The fruits of our collective labour

***If nipples offend you, please look away now!***

Here are the final shots from the photoshoot I did recently:

Photography: Murad RM Photography
Model: Clare B
Hair and make up: Beth Alderson
Styling: Frankie Murray
Lingerie: Mint Siren

Photography: Murad RM Photography
Model: Inna S
Hair and make up : Emma Taylor
Styling: Frankie Murray
Jewellery: Swell Vintage
Lingerie : Fred & Ginger

Photography: Murad RM Photography
Model: Clare B
Hair and make up: Beth Alderson
Styling: Frankie Murray
Necklace: Swell Vintage
Ring: ASOS
Lingerie and collar: Loulou Loves You

Photography: Murad RM Photography
Model: Inna S
Hair and make up : Emma Taylor
Styling: Frankie Murray
Ring: ASOS
Lingerie: Ayten Gasson

Photography: Murad RM Photography
Model: Inna S
Hair and make up: Emma Taylor
Styling: Frankie Murray
Necklace: Swell Vintage
Ring: ASOS
Lingerie: Loulou Loves You

So what do you think? I'd love some feedback on the styling and overall look of the pictures, so please let me know.

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

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Behind the scenes: styling a lingerie shoot

Here are some behind the scenes snaps of the lingerie shoot I styled last week. It was such a fun day, and it was an honour to work with gorgeous pieces from Mint Siren, Loulou Loves You, Ayten Gasson and Fred & Ginger.

Model: Clare
Make up: Beth Alderson

Model: Inna
Make up: Emma Taylor

Model: Clare
Lingerie and collar: Loulou Loves You
Jewellery: Swell Vintage

Model: Inna
Lingerie: Fred and Ginger
Jewellery: Swell Vintage

Bored of photos? Here's a little video I made about it:

If it doesn't work here, you can watch it at the Swell Vintage YouTube page.

So what do you think? I really enjoy styling, and hopefully have a few more things in the pipeline very soon. Oh, and I'm sorry for the mess ups in my video - I think I should probably stick to writing!

I can't wait to show you the final photos next week.

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

x

A not-so-swell first attempt at video blogging

I've just done my first ever video blog post! Ooo err!



You can also watch it over at YouTube if it doesn't work for some reason.

SO - what do you think? Please be honest. I was very nervous about being in front of the camera, but hopefully I'll relax and get more confident soon.

Also, if you have any ideas about video posts you'd like to see, please let me know! I need all of the help I can get.

Happy New Year, by the way!

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

x

Wishing you a Swell Christmas!

Have a Swell time!

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

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When Frankie met Elsie

Photo courtesy of Shape What's to Come

Last week I had the pleasure of interviewing the very talented and lovely Elsie Flannigan of Red Velvet Vintage for Levi's Shape What's to Come. It was so good to speak to her about her business and her gorgeous blog, A Beautiful Mess (if you haven't read it yet, I guarantee you'll fall in love with it). Elsie's story is definitely an inspiring one, and I've definitely learned a few things for my own business.

If you'd like to read the interview, just hop over here and have a look! I'd love to hear what you think about it.

Merry nearly-Christmas!

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

x

New stuff from the house of Swell

...although I actually live in a flat!

Although I've been busy with a good few Christmas jewellery commissions recently, I've also made some new pieces that I really want to share with you. As always, I'd be grateful for any feedback or thoughts you may have about the pieces, so please sock it to me. All of these pieces will be available from Swell-Vintage.com in the new year.

This is my Queen of Hearts necklace. It's made from a vintage brooch, hung on vintage chain and is adorned with freshwater pearls. I am really pleased with it's simple beauty - so much so, in fact, I might even wear it to my Christmas party tonight! Turns out I'm very indecisive...

The Luck be a Lady bracelet is a bit of a bold beast, but it still has an air of elegance about it. It's made from a vintage brooch, linked on vintage chain and is, of course, adorned with freshwater pearls. I do so love a bit of wrist bling.

Inspired by everyone's favourite Quality Street treat, this is The Purple One. I do have a confession to make - this is not a new necklace. I made it a long time ago, and it was for sale in a boutique in Edinburgh. Unfortunately that boutique has now closed down, and although I am very sad about it I am very happy to have this necklace back.

So what do you think? Which piece is your favourite? What would you wear them with? Tell me what's on your mind.

Also, it's nearly Christmas! I am so overly excited about it, and I'm looking forward to spending some quality time with friends and family. What are your plans for the festive period?

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

x

P-A-R-T-why? Because it's Christmas!

I love Christmas. I honestly do. Not just because it's the season where binge eating becomes a socially acceptable activity (they're known as 'mince pies', not 'mince pie'. Thus, I must eat as many as I can fit into my mouth...right?), but also because there 's always a good occasion to get up.

As mentioned a few posts ago, I recently left my full-time office job so that I could devote more of my time to Swell Vintage. It's been a couple of weeks since I left now, and while it has been amazing to explore my passion more, I do really miss the people. I worked with a lot of brilliant and wonderful people, many of whom became very close friends to me, and you just don't get the same level of social interaction when you're sat at home talking to yourself. And I've definitely tried...losing touch with reality, you say? Don't be crazy...

However, before you start playing the world's smallest violin just for me, the good news is there is some light at the end of my anti-social tunnel - the Christmas Party! I'm still allowed to go, and I fully intend to have an awesome night.

But I do need your help, my dear reader. I've got the dress, but I need help choosing a necklace to wear!

Ok, so here's the dress. It's a vintage black lacey number that I got from Vix Vintage on Etsy, and I am in love with it. It fits like a dream and definitely gets me in the mood for a party.

As you can see, the neckline is rather plunging, so I will definitely need a necklace to go with it. I personally love a statement necklace to make an outfit pop, especially with a black dress, so I'm going for something quite bold. And lucky for me, I have lots of lovely necklaces to borrow from Swell Vintage! Here are the options:

Necklace One

My 'Princess Pearl' necklace could work because it's quite striking, but the pearls add a touch of elegance to it. Also - let's face it - it looks a bit like a nipple, so it's quite fun to wear with a low cut dress!

Necklace Two

My 'Rose by any other name' necklace is one of my all-time favourite pieces, and it might be nice to soften the dress with something a bit prettier...but would it work with this dress? What do you think?

Necklace Three

I made this necklace today, and I'm really pleased with how it's come out. I've called it 'Pearl of the Sea' because the jagged shape reminds me of coral. I like it because it has a classic feel to it, and that could go really well with this dress. It will also be available to buy from swell-vintage.com as of tomorrow.

So what do you think? Which is your favourite necklace? If you could place you vote and let me know any ideas or thoughts you have in the comments box, it would be very much appreciated! Also, I'd love to hear about your go-to party outfit for the Christmas season, so please tell me all about it.

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

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