What a delightful bank holiday weekend it has been! I have spent it in Whitstable with one of bestest friends Libby and the weather could not have been any better – I do not want it to end! How has your weekend been, where have you been and what have you been up to?

Beach huts & Ice cream in Whitstable

Afternoon tea, cake and shopping with mate Libby

Vintage stalls, flowers & stags

I have just had the best weekend (Mediterranean type weather always helps!) and I hope you enjoyed yours too.

Enjoy the rest of your bank holiday and I shall be back soon xx

Good morning and Happy Wedding Wednesday! As you know I also plan weddings and had the pleasure of working with Danielle and Ben on the planning of their beautiful wedding, which took place in June at Northbrook Park in Surrey. As you will see, they are such a gorgeous couple and so happy together – lots of pretty details and outfits too!

This film (from Mark Brown Films) is just fabulous – filmed with vintage Super 8, it really adds something special to it. Marks films always bring a tear to my eye – in a good way!

danielle + Ben from Mark W Brown on Vimeo.

Planner - Temple Gregory

Film - Mark Brown Films

Venue - Northbrook Park

Dress - Benjamin Roberts

Flowers - Emma Lappin

Bridesmaid dresses - Two Birds

Hair & Makeup - Kirsty McCall

Stationery - Pretty Wild

What do you think – did it bring a tear to your eye?! If you like this style of film then pop over to the Mark Brown website to see more and book him for your wedding or event.

Have a lovely Wedding Wednesday and I shall be back soon xx

Afternoon all. Did you see Designer Love – Chanel on the blog recently? As mentioned in that post I am going to be dedicating a series of blog posts to my favourite classic designers and this second post of the series is for the iconic Christian Dior.

Dior

French fashion designer Christian Dior was born near the coast of Normandy, France in 1905 and died fairly young in 1957. Dior’s family wanted him to become a diplomat, but he was far to creative for this and had an interest in fashion from a very young age. To make money he sold his fashion sketches outside his house for 10 cents each!

Pinterest

In 1928 Dior left school and opened a small art gallery with a friend, after receiving money from his father, where they sold art by the likes of Pablo Picasso! The gallery had to be closed after only three years after Dior’s mother and brother died and his father lost their family business in the financial crisis. Dior then worked with fashion designer Robert Piguet, until he was called up for military service in 1940. 

The Zoe Report

Dior left the Army in 1942 and joined the fashion house of Lucien Lelong. During World War II, Dior, as an employee of Lelong — who worked to preserve the French fashion industry during the war — designed dresses for the wives of Nazi officers and French collaborators, as did other fashion houses that remained open during the war.

Pretty Stuff

Whilst Dior was dressing Nazi women, his sister Catherine (1917—2008) was living in stark contrast serving as a member of the French Resistance. Catherine was captured by the Nazi’s and sent to a concentration camp where she was imprisoned until May 1945. The Miss Dior Parfum was named after Catherine Dior.

Simple Dreams

The Christian Dior fashion house was founded by Dior in December of 1946, and backed by cotton and fabric magnate Marcel Boussac. The first collection, presented in early 1947, is now famously known as the “New Look”. This was not however the original name but later labelled so by Carmel Snow, editor and chief of Harpers Bazaar. The original name was was “Corolle” - literally the botanical term corolla or circlet of flower petals in English.

Dans dans dans

Dior’s designs were more voluptuous than the fabric conserving shapes of the recent World War II styles, influenced by the rations on fabric. Creating shapes and silhouettes was what Dior did best and is quoted as saying “I have designed flower women.” He used fabrics lined mostly with percale, boned, bustier-style bodices, hip padding, wasp-waisted corsets and petticoats that made his dresses flare out from the waist, giving his models a very curvaceous form.

Pinterest

To start with women were not happy that his designs covered up their legs, which they had been unused to because of the recent fabric rations. They soon came around however and the “New Look” is said to have revolutionized women’s dress and reestablished Paris as the center of the fashion world after the War.

Pinterest

Dior expanded out of France in 1949 and by the end of the year Dior made up 75% of Paris’s fashion exports and 5% of France’s total export revenue. In 1950, Jacques Rouët (manager of Dior) devised a licensing program to place the name of Christian Dior on a variety of luxury goods, such as neck-ties, handbags, jewellery and scarves. It was denounced as a degrading action for the haute-couture image. Nevertheless, it became profitable and began a trend which all couture houses followed.

We Heart Vintage

Dior died on 23 October 1957 of his third heart attack whilst on holiday in Italy. The exact circumstances are still unknown – some reports say that he died of a heart attack after choking on a fish bone, others after playing a game of cards and another after a strenuous sexual encounter!  

The Imagist

After that bit of history, I thought I would share a few more of my favourite Christian Dior photos with you. I have a whole Pinterest board dedicated to Dior, so should not just keep them to myself!

Trend Nista 

Tumblr

Pitiskises

Indulgy

Classy In The City

Strikes Our Fancy

NY Mag

Champagne & Caviar Dreams

What do you think – are you a Dior fan? Did you know all of this about him? I have certainly learnt a lot and although not as scandalous as Coco Chanel, still what a life!

What about the photos – which is your favourite? As with the Chanel ones I always love the vintage photos and how amazing is this last image – a fabulous floral catwalk space.

Have a good afternoon and I shall be back soon xx

Historical information via Wikipedia.

Afternoon all – hope you are well and looking forward to the weekend? Any nice plans?

Heavenly Homes today is all about vintage decor. The vintage trend seems to be here to stay, at least for a while longer, so why not embrace it! As with most of my heavenly home ideas, I would not go OTT and turn my house into a vintage museum, but I do like the idea of using certain items and accessories to add touches of the vintage look.

You could just do one room, or have various accessories in every room, or you could use a particular item as I am looking at in this post – vintage books, mirrors, shutters or kitchen decor. First here is a bit of general vintage inspiration to get us going.

1 – I Wanna Wear Sandals, 2 – Sadie Olive,  3 – Anne Bobroff Hajal,  4 – Mon Pompadour,  5 – Favim

Vintage Mirrors - I do love a good mirror and think they are a great way of bringing vintage touches to your home – whether it be real vintage or just vintage inspired, there are lots of options out there. You could have a wall of mismatched mirrors, a gorgeous bedroom mirror or have a huge statement piece above the fireplace?

1 – Decorista, 2 – Bohemian Nations,  3 – Pinterest,  4 – Blondie N SC,  5 – Riches for Rags

Vintage Kitchens - The kitchen is one room that is easy to create a vintage look in. You can get vintage, or vintage style, kitchen furniture and accessories practically everywhere and they can be so pretty. Just look at the rolling pins below!

1 – Gathering Spriggs, 2 – Etsy,  3 – Cozy Little House,  4 – Brunch at Saks

Vintage Books - Although books are obviously meant to read, they can also make for great decoration – whether you are creating some kind of display or whether they are just pretty enough to look good on their own.

1 – Nina’s Apartment, 2 – Elisa Mclaughlin,  3 – Splendid Affairs,  4 – Romantic Home,  5 – The Alternative Bride

Vintage Shutters - As with the vintage books, these are something that will look good as actual shutters, or as part of a decoration display. Perhaps add them to your wardrobes, or stand one up against the wall and decorate with photos and postcards?

1 – Dreamy Whites, 2 – Laura Casey,  3 – French Larkspur,  4 – The Green Children

What do you think – are you a fan of the vintage look? What have you done with it in your home?

Have a lovely afternoon and I shall be back soon xx

Morning all, how was your Easter weekend? Anything exciting going on? After only just returning from Dubai, mine was spent mainly relaxing with the hubby and catching up on the blog.

As you now know, this Delightfully Clever feature is simply a collection of things that are clever!

Pretty your Laundry Room

Like me, this may not be something you have really given much thought, but after seeing these laundry room ideas (on Graphics Fairy) I am definitely doing it – go to their site to print your own labels and just buy some pretty bottles. The branded plastic bottles we buy in the supermarket are ugly, so why not make them pretty?! A simple but clever idea. 

Organise your Fridge

This is genius! I have a food fridge and a drinks fridge in my house – I am always drinking water, so it is full of small bottles and large bottles of it, plus the fizzy drinks and wine, so this is perfect as we do have to do a bit of stacking! Seen on  Pleated Jeans.

Vintage Suitcase Shelves

I have blogged about vintage suitcases and what can be done with them several times before, but came across this new one recently (on Recyclart) and had to share – what a fab idea!

What do you think of today’s clever finds? I love anything pretty, so am on the hunt for some pretty bottles for my laundry room!

Have a lovely morning and I shall be back soon xx

Afternoon all You may have seen my Fashion & The Great Gatsby (1920′s) post earlier this week? Whilst researching that post I came across so many beautiful images relating to homes and interior design, that I thought I would just share a few with you.

Heavenly Homes today is all about 1920′s Art Deco Interior Design. Art Deco is an artistic and decadent style that began in the 1920′s in Paris – it influenced everything throughout the 20′s and 30′s, from fashion and interior design to architecture and art. Its linear symmetry was a big departure from the more curvy and flowing Art Nouveau style that went before it.

This stairs and hallway were seen on Cura Romana.

This room with a very Art Deco window was seen on Farm3.

The cool lamp shown below was seen on Amazon.

Look at this gorgeous mirror, via Pinterest

I love this bathroom – seen on House beautiful.

This fabulous front door was seen on PYNT.

Have a lovely afternoon and I shall be back soon xx

Afternoon all. You may remember a recent Friday Favourites post where my fashion favourite was the return of glam 1920′s fashion thanks to the remake of The Great Gatsby (starring Carey Mulligan and Leonardo DiCaprio) -  F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel set in the 1920′s – the fabulously decadent and glamorous era that inspires so many.

I think that this is such a fabulous look and era, that I think it deserves its very own blog post. With the new film coming out next year and it already being all over the catwalks – this is set to be a big trend. I personally love it – so feminine, romantic but sexy at the same time.

1 – Book CB Smith,  2 – Flapper Lady Kaboodle,  3 – White dress Coco & Kelley,  4 – Flapper girl picnic A White Carousel,  5 – Sparkly dresses Crush Cul De Sac,  6 – 1920s dressing table Graphic Exchange

This is a great time of year to be looking at these 1920s flapper style dresses – lots of sparkle and feminine shapes – perfect for your Christmas parties! Some fab examples shown on the Delightful Lookbook below.

I like the top left image which shows that you can also do this look with a longer skirt – not something that would have sprung to mind, but looks great I think.

1 – Ralph Lauren Long skirt Wedding Inspirasi, 2 – Black flowery dress Free People,  3 – Black sparkly dress Intermix,  4 – Red dress OMG That Dress,  5 – Top right dress Etsy,  6 – Flapper girl in car 28 Media,  7 – Flapper dress Miss Selfridge

A big part of 1920s fashion was the accessories – especially for the hair and head – some gorgeous examples shown below. I will take one of each thank you! How amazing is this one on the top right?!

1 – Top left Twigs & Honey,  2 – Middle left Confetti,  3 – Bottom left Little Miss Wedding,  4 – Top right Happiness Is,  5 – Middle right I Heart Shabby Chic,  6 – Bottom right Etsy

So what do you think – are you a fan of 1920′s inspired fashion? Are you looking forward to the new Great Gatsby film? I can’t wait to see the film – for the fashion as much as Leonardo Di Caprio!

Right… I better run, I don’t have much time to get ready for the Fashion Foie Gras party! It is in London for the launch of the Fashion Foie Gras Tote for Coach, and I have still not decided what I am wearing!

I will be posting details and pics from the party, so look out for that. Have a lovely evening and I shall be back tomorrow xx

Happy Wedding Wednesday and I hope you are all well?

Some of you may know that I also plan weddings which allows me to meet and work with some very talented people, and Mark Brown from Mark Brown Films is definitely one of them.

Mark uses vintage Super-8mm cameras to create these gorgeous vintage style films and I am really pleased to be featuring one of his recent master pieces today – the wedding of Leeanne and Bobby.

Leeanne + Bobby from MW BROWN on Vimeo

Perhaps you saw the other film I posted a while back, which was one of my weddings from the Summer - Caitlin & Jonny’s Winchester wedding. I am delighted to have Mark booked in for another of my Temple Gregory weddings next year – I already know how fabulous the film will be!

If you want to book Mark for your wedding then please visit his website for contact details.

Have a lovely Wedding Wednesday and I shall be back this afternoon xx

Good morning and I hope you are all enjoying your Sunday morning? I am just catching up with a bit of blogging whilst husband is watching the Indian Grand Prix in the background. We are off shortly to Arundel, so more about that later.

I am in love with the new Charlene Soraia song, called Wherever You Will Go – you may have heard it on the new Twinings (tea) advert?

It is so beautiful – I really reccomend you just take a few minutes to listen to it. I am listening to it a lot!

Her album Moonchild is released on 21 November, but you can download this song on iTunes now if you are like me and can’t wait that long!

I have a bit of a habit of playing songs I like to death! Can’t help it – if I like a song, I want to hear it over and over! xx

Afternoon all. For Halloween Week I thought it only right to look at what Halloween, or All Hallows Eve, actually is and where it comes from. Its more than just a day to dress up and go trick or treating for sweets – or a birthday in my case! I thought it may be nice to look at some pretty Vintage Halloween pics whilst we were at – history can be pretty! I love this one below from Vintage Holiday Crafts.

In 835 AD the Roman Catholic Church made the 1st November a holiday to honour the saints (All Saints Day) and it became customary to pray for the dead on this date. Another name for All Saints Day is ‘All Hallows’ (hallow is an old English word for Saint) and the celebrations began on All Hallows Eve, the 31 October – Halloween. This skull pic (from Flickr) is spooky and clever!

So how did modern Halloween customs come about? In England, by the 14th century, a custom called ‘souling‘ had started where the poor would go from house to house asking for soul-cakes. The more well off would give out small cakes or loaves in exchange for prayers for their dead relatives.

Souling continued up until the 20th century in some parts of Britain, though the ritual became increasingly secularised and was eventually relegated to children. Souling is no doubt where ‘Trick or Treating came from’.

Shakespeare uses the phrase ‘to speak pulling like a beggar at Hallowmass‘.

This spooky Halloween rabbit is not as cute as the bunnies I am used to, but just had to include it! Seen on Pinterest via This Next.

During the 16th century the Protestant Reformation put a stop to All Souls Day rituals in England (as they did not have the same beliefs as the Catholics) and people began to attach their own meanings and customs to it. Its not surprising then, that it took on associations with the occult and other scary things given the link to the dead and the strong disapproval of the Church of England.

On a lighter note – how about a love spell (from stacy corazon) for you singletons?! Hehe!

So what do you think – I hope you found this little bit of history interesting? Did many of you already know where Halloween actually came from? Halloween is my birthday and if I am honest… even I did not know exactly! I am a rubbish Witch!

If you want a few more facts go to A Heretical History of Halloween - where most of mine came from.

Have a fab evening and I will be back tomorrow – when its Fridaaaayyyy! xx