The Peplum - Modern Trend or Old School Style?

You'd be forgiven for thinking that peplum dresses, skirts, and tops were a new trend, springing up in high street collections over the last few years. But like many current trends, the peplum frill is actually a lot older than you think and features quite heavily in vintage fashion...


Originating in Ancient Greece, the peplum was originally worn by both men and women. Greeks wore lose fitting peplums, like short skirts, tied over their tunics and made from wool.


Fast forward to the Renaissance and once again peplums were reinvented , only this time round they were more structured and extended from the hips, in contrast to the draping style adopted by the Greeks. They were still worn by both genders.


The peplum as we know it in 2015, stems from the 1940’s. Ladies would wear both tops and dresses that featured peplums. This shape and style was popular as it created a nipped in waist and more curvy hips. This gave the wearer that coveted hourglass figure that we all still aspire to today.

Having been off the radar during the androgynous 60s and the hippy 70s, a brand new peplum became on trend fashion again in the 1980s. It was the decade of excess of course, and peplums would often have many layers, fold or pleats for even MORE fun! More variations were seen, including some dresses where the seam at the waist would taper down to a V, contrasting to the traditional straight across waist of the 1940’s peplum

Like many trends, this disappeared and and went through another re-branding and renovation in 2012 and there are many ways to wear a modern or a vintage peplum today.
If you want to wear a modern trend the unique vintage way, have a look for a gorgeous vintage peplum dress or top at My Vintage.

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A very honest new direction...

So I've been staring at the UNTITLED POST on the screen for a little while now, toying with several ideas of what to blog about today. But my mind kept going off on tangents. Mainly tangents about myself to be honest. And not in a conceited way, just that recently I have been through a lot of ups and downs of the last few months and to put it simply, I kinda lost my mojo...

I'm pretty sure that most of you reading this can relate to what I'm talking about. Between hormones, work, families, finances and all the other stresses that modern life bring, it's no surprise that we have wobbles here and there. And today something just clicked and I realised that it's OK to share with you when there are wobbles and you know what? It's OK to be positive about my size too.

I'm a plus size girl, always have been and probably always will be. I've spent far too long shying away from that and sticking my head in the sand. Full length photos are almost non existent of me but that is no more! If my idol, Tess Munster, has taught me anything its that fat is no longer a bad word and you really can #effyourbeautystandards

I want to be a bit healthier, not just for physical reasons but also because I feel that better health and wellbeing will be better my mental health, which has got to be a good thing. But I am not, nor will I ever be, on a diet. Any health benefits I find along my way will also be included in the blog, as well as lots of my general anecdotes!

Now, don't get me wrong, I will still be talking about vintage, the shop, the website and of course lots of fashion, but there will be a much more personal and varied feel to my blog from here on in... And I really hope it's something you want to read :)

And to kick things off, here are some of those full length shots that I usually don't want anyone to see!

That wasn't so scary after all!

I'd love to get some feedback from you all - if you think this is a good direction for the blog or even if there are some specific topics you'd like me to talk more about then please do let me know. You can comment here or get hold of me via Facebook or Twitter and of course my email is emma@myvintage.co.uk

Thanks for reading
Em x

A Day in the Life of a Vintage Pin-Up

As some of you already know, I have a dear friend named Leonie, who has recently embarked on a very emotional and empowering journey. A journey where she learns to love herself again and most importantly, a journey towards becoming a vintage pin up...

Her alter-ego is Ginger Wilde and her fabulous blog can be found here... http://gingerwilde.blogspot.co.uk/

Leonie is a very special lady indeed. Ever since she first sashayed into my shop I've thought she was spellbinding and beautiful and since I have got to know her as a friend, she is just as precious on the inside. She is a very hard working Mum with a beautiful, bright 9yr old daughter. Leo (like many of us) has struggled with confidence issues but her determination and bravery have got her to the point she is at today. I for one, am very proud of her and glad she is in my life...

With the help of local photograper (and mutual friend) Andy at Much Love Photography and of course some beautiful dresses from My Vintage, Ginger did her first proper pin up shoot today and the results are simply gorgeous!

I am really proud of both of them when I see these pics... We live in a seriously talented town don't we?

To get regular updates on Ginger's exciting journey, please subscribe to her blog. I will be posting some highlights as they happen too.

Don't forget to tell me which is your favourite image too...

Em xx

Welcome to 2014 - Vintage books and a fresh start!

Well I must start by wishing each and every one of you a very Happy New Year and I hope you had a lovely Christmas break in some way or another...

2013 was a crazy year for me. Business was busy and I have still been learning and getting used to life as a shopkeeper. Every day has new challenges to throw at me and I am thoroughly loving every minute of it...

On a personal level, 2013 was quite a tough one, with my Mum having some major health problems and a few other family crises. All things said and done, my blog took a bit of a back seat towards the end of the year so I haven't been paying you lovely readers half as much attention as I should have! Fear not though, I am back with a bang in 2014 and have a master plan tucked firmly up my sleeve...

This year you will be hearing a lot more from me, as well and seeing My Vintage continue to grow and expand, with a few lovely surprises along the way. Again I thank each one of you for your support. Every blog comment, Facebook share, tweet, YouTube thumbs up, review and so on, helps to keep bringing the wonder of My Vintage to more people so please keep up the good work!

To kick things off for the new year, I just have to share with you some of the wonderful books I was lucky enough to receive this Christmas. I've said if before but I really do have a fantastic group of family and friends around me who know me so well, and these books are testament to that - I adore them!

First up is "Fifty Dresses That Changed The World" from the Design Museum.

This is a gorgeous book that takes you through a chronological journey from the 1915 Delphos Pleated dress to Hussein Chalayan's LED dress of 2007. It's a must have for any fashion lover like me and a would make an ideal coffee table/bathroom book.

Next we have this fabulous book from The Press Association - "The 1960s-Britain in Pictures"

As soon as I saw the Beatlemania front cover I knew I'd love this book. The 1960's is my favourite vintage era and this book takes you through a journey of the whole decade. Telling a story in pictures, the book features music, celebrity, sport, industry, politics, culture and every day life. It's a real gem for any 60s fan.

My lovely Mum in law gave me all the other books, but this next one was a gift from my very special friends Julia and Laura (from www.darwendeli.co.uk). Not only did they get me this gorgeous book but they also treated me to a manicure and pedicure, I felt very spoilt! This is Minxy Vintage by Kelly Doust.

This is such a beautiful book with gorgeous artwork and images. Kelly shows you lots of ingenious ways to repair, revamp, customise, rework and recycle tired or damaged vintage clothing. She also shows you how to make beautiful headdresses, hairbands, clutch bags and other cute accessories.

I haven't had chance to read the other books yet but they all look fantastic..

I think there is a Sunday afternoon curled up on the sofa with the fire on and a large mug of tea just waiting for me and my new books!

I'd love to know if you got anything vintage related for Christmas? Let me know in the comments below...

Bye for now
Emma
x

Vintage and Cake... A match made in heaven!

What is it about us vintage lovers? Almost all of us seem to love cake too!

I'm not complaining, it's one of my favourite things to talk about and if you agree then I am sure you'll have been just as giddy as I was last night for the return of The Great British Bake Off on BBC2.

GBBO is now a national institution, the combination of amazing baking, the brilliant Mel and Sue, a bit of Mary Berry and of course the silver fox Mr Paul Hollywood, the show is without question one of the best things on TV.

The bar has definitely been raised this series, last night was the first show but already the standard is way high. I can't wait to see what the bakers come up with for the rest of the series!

My love of cake combined with my love of vintage fashion got me to thinking what kind of dress related cakes were out there so of course my immediate port of call was Pinterest.

All I can say is prepare for your jaw to drop. Pinterest assures me that these are all actual cakes...

How could you bring yourself to eat these works of art? These master cake makers are real artists and I am fascinated by what they do.

We have an extraordinary cake shop in our town called Darwen Deli. They make celebration cakes and amazing cupcakes to boot. They produce the very best combination of look and taste that I have ever had the pleasure of scoffing. And there have been lots! I always buy their cupcakes for the ladies nights we have here...

The owners and staff there are now good friends of mine and recently when my little shop celebrated it's first birthday, Julia and Laura surprised me with this AMAZING three tier My Vintage themed cake, I still can't believe it!

It's got to be the nicest pressie I've ever had!! I'm sure you'll agree...

You can learn more about Darwen Deli at www.darwendeli.co.uk

Have I made you hungry? I'm off to find some cake...

Until next time
Em x

Clueless - My 90s Fashion Favourite!

I'm not gonna lie. Clueless is one of my all time favourite films. I have literally lost count of the number of times I've watched it and still it makes me deliriously happy when I do!

To be honest, what's not to love? Gorgeous clothes, Valley girls, cute boys (including a young and uber handsome Paul Rudd) and a whole new set of slang words (couch commando, haul ass, Betties, Baldwins, way harsh to name but a few!). Need I say more?

So I am overjoyed that the huge 90s revival is bringing preppy back! Looking at most of the high street right now, this brilliant movie is also something of style bible - so take note and get it in your Netflix queue without delay!

First up, let's have a look at some of Cher, Dionne and Tai's most iconic looks...

And here at My Vintage we have some fab Clueless inspired vintage pieces that will really help you pay homage to a real modern classic...

Take this yellow tartan mini skirt for example. Just like Cher's!

She'd also rock this cute 90s mini backpack!

She would also love this sheer shirt thrown over a strappy lycra dress...

And finally, no preppy look would be complete without a tank top! This vintage 80s one from Escada couldn't be more perfect in bubblegum pink!

Let me know if you share my love of Clueless or if you have any 90s gems that are due another airing for all the world to see!

Until next time

Emma x

Summer Stylin' - 6 Vintage Looks Just for You!

I have had a lovely day looking through my rails of beautiful vintage clothes and putting together 6 totally different looks that are all summer ready, either for home or abroad!

And the best bit is that are great quality vintage separates that you can do so much with and will not break the bank. So here goes...

Vintage Summer Outfit 1 - Pretty 50s Princess

Vintage Summer Outfit 2 - Marilyn Colour Pop

Vintage Summer Outfit 3 - I am Tartan-ium

Vintage Summer Outfit 4 - Die Hard Disney

 

Vintage Summer Outfit 5 - I Was a 90s Kid

Vintage Summer Outfit 6 - A Nod to the Nautical

I'd love to know - which is your favourite outfit?

All items are available from our vintage shop in Darwen, Lancashire. If you are not local but would like to buy anything please contact me to arrange this.

Until next time!

Em x