MakemeaDress Mini

I was delighted to be introduced to our friend's six week old baby girl last night for the very first time and she really is a beautiful baby. (Wonderfully peaceful too!) Congratulations too all who have lovely little ladies in thier lives!

Beautiful babies indeed deserve gorgeous dresses so what better time to introduce Anna's new 'makemeadress mini' collection. Now you can have one of a kind dresses for your little ladies too!

All of Anna's dresses are unique and many are made from vintage cottons with pretty lace trims and bows.

The really great thing about her dresses is that they are all very wearable and washable in the machine!

Not just for parties, but for eveyday style and prettiness in bright florals and all in pure cottons .....

Find them in our etsy shop. Also available made to order in a fabric of your choice and made to measure.

Tales from New York Part Three

The shopping, as expected in pretty good in New York, It's a lot like London but a little more spread out when looking for something really special. The weekends are best for markets which I managed to miss but will keep saved for next time!

My favourtites had to be 'Edith Machinist' (above) for the vast but finely selected vintage collection of designer labels and stunning shoes. Another gorgeous shop was 'some old rubies' where they reconstruct incredibly pretty tea dresses and garments from vintage pieces. Both in the Lower East Side where you'll also find Katz's diner where they filmed When Harry met Sally! There's lots of gorgeous independent shops and the diner's hot dog is a treat for the end of the day.

 

For some inspiration we visited the Fashion Insitute in the garment district and they have a fabulous exhibition on American design which is a stunning display. A no glass so you can see every dress perfectly! The area is wonderful for fabrics especially B&J fabrics which is a heavenly selection of all the most beautiful fabrics imaginable.

My favourite places in New York

Angelika Film Centre, Greenwich Village...... cafe serving cakes after your film, yum!

Chelsea Cinema, Chelsea ......big seats and slightly grimey in a cool way, great in the middle of the day

Lower East Side St Marks Place to Orchard Street ......gorgeous vintage shops and independent designers

Coney Island .......... when you're feeling in the mood for grunge and lost boys 

Greenwich Village for bars and Jazz, Monday nights are bargainous! The lower main street isn't so in your face as Fith Avenue etc 

MoMA on Friday nights, free entry including the amazing Tim Burton exhibition.

Brooklyn Bridge for the best view of New York.

Tales From New York Part Two

Coney Island.....

This was one of my favourite parts of our New York Trip. The seaside town in winter with an original 1920's roller coaster, it looked so sad but the awesome signs sure kept it cheery!

 

The best hot dogs at Nathans, true holiday food.   My only regret about Coney Island was not buying a mini dress with a bikini body back and front print! The beach shop has real gems with great prints on T shirts and trashy vintage beach wear.

Tales From New York Part One .........

 

Our First Night, The Rockefeller Centre and the insanely bright Times Square.

I have never been so grateful for my fur coat, it was so cold. The first time it has ever been appropriate!

New Dresses ....... January Golden Blue Cocktail Dress

 

 

New Dresses ....... January Tulle Black Over Skirt

The tulle 'over' skirt .... designed to turn dresses into cocktail gowns, great with bodycon dresses and sequinned tap pants. Also multi tasks as underskirt for those 50's gowns. Trimmed with a velvet ribbon tie at the waist.

Oh Bakelite Bakelite

Whilst on a hunt to find a new car we stumbled upon a most wonderous old mill housing the Bakelite museum! And what a find....,





If you are an admirer of all things vintage particulary art deco plastic then this place is a dream. Never again will I feel guilty for hoarding and collecting my vintage dresses, it's all work toward a collection like this!



This boutique museum is beautifully arranged over three floors with each section meticulously organized.



It's a true hub of inspiration not only for collectors. Designers and artists will feed well on such an extensive design collection dating from late Victoriana and covering every product imaginable.



You look one way and see classics such a the dark dial telephones and radios, round a corner and colours dazzle your senses.......



......look down and find a small but fabulous collection of specs!



And after all that hard inspiration you can sit for a quintessential English cream tea.........would now love to meet the man who created this true treasure and ask what he's collecting next x
Check it out at www.bakelitemuseum.co.uk

Coco Avant Chanel

Well, I got to see Coco Avant Chanel at 11.50 this morning and have been reignited with inspiration ever since.
My husband has offered a romantic evening of film watching and dinner and I just want to lock myself in my studio and make more dresses! (I won't, because I do that most nights)

The film was beautiful, subtle and had some really stunning scenes. At the beach with Boy Capel was just incredible and there were tears flowing as she made her first little black dress and captured inspiration from the fishermen in striped sweaters.

These scenes of her designing evoked so much emotion, I just wish there had been another hour of her work in the 20's where she really (in my eyes) became the strong, inspiring woman that was Chanel and her beloved work. Maybe there will be another beautifully shot film documenting her life after love?

The final scenes with her later collections as a mature, Solitude Chanel were a perfect finish and took a while for the overwhelming tears to stop. (please note I cry at all good films, sometimes just out of happiness that someone made such an incredible, worthwhile effort)

As a huge Gabrielle Chanel fan, the designer I really first fell in love with from a young age, I adored pouring over any type of books on her, I couldn't afford to even look at a real Chanel piece. Solitaire is one of my favourite books by Claude Baillen and is a wonderful insight into the woman that is Chanel in the last ten years of her life.





Above is my favourite ensemble from the film, a mans suit with the ankles rolled up, a white dinner waistcoat and collarless mans shirt. This look was incredibly sexy on screen and so, so chic. The playful, androgynous image is perfect.

Little Red Dress

A red dress is a little like a 'little black dress', there should be one in every wardrobe. They're sexy and can make a real impact, think Jessica Rabbit! They can have a tendancy to look a bit cheap (especially worn up to the gusset!) but I think we've nailed it with this one. Poppies and a yellow bow take away the slutty and adds a little more chic.

The poppies are centred with vintage buttons ........ will look delicious with accessories, comic book style. I love matching colours, it's a bit old hat but can really make everything pop.

Vintage 80's Ray Ban wayfarers

Red and Yellow Luc Kieffer Resin BanglesWhat could be better...Christian Louboutin's in patent leather with the signature red sole!

This dress is a one off and available at our etsy shop www.makemeadress.etsy.com
Design your own dresses and show us your styling creations at www.makemeadress.com

What A Princess!

Presenting the ultra chic, 1940's, metallic bronze, brocade princess coat with a wow factor back. Isn't it darn beautiful! Must get on the liquid diet to fit into it as I want to wear it with everything and it looks obscene with boobs bigger than a b cup. There's a reason why the 40's lady is so elegant, no heaving, jiggling, busts........ just small, pert, slim and hourglass. (No offense is you have naturally magnificent bosoms!)

This is really one of my favourite vintage coats, the cut is just perfect at every angle. Princess coats look gorgeous with skinnies, dresses, leggings..........leggings will look killer with an awesome set of heels and rockabilly, bandanna hair!

Must get on the liquid diet to fit into it as I want to wear it with EVERYTHING and it looks obscene with boobs bigger than an A cup. There's a reason why the 40's lady is so elegant, no heaving, jiggling, busts........ just small, pert, slim and hourglass. (No offense is you have naturally magnificent bosoms!)

Thanks to the wonderful ladies at Weston Hospice Care charity shop, this incredible vintage coat has been saved from being ragged! There are amazing things to be found at charity shops and if you ask, most ladies will be happy to save things for you, just be clear about what you are looking for. It's always a great feeling buying from a charity shop as you know the money is going to a good cause plus you get some awesome treats that no one else can have!

If the lovely ladies are keeping things for you please try to pay them an honest price for things, just keeps everything sweet xxx

At Last, the Sailor is Here!

Ok, sorry this has taken a while! Here is the long awaited sailor dress......... made in a plum vintage wool crepe found in my store and edged with cotton bindings and ribbons!

I love crepe, everything about it, drapes and fits perfectly every time, that's why I love 1930's dresses so much too!

Have also completed a few more dresses in at last a size 16. They're perfect for curves with tightly fitted bodices and full circle skirts, rockabilly style. The first has an asymmetric sweetheart bodice with a white satin bow at the shoulders and a polka dot full skirt made from another vintage find of fabric.

Really, really enjoying making an individual dress each time. It gets the ideas flowing and makes each one develop organically in it's design. Each dress has to stand up for itself on it's own instead of having other pieces in a collection to back it up.
Anna, a wonderful friend who is creating the dresses has constructed them beautifully with satin bindings inside. She has far more patience than me for sewing!

On another note, cannot wait for Barbara Hulanicki's new Topshop collection. Have a complete obsession with Biba, not just the clothing but the whole brand, the illustrations, the interiors the excitement. Most defiantly want something with the prints and that amazing red print mini dress! Apparently will be distributed to all stores but I'm guessing the Weston Super Mare store may not have the best of the collection. (they always have the slightly mundane pieces to suit Weston's customers!)

Hello Sailor Dresses!

I love the boat stripe here and the art deco angles!

Having a complete fascination and need, want, love for sailor dresses at the moment, the spring is bringing out a wanting for stark whites and fresh contrasts.

Loving the cuff detailing on this, I think mini is the way forward too.

I'm just remembering all the sailor dresses that have been through the vintage shop and I've never paid enough attention to them. Seeing Lilly Allen and the likes in their cute versions makes me think it's time to do our take on the sailor dress.

Would love one of these tops, will have to check out army and navy.

The sailor dress is really quite iconic and I think a must have for every wardrobe! Certainly great collector pieces.

These two are the cutest sailor dresses, think they maybe for 5 year olds but still fabulous! Vintage (me thinks 40's inspired) sailor dresses here we come! In the mean time check out the website at http://www.makemeadress.com/. Go ahead and create your own dresses on the site whilst we work on ours!