Vintage Southbank 2011

 

It has been a rather busy (not to mention hot!) weekend for us at Playful Promises! While Emma was off gallivanting in New York at the Curve lingerie show, I headed down to the Southbank to check out the Vintage festival. Fun and frolics were aplenty in this celebration of all things 1920s to the 80s! Food, music, games and, most importantly, shopping were packed onto the riverside promenade, attracting a vast amount of families and vintage fanatics.  

The Vintage Village consisted of dozens of stalls packed full of authentic vintage and vintage inspired clothes, shoes, hats, bags, furniture and music! Ranging from big brands to avid collectors; drawing in customers of all ages. Food and drink had not been forgotten, with old-time popcorn vendors, traditional fish and chips, ice cream trucks and the stunning Art deco mobile cocktail lounge. There was even a hair and beauty salon dedicated to recreating era-specific styles for the festival-goers!

The gorgeous Stephanie Jay in our Vintage Stitch Overbust corset!

One of the big draws of the day (also, my favourite event!) was The Chap Olympiad, an eccentric sporting event for the well-groomed and waistcoated. Chaps and chapettes compete in a range of games designed to test their cad skills, such as sandwich tossing and butler baiting, with points added for devilish trickery and maintaining one's finesse. Audience-members are actively encouraged to join in, resulting in much merriment – I was almost dragged into sandwich tossing, but declined gracefully as I would not want to spoil my training for next year!

 

The contestants celebrate the end of a tiring battle of tug-o-moustache, in which the chapettes were victorious!

The kimono

Kimono literally means “the thing to wear” (ki “wear” and mono “thing”), which was first used in everyday language in the mid-19^th century. Prior to this, the traditional garment was only known as a kosode, meaning ‘small sleeve’. Kimono are straight-seamed robes that are wrapped around the body, left side over right, and secured with a sash known as an obi, which is tied at the back. Generally worn to the ankle, the length of the garment can be altered by drawing material up underneath the obi. The wrap style and loose fabric has been developed to cohere to the culture’s lifestyle and climate; many activities are performed while seated on the floor.

The style of traditional kimono also varies between women, men and children, and also indicates whether the female wearer is married. Young women’s kimonos, known as a furisode, have longer sleeves and tend to be more elaborate than the older, married woman’s garment. It is said that the traditional reason for the sleeves is that when replying to a man, she waves the sleeves back and forth for ‘yes’, and left to right for ‘no’.

The pattern of the kimono rather than the cut of the fabric acts as an indicator of social status; the more extravagant the pattern, the wealthier the wearer. Formality is also determined by accessories, the fabric and the number of family crests (kamon) adorning the garment. Silk was the most desirable of fabrics, with only the most privileged able to wear such luxury regularly. The majority of Japanese society would only have the chance to wear silk kimono on special occasions, sometimes being forbidden to do so all together.

Today, it is mostly women that continue to wear kimono, and usually only on special occasions. During the late 19^th century, traditional garments were gradually replaced by more convenient Western clothing and Yukata, a casual, thin style of kimono. The decline in the heavier garments seemed to happen as Eastern culture filtered through to the West, and vice versa. One slightly morbid urban myth suggests that the decline in kimono was encouraged by the 1932 fire at Shirokiya’s Nihonbashi store. Women did not tend to wear underwear under their kimono, and several women were said to refuse to jump into the safety nets for fear of exposing themselves!

The wrap style of the kimono has become an integral part of international fashion, influential throughout the West. From the Victorian period onward, Europe had a fascination with the exotic East, with stars such as Anna May Wong gracing the silver screen. To Western women the kimono seemed an ideal new garment that allowed freedom of movement, contrasting with the corseted, petticoat-clad style of the period. American interest in the kimono diminished in the tense years prior to WW2, however, souvenir kimono from returning GI’s rekindled the interest. During the 1950s, kimono and kimon-inspired gowns were popular, both as loungewear and daily wear.

If you want to grab one of these gorgeous vintage kimono for yourself, make sure you visit our boutique in Brick Lane. We currently have a selection of one-of-a-kind silk kimono starting at £150; one of which you can see modelled by the gorgeous Miss Betsy Rose above and below!

Sultry Sleepwear

Does the word “pyjama” conjure up images of neck-to-toe flannel nightmares and bananas (even the two combined)? Blue and white stripes and pink bunny rabbits?

Sleepwear has been dominated by these monstrosities for far too long; we have somehow headed backwards in taste, from the glamorous slips and feathered robes of the 1920s to the hellish items known as “onesies”. There is a time and a place for adults in pyjamas and the 21^st century is not it! Thankfully, we are not the only ones under this impression, as sales for feminine, classic nightwear has grown once again.

The chemise appears to be one of the oldest forms of sleep wear. Dating back to the Middle Ages (when surviving past birth tended to be more important than fashion), the chemise was a smock-like garment worn by both sexes underneath clothing to protect it from bodily sweat. This was the only piece of clothing washed regularly (yuck) and also what was used for sleeping.

It was only during the Victorian era that sensuous, attractive nightwear was introduced, and as with many new items of the time, these were something only the affluent could acquire. To own a sweeping floor-length gown was considered a luxury.

At the turn of the century, fashion once again began to change. Corsets were loosened, skirts were shortened and negligees appeared as a reflection of the flapper dresses of the 1920s. However, just when women were gifted with these lacy, silky dreams, the first and second World Wars broke out and the idea of such opulent items became preposterous.

When one thinks of classic vintage sleepwear, the figure-hugging slips and built-in bullet-bras of the 1950s come to mind. It is these archetypal designs that have endured, which always find themselves back on trend. Lingerie has seen a vintage revival, and sleepwear is no exception. When searching for vintage nightwear, it is often difficult to find anything but average, fit for purpose items that were designed for durability rather than titillation. Understanding their customers’ frustration, many brands have worked on their own styles of vintage inspired sleepwear that allows comfort without losing any impact.

Playful Promises has reworked a classic sleepwear staple for our newest collection. Our Lyla playsuits are a quirky twist on the timeless chemise, mimicking the dress-like shape with comfy built-in shorts. All that’s left is to choose your colour: sultry black or mischievous pink?