Uniformed

Bit of a boring outfit, but I wanted photos of my hair today as I managed to get some sort of awesome conehead shape. I actually think I look like a school girl. Not necessarily a bad thing though.

Shoes (Ravel), cardigan (Topshop), skirt (ebay), blouse (H&M), spotted scarf (gift)

Seeing Red

Sigh. What a beautiful vintage dress. Not sure of the date, early 30's perhaps? Regardless, it is an exquisite example of embellishment and a sensual cut. The only thing I don't love is the colour. Red isn't really a colour I like to wear, unless its a dark burgundy. I used to hate black and red, then I went through a phase of loving it and wearing it all the time. Then I inevitably got a bit sick of it. Now, if I want to wear colour, I go for green, as red feels too bright on me. Having said that, looking through my 'fashion' pictures folder on la laptop, I found many a red dress I simply couldn't say no to....

Armani Prive couture ss 09:

Alexander McQueen various collections:

Chanel resort 2010:

Dior couture ss 07:

JPG a/w 06 couture & a/w 09 RTW:

C. Lacroix couture a/w 08:

Zac Posen a/w 08 & 09:

John Galliano a/w 07:

Giambattista Valli a/w 08:

And saving the best til last....the gorgeous red dresses from Giles gorgeous a/w 2008 collection. Masterfully layering chiffon, the effect is ethereal and haunting. I'd probably gnaw my fingers off to own one.

images from thefrock.com and style.com

Hint of Mint

As I mentioned in the previous post, I recently acquired a Victorian haircomb. Whilst choosing my first haircomb I had a hard time going against my inherent attraction towards black things. I found some really beautiful black combs, but of course their beauty would be lost in my black hair. So instead, I settled for this rather discreet, pretty little silver comb. The outfit is nothing too exciting; my grey cardigan I've been wearing to death and a minty green vest (which I've shown on the blog before in lilac and black). The trousers I bought last weekend for a tenner. I love them; perfectly slim fitting with a high-rise waist and a side zip, oh and cheap! The cut kinda reminds me of matador trousers. Today's purse is a recent purchase. My love of Liberty of London bags is well documented on the blog, especially when decorated with the Ianthe print. I couldn't resist this little monochromatic silk purse which converts into a clutch. Close-ups of it are at the bottom of this post...

Shoes (Kurt Geiger), bag (Liberty of London), cardigan (Topshop), trousers (H&M), vest (Primark)

Hair Comb

I mentioned in this post that I have been after a hair comb to complement my updo's. After much consideration, I finally settled on a dainty silver Victorian one, which will be shown in my next outfit post. I thought it best to start off small and see how it goes before diving in with a massive expensive one. My next one will be a slightly larger affair, hopefully in a green celluloid. Whilst I was searching for the perfect beginners hair comb, I found so many beautiful and unusual examples I just had to share them on here. There really are so many good quality combs available out there on the internet, and at reasonable prices. This may look like a large post, but I actually had to restrain myself from posting 3x more!

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Three large pierced celluloid combs, 1890-1920

Four 1890-1920 celluloid combs

1900-1910 sterling silver comb

Two late 19th c. tortoiseshell combs with silver detail

Three 1880-1910 pierced celluloid combs

Two 1890-1910 frosted celluloid combs with glass sets

Five French jet and black celluloid combs

Two 1880-90 black enamelled celluloid combs with blue glass sets

c.1875 sterling silver highback comb

Victorian Christmas themed celluloid comb with red and green rhinestones

Black enamelled celluloid comb with red rhinestones

Black enamelled celluloid comb with blue rhinestones

Green ombre comb with rhinestones

19th c. sterling silver comb

Georgian silver filigree feather comb, c.1830

Victorian winged comb with paste stones

Kingfisher feather Chinese comb

c. 1850 tortoiseshell comb inset with rubies, diamonds and pearls

Victorian sterling silver comb with trio of mythical figures

Diamond studded comb with cabochon emerald scarabs

Victorian pearl and lapis gold comb ($4850!)

Blonde tortoiseshell comb with paste gems

Victorian Whitby Jet comb

Green celluloid comb with blue rhinestones

Celluloid comb with green rhinestones

And finally, a modern, though no-less extravagant, example courtesy of John Galliano from his ss08 collection (one of my all time favourite collections ever). Look at the size of that thing!

Images from: style.com; FANCY THAT!, Factory 41, Antiques and Uncommon Treasure, The Three Graces, Years After, Belladonna Antiques, all at Ruby Lane; Paris Parfait blog; BarbaraAnne's Hair Comb blog; eBay sellers Pentiques and Simitras Exquisite Things; thefaerieglen, PastSplendors, surfacetoairmedia, pastperfectvintage, all at etsy; Charles.A.Whitaker Auction Company.