"Sophisticated - God I'm Sophisticated!" - Daisy Buchanan

Bonjour mes amies, hope you are all super and that the New Year has been good to you so far.

It started with a hat. You'd be proud of me darlings, I'm trying to buy far less and cherish all the beautiful things I have more, but when I saw a gorgeous bowler hat out of the corner of my eye, I couldn't resist. And just like that, it was love.

 

(not my actual hat but not too dissimilar -

see previous post)

When I fall in love, fashion or otherwise, I fall hard and this hat just happens to be my new obsession. It goes with so many of my clothes it's almost a joke. I'm a huge hat fan generally, they are not only useful for bad hair days, but are a an integral part of using fashion to play a character which I love. When I put it on I feel like I become another person (not as extreme as a Beyoncé/Sasha Fierce situation, but almost). I feel confident, exuberant, bubbly. I am the life of the party, the girl who sparkles when she walks into the room and who is so overflowing with love for life that it is infectious. 

This hat is my ring, my Kryptonite, my sartorial drug. I am in short, addicted.

 

Another reason I love it so much is that it ties in SO perfectly with one of my absolute favourite eras of all time, the 1920s. I'm beyond obsessed with the twenties as any one who knows me is well aware.I utterly adore the luxurious glamour of the decade and am fascinated by the 'lost generation' of bored, over-privelleged post-war Americans, so beautifully detailed in the pages of Fitzgerald and Hemmingway novels, as they struggled to find their place in the world. 

On a side note, I'm planning a 1920s themed photoshoot with all my amazing clothes and accessories that fit the brief so ridiculously perfectly so watch this space darlings.

I have a real feeling that come Autumn/Winter fashion weeks, the catwalks will be full of amazing outfits inspired by, and downright immersed in, the 1920s. You mark my words darlings. You heard it here first. 2010 was all about the 1950s, 2011 is seeing a Seventies revival, but Spring/Summer 2012 will be the year of the 1920s.

Of course my lovely readers are trendsetters, not followers, so start buying, wearing and living the decade now so that by the time it does come en Vogue everyone will remember that you wore it first, and better. So without further ado, here's some tips on how to achieve the perfect nineteen twenties insouciance:

Read: The Great Gatbsy - A MUST read for any 1920s or literature fan. One of my all time favourite books and The Ultimate American novel. I am in love with this cover by modern Penguin Classics.

Watch: I am so excited for the new show Boardwalk Empire to come to the UK later this month, I've been hearing only good things about it from my contacts across the pond. I think it will definitely do for the revival of interest in 1920s fashion what Mad Men famously did for 1950s style.

Listen: To jazz, Louis Armstrong is of course the Godfather of crooning:

Drink: What Prohibition? Invest in some Martini glasses for lounging on the chaise-longue sipping those fabulous mint Juleps.

Accessorise: Make sure you accessorize to the max. Think long, sparkly jewellery, stylish hats, feather boas, lace stockings, fascinators, silk purses and ornate hairbands. The bigger and more glitzy, the better:

Forever 21 - Feather Hairband

Asos - Floral Hairband

Diane Von Furstenberg - Hairband

Forever 21 - Pearlescent Clutch:

New Look - Beaded Clutch - Was £18, Now £5:

 

House of Holland for Pretty Polly Stockings:

Any 1920s look would of course not be complete with the flapper dress. Here are some of the best out there at the moment, and better yet, many are reduced:

Topshop - Kate Moss Icon Beaded Dress - Was £130, Now £40

Oasis Lace Fringe Flapper Dress

 

Asos Beaded Flapper Dress - Was £120 , Now £72

So there you have it, I hope I've inspired you to try something new this New Year and that even if all you do is read The Great Gatsby, or buy a feather hair band, you find some small way to pay hommage to the amazing decade that was the twenties. 

What are your other fashion decade crushes darlings? Stay tuned for the 1920s photoshoot coming very soon.

Hope you have a fabulous weekend darlings.

Stay safe and chic mes chéries,

English Rose x