I just wanted to share a couple of pics of a cracking 'how-to' from this early 80s fashion DIY book:
Bodysuits have made a huge comeback of late...
They can be both a fashion blessing, because of the clean & neat lines they create when teamed with a curve-hugging skirt for example, as opposed to stuffing a bulky top in to the skirt risking an unsightly roll effect but alas they can also be a possible fashion curse, especially the ones with the little popper buttons.
Numerous are the times that I have completely flustered myself whilst drunkenly fiddling with those pesky little buttons at a busy club toilet with umpteen peeps waiting impatiently to go outside.
If you’re making your own, you can of course omit the popper buttons altogether and make a swimming costume style bodysuit instead, however this does very little to remedy the inconvenience related to loo-visiting.
I believe I’d be more than happy to take any inconvenience in my stride if I was wearing this though:
Here's a lovely photo of British actress June Brown when she was a young & beautiful English Rose: ...and here are a few pics of her as Dot Branning in EastEnders: Wearing her trademark beige mac/camel coat: Away from EastEnders & the role she has become synonymous with, June Brown looks a million dollars & has a really youthful appearance especially considering she’s 82 years old & probably smokes about three packets of cigarettes a day.
I bought this vintage Aquascutum fur collar, belted trench coat/ rain mac yesterday:
It's a real vintage wardrobe classic... It's in really good condition so I was amazed that the seller was only asking £3 for it. Even with the cost of a dry-clean on top, that is still one helluva bargain for a coat like this.
There's something very Dot Branning about a beige rain mac ;)
Dot rules 'Eastenders'...
never a hair roller out of place :)
The coat is perfect for winter as it is lined with cosy faux-fur:
...and above all it is perfect for the typical sodden English winter as it is water repellent too!
It's been a lovely but rather bracing day here in the big smoke. I had a doctor’s appointment first thing this morning & as the surgery is only a five-minute walk from my front door I didn't bother to put a hat & scarf on...
BIG MISTAKE! I had to wait outside for about ten minutes cause they couldn't get the door unlocked, sometimes I forget that winter can be perishing cold...
it's not even formally winter yet, eh! It sure feels like December already, if not because of the sharp drop in temperature over the past few days then it's because of the bleeding Xmas decorations that are already up all over the place. Tell me something, when did we start peddling Xmas in the beginning of November? Maybe it’s always been like this & I’ve just been too preoccupied to notice before? I wonder if this sort of premature behaviour is seeping down to ordinary folks too? Don’t get me wrong I adore the glitzy kitsch of Crimbo but I’ve never put our decorations up until at least the beginning of December.
I suppose shops feel that they have to start the run up earlier, so that they can charm every single penny out of our moth ridden purses this year?!
I tend to favour red & green coloured garments in December, here's a pic of my 'Elfette' outfit from last Xmas:
As I am from Sweden originally we open some of our pressies on Xmas Eve, which is customary over there. We also mix & match the Xmas menu; it’s a bit of a ‘Scandi-Scot’ fusion. My husband & I have a pretty laidback approach to the whole thing. I can’t see the point in frazzling yourself to the point of stomach ulcers; it’s meant to be a time of joy & peace after all.
The above Youtube clip is from an 80s Swedish comedy sketch show called 'Nöjesmassakern'. The main gist of this clip is: A reporter asks a little girl what she wants most of all for Xmas & she replies ”a doll” but he is not content with this rather superficial response & tries to goad her on to produce a somewhat more profound answer. In the end, after loosing his rag, he manages to get the girl to say “Peace” & thus he can proudly declare that “Peace, that is what Swedish children want most of all this Xmas.
I played around with this piece quite a lot but I'm still not happy with it.
I might remove the big spacer beads in the middle:
Then I jazzed up this plain wooden bead necklace that I bought from a car boot sale back in May.
I'm much more pleased with this one:
As I was sitting fiddling away with my beads, my newly purchased hand painted napkin rings caught my eye & I thought of this DIY 'Dries Van Noten' inspired bangle necklace that I "made" last year.
I adopted the same principle & "made" this:
'Made' feels like an overstatement as it's so ludicrously easy to put this together but I personally think it really works.
I reckon that the use of these dinner party embellishments is pretty rare nowadays, or maybe I just don't get invited to parties hosted by napkin ring aficionados?
I do occasionally come across some really pretty ones when I'm out and about sniffing for dainty relics and as they seem to have fallen out of favour somewhat they can usually be picked up for a song.
I decided to do a quick search on eBay & I positively came to the conclusion that you can make some remarkably pretty looking necklaces from these chic dinner party frills, should you feel inclined to do so:
You could just thread them onto a scarf or find some extra large spacer beads & make an awesome statement necklace.
Willcommen, Bienvenue, Welcome to peep at some things that captivate, engage & indeed sometimes enrage me.
The content is partly trivial per se but with occasional nuggets of deadly serious woven into the texture.
It's my mixed bag of monkey jumble, earthly delights & worldly woes.
Bodysuits have made a huge comeback of late...
Stunning!
...and here are a few pics of her as 
.JPG)
