Kyoto Dreamin'

The Kyoto Costume Institute has one of the best collections of antique and vintage clothing in the world, and although we may never get to see it in person, flicking through their digital archive is a real pleasure. Beautifully photographed, with the best time-line we ever did see, it's a thoroughly enjoyable way to spend your lunch break.

Amazing couture pieces like this Jacques Fath dress from 1953 (left) are on show, making us want to step right into them and go to that (sadly imaginary) ball we've all been invited to. The Fath gown has a style so enduring that it's been revived countless times. The digital archives is full of such stunning examples of couture. 

And although a couture original may be out of reach for most of us, this late 50s to early 60s dress certainly captures the same romantic feel. Made by Linzi Line, the dress has a boned bodice, cinched in waist and full skirt. Made from a sheer polka dot nylon fabric, the dress even has similar bow details! Adding a crinoline will poof out that skirt nicely. And with wedding season coming up, it would make a fantastic dress to wear to spring weddings! It's available from our ebay store, here.

And just to leave you with this...

*sigh* so beautiful!

A Big Thank You Too...

Zoë M Pearson, for writing this lovely article about Armstrongs, via vintagefestival.co.uk.
Here's an extract:

"When I started thinking about my favourite vintage shop, I came up with a few regular haunts where I never fail to find a thrifty piece of loveliness. But when I started trying to write about these places, well, I discovered they had a more practical than emotional pull.

Turns out that Armstrongs Vintage Emporium in the Grassmarket has stolen my heart in a way that no other vintage place ever has. It’s like stepping into a huge dressing up box – one that belongs to a hipster version of Miss Havisham."

You can read the full thing: here

Thanks so much Zoë!

Her Majesty's Mohair!

If Queen Elizabeth I of England time travelled into the 1980's we like to think she would have fallen head-over-pinson-heels in love with this pearl studded mohair knit! Buy it here!

A Garden of Vintage Florals

If you love to press a fresh rose to your nostrils, tuck a wild flower behind your ear or tiptoe through the tulips, you'll love these vintage floral fabrics! The beauty of plants, flowers and gardens has inspired us for years; from the Rococo, to the Nouveau, to the Flower Power, to our current trends in ecologically sustainable design. If you want to be one with nature, or just wish to hide the view of the supermarket outside your window, then add a little garden (in 2-D form) to your home with some wild floral curtains, a tea-towel or a throw rug from our Ebay store: FLOWERS!

We've got Leather!

There's nothing quite like vintage leather. It improves with age; the more broken in, the better! We've got so many great leather jacket and coats for you to pursue at our stores. As you can see from these pictures, our grassmarket branch is stoked full with quality vintage leather gems! You can search for your own vintage leather on our ebay store, here.
Or stop in and visit us in store!

And if you need help looking after your vintage leather, Arrow leathers in America have come up with some great 'How To' videos covering all aspects of leather care:

Cleaning a Vintage Leather Jacket -- powered by ehow

Armstrongs Street View

Here at Armstrongs we love to see what you're all wearing! On Saturday we spotted these stylish individuals Shopping at our Grassmarket Branch:

Meet Annie Armstrongs and Alex Gordon, both Students. Annie is wearing a Coat and stole she was trying on in the store, with Converse High Tops. The mix of casual and formal looks fantastic! Alex is wearing an Old Navy Shirt, with a bow tie and fez from Armstrongs; a daring look he is pulling off!

Begbie Boyle, Singer and Guitarist in 'The Rules' (left) knows how to wear denim! Wearing jeans by Miss Selfridge, a cap form 'Chinese laundry' in hull, and shoes by Office. And Jay Lynch, a Joiner (right) is looking cool and collected wearing a cap from ‘The Face’ on Carnaby street, Levi jeans, and a M&S jumper. Both wanted to say- Support independent music in 2012!

Fiona Mounstepehn is looking chic in a Topshop coat, a vintage shirt from a kilo sale in London, her mum's bag from when she was a student, and converse shoes. We love her look! Fiona was shopping for her boyfriend, but couldn’t resist looking at our womenswear!

Flying Purple People Eater!

Apparently the original Tyrian purple colour dyes were extracted from a mollusk found on the shores of the city of Tyre in ancient Phoenicia. Purple became a symbol of royalty because only the very wealthy could afford it. Luckily times have changed and you can buy garments in the widest sprectrum of purples from our Ebay store (for very affordable prices!)
These wild mohair jumpers from the 1980s feature deep inky shades. You can find them listed on our ebay site here: Violet Purple Blue

These jumpers are the perfect attire for a sing-a-long with Sheb Wooley from 1958!

Shades of Lilac

Beautiful shades of lilac really caught our eye this week, and we just had to show you all these wonderful examples! Dating from the 60s and 70s, they share a similar shade, but all have a style that's completely their own. They're a really great choice for spring! Search our sugary shades of Lilacs at our ebay shop, here!

Set For Flight

We often get some beautiful Aviator Jacket in stock, and these two are no exception. They both encompass the style and feel of the originals so perfectly, while still looking fresh and modern today. The classic men's aviator jacket that we currently have in stock is a classic example of what makes aviator jackets so great, with buckles at the neck, for keeping out the cold. It available from our ebay story here. The Women's jacket on the right is made by Lakeland, and is such a wearable and quality piece of clothing. It can be found at our ebay store, here.

The design for this classic style was driven from utility and necessity and has slowly developed into an iconic design. Designed to be worn in open planes, they were longer in style, and were designed to keep in as much heat as possible! The picture, left, is a photo of a WW1 pilot. They were later lined in fur, and then sheepskin, which is the style that has prevailed. So much history and tradition are wrapped up in these jackets, and they instantly evoke a certain style and look.  

Photograph courtesy of:
http://www.hellequins.net/forums/viewtopic.php?p=13924&sid=e0f3ca721ed99587216da9ad2b3598c8

As Good As Gold!

Be dazzled by these gorgeous 1960s Lurex dresses! They can be found on our Ebay site, just click here: Lurex

 

Irresistibly sparkly and mesmerisingly glittery, Lurex has attracted the attention of designers (and the occasional magpie) over the last sixty years. Made of laminated aluminium foil and transparent film sliced into narrow strips, Lurex yarn mimics the nuances of gold, silver and copper, creating amazing metallic effects.

Encompassing the glamour of 1950s Couture, Lurex was embraced by leading designers and transformed into dazzling pieces such as this Jacques Fath coat, ca 1956. Lurex was made a household name in the 1960s thanks to a black shimmering bodysuit worn by Julia Newmar as Catwoman in the Batman TV series. Who will ever forget Madonna’s Lurex corset designed by Jean-Paul Gaultier in 1990? And who could be missed in Louis Vuitton’s ‘Embroidered Lurex Tiger Tweed Suit’ from 2003?

For some dazzling vintage Lurex pieces, head over to our Armstrongs Ebay page!

Photographs courtesy of:
http://englishelinora.blogspot.co.uk/2012/01/jacques-fath-coat-1956.html
http://affairsmagazine.com/wordpress2/2011/06/16/calling-all-comic-fangirls/
http://mrstextiles.com/?p=369
http://www.clothes-fashion.com/2011/05/louis-vuitton-womens-read-to-wear-look-03.html

Welcome to Armstrongs Vintage Emporium!

Whether you have visited one of our three Edinburgh Shops, shopped online at our ebay store, or have just stumbled across us for the first time, we’re excited to introduce our blog to you. We hope it will be the perfect way to communicate to you all the exciting things that are happening at Armstrongs Vintage Clothing Emporium. Bringing you all the news from the shops, our ebay store and the city it happens in –Edinburgh.

We will be delving a bit deeper into some of the vintage labels that we love and sharing with you some of the beautiful clothing that comes through our doors. And we’d love to hear from you! If you have bought something from us recently, send us a photo! Tell us who you are, if you have a blog we can link to, which of our stores you purchased it from, and where you wore it! Send it to: armstrongsvintageclothing@googlemail.com