No Debutante - Teddy Boys and Rockabilly Belles

I love 1950's inspired styling, I am also a bit of a tomboy so I like to be inspired by both the rockabilly pin up style and the more androgynous Teddy Boy inspired side of rockabilly (when  I am in the rockabilly mood that is). Despite my tomboy ways I also love dressing up, doing my hair and generally being girlie and enjoy mixing everything up never setting out to be more boyish or more girlie, it just kind of happens that way.

Today's personal style post is a perfect example of the two ways I wear 1950s inspired outfits and show off my tomboy and girlie sides. Which one do you prefer?

All clothing from Topshop, Vivien of Holloway, H&M and Converse.

Thanks so much for reading, I think I have earned myself a lovely big glass of wine. Cheers!

ND xx

No Debutante - Teddy Girl Tough

Hey Fashionistas! Sorry it's taken me nearly a week to write a new blog post but I have been rather busy visiting my new nephew Albert! He is the cutest little boy and really reminds me of all of my children when they were newborn, I REALLY love a newborn baby but I am just smitten with Albert who is the first child of my brother Mike and his lovely girlfriend Naomi. Congratulations kids!!!! Albert rocks!

Since it's been a while, I thought I would share another personal style post with you today. 

I was inspired by the Teddy Girls post that I had written back in October check it out here 

and using my own wardrobe including my Vivien of Holloway 1950s jeans, shirts, jackets and an attitude, I recreated my own contemporary version of a Teddy Girl. 

I have always been a bit of a tomboy so this wasn't too difficult to pull off, I like the result as I wasn't taking myself too seriously and the photographs are playful as well as Teddy Girl Tough!

 Which look do you prefer?

That was a short and sweet post. I like it when that happens! 

All clothing from Vivien of Holloway, Converse, Topshop, Primark & H&M.

Thanks for reading, following and generally being there! You rock!

ND xx

No Debutante- Vintage Twist

I am back after a weekend of attending the G-star ladies night, watching my husbands band The Relay Rips perform at the Your Street Gift Card event, ripping my kitchen apart (to make way for the new one) and spending time with my kids and it's Sunday night already and the Monday Morning school run is looming closer. Where does the time go??

Let's crack on with another personal style post which today features preppy little dresses with a vintage twist. I own so many dresses and I was definitely in a dress wearing mood on this week (dating back to the beginning of September). The weather was still warm and I was lucky enough to not have to wear tights (a distant memory to me already since Autumn finally seems to have kicked in here in Bristol, UK).  Oh Bare legs, I miss you!! 

Essentially I am wearing two different dresses with the same accessories, I wasn't conscious of doing this and don't really mind that I did, both looks still look fairly different and I am happy with the result. Which look do you prefer?

Wow! I manged to get the post finished super fast, which gives me more time for blogging! The next post is inspired by a certain trend that I have been collecting images of for over a year on Pinterest and coincidentally links to a favourite look from the A/W 2013 shows. I shall be showing you my favourite Pinterest images of how to wear the look and where you can buy it on the high street. All you have to do is wait for the next post to find out what it is! 

Thank you for following and have a fun filled week!

ND xx

No Debutante - Vintage Summer

I have been having a bit of a denim week this week and I have noticed that I mostly dress my denim in a 1950s vintage style. I have not worn skinny jeans for nearly a year ever since I declared that I was over them and that vintage cut wider jeans were definitely the way to go. This can either be with a wider leg, boyfriend style or high waisted and tapered 1950s style which ever way I choose to wear them there is always a nod to the 1950s or a rockabilly style and I always turn up the hems. The other important feature of this look is to have your top tucked into your jeans creating a flattering nipped in waist.

I am really pleased that my hair is getting longer and now seems to be growing, at last!! I have been trying out different styles to wear it half down (my hair still isn't quite the right length to wear it all down with no clips as the front layers are still quite extreme!!) I thought about 1940s and 1950s styles and have experimented with this idea with front twists and victory rolls and cute braids.

Here's how I wear mine.

See you again tomorrow for some more denim looks and how I dress in the warmer weather.

Thank you so much for reading!

ND xx

No Debutante - Upfest

Yesterday, was a good day! My lovely friend and fellow blogger Selena came to visit and the sun was shining! As I had mentioned in the previous post there were four festivals on in Bristol this weekend, we chose to go to the free street music and art festival Upfest and started at Dean Lane skate park where there were graffiti artists creating live art displays to a soundtrack of old school hip hop and dub which was blasted out from a live DJ soundsystem. My kids particularly enjoyed playing in the highly graffiti'd skate bowl as you will see in the photographs below. After a brief meet up with my brother Mike in a rather packed pub and viewing various bits of live art, Phil took the children home and Selena and I hung out in the city, we discussed blogging, kids, fashion and generally laughed a lot. We ate good food and drank in various cool Bristol hangouts before heading back to babysit swap with Phil who was playing at Upfest with his band The Relay Rips. I had so much fun, thanks for visiting Selena, I miss you already!!

I couldn't decide on my outfit for the day and went for a rockabilly 1950s vintage look in the end. I was under strict instructions by Selena that I must not wear platforms, only flats, as (in her words) I am already ten foot above her,  so I didn't wear my creeper wedge (ridiculous) boots and wore my animal print Converse instead. I wore these with my vintage Americana dress from Topshop and my pink headscarf and was delighted to see that Selena had gone for a vintage rockabilly look too with big hair, big sunglasses, a lovely printed dress from River Island's Vintage range and some baseball style boots. It did look like we had asked each other what we were going to wear which was pretty funny but this is why she is such a good friend!! We even had photographers taking photos of us at Upfest, like we were wearing costumes, which we thought was funny. At last we are Harujuku Girls!!

Look at little Sylvie's outfit, I fell in love with this cute printed tshirt, bloomers and heart knee leggings all from H&M. Sylvie had great fun running around the bowl with her brothers!

All photographs taken by my husband Phil.

Thanks for reading!

ND xx

No Debutante - Early Bird

Oh my god! The baby got me up at 6.45am today, on a Saturday!!! I think she is trying to kill me......Where is my husband Phil to help you may ask? Well, he's off to Japfest (a Japanese car event -Phil has a Japanese vintage car) with his 240z and mate Mikee, leaving me here with all these children! It is his turn to escape since I went up to London last week to see my lovely ladies, so I guess it is only fair! I have spent the morning taking all three kids to Lucian's (my oldest son) swimming lesson. That boy is an amazing swimmer with great technique. I stay away from him when we are swimming, I don't want to show him up! I tell you what though I could bloody tread water for England. Have some of that!

So, the perfect attire for swimming lessons, wasn't lounge wear and crocs (yikes) like all the other parents, I went for a rockabilly look today with 1950s Vivien of Holloway jeans, Breton top, oversized cardigan and of course my frilly ankle socks and creepers, perfect for a trip to the swimming pool, I thought! What do you think?

All styling by No Debutante

Photographer of the day Lucian (8)

Hope you are enjoying your weekend and did actually get a lay-in this morning!!

Thanks for reading!

ND xx

No Debutante - Jean Jeanie

I have been called out of work early today due to my son Lucian feeling unwell. I am still on the fence as to whether Lucian is actually poorly or felt like getting the day off school (it wouldn't be the first time) but the school are on it calling parents up at the whiff of any minor illness so Lucian was going home either way! As a parent I feel guilty for thinking these thoughts but I was a child too and had many a fake afternoon off school much to my Mums annoyance! As a good Mum I shall hope Lucian feels better soon! The positive side to this skive off work and school is that I get to do a bit of blogging leaving my evening free to watch a film and have a glass of wine with my gorgeous husband Phil.

 

This personal style post features double denim, layering, grunge,1950s styling and how I wear jeans.......in a general mash up of style it would seem!

 

Preppy 1950s styling

 

I have decided not to list the shops in which my items are purchased on every post but I will let you know when I get something new and where it came from. You are welcome to ask me though, I know my rainbow creeper boots post has been very helpful to all who also wanted to own those ridiculous shoes!

 

Styling by No Debutante

 

I have no clue whether you can still nominate me for the Best Personal Style Blog in the Company Style Blogger Awards 2013 as there is no info on the website to say when the deadline is so I'll just keep plugging it until 2014!

 

Nominate here http://www.company.co.uk/magazine-hq/stylebloggerawards2013

 

ND xx

No Debutante - Vintage Americana

Vintage Americana was massive on the catwalks last summer and fitted in with my 1950s inspired obsessions. It's a preppy and casual look and it has moved on this season with varsity jackets and checks on everything. I love my (blatant Prada rip off) Americana car print top from Primark (last summer) and it will certainly be seen this Summer too worn with my adored tapered and vintage cut jeans.

Here's a continuation of my vintage style from this week with a close-up on my twisted up and pinned in hair style for the day.

 

 

Remember if you do like what you see please nominate me in the Company Style Blogger Awards here http://www.company.co.uk/magazine-hq/stylebloggerawards2013 in the Best Personal Blog catagory.

 

All clothing from Primark, Galleries Lafayette in Tokyo, Accessorise.

Styling by No Debutante.

Thank you for reading!

ND xx

No Debutante and Mark Sewell Photography Collaboration No 2 -Part 1 Land Grrrl

Here are the first batch of images from the latest collaboration between No Debutante and Mark Sewell Photography. We shot these images in a cold studio on a very snowy day in Bristol, I nearly didn't make it to the shoot due to the roads being blocked (we cave at the site of snow here in the UK, we practically can't walk) luckily my lovely husband Phil managed to drive me there - I really wasn't going to drag a heavy case full of outfits and accessories around the cold, snowy streets of Bristol!

These images are from the first half of the shoot, we took loads of photos but these are my favourite - For the styling think 1940s land girls and 1950s casual wear.

In last images I am wearing a Specials two-tone t-shirt kindly given to me by Mark's friend Joe. Thank you!

All styling by No Debutante.

Clothing from Vivienne of Holloway, Freddies Of Pinewood and Dr Martens.

 A massive big thanks to Mark Sewell for his interest in the No Debutante blog and for collaborating with me! Also a Thank you to the lovely Lauren at London Camera Exchange in Bristol for her help with the shoot.

Watch this space for the second instalment from the latest collaboration between No Debutante and Mark Sewell. Very exciting!!!! ND xx

 

No Debutante - Hello

Since my last post, we've had a bit of snow here in Bristol and my kids finally got to use those sledges that we got them for Christmas, two years ago! I got an unexpected day off work, thanks to the snow and nearly didn't make it to the planned studio photo shoot collaboration with my photographer friend Mark Sewell. Thankfully the roads were cleared yesterday so watch this space for the next instalment of the collaboration.

 

Here are the second lot of images showing what I've been wearing since Christmas taken with my usual little Sony digital camera.

Look at my lovely Antoni and Alison purse that my husband bought me for Christmas. I always love the Antoni and Alison vacuum packaging, so I had to show it to you! This purse is so useful, it's longer than a usual purse and I can fit my phone and ipod in too!! I love the childish punk prints and Antoni and Alison were my new favourite shop back in the 1990s....Oh, Antoni and Alison, it's been a long time but I still love you!! Check out the website here http://www.antoniandalison.co.uk 

 

My latest pair of 1940/50s style jeans from my new favourite shop Freddies of Pinewood (also a present from Phil) worn with my oxblood Dr Martens which I was lucky enough to blag from the recent shop launch, attended by myself, Rudi and Mark Sewell back in October 2012. I seriously have a Dr Martins problem at the moment, they had a half price sale on the other day and I didn't leave the shop empty handed. Whoops! Watch this space for my latest purchase!

More new shoes?? Yes, another present from my husband (yes, I was totally spoilt this year) These leopard print Topshop high tops come with a removable wedge heel that you put into the shoe. I haven't actually worn them without the wedge yet, they look great on and I thought I'd pair them with a bit more leopard print...You can never wear too much, I say.

OK, here's a brief explanation about those monstrous sized decorations behind me in these photos. Phil and I put them up after having one too many mulled wines on Christmas Eve as a surprise for the boys on Christmas morning - A kind of Santa's grotto, if you will - we did mean to take them down but they managed to stay up for two weeks! Was the reason for this that we didn't have time to take them down? Was it sheer laziness or did we secretly (blatantly...ahem!) Quite like them? Enough said..

Leopard print bodycon, red ankle socks and brothel creepers! Oh, and Phil's new skate deck.......See I did treat him this Christmas too!!

Pink!!

Check out my new Tatty Devine pink lightning earrings!!

Quick secret....This jumper has been in the bag it came in since last Christmas....That's bad, isn't it? Don't judge me, I'm wearing it now....

More land girl style in my new jeans!

I'm really loving the bigger jeans and Dr Martens boots look for this Winter, it's so masculine but also 1950s cute worn with stripey tops and big knits.

 

My next post will be the studio photo shoot collaboration with No Debutante and Mark Sewell. Very exciting!! Watch this space!! ND xx