Style It 3 Ways - The Simple Vintage Blouse

This will sound very unimaginative but with blouses I never think of alternative ways I can wear them. I usually wear them the same way each time - tucked into a pencil skirt! There are so many different ways to wear a simple blouse, it really just takes a little playing around with what you have in your wardrobe!

One look that is great for summer is knotting the bottom of a long blouse to shorten the length - this looks really cute with denim shorts! You need a slightly oversize shirt for this.

Secondly, a long shirt/blouse can look great with skinny jeans. If it billows out too much unflatteringly, add a belt! I love a beaten up leather tan belt to add more vintage charm to my look.

The third option I've thrown together here was simply to just tuck in the shirt/blouse to a skirt (but add some long necklaces so it doesn't look too dull!)

Out of the three I'm loving the knotted version at the moment... but don't forget to play with layers too. A dotty blouse like this one looks really cute under a pinafore dress or dungarees! The collar would also look really nice peeping out from under a colour block jumper.

Have fun playing around in your wardrobe creating new looks!

Katy xoxo

P.S. The vintage skirt & blouse are both currently available in our eBay store. :o)

2016 Colours of the Year - Rose Quartz & Serenity

Known worldwide as the standard language for colour communication, Pantone chooses a colour of the year every year. For the first time ever, Pantone has introduced two shades, Rose Quartz and Serenity as the PANTONE Colour of the Year 2016. Rose Quartz is a persuasive yet gentle tone that conveys compassion and a sense of composure. Serenity is weightless and airy, like the expanse of the blue sky above us, bringing feelings of respite and relaxation even in turbulent times.

At Retro Room we've always loved Rose Quartz as it is one of the semi-precious stones that we use in our jewellery. Paired with the light blue of Serenity we can appreciate how they balance each other beautifully..

Here we've paired a beautiful light blue vintage dress with a rose & white glass necklace (both soon to be available in our eBay shop.)

What do you think of this colour combination? Do you think it will influence the fashion choices you make this year?

xoxo

Steal Her Style - Iris Apfel

 "When you don't dress like everyone else, you don't have to think like everyone else." - Iris Apfel

I'd seen pictures of Iris Apfel before and loved her style, but then I recently watched the Iris documentary on Netflix and was absolutely inspired and amazed by her! This lady is a real ambassador of colour and individuality - both of which we adore at Retro Room!

Do you want to steal her style? We have all you need in our RetroRoomUK eBay shop with unique and artful oversize costume jewellery by Porr's Collection... and handpicked vintage clothing pieces in a variety of fabrics and patterns.

The necklace above is a new addition featuring varied beautiful colours of agate stone, onyx and sparkling crystal glass, it would look great with one of our retro kaftans or floral cotton shirts!

I also love the idea of wearing lots of turquoise pieces layered over each other. The semi-precious stone choker or the chunky turquoise heart necklace we have available online would look great in addition to longer strands!

Personally I find that when I wear lots of colour, it not only brings me joy on a grey day but it can make others smile too. So how about it? Colour isn't just for summer.. and if you find yourself getting tired of big winter coats this month, could you pin on some pretty brooches and wear bright vintage scarves for some variety? :o)

Iris Apfel images from Pinterest

Product images from our RetroRoomUK eBay shop

Retro Room Outlet @ Manchester Christmas Markets

We're back again for the Manchester Christmas Markets this year.. with a Retro Room Outlet on Market Street! The stall is located opposite H&M.

It's no joke... EVERYTHING on our stall is £1, it's ideal for gifts and stocking fillers!!!

Here's just a little taster of what we have... beautiful bracelets, hair accessories, rings and earrings, all £1 each.

If you're in Manchester, make sure you swing by! 

The markets are on until 21st December 2015.

We hope to see you there with a mulled wine in hand! :o)

If you can't make it to our stall, don't forget you can always shop online with eBay.

Take care and be safe, friends!

xoxo

Understanding Vintage Sizing & Fit

As a woman it's all too often that you find that you are one size in one clothing brand, and two sizes bigger in another shop. Add the stress of trying to figure out vintage sizing from all different eras and it's enough to make your head spin!

At Retro Room, we try to size the clothing as closely as we can to modern sizing, so if a vintage item is labelled as a UK 14 but fits more like a 12, we will be honest in our listings. However.. the best thing you can do is to find out your own measurements, and use this info as a helpful tool for buying online.

Below we've outlined the 3 main measurements you'll need...

• Use a sewing measuring tape to measure the fullest part of your bust (over your bra.)
• Measure the smallest part of your natural waist line (around an inch above your belly button.)
• Stand with your feet together and measure the fullest part of your hips.

Once you have your measurements, you may want to add an extra inch if you want your clothes to be comfortable or loose fitting but that's your decision! We'll always say in our listings if it is a loose fitting garment. We lay out the garments flat and fastened to measure the bust/waist/hips, and then double the measurement. We measure in inches but you could always use a conversion calculator like this one if you prefer them in cm. Sometimes we list clothing from other countries which do not have a size. In this case we may label the garment as Small/Medium/Large etc and then provide the measurements and an estimated size where possible.

We've also included arrows on the picture to show how we measure the length of a garment and the length of sleeves (usually from the shoulder seam.) You could measure the length of your favourite dresses/blouses to compare how an item we've measured may fit you! 

Personally I find that the clothing in my wardrobe ends up being any size from 8 to 18. Does it really matter? As long as a piece of clothing fits and looks good, that's all that should count. Don't get hung up on sizes, just know your measurements, find styles that you know flatter your shape, and enjoy shopping!

- Katy xoxo

Steal Her Style - Cheryl's Power Dressing

Image from Huffingtonpost.co.uk

Power dressing has packed a real punch in fashion this year, and this retro outfit on Cheryl is no exception! Do you want to steal her style?

This double-breasted Japanese vintage dress from Retro Room is an original 1980's and we just adore this vibrant purple colour and gold buttons. We can imagine that this would make a great work outfit with a pair of court shoes..

..and it's now available to buy through our eBay shop!

xoxo

RetroRoomUK on Instagram

As many of you know, our 2good2Btrue shop in Chester has now closed, and our Retro Room shop in Knutsford will close near the beginning of August. We're now in the middle of our closing down sale! After that we will be focusing almost solely on our eBay shop (which means better looking listings and a lot more of them, yay!) We'll also be busy planning vintage events. 

One of the best ways to keep in touch with what we're up to is our Instagram account. Are you following us already? If not just search for retroroomuk or click here! We're also on Facebook and Twitter.

Have a great week!

xoxo