movies | I Get a Kick out of you

A Dress of Envy – Atonement

February 29, 2012 by igetakickoutofyou

My very gorgeous cousin in law was going to a wedding at St Paul’s Cathedral and she asked me to make her a dress. Aha, I thought, another one to add to the recreating vintage list. When asked what sort of dress she would like, she replied “that green dress in Atonement”. Hmmm – not just any dress, that green dress in Atonement – who doesn’t want that green dress? I have lusted after that dress since the first time […]

Categories: 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, Fashion, vintage, Vintage Inspiration • Tags: 1930s, Atonement, books, craft, design, diy, dressmaking, Entertainment, Fashion, fashion illustration, films, history, Kiera Knightley, movies, photography, reviews, style, vintage

That’s Amore

February 20, 2012 by igetakickoutofyou

Sorry for the break in transmission. I’ve been away for half-term but more about that in another post. I did my usual round up of magazines before I went and for any 1950s & 60s Hollywood aficionados, Vanity Fair is a great purchase this month, featuring interviews with both Sophia Loren and Brigitte Bardot? What more can one vintage lover want? I was struck by Sophia Loren’s story. Its’ a very human one – not a typical rags to riches […]

Categories: 1950s, Fashion, Photography2, Vintage Inspiration • Tags: 1950s, art, design, Entertainment, Fashion, fashion illustration, film, films, history, Love, Magazines, movies, music, photography, reviews, Sophia Loren, style, vintage

Jean Harlow, Nightdress, Dinner at Eight

Elegantly Lounging

February 8, 2012 by igetakickoutofyou

Pyjamas are back. But for those of you not in the know, this is not for lounging at home, this is an everywhere , every way trend. Just as the slip was in the days of grunge. Remember Amanda de Cadenet, Courtney Love and Kate Moss? I like the idea of pyjamas, I love the cut. I loved the slip too – I had a black one, which was too big and I safety-pinned it at the back to give […]

Categories: 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, Fashion, vintage, Vintage Inspiration • Tags: 1920s, 1950s, audrey hepburn, culture, design, diy, dressmaking, Elizabeth Taylor, Entertainment, Fashion, fashion illustration, films, Inspiration, Jean Harlow, Mildred Pierce, movies, music, photography, shopping

Carolyn Everitt, Jo, Rachel and Rebecca, HUSH, Gentlemen prefer Blondes

Dresses and Controversy in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

February 6, 2012 by igetakickoutofyou

It was a bitter night and as we reached the screening, snow was really starting to fall heavily. However, there nestled in a little courtyard off Brook Street was our outdoor screening of “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes’ at HUSH, complete with fairy lights, candles, hot water bottles, blankets and hot chocolate…….oh, and most important of all popcorn! We all agreed that if someone had planned this as a first date, we would have been super impressed. I hadn’t ever watched the […]

Categories: 1950s, Fashion, Photography2, Vintage Inspiration • Tags: 1950s, Costume, craft, design, dressmaking, Entertainment, Fashion, fashion illustration, film, films, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, marilyn monroe, movies, photography, reviews, William Travilla

Tango Collage, Space NK, Netaporter, Tabitha Simmons, Leighton Denny, Agent Provocoteur

A Touch of Tango

January 31, 2012 by igetakickoutofyou

So we went to our Argentine Tango workshop at PUSH. Wow, this dance is so much more complicated than I thought it was going to be. Watching it, you think it’s just going to be a bit of walking and flicking of the feet, but boy the intricacies and detail that goes into it, is way above and beyond any other kind of dancing I have done before. To see it done at its absolute best (without a trip to Buenos […]

Categories: 1920s, 1930s, Dance, Fashion • Tags: art, culture, dance, design, Entertainment, Fashion, fashion illustration, films, Jennifer Lopez, Jessica Biel, movies, music, Salma Hayek

The Madam of Monochrome

January 22, 2012 by igetakickoutofyou

This week’s Inspired Buys refer to “Igor and Coco” – monochrome style. Story wise, the film is a little slow – in fact I recommended it to a friend and she fell asleep within 5 minutes – you know who you are! However, the costumes and the interiors are absolutely incredible – a total visual feast, and I can quite easily watch a film and be totally engrossed in the style, rather than the story – so this is still one […]

Categories: Interiors, Vintage Inspiration • Tags: black and white, Chanel, design, Entertainment, films, home, Igor and Coco, Inspiration, Interiors, lifestyle, monochrome, movies, music, photography, shopping, style

Grace Kelly meets the Gladiator

January 1, 2012 by igetakickoutofyou

My challenge for New Year was to re-create a vintage outfit. Doing the daily routine, school runs etc, in slightly distressed vintage is all well and good, and indeed can add to the outfit, but sometimes there are occasions when the evidence of ageing just won’t do. The added advantage of making an outfit from scratch is making it to your size, particularly since the majority of my vintage finds are a tad on the small size. I comfort myself […]

Categories: 1930s, 1950s, vintage, Vintage Inspiration • Tags: craft, design, dressmaking, Fashion, Grace Kelly, history, HItchcock, movies, Rear Window, vintage

Pillow Talk and the Hunky Beast

December 18, 2011 by igetakickoutofyou

The prompt for this post was the Terence Conran exhibition at the Design Museum, which is definitely worth a visit for all those interested in vintage pieces and design (and doesn’t finish until March 2012!). Perusing round the various, “Heals & Habitat”, styled furniture and textiles, I came across this dressing table . This is one classy, cool piece dressing table. It’s chunky, almost masculine, with an industrial edge but is still somehow elegant. Only a really cool cat could have […]

Categories: 1950s, 1960s, Interiors • Tags: design, Doris Day, Fashion, film, Interiors, movies, Pillow Talk, Rock Hudson, vintage

A Week with Marilyn – The Ingenious Breast Dress

December 1, 2011 by igetakickoutofyou

Ahh……loved, loved , loved “A Week With Marilyn”. Michelle Williams is incredible – absolutely breathtaking – in fact I’m going to see it again! One of the things I want to pay particular attention to is the dress that Marilyn Monroe (Michelle) wears when she steps off the plane in England. You’ll know what I mean if you have the seen the film – it’s a total scene stealer. The construction of the bust line on this dress is seriously ingenious. […]

Categories: 1950s, Fashion, Vintage Inspiration • Tags: 1950s, burlesque, craft, dressmaking, Entertainment, Fashion, film, flapper dress, Glamour, hollywood, Inspiration, marilyn, marilyn monroe, movies, my week with marilyn, photography, shopping, style, vintage