Bit of this and that

One of my favorite tumblr blogs is Just Seventeen, which is simply scanned images from vintage Seventeen magazines.

I swear I had never seen this image before.

from Septmenber, 1969, issue of Seventeen magazineWhen I painted these.

B. P. Mary Janes, thrifted from Goodwill, Cambridge, $7.00. Painted by me. I’m very much behind on posting what I’ve been up to. So, here’s a bit of catching up.

Last Saturday, A. and I viewed the Lord Mayor’s Show, a parade that has been taken place annually for the last 800 years. It was pretty much on the doorstep of A.’s new flat.

The giant wicker figures of Gog and Magog, the traditional protectors of the City of London, are pulled through the street. These figures were made in 2006 to replicate the original medieval wicker figures that were part of the procession.

Much of the parade is made up of the livery companies (trade associations), volunteer divisions of the armed service, cultural and charitable organizations with a few businesses.

There were 125 horses in the parade (and participants were marching through lots of manure). Fortunately, many of the horses had handlers walking alongside them, calming (and kissing) them during the inevitable pauses along the route.

Pearly King and Queen.The Pearlies are a charitable organization originating in the working classes of London. Here are photos of Pearlies in their button-adorned finery. No, I do not plan on covering my clothes in buttons. (Maybe a bag, though...)

Today, A. and I went to a vintage fashion show and market at Spitalfields Market. While I enjoyed the fashion show and the swing dancing performances, all of the clothes and accessories for sale were well beyond my budget.

1930s, 1970s and 1960s on stage. Beret, I’ve owned since the 1970s. Antique glass bead/pendant necklace I’ve owned for decades. Thrifted long-sleeved purple t-shirt. 1970s Wallis jacket, market in Spitalfields, London, £20. 1990s Jean-Paul Gaultier trousers purchased new, Filene’s Basement, Boston. B. P. Mary Janes, thrifted from Goodwill, Cambridge, $7.00 and painted by me.

The balcony of A.'s flat is looking a bit desolate as he hasn't had time to do any flower boxes. But at least there's an outdoor space to take photos (unlike at my flat).

A little help from my friends?

After spending countless hours researching how to transfer my blog to Blogger I’ve on the verge of giving up. Those who know me know that I’d rather poke a fork in my eye than do research about technology. I found out that while it is possible (through a convoluted method) to transfer the text of my posts, I will have to upload and insert all the photos manually. I’m not sure I have the stamina for that.

Alternatively, I can try to make this blog more user-friendly. Can you do me a favor and send me an email or leave  a comment letting me know 1) how you prefer to ‘follow’ blogs i.e., Bloglovin, Blogger, Facebook, etc. and 2) what you don’t like about the way my blog works (or doesn’t, as the case may be)?

To catch up on this past weekend -- A. and I went to a vintage market at Spitalfields, where the prices on clothing were too high for my wallet. 

A. did pick up this Hornsea mug designed by John Clappison and now is on a mission to find more from this series.

At the Brick Lane vintage market, I found the seller who I had bought my Biba-esque Wallis jacket from and bought a 1970s dress that I wore to lunch on Sunday.

1970s-does-1940s dress with sweetheart neckline and peplum,
Brick Lane vintage market. 1970s-does-1920s tapestry bag from the
Rock and Roll Yard Sale. Antique glass bead/pendant necklace I’ve
owned for decades. Ceramic and glass bead bracelet, made by me in
the 1990s. Purple tights, Sainsbury’s. Shoes, thrifted and painted by me.

Jewelry up close. Shortly after buying the dress, I found this Style pattern from 1974 that is slightly similar in style but with an empire waist instead of a peplum.

On Sunday, we went to the Sunday Roast at The Smithfield Tavern, a veggie pub nearby. In the States, we don’t do ‘Sunday Roast,’ so I wasn’t sure what to expect. The Smithfield does two vegan roasts. 

Stuffed aubergine with puy lentils, roasted tomatoes and herbs with trimmings. Stuffed butternut squash with quinoa, macadamia nuts and red onions with trimmings.It was my first Yorkshire pudding which seemed to be the British equivalent of what we call ‘biscuits’ in the U.S. – basically something to sop up gravy.

We were so stuffed from lunch that A. made a simple tofu scramble for dinner. It tasted as good as it looks.

I'd appreciate your thoughts on how I can make my blog more user-friendly. Thanks in advance!

Wallis meets Biba

At one of the Saturday vintage markets in Spitalfields, London, I spotted a printed jacket with a Wallis label that I swear I had seen last year when I was in London.

It had that Art Deco geometric-type print reminiscent of Biba. I loved the big notched collar, the slightly puffed shoulders, the nipped in waist and the soft tie belt. In a fine wool, the jacket is warm with a nice drape. I got it home and did a bit of research and found that I wasn’t far off thinking that a fabric used by Wallis would be similar to one used by Biba as they shared fabric suppliers.

I got even more excited when I found a print advertisement from the September 1973 issue of Vogue UK on Smashingbird for this exact jacket. It is shown with matching wide-leg trousers.

1970's Wallis wool jacket, market in Spitalfields, London, £20

Unfortunately, I’m not tall and willowy, so it doesn’t have the wrap effect shown in the photo, but the self-tie belt makes it look like I have a waist. The print has purple flowers and triangles made up of multi-colored stripes on a light gray grid. It will probably be very versatile as I can wear it with skirts or trousers in any number of hues. Now I’ll have to find a short necklace with a huge bauble like the one in the ad!