December 23, 2024
Chicago 12, Melborne City, USA
Dear Diary

Ric-Rac-Book-Tastic (or something)

Bit late with this one, but better late than never as they say!

Last Saturday I went to the rather wonderful launch of the rather wonderful Style Me Vintage: Clothes by Naomi of Vintage Secret. (My review is here!)

I did not take my camera, as I did not trust myself not to leave it in corners and step on it after a few Kings Ginger and Freixenet cocktails. I thought I would take photos with my iPhone, in fact the only thing I photographed was the pork pies. Though they were delicious. They’re “iced” with flavoured mashed potato, and 5 of them constituted my dinner.

So instead I am turning to the work of the very lovely and talented Hanson Leatherby to help me illustrate this post.

The launch party was held in The Fox in Shoreditch, and magically transformed into the Ric Rac Club after hours. The start of the evening was all about Naomi and the book. Her lovely Grandmothers were in attendance, this is me chatting with Naomi’s grandmother about gloves, the size of our hips and how lovely Naomi is.

I went for a bit of a beehive and early 60s style in an orange silk dress with pearls and black accessories. I’m loving big up dos at the moment for the minimal hair setting required, I badly need a hair cut and putting rollers in long hair is a right faff!

But back to the party. Naomi herself looked lovely in black lace, though she was flitting around with a look on her face that was part terror and part stress all evening! (Not in this photo obviously, in this photo she looks relaxed and happy, lovely)

The party really did feel like some kind of vintage convention, and the reason we all took so few photos was that we were all too busy catching up, drinking A LOT and telling each other how much we really, really, loved each other.

The party ran into the Ric Rac nice and smoothly, so I’m not sure where one started and the other ended. We were treated to various entertainments, such as the impeccably dressed Gemma from Bake Do & Mend doing a ukulele set, therefore giving us all a chance to caterwaul along to “Waiting at the Church”

THERE I WAS, WAITING AT THE CHURCH, WAITING AT THE CHURCH, WAITING AT THE CHURCH… etc etc to detriment of everyone’s ears.

Not only did I take home a lovely goodie bag containing hair flowers and a copy of BBC Homes & Antiques, but I also won a prize in the raffle!

Looking fairly put together here I think, considering how much I’d had to drink by this point, and proudly displaying my new copy of “Am I a Chap?”

I’m still waiting to see how hilariously cheesy are the photos of my and Lucy from The Glamourologist posing in the photobooth, but one of my favourites from the night is this one (taken by Charlotte of Tuppence Ha’penny) of me and one of the ladies from Anova (Naomi’s publisher) apparently trying to escape from Margaret of Penny Dreadful who was wearing an amazing wig!

You can grab yourself a copy of Style Me Vintage: Clothes on Amazon. I highly recommend it!

You can see more of Hanson Leatherbys lovely photos of the night over on his website. Including quite a scary one where my bullet bra clad bosom looks VERY pointy.

12 Comments

  • Old Fashioned Susie February 24, 2012

    You look stunning!! That colour of your dress really suits you! Looks like an amazing bash too xx

  • Perdita February 24, 2012

    A super night! Oh dear one of my garish gold puff-shoulders is photobombing your lovely photo.

  • Kate February 24, 2012

    You look fab. Seriously where are these bad pictures you were talking about earlier in the week?!

  • Miss Peelpants February 24, 2012

    Ahhhh. I wish I could have been there – you all look beautiful! xx

  • LandGirl1980 February 24, 2012

    I too failed to take photos of anything other than pork pies. I just wanted to drink and chat šŸ™‚ It was a fab night šŸ™‚ And I really loved your 60s look šŸ™‚ Not, obviously as much as you love me. According to your drunk-o-meter it was A LOT. Ha ha!

  • Straight Talking Mama February 24, 2012

    I also didn’t take any photos so am stealing from Charlotte – with her permission – to do a post later! It was fun wasn’t it and you looked lovely.

    You loved me REALLY a lot :o)

  • Gemma February 24, 2012

    Well, like I said, it’s true, I do love you both. Or I did till you started mocking my affections. You can go off a person!

  • Jessie in Fashion Limbo February 24, 2012

    ahhh, looking lovely Gemma. Looks like you had a fab time. Shame there’s no more pictures of those pork pies, I really thought they were just some regular cupcakes at first glance šŸ™‚

  • Sorcha February 24, 2012

    The intense gorgeousness in the room left me in too much awe to take pictures. It was a lovely loved up night to be sure! Yes to the pointy, going to get myself a bullet bra on the strength of that pic!!! Must say how lovely it was to meet you, makes your blog all 3D now to know very nice lady behind the pics and words šŸ™‚

  • vintage mode February 25, 2012

    oh my god that looks like a lot of fun ! I definitely live in the wrong place (Switzerland). Very lovely pictures indeed!

  • Anushka February 25, 2012

    Aha! It was *you* that won ‘Am I a chap?’ I think I accosted you drunkenly in the doorway, I sincerely apologise. I did win a raffle prize in the end.

  • cate February 26, 2012

    you look fab – love your blog – have a look at our new range – just launched designer kaftans http://www.bluemojtio.co.uk and fab embellished tunics

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