Friday 4 February 2011

Kitsch and Cath Kidson....

One thing you should know about me is that I am addicted to kitsch.....in fact if there was an Addicts Anonymous group for this affliction i would be the first one standing...announcing that 'My name is Lucy and I am addicted to Kitsch' (probably wearing a flowered tea dress, corsage in my hair and a necklace involving lockets, hearts or birds...or possibly all three).

My home is probably the greatest testament to this.
I live in a lovely shoebox in East London where we have to hide items that are not used or turn them into things...for example our side table which is in fact our spare TV turned on it's side with a lamp on.
However I have managed to sneak in so many gloriously kitsch items (including an amazing Jesus figurine and a mirror of Mary that lights up.....very Baz Lurhman Romeo + Juliet) that you can't move in certain area's for the risk of knocking something over.

If my home were a film it would be Romeo and Juliet

So to celebrate my love I have decided to dedicate this blog to possibly the Queen of Kitsch  - Cath Kidson

Cath Kidson Ltd started in 1993 in a tiny shop in Holland Park where Cath began selling vintage wallpapers, fabrics and brightly coloured furniture that she remembered from her childhood.
Her clever, witty re-working of traditional English country house style meant that her shop was an instant cult success.

Gradually Cath began to design her own prints and products including a extensive range of home wares and womens fashion,

In Caths own words she aims to create products that are fun, practical and original.

I bloody love her and here are my favourite bits from this season....







PLEASE SOMEONE BUY ME THIS DRESS....I need to have it

And finally I would just like to say thank-you to a very special friend who has taken a huge interest in my blogging/store and is a constant support....Alice...you rock my world xx









Thursday 3 February 2011

A girls love of vintage....: A good year for rabbits...

A girls love of vintage....: A good year for rabbits...: "Happy Chinese New Year...from now until January 23, 2012, consider it the Year of the Rabbit (with the Year of the Tiger having just wr..."

A good year for rabbits...

Happy Chinese New Year...from now until January 23, 2012, consider it the Year of the Rabbit (with the Year of the Tiger having just wrapped and the Year of the Dragon on the horizon). 


The  12 animals of the Chinese zodiac (Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Ram, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig) are each meant to inform the personalities of the people born during their particular years. People born during the Year of the Rabbit (which includes anybody born in 1975, 1987 and 1999) tend to be soft-spoken, sensitive, artistic and reserved. I was born in the year of the Rooster which clealry gives me a cackling laugh, mental hair and a love of shopping.


To celebrate Chinese New Year here are some of my favourite Chinese inspired finds....some vintage and some not so..


Love these cigar cards...they look great in different size/coloured frames
These two Chinese prints are just gorgeous



Loving this wallpaper from the V&A..would make a great feature wall
Two different looks both with a Chinese blossom pattern...hard part is deciding which one to go for










Yes...I know these are not Chinese themed in the slightest but I love them ...and it is the year of the rabbit after all


Wednesday 2 February 2011

A girls love of vintage....: A bit about me....

A girls love of vintage....: A bit about me....: "After chatting last night over dinner with two of my good friends (Row - talkative Aussie and Gill - obsessed with Princess Diana) we came t..."

A bit about me....

After chatting last night over dinner with two of my good friends (Row - talkative Aussie and Gill - obsessed with Princess Diana) we came to the conclusion that I should tell you a bit about myself.

As I am sure you can tell from my blog I love love LOVE vintage and try to wear it as much as possible...however....I am not one of these gorgeous vintage goddesses who wear amazing vintage clothing, have immaculate hair and never go anywhere without red lipstick....like the lovely ladies below.




Sadly in my case my hair can sometimes resemble a birds nest and if I try and wear red lipstick I end up spending all day wiping off my teeth....very attractive.

Although I would love to spend all my time hunting out gorgeous vintage items and drinking gin cocktails I spend most of my week working in the lovely world of social media where I spend my day looking after the bright young things that work here....at times it can feel like I am head of a children's home or like Miss Hannigan from Annie (we have very similar hair).



I have nine very very close girlfriends and these include....two accountants, one singer, one dancer, two PA's, one fashion designer, one investment banker and a sister.....we all have very different styles and ways of dressing.

The boy...also an investment banker is a handsome fellow, loves shopping in Ted Baker (and other such shops) and is always surprised by my clothing choices of a morning....including today's choice.

Home is Shoreditch in East London and also Leigh-on-sea in Essex.....both of which are havens for vintage clothing and for afternoon tea....the two go together hand in hand.

Although I am a BIG fan of vintage nights out.....The Blitz Party, Last Days of Decadence...etc....you will also find me dancing to 80's disco on a Friday night somewhere in East London.

Now...back to my main love...!

I spend most weekends hunting down and buying vintage to sell on Hummingbird Vintage....this is one of my absolute favourite things to do (even though it breaks my heart when a piece gets sold) and also blogging about my finds.
Although my hope is that one day this will allow me to live the dream of working in vintage full time one of the main reasons I started this was to make vintage more accessible and used as everyday wear.

For example today..to the office...I am wearing a blue floral 1980's US day dress teamed with a Primark belt, black tights and very tatty Primark pumps.





Whole outfit cost about £25 and I am sure there will not be anyone else wearing it. 

In Hummingbird Vintage (www.hummingbirdvntage.co.uk) I mainly sell items that can be worn for everyday use and dressed up with heels and jewellery for the evening so that they are both affordable and can be worn on any occasion. I change my stock most weeks and am happy to go out and scour the markets if you are after something in particular. I have some amazing and unusual suppliers so I can usually find most items at a good price.

That is it...me in a nutshell...if you want to find out more or have any questions please email me at lucy@hummingbirdvintage.co.uk.

Lucy xx

Tuesday 1 February 2011

Michelle Obama wears vintage.....sparks panic - Telegraph

To be honest I am not really into  politics and would rather read a fashion mag than a paper but when someone sent me this articles about the First Lady herself rocking the vintage trend it made me pay attention.


Michelle Obama wears vintage, sparks panic - Telegraph



Now lets be honest...Michelle Obama cannot be short of money so doesn't need to hunt through thrift stores in order to find affordable clothes but chooses to wear vintage because (probably much like the rest of us) she knows that is looks original and (especially in this case) simply gorgeous....Mrs Obama....we salute you..!!

Now...although this frock isn't worth a staggering $2500 it is still a gorgeous net creation and a lot more purse friendly...




So if you feel like following in Michelle Obama's footsteps then drop me an email at lucy@hummingbirdvintage.co.uk 


Monday 31 January 2011

....and more Fashion Mag vs Vintage

So to carry on with today's them I have been seeing a certain colour around recently which looks like a hot trend for Spring/Summer 2011...this colour is mint green.


Now to be honest this is not a colour I have ever thought to wear but on the right garment  it can look amazing as the lovely Agyness and Kate show below...




And here is my version....simply divine....looks lovely with flat gold sandals and big bangles for a day time looks or with sky scraper heels in the evening. Sorbet colours are going to be BIG so adding pink accessories to this dress would really capitalise on the look..!


Another huge huge HUGE look this season is ladylike fashion....now this is a look I love. Being born with curves I have been praying for this look to come in ever since the invention of skinny jeans...and thank the lord...it is finally here.

The thing I love about this look is that you can either go full on ladylike with full skirts, ponytail and minimal jewellery (think Sandy from Grease) or you can toughen it up.....below are my favourite ladylike looks being rocked by some ladylike and some not so ladylike girls....

Carey Mulligan in Preen


Daisy Lowe in Louis Vuitton


Michelle Williams


Rula Jebreal in Prada


Pixie Geldof in Louis Vuitton

....and as always here are my vintage versions to keep to most ladylike of us looking good....










....this is my favourite look so there is always plenty of ladylike dresses on the website www.hummingbirdvintage.co.uk....but for now I leave you with possibly one of the most unladylike pop princess's rocking a very ladylike look...if she can do it then we all can..!! xx







Vintage finds....


I love shopping...I have the debt to prove it...but I particularly love the feeling of buying something that no-one else has which is
why I am addicted to vintage.


This Sunday while I was carrying out my usual Sunday ritual of flicking through fashion magazines I found a number of items that currently in (or about to be) that also have great vintage alternatives....so you can feel smug about being kind to the enviroment as well as making sure that you don't look like anyone else....

At the Golden Globes this year Red was a signature colour

Our favourite Mad Men beauty also in red

This red dress is perfect for day with sandals and sunnies or  at night with heels and big bangles

Looks like the 70's are going to be big this year and the print of choice...Paisley



I love this dress....the print is in muted colours and looks great with brogues for a day time look or with tan heels for lady like chic
You can find my vintage alternatives on my website www.hummingbirdvintage.co.uk as well as many more vintage treasures or just email me at lucy@hummingbirdvintage.co.uk x