REMINISCING ……….

Came across this photo yesterday ….. that's me in the middle in the back row, age 17, taken at my school, The Latymer Grammar School 1968 !!!! We were in the Upper Sixth !!! We look more like pupils from St. Trinians !! You can see how I liked to be individual ….. all the other girls have their Summer uniform on and I obviously decided to stay in my Winter uniform !! My hair has stayed virtually the same since then !

Have a listen to Tomorrow Never Knows from The Beatles and see if you were doing much the same as me when you were 17. 

It was a time when we smoked Gauloises or Dunhill International and, if we wanted to be truly sophisticated, St. Moritz menthol !

….. a time to get lifts in MGB's …..

 ….. or to hang around with Mod's and ride on their scooters.

….. having seances and drinking vodka and lime …..

….. hanging out all day in Biba …..

….. going to see The Beatles at Finsbury Park Astoria …..

Dancing to the likes of  Cream, The Yardbirds, Manfred Mann, The Who, The Moody Blues and Jimmi Hendrix at The Marquee or going to Samantha's and The Purple Pussycat …..

Shopping at Chelsea Girl …..

Meeting friend's for a chocolate milkshake in the Wimpy …..

Wearing hot pants and suede boots …..

….. and mini skirts …..

….. painting on lower lashes and freckles, like Twiggy …..

….. and spending Saturday in Carnaby Street.

It really was great to be a teenager in the 1960's  !

XXXX

tomorrow never knows - the beatles: via YouTube, image 1: via me, image 2: via distal, image 3: via pinstopin, image 4: via fan pop, image 5: via the magic cafe, image 6: gala darling, image 7: via islington.gov, image 8: via tumblr, image 9: via telegraph, images 10 & 12: via pinterest, image 11: via digilander, image 13: via boro, image 14: via best dressed ginger

BY INVITATION ….. FLOWERS and FASHION ……….

Our By Invitation subject this month is Flowers and Fashion …..

Flower Power is back and, sad to say, I was in my late teens / early twenties when it made it's first appearance !! 

I was a mod and spent hours in Biba and went down the Twiggy route rather than the hippy, flowery one.

….. but, even Biba entered into the flowery spirit of it all with  strong pigmented make up with flowery names …..

….. and subtle, ditzy florals in dark browns, burgundys and purples.

For a more Edwardian, feminine look, there was Laura Ashley. You could match your dress to your sofa, to your curtains to your wallpaper if you wanted to !!!!!

….. and now, in 2015, it's all back again.

Not being the biggest fan of florals when it came in in the 1970's, I don't think that I'll be buying into it this time.

I'll stick to reading about flowers …..

picking them …..

….. and growing them !!

I am paying homage to the florals by wearing my new perfume, Maison Martin Margiela Replica Flower Market ….. it really does smell like a flower shop !

Were you wearing florals the first time round { I bet some of you men out there had some flowery trousers !! } and will you be wearing it again this year ?

For more flowery frippery, the other By Invitation contributors will be putting their own take on it so, as usual, Marsha has all of the links.

image 1 & 13: via sleepless, image 2: via byronsmuse, image 3, 5, 7 & 15: via pinterest, image 4: via superseventies, image 6: via barbara hulinicki, image 8: via zsa zsa bellagio, image 9: via john rocha, image 10: via preen, image 11: via kero i am, image 12: via good reads, image 14: via nibs blog

TO MAXI OR NOT TO MAXI ?.......THAT IS THE QUESTION ..........

I bought the above dress from All Saints about  two months ago and have yet to wear it.  Being the age that I am ( !!!! ) and loving fashion for all of my life from about the age of 16, I have worn it all before !!

Biba, in South Kensington, was my second home and, my friend's and I spent hours and hours in there, trying clothes on, testing out the make-up and lounging on the 1920's leather settees, watching the likes of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Twiggy etc, browsing and buying the great clothes that were sold there ( at a very reasonable price, may I add !! ) I still have a few of the clothes that I bought in Biba and, last year, one of my jackets ( the exact one ) was on The Antiques Road Show (...groan !!!!! ) and  they said it was worth £800 !!!!

As you can see from the above page from a Biba catalogue, we are now wearing very similar clothes  !! I think that's why I'm having trouble, wearing the maxi second time around !!

I have worn mini, midi, maxi , every which length.....you name it, I've worn it and, have just bought some palazzo trousers which are exactly the same as a pair I had in the late '60's. I have somehow managed to wear those.

I could have bought my dress in white but, I always feel that I should be selling ice-cream when I wear white !!



SO, the big question is..........Am I living in my own past and am now too old to wear it ?????

AND, are all of you wearing maxi dresses on a daily basis or do you feel as if you are going to a wedding when you wear them ????

Answers on a postcard please..........or in a comment.....whatever's quickest !!




image 1: via All Saints, image 2: via dolly rocker girl, image 3: via Biba mail order catalogue, image 4; Via Biba mail order catalogue, image 5: via mj-salad-days, image 6: via necco heart, image 7:via sweet as a peach, image 8: via red poppy fashion, image 9: via that's not my age, image 10: via scrumtrulescent, image 11: via dustjacket attic, images 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17: All Saints.