Having a Fringe: Tips and Tricks

I've had a straight cut fringe, or 'bangs', for the most part of my life. I'd consider it my signature style and I feel completely odd on occasions when it must be pinned back or has temporarily grown out. Though I'm not at all in any way, shape or form a hair expert I thought I'd share with you all some of the tips and tricks I've picked up over the years in regards to maintaining a fringe. Some of these may be completely obvious to those of you that too have a fringe but if you are new to them, or thinking about getting one, I hope you find something helpful!

Terry Cloth Bands

I find these to be an utmost necessity for having a fringe. I'm sure all of you who have one have experienced an occasion in which you are trying to wash your face, shower, moisturize or apply your makeup and your fringe just completely gets in the way to suffer the wrath of hot water and oily products. Alice bands can work but if your fringe if quite short tendrils of hair can fall out and prove to be disruptive. I find terry cloth bands work well as they are wide, ensuring greater security, and the material is perfect for absorbing chance splashes of water. I myself use an elasticized cloth band over one with velcro for maximum security of my fringe and the fact that the velcro ones can often cause discomfort by clinging to stray hairs. 

Dry Shampoo

Let's face it. Sometimes we are just in too much of a rush to wash our hair and I would never recommend washing your fringe on its own! Dry shampoo is a life saver for hair, especially fringes. Give a quick spritz, fluff up your hair and then brush it out. Voila! I find that a soft bristled brush works best for this. I always keep a can of dry shampoo on my bathroom shelf and take it with me when travelling. Some brands are even available in handy travel sized cans. I find it particularly handy for hot and humid summer days. 

Rest

Some days I think it is good to just give your fringe a bit of a break, especially during hot weather. Oils from your forehead can make your fringe quite oily and it's not the best look or feeling. It will also give your forehead a break, espcially if you have problem skin. Alice bands are perfect for this and many cute 'dos can be styled around them. I find that toothed bands work best, with better grip to prevent stray hairs from falling loose. Bobby pins can also work for longer fringes. 

Flathead Hairdryer Attachment

On days when my hair is not as tame as I'd like it to be after a wash, when damp and combed, I like to give my fringe a blast with my hairdryer's 'flat head' attachment. This attachment concentrates the airflow onto a specific area of your hair, enabling a greater amount of control when styling. I blast it directly down from the root the to ends on a warm setting with medium strength, straightening the hair out into place and creating a nice shine. I then go over it with a quick cool setting to set it and then let the rest of my hair dry naturally. This method can also be helpful to tame some cow's licks. 

Rolling

A good trick to do when your fringe is getting just that little bit longer in between trims is to roll it. This is done when styling your hair for a day or night out. Soft bristled roller brushes work best for this. On dry hair, lift the brush up under your fringe to the root and roll it away from you through the hair. While doing this, blast your hair with a hairdryer on a warm setting with medium strength. Gently brush it out. The results should be a nice and bouncy, slightly shorter fringe.

Trimming

I have been trimming my own fringe for years now. Some people are against the idea of trimming your own fringe as if it were taboo but I say do what you feel comfortable with. If you are happy to get it done on a regular basis at a salon, fabulous! But know that you can do it on your own at home with the right equipment and by adhering to certain instructions, saving time and money. Let me say, never, never use nail or safety scissors when cutting your own hair. Always use a pair of hair cutting shears. These can be bought from various salons or beauty stores. A good tutorial you can watch to learn how to trim your fringe properly can be found here.  

Do you have any of your own tips or tricks when it comes to fringes?

I'd love to hear of them!

Image: Jane Birkin photographed by Eric Swayne, 1966

Biba Love and Dolly Eyes

Back in this post I shared some of the latest additions to my wardrobe with you. Here is the late 1960's vintage Merle Stephen maxi dress. I've been pining to wear this one since I first laid eyes on it but the weather just won't allow it. Today, being a little cooler and with nothing planned but lounging about and relaxing, I thought I'd play dress up. The dress is a deep plum purple with a small vine print. It has an empire waistline, ruffled collar and bishop sleeves with covered buttons (please excuse the fact that in the picture above they are only done up half way - the heat you see). 

I don't know about you but for me this dress calls to mind the sultry Biba dollybirds of the late 1960's and early 1970's. Whilst wearing it I can imagine myself lounging across the couch in the shop window of the Biba Kennsington Church Street store. And so, to keep with the aura of the dress, I had to do my Biba style makeup to go with it. I then had loads of fun prancing around and grooving out to the sounds of 1968. What fun! 

A brilliant tutorial to follow to get the Biba girl look is this one here by renowned makeup artist, Lisa Elridge. 

It is clear and simple, and was created with the assistance of Barbara Hulanicki herself.

Do check it out!

Pour Votre Poitrine, Du Charme!

I recently attended a vintage lingerie exhibit by the Victoria and Albert Museum and my oh my how I feel even more in love with the drawers of decades past than ever, in particular those of the 1960's (of course!).

During the 1960's lingerie styles evolved to reflect the changing fashions and attitudes at the time. Designs were glamourized with new fabrics, laces and fastenings and girdles were on the way out, allowing more freedom of movement and more skin to be showed off. Pantyhose and tights became popular and into the later years of the decade we saw the emergence of colourful sets and fabrics printed with fun and youthful designs. 

Being so inspired I thought I'd share with you some of my very favourite fashion photography from the 1960's featuring designer lingerie. You'll see the work of prominent photographers, such as Terence Donovan and John French, various 1960's models and figures, such as Celia Hammond, Marianne Faithfull, Brigitte Bardot and Jill Kennington, and some vintage advertisements for Christian Dior hosiery. 

Images:

1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10 

New In My Wardrobe

You may have noticed recently that there haven't been many outfit posts published on my blog. Other than not having the time to document what I wear each day, the reason for this is that it is just too hot here in Oz to wear my usual and favoured style of 1960's clothing. I do not particularly like to wear my vintage clothing items during the Summer season. Many of the dresses from my collection were intended for colder climates and seasons, with long sleeves and thick fuzzy fabrics - certainly not appropriate for this weather! In this heat I find myself wearing more weather appropriate clothing that I am not too worried to get damaged from long, hot walks or impulsive leaps out in the rain. That is not to say however that I have not been adding to my vintage collection. I thought I'd share some of the lovely things that I've managed to get my paws on these last couple of months. 

Above is a pair of silver, spangly shoes from the 1960's. They are in very nice condition, surprisingly very comfortable for a size 5 and 1/2 (I am a 7, would you believe?), and they only cost me $1.50 - neato! This psychedelic mini, also spangly and shimmery and from the 1960's, was bought on a bit of a whim. It is a size too big for me but I could not leave it sitting alone tucked away in between a hoard of cheap children's play costumes in a charity shop. It had to come home with me. I mean who can resist bell sleeves like that?

This spotty dotty orange mini sits happily in my wardrobe with an air of cheek about it. I found it in a charity shop, however it looked a little different then. Instantly recognizing it as 1960's vintage from the corner of my eye, I pulled it out from the racks and marched straight to the change rooms without looking at it twice. Upon slipping the dress over my head I realized that someone had recently altered it, I imagine for some sort of fancy dress purpose. The buttons had all been undone and the collar folded right down over them and stitched into place. To describe it as revealing would be an understatement. Sneaky me couldn't wait and wanted to see the dress in its former glory. So out came the keys from my purse and snip! I unpicked those nasty stitches.

 It's okay - I did intend to buy it in the first place anyway!

I cannot quite remember where the blouse with the gold trimmed ruffles and string bow came from, but I have planned a lot of outfits around this one. Pinafore dresses shall become its new best friend come winter time. The black velvety purse was found for a just few cents in a sale bin up north. It was worth the rummage. 

Here we have a 1970's midi length dress with matching cloth belt and a full circle skirt. With a nice and breathable fabric it should be perfect for this autumn and will look fabulous with a pair of black suede knee high boots. Next to it is this beautiful, ruffly, butter yellow prom dress that is from the 1950's. Too tiny for me but it looks just darling hanging up on the inside door of my wardrobe permanently. 

And lastly, perhaps my favourite of the bunch, a late 1960's Merle Stephen maxi dress. Wearing it makes me feel like a BIBA girl. It calls to mind smokey dolly eyes, big floppy felt hats and glossy black nail polish. Lovely. Hopefully these will all make appearances in outfit posts on the blog sometime soon. I'm a little over the blazing heat and am missing my old dollybird get-up. What's something that you have been missing lately?

To see more from my vintage wardrobe click here and here. 

Let There Be More Light

I hope that you all enjoyed your New Year's! 

I certainly did. We greeted 2015 by watching two sets of fireworks in what you could almost call two different timezones against a brilliant display of lightning, drinking lemonade, cracking fortune cookies and getting very happily caught in the rain. 

How did you greet 2015?

Title: "Let There Be More Light" - Pink Floyd

Happy New Year

2014 has been a real roller coaster ride of a year. Change, change, change. Some for better and some for worse, and some that I never would have dreamed to happen. If there is anything that is inevitable it is change. We never know what life brings us. Some things are out of our control and we can't win every time. A man close to my heart once said "life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans", and I believe this to be true. And so now, instead of formulating a list of must dos and wont dos, I am looking straight ahead into the future with open eyes and an eager mind. I will embrace change to the best of my ability and by doing so I will in turn embrace life. 

I want to explore, adventure and enjoy everything. 

And most of all
I want to laugh, love and live. 

I wish you all every happiness for the year ahead and all the hope that you can find within yourselves. 

Love, Lucy