Hats on and let's Tango!

When I was in primary school we used to wear hats every day as part of our uniform. Dark green felt hat in winter, straw hat in summer. Each hat complemented each uniform and whilst they did not warm our head or cool it much, they were a staple and we accepted them as such.


You either love hats or you hate them. After my fair share of school hats and woolly hats which were demanded of me wearing in cold weather anyhow,  I cooled off somewhat and for many years refrained from wearing any form of head gear. 


Until I was convinced I should purchase a warm winter hat and realised not only how comfy it was but also how much it flattered my face. Today I count hats amongst my many invaluable accessories and would never dream of not wearing one every so often as the need arises. 


I came across this hats created by this wonderful milliner and could not resist featuring her hats on Fairyfiligree. Aren't they simply stunners? They remind me of the typical styles fashionable in the 194os and 1950s but the modern twist in each style makes them ideal contemporaries. These are literally head huggers.... 

As the late Mimi Weddell,  a great advocate of hats, used to say, "Hats give you a Frame." 

"If a woman rebels against high heeled shoes, she should take care to do it in a very smart hat." - George Bernard Shaw

Visit Behida Dolic Millinery and read more about her here. 

Where on Art - 'Money and Beauty' in Florence

The Money-changer and his Wife - Marinus van Reymerswaele (1490-1567)

Have you ever wondered how the modern banking system developed in the Western World? To get an inkling and very good one at that, you have to travel to Italy. The coming few days offer you the last chance to visit an extraordinary exhibition still showing in Florence, which gives you the opportunity to take a journey to the roots of Florentine power in EUrope, the economic mechanisms which allowed the Florentines to dominate the world of trade and business 500 years ago and thus finance the whole machine that made the Renaissance happen.


Money and Beauty - Bankers, Botticelli and the Bonfire of the Vanities
is open until 22 January 2012 at Palazzo Strozzi, Piazza Strozzi, 50123 Firenze (Florence), Italy.
The exhibition includes masterpieces by BOtticelli, Beato Angelico, Piero del Pollaiolo, the Della Robbia family and Lorenzo di Credi - some of the best Renaissance artists.


Read more about it here.

Recycled and Chic

I recently received a lovely package in the post, all the way from New York City, from the lovely Suzanne of threepeats Jewelry. I couldn't believe just how refined her jewellery creations are. She admits she has always collected vintage jewelry but never wore it much until she realised she could use some of the vintage beads and chains to recreate something she could feel  more comfortable wearing. She says, "As a high school dance teacher, I wanted a necklace that I could get on and off easily and that would look good no matter how it slipped around my neck! The design I came up with included three chain sections interspersed with three beaded sections...three repeated sections...or threepeats. My designs evolved over time and now I also work with recycled t-shirt yarn, felted wool beads and vintage ribbon and lace and I started making earrings. I LOVE that I can recycle old things that people no longer wear into new things that are usable and affordable." Suzanne also blogs regularly about her jewelry making and more. 

This inventive jewellery creator is after my own heart for varied reasons...

 - First of all, her package was so well packed with care and attention to detail and presentation. You know, sometimes you buy gifts online and ask the seller if she/he would pack nicely to send directly to the person you want to gift it to. Then you sit and wonder whether the package will be really nice enough and whether the person who receives it will feel appreciative of your thought. So much depends on presentation doesn't it? Well, this seller really puts in that much effort even down to the tiny tag attached to each item and the pretty little string she used. Cute!

-  She recycles beautiful things to make them valid for today's lifestyle - The necklace pictured includes a variety of glass and plastic beads, all of fine quality. They are linked with a very sturdy chain that is securely connected so I daresay one would never imagine that it could have been used elsewhere before! I love the idea that beautiful old things do not get thrown away but are revived in this way. The earrings have these beautiful old mottled glass beads that are fantastic.

Visit threepeats Jewelry on Etsy. Check out her vintage Sari necklaces and her T-shirt yarn and ribbon necklaces. 

I invite you to visit Malta - Part 1

From time to time I get questions asked about where I come from. When I tell people that I come from an island in the Med, I usually get remarks such as... 'How exotic!' or 'Where exactly?' or 'Malta? What is your language?'....


So, for the first time on this blog, I am not going to tell you about the art and crafts of my country of origin but rather, treating you to something about its actual character, this tiny spec of an island that has been through its fair share of historical trials. 


As you fly in over Malta for the first time, it is not uncommon to think the pilot has just made a fatal error and that you're going to land in the sea. There is sea, sea and yet more sea all around so some landing manoeuvres can give you quite spectacular views.... the aerial shots were taken by husband during a trial flight he experienced some time ago..... then come a variety of images taken by yours truly with the countryside, the remains of ancient civilisations, the churches, the old cities..... more to follow in another post.

Why Wear Grey?

There was a day and a place where I used to hate the colour grey with a passion and for many years I never wore the colour at all. Perhaps because it reminded me of grey skies which are simply not my thing. Or perhaps because I considered it a non colour and failed to appreciate its potential.

Until I realised that it is one extremely versatile colour that combines well with all the bright and interesting colours around us including red, yellow, purples, browns, blacks, whites, oranges, creams, blues, pinks.... need I go on? Here is some inspiration for those grey days and for your shopping during the sales - if it's grey, pick it up, try it on and if it suits you, chances are you'll be using it time and again. What's so grey about that?

 from Kate of  The Small Things Blog

from Anh of 9to5chic Blog

From Phoebe of Lady Melbourne Blog

From Sharon of My Style - Fashion, Vintage and Me..... Blog

Is this really Vintage?

Art by Tascha

Back to writing after all that has transpired over Christmas and the New Year. It is all about starting afresh whilst continuing on the same lines as yester...year! Still, the extended meetings with family and friends went well and contributed to feeling refreshed and ready to start over, especially after sleeping for 10+ hours solid. My goodness!!

Quite often I receive questions from Fairyfiligree readers and today I am going to start by answering one such question....

Jessica Williams wrote to me saying....

"I started being interested in vintage jewellery after my friend gave me an authentic 1960s pendant for my birthday last October..... the pendant is made of enamel and is really beautiful .... since I love pendants, I have decided to start collecting older rather than newer ones. But I have a problem - I have already bought something from ebay and the seller promised it was a 1970s pendant. When it arrived I found it was quite stylish but when I showed it to my friend, she said it was not 1970s but probably made later on. How can I know if a jewellery item is really vintage?"

Well Jessica, this calls for a detailed post and I will try my best to answer your question.

Learning how to recognise true vintage is not something which happens overnight. If you are in your 20s, you probably recognise something that was fashionable five, 10 or 15 years ago because you grew up seeing it regularly. You remember the colours, the designs, the styles, and can refer back to your own memory for reference.

However you will probably feel lost when you need to recognise earlier jewellery simply because you weren't around when this was in vogue. The older you become, the more you can appreciate, however, in the meantime, you can educate yourself in many ways.

- Books are a treasure trove where vintage jewellery is concerned. One of the first books I have for my own reference is Judith Millers's  'Costume Jewellery'. The book is especially detailed where illustrations are involved. The images are so very clear and sharp and this, coupled by the information about individual jewellery designers is a great benefit. You will become acquainted with the more popular names, the quirkier designers and distinguish what you like most. You refer to 60s and 70s jewellery so you seem concentrated on these periods. You will enjoy reading about the Flower Power era and all that surrounded it. Don't go away thinking that you should only get books about this period in time. Whilst these are extremely useful, having different periods of jewellery to compare with will help you recognise the differences between the jewellery and the epochs it was born in. 

- Websites are also full of information and images. Be sure to click only on websites that are evidently professional so that you benefit from the best sources of information.

- Ebay is a great source of inspiration for jewellery collectors. Seek to find some established vintage jewellery sellers, especially the ones which add lots of pictures and information to each of their listed items. You learn a lot that way - brand names, style names, periods..... it can be great fun. It does take up a lot of time, but researching properly is a great help. Be sure to skip those items which are listed as 'vintage style' or '60s style' which may mean they are not authentic vintage but just styled to seem like something out of the 60s.

- Fashion sites are also of great help and if you concentrate on the 60s and 70s fashion you will understand just why pendants were so popular, why they fitted so well with the fashions of the time. You will come to recognise the designs synonymous with particular periods.

- Visit specialised vintage jewellery shops which can allow you to touch, observe and ask questions. Ultimately you can only learn to appreciate things by handling them. On the other hand, if you wish to consult on any jewellery item about which you are unsure, simply send me a picture & I will try my best to help you.

Good luck in your hunt!

Before ending off this post, I must remind you that amintaonline is still offering Fairyfiligree readers and followers a discount on shoe purchases. Click on the notice on the sidebar or read this post for more details. You have until January 15 to enjoy the discount.

And... thanks to Tascha whose art is the first to grace FairyFiligree in 2012.