Helen's Wardrobe

This week’s mood board is inspired by the divine Marie Antoinette. A fascinating figure – probably related to me as I have Austrian family! I wanted to put a mood board together after watching Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette, captivating the colours and atmosphere of her beautiful motion picture. Contrary to popular belief she never said “Let them eat cake..” – in reference to the hunger in France at the time – it was in fact one of many lies brewed up by the “tabloids” (yes they had them back then too) and actually it was another woman who uttered those infamous words. So as a visual tribute to her, here is my Marie Antoinette mood board…

I was very inspired after a wonderful weekend at the V&A and Ciné Lumière – as part of the Fashion & Cinema season being run by the V&A. The designer was Coco Chanel and as a fashion history freak I already know a lot about her, her style and her creations but always want to learn more. One of the speakers was journalist Justine Picardie whose book “Coco Chanel The Legend And The Life” I bought and can’t stop reading – I highly recommend it. My point is that the whole weekend was wonderful, inspirational and interesting – I think I am lucky that my inspiration can then help me create, but some people aren’t so fortunate and I wondered how to help. I put together mood boards a lot and I thought this would be a nice introduction to my blog – a mood board page. Something other people can look at and hopefully be inspired by. So in honour of the great woman herself, I present to you this weeks mood board…

I am launching my very own label and it goes by the name of Skull & Sweetpea. As well as handcrafted jewellery and accessories Skull & Sweetpea also offers simple garments with hand illustrated designs inspired by everything that inspires me. Perfect to style with vintage and mix up with designer. If you are a rock star’s girlfriend, the head “band-aid”, part-time pirate or full-time pin-up you will wear Skull & Sweetpea. Only available from www.helensmarketstall.co.uk each item will be limited edition and designed by me. No fat cats, no hipsters,  just someone designing – because I can. So I welcome you to the world of Skull & Sweetpea, expect an announcement regarding the arrival of my first items imminently…

I find the history and culture of Native American Indians fascinating and truly beautiful. I created a post last season inspired by this style and wanted to produce an updated post to celebrate Native American Indian style once more. This is very much my own vision and as always how I would dress; many items are available on my new shop www.helensmarketstall.co.uk and everything else is a mix of high street and vintage. So delve deep and enjoy…

♥ Look 1) Sunglasses – Rayban, Poncho – Sol Cal at Republic, Denim Hotpants – Rokit, Bikini Top – H&M, Jewellery – www.helensmarketstall.co.uk, Shoes – ASOS

♥ Look 2) Native American Indian Headdress / War Bonnet – indianvillagemall.com, T-Shirt, Shorts, Bag & Jewellery – www.helensmarketstall.co.uk, Shoes – River Island, Belt – wedovintage.co.uk

♥ Look 3) Dress – Sol Cal at Republic, Jeans – TOPSHOP, Top – Customised, Jewellery & Headband – www.helensmarketstall.co.uk, Boots – Hudson

Yes you heard correctly I have a shop! A lovely online shop which sells many wonderful things from handmade jewellery and accessories to customised clothes, vintage finds, oddities and curiousities. I will be adding new items every week so there will always be something new to look at. I also offer a commission service so if anyone would like something specifically unique to them please let me know. Below are a few serving suggestions from Helen’s Market Stall, not only can you buy lovely things you can get style inspiration too. You can follow the link to the right or copy and paste this address www.helensmarketstall.co.uk into your browser. Well enough with the stalling and on with the browsing, enjoy!

Spring has sprung and the sun is well and truly out, what better excuse to invest in some new shoes? But before you take to the high street I strongly suggest you explore the beauty and unique designs of Hetty Rose, a conceptual collection of shoes which are completely hand made using mainly reclaimed, recycled and vintage materials. These are primarily vintage Japanese kimono fabrics, each holding different meanings shown by their use of colour and design. The designer hand selects the most exquisite fabrics from Japan creating unique footwear. These are then skillfully combined with hand crafted wooden heels, recycled leather and natural leather soles creating modern stylish footwear. As you can see from the examples below the footwear is simple yet distinctive, with colour being key to each design. If you have individual style and you want shoes which represent that, then these are the shoes for you and a fantastic bonus is every process of the development of each product is entirely hand crafted by Henrietta in her workshop, this talented designer seeks to raise awareness of hand crafted footwear made in Britain. So not only will your feet look stunning you will be supporting British design and manufacturing.

Well it’s about bloody time Blur were given the recognition they deserve. I’ve been a fan since I was a wee teen, the first album I ever bought was Blur. I love them. I have always loved them. I am their no 1 one fan & was absolutely convinced that I would marry Alex James – I’m still disappointed that didn’t happen. So with Blur winning another brit award and being announced as the headlining act for the Olympic closing gig in Hyde park, this has all got me thinking. Thinking about a long time ago when I used to smoke a lot, drink a lot and generally be a lot more hardcore than I am now. Frequenting festivals & endless indie & Brit Pop gigs – I’ve seen Blur six times. Yes indeed. I dressed as much like a Blurvert as I possibly could – there were no real rules, I just tried to look like the band members in a girly way really. So I’ve pulled together two looks which basically summed up my general wardrobe around 1996-1998 & thought I’d share them in case there are any other people out there who haven’t been possessed by rubbish music and crap Essex tv and still appreciate the way we used to do things – speaking the Queen’s English and drinking beer whilst listening to guitars! 

♥ Top – Fred Perry, Boyfriend Jeans – ASOS, Boots – DMs, Bag – Lonsdale, CDs – if you’re a blur fan you should have them all including Japanese imports and rare singles! Lighter – Northern Soul.com, bracelets – Camden market & friends, Beer – pub, Cigarettes – corner shop.

♥ T-Shirt – Vintage, Cargo Skirt – Superdry, Track Top – Adidas, Trainers – Adidas, Glasses – Vintage 90′s (yes geek glasses were being worn a while before the dwellers of Shoreditch got hold of the idea) Bubble Watch – Ebay, Bag – Camden Market.

Bold prints and brights are back this Spring Summer and with so many to choose from anyone can wear them, no matter what your style or age. In my opinion – which is the right one – mixing prints can look messy and a bit “try hard” so instead styling bold prints with bright colours is a better option, easier on the eye. As always I’ve put together some examples of how this can be done, using a selection of high street, designer and vintage to keep the looks fresh. So enjoy the bold, bright and the beautiful…

♥ Dress, Hat, Shoes – River island, Cuff – Kenneth Jay lane, Bag – Roberto Cavalli, Sunglasses – The Row, Nail Varnish – OPI.

♥ Top – H&M, Leggings – Versace for H&M, Jacket – TOPSHOP, Shoes – New Look, Necklaces – Net-A-Porter, Bag – ASOS.

♥ Dress – River island, Sunglasses – TOPSHOP, Headscarf – Missoni, Bag – Vintage at Rokit, Shoes – New Look, Cuff – YSL, Bracelet – Kenneth Jay Lane.

So Christmas is over, it is a brand New Year and I find myself inspired by…… the 1980′s! Well why not, they definitely had fun with their attire and I’ve taken to injecting that fun into mine too. So I thought it only right to share a few visions with you. Some of my own looks are inspired by the truly awesome Sara Stockbridge who was Vivienne Westwood’s muse in the early 80′s. Her distinctive look was fiery and unique, something lacking these days if you ask me. Other looks are taken from iconic films and music. Whatever your style I’m sure you’ll find it hard not to give in to at least one of these enchanting ensembles.

♥ Headband – New Look, Lipstick – MAC, Top – TOPSHOP, Shorts – Vintage Levis from Rokit, Jacket – TOPSHOP, Shoes – Converse, Bracelet – Disaya, Bangles – New Look. 

♥ Dress – Ralph Lauren, Jacket – TOPSHOP, Shoes – Christian Louboutin, Scarf – Versace for H&M, Bag – Versace, Earrings – Angle Dust, Nail Varnish – OPI, Lip Stickers – Violent lips.

♥ Hat – TOPMAN, T-Shirt – Camden Market, Jacket (customised to make cropped), Skirt, Tights – all TOPSHOP, Braces – Phix Clothing, Shoes – Dr Martens, Socks & Bracelets – Camden Market.