How about tat?

Yesterday was my 28th birthday. I've never been one for big parties or making too much of a fuss on the day itself, but this year there was something I really wanted to do.

Happy birthday to me!

If you know me in real life or follow me on any social media channels, you'll know that I love (and I'm not using that term loosely - I really do love) all things Poirot. I'm a big fan of most murder mysteries and whodunnit-based stories, but Agatha Christie's Poirot has always been my favourite. I love the books, I love the TV series and, most of all, I bloody love that brilliant little Belgian.

As the proud owner of the books, DVD collection and even a Poirot monkey (I'm not kidding), I decided to take the next step into the weird and wonderful world of fandom: a tattoo. My beautiful and amazing Nana kindly offered to cover it as my birthday present so that I will always be able to see it and think of her, making the whole thing doubly special. I found the perfect design to reflect his signature style and character, and decided to get it on my wrist facing me so I can look at it whenever I want without breaking my neck to see it.

When the big day  took myself off to Tattooland in Woking to get inked. Here are the results:

I absolutely love it and could not be happier. I got some amazing presents for my birthday this year and I love them all, but my new tattoo will forever go down as one of the most incredible gifts I've ever received. Thank you, Nana! I think Poirot himself would be proud.

Have you got any tattoos? Is it wrong that I'm already itching for my next one?

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

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The Swell Family album

Oh my goodness, it's been a while! Apologies for the unprecedented absense. Life just gets in the way sometimes, you know?

I've blogged about my family before, but now I want to share some of my favourite family photos with you. I've wanted to do this post for SUCH a long time, and I'm feeling extra nostalgic today. I am very proud of my family, and I am especially proud of my English/Egyptian/Italian heritage. My age-defying Nana and my Mother have always been a huge inspiration to me. Both of them modelled when they were younger, and both them were (and actually, still are) incredibly beautiful. Not only that, but when I was looking back through these photos, I was struck by the incredible fashions of the time and how many of them can still be found on the catwalks today. There are so many people out there who desperately try to emulate these looks, but back then it all came very naturally to my Mum and Nana. It was just a part of who they were.

Here are a few of my vintage family photos, including some of my favourite looks:

My Nana
Despite having Italian parents, my Nana grew up in Egypt. It's no wonder she caught the eye of my Granddad, son of the famous Egyptian actor Abbas Fares. I absolutely adore these photos, and amazingly she still looks gorgeous and young today at 80 years old!

No, that's not Rita Hayworth - that's my Nana! I love the cheeky hint of nautical glamour here - perfect for spring/summer 10!

No, that's not Raquel Welch - that's my Nana! Long gold chains are huge at the moment, just as they were then.

Classic vintage style and beauty. I think it's time to dig the heated rollers out!

Looking every inch the exotic beauty. And this was in the days before photoshop! Look at that skin...sigh.

My Mum
She tends to down-play her modelling past, but the fact is my Mum looks amazing in all of her photographs. She worked on Carnaby Street in the Sixties, where she used to do the charts for Music Week - can you get much cooler than that?! I have so many amazing photos of her, but these are my ultimate favourites.

Bond-girl chic with bow detailing - what a stunner. The metallic bikini makes for a hot poolside look. My Mum proves that you don't have to be skin and bones to model swimwear. She's got hips, and she's not afraid to use them. As Tyra would say, she's modelling "H to T" (look at that pointed toe!).

Fresh faced and fancy-free. Is that a jumpsuit, I spy? I've loved to have a good feel of that fabric...looks interesting to say the least!

This is my Mum with my step-grandmother, Bobbie (she was also an amazing person. I miss you, Bobbie!). Hello, statement jacket! Look at that sequin detailing. You can find jackets like this in Topshop and other high street shops for around £100, but this is the real deal. If she's thrown this away, I will be seriously upset...


Big hat - check. Seventies fur trim - check. Patent leather handbag - check. Can you think of a more perfect look for Autumn/Winter 10?


Now this isn't really a look that I would personally wear - in fact, my Mum herself always cringes at this photo - but to me, this photo is all about individuality. Fashion should be about experimenting and trying different looks that are unique to you, and that is exactly what my Mum is doing here. Be brave and create some fashion memories of your very own!

Last but not least, I want to show you a couple of photos of my Granddad, Gamal Fares. I met my Granddad when I was only a few months old (he died of cancer shortly after) so I do not remember him, but I am always told that he was a deeply interesting man. I love these photos of him because they show what a stylish man and powerful man he was. My Granddad wasn't always good to the women in his life, but he certainly had a lot of them!

This is my Granddad with Bobbie, who he left my Nana for. You can see glasses like that on men all over East London, but very few of them can wear this look with the same natural style as my Granddad. Look how enamoured Bobbie was with him in this photo. It's amazing how a photograph can capture an emotion like that.

This is a photo of my Mum, Granddad and his mistress! No word of a lie! Shockingly, there are a number of photos like this mixed in with our family collection. I wonder how Bobbie felt about that! That being said, look at the print his mistress is wearing - with bold prints being huge this season, that outfit wouldn't look out of place on the high street.

Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed the Swell Family album! Would you like to see more? Just let me know and I might do another post. In other news, I've been beavering away to make more glasses chains, so expect to see a post on that soon.

Until then, have a lovely long weekend!

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

x

Swell family

I'm back!

Apologies for the impromptu break, but I had a very good reason...

Over the last few months, my family and I have been planning a HUGE surprise for my Nana's 80th birthday. My Nana is a brilliantly wonderful and sweet woman, but she is also incredibly modest. When asked what she'd like to do for her birthday, she replied without hesitation, "Nothing. And if you plan anything, I'll kill you."

Undeterred by the (hopefully) light-hearted death threat, we continued with our sneaky birthday planning. My Nana, Aunty, Uncle and three of my little cousins all live in the south of Spain. While we visit when we can, it doesn't happen often, so we knew she'd never expect the British contingent of our family to be there for her big day!

It's always hard to know what to give someone for such a milestone of a birthday. I knew that other family members were planning photo albums and other personal gifts, so I was thrown for a while. "Why don't you make her a necklace?" my Mum suggested.

It took a lot of planning on my part, because I wanted to make my Nana something as beautiful and unique as she is, but she doesn't really like the vintage style. This is the first piece of jewellery I've ever made that contains no vintage or antique parts, but I'm still pretty pleased with how it turned out:


The 'Mirella' necklace is made from freshwater pearls, individually linked with sterling silver and adorned with a nice big swarovski crystal. I wanted to do something a bit different from just pearls, as they can look quite aging and samey.

Luckily, my Nana loved it and she looked absolutely stunning:

She doesn't look 80, does she?! Fingers crossed I've inherited these good genes!

So what do you think of the necklace? Do you prefer a more vintage style, or should I expand Swell to include new styles? I'd love to know what you think.

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

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