alice's menagerie

Shopping Round Up - February

2012-02-08T11:47:00.001Z

Shopping Round Up - February by alicegoo featuring low cut shoes

Weekly Etsy Selection

2012-02-07T13:25:00.008Z

Here's my first weekly round up of finds from Etsy, which is one of my favourite places to find vintage clothing on the web. I'm liking red, white and navy at the moment and have been wearing a lot of it recently, so I'm using it as my inspiration for this selection.

From left to right:
1950s navy and white dress from jessjamesjake
red shetland wool cardigan from BeeswaxVintage
red robin necklace from laylaamber
1940s sailor top from topsydesign
1950s navy and white handbag from LivingOnVelvet
1950s white dress from silviawan
navy and white stripe button up by capricioustraveler
1960s rose dress by deargoldenvintage
1960s navy raw sillk dress by capricioustraveler
1930s red art deco necklace by deargoldenvintage

It's been a long time...

2012-02-07T11:08:00.002Z

Well, I decided a while ago to give up writing a blog as I just didn't seem to have the time to devote to it, and to be honest I didn't have the inspiration. Now however, the time feels right and I am feeling inspired to share my love for all things design and fashion and my general love for the aesthetic. I thought about using WordPress but I am not in any way experienced with web design and the instructions may as well have been written in a different language (well, they are I suppose) so I decided to stick with good old blogspot and just update the look and feel of the blog I started a couple of years ago. Anyway, here goes...

Botanical Burst

2011-05-14T10:16:00.001+01:00

Botanical Burst by alicegoo featuring a wide brim straw hat

Gerard Darel shirt dress
195 EUR - gerarddarel.com

Lanvin wide brim straw hat
270 GBP - brownsfashion.com

Shu Uemura Slant Black False Eyelashes
$20 - neimanmarcus.com

Untitled #17

2011-05-14T10:14:00.001+01:00

Untitled #17 by alicegoo featuring cotton skirts

D G cotton skirt
65 GBP - flannelsfashion.com

Boot
699 SEK - modekungen.se

House of Harlow 1960 glass shade
$138 - boutiquetoyou.com

Buckle belt
89 GBP - toast.co.uk

See by Chloé - mytheresa.com - Luxury Fashion for Women / Designer...
285 GBP - mytheresa.com

Holiday Wardrobe: Paris

2011-04-10T20:17:00.001+01:00

Holiday Wardrobe: Paris by alicegoo featuring floral skirts

Hello...

2011-03-05T13:30:00.001Z

Hello... by alicegoo featuring repetto shoes

Autumn Winter 2011

2011-02-27T20:11:00.004Z

Hello! I have been very slack at updating my blog recently but am determined to get back into updating it more often. My camera isn't too great so I am hoping to get a better one and improve the quality of my blogging! In the meantime here are some of my favourites from the autumn winter 2011 catwalk shows so far...

Topshop Unique

Tory Burch

Marc by Marc Jacobs

Tibi

Temperley London

Jill Stuart

Rodarte

Marni

Clements Ribeiro

Lovely Marni

2011-02-27T20:04:00.001Z

Lovely Marni by alicegoo featuring zip bags

Spring Summer 2011 Wish List

2011-01-04T18:40:00.002Z

Random Pictures

2010-10-29T14:36:00.006+01:00

Today I am a bit bored at home so I thought I would take some pictures of some of my favourite things I own. That's it really!

Vintage Edwardian Blouse

Selection of my jewelley

Vintage brooch and belt, Smythson notebook

Martha and some old Observer books

Plop the Owl

Vintage French tin bought from flea market in Alsace

Section of my printer's tray

Old Observer book

Old tin with boat design

Dream Wardrobe

2010-10-18T16:43:00.010+01:00

I have put together my dream wardrobe, if money and availability were no obstacle that is! Just scroll along to see the whole wardrobe and click on the individual items for more info. Hope you enjoy having a look! If you fancy putting together one yourself it's really quite fun, go to polyvore.com and start dreaming x

Dream Wardrobe

2010-09-26T15:54:00.001+01:00

I am having another 'Oh My God It's an Unbelievably Amazing Designer Dress' moment. I seem to be having them a lot lately. It's so depressing. This Marc Jacobs dress is available for £2205 from Browns. Gulp.

A Vintage Affair

2010-09-25T16:06:00.007+01:00

So, I finally got around to going to A Vintage Affair, a new vintage shop in Cardiff, which has been open for a good few weeks now. It's at 26 Morgan Arcade open from 10am-5pm Monday to Saturday so is always closed by the time I've finished work and I hadn't been into town on a Saturday for ages until now. It is such a lovely shop, selling lots of lovely vintage clothes and homewares, as well as new pieces made from vintage things, such as jewellery and cushions made from old Welsh blankets.

It's worth a visit as there is a great second hand book shop next door, the Plan Cafe is across the arcade, which was voted one of the top 50 independent cofee shops in the UK by The Independent newspaper. Neal's Yard Remedies is also across the arcade and there's always the newly relocated Spillers Records just down the way at 31 Morgan Arcade. A lovely way to while away a Saturday afternoon.

Pink, Blue and Green

2010-09-25T16:02:00.001+01:00

Pink, Blue and Green by alicegoo on Polyvore.com

I don't tend to wear many pastel colours as only blue really suits me, I tend to prefer pastel colours in interior design, old faded cushions and quilts etc. But I love the way pastel clothes look hung up together on a rack or from a picture rail.

An Eclectic Mix

2010-09-11T23:26:00.001+01:00

An Eclectic Mix by alicegoo featuring judith leiber handbags

Toast Autumn

2010-09-09T12:30:00.001+01:00

Toast Autumn by alicegoo on Polyvore.com

My favourite pieces from the new Autumn collection from Toast.

Dream Dress

2010-09-04T12:07:00.006+01:00

I don't often write about fashion that is totally out of my league as it can be a bit depressing, but I am so in love with this Burberry Prorsum Washed Velvet Zip Front Dress that I just have to mention it. If you happen to have £2995 to spare then the dress is available online from the Burberry store, but if you're a mere mortal like me you'll just have to admire it from afar, sigh. According to the blurb on the website 'the velvet has been washed to give it a delicate vintage sheen' which just makes it sound even more fantastic. Even a chance to touch this dress would be a dream come true. To people who don't have an obsession with clothes this probably sounds rather strange and shallow, but certain clothes actually give me a feeling of joy, excitement and wellbeing.

Old Town Clothing

2010-09-04T11:04:00.003+01:00

I've been meaning to write a post about Old Town Clothing for a while. They are a company based in Norfolk who make items made to order in their own workshop using primarily British materials. Their clothing doesn't really change from season to season but they use classic patterns based on vintage looks and you can choose from a variety of fabrics including Irish linen, canvas, cavalry drill and corduroy.

Back in the spring I ordered the Bloomsbury skirt in mediumweight navy corduroy and it is so fantastically made, it is a classic item that will last for years. It fits on the waist and looks like an original 1940s item, which I can wear with blouses tucked in and boots for a vintage, yet modern look. You should really check out their website www.old-town.co.uk and they have items for women and men. Items can take 4-6 weeks for delivery as they are made to order. It may seem a little pricey to some but I would rather buy one investment piece from them than 4 cheaper items that will only last a season.

French Connection 1972 Vintage Collection

2010-09-01T20:31:00.003+01:00

The new French Connection 1972 Vintage Collection is now available online. I really love the Grace Lace Shirt, which is £45.

Cabbages and Roses

2010-09-01T09:51:00.003+01:00

There are some really lovely things in the new autumn/winter Cabbages and Roses clothing range, I've chosen a few of my favourite pictures from the lookbook below. Their homewares are pretty special too.

autumn/winter fashion round up

2010-08-31T14:57:00.012+01:00

So, I've been trawling through the internet and magazines for the last few weeks thinking about the coming season and what I'm going to be wearing. I'm starting to really look forward to the autumn now, I think it's going to be an excellent season full of really wearable clothes. I have made this wish list of my favourite items from my favourite websites. I wish I could afford to get all these items but will have to look around for some cheaper versions, probably on Etsy as there are some great vintage clothing sellers on there. My colour palette is going to be mainly black, dark brown, charcoal, burgundy and navy.

Also check out APC, Brora (for great boyfriend cashmere cardigans and liberty print dresses) and also Orla Kiely's new collection looks great but it's not available online just yet.

Cabbages and Roses Amelia Dress £139

Acne Atlas Stretch Jersey Dress £320

Miu Miu Paloma Leather Satchel £995

Toast Breton Stripe Tee £59

Topshop Belted Boyfriend Coat £75

Urban Outfitters Black Wood Heel Boot £85

Topshop Knot Tassel Scarf £16

Cabbages and Roses Inverted Pleat Front Dress £169
(available in Navy and Charcoal)

tba autumn/winter 2010

2010-08-07T20:48:00.003+01:00

I am in love with the new collection from tba, which is available online now on asos.com. I so wish I could afford all of it however if I had to pick one item I think it would be the silk mushroom print dress.

Old Books

2010-07-11T15:05:00.011+01:00

I have been collecting old books for a while now and wanted to share some of my favourites. I particularly like old natural history books, children's books and murder mysteries. I have collected about 40 or so of the Observer books and have started to collect the King Penguin series (see Seashore Life and Pattern below, which is my favourite). It has made me want to visit Hay on Wye again, the second hand book capital of the world!

New Etsy Shop

2010-07-09T19:30:00.004+01:00

I have set up my own Etsy shop! Click on the link on the right hand side of my blog to have a look at the vintage clothing and accessories I have for sale. There's about 11 items at the moment but I will be adding to this in the next few days/weeks.

ebay vintage dresses

2010-06-25T14:09:00.010+01:00

Well I've finally managed to get 2 vintage dresses on ebay for sale. The first is a 1920s yellow and white spot cotton lawn dress, the second is a 1940s silk floral dress. I love both but they don't really suit me so I've decided to let them go.

black and white

2010-06-19T10:32:00.009+01:00

I've been a bit slack lately updating my blog and with things in general. I've been meaning to list some vintage clothes on ebay but haven't got around to it yet. I have a week off now though and will hopefully get a bit more done, I will be putting up details on here of the vintage clothes I will be selling on ebay. In the meantime, I thought I'd share some of my favourite black and white pictures

Junzo Terada

2010-06-05T10:17:00.009+01:00

I have become slightly obsessed recently with the artwork of Junzo Terada, a Japanese designer/illustrator. I have bought his children's book 'Le Magasin de Celestin', a collection of postcards 'Happy Animal Time', a notebook, and my favourite, 'Magical Menagerie', which is a collection of cardboard animals you can punch out and assemble.

Cabbages and Roses

2010-05-31T19:08:00.006+01:00

I am loving the faded colours of the spring summer range from Cabbages and Roses, particularly the stone wash stripe top, stripe Laura Dress and floral Brenda dress shown below. I really like the way the colours look washed and old. Unfortunately as usual they are out of my price range but it's some good inspiration at least. They also do lovely homeware, which is also available on their website. Oh, and the latest Cabbages and Roses book At Home With Country by Christina Strutt is well worth a read too.

Lavender Bag Gift

2010-05-30T22:34:00.004+01:00

I decided to make a lavender bag this week for my friend Lisa's birthday. It's made from Liberty print fabric and vintage trim, plus I added a wooden rabbit badge as I thought it looked nice. I put the lavender bag in one of those glassine envelopes (I got them from ebay) and I printed out a sticker to seal the envelope. The sticker is a blow up of the Liberty print. Then I wrapped it up with some Cath Kidston tea towels I bought, the wrapping paper is from Belle and Boo and the trim is vintage.

Time's Up Vintage

2010-05-13T19:11:00.008+01:00

Time's Up Vintage have launched a new website http://shop.timesupshop.com/ and there are some lovely things such as this 1920s green polka dot dress and this 1930s silk georgette dress pictured below. Some of the things are a bit pricey but they also sell stuff on their ebay shop, which tends to be a bit cheaper.

Around My House

2010-05-09T14:56:00.010+01:00

Since it has been like winter here again the last few weeks I haven't been out and about that much, so here are some pictures from around my house, mostly of nice vintage bits and pieces.

Vintage things in Cardiff

2010-05-09T13:33:00.011+01:00

I have just come across a new shop that has opened in Cardiff, Joie de Vivre, which opened on 30 April 2010. It sells some handmade things from local sellers and upstairs there are vintage homewares, clothing and accessories. It's at 28-30 Royal Arcade in Cardiff City Centre. I forgot to take my camera when I went but if you have a look at Random Vintage's blog there are some pics from the shop.

The lady I bought the vintage things from, Debbie from Serendipity Vintage, mentioned she also sells things at a vintage fair on Saturdays in the United Reform Church, Windsor Place (opposite Buffalo Bar). The fair is called the Serendipity Vintage Fair and I don't think it is every single Saturday from what she said but there is one next Saturday 15 May from 11am-5pm. I haven't been to one yet but here are some pictures from the last one I found courtesy of Random Vintage's flikr page (thanks):

eguisheim, alsace

2010-05-05T21:10:00.010+01:00

on my recent trip to france we stopped off at eguisheim, alsace, about 40 km or so north of mulhouse. if you are ever in that part of the world it really is worth going to, it's so beautiful. here are a few of the pics from that day, the square with the fountain is particularly wonderful. whilst there we tasted a lovely range of local saucisson sec, freshly made coconut macaroons and kugelhopf. you can also go wine tasting as some of the best wines in the region are made here. it's worth going just to wander around the little streets looking at the old wooden doors and painted shutters.

french finds

2010-04-28T10:44:00.008+01:00

it has been a while since my last update as i have been to alsace, france to visit my aunt jan, who lives in thann. my sister bella and i were there for an extra 5 days because of the volcanic eruption in iceland and then since then i have had tonsillitis so it's been a while! anyway, here are some of my finds from france.

i found these 5 unused french calligraphy notebooks (with graph paper pages) in a flea market in alsace, i got them all for €5.

i got this vintage bowl and silver spoons in jen's antiques in thann, the la soupe sign was 90 cents from a cheap shop called noz. the other cutlery i bought from a charity shop in cardiff recently. the vintage thread is from a second hand place near where my aunt lives, i can't remember what it's called unfortunately. the wooden reels are from a great shop called le petit chose in brunstatt, which sells loads of amazing sewing stuff.

these things i keep on top of my loo! i got the vintage cologne bottle in an antique shop in kaysersberg, alsace. the shell i picked up on a walk in december on whiteford sands, the gower.

i should have got this box for €1 from a flea market in alsace (where i also got the exercise books above) however the guy who sold them to me gave me the wrong change and so it cost €2. it's still a bargain but annoying none the less!

illustrations - raylambert

2010-03-30T20:37:00.004+01:00

i stumbled across these illustrations by french illustrator raylambert recently and thought i would share them. there are many more images i have found but these are some of my favourites. i made the third picture (the spring one with the daisy chains) into a card for my mum for mother's day.

orla kiely spring summer 2010

2010-03-28T13:57:00.008+01:00

i so wish i could afford to shop at orla kiely. i love the colours (navy, cream, tan, grey, drab yellow) and accessories (lace up shoes, socks, bows, vintage looking bags). i also adore the boat print, especially the boat print cardigan on the website, it is just lovely.

agatha christie trip

2010-03-20T14:06:00.006Z

i really want to go to greenway in devon, agatha christie's house, which is now owned by the national trust. you can get the paignton steam train along the beautiful devon coast to dartmouth and pretend you are in one of her books. you can then get the ferry along the river dart to greenway.

http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/greenway
http://www.paignton-steamrailway.co.uk
http://www.greenwayferry.co.uk/agatha-christie/

liberty fabrics

2010-03-16T21:58:00.004Z

i have been buying up some liberty print fabric recently from ebay to make cushions, lavender bags, hair corsages, tote bags etc for the summer. my favourites are eloise, claire aude and betsy shown in order above. i might even use some longer strips of fabric as ribbon for wrapping presents.

particuliere quest

2010-03-16T20:41:00.015Z

thankfully today my quest to find a bottle of chanel's particuliere has finally come to an end. i decided at the last minute to walk through house of fraser on my way home from work and i noticed they had it back on the display so i thought i may as well ask if they had any. and to my amazement they had 5 in today and they did have one left. i had just about decided to stubbornly snub particuliere as it is selling on ebay for about £35, bought by people who don't actually want it but just want to make the rest of us pay them extortionate amounts for it. grrr. i was going to buy OPI's 'over the taupe' instead rather than particuliere but i have to admit now i have it and have tried it, it was worth waiting for. it's annoying as i was talking to my sister months ago about how i wanted a beigey browny grey colour nail varnish, now it just looks like i'm jumping on the bandwagon! never mind, it is lovely. i also really like chanel's ming, a lovely pink, shown in the photo with the particuliere. it's not new this year but a really lovely colour for this time of year.

autumn/winter 2010 - long dresses

2010-03-13T12:49:00.004Z

there were so many lovely long dresses in the autumn/winter 2010 shows but these are my favourites. they are: ralph lauren, fendi, erdem, christian dior, marc jacobs, bottega veneta and rodarte.

favourite vogue editorial (uk) march 2009

2010-03-08T20:07:00.008Z

waiting for spring

2010-03-06T10:23:00.005Z

it is sunny here in cardiff but it probably still won't get above 5 degrees here this weekend, so my spring clothes will have to wait a bit longer to be worn. i have been saving these vintage items up over the winter for a warm day...

1930s vintage bags

2010-03-01T23:03:00.004Z

here's a little selection of my vintage bags, these ones are from my favourite era, the 1930s.

coco before chanel

2010-03-01T20:58:00.004Z

here are some of my favourite pictures from the film coco before chanel, a very inspiring and thought provoking film. plus it goes without saying the clothes are wonderful.

vintage stationery

2010-02-28T21:36:00.003Z

i found these two unused vintage notebooks at a vintage fair in cardiff today. the yogi one has blue graph paper inside and the bon voyage one is blue lined thin airmail paper. i am obsessed with paper and stationery so these were great finds!

outfit idea: spring wedding

2010-02-27T10:01:00.006Z

if i was going to a spring wedding this is what i would wear, a blue dress from Zara, a vintage lace cardigan/jacket, with shoes, bag and alice band from Topshop.

my current favourite outfit

2010-02-26T18:13:00.003Z

my current favourite outfit is a brown tweed puff shoulder coat by Luella, a Toast floral silk dress and a vintage bag and shoes. i like to wear this with dark grey merino wool Falke tights and a silver owl ring from Topshop.

lovely things...

2010-02-25T22:31:00.004Z

some lovely things bought on a recent trip to baileys home and garden shop, near ross on wye, herefordshire.

my spring 'tree'

2010-01-15T12:22:00.001Z

homemade card and gift tag

2010-01-13T18:56:00.003Z

inspired by alice in wonderland

i got this image from an old book 'beast book for the pocket' and scanned it in so i could make a card for my mum's birthday. she loves horses and old ephemera so i hope she likes it.

heath park on a frosty morning

2010-01-13T18:53:00.002Z

i took this photo on christmas day morning whilst on a walk with my younger sister, bella and her wire fox terrier, harry

alice's christmas house

2009-12-19T11:49:00.002Z

new notebook

2009-11-19T22:53:00.002Z

i found this lovely notebook in paperchase, it's by norwegian designers darling clementine. check out their website at www.darlingclementine.no

birds notecards

2009-11-09T10:31:00.002Z

i am in love with these great birds notecards by jeffrey fisher, published by chronicle books

my favourite autumn picture

2009-11-07T11:36:00.003Z

me under a japanese maple tree in van dusen botanical gardens, vancouver, late october 2006

shells

2009-11-07T11:17:00.003Z

a beautiful book published by taschen, shells by antoine joseph dezallier d'argenville

my 'tree'

2009-10-22T10:29:00.002+01:00

this is my wire 'tree', which is on my living room wall. i change what's on it every season, this is my autumn one. i will change it again at christmas, which is always my favourite display.

my scrap book

2009-10-22T09:52:00.006+01:00

here's some pages from my new scrapbook, i haven't done much yet but i like it so far. there's fashion stuff at the back of the scrapbook, which i may publish on here later.

new cavallini christmas range

2009-10-20T17:20:00.003+01:00

i love these new cavallini stickers and tags for christmas,
you can get them online at papernation.co.uk

spring summer 2010 - my favourite dresses

2009-10-15T12:06:00.009+01:00

viktor and rolf

roberto cavalli

bottega veneta

it's my birthday...

2009-10-15T09:38:00.003+01:00

... and i'll listen to nostalgic songs if i want to.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9lEd5bIbbQ

fashion & inspiration

2009-10-12T18:57:00.007+01:00

great shops

2009-10-12T12:04:00.001+01:00

the art shop, cross street, abergavenny, wales, uk

susannah, broad st, bath, england, uk

the regional assembly of text, main street, vancouver, canada

baileys home and garden, nr ross on wye, england, uk

sage femme, hay on wye, wales, uk

also...
a baker's dozen antiques, main street, vancouver, canada
granville island, vancouver, canada
la droguerie, rue de serruriers, strasbourg, france
the olde curiosity shop, hay on wye, wales, uk

favourite illustrators 2

2009-10-12T11:37:00.002+01:00

feodor stepanovich rojankovsky

ludwig bemelmans

miroslav sasek

favourite illustrators 1

2009-10-12T11:27:00.002+01:00

e h shepard

things that are currently making me smile

2009-10-12T11:12:00.001+01:00

acorns
conkers
snow globes
moss
sweet peas
mountains
sandalwood
shells
scrap books
old suitcases
jigsaw puzzles