Haworth 1940s Weekend 2012

I spent this weekend walking up and down very steep cobbled hills in the lovely Yorkshire village of Haworth, which was holding its annual 1940s weekend. The whole village is decked out in Union Jack bunting and sandbags, the residents decorate the outside of their homes and the charity shops bring out all the vintage treasures they have been stockpiling! Vintage cars, military vehicles and wartime reconstructions lined the streets providing plenty for us to look at.

I had organised a trip over for several ladies on the Saturday, and although they all enjoyed it and found some great vintage buys, it was very stressful. The crowds were enormous, it was like a city shopping street on Christmas eve, except worse because nobody was in a rush to be anywhere. My sister also had her daughter in a pram, and found it very difficult to get around. I didn't get a chance to take any pictures that day, because if I had stopped to extract the camera from my bag I would have been knocked over, and the scrums in the vintage shops were shocking, there were elbows and snatching hands everywhere!

Today (Sunday) was a far more leisurely affair, the village was still busy but the crowd seemed more courteous and far less jam-packed. I risked taking the dog with me, and despite an incident with an unfriendly Jack Russell and my poor Scamp getting exhausted from walking up and down hills (he is fifteen, after all) we had a good day, he didn't get stepped on by anybody and enjoyed a picnic in the park with us.

Here is what I wore today, my new jumper knitted by my mum from a 1940s pattern. You can buy this pattern from Bex at Subversive Lesbian Anarchic Femme, available here in her etsy shop, although my mum sized it up, made the sleeves in the rib rather than cherry motif as the cherries took forever to knit, and omitted the collar.

Here's another pic of the outfit, with some chaps dressed as members of the Home Guard. Why am I doing that with my face, you ask? Well, the guy on the left of the picture is squeezing my bottom. That's why. How rude!

 

This duo were playing on the bandstand in the park, she sang a lovely rendition of La Vie en Rose.

Now, onto the vintage purchases! There was so much to choose from. Haworth has two gorgeous permanent vintage shops, loaded with *actual* quality vintage and antique clothing and accessories, not the 80s tat that shops in the city pretend is vintage. There was also a vintage fair in the church hall, and several curio and charity shops in the village which were loaded with lovely items.

 

Lovely teal mini suitcase!

I have been looking for a small suitcase or train case for ages, to store bits and bobs in at home and for when I go away for a few days or to stay at my boyfriend's at Christmas. This one is in great condition and such a pretty colour!

The lining looks good too! Inside is a pair of fully fashioned stockings I got in one of the charity shops. They are Aristoc Harmony which are quite late (I'm guessing 60s?) but were apparently some of the best ones made prior to the hosiery industry's takeover by ghastly crepey brown tights in the 70s.

1930s Uranium glass dish and spoon from the hospice shop

Another piece for my uranium glass collection!

1950s folding coolie sun hat! This is a flat shape with a popper so it can be easily packed in a holiday bag, made from some sort of straw or string, which folds into a cute cone-shaped sun bonnet.

Babycham deer!

A Babycham plastic fawn! I have eight Babycham glasses and collect fawns too, so he fits in with two collections. This is about 6" high and cost just a few pounds due to the damage on his ear. I saw one of the 4" ones in worse condition priced at £35 in Manchester the other week.

WWII Navy Sweetheart Pin

WWII Navy sweetheart pin. This is about an inch high in total. It is pretty grubby but is made from enamelled silver, it just needs a good clean!

On the way home we were behind this tiny old car! The right wheel was rather wobbly, the window flapped open whenever they turned a corner and it could only manage 20mph due to the hills.

Here is the bad part about this weekend...

Arghhhh horrendous sunburn! It's just on my right forearm and there is a touch of it on the back of my neck, this happened during the ten minutes of bright sunshine we got during the day - time to break out te factor 50 sunscreen for every day, I think. So sore and itchy!

A Fabulous Photoshoot: Vintage, tattoo and pinup photography by Alt.Studio!

I'd seen a lot of buzz amongst local bloggers and members of the North West Vintage Business Network about Alt.Studio, so when I was given the opportunity to book a shoot, I jumped at the chance!

Situated in a cosy, private space within Ridelow (formerly the Home Design Store), one of Manchester's oldest established alternative shops in the city centre's cool and quirky Northern Quarter, Alt.Studio specialises in producing fantastic portraits for an alternative clientele. A pampering makeover service is available where a professional artist can work her magic with hairstyling and makeup to create any vintage look you desire, from 1920s vamp, through to 1950s glamour or 60s siren. The owner, Simon Hunt, also has a passion for tattoo photography, and really gets the best from his illustrated subjects with some beautiful, colourful shots of people from all areas of the 'alternative' spectrum.

Mwah!

I chose a cheesecake pinup theme for my shoot, as I really love the old cheeky, colourful pinups of the 40s and 50s - Bettie Page, Elvgren, Vargas... I felt I would be most comfortable with this as it best reflects my personal style and would allow me to show off a range of my self-made dresses and hats! Every Alt.Studio shoot is built around the client's personal style and vision, and Simon is great at helping to bring this out of his models! I'm by no means an old hand when it comes to being photographed, but I have done quite a few professional photoshoots and bits of modelling for my own and my friends' companies, and Simon was one of the best photographers I have ever worked with. His friendly attitude and infectious energy really put me at ease in front of the camera, and he knew exactly how to direct me to get the most effective, flattering and interesting poses.

I loved my hair and makeup by Nikki Armstrong, and will be trying to recreate this hairstyle at home, as soon as I have some tongs so I can get the lovely defined curls!

New tiki dress! Hair flower by MissTiki Designs

Simon managed to shoot me in four outfits in the space of just a couple of hours! I couldn't wait to see the images once we were finished, and left Alt.Studio feeling really pleased and confident.

Vintage family heirloom parasol... birdie straw hat coming soon to my shop!

New Hawaiian dress by me... really proud to be Alt.Studios' facebook cover girl!

I would really recommend the Alt.Studio experience to anyone looking for an empowering, fun day and to take away some beautiful images! The studio can also be booked for couples or small groups, and don't forget to mention that you were referred by Kalandra when you book! Alt.Studio is offering free makeovers and special price image packages alongside some great competitions for a limited time only, so head over to the studio's facebook page (where I am currently the cover photo!) or www.altstudiouk.com to see more of Simon's beautiful work.

My favourite shot... lovely work by Alt.Studio which will be printed and grace my wall when I'm an old woman!

You can also see more delicious Alt.Studio portrait photography on Dolly Cool Clare's blog, Helen's blog, Kitty Wink Vintage and the fabulous Marry Me Ink - they're all really worth a look, the pictures (and the ladies, of course) are gorgeous!

I have succumbed! Bakelite goodness.

I smell the beginnings of a new addiction... smells vaguely like formaldehyde. I had hoped never to fall prey to the dangerous craze that is collecting vintage bakelite bangles, but having seen the huge, beautiful collections of bloggers such as
Brittany and Holly, I decided that no respectable vintage jewellery collection could be complete without them!

Bakelite jewellery isn't something that pops up too often in the UK, and online prices are high, so this is a rare treat for me. My only other bakelite possessions are some buttons and buckles, and two adorable Scottie dog napkin rings which belonged to my grandmother.


This beauty is currently winging its way to me from Canada after Aerospace Boyfriend fought bravely for it on eBay. He details my triumph here on his blog, which contains many fine examples of why he should probably always listen to me.


My beloved Scotties... I love the colours and the little differences between them.

Tiki drinks and vintage trinkets

I've been horribly ill for the last week, so haven't been up to much. I managed to drag myself out on Tuesday though, my friend Honor was in Manchester, I hadn't seen her for two years so we went out for lunch, a little shopping and a couple of drinks together. We ate at Dough Pizza Kitchen, I can recommend it very highly. Prices aren't cheap but aren't too bad (£30 for a bottle of wine, two pizzas and one item from the nibbles menu) and they do dairy free, vegan, and gluten free options alongside an inventive choice of pizzas, pastas and salads, plus vegan options on their desserts menu!


Here we are at Hula in Manchester, I'm drinking a Sweet Leilani - possibly the most delicious drink ever to pass my lips, it is a symphony of coconut, lychee, rose petal and elderflower. Mmmmmm. I brought home the decorative carnation, here it is on my sideboard.


We had a mooch round Manchester institution Affleck's Palace and I picked up these lovely yellow polka dot gloves and a rather large rhinestone brooch.


These are my other recent acquisitions, a load more vintage glassware for my uranium glass collection. I've got nowhere left to put it all!

Wartime dress - finished!

I finished the 1941 dress! Here it is, in all its spotty glory. I narrowed the shoulders a bit to fit my frame, and shortened the skirt by a couple of inches too. My lovely yellow bakelite belt buckle works perfectly.


I'm wearing it with a turban to cover up my horrendous roots... I think this is a thoroughly 1940s solution to an unsightly head, Aerospace Boyfriend however says it makes me look like one of those African ladies in their matching outfits and turbans... I think he's wrong, but I don't care anyway, those ladies always look amazing!


I'm also wearing my 1940s red velvet shoes, a 30s uranium glass necklace, and a cuff bracelet made from plastic strapping and rectangular luggage strap rings - this belonged to my Nanna, and I remember when she gave it to me as a child that she told me all about how there was no money for jewellery during the war, so accessories were made from scrap, and that this was made for her. I don't know who made it.

I'm hoping to wear this dress to the Haworth 1940s Weekend and am currently attempting to organise a road trip with lots of other ladies! Let me know if you're nearby and fancy joining us.

Outfit post: new circle skirt!

This week I went to a fabric shop I hadn't been to before, looking for pom-pom trim for a project I was working on for a friend, only to come home with no pom-pom trim but instead with three metres of cotton printed with deep sea anglerfish. You know, because anglerfish are so ravishingly attractive.


Here is a thoroughly educational comic strip about the plight of the poor male anglerfish and his miniature gonads.

Anyway, I made it into a circle skirt! I've made it with a tie at the waist to accommodate my ever decreasing and expanding waistline. Here I am posing in the park with Scamp.


I matched it with this aquatic hairclip by Miss Tiki Designs, and made some new bitey goose friends, who were already so stuffed with bread thrown by the horrid children who flooded the park as soon as the sun came out, that they turned their beaks up at my meagre crusts.


Must remember to bring food that geese actually like next time, I'm sure bread is not good for them.

1950s atomic box table thingy... all mine!

Here is my latest eBay purchase! I'm picking it up on Saturday. The seller had it listed as a sewing box, but I'm thinking it might be for LP storage? It's 16" wide, so as you can see, the inner width of the large compartment will be just over 12" judging by the picture.


Anyway, I will be using it to store sweaters as my LPs live in the front room and this will be a bedroom piece, with all my gloves and scarves going into the little drawers at the front. Fabulous! I may also revamp it a bit by painting the drawer fronts or changing the knobs.