Dreaming of Versailles

Anybody that knows me know I am HUGE lover of Marie Antoinette, it was of course Sophia Coppola's film 
that first introduced me and I don't know where I would be without it. I could spend hours swooning
 over the beautiful dresses. Which actually, was the foundations of building my love for history and vintage fashion.
 If I could dress in mid 18th century dress every day, I would. In fact today I've decided to
 (again) grow my fringe out in order to style more Kirsten Dunst 
(as MA) hairstyles. 

 I've featured Oxford Heaven on here before, because I am head over heels in love with her shoes.
 Especially since I discovered her flickr account here. There are page and pages of the most beautiful 
Marie-Antoinette inspired shoes I have ever seen. 

Closet peek.

I thought I'd share a little of my vintage clothing. All dresses here are from the 50's-70's. A few of them will be for sale when the shop opens. I think I might make this a frequent thing, perhaps monthly. The terrible quality photos makes me question sharing, but everybody has to start somewhere, and it won't be too long until I have my new camera. 1. Late 1950's prom dress. 2.70's maxi dress, this has the most gorgeous lace detail empire line and sleeves. 3. 70's print maxi dress. 4. Early 1960's couture dress. 5. Handmade 70's layered dress. 6. 1950's candy pink prom dress. (My favorite) 

New website.

The past week I have been completely re-designing the website. I was happy with what I had before, but felt that I needed something a little more professional and simpler. I LOVE it! Most of the photographs I use are my Nan or photo's she has given me. My Nan really was a stylish lady and I love showing her off. I'm so lucky to have all of these beautiful old family photos. Do you have any old family photographs you treasure? I'm soon to start our opening countdown. It really is one of the most exciting adventures I've ever had. 

Isn't this dress stunning? Found here.

New dresses

We have been on to some lovely dresses over the past few days. I received this beautiful 70's maxi
 dress in the post yesterday and it's so dreamy! Below is an early 60's couture dress I found, it is in
the prefect condition, it so beautiful! I'd keep it myself but sadly it doesn't fit. We have also discovered
 a beautiful 1930's mustard coloured dress, another 70's maxi dress and a patterned 60's mini dress.
 Having all these lovely dresses makes me so excited to start selling! I love the idea of lovely ladies
 finding the dress of their dreams. I've set myself a goal of finishing the business plan this week, 
which brings us ever closer to the launch. A new year opening is currently looking more realistic 
at the moment. Which is great! A new year with new beginnings. Do you have any goals or aims for
 the new year? 

You can follow me on instagram @caraleighjane for new vintage finds and goodies.

Paulie Antique

We are constantly looking for lovely lookbooks for inspiration. This is the A/W 2012 by Paulie Antique We love that there's a great use of colour. As soon as the weather gets cold we tend to wear lot's of dark dull colours and its nice to have something to brighten those cold dreary days! Long sleeved 70s maxi dresses are a good way to stay warm but still look fabulous. It's been a little quiet lately, life is full of illnesses and work at the moment, but Sweet Chivalry's open date is looming ever closer!

Thursday fancies

A few current vintage and handmade loves. We love the new baroque trend and this little 60's jacket is gorgeous. On to the shoes! I've been an admirer of Oxford Heaven's etsy shop for a long time, she take's plain shoes and embellishes them with the most beautiful lace, bow's and more creating beautiful Marie Antoinette inspired lovelies. I wish I could own the whole collection. I also wanted to talk about the make up academy shop. They sell (hand's up) the best make-up I have ever used. The lipsticks last four hours, the colour's are so vibrant and best of all everything ranges from £1-£9. I'm slowly collecting every thing they sell! 

I've changed the layout (again!) and am so happy with it! I'm finally getting to grip's with blogging, it's harder than it looks. I also find it difficult to upkeep exciting post's because of the lack of a good camera. 

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9

October!

I'm so glad it's finally October! The next three months are my favorite out of the whole year. Now I have a daughter I have the excuse to go all out on Halloween. It's still not as widely celebrated here in England as it is America, but every year it seems to be gaining in popularity. (Exciting!) I've finally managed to fix my new laptop colouring problem and can get back into designing the shop's website again. I have a few more updates to do on the blog and we now have a twitter, tumblr and facebook page. How lovely are these Halloween inspired vintage outfits?

1. Black and white patterned collar here

2. Orange and white dress here

3. Gorgeous handmade lace cat ears here ♥

4. Halloween apron here

5. Perfect 60's dress here ♥♥