Skinny Love and Prints Charming

I know, I know, I need another vintage maxi dress like I need a hole in the head but since when does necessity come into the equation when you spot a groovy print like this one? Buy what you love when you see it (and, obviously, when you can afford it) and you'll never wake up at 3am wondering why you passed up on that perfect frock.

Its a two piece beach set, made from fast-drying nylon and ideal for sunset strolls along the seashore in Goa but, as I've yet to find a flight at the right price, it'll do for a wet day in Walsall.

I'm planning on attaching the halter top to the skirt with a perspex ring - I know I've got one somewhere!

That bracelet with the brown glass stones? Some work colleagues bought it me for my 21st birthday. The Lapis ring? My Dad bought for me when I passed my Eleven Plus almost 37 years ago. My taste in jewellery hasn't changed in a lifetime.

After numerous requests here's how Jon skinnies-up his trousers. Isn't it funny that nobody bats an eyelid if a woman uses a power drill or rewires a plug but seems to think that a man who sews is a bit odd? Get with the 21st Century people!

• Put trousers on the wrong side out and pin along each side of the leg, allowing some room for movement.
• Take them off and machine sew up both sides of each leg using a long stitch setting.
• Turn the trousers the right way. Try them on in front of a mirror.
• If okay then turn inside-out and sew over the first row of stitching using a shorter length stitch setting.
• Try on again just to make sure that you're happy.
• Trim off any excess fabric using pinking shears (if you don't have any of these then use normal scissors and zig-zag the raw edges of the fabric to prevent fraying).
• Wear with pride.

Vintage daisy print two-piece (RetroRags, Vintage Village at Stockport) worn with a £7 fake fur jacket and a bastard massive 1970s pendant (from the gorgeous Em)
Since I last blogged we've taken Kinky on the road to Nottingham and to Stockport. Both events were fantastic but man, consecutive 5am get-ups and two 14 hour days sure have taken their toll. We're like zombies. How I used to work for a living I'll never know.

Still, onwards and upwards. There's a jumble sale to help out at & another vintage fair (HERE) to prepare before the week's out.
See you soon!
Linking to Sacramento's Share In Style: Prints