brighton wanderlust

Happy Saturday, Vintage Dames and Dudes! Have any of you ever been to Brighton, England? It's one of my all-time favourite places on Planet Earth. I recently went to see The National in London and took a little detour to Brighton for two days afterwards. Brighton is bursting with delicious, quirky little restaurants and cafes, music venues galore, vintage shops, other shops, lots of shops, and has a great nightlife. I hope you enjoy the images!

in-flight essentials

I don't know about you, but Spring has me well geared up for a bit of early wanderlust. Oooh, holiday feet. I've also spent more flippin' time on planes over the past 3 years chasing vintage goodies than I had ever totaled up in my 26-years-previous! I think I've got it just about down now, so here are my tips to help you on your travels. Ready to board!

1. Repeat after me: comfort be thy friend. Leggings are the ultimate go-to for long-haul flights. I am loving this floral pair!  

2. Now, I'm not a religious gal, but praise Our Lord Jesus Christ for Batiste dry shampoo... now in travel size!

3. Sure, you'd normally spend 30 minutes (read: an hour and a half) applying makeup in the morning. Not at 3am when your flight leaves in 2 hours and you need to obsessively check "just one more time" for keys, passport, keys, lipstick... Forget the makeup and add a bold, bright scarf to your tresses for instant glam factor. Then check to see if you have your passport again.

4. Nobody wants to be the irritating pillock at the security belt (yes, we've all been there) fumbling frantically with every last bit of metal on their person. Make it easy! Zip through security with this fab wooden bangle.

5. Loose, comfortable tops like this one are ideal for flying. I always carry a spare one in my hand luggage, too - especially if I've got flight changes to deal with and lots of running around.

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6. These Bath and Body Works hand sanitizers are bursting with fruity scents - there are tons of juicy varieties to choose from!

7. I've recently fallen madly, deeply in love with leather backpacks. They make the perfect carry on, with plenty of room for your essentials, and zipped pockets to keep those important documents in.

8. Wet n Wild's Balm Stain is another new addiction of mine. High-pigment colour that is perfect for livening up your 'Flight Face'.

9. These mint green Topshop ballet pumps are to die for, and easy to slip off at security! (See: fumbling idiot).

10. If you're anything like me, you'll struggle to sleep on planes. Drift off to your own private sanctuary with this beautiful handmade sleep mask.

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11. SteamCream is flying off the shelves of ASOS right now. This multipurpose lotion is ideal for in-flight hydration, and comes in a range of adorable, limited edition tins.

12. The La Fresh range of wipes are quite simply amazing. From nail varnish removal wipes to these soothing body wipes, they make the in-seat freshen-up a total piece of cake!

13. Leave expensive watches at home and fly with a cute silicone bangle watch, available in a rainbow variety of colours!

14. Fourteen hours on a plane does not a good hair moment make. Land, stick on a cuper cute bowler hat, and off you go!

15. Unless you're a fan of the disproportionate amount of Jennifer Aniston movies available on in-flight entertainment systems (no judgement...), you'll be wanting to take a tablet with you. Keep it snug in this adorable iPad case.

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16. Of course, once your trusty tablet has seen you through the plethora of deaths in Game of Thrones season three, you'll be needing this mobile phone and iPad charger.

17. Ward away dark circles with a personal favourite of mine - the magnificent Boot's No7 Instant Radiance Concealer.

18. Make the most of your carry-on allowance with this fantastic wheelie case from the superbly retro Orla Kiely Multi Stem range!

19. Let's face it. There's almost no better feelgood moment than the second you step outside the airport and are hit with glorious rays of direct sunlight that could burn your corneas right off. These fabulous aviators from the Lilly Pulitzer range will stop that from happening.

20. Oh, cashmere. How I do love thee. Especially when the fiend sitting next to me is blasting their air-con to the maddened ferocity of a gale force wind. These Himalayan cashmere scarves from Fig & Bella come in 35 different colours. Just try not to strangle the air-con fiddler with it.

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Oh, and...

21. You know when you keep nodding off on the plane, causing your head to jolt forward like a floppy Dandelion after some kid has given it a gleeful kick? No more panicked glances around the cabin to see if anyone saw: this memory foam travel pillow will keep your head where it's supposed to be. That is, not jamming sporadically into your chest.

touring california

Howdy vintage fans!

With Christmas around the corner, we've started to reflect on the past year. 2013 has certainly been a busy one for us! We thought we'd share a little of what we've been doing over the past 12 months. We'd love to know your best memory of 2013. These are ours:

pismo roadtrip | peanut-shaped hat thief

down on pismo beach | brit boys

vintage picker in the making | alameda

playing dinosaurs | big sur

PCH roadtrip | an orange mustang and a campervan-shaped piece of american pie!

monterey road trip | ghirardellis sea salt hot chocolates? yum

petting zoo | the one on the right: "amy's jacket. nom."

brit boy tour | making friends with a ladybug

pismo beach | you haven't had cinnamon rolls until you've had them from this place, at 8 in the morning, on the boardwalk

arcades | they are for grown ups too... we swear!

treading kernel lake

a peanut on a pumpkin patch

picking trip down the pch

picking trip in blazing 100 degree heat | someone's gotta do it

somewhere off the pch | 80's toy phone for the peanut | we called him bob

you don't get signs like this in british villages!

preparing for halloween!

it's the weekend... time for some retail therapy and recreation!

Ah, Saturday! Who doesn't love Saturdays? Well... to be quite honest, Em didn't, for the longest time. She worked in Retail and Visual Merchandising for years and loved it - but had to work every weekend and holiday that God sent... Amy also did her time (not to mention night shifts) the poor little lamb... 

So let's just say that for any of you lovely readers out there who work weekends - we absolutely understand! And hey; it's not actually that bad. You get the shops to yourself during the week. No Saturday afternoon crowds. Bliss!

In the spirit of camaraderie for those who are working, and of course for those who aren't; every weekend is going to be leisure time here on The Vintage Dames blog. Time to kick back with a pot of tea... G and T... Long Island Iced Tea... whatever kind of tea you fancy... and enjoy some  much needed 'you time'!

    

fabulous retro scooter outside the Jackie O' bar in Mykonos, Greece //

admiring some stunning vintage tiles in a retro bar in central England

Weekends here are going to be recreation central. We'd love to provide you with a spot of retail therapy in the form of wonderful items from online stores. And of course, fabulous vintage finds from Etsy. It is a truly fantastic community.


But this blog isn't just about shopping. It's about everything to do with vintage - old music, vintage fairs, retro events, art through the decades... We'll get crafty too, in case you want to. If we find great vintage sewing patterns, we'll put them up here for you. We'll keep an eye out for goings-on across the globe, retro bars from all corners of the world, cocktail menus and sweet old fashioned cake recipes... anything and everything we can find to keep you entertained over those two glorious days that constitute as the weekend!

    

enjoying some weekend recreation at that great old 1940's institution Tommy's Joynt, San Fran //

and across the pond at the brilliantly retro My Hotel in Brighton, England

Incidentally, if you run a shop, bar, website, event that is vintage or vintage-inspired, please do drop us an email! We're always looking for places to try out ourselves or recommend here and we'd love to hear from you.

    

a pot of tea on the street in the vintage-shop-mecca that is the Northern Quarter, Manchester

a mosaic by the famous street artist Space-Invader, above Em's hotel in Bastille, Paris

Finally, this blog isn't all about us, or about other shop owners. If you love vintage, we'd love to hear from you! Tell us all about your weekend it in the comment section below, tweet us @TwoVintageDames, or send us an email. We love pictures - if you've been to a thrift store or flea market and want to share your finds; if you want to show off your new outfit, or something you've bought from our store, send them on over. If you know of any great places or events coming up, feel free to share them with us!

Have a wonderful, fun-filled, recreational weekend, vintage guys and gals!