Memoirs of a Jacket

We where swooning over this mysterious jacket when it arrived at our Clerk St shop last week. With its stunning Oriental silk and luxurious red velvet detailed with fringing and bold engraved buttons it's an absolute treat! There's also an extra helping of orange Paisley print lining just in case you weren't spoilt enough already.

However, like all great love affairs the garment had history...and we didn't know it!
Labelled 'McAnaraks Anaraks' a quick google brought us to Buttons by McAnaraks where we noticed the similarities in the buttons. It was soon confirmed by Fran Harkes that she made this Jacket in the early 90's from Vintage material sourced from Charity Shops finished with her distinctive fimo Button's...right in the Highlands of Scotland!

This is a fantastic collaboration of two adored trends, combining Oriental and Festival perfectly.
And best yet, you can get your hands on it here on our Ebay shop!

In The Spotlight ... 80s Jumpsuits

Along with legwarmers, jewel coloured cycling shorts and pop skirts, 80s jumpsuits are now firmly back in fashion.  From the bright colours worn by Devo to the more earthy billowing  numbers worn by Kate Bush, the jumpsuit has been readopted and refashioned by designers such as Stella McCartney and is now back for a revival. 

Originally used by pilots and skydivers the early jumpsuit was a practical piece designed to insulate the body from cold at high altitude and provide enough freedom of movement.  The jumpsuits simple all-in-one design quickly made it a favourite garment for labourers, mechanics and engineers. The jumpsuit also found its place as an institutional uniform with its potential as a unisex garment able to accommodate a wide range of body shapes. Students in Sweden and Finland often wear colour coded jumpsuits according to their field of study at student parties and in Norway high school students wear jumpsuits for three weeks of May as part of the graduation ritual Russefeiring. 

Since the1960s the jumpsuit has resurfaced in fashion and was made famous by icons like Elvis Presley, Mick Jagger to become an 80s classic, later influencing the catsuits worn by Goldfrapp and Britney Spears. Visually stunning they have remained popular items worn on stage and contain futuristic connotations because of their appearance in science fiction. 

Coming in various colours, patterns and fabrics, Armstrongs has a range of 80s and 80s inspired classic jumpsuits. From the fun and playful to the power dressing and glamorous, the jumpsuit has been attractive to designers due to the unbroken line running from the neck to the feet and is flattering on many body shapes.  From designers like Joseph Ribkoff, a Canadian designer who’s been designing ladies fashion since 1957 to quirky modern high street interpretations there is a jumpsuit for all kinds of occasions so take a 80s vintage trip and check out our shops to find the perfect one for you!

Breath In... Vintage Corsetry Has a Moment

No one can quite beer the agony of squeezing themselves in them now days.  Since the girdle was cast aside fairly recently for its rather unsavoury gut-squishing effects these beautiful garments have more often than not become objet d’art in their own right, to be examined from a distance rather than at close quarters, allowing us women folk to happily relax our muffin tops on our waistbands.

The strict boning was discarded when war hit Britain (after all, how was a girl to join the war effort trussed up like a chicken).  However the hip-slimming necessity of the girdle was still seen as a must until the 1970’s when a more smock-like wardrobe came into fashion (many thanks Ossie Clerk et al).

Never fear for the corset's longevity, as long as we keep buying them, caring for them and displaying them their history will be preserved, so put one on a mannequin, hang one on a wall and don’t feel bad for not wearing it, times have changed since the 1830’s.  Us ladies no longer need the medical support of the structured corset to hold up our delicate frames, we have moved on....