Ophelia

I bought this dress this morning from Encants. Its in a pretty sorry state...all that delicate lace and beading hasn't fared too well, which considering its age (1880's) isn't too surprising. But I love it, and even if I just hang it up in my studio it was well worth the 1 Euro I paid for it! Though I have an art project that's been slowly bubbling away that would use these broken dresses that ive been hoarding...I just find such beauty in these things, especially this dress, so heavy with history and untold stories. Ive called her Ophelia, although I think that its more for the image of it soaking in the tub than for the actual dress itself. Does anyone know any good books on clothing restoration?

Tie me upTie me down...

I've seen a lot of designers that have used ties creatively to upcycle clothing and to create statement neck pieces and jewelry. Ive been slowly collecting vintage ties from Encants over the months- all lovely posh silk ones from Paris and Milan; Dior, Nina Ricci, YSL etc. Here are the first three statement jewelry designs that Ive created as well as a beautiful dress that I upcycled using a wonderful YSL silk tie around the neckline.

Encants...

Here are just a few snaps of the latest treasures that I've picked up from the local flea market, Encants.
-A beautiful vintage lace and delicate silk nightdress to go with all the numerous others I'm hoarding for future upcycling projects.
-A photo of all the latest great vintage finds for my shop Violeta Vintage that I need to photograph and list over the next few days. (http://www.etsy.com/shop/violetavintage)
-An amazing 1920's hand beaded and heavily pleated evening gown. The pleated part of the skirt actually has a fine wire mesh beneath to create volume. As with a lot of fabulous 1920's clothing it looks quite eighties due to the influence of 1920's fashion during the 1980's! I'm not really sure what I'm going to do with it though, at the moment I'm just letting it haang there and be admired!
-A wonderful bread bag, just so kitch and cool. I am actually going to us it to store our bread! There's something quite Frida Kahlo about it...