Siobhan looking good for an OAP, and my first month

This is a real treat, this is one of my vintage dresses. I very rarely wear my real 50s numbers because they are so precious and well let's face this dress is nearly twice as old as I am, so it deserves to be treated with care.

All my modern reproductions come with names, and I didn't want her to feel left out. She is a beautiful green wild silk with a bamboo print so I called her Siobhan because she reminded me of the emerald isle.

It also marks the first calendar month of the "dress of the day" wardrobe documentary. 1 down 12 to go! And as has been noted, not a single repeat. It seemed fitting that the Siobhan as an original rings in the first month of bringing heel pencil skirts and old fashioned femininity to the world.

I would like to think that I have started to show just how much fun and variety you can have in a 50s style wardrobe. I actually think I get to be more of a chameleon than most women - well except for the quiff and the make up. I wouldn't want Marv thinking I had been monkey-napped.

I'd just like to say a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who drops by and reads my blog, it is so nice of you :)

And an EXTRA SPECIAL THANK YOU to Marv AKA Jo for all the lovely photographs you take of me, you are very kind and I hope people appreciate your input and photographic flare, the self portraits are no way near as good.

Dress: Siobhan Emerald green silk with bamboo flower print, dolmen sleeves

Shoes: Kurt Geiger

Fun - Tonight

Merv and Marv Rollerskating Anthem.....

Bonus Blog: If you are going to watch Zulu

You might as well dress for the occasion. This top is part of my campaign to reclaim the Union Jack from Ginger Spice.......It will take time, but it can be done! I'm leaving reclaiming Leopard prints from Bett Lynch until I am 50! It's all about picking your battles!

Pte. Thomas Cole: Why is it us? Why us?
Colour Sergeant Bourne: Because we're here, lad. Nobody else. Just us.

I must say Olive military shorts are a pain to find a top that goes with it, the shoes were a quest too, anyway I think the Tara Starlet Bustier works well for those moments of "Team GB" which happen to the best of us.

As you can tell, I think this outfit is fun. It makes me smile! Not to mention laugh, if only because at 37 and 5/6s (which rounds to 38) you should probably have more sense than to wear shorts and a bustier top in the middle of winter.

I felt the need to cheer myself up, the news today upset me talking about suicide. So when the world gets you down, dress up and dance around the house you feel happy in no time :)

Colour Sergeant Bourne: It's a miracle. 

Lieutenant John Chard: If it's a miracle, Colour Sergeant, it's a short chamber Boxer Henry point 45 caliber miracle. 

Colour Sergeant Bourne: And a bayonet, sir, with some guts behind. 

Shorts: Military Style Daisy Dukes by Pin up girl clothing

Top: The Blitz Bustier by Tara Starlet

No really try it films are so
much more fun when you dress
up for them!

Men of Harlech

For the love of lost causes

Some dates seem to stand out more than others, and this is one of them. 

In 1771 The Spanish ceded the Falkland Island to Great Britain, and to this day we are discussing sovereignty.

In 1879 British troops were massacred at Isandlwana and the Battle of Rorke's Drift commenced. Henry Hook was does a great injustice in the film, by all accounts he was a tea total, family man who was devotedly religious. Maligned and called into disrepute for eternity in the name of entertainment. 

Fantastic movie though. 

If that isn't enough then in 1901 Queen Victoria died having reigned for 64 years. Interesting is it not that to this day there has not been a greater number of recorded Victoria Crosses in one Battle, and the person who introduced the highest honour died on the same date as that battle? Synchronicity?

Today I have chosen my Military Pinup Dress in Black and white, I think the choice and the colour speak for themselves.

I like this dress, the shaping and rouching around the bust is particularly feminine and flattering, accentuating your chest, the contrasting ribbon piping and belt gives the dress a formal feel. All in she is a great little number.

Dress: Military pinup in Black and White by Pinup Girl Clothing
Shoes: Kurt Geiger

Paint It Black - The Rolling Stones

No really witchcraft would make it easier

Today's dress is called Sabrina and when it comes to taking pictures of her, trust me witchcraft would make life so much easier! Have you ever tried taking a picture of your rear view in a mirror? Try it sometime I think I did really rather well.

I love this dress, I like that is has a peplum bow just above your bum, it's fab, it stick out a bit at the sides too. It is good fun if you have a shapely derriere, maybe not so good if you are carrying a "wide load sticker". 

The check top is pretty and it is really very warm I like the roll over wrap neckline too. I just like this dress because it is so unusual and not quite what you expect but yet it somehow works! It's just like magic.

Dress: Sabrina Bettie page clothing

Shoes: Kurt Geiger

Running the gauntlet. Sunday in a supermarket

Ah the perils of supermarket shopping on a Sunday. I had an encounter last week it was one of those classic moments, as I rounded the corner in WW2 utility coat and tea dress I came face to face with the perma tanned, fake boobed fake lash black juicy couture ugg boot wearer. She got bonus points for the bubblegum pink lipstick and the furry headband Xena style, the bleach blonde hair comes as standard. Next ensued the best form of silent communication. My face exclaimed "OMG! WTF are you wearing?" as did hers, the difference was I didn't have to punch anyone for eyeing her up ;)

I'm playing it safe this week with secretary in Green. I need my heels to reach the things on the top shelf (and no I am not talking magazines). Not only do you have the "high reach" to think about but you also need to consider what you look like when you have to "bob down" to pick something up, whether it be the change that you invariably drop or to reach something from the bottom shelf.

I think this basic dress design is one of my favourites, it is the same base shape as "The Captain" which I wore the other week. I love the broad geometric design of the collar, the wrap top and the matching buttons on the torso. The matching belt nips it in and finishes the dress off. Secretary in green has longer sleeves than the captain and I like them for being 3/4 length. I find these easier to wear because long sleeves don't always look right on my arms (they are long just like my legs)

Dress: Secretary in Green Pencil Skirt by Bettie Page Clothing

Shoes: Kurt Geiger

Secretary in Green an all rounder for the gauntlet of the supermarket, bob, bend, weave and reach!

Faith No More seem to fit the bill today!

From Out of nowhere

It's that rounding the corner moment

Mike Patten looked so much better in cycling short than Axl Rose, note to all the guys if you have skinny legs don't wear cycling shorts it is just plain wrong, and women who like men with skinny legs. What are you thinking? 

Epic

The gauntlet of the supermarket, if you forget your heels it is in your face and you definitely can't grab it

Can't say I have walked on broken glass, but I have had to crawl across it on my hands and knees. 

Easy

What Sunday should be...........

Strong and White........I'm Talking

Coffee of course. This is the programmers preferred method on caffeine ingestion, and believe me programmers run on sugar or caffeine! In fact programmers are machines that turn caffeine into code.

I have been deep in regular expressions and pattern matching for days............and I have concluded programmers are in a contest with the universe, programmers attempt to make better software that is idiot proof, the universe makes better idiots. So far the universe is winning!

Today's number is called "Iced Coffee" which seems to fit, as it is freezing and I probably consume my body weight in coffee on a daily basis, mum bought it for me because of the name. I wasn't sure what I thought of it at first, it is one of those dresses that you have to see on. 

I love the polka dots on the mustard yellow  and the black pleats on the skirt, finished with buttons The turnover neckline and the cuffs on the sleeve just make this dress. I love it! Just great for grabbing a coffee and engaging in some people watching. 

Dress: Iced Coffee Bettie Page Clothing

Shoes: Kurt Geiger

It works for men as well as coffee LOL

Nietzsche's view on birdcages

Every  now and again it does you good to indulge in a bit of Nietzsche, who most people probably know through the phrase "That which does not kill us makes us stronger." Which coincidentally appeared at the beginning of the original Conan The Barbarian. 

He also said the following:

Men have hitherto treated women like birds which have strayed down to them from the heights; as something more delicate, more fragile, more savage, stranger, sweeter, soulful - but as something which has to be caged up so that it shall not fly away.

I live in fear of being caged, my spirit diminished not able to be myself. We think caged birds sing, when indeed they cry; and I for one have had more than enough of crying. The ability to sing as in the metaphor of the free bird is summed up for me by Rose F. Kennedy, she buried her sons and her husband. She reminds me why it is so important to sing not cry.

Birds sing after a storm; why shouldn't people feel as free to delight in whatever remains to them?

And so I shall :) 

Today's dress is called Zoey in Birdcage print. I really like the grey and pink contrasted with the deep waist band which is shaped so it flares out on your curves. The two buttons add interest and guide the eye into the dress. The wrap over neckline is wonderful, nothing is escaping by accident which is as is should be. Wardrobe malfunctions - tsk! The straps are nice and wide so you can easily accommodate your bra straps and they are adjustable. Pinup girl clothing we love you for this :) You are my favourite strappy dress maker for this design feature.

A big THANK YOU to Wendy from Retro Glam, I quested for this dress. They are a fantastic boutique in Canada and really their customer service is superb - I cannot recommend them enough.

Dress: Zoey in Birdcage print by pinup girl clothing

Shoes: Kurt Geiger

I love this song, it just makes me smile when I hear it

They Might Be Giants - Birdhouse in your soul

Storms and the journey of Joan

Twenty two years ago in 1991 - Operation Desert Storm commenced and so began the rehash and replay of the journey of "Joan of Arc"....... Destination Martyrdom. Rehashed, replayed, different characters, different religion. The same pattern with different players.

It somehow amuses me that poor old Joan D'Arc spent most of history as a heretic and witch. Today's dress is called Joannie, it's a reminder that we're a long time dead. Should god exist they're probably not after people killing themselves or other people in their name. An eye for an eye just makes the whole world blind. But then again so does fundamentalism, as the saying goes there is none so blind as those that cannot see.

It takes me back to my Doc Marten day's with ripped fishnets, padlocks, dog collars and safety pins from my nose to my ear! LOL Ahh those were the days.

Joannie is so easy wearing that it is one of the few dresses that can lay claim to having been worn at least once a week for a period of 3 years. It's my "no need to think" dress. I really like the wide bateau neckline with a roll over, I like how it accentuates your shoulders and neck. The dolmenesque sleeves and darts make the most of your bust and the matching belt just nips it in nicely. 

Dress: Joannie in Dusky Rose by Pinup Girl Clothing

Shoes: Kurt Geiger

There can be only one song for today

New Model Army: Here Comes The War 

"Do you think we were born in peaceful times? The whirling dervish spinning faster, faster, the centre cannot hold..........."

Scotland and a Database, it must be an Act of Union

On this day in 1707 The Scottish Parliament ratified the Act of Union, paving the way for the creation of Great Britain.

My Nana Ferguson was Scottish and she had kilts made for us all when we were little girls with Aran sweaters. I remember hating the jumper (it had a tight neck) but I loved the kilt with the pin. Anyway that got me thinking that blue and white would be nice to wear, just as a reminder that we can so easily fragment, and it's when you work together you are great. Independence is a requirement, it's mandatory but you temper it; teamwork and being a pack (especially ones with hippos and monkeys) I think we are better as a United Kingdom of Great Britain........It's just we don't half seem determined to do everything that we can to get rid of the word great!

So blue and white for Scotland and the Act of Union by Stop Staring! I like the simplicity of this dress, the sweetheart neckline and the little button accents on the sleeve, neck and slit and subtle but draw your eye.

Now to appease my inner SQL junkie as UNION is a keyword ......My brain just thinks. The UNION operator selects only distinct values by default. To allow duplicate values, use UNION ALL. Remember UNION ALL is expensive as it generally requires a full table scan.

.....and breathe ..........look glamorous. Here's to Database engines....... VROOOM!!! VROOM!!!

And dare I say GREAT Britain

Dress: By Stop Staring!

Shoes: Schuh

History, Structured Query Language and Style Advice all in one place :)

if (shotOnTarget == TRUE) printf("Sierra Green");

Today's dress needs to hit the mark, she gets one shot.

She needs to work hard because we've got to go from day to night as I am out this evening. Sierra hits the marks, and ironically shares her name with one of the better bullet smiths in the world (custom rounds) so if this baby does get the bulls eye then who knows what will. I'll team this with a black cardigan for the day.

I like this as a going out dress, it is really nicely fitted with big pockets on the hips and the really interesting neckline, it reveals very little but gives the appearance that you are seeing far more than you are. I think this is because the cut out is unexpected and so draws the eye more. The button and the beautiful embroidery all make this a very pretty dress indeed and the neckline highlights your collarbone. The beautiful green highlights my hair and my eyes.

Just nice for a meal out my lads from work who will be the colour of this dress when my Dev station arrives - 64 giga bytes of liquid cooled memory, i7 Core and SSD. They couldn't put it in an alienware chassey :( The motherboard can't cope with the memory............I should call him "bootneck" he's got the grunt power. LOL

Ah the motto of female programmers world wide:

Memory it's just like an orgasm.....So much better when you don't have to fake it ;)

64 gig!! Liquid Cooled...... Swoon ......... 

Dress: Sierra Bettie Page Clothing in Green

Shoes: Kurt Geiger

P!NK You And Your Hand

Waves, Hurricanes and Walking on Sunshine

Today's dress is called Katrina. She generally comes with waves, or a hurricane not to mention the ability to walk on sunshine.

She has a really interesting neckline and collar which doesn't photograph well at all and a cute little built in polka dot tie. It is an Aline rather than a pencil skirt but has been a stalwart in my wardrobe for over 5 years. You can't go wrong with Katrina she stands the test of anything.

It reminds me of a quote from a man on telly who was caught by hurricane Katrina he said, "I survived 4 tours in Vietnam, and being married to a red head for over 30 years, this is nothing!"

Dress: Katrina Bettie Page Clothing

Shoes: Kurt Geiger

Katrina and the Waves, Walking on Sunshine

The best Tom Boy in disguise dress ever!

The 1940s day dress is a gold medalist in my book, an Olympic hero in the styling super stakes. Really just like the RAF in the Battle of Britain they punch well above their weight. This is for me the personification of the Tom Boy dress. It lulls people in the false sense of "girly feminity". Snigger.

My sister put it in my mind with her comment yesterday, it made me think back to being little. I used to take things to pieces and tie electronics to my bike to pretend to make it go faster LOL Climbing trees, playingout and making dens in the wood. I even had star wars figures and PJs. You never leave your inner Tom Boy behind, you just get better at covering it up as you get older.

From the shoulders to the sweetheart neckline highlighting your collar bone and bust, to the nipped in waist, the gentle wrap skirt with a gentle rolling frill; really what more could you ask for from a dress? I know, a decent slit so you can run and climb! 

They thought of everything back then. Look good, sprint, hurdle and climb trees whilst maintaining your dignity! Really when it comes to looking good whilst doing an obstacle course this design is unrivaled.

I have this dress in several prints, this particular one is called forget me not. Forget me nots are one of my favourite flowers, I love the lilacy ultraviolet blue. I also like the story behind how they got there name.

Dress: 1940s Day Dress in Forget Me Not Vivien of Holloway

Belt: 2inch clasp in black Vivien of Holloway

Shoes: Hobbs

Beautiful, elegant, feminine

Fantastic flattering neckline and skirt

See GENIUS! You can hurdle

 let alone sprint in this number.

Climbing, not a problem, and 

dignity is maintained at all times

It is the ultimate Tom Boy disguise :) Which probably explains why I like this dress so much.

1940s Day Dress we salute your sheer genius!