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We have added to our collection of social networking, and decided to get ourselves an instagram! You can find us by searching for @armstrongsvintage. We'll be keeping you up to date with all the latest in our wonderful world of vintage clothing...so come along and follow us for exclusive updates!

Today we had a little look at the Outfits Of The Day at our eBay office...

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The Gold Medal Look

This week everyone was watching these lovely ladies... 

... GB women’s beach volleyball team.  It was what was going on between matches that caught my eye however!

These 1950s dancing beach beauties stole the show and highlighted a few flaws in the skimpier swimwear of today.  If you don’t believe me just take a look at the stylometer below which clearly states that beachwear peaked circa 1954.

Post 1940s austerity we saw the gentle emergence of a more feminine, softer shoulder shape, a nipped in waist and, dare I say it in a double dip recession, a hint of luxury.  Corset manufacturers cottoned on to this; they had a bit of time on their hands as no one was wearing their products anymore!  They saw a market for something a little more revealing that would still cunningly disguise any lumps and bumps.  Bra cups, boning and stretch tummy panels were employed to create the new look and the costume was cut across the top of the leg to conceal the crotch in a style prudishly named ‘the modesty apron’.

I looked out a few ways that you could channel 1950s luxury on the beach this summer from our Clerk Street store.

What will you accessorise yours with?

Just in case the boys were feeling left out...

Pickpocket Thursday

This week we were delighted to find a thank-you note addressed to Dr John from Ruby.






















We're not doctors here at Armstrongs, but we can recommend a 'vintage' prescription that's been handed down to us along with some 70s maxi dresses and the colour of our eyes. Here's an age old mother's recipe for a sore throat:
Add one teaspoon of apple cider vinegar, a tiny pinch of cayenne pepper, the juice of 1/4 lemon, and one teaspoon of honey to a cup of hot water. Stir well and drink up to 3 -4 cups per day.

We also recommend looking at a healthy dose of cute dribbling baby photos because silly things make you feel good too...




Bye bye for now Pocketeers!

Chain Reaction

Chainmail; a fashion statement of empowerment, resistance and rebellion, a declaration to those around you that you mean business!  Think Russell Crow in Gladiator, Vivienne Westward’s punk rock SEX shop, Liz Hurley in that safety pin dress (a 1990s twist on the chainmail look), Paco Rabanne... Pat Butcher!  The chain links the cheap and tacky to the one of a kind luxury through the decades; an all encompassing symbol of strength.  Let us not reduce the chain to the shoulder strap on a knock off Chanel handbag in a Primark bargain bin, let us reclaim the chain!

Why now?  This is the summer after all.  We should be artfully arranging ourselves on plaid rugs next to picnic hampers, channelling Rachel Khoo and cooking up madeleines in 1950s ditsy prints, drinking gin with sprigs of lavender in it – according to the Observer last week!  I am however yet to see the sun from Edinburgh this year and, in light of having to practically swim through the park last week due to the recent bout of flooding, perhaps this British summer we need a fashion statement of defiance against the odds.

The chain does of course have practical origins.  Chainmail and its use in armour can be seen in historical imagery dating back to 300BC. Today its practical uses may be a little less glamorous than those of the Middle Ages; chainmail is now used to protect butchers against the perils of the meat packing equipment.  The empowering quality of chainmail however remains steadfast, for what modern woman does not want to be the embodiment of strength and flexibility!

This look can be as bold as you dare but here are a few Armstrongs examples found at Teviot Place today to give you an idea.  

Pick Pocket Thursday

This Queen of the South Football Club Fixture Card was tucked inside the pocket of a duffel coat. The team was formed in 1919 when a handful of Dumfries football enthusiasts met in their homes to discuss the restoration of competitive football fixtures locally, following the end of World War 1. They decided to form a new team by amalgamating the local clubs and so Queen of the South F.C. was born. Dumfries had been nicknamed `Queen of the South` by David Dunbar, a local poet, who in 1857 stood for Parliament in the General Election. The club badge contains the same motto as that on the crest for the town of Dumfries, 'A Lore Burne', the historical rally cry in Dumfries against outside attack.

 Here's 'The Doonhamers' in the 1960s...

And here they are now...

Danananananana BATMAN!

Get into the Batman spirit this week with a black cape, leather trousers or a sheepskin coat from our Ebay store. Here are a few of our Dark Knight inspired favourites...

 

Batman wears a stylish super-slim-fit bat suit made from a polyester mesh with flexible urethane plates. He's not afraid to wear a onesie playsuit in public!

 

Bane models this beautiful shearling sheepskin jacket and has popped the collar to suit his tough-guy look. He certainly pulls off 'animalistic-chic' with this worn and distressed coat complete with analgesic gas mask and thick military gilet.

Make way for Selina Kyle on the catwalk! She models a slick spandex suit embossed with a hexagonal pattern and accessorised with a cat-burglar belt of tools, gadgets and a pocket for her stolen pearls!

You can find these items listed on our ebay site here. Thanks to costume designer Lindy Hemming for the inspiration.

Pick Pocket Thursday

Today we discovered some tasty treats in the pocket of this is beautiful Harris Tweed jacket. A happy little horsie has grown up big and strong thanks to these heart shaped pony nuts.

Here's a poem by e.e cummings that we hope you enjoy too.

the little horse is newlY

Born)he knows nothing,and feels
everything;all around whom is

perfectly a strange
ness(Of sun
light and of fragrance and of

Singing)is ev
erywhere(a welcom
ing dream:is amazing)
a worlD.and in

this world lies:smoothbeautifuL
ly folded;a(brea
thing a gro

Wing)silence,who;
is:somE

oNe

Christmas in July

Santa has come early to Armstrongs! This beautiful shimmering iridescent tie arrived straight from the 1950s in its original R.H. Macy & Co. Box complete with tissue paper and the feeling of an unwanted gift. But we are thrilled to receive it! Perhaps it sat under a Christmas tree that looked like this...

Aran Knit Fishermen's Jumpers

Aran knit jumpers (or fishermen's jumpers) are world famous and easily recognisable due to the tradition of complex knit patterns and cream coloured yarns, but did you know that the stitch patterns are said to mean different things?

The honey comb stitch is supposed to be the symbol of a hard working bee.

The cable knit is an integral part of the fishermen's life and so is therefore said to bring luck and safety.

A wish of success, wealth and treasure is brought by the diamond stitch.

And finally the basket stitch is a hope for a plentiful catch.

Look out for jumpers showing these different stitches on our Ebay site at www.armstrongsvintage.co.uk

Pick Pocket Thursday

It was a stormy night. A traveller reached an inn. As the hour was very late, he found the door locked from within. He knocked at the door.
The gate-keeper responded to the knock, saying, "I have lost the key and the door cannot be opened unless you have a silver key with you."
The traveller understood what he meant by the silver key. He im­mediately slipped a silver coin through the hole, and the door opened.
As soon as he got in, he said to the gate keeper, "I have left my box outside, please bring it." As the gate-keeper went out to bring the box, the traveller closed the door behind him.
The keeper asked him to open the door so that he may come in. Now the traveller replied from within, "I have lost the key and a silver key is needed to open the door." Soon the coin was pushed again through the hole and the dishonest man was let in.
Moral:
Dishonesty meets dishonesty.

The moral here at Armstrongs is 'always check the pockets'.
This week's discovery was this little silver key tucked in the corner of a pocket on this military jacket and we found a fable to match it from here. What did Aesop have in his pockets we wonder...
See you next week Pocket Pickers!

Pickpocket Thursday

We were quite delighted to find this 'I AM 6' badge on a wildly colourful poncho from the 1970s.

We like to think it belonged to a child who looked something like this....

And imagined a future that is something like this....

These futuristic illustrations of a predicted 2076 world were drawn by children in 1976. You can read the article here. Until next week, Pickers of Pockets!

There's a BLOUSE in the house!

Check out these gorgeous vintage blouses, tank tops and shirts on our ebay site. They're perfect for a lovely summer day! Just click here... Blouses at Armstrongs Ebay