Kanzashi Romance

I've been busy with kanzashi making the past few months, but trying not to spam up the blog too much with them. I love making the traditional geisha style kanzashi, and that's been building up into quite a collection! I also love the chance to do something a little more creative with designs as well.

I recently made up a batch inspired by vintage valentines cards and corsages for the shop perfect for valentines date outfits or valentines gifts. I made a decent name for myself back in the day making quirky kanzashi and loved trying some new things  out with these like making rose bouquets and pansies.

Also been adding little traditional mini monthly kanzashi for those interested in collecting a full calender of the flowers like me, without totally blowing the bank! 



Another thing I'm slowly working on is features on how to actually wear kanzashi since a lot of people seem to have fallen in love with them as objects over the years, but no-one seems to have much light to shed on how to use them! I started on the first steps to fixing that this week with some retro looking fashion plates featuring some of the kanzashi available in the shop worn in a 1930's inspired hair do.

Plans in the works for hairstyling tutorials to go with them too in the future. In the mean time if you are looking to buy some there are some rather nice (if I do say so myself ) traditional and retro designs in the Vivcore shop, and here are some kanzashi in action!

Falling for kanzashi

Having been unable to use a sewing machine for a while, I've been a busy kanzashi making bee! Fall gallery updates are all lined up, and what better way to kick off these updates than by finally including with the king of Fall kanzashi, Autumn tinted maple leaves.

This new pin is really getting me in the mood for cooler weather. Its also the 1st November kanzashi to hit the Kanzashi Core site, and (drum roll please)... Kanzashi Core's 100th kanzashi featured in the galleries!!!!!!
 
100 Kanzashi Party!

To celebrate the 100th Kanzashi Core kanzashi  I'm throwing a kanzashi extravaganza! Till  the end of September every full kanzashi order (this excludes barrettes) from our kanzashi shop will receive a free pair of tsumami kanzashi barrettes. Also everyone who orders a kanzashi this month will also be entered to win this rather tasty, retro kimono inspired purse to go with their new hair ornaments.

Launch it!

With the Fall updates on the zine site, I'm making a push to get new updates to the shop part too, but need the support of all you kanzashi lovers to make that happen!

Despite a flood of interest and requests when the kanzashi shop re-opening was anounced, it hasn't had the sales needed to sustain it.

If you are one of the people excited to see the kanzashi shop open again please help get the word out. Tweet us, Facebook us, Tumble us. I'd love to work with any blogs interested in the shop and the art. Most importantly, buy your favorites!

I have the seeds of a book in progress, prototypes happening for chic lucite geiko style kanzashi and even super out there courtesan sets! I hope with enough support (indie speak for sales) I can bring these things to you.

It's Fabric I'm in Love

From the V&A

A while back I was fortunate to catch the V&A's Golden Age of Couture exhibit and spent longer than most staring into a glass case of fabric swatches saying over and over in my head, "If only I could lay my hands on those....". Back in the 1940's Zika Ascher founded a London fabric company that really changed the face of textiles as we know them today, Ascher fabrics. They were the first to work with fine artists of the time like Picasso, Henry Moore, and Cecil Beaton to create stunning fabrics and scarves. Their fabrics were used by couture houses such as Dior, Schiaparelli, Givenchy, Lanvin, Yves Saint Laurent, and Mary Quant. The cherry on the top is that not only were these fabrics designed by the best and used by the best, they were even worn by some of the most exciting clients as well. Such as the then, Princess Elizabeth.

In short as an English girl with a fine arts degree, a clothing company and a passion for vintage fashion and art, it was love at first sight.

Mid Century Mode Collection

Back in October of last year, part serendipity, part research lead to my standing in a fantastically vintage archive room, sighing over thousands of fabric designs from the 40's up, and coming away with a stock room full of bolts of Ascher cottons, all sporting vibrant mid-century designs, just waiting for Spring. Although a late debut, the dresses from this vintage dream are finally rolling out in Vivcore's Mid Century Mode collection. It's been a real pleasure working with fabrics of such a perfect pedigree, and a thrill to be able to add an extra dimension of authenticity to our vintage inspired designs, by using fabrics designed by the best in the decades we all love the best!

Although the first dress from this line came out a while ago, this week is a the big launch of the Mid Century Mode Collection with 4 bold new dresses added to the store. It's all about authentic vintage flavor, and a real pleasure to add this extra slice of elegance from the motherland.

The collection, like a flower, is just showing it's first pretty buds and sure to grow. Keep watching to see how it matures! Supplies of each fabric are limited, so each design will only be available as you see it today for as long as the fabric is available. Check out the dresses here!

New Affiliate Club!

There's been a lot of shop talk lately, but I promise there are several soda posts in the works at the moment, and all kinds of other goodies!

Today's news is pretty exciting though!!! We've just launched the Vivcore Affiliate club! If you have a blog or website you can now sign up for an affiliate account and receive your own personal link to our store, and through that earn commission from any sales made when someone follows your link and places an order.


As well as commission we'll also be doing exclusive offers for affiliate club members to help you spread the word and as an extra "thanks" for helping us grow and supporting our labels!

You can sign up here to join :)

Instant Accessories Wardrobe!

If the dress can make the girl, then right accessories make the dress! One of the elements of vintage style that really define the vintage look,(especially in the 50's early 60's) it is the trend towards matching suits of accessories.

Matching jewels and matching small goods always really pulled together an outfit. Wearing vintage in this modern age it is very tricky to be able to find these perfectly matched sets, especially in small fabric goods, but it is a wonderful and effortless way to make any dress a polished ensemble!

Chose a color accent to play up in a print dress by choosing an accessory set that matches a detail in the dress, or pull a look together top to toe by color blocking accessories that match you shoes along with a solid color dress (different colored sets can really make a simple dress look different in almost endless ways, a great way to stretch a limited wardrobe on a limited budget!)

Get the look

Whilst jewelry can sometimes survive together in sets, fabric items rarely do, but as always that's where repro comes into play! The new "Pretty You" collection on in my shop is made in this old style only new, so you can indulge in this vintage trend today! The flirty little flower brooch, scarf, hair bows and whimsy are all hand made from scratch in the exact same fabrics so they are all a perfect match in color and texture. Sometimes it's possible to marry a few vintage items to look like a set, but there are always discrepancies in the texture and color (especially with white accessories since they age very differently making all kinda of different colors). It's possible to build your own set from the collection items, and the nicest thing to me about them is that they can turn any lone dress into a finished outfit!

The collection is based on a set from one of my 1963 catalogs to make it as authentic as it is cute!


Follow here to pick up the set and get the look!

Keep em Separated

Showing a little extra love to the separates sections this week, and taking it one step further even, and introducing our first pair of trousers to the site!


The Joy of Separates

A great way of filling your wardrobe on a budget is through separates. They are so versatile you can mix and match them almost endlessly! The blouse from your favorite dress set can cut a smart impression with our brand new Sailor pants, and the skirt gets a whole new feel when pared with a new blouse!

New Designs!

Sailor trousers are a perennial pin up favorite, and we've just added our version to the site today! The high waist makes your legs look longer, and the wide leg is flattering on any body shape. They are as comfortable as they are chic! (I road tested these in Montreal, and they are the best pants I ever wore!)

The Sweetie blouse Is a great way to coordinate your new sailor trousers or any pencil skirt. The loose shape makes the waist look smaller when tucked into a retro high waist skirt or pants, and the all round ruffle adds a great touch of femininity and finishes off that playful pin up look!

Click here to visit the new items, and other separates!

Shop Improvements!

One thing that has been sitting on my to-do list for a while was streamlining our online store. I've been slowly working on it bit by bit for a while now and after a super intense design and coding marathon it's up and running!

Before the site was separated into 3 shops, Candy Violet, Cute Salad and Boudoir, now on the same page. I've also been cleaning up parts of the shopping cart which I hope will be easier to use.

The design was rather fun, the look was based off fashion catalogs and magazines from the late 1950's. I love the graphics and colors from that time, and I thought since Vivcore is all about creating the experience of shopping for vintage style like the ladies did it when the styles were new, the mail order catalog/magazine was the best way to capture that retro experience in a modern way.

There's still some tweaking to do which will happen gradually, but I hope you guys like the new look and that the new format makes shopping with us that little bit more fun, and a whole lot easier. So come check it out!!!!

New Foundations

We've added a few new foundations to the shop today to complete that perfect vintage silhouette! Long line bras with that "perky" retro shape perfect for sweater girls and pulling off a super hourglass figure, plus the perennial pin up favorite the full length girdle for a super slinky smooth vintage shape under even the clingiest of dresses!

I've been teaming up my bra from this line with the waist cincher lately for the pulling power of the 2 together love the results with my favorite belted in dresses. I hope you guys will enjoy the new items as much as we do here at Quaintrelle HQ!

Much of our boudoir shop items are items I've bought, tried and loved for myself (the only exceptions are things we make and love!) and wanted to be able to offer to all the lovely peeps that shop with us so they can get the most out of the designs the same way I have. I figure if I love them then hopefully you guys will too! I even got a bit of a kick when I started noticing some of these items (or something super similar) popping up in the Mad Men episodes I was watching last night.

Click here to Visit Our Boudoir shop for these and our other foundation wear offerings!!

Pearly Queen

If there's one fashion thing people universally agree on, it's that you can't live without a good set of pearls!

When I'm putting together my outfit for the day one of the things I most frequently reach for is one of my favorite strands of simulated pearls! I love them because their beautiful subtle luster looks classy for day or evening wear, and they really do go with everything!

I do have a dream of one day owning a beautiful set of real pearls, but that's one of those dreams I have for the future (if I ever strike it rich someday), for right now though I'm all about nice simulated pearls (even Jackie Kennedy wore faux pearls so there's no shame in being a part of that fashion club!)

Things I like to see in my pearls are a hand knotted cord (It's super secure, and adds a touch of authenticity to the pearls as that's how the real deal are strung) and interesting clasp (the best way to add some extra glitz to the simplicity of pears!) and color.

Color me  retro
Classic white pearls are a great and timeless choice because they literally go with everything a girl might own, ball gowns, jeans, sundresses, the works! But I also love fun colors. In the 50's and 60's especially, colorful pearls were all the rage. With names like Creme de Menthe green, manufacturers went crazy for colors to fit with the vibrant styles of the time. A strong mid century trend for rainbow colored pearls mean colorful pearls are a super way to make timeless pearls look that little bit more obviously retro cool. 






Get the look!
Inspired by vintage pearl jewelry we've recently added a collection of classic pearls in elegant white and retro colors to the shop as a perfect finish to any and all of our outfits! Hand knotted on silk cords to match our Swarovski crystal pearls, and joined together with beautiful crystal clasps in the exact style of our favorite vintage gems.

The great thing about buying this old style new is that you can get the full matching set in tip top condition (so no devastating cord breaks) and with no discrepancy in color or luster between the pieces the way a married set of vintage jewelry has. We even package all our vintage style jewelry in lovely retro velour boxes so it really is just like back in the day!

***Visit the new collection of pearl jewelry just added to the shop today to pick up your own set and get the look today!***

 

Hello Kitty Lynne!

I'm sure a few eagle eyed readers have noticed a new face appearing in parts of the shop lately and even in the side bar of this very blog! Today I'd like to give a warm introduction to the latest member of the Vivcore team, lovely pin up model Kitty Lynne!

I always love hearing about why different people fall in love with vintage style so I asked her to do a little interview for the blog!...


Vivcore: What made you fall in love with Vintage Fashion?

Kitty Lynne: I love vintage beauty. It is timeless. There is an elegance and class that you just don’t see any more in today’s fashions. I have considered vintage fashion to be the epitome of loveliness for as long as I can remember but I think what made me truly fall in love with it was looking at old pictures of my Grandma from the 1950s. She was just so beautiful. Her hair, make-up and dresses were always just so and she always had the prettiest, most genuine smile on her face. I absolutely adore the fact that women back then actually made an effort when getting ready in the morning. No going to the store in PJ’s and a pony tail! Another thing that really made me appreciate vintage fashion was discovering the pin-up art of Vargas and the like. The mix of sexiness and innocence of the women really intrigued me. It was at that moment that my dream to be a pin-up model was born. Although it took MANY years for that dream to manifest itself, I now have the opportunity to pursue it and that is amazing!

Vivcore: Do you have any Vintage Style Icons that you love?

Kitty Lynne While it may seem like a “you know she was going to say that” answer, I’d have to say that my all time, most loved vintage style icon would have to be Audrey Hepburn. Not only for the clothes she wore but for her unblemished character. All her life she gave her time and resources selflessly to charities and causes she deemed of utmost importance. When it came to her sense of style, I don’t believe she was ever seen looking anything less than amazing. Even in a pair of slacks and a button down shirt, she always brought her “A” game.

Vivcore: What do you think is the most fun thing about Retro Fashion?

Kitty Lynne: I could talk you ear off on this one but I’ll try to keep it short. LOL. I guess if I had to pick one thing that is the most fun about retro fashion it would be, simply put, getting all dressed up. It’s such an awesome feeling when you actually take your time to do your hair and make-up and then put on a gorgeous vintage dress and heels (complete with all the foundation clothing of course)! You just feel so put together.

Vivcore: Anything else for the readers?

Kitty Lynne: Yes, I’d like to add that your readers can follow me on Twitter @Vivcore_Girl or on Facebook at Vivcore Girl ~Ashley Ann~ for additional updates on Vivcore’s awesomeness and to see pics of yours truly modeling Vivcore’s rockin’ designs. I’m also in the process of creating a website/blog devoted to Pin-Up Fashion. The website will be http://www.facebook.com/l/eef40yuXPcrth5XewdyuinfXK3Q/www.vivcoregirl.yolasite.com. Finally, I’d like to add that it is truly and pleasure and an honor to work with Vivien and to call her friend. She and her designs are amazing.

~Kitty Lynne~

I hope you'll give her a warm welcome to the team and keep a look out for her on the sites!

Fashion Foundations

When I'm getting dressed on a morning, or for a night out I have a kind of internal check list as I go... Got hair all pined up in the best curls of vintage roles? Check! Ruby red pout? Check! Rocking a gorgeous dress? Check! Ready to go? Well kinda... The first part that goes on, before the dress, the heels, even the lipstick for me is foundations! it's a word that goes over my head about 3 times before I finish planing my outfit, foundations, foundations, foundations!!!!

Girdles and waist cinchers were a staple in every ladies closet back in the day. At some point (looking at you 1960's) they became a kind of relic, something people looked at as kind of matronly even. These days they are finding their footing again! They've shed that old fashioned stigma and firmly embraced once again as retro lovely! You can see all different kinds represented in pin up photography, and not only that but they give us modern gals that vintage figure the clothes just cry out for!

For me if it's a full skirted look I pull on my waist cincher for a nipped in wast above the billowing crinoline (smaller for everyday, huge for evenings!) for a perfect hour glass shape, and for straight dresses I pull out my long girdle to get that neat sexy wiggle and super sleek curves.


Shop Update
Recently to help celebrate the wonderful world of spandex and nylon curves I've introduced several of my absolute favorite girdles and waist cinchers to the Boudoir Shop! So if any one out there was looking for some new foundation garments I hope you'll stop by our store!

Boudoir Shopping

More shop talk today but I swear it's worth it!'

Our selection of foundation garments and beauty products in on the increase! We've added new petticoats and petticoat options to the site, as well as some new cosmetics and corsets!

No matter your style, the right foundations and cosmetics are always key to a flawless look! Our petticoats have been a favorite pick for Quaintrelle for years now and hope we can win over even more of you with our new Boudoir Shop!

The move should make everything nice and reachable for both our Cute Salad and Candy Violet girls from either side of the store, and remember all of these sections go to the same cart, so you can mix and match till your hearts content and only pay for shipping once!

Cute Salad Re-Launch!

When we first became Vivcore we had 2 labels, one for more casual and fun styles (Cute Salad) , the other for more fancy and decadent styles (Candy Violet). Over a year ago Candy Violet slipped into the form we now know and love, and today Cute Salad has followed it's big sister!

From now on Candy Violet will be home to our glitzy cocktail, formal, and vintage couture inspired items and collections.





Cute Salad will now be home to our fun and flirty pin up and day wear inspired items!  (with a boudoir store to follow shortly with expanded foundation, lingerie and beauty lines)

To celebrate the new look and feel over at Cute Salad we have several new items ready to pick up and play with! Our new Riviera shirtwaist set and separates! In the past we made dress sets as a great way to get a one piece look, with the versatility of separates. So you can wear it as a dress or a skirt and blouse.

For long time visitors, any older designs you might be missing check the clearance sale for any old stock, and I hope every one is enjoying and will continue to enjoy out trips back through time with both of our Vivcore brands!

 Introducing the new Riviera dress set and separates!

The newest addition to the revamped Cute Salad shop is our Riviera collection in a super cute printed cotton that could have been ripped out of a 1950s Horrockses line! Visit the new Cute Salad shop to find out more!

Spring Dressing Part1

Foxy Stole and Du Barry dress

As well as slowly busting out orders, new Spring updates are belatedly making their way onto the site. The first of the bunch is these 2 new dresses and one of my proudest achievements the Foxy Stole!

On the right the Du Barry dress is a 2 piece set inspired by the period vintage style featured in one of our earlier posts. Pinked crushed robings and lovers knot bows down the front. One of our most glamorous evening dresses yet!

Marilyn Chemise

The  second dressy treat is the Marylin Chemise, an extra vintage take on our popular chemise dresses. My favorite dresses from the 50's have always been the big party dresses with the sheer fabrics so I was particularly excited to be able to release this design today!

The perfect dresses perhaps with prom season coming up? Anyone should need ideas on a prom hair and makeup look to go with them should stop by  the Lisa Freemont Street Channel  to check out a great tutorial for just that!

All the new items are available from the Candy Violet store. We're in the middle of a bit of shuffle around  with the sites lately. We've moved the atelier items into the regular catalog (custom sizing still available through the custom salon), and will be re-launching Cute Salad soon with a whole new look and style so I hope you guys might look forward to that!

New colors