I'm the New Girl

Hello there!

I'm Mia, I'm new here. And I'm super excited to be getting involved with Used and Abused. I spend A LOT of time daydreaming about, searching for and lusting over vintage clothes, and now I have a reason to do it. Hurrah!

This is me:

Like Corinne, I spend an unhealthy amount of time trawling ebay for treasures, and this week is no exception. Today I received my latest vintage auction purchase. Sometimes you have NO IDEA you need something until you see it. I couldn't tell you how I came to be looking at a pair of vintage suede hotpants, complete with tassels, but needless to say now I've held them in my sweaty palms I'm not sure how I've survived without them this long.

I LOVE them. And plan to wear them tomorrow night with my fab new Topshop tiger print bodysuit for total safari chic! It will either be a) amazing or b) mental.

Happiness in magazines

Not sure I've ever mentioned this before but I'm pretty obsessed with vintage fashion publications. Magazines and books of this nature keep me occupied for hours. I am in love with a book I recently found in a charity shop called Cheap Chic by Caterine Milnaire and Carol Troy. Published in 1975, it's the perfect guide covering everything from classics to sportswear and antiques. I've read it numerous times and I always manage to find something in it to make me re-work items from my wardrobe.

For example, I saw this beautiful leotard which I'm going to have a go at sewing...



It's been a while since I did any DIY stuff but I figure sewing some grasshopper fly type things will be the perfect opportunity to dabble. Obviously I won't be stretching about in the quite the same way but I'm sure I could muster a semi-cartwheel or something.

My favourite article in Cheap Chic has to be the one below which is all about being a student, spending a little but still looking amazing. I for one spend a lot of money on clothes every month and it's something I need to cut back on. It's difficult to look fantastic on a budget but those that do it always look amazing - necessity is the mother of invention after all! Anyway, here are the words of wisdom...



My mum also managed to find a few vintage magazines for me at the local market this week (they're were a £1 for 2! Unbelievable!). I've been pouring over a copy of Vanity Fair this week. In particular this little article entitled 'How To Be A Raving Beauty":




Anyway, back to the mags, the adverts are beautiful, it's also interesting to see how little women's magazines have actually changed (lots of support pants and perfume). There's a really great pattern for a playsuit I might have a go at making at some point... watch this space!

OOh, and my final retro tip I picked up is using Distilled Witch Hazel as a toner. Apparently it's very good for your skin and you can buy it from Boots for £2.36

Corinne

Welcome to Used And Abused Vintage!

Hello! It's Corinne here. I thought I'd write a post to explain what's going on! I have recently closed my old blog (stylezipper) and moved it to here!

This blog is going to focus more fully on vintage fashion (but also high-street stuff too!) and I'm going to be joined by my friend Mia who is going to write regular posts too. This'll mean that you'll get more posts than before and you'll also get an insider look at what it's like to be vintage obsessed like Mia and I!

Corinne