Monthly Archives: April 2011
A treasure story
| April 29, 2011 | Posted by Lizzy under Second-hand treasure |
Sorting through a deceased relative’s possessions can sometimes take a while, particularly if like my Granny, they were a compulsive hoarder. When I explain that she lived in an enormous rambly old house, parts of which we believe are medieval, this should clarify why we are still working on the clear-up almost two years after she passed away. Today my Dad and I took some time to go through some of her jewellery and other treasures, and this particularly special piece came to light.
This brooch was given to my Granny by her maternal grandmother in 1929, presumably for her 16th birthday (Granny was born 1913). The woman depicted is suspected to be Harriet Susannah Anne Horton, born October 21st 1784, the daughter of Lady Elizabeth Horton. Lady Horton was the sister of the 12th Earl of Derby, who founded the horse race at Epsom. She is wearing a bracelet marked with the initials “WH”, which I think is an artist’s signature. But it could equally be the woman’s initials, in which case she is not who everyone thinks she is. My investigations are ongoing!
My Granny was a meticulous labeller – every single jewellery box is labelled with names, dates and places – but I had to do a bit of detective work to find out the woman’s name. Finding the 12th Earl of Derby wasn’t hard, because he was a man and obviously therefore more important in peerage terms (feminist growl of displeasure), but information on his sisters and nieces was much trickier to come by. How my great great grandmother came to have this brooch remains a mystery; my Granny’s records do not divulge.
I have a acquired a few more amazing things from this clear out, which I will no doubt find a moment to share in the future! What little treasures have you found that a relative was squirrelling away?
Charming Magpies
| April 27, 2011 | Posted by Lizzy under Clothing and accessories, Fashion DIY, Second-hand treasure |
I spent last Saturday enjoying some quality mother daughter shopping time in Winchester, perusing fabric shops and poking about in second hand stores. I spotted this excellent sign in our local fabric shop – apologies to any Twitter friends who have already seen it!
I ended up buying two printed cottons, and the sewing projects are now well underway! The very 50s-esque print of the swimming ladies is being turned into a cute little summer prom dress, and for the Russian dolls I want to try out a really interesting spiral pattern from a book of my Mum’s. The entire dress (front and back) is cut from a single piece of fabric, and you end up with what looks like quite a stylish halter design. Watch this space for more details on the ScientistChic SS 2011 collection (haha) as it evolves!
Finally we swung by a vintage store that I had never been into before called Charming Magpies. I wish I’d thought to take some pictures whilst we were in there, because it was a gorgeous little shop with beautifully laid out displays. Browsing through the colour coordinated rails (these are my kind of organised people!) was a real pleasure, and even more so when I dug out this vintage green St. Michaels dress. I was smitten with the velvet bow at the neck, and when the price turned out to be £10 it had to come home with me. If you are in the vicinity of Winchester (gorgeous former Anglo-Saxon/Norman capital city of England) I thoroughly recommend a visit to Charming Magpies – it’s in Parchment Street – or failing that you can peruse their Ebay shop. These great pictures were taken in my parents’ garden on Easter Sunday by my youngest brother Chris, who has helped me out with blog photography before. With my expert direction (ehem) we’ll make a photographer of him yet. Apologies for dazzling everyone with my pasty white legs!
Dress – vintage, Charming Magpies; hat – Miss Selfridge, broach – inherited from my Grandmother
The St. Michaels brand was used by Marks and Spencer from the 1920s until 2000, and I am pretty clueless when it comes to guessing the ages of garments. I can usually (ehem) spot 20s hats and 50s dresses because they’re my go to styles, but of course now someone is going to tell me that this dress is from either of those eras and leave me red faced. I suspect however that this dress is much more recent than that. Anyone able to make an educated guess? I’d love to know!
Tell it to the sailors
| April 25, 2011 | Posted by Lizzy under An outfit or two, Clothing and accessories |
Chris and I had a lovely walk along the river and down to a nearby marina yesterday, in glorious bank holiday sunshine. It seemed like a perfect time, and indeed location to snap some pictures of this rather special new dress. This post is an exciting first for me. Not long ago I was contacted by Eva and Alicia of clothing boutique Stop Staring!, who asked me if I would like to review one of their pieces. Then just before Easter, this beautiful sailor frock arrived in the post for me! I am a sucker for all things with little waists, big skirts and long hemlines. The fabric is lovely and light with a little bit of stretch in it, perfect for accommodating Easter eggs and bank holiday lunches. My absolute favourite detail is the collar at the back; a little splash (oh dear, pardon the pun!) of nautical authenticity. When going through the photographs I realised that all the best ones were of the collar and the back of my head (possibly this should be my ‘go to’ pose for photographs?). This dress was such a wonderful present, thank you ladies!
I thought my little fishy necklace contributed to the mariner theme rather well! It was originally a present from my Granny; she apparently picked it up in Israel somewhere, although I have yet to validate this story. I like to believe that it’s true though, and that my sparkly blue fish has come from somewhere exotic.
Dress – c/o Stop Staring!, hat – Miss Selfridge, brogues – Office, necklace – vintage
Stop Staring! specialise in 40s and 50s inspired frocks – that gorgeous Mad Men style that we’re all going so nuts for at the moment. I love the silhouettes from these eras, particularly because they suit my standard British pear shape (little in the middle, heavy at the base) really well. I have a family wedding coming up later in the year, and am considering a Stop Staring! cocktail dress for the occasion. Ooh, with a really BIG flamboyant hat…
All photos were taken by Chris.
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