The Love I have for Vintage Laura Ashley~

When I was a kid growing up I loved going into the Laura Ashley store we had in my hometown of Houston, Texas. Everything was so beautiful from the clothes to the house ware. I remember when I was 12 my Mom finally bought me a bed room set of sheets, curtains and pillows for my room and I was so happy I would just lay on my bed smiling. It evoked another time and place for me, like being transported back in time to a Jane Austen novel or something of that nature. When I got to high school I was into punk and new wave, but my girlfriends and I became obsessed with Laura Ashley and started wearing her dresses with crazy hair and makeup and old victorian granny boots and 1940's shoes. It was like old west prairie girls go punk!


Laura Ashley herself was a welsh fashion designer and got her start designing designed headscarves, napkins, table mats and tea-towels for the Women's Institute on quilt work, which her husband Bernard printed on a machine he had designed in their attic flat. Laura's inspiration to start producing printed fabric came from a Women's Institute display of traditional handicrafts at the Victoria & Albert Museum. When she began looking for small patches carrying Victorian designs to help her make patchworks, she found no such thing existed. Here was her opportunity, and she started to print Victorian style headscarves in 1953. The Ashleys' scarves quickly became successful with stores, retailing both via mail order and high street chains such as John Lewis - Bernard left his city job to print fabrics full time. This put them on the road to becoming an international company with a brand that is recognized around the globe. Laura designed the prints and Bernard built the printing equipment; Laura remained in charge of design until shortly before her death, while Bernard handled the operational side. Laura Ashley's first shop was opened in Machynlleth, Powys (35 Maengwyn Street) in London.

I Have never really been a collector of one thing in particular but today I have the sudden urge to start collecting vintage Laura Ashley. Maybe some of these designs below will inspire some of you to start your own Laura Ashley Collections.

YOU'VE GOT THOSE GYPSY EYES~

AMAZING NEW STUFF IN THE SHOP THIS WEEK! I HAVE AROUND 50 NEW PIECES I WILL BE ADDING TO THE SHOP OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS. TO START THINGS OFF IS THIS AMAZING COLLECTION OF GYPSY INSPIRED FINERY IN THE VEIN OF NICO, JIMI HENDRIX, STEVIE NICKS AND ANITA PALLENBERG. AUTUMN IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER WAITING FOR US ALL TO DUST OFF OUR VELVET, SUEDE AND LEATHER, SO LET'S ALL CELEBRATE MOVING INTO THE HARVEST SEASON AS THE SUMMER SLOWLY FADES DOWN~

VALLEY OF THE KINGS 1970s I MAGNIN VELVET MAXI DRESS
WRAP YOUR TROUBLES IN DREAMS 1970s VELVET AND LACE MAXI SKIRT
THE SPANISH HARLEM INCIDENT 1950s TURQUOISE MEXICAN DRESS
GYPSY EYES COTTON QUILTED 70s VEST
GOLD DUST WOMAN 1970S COTTON ETHNIC DRESS
1970s EXILE ON MAIN STREET HI WAISTED JEANS
VOODOO CHILD PATCHWORK PURSE

TOPS AND BLOUSES GALORE!!!

NEW ARRIVALS IN THE SHOP! I RECENTLY FOUND A BEAUTIFUL ARRAY OF VINTAGE TOPS, BLOUSES AND SHIRTS THAT RUN THE GAMUT OF DIFFERENT STYLES AND FEELINGS! WEAR THEM WITH JEANS, SKIRTS, SHORTS, FANCY DUDS OR EVEN TO BED! ENJOY~XO

Channeling the Inner Goddess

Every woman is a goddess whether she is aware of this or not. There are many days where I wake up and need to channel the goddess within and so I go to the part of my closet where all of the goddess dresses are hanging. I kid you not~ Sometimes I want to channel the simple beauty of ancient greece and the strength of Aphrodite or Artemis or Athena, sometimes it is the women of magic such as Circe or a very modern Anita Pallenberg and sometimes it is a goddess of the silver screen such as Marilyn Monroe or Jayne Mansfield. All woman have their own innate magic and that comes through not only in the clothes they wear but the way they move and the way they choose to personally adorn themselves. The goddess within also gives us the power to create and live out our dreams and fantasies. Maybe we can all choose one day a week to be the goddess within, to let her out whoever she may be and allow her the space to follow her dreams~