A little artlicle about 20s influence on fashion

The 1920s is very much considered the age of jazz, gin, sex, and fashion. The winds of change swept through society at the end of the First World War and Britain saw her twenty somethings embracing a new, louche way of life. These “Bright Young Things” (depicted with beautiful accuracy in Stephen Fry’s 2003 film of the same name) saw both men and women living life to the full and experimenting with everything from drink, drugs, and sex to fashion. 

With the later in mind, it can be said that women were released from the bonds of Edwardian propriety by the new fashions of the 1920s. The Flapper, as she is better known, was no longer bound by corsets and bustles. New colours and fabrics, and a closer relationship of fashion to art, saw designers becoming increasingly daring. The colours were brighter, the fabrics more luxurious, and the hemlines shorter! Women’s fashion in the 1920s was a time of finger-curled hair, short dresses and skirts, and roughed knees, lips and cheeks. Although the finger curls haven’t lasted the test of time (my hairdresser would argue that point though, considering how often I have my hair finger-curled), that flapper girl fashion can still be very much seen today. 

From the rails of Topshop to Primark, or if you have an expendable budget, high end boutiques, the 20s is still very much alive! Costume jewellery tends to be copies of fine examples from the 20s. Many statement necklaces are inspired by those of Coco Chanel who both modern and flapper fashion owe a lot to. And of course, who hasn’t noticed the resurgence of the popularity of pearls!? A must have for the 20s, and modern, flapper. On top of this, if I had a pound for every girl I saw with rouged lips, I’d be a wealthy girl!

Beaded, fringed, and tea dresses, cardigan jackets and sweater dresses all first worn in the 1920s, have become wardrobe staples in the modern flapper’s wardrobe- not to mention a new popularity of hats as River Island, for example, currently has 5 different styles of Cloche! Even the bob, with the classic full fringe, has become a classic hairstyle once again, seen recently on celebrities such as Katie Holmes and Victoria Beckham and myself (not a celebrity yet, but watch this space!) 

2020 is on the horizon...ok it’s still 9 years off, but as a lover of the 20s I’m eagerly awaiting the  arrival of it once again, and intend to fully immerse myself in the 20s spirit when it arrives! So with the 20s nearly (a term I should use loosely) on our doorsteps once more, I can safely say that I, and I would guess comfortably retailers, will be embracing it whole heartedly. Such a heavily romanticised and documented era- lends itself to the recreation of many iconic 20s fashion pieces, as we see the 20s come around again. 

You will find me drinking gin in some jazz bar, dancing the Charleston, and I don’t think I will be alone.  

 

A quick update!

Well life has been quite busy and hectic lately, and as a result I haven't had the time to sit down and write a blog! However, this is a rare moment that I actually have some free time!

So why have I been so busy?! Well, I'm working most days so I can pay off my overdraft and fund my fun filled life! I just bought a rather beauitufl 1970 Morris Minor why I love driving around, and I've started a Jive swing class which I couldn't love and enjoy more if I tried! I also went to Blackpool to stay with my friend Jennie which was lots of fun. On top of that, I've also been on the job hunt for a proper full time job...scary!  Oh and I've been planning a Christmas trip to Germany with some girls from work with I'm very excited about!

I had this terrible vision, that once I'd left uni my life would feel very empty and boring. However, at the moment it is proving me quite wrong!

Meet Morris, my beautiful Morris Minor

My Own Little Curiosity Shop

It's taken me two days, but, I'm finally unpacked! Everything has a place and my wall is covered in pictures, postcards and loads of other little bits. As I suspected, my room does look like a little curiosity shop, and is pretty much bursting at the seams!

Hopefully this will stop me buying more random objects from antique shops...but I doubt it!

Shhhhh!!

Gin Fizz cocktails, tea cups, Charleston, and burlesque...it could only
be Prohibition!

Here are some pictures from the latest Prohibition party Jennie, Guy and I went to. Enjoy!

I can't think of a quirky name for this blog...

It's been a whirlwind of activity here lately! Uni is over, I passed my driving test, last week was spent larking about with Jennie, and to top it all off, I got a 2:1 for my degree! So in summary, at the moment I'm an incredibly busy, amazingly intelligent person! Haha!

As I said, term has ended, and so that means that my three years at uni has come to an end! So this week has been spent packing up my room, ready to move home, back to sunny Southend! It crazy too see how much stuff I have! After taking three, yes, three, full car loads of stuff back home already, you would think that the last trip would be quite small. Well that would be the case if i hadn't bought more things in the mean time! Not only do I have two large suitcases of clothes, many bags and boxes, but I also have two record players and a rather large wing back chair....bugger!

So I think I can say that my room at home will soon be resembling, a very well stocked, curiosity shop!

The Candlelight club- English Country Garden

Here are some pics from the other night!

Keep it Together Woman!

With not even a month till I move back home now, my emotions are all over the place! I feel just like I felt when I was leaving to come to uni 3 years ago: scared (and excited) about the future and sad to leave the amazing friends I have made.

I think the worst thing is, Lisa and I were chatting the other day, and she likened us all leaving to a relationship breakup. The minute she said that, I couldn't help myself from thinking about "stuff". So now I'm thinking about leaving uni AND "that"...so I've been a tad emotional at the moment (massive understatement)

Ahh dear, sad times...

Really Feeling Alive

I haven't done anything remotely 20s in ages. Yes, I've sat in my room and listened to my 20s records, but I haven't actually been to a 20s night and been absorbed in the atmosphere along with other like minded people for quite some time.

Last night however I finally got the chance to let my inner flapper out, at the Candlelight Club English Country Garden night!

We had such a ball! Having not done it in ages, I danced the Charleston even more energetically than usual (which I'm paying for today, God I ache!). The whole room, and my ears, were filled with the sound of jazz! I can honestly say i felt sooo alive in a while, my tennis dress swishing about my thighs and my glass beads flying!

We danced all night, and despite the fact the room was stifling, so we looked rather flushed, i think we looked amazing! Will post pictures as soon as I have them...Jennie and I give you permission to be aroused! Haha ;)

The last little stretch

Bored of revision, a blog seemed like a good use of my procrastination time!
Final exam tomorrow which is VERY exciting! Can't wait for it to all be over so I can go out and enjoy the final month or so of uni. But thinking about uni coming to an end has made me feel all melancholy and nostalgic...probably not helped by the fact that I'm listening to Billie Holiday!

It's so crazy to think that the people I've have seen pretty much everyday for three years aren't going to be around. It's going to feel so strange that these people aren't going to be in a minutes walk, and there won't always be someone around to go to the pub with!

Uni has just been sooooo amazing!!! I have so many great experiences and I only have to look at my Facebook pics to remember all the fun times I've had.

Of course there have been downs too, like exam stress and heart break, but as rubbish as those bits are, I suppose they help to make you the person you are...uni is a character builder as they say!

But as sad as I am that soon it's all going to be over, I can't help being excited about where life will take me now!

A right Royal affair

In the weeks running up to William and Kate's wedding, I have been very excited. An understatement there on a huge scale- my excitement levels were such that people could have been fooled into thinking I was getting married! I had watched every single documentary on iplayer and 4od concerning the Royal family and Royal weddings (which came in use as I took the girls team to victory using this knowledge in a heated game of Trivial Pursuits lats night!).

Finally, the day arrived and I awoke at 8 in the morning to ensure I did not miss one bit of the coverage from the big day! On top of this, I had arranged a celebratory breakfast of a full English and bucks fizz for myself, housemates and close friends, who were just as excited as me thankfully!

I wont give a in depth description of what happened- 2 billion people worldwide were watching, and so probably already know! However I will say that when William and Harry stepped out of Clarence House at just gone 10, the screams of excitement started and did not stop until gone 1, when we witnessed not one, but two kisses on the balcony!

We "ahh"ed when we saw Kate emerge from the hotel and caught a first glimpse of how stunning, her dress, and she were. We cried as she walked up the isle...and pretty much the whole way through the service. With specific cries when we say William see her for the first time and we saw him tell her "you look... you are beautiful". Not to mention especially loud cries and cheers when they both said "I will". We stood and sung for Jerusalem and the National Anthem, with the TV up full blast! I know I can speak for many of us when I say I hadn't felt so proud to be British in a long time!

After we had seen those 2 kisses on the balcony (more cries and cheers!) we went to two street parties where we had our faces painted (standard) and enjoyed some free food and drink. I was lucky enough to win the best prize at the raffle too- a meal for two at Great Fosters!

All in all, it was the perfect day. We got a chance to know our neighbours and enjoyed some yummy food. We all came together to celebrate the wedding of the future King and Queen of Britain, and ultimately, lets face it, it was a celebration of being British!

Birthday Festivites

I had such an amazing birthday!! Lots of beautiful presents and an amazing party, we really did party like it was 1939! Thank you all so much:) Can't really say much more than that so enjoy the pictures.

                                                  



  My older sister and I

yeah gin shots!!! this is such a good idea!

Drinking said gin shots

Eurgh, that was such a bad idea!

Keep Calm And Carry On

So this Friday is my 21st birthday! VERY exciting!!!

And if my birthday isn't enough to get excited about, especially all the presents from Smokey i'm very much looking forward to opening! On Saturday it's my birthday party, so it's back to Wartim Britain to party like it's 1939!!

Yes, if that didn't give it away then this surely will, Blizt Birthday Bash!!! i've bought lots of bunting, and even more sandbags!!!

Come Saturday it will be like going into a timewarp!

So to all who shall be attending, Keep Calm (and carry on!), keep your drink topped up, and if the air raid siren goes off make sure you finish off your drink! 

Lovely times

I intended to spend my reading week getting a lot of work done. being already ahead of schedule work wise, it was never going to be an intense week of work. It now turns out it was a week of zero work, but for a rather lovely reason.

Smokey was to be back in England for the week!!! And on top of this Tuesday through to Thursday he would be spending with me! I was now very glad I was ahead of schedule work wise, as any work I was planning to do I had now scrapped in sight of lovely times ahead.

So Tuesday, I went to work as normal. My little fruit and veg stall job seeming all the more enjoyable, knowing that in a few hours I could leave work, go for a celebratory afternoon tea at Oakley Court, and then on arriving home and knocking at my front door, since I had left the keys so Smokey could get in, the front door would then be answered by Smokey himself!

I'm lucky, he's lucky, you're lucky, we're all lucky!!

2 o'clock comes and i get my pay, and leave work for Jennies. As if the day wasn't going to be exciting enough, before i got to see smokey would be going to Oakley Court to celebrate Jennie getting into Reading for her PCGE

After some lovely sandwiches, cakes, scones, 6 pots of tea and me sliding down the banister of the stairs recreating like Magenta before they all burst into the Time Warp, I was in the car enroute home!

The next few days are a blur of loveliness. From snuggling up listening to Classic FM, seeing the King's Speech (such a good film!!) and going out for lunch and dinner (although the later of the two did give me a case of food poisoning. Note- don't go to Staines Harvester ever again!).

And despite me being quite sick most of Thursday, the thought of the lovely past couple of days together, kept a smile on my face...even though it couldn't be seen due to my head being down a toilet.

So today I am getting lots of work done, so when Smokey is here again tomorrow, we can snuggle up listening to Classic FM, eating Lindt, and not feel guilty.

A daunting prospect

I've been absent from here for quite a while. Uni work, Christmas, driving lessons, and Egypt (which was amazing), have all meant the time for posting has been lost. But it's 11.42am and instead of being in the dullest lecture ever, I find myself sitting at home in front of my laptop, twiddling my thumbs. So what better way to fill a gap in time then to do a long overdue post!?


Next week is reading week, and the realisation of how long i actually have left uni, which isn't long at all, is finally dawning on me. So on top of getting all my last pieces of work finished for the appropriate deadlines and learning how to drive, I'm also turning my thoughts towards the future, and getting myself a job as a journalist!

My CV all but done, all that is left to do is deciding who will be the lucky people to receive it! I recently purchased, what is probably considered the bible for wanna be journalists and writers. Daunting enough, the thought of sending my CV to numerous magazines and newspapers, and the thought of rejection, which I'm sure I will encounter some point, this book is huge! When I say bible, I really mean bible! So the daunting feeling I'm getting from actually applying for a job as a journalist is heightened when I look at this book!

Nonetheless, as I said, CV all but done, I will be sending it to Smokey to proof read over the weekend. And as he is proof reading that I will be making those calls and sending those emails to the people who will hopefully open the door for me into the journalists world...