Winning Links

Lucky lady and fellow Aussie blogger Veronica Darling has won the Horrockses Fashion book giveaway. Unlike me Veronica is a whizz on the sewing machine and she blogs all about her brilliant creations. This lady wears almost all homemade, which is about as green as they come. Even if you don't sew though and you just love pretty frocks her blog is well worth following. Hopefully the fab Horrockses designs and prints will give her plenty of creative inspiration.
And speaking of cool blogs, my friend Jessica introduced me to The Hairpin which I now catch up with regularly. You've got to love a site that speaks to intelligent women about some intelligent (and not so intelligent) things. It makes me laugh with loads of aha moments. The other day they uploaded this awesome You Tube clip of a 1950s fashion show of - wait for - swimming caps. Hard to imagine when you watch the Olympics that swimming caps used to be so decorative and fashion forward. I mean, there's even a couple here with in-built fringes! Enjoy.

Giveaway: Horrockses Fashions

To celebrate getting over the 200 follower mark (thanks so much to all my lovely readers!) I thought I'd run a giveaway of the divine Horrockses Fashions book from V&A that I've blogged about previously here.
Horrockes was a UK textile producer and fashion label of the 1940s and 50s. This wasn't couture but everyday style, and their fabrics were so spectacular that they were worn from Queen Elizabeth down. For Fabric nuts, this book is an absolute dream.
Below is a pic of me from the other weekend in my very own Horrockes frock, at the top of Barrenjoey Point looking out towards Pittwater and the Pacific Ocean. It's hard to believe, now that the wintry weather has made its drastic reappearance, that it was so deliciously warm only ten days ago.

Okay so if you'd like to win this book, all brand new and in its original plastic wrapping, please leave a comment on this post. For a second chance at winning let me know if you have a favourite designer label from the past. One that isn't around anymore and perhaps you'd like to see resurrected or that you'd like to collect yourself.
And for a third chance, post about this giveaway on your own blog, or you can tweet about it too. Just let me know that you've done so.
I'll draw the winner randomly next Tuesday 4 October.
P.S. The last book giveaway I did the winner received her book but I just realised I promised a book to a runner-up - actually Breakfast at Tiffany's by Truman Capote - and I forgot to send it. Bad blogger. Bad book publicist. I'll trawl back through my messages to find her address, but if she's around please message me and I'll get onto it pronto.

A little pot of gold ...

I'm not the world's greatest thrifter; my attention span tends to wane after I've been through one box of bits and bobs, and I tend to need encouragement to keep going. Thankfully my friend Lee acted as both mentor and lucky charm last weekend whilst we were on one of our regular jaunts around Bondi. A young actress - about to head over to LA to try her luck - was selling all her worldly goods by the side of the road and after ploughing through mountains of clothes, my eyes spotted this very cute 1960s trapeze style sundress. Lo and behold the label said Horrockses (!) and even better the former owner was only asking $5. Oh, and it fit.
The label reads 'Horrockses by Taffs of Sydney' so I assume it is a licensed product, made outside of the labels heyday of the 40s and 50s. Can anyone shed any light on the store Taffs?
This is me wearing my new purchase at one of my favourite beach cafes yesterday. Hooray for summer.