Swish and Pout....

So....only a few days to go until the fab Vintage Swish and it looks like it is going to be absolutely amazing.

However up until 8pm last night I was not so sure of this and was in panic mode.

Basically I had assumed that running a swish (as well as the rest of the event) would be very easy....I thought people would just give in their clothes and then magically get new ones....THIS IS NOT THE CASE.

I finally realised this whilst on holiday in Spain and started to panic...which really took the fun out of all the red wine I was consuming...!!

Luckily for me two swishing angels have stepped in and saved the day. Lucy and Nikki run Swish Pout, a fab company running swishing events around London and they even give you fizz and cake whilst you wait....clearly girls after my own heart!!

So these lovely ladies will be making sure things run smoothly on Sunday whilst I look after all the other bits and pieces...love them!!

As well as the clothes swappage there are also some lovely vintage clothes to be bought and I am also bringing along my affordable vintage wedding dress range so if you are a bride looking for a vintage touch pop in and see me on Sunday for a look at the dresses, advice or just a glass of fizz and a gossip.

Here is a sneak peak of what we have and for Sunday only there will be a 10% discount on all Hummingbird Vintage dresses including the bridal range and hand made lingerie....I think it is the promise of booze and cake and the end of a hard weeks dieting that is making me generous!!

If you are popping down then email me your names so I can add them to the guest list..email is lucy@hummingbirdvintage.co.uk

And I'm back....

WOW...after what seems like ages I am back at work.....however the good news is that it is my last week in real full time employment and from next week I can give much more attention to Victory Vixens and all my Hummingbird projects so it is not all bad.

I spent the past week in Spain...well I say Spain but infact it was more like Essex with slightly more sunshine.

Due to lack of funds the boy and I ended up staying in an apartment on a golf resort.....imagine ex-pat city. We tried to sample the local cuisine one night and attempted to find some tapas however we ended up being served a bowl of tuna mayo and some bread....we didn't try again!!

So after a week of pub grub and alot of red wine I am back on the diet wagon...BIG TIME so any tips please let me know as I have a wedding to go to in two weeks and nothing fits...HELP!! xx

Holiday...

YES...after some crazy weeks at work I am finally off on holiday...hurrah.

For the past month I have eaten nothing but healthy food and gone to the gym so much that even typing hurt at times.

My body is slightly more bikini ready than before although I will admit that the fact that I LOVE EATING has not helped at all. However the fact that it is currently raining in Spain means that my body may never see daylight anyway...!!

But before I go some reminders for you lovely people...

Firstly the Vintage Swish is happening on Sunday 8th May at Bar Music Hall in Shoreditch and is going to be AMAZING.
It has basically turned into a vintage fair/boozy afternoon tea/burlesque show/clothes swap....totally amazing.
It starts at 4pm and costs just £2 to get in and all proceeds got to MacMillan and Coppa Feel so please pass this one and invite anyone you fancy....the more the merrier...!!

Secondly our fab vintage dress and handmade lingerie giveaway....you only have five more days to enter and it is for a really good cause....so get on it people....!! Details can be found further down on this blog.

Right...my work here is done (at least for a week) so I am off to eat, drink and be merry in the rain (most probably)....see you on the other side xx

Wedding Wednesday - G&T...

Many years ago when I worked in the wonderful world of events I met a lovely lady called Becks. Now Becks worked in the creative department and she was AMAZINGLY creative...the way she decorated her flat would have been enough to get anyone to give her work.

She also loved a drink which is how we became friends.

Although I hadn't spoken to her in a good few years I alway knew she would have been headed towards greatness and....I was right.

For the past couple of weeks I have been researching vintage weddings and a name that kept popping up was 'Grace and Tailor' so I decided to contact these lovely people and see what they had to offer only to find out it was none other than my gin loving friend Becks who runs it...what a treat.

Grace and Tailor are basically amazing wedding fairies who you can go to in order to give your wedding that special vintage touch and they are more cost effective than hiring a wedding planner to organise the whole things....vintage and value for money...I LOVE THESE GUYS!!

So...lets have a look and what magic the can weave....

...simply amazing....makes me want to get married ASAP just so I can get this fab team to work their magic over everything..!!

If you are looking for that special vintage touch for your wedding you can find the lovely Becks and crew at www.graceandtailor.co.uk.

If you have any random vintage wedding questions that you would like answered by the professionals or are looking for that special (yet affordable) vintage dress...then just email me at lucy@hummingbirdvintage.co.uk xx

Lumps and bumps...

So last week saw the first official photoshoot for the lingerie range which was amazing.

For those of you that don't know the lingerie range is for women who like myself gain or lose a pound or two from time to time but still want their sexy undies to look fab. So each piece is totally adjustable at the side of the knickers, front of the bra and the straps and they are all covered in gorgeous ribbons and vintage buttons...total luxury..!!

We have also created a Victory Vixens range for woman going through cancer as the weight loss/gain during treatment can be pretty substantial so the adjustableness (not even a word but needs must) works really well. We also have high waisted knickers to hide drains or tubing and pockets in the bra's for prosthesis.

So...we were all set....or so I thought.

On a slightly random night out with the boy last week we met a gentleman who in between teaching us martial arts so we could defend ourselves (he almost broke the boys thumb) and telling me how lovely I was (clearly very drunk) explained to me that maternity underwear could do with a big shake up as some of it is very plain and boring.

Even through the haze of white wine and gin I could tell he was on to something so after a quick bit of market research and chatting to alot of pregnant women (I am VERY broody now) we have decided to add a maternity range to our lingerie empire...!!

So what started out as a curvy girls quest to find undies that didn't make us look like a piece of pork trussed up at the butchers or like a lady of the night ahs now turned into a lingerie line to suit every woman....hurrah for lumps and bumps!!

Jackie O...

Firstly before I say anything let me please apologise for the quality of the pictures in todays blog...my camera is broken and I seem to find it more important to spend my money on vintage clothing than new electronic equipment so I am using the camera on my blackberry.

This weekend was spent in a whirlwind of wine, food and sunshine....perfect.

On Saturday I woke the boy early (he was hungover and not pleased) as I had an urge to go and find some lovely new vintage pieces for the shop. After a good ten minute of persuading (including the offer of lunch in a pub) he got out of bed and ready in record time and off we went.

I love shopping for vintage and London's East End is possibly one of the best places to go. The Truman Brewery has a new AMAZING vintage market on Saturdays and the quality was fab.

I ended up buying three new dresses (as always I want to keep them all) and here is the first...

...it is a cream woollen high neck shift dress and it is PERFECT.

It really reminds me of Jackie Onassis and would be perfect for a wedding with some black courts, black clutch bag and black pillbox hat.

It is perfect for you taller ladies (damn you and your long legs) as it looks best just sat on the knee.

It is a size 10 - 12 and is £35....so if you are interested either tweet me or email lucy@hummingbirdvintage.

Tomorrow I will be showing off a gorgeous mauve maxi dress with off the shoulder ruffle so stay tuned..!!

Photoshoot Fabulousness....

Yesterday was the first official photoshoot for the Hummingbird Boudoir/Victory Vixens lingerie range...how exciting!!

I put the call out for some photoshoot assistance about two weeks ago and some amazing people came to my rescue....firstly the lovely Luna De-Lovely offered to model for me (Luna is a fab Burlesque performer who is a dead ringer for Paloma Faith), then the fab Tigz Rice offered to take the pictures (Tigz is an amazing burlesque photographer) and then to top it all off Kelly aka Miss Honey Bare brought her skills as a make-up and hair stylist to the party....totally great girls!!

The day started off badly when I hopped on the tube to fine it absolutely packed with screaming kids going to see the dinosaurs/Madam Tussaud's/Tower of London etc.....the little 'angels' kept getting various body parts/items of clothing caught in the doors leading to a delay of about thirty minutes.

By the time I got off the tube I was furious especially when I found out I had to wait another thirty minutes for a train....I did however spend the time wisely by purchasing some wine in order to help the photoshoot along. .!!

I finally got to St Mary Cray (random name I know) at about 12pm...VERY LATE....and I then had to try and find my way to the studio. Now I have lived in London for just over 18 months and I still can't find my way around my local area so trying to find my way to the studio was a nightmare. I eventually admitted defeat and asked a friendly looking man for directions.....he was in the middle of explaining when his WAG like wife pulled up in her soft top car and demanded to know what I was doing talking to her husband....trying to look as innocent as possible I explained that I was merely asking for directions and not trying to flirt with him (husband was balding and slightly over weight) in anyway. She obviously did not believe me so demanded that I get in the car so she could give me a lift in an effort to get me away from her hubby. After alot of protesting I finally got into the car where we sat in stony silence until she finally asked...."Well what are you even doing here anyway?" and I explained that I created lingerie for women going through cancer and today was our photoshoot whilst the voice in my head was shouting "I HOPE YOU FEEL REALLY BAD NOW LADY"....childish I know.

So after a few more minutes of silence we arrived at the studio and this is where the day starts getting better. Luna looked amazing in the lingerie (to be honest she would look good in a sack), the make-up and hair were fabulous (I am now a convert to heated rollers after a tutorial) and just wait until you see the photos...!!

Totally fab day top off by a lovely meal with the boy...which led to drinks after and dancing to a band....which led to being taught martial arts in the street by a man we met at the bar...which led to Burger King....all of which has led to a very sore head and my body hating me for filling it with rubbish...!!