Blog of the Month: Tickety Boo Tupney

June's blog of the month is written my one of my very favorite vintage fashion bloggers. She always looks as if she stepped right out of the 1940's. With her stunning hand knits and amazing hats, her blog, Tickety Boo Tupney is a great source for vintage fashion inspiration!

   Every time I talk to my friends about bloggers with the most authentic style, you are always at the top of the list. What draws you to war era fashions? 

 I suppose I’m drawn to that particular era because it’s a period in our modern history that is still very accessible to us today. I’ve grown up surrounded by family that lived through the war, and I have always been fascinated by their tales and of course, their photo albums!!! Style wise, I’m attracted to how the war influenced the fashions, be it the restrictions/ rationing or the military! I also marvel at how people had to use their creativity to keep fashionable, and I try to incorporate this way of thinking into my wardrobe today.

 In your opinion, what are the most important staple items in a vintage wardrobe?

 I think it depends on you era, but in my case I think you cannot beat a good selection of separates. I seem to live in blouses and skirts most of the time, pairing them with different accessories to change the look. Knitwear is another staple- mainly cardigans and knitted socks! I would also like to a say that it’s always a good idea to have a good suit in ones wardrobe. I have a few, but there is one I own that has got me out of trouble on many ‘I have nothing to wear’ occasions! There is just something about wearing a suit that makes you feel ‘all together’ and terribly smart!

I am always drooling over your gorgeous vintage knits. Can you give advice to ladies who want to learn to knit? 

I grew up around avid knitters, with my great grandma and grandma knitting to keep my sister and I clothed in colourful knitteds as tots. I on the other hand, didn’t pick up the needles until my late teens. I am of the opinion that there is nothing you cannot learn from a good book, but I found being taught the very basics helped tremendously! So the best advice I could give is to find someone who can knit, just to show you the basics… like casting on and off- and the knit and purl rows. Once you have this, I think everything else can be picked up from a good knitting book!

 

We adore your fantastic vintage hats, colorful gloves and jewelry. What is your favorite accessory?

I’m a hat fancier, and there’s no use denying it! I just adore them, and I couldn’t even contemplate picking my favourite!  I’m very rarely seen without one (well unless my hair is looking tip top and I don’t want to flatten it!). I tend to wear the humble beret quite a lot, and I have a selection of lovely original embroidered numbers, which seem to go with everything I wear! For my more daring days, I like nothing better than to don one of my stylised 30/40’s tilt hats- they really do top an outfit off in a way that no other accessory does.

Jewellery is another passion- after all, if I hadn’t of started to collect costume jewellery, then I wouldn’t be where I am today…. Collecting the clothes to put them on! All I can say is those little baubles have a lot to answer for!!!

 

What is on the top of your vintage wish list?

Many a thing I can tell you and most of them are too big to fit in the wardrobe! (I would love to live in a 40’s prefab!) I suppose I would love to find a pair of wearable 40’s platforms. I do find that getting shoes to fit my tootsies normally is a pain, so the want for shoes in general is great indeed!

Though having said that, I do own a lot of vintage shoes and I have found, and do indeed own perfection, but alas, they are not really very wearable (the darn bit that holds the shoe together has snapped or rusted). So I’m afraid my little platform beauties are now  only suitable for posing in!

See Tupney's gorgeous hair tutorial that she posted yesterday and Tupney's Wardrobe page on her blog. 

Tickety Boo Tupney blog

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