Filed under: Antique, Authors, Bawdy Couture, Costume Dramas, Etsy, Fashion, Modern Victorian, Painted Ladies, Victorian, Victoriana, Vintage | Tags: Adaptation, BBC2, British, Drama, Michel Faber, The Crimson Petal and the White, TV, UK
Last week I breathlessly began watching the BBC’s four-part adaptation of Michel Faber’s epic novel, The Crimson Petal and the White.
Vintage Shoe Pin Cushion: $20 from Sweet Love Vintage - There's something eerily beautiful about this pin cushion. I'd love to have it on my dressing table with 'To Do' lists secured to it with hatpins, or just to display brooches.
I had been concerned that, for want of a better expression, they would bugger it up, and wrote in my last post about the unique type of fear that ripples through you when you discover they’re filming a book you’ve really enjoyed. I know not everyone feels the same, but I happen to think they’ve made a pretty good stab at adapting a novel which mainly consists of richly detailed descriptive passages of narrative – surely a difficult task by anyone’s standards.
Let the Light In, photograph: $12 by 3 Lambs Design - This is just stunning, I love the way the photographer has captured the light on the petals of this peony, and the shocking splash of red at the heart of the white petals.
(By the way, if you missed the first episode of The Crimson Petal and the White, catch-up by watching it here)
In the first episode we spend more time at Mrs Castaway’s house of ill repute, learning about the inhabitants and their various vices. We meet Sugar, just as the narrator introduces us to the cast of characters in the novel, and we know just as surely we’re in the wrong side of town.
Burlesque Red Hat: $155 by Order Abandon - People don't wear hats enough these days, do they? I think this is just darling and would make a welcome change to the usual creations one sees at weddings, Ascot and so forth. Great photo, too!
In my previous post, I squealed about how gorgeous the pictures of the costumes and sets were; having watched the first two episodes, I’m here to tell you the pictures don’t do them justice. I could gaze for simply ages at the way the sets have been dressed, that overarching Gothic gloom that shrouds both the worlds of the velvet-clad upper classes and the ghastly wretches in tatters.
Victorian Drawstring Bag: $12 by Giddy Now - This is an original Victorian bag, with the cutest little button bottom. Perfect for the next Gin & Whores event (see earlier posts!) or just as a unique evening bag. I love wondering who owned objects like these; how often they used them, what happened in their lives...
Even the filth and mire of the notorious St. Giles Rookery area of Victorian London is lovingly realised, with the raucous dens of iniquity thrown into sharp relief against the lusciously opulent interiors of the upper echelons of society.
Private Collection Victorian Tile & Pearls Bracelet: $75 by Wickedly Good - This is from the artist's private collection, unique items not previously available to the public. I always enjoy pieces which celebrate beauty and decay, and this bracelet perfectly encapsulates that theme
In the second episode we see the two worlds colliding, the velvet besmirched as the rot sets in. It’s wonderfully vivid stuff and, despite critics’ fears (hopes?) that it would be wall-to-wall rumpy pumpy; it’s really not that filthy, considering the subject matter and how salaciously titillating it could well have been!
Hand Blown Glass Perfume Bottle: $165 by Kiva Ford - There are so many utterly stunning hand blown bottles & glass objects in Kiva Ford's shop that I hardly knew where to begin. This one really caught my eye, though. I think it's those vivd splashes of red against the white background. Sinister and beautiful.
I think Romola Garai makes a wonderful Sugar – I especially liked the way she kept her facial expressions entirely free of emotion – except perhaps of sheer boredom – as she, um, welcomed her clients. So to speak. Until she knew they could see her face again, at which point it lit up like an overly decorated Christmas tree.
Oriana Ruffled Victorian Shrug: $165 by Countessa - Utterly delectable in every way, this shrug/jacket is just the sort off thing I'd like to have in my own wardrobe. Adore the rich colour and just the right amount of ruffles - pretty without being too frou-frou to wear in reality without feeling like the Sugar Plum Fairy.
All of this is nectar to me, as you may imagine, and very inspiring. Even before the first episode, I began building a collection of seedy Victorian items for use in an Etsy Treasury. The layout of that treasury may be seen at the start of this post.
Infatuation Antique Repurposed Tintype Necklace: $36 by Luminoddities - Old photographs are always engaging, aren't they? I wonder who this handsome chap was, if he was in love when this picture was taken, if his heart had been broken, or if he was a disreputable cad. Luminoddities has some wonderfully imaginative pieces, I love their style.
I hadn’t had time to finish that before posting previously, but it’s now been published (linked above), and I thought I’d share its contents with you here.
London Fog Fine Art Photograph: $12 by Keri Bevan - Gorgeously murky colours, here, that sickly yellow and the violet tinging, like a bruised sunset.
Pictures from my treasury are scattered throughout this post, or click the link to go to the full-sized treasury list, and browse from there if you prefer.
Red Curled Feather Hairclip: $13 by Midnight Boudoir - Release your inner harlot and wear red feathers in your up-do, I say. Make sure a few curls are escaping and that you recently rumpled, or it could look too prissy. And we don't want that. This clip is gloriously decadent - don't just save it for weddings!
Anyway, yes. It’s right up my street (or St. Giles alleyway), really, this tickling of the seedy underbelly of Victorian London. A look right up the lacy petticoats at the seething moral dichotomy which Victorian society so loved to wrestle with. Wonderful stuff.
1880's Stranger's Guide to London: $8 from sandp1 - This antique guide looks fascinating, I wonder how many of these places still exist, if any?
If you read my previous post on The Crimson Petal and the White adaptation, you will have seen that some people got all hot under the collar, they felt it was “gaudily over-painted” and full of “Victorian Gothic Melodrama” – as though they’re BAD things. Well, anyone who thinks that would put me off obviously hasn’t cast an eye over the rest of this blog, and we doubtless wouldn’t see eye-to-eye. The gaudier and more melodramatic the better, if you ask me!
Antique Postcard Couple, by Old Tyme Notions: $3.00 - I have a small collection of hand-coloured vintage photographs, they're fabulously romantic and tacky, but in the good way. Yes, there is "good tacky".
I find it rather amusing that sniffy people peering over the tops of their glasses are declaring it rather declassé, and in doing so, have completely and utterly missed the point. The Victorian public adored high Gothic melodrama, and both the book and the television adaptation are tipping the wink to this era in the form of an affectionate pastiche. As for gaudy, well, the Victorians could hardly be called minimalist, and thank the Lord for that.
Antique Velvet Photo Album, by La Petite Abeille Ruche: $21 - Gorgeously faded cover, just waiting to be filled with photos and scraps from your own life. I think an empty photo album is very poignant, somehow. Lonely, forgotten, mysterious. I wonder what images it once held...
Indeed, you could say it’s the decadence and the “pantomime characters” that serve as an attraction for me, in this austere age of dowdy realism and dull, lifeless, clumsy ‘re-imaginings’ of novels. I dare say that if you loathed the novel, you wont enjoy the BBC adaptation – just as if you detest mandarins, you should probably steer clear of mandarin flavoured sorbet. My advice is: Go for the lemon, old bean! Don’t put yourself through hours of torture on anyone’s behalf. I loathe Hollyoaks. I watched it once and hated it, and decided never to watch it again as it wasn’t at all my thing, but I shouldn’t dream of saying it should be banned, or criticising others for liking it.
Red Geranium Petals, dried, by Pleasant Hedges: $6.00 - These would be heavenly scattered over a table as the finishing touch to a decadent dinner party. Or strewn on a bed, as a change from rose petals (yawn), if you like. I have no idea what you lot get up to in your spare time, and prefer to keep it that way. Even the description of these is blowsily romantic: "I grew these flowers in my garden, here on Larkspur Hill, and dried them to be preserved until your special day..." How lovely Larkspur Hill sounds! Let's all don straw hats and eat strawberries whilst running through the fields at Larkspur Hill! It could be an industrial estate for all I know, but it sounds beautiful so I don't care.
I am here to tell you that television producers very rarely have my taste in mind when they make programmes. They practically never consult me before spending millions on their latest project. But neither should they, because I do not consider my taste (or lack of) is more or less important than anyone else’s. If I dislike a programme I may give it another go, or I may choose to switch it off and never let it darken my life again.
Turkish Mocha Victorian Teardrop Soap, by Stockwell Cottage: $2.00 - I'm a huge fan of handmade soaps, particularly those with goat's milk in, as they seem kinder and more moisturising to my skin. I have always hankered after a huge conch shell filled with exotic soaps, but instead make do with a Victorian looking wrought-iron cakestand, on which I place soaps, perfume bottles and other assorted nick-nacks. Again, I should stress that I'm not generally in favour of mimimalism... 😉
One thing I will never do, is apologise for liking gaudy melodrama. Never. I’m really quite awfully proud of it, as you can possibly tell by the merest glance at the rest of my blog! I rather suspect that persons who are troubled by things being too over-the-top and showy will have found their entire (albeit fleeting) visit to my blog to have been jolly upsetting…
Early Victorian Skate Cape, from Petrune: $750 - Now, there are probably very rare occasions when you could wear an early Victorian skate cape (except perhaps in an early Victorian skating party, of which there are shockingly few), but this is so colourful and jolly, in a sort of toothpaste stripe way, that I just had to include it.
Nurse! The smelling salts!
I do hope you make a full recovery, dearhearts. Don’t forget to loosen a few stays, put your head between your knees and breathe deeply into a paper bag.
If all else fails, have some gin!
Until next time,poppets
Yours Gaudily,
Miss Nightingale
x
Filed under: Costume Dramas, Literature, Painted Ladies, Victorian, Victoriana, Writers | Tags: 19th Century, Adaptation, BBC, Michel Faber, Novel, The Crimson Petal and the White, Victorian London, Victorian Prostitutes
Michel Faber’s The crimson Petal and the White, ticks so many of my boxes I hardly know where to begin. A richly detailed, viscerally engaging, beguilingly written novel that I fell deeply in love with when it first came out. Of course, ever practical, I got it in hardback and schlomped it around with me like a weighty talisman in the increasingly tattered velvet bag I carried everywhere at the time.
The narrative just drips with deliciously rank descriptions of The Great Stink which was Victorian London, the contrast between the perfumed, lace-clad middle classes and the guttersnipes living in utter poverty amidst unthinkable filth of every kind. Just my cup of tea, as regular readers of this blog will readily attest!
Here’s an excerpt from the start of Faber’s The Crimson Petal and the White, taken from Book Browse (you can read the first ten pages of the novel by following the above link):
Watch your step. Keep your wits about you; you will need them. This city I am bringing you to is vast and intricate, and you have not been here before. You may imagine, from other stories you’ve read, that you know it well, but those stories flattered you, welcoming you as a friend, treating you as if you belonged. The truth is that you are an alien from another time and place altogether.
When I first caught your eye and you decided to come with me, you were probably thinking you would simply arrive and make yourself at home. Now that you’re actually here, the air is bitterly cold, and you find yourself being led along in complete darkness, stumbling on uneven ground, recognising nothing. Looking left and right, blinking against an icy wind, you realise you have entered an unknown street of unlit houses full of unknown people.
And yet you did not choose me blindly. Certain expectations were aroused. Let’s not be coy: you were hoping I would satisfy all the desires you’re too shy to name, or at least show you a good time. Now you hesitate, still holding on to me, but tempted to let me go. When you first picked me up, you didn’t fully appreciate the size of me, nor did you expect I would grip you so tightly, so fast. Sleet stings your cheeks, sharp little spits of it so cold they feel hot, like fiery cinders in the wind. Your ears begin to hurt. But you’ve allowed yourself to be led astray, and it’s too late to turn back now.
It’s an ashen hour of night, blackish-grey and almost readable like undisturbed pages of burnt manuscript. You blunder forward into the haze of your own spent breath, still following me. The cobblestones beneath your feet are wet and mucky, the air is frigid and smells of sour spirits and slowly dissolving dung. You hear muffled drunken voices from somewhere nearby, but what little you can understand doesn’t sound like the carefully chosen opening speeches of a grand romantic drama; instead, you find yourself hoping to God that the voices come no closer.
The main characters in this story, with whom you want to become intimate, are nowhere near here. They aren’t expecting you; you mean nothing to them. If you think they’re going to get out of their warm beds and travel miles to meet you, you are mistaken.
You may wonder, then: why did I bring you here? Why this delay in meeting the people you thought you were going to meet? The answer is simple: their servants wouldn’t have let you in the door.
What you lack is the right connections, and that is what I’ve brought you here to make: connections. A person who is worth nothing must introduce you to a person worth next-to-nothing, and that person to another, and so on and so forth until finally you can step across the threshold, almost one of the family.
That is why I’ve brought you here to Church Lane, St Giles: I’ve found just the right person for you.
Now I am eagerly awaiting the first in a 4-part BBC adaptation which begins tonight on BBC2 at 9pm. I CAN’T WAIT! Well, I mean I can wait, I suppose, because it’s not going to be shown before then and I doubt the BBC are going to courier a DVD copy over to me, either. The rotters.
Romola Garai, Chris O’Dowd, Gillian Anderson, Richard E Grant, Shirley Henderson, Amanda Hale and Mark Gatiss star in a bold four-part adaptation of The Crimson Petal And The White adapted from Michel Faber’s best selling novel by acclaimed playwright and screenwriter Lucinda Coxon and directed by award-winning Marc Munden (The Devil’s Whore, The Mark Of Cain), produced by Origin Pictures for the BBC.
A tale of love, lust, desire and revenge, it reveals the true sexual politics of Victorian life. In the words of the heroine, Sugar: “If you dare enter this world, you had better tread carefully.”
As ever, when someone films or in any way adapts a favourite book, one is struck with an initial shivering thrill of excitement. This is followed hot on the heels by that slowly sinking dread that they are absolutely bound to bugger it up. Oh, they are going to RUIN IT for you; and that if they do, you’ll shake your fist at the skies, shouting “Why, God, WHY did you let these incompetent curs loose on my favourite book/film/other thing?” and then you’ll write a letter to the Guardian’s Media section, treating the editor to a frame-by-frame critique, entitled Everything That is Wrong with This Adaptation and including that well-worn line “I cannot believe the BBC have spent MY license fee on this utter drivel”, as though you, alone, fund The BBC and are entitled to personally approve of every single thing they produce.
But I digress.
Imagine how scary it must be to have written that novel, and to be watching your ‘baby’ reborn on TV. Luckily, Michel Faber entirely approves and was actually incredibly moved by the adaptation.
A few days ago, watching a TV show, I got tears in my eyes. That doesn’t happen very often. For a start, I haven’t watched television for many years, and also, it takes a lot to make me cry. My own private sorrows can make me weep, and occasionally a song can penetrate my defences (June Tabor’s “A Proper Sort of Gardener” does it to me every time), but when it comes to novels or on-screen narratives, I’m tough to crack. Pathos and poignancy are, to me, tactics and techniques; in my work as a writer, I fetch them from my toolbox and use them as required. Show me a tear-jerking movie, and I’ll sit stony-faced, analysing the hell out of it. “Oh yes, this is the bit where they hope people will start sniffling. Not badly done at all, I suppose, for this sort of thing. I’d rate it a 6/10. Maybe even a 7.” Yet a few days ago, sitting in front of the TV, I got choked up… I was anxious what TV would have done to my baby in the BBC’s adaptation, but its new artistic guardians have treated it very well indeed.
You can read his reaction in full in the piece he wrote for The Guardian today.
I am currently finalising my choices for an Etsy Treasury inspired by The Crimson Petal and the White (a themed, curated collection of items available at Etsy) and shall hopefully publish this in the next couple of days, after I’ve seen the programme and can let you know what I think of it!
Now, must be off as I’m trying to combine cooking Jambalaya, ironing and looking at delicious things on Etsy.
Until next time, darlings
Yours excitedly,
Miss Nightingale
x
Filed under: Boots, Etsy, Fashion, Fripperies, Gin, Jack the Ripper, Uncategorized, Victorian, Victoriana, Whores | Tags: Alan Moore, From Hell, Gin, Jack the Ripper, Victorian London
I have no shame in admitting that I’m already planning my outfit (and accessories, of course) for a party that’s not due to take place until February next year!
This poster is very apt for the occasion and, quite apart from loving letterpress type (being a bit of an old font/type nerd), I heartily condone the sentiment. Also loving the name of their shop!
Letterpress Gin Poster by A Two Pipe Problem: $16
The party in question is not your run-of-the-mill kind, but the third incarnation of Gin & Whores: a semi-regular affair held by Mme Guillotine for various reprobate friends who share her passion for Victorian Ladies of The Night, Gin and Jack the Ripper.
Spooky Shades have various items to tempt those seeking unusual lamp shades, but this is one of my favourite. I really like the overlaying of medical illustrations with one of the infamous letters purporting to be from Jack the Ripper.
Jack's Anatomy Lampshade by Spooky Shades: $59
The wonderful Hoolala has been featured a few times on my blog – they do a number of Jack the Ripper themed items, but the one I most covet also happens to be the most expensive. Typical. It’s this luxury pocket watch charm necklace, based on Alan Moore’s brilliant Jack the Ripper graphic novel, From Hell.
(Really interesting story of how Alan Moore actually met the lady behind Hoolala, by the way – clock on the picture below to be taken to that page & read more…)
Jack the Ripper From Hell Charm Necklace by Hoolala: $125
For now, I have just purchased this necklace (featuring a silver Gin bottle label. HOW could I resist?) in preparation, and now can’t wait for it to arrive. I get terribly excited about this sort of thing.
Gin Necklace by Kat Designs NYC
Obviously, this one isn’t available anymore (ha ha), but do have a look at the other pieces in the collection (click on the picture to be whisked to the shop) – there’s a very similar Brandy one.
You cannot beat a bit of fingerless mittens action for adding an element of Victorian sauciness to an outfit, and these, by Hypericumfragile are just the ticket.
Evening Secret Gloves by Hypericumfragile: $35
I had to add this saucy greeting card by Coquinette (all the cards are very amusing, using risqué contemporary images and distinctly modern text).
Naughty Victorian Greeting Card by Coquinette: $5
Gin & Whores basically involves getting togged-up in Victorian-esque outfits (some guests go for historical accuracy, whilst others opt for modern re-interpretations of Victorian outfits or accessories), drinking Gin and cackling with laughter in locations around London’s seedier locales.
This pretty lace-edged, raw silk bolero would be just the thing.
The Paris Romance Bolero by Mary and Angelika: $83
Usually we frequent pubs dating from the Victorian period are preferred, those public houses which (in our wildest imaginings) may have served a glass or two to some of Jack the Ripper’s victims, or even [shivers of macabre excitement] Jack himself.
Antique Leather Doctor's Bag at Nacho Kitty: $375
That antique Doctor’s bag is just the sort of thing one imagines Jack the Ripper would carry about the place, don’t you think?
It possibly sounds a bit odd or mawkish to the casual observer, but we all have enormous fun and it’s all very much tongue-in-cheek. Much like this amusingly saucy Victorian ladies’ fridge magnet, by Pink Burlesque (who are based in Bristol). Really like all their items, actually!
Vintage Picture Fridge Magnet by Pink Burlesque: $2.99
In honour of the occasion, and my outfit hunting, I put together this themed collection of various favourites as an Etsy Treasury, I do hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek!
Direct links to all the items shown are available by going to the treasury’s page, HERE. Enjoy browsing all the lovely shops, but don’t blame me if you want everything, too. 😉
Until next time, duckies,
Miss Nightingale
x
Filed under: Alexander McQueen, Bawdy Couture, Couture, Decadence, Fairytales, Marie Antoinette, Modern Nostalgic, Modern Victorian, Trinkets, tulle, Victorian, Victoriana | Tags: accessories, Baroque, designer, Fashion, Michal Negrin, Victorian, women's clothing
From the get-go we know this website isn’t going to be a subtle affair: crimson velvet theatre curtains pull slowly apart to reveal the bizarre, charming and – if one is honest – slightly bewildering – world of designer Michal Negrin…
An explosion of colours, overwhelming Baroque pastoral scenes involving plump cupids, frolicking 18th century lovers, random Kewpie dolls, 1920’s flapper girls dangling from hot air balloons and, ultimately, a mind-blowing peek into her world of full-on, turned-up-to-eleven romantic historical WHIMSY. A world, as you may imagine, I utterly adore.
I can’t quite recall when I first came across her designs, but I know exactly which item it was – a sumptuously gorgeous Victorian style skirt with overlapping romantic scrapbook-like pictures and tumbling roses. Love at first sight!
I think it would be fair to say that I rarely come across designers whose collections make me gasp and want one of practically everything, but Michal Negrin ticks all my boxes. 🙂
This is a relatively staid design from the current collection, totally wearable – I’d wear it as a day dress with a little cardi, plum colored tights, black biker boots & lashings of pearls. Just beacause.
I ALSO completely covet the other design in this style… Dreamy, misty, dusk-like colours and a cameo in the centre of the lacey trellis of a Victorian lady wearing a striped bathing suit. Seriously, what’s not to love?
Michal Negrin has been creating a unique lifestyle for over two decades with vintage-inspired designs that include jewelry, fashion, home décor, and accessories.
This full-length gown is just jaw-droppingly stunning – I think it looks like something from an Oscar Wilde play. It actually makes my heart beat faster.
Yes, yes, I know the price may also make the heart beat faster, but it’s a designer gown. We’re not doing a feature on supermarket fashion here, are we? (And I’m not being snobbish – I am currently putting together a feature about supermarket fashions I love, as it happens! – there are just different categories of clothing. I think this rivals some of Alexander McQueens last collection, but at a price that, whilst still expensive, is certainly more attainable than couture!)
This design is particularly reminiscent of that Baroque style couture – inspiration surely from cheerfully gaudily painted ceilings and the artwork one finds in those sumptuous palaces that have the power to take the breath away.
I love the colours in this skirt, they remind me of hand-tinted romantic Victorian photographs of famous actresses and noted beauties of the age.
As you can see, these softer colours are probably easier to wear for those of a nervous disposition who shy away from designs and patterns they consider ‘loud’ – this little vest top could be worn classically with a cashmere cardi & pearls, or thrown on with jeans & leather jacket. It’s all about the styling, dahling. 😉
Born in Kibbutz Naan in 1957, Michal always knew she was an individual with her own vision and this was despite being brought up in an environment that preached group uniformity.
She was driven to follow her inner passion for self-expression and spent her childhood designing. Her mother was an inspiration and supported her in fulfilling her dreams despite the Kibbutz’s conventions.
Well, there is absolutely nothing that says ‘group uniformity’ in Michal’s designs, that’s for sure. They manage to capture the spirit of those vintage collectible ‘saucy’ postcards – Victorian beauties showing a well-turned ankle or – shocking – gadding about in their under-crackers.
This skirt depicts ladies swimming through a palace as various Baroque items of furniture bob past. If you cannot love such a scene, then I seriously doubt we’d get on. I mean it. 🙂
A dramatic kimono top featuring Victorian ladies in handcarts above a vast city skyline climbing ladders into the sky… Again, I ask – what’s not to love?
It is obvious that Michal is passionate about vintage images, the bejewelled, beribboned world of Baroque, of gilded palaces, the court of Marie Antoinette, intricate Victorian scrapbook pictures, the excess of 1920’s hedonism and those gaily painted barges or gypsy caravans that gleam with brightly painted bouquets of flowers. All passions I share, so no wonder I am so giddy about her work!
Little details like the placing of the curtain-call ladies arm-in-arm, circling the cuffs of this beautiful bolero… literally make me squeal. It’s such fun, I love the sheer exuberance of these images and the way they are placed on the designs.
I have only shown you a tiny proportion of the items I love (I’d have to lead you through the entire website!) and even then have only touched on the clothes… Oh my dears, there are stunning boots & shoes, jewellery and even items for the home, too! But I shall leave you to explore those yourselves. 🙂
Negrin’s designs are more than I could normally spend, but then these are hardly your average clothes and accessories. I shall own some of her pieces one day soon, I SHALL! I long for them. 😦
Oh, I know, quelle melodramatic hand-to-the-forehead – forgive me if I sink, breathless, onto a velvet chaise lounge, but I rather think it suits these styles I so hanker after. 😉
Until next time,
Yours entirely made of whimsy,
Miss Nightingale
x
Filed under: Fashion, Fripperies, Modern Nostalgic, Modern Victorian, Shopping, Trinkets, Victorian, Victoriana | Tags: 1928.com, ASOS, Miss Selfridge, Nemesis watch, Revlon lipstick, ROOTOTE
If yesterday’s Wish List selection of tasty trinkets had you clutching your credit cards and making death-rattle gasping sounds – as well they might – then I present for your delectation a platter of more purse-friendly gothic treats…
$45 – yesstyle.com
More ROOTOTE tote bags »
Filed under: Alexander McQueen, Bawdy Couture, Fashion, Fripperies, Modern Victorian, Shopping, Trinkets, Victorian, Victoriana
Flipping through the glossies reveals pages dripping with lace, leather, blood-red lips and more skull jewellery than you can shake a [skull-topped walking] stick at. Yes, my pretties, it would seem that GOTH IS BACK.
It makes me smile, as I used to be a dyed-in-the-wool Gothic Sort myself. I don’t count myself as such nowadays, though I do still hanker after some elements of the style, now and again. There are times when my inner goth still makes their presence known… and y’know what? Seeing some of the editorials infused with such trinkets does still make my heart beat a little faster!
I shall split this look up into items I can only, truly, dream about: Wish List; and items I could happily purchase without the bank manager having an apoplectic fit: Shopping List. First, bring on the dreams!
$2,685 – net-a-porter.com
More Alexander McQueen dresses »
Filed under: Etsy, Fripperies, Trinkets, Victoriana, Vintage | Tags: Etsy, Going Postal, Sky 1, Steampunk, Terry Pratchett
Over the Bank Holiday weekend, we were treated to a wonderful two-part adaptation of Terry Pratchett’s Going Postal on Sky 1.
I had salivated over the trailers and was not to be disapointed. I LOVED every minute!
For those of you who missed it – fear not: it’s being repeated on Friday 4th June at 6pm, or you can watch it on Sky Player online. There will also be a DVD released later this year.
The costumes and sets were amazingly detailed and entirely evocative of madcap steampunk Victoriana. Wonderful stuff. Casting seemed spot-on, too, with excellent performances all round.
Of course, all this inspired me to create a selection of themed goodies found from various talented designers and sellers on Etsy. Recently, their Treasury section has allowed for one extra item per line, so even more to feast the ol’ peepers on.
You can see larger pictures at my Treasury page, but for your delectation, I present my Going Postal round-up…
Direct links to items shown, left to right, by shop name:
1st Row: 1) Octopus Parlour, 2) The Corridor, 3) Fuzzy Freaks, 4) Ustabee
2nd Row: 1) Penny Masquerade, 2) Olga Italy, 3) Travelling Inkwell, 4) Thrifty Pyg
3rd Row: 1) Bad Girl Vintage, 2) Gypsy Carriage, 3) Poker Ladies, 4) Martha’s Attic Too
4th Row: 1) Ksickles, 2) Dash and Bag, 3) Luna Shine Shine, 4) Taeliac
Filed under: Accessories, Etsy, Pride and Prejudice, Style, Summer, Victoriana | Tags: Cancer Research, Red or Dead, Swing on a Chandelier
Now, dear readers, those who have been with me for any length of time will know I’m a sucker for 1) Bawdy Victoriana, 2) Chandeliers, 3) Bags. Put those three elements together and charge me a mere pittance (£3.99) for the resulting splendour, and I am pretty much in state of rapture.
Behold: Red or Dead’s “Swinging on a Chandelier” print bag, designed for the charity Cancer Research (click the picture to go to their online shop)…
Swinging on a Chandelier eco bag by Red or Dead for Cancer Relief: £3.99
I espied this in the window of my local Cancer Relief and snapped one up quick smart.
Busty Victorian wenches swinging on chandeliers? To say it’s my cup of tea is something of an understatement! Oh for a silk dress in this print. Or a cushion, or bed linen or… anything! Wonderful stuff. I demand more.
The print also happens to be in navy, and I have fallen for navy in a big way. I know I’m 100 years behind the rest of the world, and am perhaps lapsing into a mid-life decline (I have sensible shoes due to my work-ruined feet, my foundation matches my natural skin tone and my wardrobe has colours in it – QUELLE HORREUR!) but navy – teamed with red & white for freshness or grey for subdued glamour – is calling to me at last.
Just to overdose on chandeliers for a little while (and why not?) this navy scarf by Analogue People would be sublime teamed with the Red or Dead bag. Toss it nonchalantly around your shoulders or tie over the handles of the bag itself. Love it!
Jersey Chandelier Scarf by Analogue People: $25
The thing about teaming navy & white with a splash of scarlet red is that, sooner or later, you start imagining yourself to be sauntering about Paris in the sunshine. The wheels of that particular daydream will be oiled all the more by wearing this snappy little “Bonjour” t-shirt by Two String Jane. Dare you to wear it with bright red lipstick and a fake French accent.
Bonjour T-Shirt by Two String Jane: $24
Another t-shirt I love is the Mr Dary Proposal shirt by the divine Brookish. Simple yet stylish, this conveys your romanticism to the world without being in the least bit cutesy. Yet another item on my ever-expanding wants list.
Mr Dary Proposal shirt by Brookish: $25
For the smarter do, and perfect for those summer weddings or a day at the races, this perky little velvet ribbon rose hat is just darling, don’t you think? The talented UK designer – Janine Basil – has a whole collection of burlesque/vintage inspired hats, fascinators and accessories, all with a quirky flair and a jaunty wink. Adorable.
Vintage Style Velvet Rose Hat by Janine Basil: $95
These earrings have to the filed in the category “weirdly beautiful” – they are quite classically stunning in design, yet are made from the vertebrae of birds. Not a medium I would usually associate with jewelery, but all of Marya Zoya’s pieces are incredibly well put together and so imaginative – truly wearable art. Certainly a talking point at a dinner party!
Taxidermy Bird Earrings by Marya Zoya: $50
Take a look at the rest of the Navy wonders I have gathered together for you to gaze upon – all of the shops are well worth a browse, even if navy isn’t grabbing you by the shoulders and kissing you full on the lips.
Direct links to items shown, left to right:
1st Row: 1) Marya Zoya, 2) Janine Basil, 3) Madame Mortalitas
2nd Row: 1) Thief and Bandit, 2) Analogue People, 3) Brookish
3rd Row: 1) aaarealgem, 2) Two String Jane, 3) Silent Mint
4th Row: 1) Zoe Chen, 2) Raine Style Home, 3) Dear Lillie
Until next time, darlings…
Miss Nightingale
x
Filed under: Accessories, Bawdy Couture, Competions, Decadence, Etsy, Fripperies, Modern Nostalgic, Modern Victorian, Painted Ladies, Victoriana | Tags: Deshabille, Rococo, Romantic, Rumpled
Déshabillé is the French term for being partly or ‘carelessly’ dressed. That slightly sleep rumpled, decadently sexy boudoir chic one sees in 1920’s films.
Silk Kimono Top by Mistress Collection: $86
You know the sort of thing – starlets nonchalantly shrugging silk robes from their shoulders, tugging the pins from their curls, lounging around on days-beds wearing lacey little somethings, eating sugared plums and generally kicking up their heels in fancy tasseled slippers.
Taffeta Lace Deshabille Chemise by Bayou Salvage: $39
I have to tell you, it’s my one of my favourite ever looks, mainly because I end up looking somewhat déshabillé anyway (well, shabby at any rate) within minutes of being primped and preened. I am just not naturally a neat person. But there is just something so appealing about looking effortlessly glamorous (however much effort one has to put into looking that ‘effortless’!)
Appliques, by Couture Headband with Vintage Beading, Feathers & Liaison: $700
There is a yawning chasm of difference between déshabillé and shabby, however. A stray curl or rumpled robe too many means the difference between looking nonchalantly sexy, or mad cat lady wandering the street in her nightgown before being apprehended by the authorities. Subtly rumpled, darlings… undone. Like this divine silk lace robe, which is just made for this look.
French Lace & Silk Robe by Stella Dottir: $420
Here is a beautifully embellished yet still simple day dress which partly inspired this post – it shows that déshabillé works equally well out of the boudoir and into day-wear. Add a layer or three (for the unpredictable Spring weather we’re experiencing in the UK right now) then remove as many as you wish to. With all the beautiful neckline detail, I would eschew necklaces and stack random bangles & charm bracelets. Charmingly carefree.
The Adeliene Dress (ivory on muted pink) by Dear Lillie: $69.95
Dear Lillie have an amazing opportunity to win one of their Adeleine dresses on their blog: click HERE to enter, just by leaving a comment. (I have already entered as I love their designs, and you get to choose your own favourite colours, too!)
Of course, with our delightfully rumpled gowns & lace robes, we need somewhere to nonchalantly drape ourselves, and what could be more perfect for our theme than this romantically decadent handmade bed by one of my favourite multi-talented designers, Attila Design? A considered purchase, yes, but utterly unique.
Under the Apple Tree Canopy Bed by Attila Design: $9,600
This print of an original water colour is so reminiscent of summer mornings (and long afternoons) spent stretched full-length on rumpled sheets with a purring cat, basking in the sunshine, not caring that we should have long ago risen from our lazy, loose-limbed slumber. The colours are just perfect, don’t you think?
Sound Asleep print by Rachel's Studio: $20
Whether on a bed or propped on a chaise, we of course need a whimsical pillow to lean against, or rest on our knees with a trashy novel weighty tome to read as we sate ourselves with Turkish Delights (or violet creams, or whatever retro confections take your fancy). This one is exquisite and I just love the Gibson Girl picture, having always been quite obsessed with that look.
Victorian Romance Accent Pillow, Crafts by Posie: $24.95
Do have a look at my other hand-picked selections for our theme, all the shops are well worth a snoop through, full to bursting with treasures ready to be plucked…
Direct links to items shown, left to right:
1st Row: 1) Mistress Collection, 2) Liaison, 3) Stella Dottir
2nd Row: 1) Branch Handmade, 2) Dear Lillie, 3) Painted Cottages
3rd Row: 1) Attila Design, 2) Bayou Salvage, 3) Beads n Thingz
4th Row: 1) Ciao Bella Photography, 2) Crafts by Posie, 3) Rachel’s Studio
Filed under: Etsy, Fashion, Modern Victorian, Spring, Victorian, Victoriana, Vintage | Tags: Spring Fashion, Spring Photos
Yes, there’s still a nip in the air (in fact, it’s absolutely freezing in our little town in the Kent countryside, today!) but whilst the sun is shining, one can quite easily feel that it IS Spring, and even though we might still wish to layer upon layer; it is time to turn our thoughts to softer, floatier fabrics and colours too.
UK farmer David Kennard's clever sheepdogs herd his sheep to form the word "Spring"
How about layering this pretty chemise underneath a slightly shorter dress, with just the broderie anglaise hem peeking through, teamed with a cute little cardi, opaque tights and dolly shoes? Warm enough to be worn now but with a hint of warmer times to come.
Victorian Chemise by Southron Creation: $45
Now you all know that I love all things Victoriana, especially the quirkier, seamier side of life. I am aware that not everyone shares that passion, however, and also felt the need to search for a softer, distinctly Spring-like feel that still kept the Modern Victorian look at its heart.
Loving the determined and somehow quite self-satisfied look on this charming gal’s face (below). It’s as though she’s bested some dastardly bully on the hockey pitch. Great just teamed with jeans or a flippy skirt, tights (blue legs are never a good look, ladies) and biker boots.
Victorian Girl Print T-Shirt by Designed Threads: $23
I just love this colour combination of sky blue (I always think of it as Wedgewood blue) with a light wheaty beige. Cosy yet distictly Spring-ish rather than Wintery looking, I feel. It’s a tonic for the heart, I swear.
Vintage Style Beret by Mojo Spa Style: $40
How can you not fall completely in love with this darling Bearded Lady cushion? It’s the traditional pattern & colouring with the striking overlay of the Victorian print that I adore – the conventional slammed together with the bizarre – my favourite style rule of thumb, from homewares right through to fashion!
Bearded Lady Toile Cushion by Utilitarian Franchise: $30
This pretty little white linen eyelet top has something incredibly feminine and frivolous about it – I could equally see this worn layered with a long boyfriend-style camel cardigan and leggings & ankle boots. Maybe even desert boots (though I’m not absolutely convinced about them yet).
Parisian White Linen Top by French Sugar Couture: $119
Do have a gander at all the shops listed below – they are a treasure trove of delectable pieces. 🙂
Direct links to items shown:
1st Row: 1) Designed Threads, 2) Bustle, 3) Designed Threads (yes, I like them both, so there!)
2nd Row: 1) Critter Jitters, 2) French Sugar Couture, 3) Southron Creations
3rd Row: 1) Mojo Spa Style, 2) Call Me Mimi, 3) Julishland
4th Row: 1) Ikvotha Mashiach, 2) Utilitarian Franchise, 3) Bunny and Pear
Well, I hope you have enjoyed this little tiptoe through a softer side of modern Victorian style, darlings!
Until next time…
Yours, with Spring in her heart,
Miss Nightingale
x
Beyond the Pale 