In Leather I Tust

On Friday, I was fortunate enough to visit the Tusting warehouse so see how they make their amazingly beautiful leather goods. I have been a fan of Tusting's incredible handbags for a while now, so I was extra excited to see how they are made.

As I have mentioned before, Tusting is over 130 years old and is a family run business. They're the second largest manufacturer in the UK, and each of their beautiful bags are lovingly made by a team of dedicated and skilled leatherworkers. Tusting pride themselves on using the finest quality leather for all of their goods, and this quality and attention to detail explains why they have been around for so long and why their bags are so covertable!

The whole day was so much fun. Not only was I in brilliant company surrounded by so many great bloggers, but the Tusting warehouse is, quite simply, a dream factory. I wish I could put into words how wonderful and intoxicating the rich aroma of leather is and how buttery soft each piece feels to touch, but hopefully these pictures will give you a rough idea of how amazing the whole experience was. For even more photos, visit the Swell Vintage Facebook page.

The whole gang! 

From left to right: Poppy of What I Wore Today, Lucy of Snippets of Shiny Thoughts, Jackie of Platform Princess, Becky from Push PR, Louisa of Lust & Found Magazine, Gillian of Tusting, Sarah-Hayley of Sarah-Hayley Owen, Ella of Coco's Tea Party, Matthew of Filep Motwary, Charlie of Girl a la Mode, Fiona of Save Our Shoes, Kit of Style Slicker and William Tusting

Thank you to Gillian and William Tusting for having us and for giving us a glimpse into your magical world, and Push PR for organising the trip! It was truly a great day and I can't wait for the day I own a Tusting bag of my very own.

Much love,

Frankie
Swell Vintage

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That's my philosophy

A little while ago, I received a very generous care package from the good folks at philosophy. This was an exciting one for me - not just because I'd just run out of face wash, but also because I've been meaning to try their goodies for a while now. 

Typical blogger Instagram photo - follow me at 'frankieisswell' for more typical blogger pics!

To quote their website, philosophy is a brand that "that approaches personal care from a skin care point of view, while celebrating the beauty of the human spirit". This ethos appeals to me greatly because, to be perfectly honest with you, my poor skin gets put through hell on a somewhat regular basis. I wear make-up nearly every day (apparently far too much, according to my dear Mother), I'm fairly certain I exfoliate too often (it just feels so good!) and I suffer from the occasional but nonetheless unpleasant break outs. It's nice to know that someone out there is thinking about the good of my skin as well as my "inner beauty", as it were.

I was extremely excited to try philosophy's famous purity cleanser. Not only has it won awards, but it also promises to "to gently cleanse, tone and melt away all face and eye makeup in one simple step, while lightly hydrating the skin". Sounds pretty good, eh?

I've been using the cleanser on and off for over a week now, and I must say I am very impressed with it. It smells lovely, foams and rinses off well and somehow manages to leave my skin squeaky clean yet supple and moisturised at the same time. It definitely helped with an untimely pre-lady time break out too, and it did it in a nice way. It didn't dry out my skin to get rid of them, it just gave it a good ol' clean deep down. 

After using these philosophy products, I am officially a convert to philosophy products as well as their way of thinking. And the best part is I can continue to wear lots of make-up as I know my purity cleanser can handle it - score!

Much love,

Frankie

Swell Vintage

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Best of British

As most of you fellow Brits will know, today is St George's Day. I've never been 100% sure why the day a saint allegedly killed a dragon has become a day to celebrate English pride, but instead of questioning it I've decided to go with it. I am British after all.

We English do a few things pretty well - afternoon tea, tennis matches, inventing clever slang swear words that American's can't pull off - but there is one thing I think we do bloody brilliantly. Any guesses?

FASHION!

Not only is the UK, London in particular, famed for having a unique and diverse style, but it's also home to so many incredibly talented designers with a seemingly endless amount of new ones popping up all the time. We all know and love the big ones (Mulberry, Vivienne Westwood, Stella McCartney, Alexander McQueen - I could go on and on...), but today I want to share my love for five emerging designers that I am mildly obsessed with. I can't tell you how hard it is to pick just five. If I had more time, I could write about hundreds!

Be prepared to fall head over ultra high heels...


Draw In Light
If you ever read my styling blog (*cough* Frankie Murray Styling *cough*), you'll already be fully aware of how much I adore this incredibly innovative design duo. Each of their ever so dreamy pieces is printed using free-hand silk-screen techniques, which is why each item is completely individual. Not only is everything they make insanely beautiful, but their pieces are also incredibly comfortable! I am lucky enough to own one of their dresses, and it feels like wearing a very light and stylish nightie. Their Autumn/Winter collections never fail to make my secret inner goth's heart skip a beat and dribble a bit. Too much information? Sorry.

Charlotte Taylor
Yet another designer that I talk about a lot over on my other blog (just go and have a look already, then maybe I'll shut up...)! Charlotte Taylor has recently become massively sought after and loved for her adorably quirky and unique prints, which seem to get even cuter season after season. I mean, who wouldn't want a dress covered in sweet little bumble bees that won't sting the crap out of you?! I defy you to look at Charlotte's pieces (ideally over at my favourite website, YoungBritishDesigners.com) and not fall in love. Go on - try it!

 

David Longshaw

I've said it before, and I'll say it again - I love fashion that tells a story, and no one tells a story quite like Mr Longshaw. Whether it's a haunting tale of a murdered loved one or the biography of the much-loved Maude the fashion mouse, David creates a surreal and magical world to draw his fashion inspiration from. The result? Unbelievably beautiful pieces made to fashion forward designs. I've been lucky enough to use some of David's pieces for a photoshoot I styled for Tantrum Magazine (coming VERY soon!), and I can't tell you what an absolute joy it was. Each item is truly a work of art.

TUSTING

I must confess that I may have a slight bias towards this brand as they are looked after by the lovely people at Push PR, but that does not detract from the genuine love I have for their beautiful leathery goods. The very clever folks over at TUSTING have been working with leather for over 130 years (that's beyond vintage!), so it's safe to say they know what they're doing. For years I wanted a Mulberry handbag, but now I'm saving for a Kimbolton of my very own! But the question is, which colour to go for?! There are so many options!

Ayten Gasson
Last, but certainly by no means least, is my favourite lingerie designer Ayten Gasson. Not only is the woman behind it all, Ayten Roberts, a very good friend of mine, but the woman is also bloody talented! Her pieces are all about luxury, mixing sweeping silks and lace trims to make lingerie that is unashamedly sexy, yet perfectly refined and elegant. As if that weren't enough, all of her goodies are designed and manufactured right here in the UK, which she was doing way before the likes of Mary Portas. Go and have a look at her site right now! Your underwear drawer will thank you...

Who are your favouite UK designers? I'm always on the lookout for fresh and delicious British meat, so please do share!

Until next time...

Much love,

Frankie

Swell Vintage

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I make jewellery

Sometimes I forget that I make jewellery. Sometimes I forget that it was the reason I started this blog in the first place. Initially, this was going to be the place where I wrote about my designs, charted my progress and showed cheeky behind the scenes photos, but the more I blogged, the more it developed into something broader. In recent years, my blog has become a fashion blog, which is something I had never even considered when building it. Although I am happy for this distinction, I feel that I need to go back to my roots and start doing what I set out to do - make jewellery.

I've been so busy since starting Swell Vintage all those years ago, and for a while other things took priority - my styling work, for example. As much as I enjoy styling, I have decided to return to my first love and give Swell the proverbial kick up the ass she so needs.

To get things started, I'd like to share some new pieces with you! Check 'em out, and please excuse my very amateur photography:

So what do you think? As with all of my jewellery, each piece is made from authentic vintage and antique parts, complimented with pretty shiny things such as freshwater pearls.

All of these pieces will be up for sale on the Swell Vintage website soon, but in the meantime I'd love your feedback! Please be honest with me, I promise it'll be great appreciated.

Until next time!

Much love,

Frankie

Swell Vintage

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East is East

Despite how grey and cold the weather is this weekend, Spring is definitely around the corner...it's just in hiding somewhere! I'm really looking forward to brightening up my wardrobe and wearing lighter, prettier things, not to mention going out without a coat. As soon as the sun comes out again, my first shopping destination will be 18 and East.

Featuring pretty prints, sweeping chiffon and an achingly beautiful colour palette, these vintage inspired pieces are perfect to wear for all of your favourite Springtime activities - petting baby lambs, skipping through grassy fields and washing your hair in tranquil lakes etc. I have had the pleasure of seeing (and feeling) these pieces in the fabricy flesh, and they are genuinely gorgeous. If you fancying seeing more photos of these lovely things, head on over to 18andEast.com.

So what do you think? What will your Spring wardrobe look like this year?

Much love,

Frankie

Swell Vintage

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The Company Magazine Style Blogger Awards 2012

Last night, I attended the long awaited Company Magazine Style Blogger awards for 2012. It was a really fun night, and a brilliant excuse to catch up with a few of my wonderful blogger buddies. Although I didn't win, it was a genuine joy to see members of the blogging community recognised for all of their hard work and efforts - plus I've discovered some new blogs to add to my reader!

Here's the full list of winners for your reading pleasure:

Best "What I'm Wearing Today" Blog
Winner: 5 Inch and Up

Most Gorgeous Photography

Winner: Wish Wish Wish

Best Celebrity Style Watch Blog

Winner: Red Carpet Fashion Awards

Best Blog for Crafty Girls

Winner: Flossie Teacakes

Best "We Love Vintage" Blog

Winner: What Katie Wore

Best Street Style Blog

Winner: Face Hunter

Best Blog for High Street Lovers
Winner: LLYMLRS

Best Fashion Insider Blog

Winner: Style Bubble

Best Blog for Catwalk Coverage

Winner: Style Bubble

Best Overall Blog

Winner: 5 Inch and Up

While it was great to catch up with so many of my friends from the wonderful world of blogging, unfortunately not everyone could be there on the night. My beloved Natasha Bailie, who was also nominated and currently resides in Singapore, really wanted to join us but funnily enough wasn't able to make the commute. As I didn't have the money for a plane ticket, I decided to do the next best thing and bring her beautiful face along with me!

Natasha takes a close look at the Style Blogger Awards

The vintage crew catch up with their favourite Bailie

Carina of Carina 100, Maria of Ruby Cadillac, Reena of Fashion Daydreams and Kristabel of I Want You To Know

Reena gets Natasha liquored up

Natasha and I go head to head

How did she get up there?!

Fiona of Save Our Shoes and Lucy of Shiny Thoughts have a chat with the Bailie

Natasha, I hope you had a good night! I think I speak for everyone when I say it was lovely to see you.

I want to say a huge thank you to Company Magazine for nominating me and inviting me along on the night. I had a great time, and hopefully I'll be back again next year!

Much love,

Frankie

Swell Vintage

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Don't be a Muppet

...go and see the new Muppet movie!

Today I had originally planned to catch up on some review posts I have promised to various people (whoops, sorry!), but there's been a last minute change of plans. I have just coming home from seeing a very wonderful and brilliant film; a film that made me laugh like a hyena with an ice-cream, grin like a giddy serial killer, sing like I was auditioning for an episode of Glee and - I'm not ashamed to admit - cry like a baby whose candy had been stolen.

Unless you're a bit of an idiot or you have problems reading blog post titles, you will probably have guessed by now that I'm talking about the brand new offering from The Muppets. I'm no Jonathan Ross, but I personally loved this movie and highly recommend that you see it (warning - it will put you in the best mood of all time). This release has inspired a number of online folk to talk about the incredibly iconic characters that make up everyone's favourite fabric friends, but I want to go back to the source - the great and powerful Jim Henson.

I don't want to regurgitate a Wikipedia history about this wonderful man, so here are five facts about the fantastic Mr Henson. You probably know some of this already, but I think it's still worth celebrating:

1. If you were born in the 70s or 80s (such as myself), it's highly likely that this man is responsible for completing your childhood. Not only was Jim Henson the creative brain behind The Muppets and Sesame Street, but his production house, the Creature Shop, also produced Labyrinth, Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles and The Witches. He may also be responsible for a majority of your childhood nightmares...
2. The first Muppet Movie, filmed back in 1979, made a whopping $65.2million domestically. I'm no mathematician, but I would say that this roughly equates to $500billion today* (*This definitely isn't correct, but the point is that that sort of money was a lot for back then. I like over-exaggerating. Don't judge me.).
3. He had a bloody brilliant beard. That's not even a matter of opinion, it's a cold hard fact.
4. He was the original voice of the world's most famous front man, Kermit The Frog. It is also well-known that Henson considered Kermit to be his alter ego, and he was even quoted as saying, "[Kermit] can say things I hold back". That's all well and good, but let's not forget that it's not easy being green...
5. Jim Henson tragically died in 1990 from organ failure as a result of Streptococcus pneumoniae, but his legacy shows no sign of faltering. Alongside all of his commercial success, the Jim Henson Foundation, founded in 1982, continues to promote and develop the art of puppet theatre in the United States. I think you'll agree it's pretty incredible for someone so successful in their field to want to help others achieve the same dream, and I'm sure he'd be thrilled to know that that is still happening today.

I realise that this post is a lot longer than usual, so here's a little comic relief - a clip from one of my favourite ever films, The Muppet Christmas Carol. Enjoy, and feel free to sing along!

What are your favourite Muppet memories? Have you seen the new film? I'd love to hear your thoughts and feelings on the subject!

Much love,

Frankie

Swell Vintage

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