The Carefree 1920s

From the ultra cool hairstyles to the fabulously styled hats, the 1920s was without doubt a fantastic decade for fashion.

After almost a century of fighting for women's rights to vote and after World War I, the 1920s saw a dramatic  change in the fashion and behaviour of young women. Teenagers and twenty some-things didn't want to return to 'normal life' after the war where women were restricted to the household and didn't have a say, they relished in their new found freedom and experimented with daring boyish haircuts and shorter dresses. 

The term 'flapper' became a popular term for these young ladies during the early 20th century, often referring to a lively, mischievous female. With the emergence of Liberalism in the political world, Flappers felt liberated themselves experimenting with sex, smoking and drinking, still very controversial to the rest of society.

Their clothing was unique for the time too, with dresses being cut straight and tight to the body, often leaving the arms bare and the waistline being bought down to the hip. The desired look was to have a flat chest and a youthful face, with the Flappers being seen as wearing heavy make-up for their time to achieve this look. 

The T-strap was popular on shoes along with a low heel so they could dance for hours to Jazz, whilst doing the Charleston.  

The 1920s look is proving to be popular in recent months especially in the world of celebrity weddings with Lily Allen, Kate Moss, Kim Kardashian and Lauren Bush wearing 1920s inspired gowns and headpieces to their weddings earlier this year.

Gypsy Blood and my Dissertation

As you may know I'm in my final year of studying for a History degree now which means I have to submit a dissertation based on any historical event, period or person that I wished. Learning History from a child up until university level everything is fairly predictable and routine, there isn't much exploration. After watching programmes like Heir Hunters and Who do you think you are I found it really fun and interesting to trace my family tree back, it really was like being a detective searching through files and learning things about your family you never knew before.

I found that my Great, great grandmother Emily Louder born in a tent on Eltham Common in 1878 was a Romany Gypsy traveller. My Grandad always heard there were gypsies in the family but didn't know where it came from and these records confirmed it which was very exciting!

So with Gypsies rising in the popular media with issues like Dale Farm onto lighter topics such as My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding I was really intrigued into my ancestors culture and the mysterious gypsy history with these people often remaining separated from the rest of society. I find pictures like the one below of an old gypsy caravan simply amazing.

Interior of an old Gypsy caravan

Then I found out why a place near where I used to live is called Gipsy Hill and it's because throughout the 16th-18th centuries gypsies occupied the area of 'Gipsy Hill' living in a great Oak forest and were even famous enough to get a mention in Samuel Pepys diary. So with all these signals popping up I've decided to look into the persecution of the Gypsy people in Europe and just why there were so many laws created in England prohibiting or limiting their way of life and of course the horrible issue with the Nazi's.

Gypsy children in Kent, England 1919

I hope I can find out why my great, great grandmother would have settled into a normal life and walked away from her gypsy roots, but I'm glad she did otherwise I probably wouldn't be here.
I'll be keeping notes here if you wish to follow the journey www.historyofagypsy.tumblr.com

Mish Mash Vintage Website

After months of delays and rescheduling, alas I have finally got my act together and placed all my items in one place for you to browse and make your purchase! I'm so pleased and wish I hadn't wasted so much time earlier on in the year. We feel this site is easy to navigate and we can't wait for you all to start using it.

Mish Mash Vintage Online Shop

I will continue to tweak things over the next few months but the temporary shop website address will be www.wix.com/mishmashvintage/shop also check us out on http://www.mishmashvintage.co.uk by the new year it will become MishMashVintage.com and will be available to view on your mobile, even better!

Screenshot of our homepage

You can now browse through pages of the vintage items we have been collecting the past year. Find something you like but need more info, then send a question to www.mishmashvintageblog.com/ask where we will be happy to answer all your queries including any measurements or any further details. 

To reserve your item, simply email MishMashVintage@live.co.uk detailing the 'Item Title Name' and your shipping address; we will then confirm it's availability sending you our Paypal details to complete the transaction. We are currently only using Paypal as a secure payment method, in the new year we will allow the use of credit cards.

We hope you love the site as much as us and we look forward to growing even more over the next few months and please spread the word :)

http://www.mishmashvintage.co.uk

http://www.mishmashvintage.co.uk

http://www.mishmashvintage.co.uk

The Campaign To Reopen Crystal Palace Subway

The former Crystal Palace, pictured in 1854

I joined the campaign to reopen to the public a Grade II listed subway which runs underneath Crystal Palace Parade in South London and I'd estimate that probably around 90% of the locals don't know the subway exists at all. With The Great Exhibition moving to Sydenham Hill in 1854, a train station needed to be created to deal with the expected vast numbers who visited the site. The station wasn't finished until 1865, and the subway was created to link one side of the road (Crystal Palace Parade) where the station was situated to the other (The Crystal Palace).

Crystal Palace High Level Station Terminal

The grand terminal was the work of architect Edward Middleton Barry, whom was a prominent London architect at the time, but it was Italian Cathedral craftsmen who designed and worked on the subway. Many feel the subway especially is a stunning piece of Victorian architecture and being hidden away from the public eye is very disappointing.

The subway running underneath Crystal Palace Parade

The subway contains row upon row of octagonal columns supporting the roof with red and cream brick interlaced with stone ribs. As the passengers ventured out through the stunning subway arches they would come out onto a courtyard and then walk up the stairs which led to the foot of The Crystal Palace.

Subway Arches leading to courtyard

Many ideas are floating around as to what the subway could be used for which include using the courtyard in particular to stage local performances of music, theatre and poetry, as well as art exhibitions and book readings. The subway would of course be used to lead the public from Crystal Palace Parade and through to the courtyard and could be used as shelter and relaxation and maybe a few stalls too. The subway and courtyard could become a focal point for Crystal Palace and surrounding areas, with regular and seasonal markets being held amongst the pillars of the subway and an open air cinema for a hundred people, the ideas are endless!

For me though of course with being a historian I don't want this sites historical factor to disappear and I feel the subway would be a fantastic addition onto the current Crystal Palace Museum which could hold guided tours around the subway and Crystal Palace grounds and would be able to recapture the magic of the largely forgotten story of The Crystal Palace and bring it to life again, after all the subway is probably the most pristine building left after the fire.

I really hope the local council realises the potential of this site and gives everyone in Crystal Palace more to do, as currently restrictions are so tight in the park itself a few events which have been attempted to be organised have met much red tape and been forced to cancel or reschedule. I hope you can get behind this with me as Crystal Palace has great links to most of London so potentially millions of us could use it, please take 30 seconds to sign your name on the petition as the more names the council see the more likely it is to happen http://petitionbureau.org/CrystalPalaceSubway

Clarice Cliff a work of Art

Courtesy of ClariceCliff.com

We're always excited when we see a piece of Clarice Cliff work, they're always so unique and breathtaking. Clarice Cliff began working in the pottery industry from the age of 13, eventually making her bug impact on the world of art in the 1920s after studying sculpture at the Royal College of Art. She came up with the famous bizarre pattern in 1928, by 1929 with her popularity rising rapidly she had a team of seventy workers called her bizarre girls. Cliff's fame was unheard of at the time, especially for a woman and articles were regularly written about her in national newspapers throughout the 1930s. 

'Chloris' Patterned Coffee Service

Whilst her huge fame worldwide has meant that most pristine pieces are unreachable for the majority of us with a complete set costing in the region of £5,000, but you can still pick up a single piece of your Clarice Cliff pottery on eBay for around £10.

'Chintz' Pattern Sugar Sifter

Her work was highly accredited in the art world and is often referred to as defining the Art Deco period. Production was tough for the Clarice Cliff team during World War Two but they managed to continue turning out some beautiful items. 

Classic Art Deco design


I think Cliff completely deserves all the credit and acknowledgement she gets, being a self-made businesswoman and artist in a time where women had only just gained the right to vote, and has continued her phenomenal success in the pottery world up until this century, with a resurgence in the 1980s.You can view a wide range of Clarice Cliff stunning pieces in many museums across the country, namely the Victoria & Albert museum and the Stoke-on-Trent museum.

Our weekend at West Norwood Feast

A feast for the senses

Every first Sunday of the month the main High Street area of West Norwood celebrates the West Norwood Feast, hosting food, retro, artisan and gardening markets. We were selling as part of the 'Retro Village' where there was around fifteen stalls selling everything from vintage clothing to glassware and kitchenalia, vintage toys and books and retro posters. 

Retro Village held in Rosebery Auction Rooms Courtyard

It was colder than it has been recently, but we saw lot's of faces old and young venturing around the retro village and I think it's the friendliest place we've been yet! 

Lindy Hop Dancers in the Retro Village

Not only are there stalls to excite your senses, but also entertainment and workshops going on too. 

Check out the video we recorded above of dancers doing the Lindy Hop, a popular dance in the 20s and 30s. There were children's entertainers and a great fancy dress parade and competition, for the small ones to take part in and a fantastic steel band playing outside St. Luke's Church.

Our stall at the November West Norwood Feast

We were selling women's vintage clothing, as well as shoes, bags, scarves and jewellery. We also had the odd dash of kitchen ware with old biscuit and flour tins, and some beautiful scarlet 1960s short glasses and Poole two tone pottery.

Our collection of vintage shirts, jumpers and blazers

We can't wait to come back again when we're not selling to fully view and enjoy the entire market.

How to Create 'Flapper' Style Hair

Always wanted to experiment with a 1920s inspired hairstyle but didn't know how? Well we've found this great tutorial by The Hill's star, Lauren Conrad taking you on a step-by-step guide to recreating the style. And it works fabulously with long hair too!

Images courtesy of MTV

STEP 1: Start with clean, dry hair.
STEP 2: To remove excess length and weight, braid the bottom hair and pin it up so it's out of the way. Part your hair from ear to ear in the back of your head and clip the top half up.
STEP 3: Create two braids.
STEP 4: Pin the two braids flat against your head in the back. It helps if you lay them in a zigzag pattern. Use large bobby pins for more support.
STEP 5: You want all of the curls to go TOWARD your face. Your curls need to be lined up and be the same size going in the same direction. Take sections that are about the same size as your pinkie finger and wrap them tightly around the outside of your curling iron. Equally important is the size of your iron. It must be small. Anything over 3/4" will just give you big waves. Curling will take a lot of time, but it’s SO worth it.
STEP 6: After you curl the hair, clip it in place and allow it to set.

STEP 7: See how Lauren's curls are all going the same direction and are the same size? That's what you want. Let it set for as long as you can. The longer, the better.
STEP 8: When the hair has cooled entirely, release all of the curls (don't pull them apart with your fingers). Using a large soft bristled flat brush, start brushing the curls out. The pattern will begin to develop. Look down slightly and brush hair toward your face.
STEP 9: If you have a lot of hair, it’s optional to pin one side back like Lauren is doing in the shot so that the hair doesn't overwhelm your face.
STEP 10: Grab a section of brushed out curls. Hold the very bottom of the curls with one hand. Using a comb, tease (using long upward strokes) with the other hand. You should only need 1 or 2 strokes to get it into the "bob" shape. Spray the section with a strong holding hairspray and then tuck the extra hairs. Pin in place using a large bobby pin or two.

STEP 11: Add a cute headband to complete the look!