', a natural pool filled with seawater and surrounded by high rocks.  There's a pontoon moored in the middle that you can swim out to.  I would have loved to, but sea temperatures in May are decidedly chilly, so I thought I'd avert pneumonia and give it a miss.

By Full Tilt River and Switchback Sea

It was a drizzly, misty Monday morning at the estuary in Laugharne, West Wales.  There's a short walk from the sleepy town that loops past the castle, along the estuary to Dylan Thomas's writing shed, and then his former residence, The Boathouse.  It's the same route we take on every visit, sometimes reversing it for variety.  We stopped at the writing shed first.  It always amuses me how the first line of the text displayed on the information panel outside is "This is not the Boathouse", because tourists were getting confused.  There are also lots of signs along the narrow winding lane warning "Go back now!" and "No turning space ahead" because a few people had tried to drive along it and ended up getting their cars stuck.

Fashion Revolution Week 2019: Vintage Repro Ethics

Have you ever wondered who made your clothes, how much they’re paid, and what their lives are like?  That's exactly what Fashion Revolution asks us to do for one week each year, seeking greater transparency and accountability in the supply chain of clothing manufacture.  A fairer, safer, and fashion industry is the aim.

"Our clothes have gone on a long journey before they hit store shelves, passing through the hands of cotton farmers, spinners, weavers, dyers, sewers and others. Approximately 75 million people work to make our clothes. 80% of them are women between the ages of 18 and 35.  However, the majority of the people who makes clothes for the global market live in poverty, unable to afford life’s basic necessities. Many are subject to exploitation; verbal and physical abuse, working in unsafe and dirty conditions, with very little pay." (Fashion Revolution, 2019)

The issues are just as pertinent in the vintage reproduction ("repro") fashion industry, but I wonder if the sector is actually less transparent than even the high street.  From my experiences over the last few years in emailing, tweeting and phoning vintage repro brands about their ethics, I have had wildly varying responses.  On Instagram over the last week, I asked a different vintage repro brand each day, "Who made my clothes?".  Here are the results.

House of Foxy

Wearing the House of Foxy "whirlaway skirt"

The Joy of Crimplene

I see people on social media breaking out the broderie anglaise and proclaiming that it's the weather for straw bags and even sandals.  Well, it may look a little like Spring here with the blossom on the trees and a few days of lovely sunshine, but that wind chill reminds you very quickly that we're in Wales.  Ten days ago we had snow! 

There's always a tension to balance at this time of year between ditching the winter clothes in favour of something a bit lighter, and not freezing when you step outside.  The dress I'm wearing here has turned out to be the perfect dress for Spring.  It's a lovely shade of blue, and even though it's short-sleeved, because it's made of Crimplene it's actually warm.  Washes and dries like a dream.  Before these photos, I ate a clementine and managed to squirt juice down the front of this dress.  I was convinced I'd ruined it, with a really obvious yellow stain right on my lap.  But, a quick scrub with a wet-wipe, and ta-da!  It came out straight away.  I'm actually sold on Crimplene and am on the look out for more dresses in zingy Spring colours.

When it warms up enough, I plan to wear this dress with some beautiful blossom-print tights and a cream jacket.  Until then, a big coat, thick tights and boots are a necessity.

The Good Life

The PhD is totally done and dusted.  My corrections were so minor, that I completed them and had them signed off within a week of the viva.  I now have something called "free time" and it's marvelous!  One of the things that I'm enjoying is being able to spend time in the garden.  It was very fortuitous then that at a car boot sale in West Wales, my husband found some deadstock (still with tags on) 1950s' chore jackets.  Perfect for wearing whilst gardening.  For these photos, I embraced a look that wouldn't have looked out of place on the character Barbara from the British TV series 'The Good Life'. 

Chore jackets were the kind of thing worn by factory workers.  I've seen vintage photos of workers in factories, where they're wearing smart shirts and ties, with a chore jacket or apron over the top as protection.  Sometimes there were matching trousers.  The style of jacket originated from France in the late 19th century where it was a common workers jacket.  It makes sense, with its large pockets and relaxed fit for ease of movement.  The jacket I'm wearing is by a brand called 'Harpoon', which is apparently still going today, making workwear and uniforms.  I added a new-to-me vintage headscarf (also from the car boot sale that morning).

The Fresh Air of Freedom

It's been a long journey to the fresh air of freedom, but I am delighted to be able to tell you that I passed my PhD viva this week!  I am now Dr. Sarah!!

Country Lady

It was Saint David's Day here in Wales on Friday, so to acknowledge our country's patron saint we had an outing to St Fagans National History Museum.  It's one of my favourite museums, with such a large site that you can have a very different experience each time you return.  The site centres around a 16th century 'castle' and gardens, and the grounds are filled with historic buildings that have been relocated from around Wales.  The museum had opened a new gallery space since our last visit, so we spent most of our time in the 'Life is...' section.  It focuses on ordinary objects, from clothing and mining lamps to farm tools.  I, of course, became absorbed in the clothing - everything from antique mourning clothes to 20th century wedding gowns, and clothing brands historically made in Wales, such as Burberry and Laura Ashley.

I chose a classic British country lady look for the day, wearing my vintage riding jacket with a new-to-me wool skirt purchased from Ebay recently.  I was initially trying to copy a look I saw in Harper's Bazaar, but inevitably the look went off on a tangent.  It was a practical, comfy outfit, and with a chill in the air I was kept cosy too.  A tweed jacket and skirt is pretty classic, not era specific and I thought, a 'safe', non-outlandish outfit.  The hat is a charity shop buy that I've worn quite a bit over the winter.  It is by British milliner Peter Bettley, who started work in the 1950s.  I think the brand is still going, but is now run by his daughter.  The addition of the hat seemed to attract attention though, coupled with the presence also of my hat-wearing husband.

Not long ago I wrote about What happens when you wear a hat, in which I said "nothing happens".  I hadn't counted on the curiosity of tourists in a large outdoor attraction at half-term on a national day of celebration.  People did stare, children did point.  At least we had good hats on I suppose.  I hope that we added to the entertainment on people's day out.

What Happens When You Wear a Hat

From time to time, I encounter people who say "I wish I could wear hats".  They might then explain that they lack the confidence to do so.  Modern society is not as accustomed to hats as a century ago, when you were odd if you didn't wear a hat.  I was slow to venture into different hat styles from across the eras, preferring to stick to classic styles like berets and fedoras.  Such styles are more likely to be recreated (sometimes not very well) on the high street.  I had a hat comfort zone, and I was sticking to it.  So, I too, was lacking some confidence, and thinking "I wish I could wear that kind of hat".

Branching out into different types of hat has crept up on me.  My starting point with every era seems to be a simple little black hat.  I am now convinced that a little black hat - from any era - is pretty indispensable.  I have a growing collection!  In my last post I showed you my 1930s' little black hat.  Today's hat is extra gorgeous, because it's velvet.  The label states "A Woolsand Model", and I'm guessing from the turban style that it's from the 1950s.  I wasn't at all sure about whether it suited me in the shop, but it was practically free, so I took the chance.  I'm glad I did.

I kept the rest of the outfit fairly simple, but with some splashes of hot pink to cheer up a grey month.  The sky then obliged with a little pink blush to match.  The coat was another lucky find.  It's from the 1960s, with no brand label.  It's a really lovely ribbed fabric.  I've tended to wear it so far as a coat for evening, but on this occasion a local park was the destination.  Black, and velvet, do not photograph terribly well, so you'll have to take my word that the hat is inky black and doesn't look as worn in real life as it does in these photos.  We literally were out for a walk, not to do a photoshoot, so half of these photos are taken on a phone.  I debated about whether to share them, but then decided you'd all definitely want to see a velvet turban and wouldn't care so much about having exceptional photo quality!

Boardwalk

In Cardiff Bay, there is a small area of wetlands that's been designated as a nature reserve.  It was formerly a salt marsh, and is now a protected 8 hectare plot through which wind gravel paths and a boardwalk.  St David's Hotel looms across the water, along with high-rise apartment buildings.  This spot at the end of the boardwalk is quietened by the reedbed, and seems a world away from those bustling commercial and residential parts of the bay.  The only noises are the gentle chimes of boats in the marina beyond, mallards quacking, and the occasional cry of a gull.  If you're lucky, from the boardwalk you might spy a heron, or a bird of prey such as a kestrel.  I joined the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) at the start of this year (I pick a different charity each year), and I am slowly starting to learn more about identifying different birds.  In Cardiff city centre itself, you might get to see a peregrine falcon as they nest at the top of City Hall.  That's how I ended up joining the RSPB - one of their wildlife champions had a telescope set up when I was walking past one day, and I was able to see a female peregrine falcon ripping a pigeon to pieces with its beak.  I signed up there and then!

Sadly, nature reserves such as this wetland are becoming increasingly under threat.  A little further along the coast, there is an area of important biodiversity called the Gwent Levels that is currently at the centre of a longstanding environmental campaign.  The region is at risk from a new motorway being built right through the middle of it, impacting on two nature reserves and an area of the Wales coastal path.  It seems ludicrous in the age we're living in that building more roads is still thought of as an acceptable solution to traffic congestion, rather than investment in public transport and other measures.  The petition is here, for all to sign, whether you live in Wales or not. 

Antiquing at the botanic gardens

It might be a sign of age, but this year I have fully embraced the antiques fair.  We're quite fortunate to have lots within easy driving distance, but they do vary in the amount, type and quality of items for sale.  I think the term 'antiques' is used loosely at times!  Some fairs have been a wash-out, others have scorched us, and all of them have left us with aching limbs from multiple laps around the site.  On the whole there are some good bargains to be had.  Some have outpriced us, but there's always inspiration to be taken for free.

When we heard that an antiques fair was coming to the National Botanic Garden of Wales, we thought we'd make a day trip of it.  I was last at the gardens back in 2015, and was keen to see them again.  The day started very wet as we headed West, and I feared that sellers might be put off by the poor weather.  We needn't have worried, because by the time we arrived at the gardens, the sun had come out.  Admission was £5, to include the gardens, which was excellent value as it's usually a tenner for the gardens alone.  I was relieved to get out of the bitingly cold wind and into the main giant glasshouse, where sellers were set up around the perimeter.  The stalls then continued in another building, and in a large marquee.  Some brave souls had smaller, market-style pitches outside.  I hope they had their thermals on!

I was very glad of my new-to-me 1960s wool jacket.  It's a glorious green colour, and is by 'Dereta'.  It was a present from my husband, who seems to find an endless supply of vintage jackets for me.  He took great delight in telling me that he'd heard on TV that emerald green was the colour of the season.  (I'll have to make the most of being briefly on-trend, because next summer's fashion forecast by Vogue is that beige will be the in-thing.  To misquote a supermodel, I'd rather go naked than wear beige.)  I was wearing a 1980s peplum blouse underneath, my Bernie Dexter jeans, and some lace-up flats, which to be honest wasn't nearly warm enough an outfit for such a chilly day.  I always try and last as far into October as I can without reaching for boots, knitwear, tights etc., because I know that I won't get out of them again until about May.  Last year I made it until the very end of the month, I was still wearing a skirt and bare legs on our trip to Petworth.

Sea Prairie

Summer is over, isn't it?  The light has changed, there's a tell-tale nip in the air in the mornings, and our apple tree is heavy with its crop.  I don't feel like wearing tropical prints and drinking rum cocktails anymore.  It's with reluctance that I'm leaving summer behind this year though.  Autumn's approach signals that my PhD deadline is edging ever closer.  But let's not talk about that, and instead give my brain a rest by talking about clothes for a minute instead.

If you follow current fashion trends, you'll have seen that the 'Western' look is back in full force for this coming Autumn/Winter season.  This is one trend that I think is 'classic'.  I resurrect it again and again whether or not Vogue says it's in.  The only issue then is that I find it very easy to justify buying new items!  Determined to steer clear from the shops, I looked to my existing wardrobe for inspiration.  It seems I have quite the collection.  I leaned a little towards the 'prairie' side of Western here, with a ruffled white dress and some sturdy boots.  And yes, that's a nightie...  It seems I have embraced nightwear for daytime this year (I went out in my pyjamas back in July).

That nightie was part of the biggest 'vintage haul' I've ever had from the charity shops!  I bought it in an unassuming little Welsh town.  I didn't expect to find any decent vintage, especially not this lovely deadstock number, still with its tags on.  I casually asked at the till if any other items came in with it.  Half an hour later and I had been in and out of the shop about three times, as I kept finding other amazing items, including three early 1940s suits, and a double-elevens 'dinner-plate' mark dress.  This nightie was the only item that fit me, I bought the rest just to study them and hoard them (!).  I sold them on eventually.  Excitingly, one suit sold to a British costume designer who was working on a film that is out later this year.  I can't wait until it's released so that I can see if the suit's made the final cut.  I'll let you know if it does!

You might think that I am being a bit arty by showing you photos mainly in black and white.  The truth is that I was nursing an incredibly painful insect bite on one cheek.  My face was red and swollen.  The observant among you will also note that this location is exactly the same as my last outfit post - there has been no time for outfit shoots since this holiday back in July.

Weigh anchor

weigh (or raise) anchor 

phrase of anchor

1. (of a ship) take up the anchor when ready to start sailing.

Fairytale Grotto

Follow me on a path through the woods, to find a treasure from the sea at the end...

Pyjamas in Public

This outfit was a variation on a theme.  I loved wearing my wide leg pyjama style trousers the other week.  I thought I'd try and recreate a similar look based on that 'formula' of loose trousers, a white blouse and summery accessories.  Those particular trousers were in the wash (a seagull got me!) so the only other pair to hand were these actual pyjama bottoms (seen before here).  They are a little sheer, but I didn't think anyone would notice next to the kind of heatwave outfits I've seen lately (one girl literally supermarket shopping in a bra, and hot pants that didn't even cover half her cheeks.  Am I becoming prudish in my old age?!  She was with her Nan who wasn't batting an eyelid).  Talking of supermarkets, a few years ago there was a news story about one here in Wales that banned customers from attending in their pyjamas after an epidemic of onesies.  I wonder if I'd have been turned away in this outfit?

The fabric is light and floaty, perfect for the heat, and kept me covered enough so that I didn't spontaneously combust on a stroll around the baking hot car boot sale.  We called into a local nature reserve a little later, which is where these photos were taken.  It was sweltering and the sun was glaring, which made getting some good shots really difficult.  We tried me facing the sun, back to the sun, fully in the shade... none of it was working very well!  So, I'm not happy with these photos but it was too hot to try again and time is something I'm really short of at the moment.  We called it quits and went and sat by the sea and ate ice-cream.  Perfection will have to wait.  Shooting into the sun is something I'd like to practice, as it's a technique that can reduce the bleaching that bright sunlight can cause (blogger Catherine Summers wrote an excellent blog photo post here on the topic). 

Summer Green

The landscape of Wales is renowned for being green, and this summer it is exceptionally so.  The beautiful warm sunshine, punctuated with the odd couple of days' rain, has resulted in a lush panorama in our valley.  Our garden has also sprung into life.  The rhubarb has shot up like a triffid, and the mass of apple blossom we enjoyed in Spring has morphed into a large crop of steadily growing fruit.

Vintage Frome

The pretty town of Frome (Froom as in broom, not Frome as in dome...) in Somerset is a bit of a vintage hotspot.  As well as a good range of vintage and antique shops, it hosts vintage fairs throughout the year.  It's been on my day-out destination list for some years, so I was pleased to finally tick it off the other weekend.  I was not disappointed.  It's a gorgeous town, with lots of interesting old streets.  We were a bit hot and weary after a few hour's drive, so our first stop was a little vegetarian cafe operating out of a cabin next to the market, where we had a very tasty Thali.  Feeling a bit better, we then strolled through the small market (excellent cheese stall) and headed into town to see what it offered.  There was a smattering of charity shops, and I'd made my first purchase of some vintage necklaces within the first five minutes.  They were only £2 each, so I admit to feeling slightly smug when I saw very similar ones in the vintage stores later that day at much higher prices.

It was a gorgeous summer's day, so I was wearing a fifties inspired comfy dress from Lindybop that doesn't crease and is fairly loose fitting.  It was part of their made in the UK range, which sadly they no longer produce.  I took my trusty vintage wicker bag (it's huge, you can fit loads in!), and wore some flat Clarks sandals, having noted that Frome has cobbled streets - perilous in heels!  The headscarf, sunglasses and brooch were all vintage buys, either from charity shops or vintage fairs.

Glastonbury Tor

June has barely begun, but this is already the most glorious summer I can remember for a long time.  We have had a good stretch of warm and sunny days - yes, even in Wales - and I have been trying to make the most of them.  On the weekend, my husband and I had a trip to the English county of Somerset.  Home of cider apples, Glastonbury Festival, and Mulberry handbags.

It was early evening when we arrived at the town of Glastonbury.  It was still baking hot.  We'd actually spent all day walking around the massive Shepton Flea Market, so the last thing I planned on doing was to walk up a steep hill.  Somehow my husband cajoled me into walking up Glastonbury Tor, a hill that affords amazing views over the flat country it rises from.  I complained quite a bit - it is not an easy climb in the heat.  It was worth it though!

The tower on top of the tor is all that remains of St Michael's Church, built in the 1300s.  The tower has been rebuilt extensively since then.  It's a site of religious significance still, including for Pagans and those worshipping Goddesses.  Our fellow tourists carried crystals on sticks, and carried out sage-burning, drum-beating and yoga headstands.  I was content to rest in the shade and admire the views.  A film crew was there also, filming a documentary for the Discovery Channel.

Holiday Wardrobe May 2018

I can't believe it's now almost a month since I was in Spain!  This might be a little late but this annual post is mainly for me, as a record to refer back to when my next holiday rolls around, so I'm posting anyway.


Daywear
In early May, Nerja was much cooler than in September, when we've previously visited. This meant I had a bit more flexibility in day wear, and was able to wear things like sundresses without fear of incineration.  I still slapped on the factor 30, kept to the shade and wore a hat, but I didn't need to keep quite as covered up.  So, a few more dresses for day this year along with a handful of separates.  In terms of shoes for day, I had a pair of yellow flat loafers, a pair of striped beach shoes, and two pairs of Clarks sandals.  A big vintage raffia bag was perfect for carting about sunscreen, a bottle of water, maps, snacks and my camera.

Laura Ashley Archive collection dress, vintage Coro necklace