Vintage Vogue

Today I want to share with you two fantastic coffee table books that I have, both called 'In Vogue'. Both of these would have been expensive to buy new but were picked up in a charity shop. I have found many great craft, fashion and cooking books in charity shops. 

The first 'In Vogue' (left) is an edition from the mid-late 1970s to mark 60 years of Vogue. Put together by Georgina Howell, it tells the story of Vogue magazine from 1916 to 1975 with many fabulous photographs. The second (right) published by Rizzoli international by Norberto Angeletti and Alberto Olivia is much more recent. It begins even earlier and finishes 3 decades later than the other book, with even better pictures in vibrant colour. With an original RRP of $75.00-100.00 and in very good condition this was a fantastic charity shop find. The other is priced at £12, which would have been considerably more than £12 is now back in the 1970s.

  

How gorgeous are those photos? 

Both books look at how fashion changes over the decades, but also at how fashion photography and journalism has progressed. 

One old and one new, both are visually stunning and informative. The forward in the 1970s book aptly describes its as "a kind of time machine". 

And for all you fellow bloggers, here's an example of early 'Street Style'.

So when you're looking for fashion inspiration, don't discount your local charity shops. You might just find yourself a perfect coffee table picture book. 

I hope you're having a lovely weekend.

Katie x

The Perfect Match

Technical problems are once again restricting the frequency of my blogging, and so is my extreme lack of energy lately. I've been feeling ill too. 

Here is an outfit similar to that which I wore on Saturday, incorporating a Wigan Athletic FC shirt from the 90's which I have had since childhood and just about fits. 

I want blog about fashion or craft in-keeping with the usual themes of this little blog. But on the other hand I just want to post about how my wonderful football team Wigan Athletic won the FA cup on Saturday. How I was there watching with my dad at Wembley stadium. How we conquered a team whose average player is paid more than our entire team put together. I want to tell you that we proved everybody wrong, that it was an incredible moment, that I am so proud of my team and hometown.

Personal photo: Dad and I travelling to the game.

A large percentage of people reading this   won't even live in the UK and will probably know nothing of Wigan Athletic Football club. But know this; the giants don't always win, and the things that everyone says are impossible can happen. While I hope that Wigan can pull of another win tomorrow night to avoid relegation, I also hope that you will all be inspired by that fact. However unappreciated or undervalued you may feel, your passions and talents will one day be recognised. 

Photos from The FA Cup Facebook page.

I'm glad that Saturday allowed for the strong ability of these men to finally be celebrated.

COME ON WIGAN!

Katie x

The little things... Cake Thursday

Today's 'The little things' is a weekly occurrence. I am pleased that my colleagues are as interested in food as I am; because of this we have built cake into our weekly schedule. Thursday is the perfect day for this, the half way mark has passed but it's still not Friday, and we have a meeting. It's a well known fact that cake makes for a better meeting. 

Having the delight of guaranteed cake every Thursday helps you find the energy to get through the last bit of the week. As there are competitive souls amongst the team, the results can be quite impressive. Looking forward to the cake-fest that tomorrow brings, here are some pictures of last week's beauties. 

Have a good Thursday.

Katie x

Bedroom Moodboard

Bedroom Moodboard by katie311 on Polyvore

Whilst I am keen to embrace modernity, bright and dark colours and industrial touches in the living room area, I want my bedroom to be full of soft white and pastel tones. This room needs to be comfortable, relaxing and most of all pretty. I want it to be a celebration of beauty and femininity. I want it to both inspire and comfort me. I'm aiming to create an elegant space that will make me feel beautiful. I can't wait to see it finished!

Katie x

In Plaid

Over the years I have seen many good plaid shirt looks, and over the last few years I have particularly admired flannel ones. They are great for men, and any man can wear one. Pair it with some slim fitting chinos and brogues boys and you're sorted. For women it's a little more difficult to pull off. That's coming from someone who is a big fan of incorporating menswear into their own wardrobe; the tailoring is generally better and I love combining a feminine garment with a masculine one.

A woman in a plaid shirt has for me always been associated with 'rock chick' looks (that's such a cheesy term!). I did own a plaid cotton shirt which I tried to style in this way but it was too big for me and a little too masculine, it never quite worked for me.

There were smarter, lighter cotton shirts around, but most of them looked really cheap. The pattern, colour and material makes a huge difference. For years I never saw one that I thought would look good on me.

I'd written off the idea of a plaid shirt being seen on me again.

But a few months ago Garance Dore posted about plaid shirts. The image on that post is one of beautiful shirts piled up like cozy blankets, looking modern and not at all 'rock chick'.

I began to consider them again and noticed them when shopping. Still, they were always too large, too manly, or not the right pattern. If I was going to do this, I needed a pattern I could fall in love with.

Last weekend I found the one.

Browsing the market in Camden I spotted a rail outside a stall holding a little row of plaid flannel shirts reminiscent of Garance's picture. So many gorgeous patterns, and one that stood out to me the most.

I tried it on and the fit was perfect. £18. Levi's. Perhaps these sleeves are rolled up for a reason I thought, there had to be a catch. But rolling them down I found no faults and the sleeve buttons hadn't fallen off. Plus, it took comfort to a whole new level.

I'm in love, and unbelievably comfortable.

Thank you Garance.
Thank you Camden.
Thank you Levi's.


Katie x

French chic

French chic by katie311 featuring navy tops

Recently I have been feeling inspired by outfits that are incredibly basic but look great. The ultimate example is the 'Parisian style striped top with pants and jacket look'. Catchy name I've given it, right? Of course not. Anyway, it's just so simple to put together when you lack time or new ideas and is a timeless classic. A navy and white striped top, white or navy trousers and a white or navy jacket / cardigan. Little accents of bold red really bring it alive. I guess what I am describing is a 'nautical' look, but it is something that I associate with French chic and particularly with Paris.

Katie x

Building a nest

As the sun begins to show and the birdsong grows louder, my own little nest is also coming to life. Followers will know that I have recently moved in to my own place. Oh how lovely it is to have such quiet and so much space to myself! Even though I have very little budget, I'm really enjoying starting to make this place my own. Here are a few images of the very early stages in this exciting process...

One of the very first things I put into the flat was my little collection of cookbooks. I had had these in my bedroom where I lived before and was keen to put them on display in my own kitchen. It's a shame that some of them are too big to stand horizontally on those shelves!

Uncle Joe's mint balls can only be found in certain shops, and are rarely sold in their traditional tin packaging outside of Wigan. Wigan is my hometown and still home to the only factory which makes Uncle Joe's. This is one of two tins that I own which I have used as a home for mismatched utensils in my new kitchen.

I am making good use of the cardboard box that my toaster came in by using it as a temporary side table for my coffee cups!

A picture given to me by my friend Kerstin's adorable little daughter Abi attached to the fridge with an Alton Towers souvenir magnet.

A cute tea towel that was given to me as a housewarming present.

I hope you have enjoyed having a peak at my home in progress - there are far more exciting things to come! This space is changing every day.

Katie x