Blooming pretty in 50's pink

Quick break from fictional tales to feature a frothy lace and net dress in candy floss pink, and its reality star vintage wearer and sky gazer Ingrid:

"This dress is stunning! I'm very excited. Hoping to wear it to a wedding or two this summer..."

Ingrid's heart leapt and bounced for this dress as soon as she saw it on ASOS Marketplace, but we emailed a couple of times to be sure it would fit her shape and needs.

"I just hope it fits. I love it!"

Then I swathed it in glitter wrap and got the dress on it's way to it's rightful modern day owner to be worn to a wedding.

And... "it fits like a glove! Like it was made for me. Boyfriend gave it the thumbs up. So Grace Kelly. Woop woop!"

My own heart leapt with pride when I saw Ingrid in the dress. It looks a-MA-zing with her temptress hair, floral accessory and blush detailing, no?

Ingrid said, "I wore it to a wedding this weekend and got SOOOOO many compliments."

Not surprised, Ingrid knows how to do style in swishing skirts.




Thank you Ingrid for shopping with Belle Amie Vintage and letting me share these pretty as a picture actual pictures. I hope you get lots more wear from this sumptuous dress. And to hear all about it.




If you've made a Belle Amie Vintage purchase and would like to see it here, email me a picture and tell me the tale of its outing... Hoping for a happy ending. Xxx


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Back to blog

Belle Amie Vintage is back!






I took a few months off to settle into my new job at the Cancer Recovery Foundation. And to er, get married! (Shot below taken by the magical Ed Peers)




Being back doesn't just mean I'll be blogging, or that my home will turn vintage boutique once more.

It means that I am heading on to pastures new. Well, websites new to be precise: asos marketplace






So, now when I blog about outfits, you don't have to look at blurry shots taken in my bathroom mirror with a mobile, as I invite you to come on over if you want to try or buy. Instead, you can head straight to here. Enjoy. Xx

Leaves me breathless

I'm not disciplined enough to do this neatly and by decade or anything like that. I'm just going to throw down characters in films, books and plays who inspire vintage fashion... any which way I can.

First up, personifying cool, the independent Patricia Franchini.

Played by Jean Seberg in cult movie, Breathless. Written and directed by Jean-Luc Godard in 1960.

Patricia is the female lead. And an icon. Her outfits never look premeditated, just perfect, calm and with not an even ounce of prissiness. Just like her character.




Who doesn't love a simple Breton stripe? Especially when in Paris, surrounded by art. Here I am, unwittingly influenced by the image a few years back.



Unlike many of us, Patricia manages to make her uniform look chic. And in it she attracts the cad of the film, even when he should be concentrating on other things. Like running from the police. It's not just the fashion that's thrilling.

But getting back to it, isn't this one of the first and finest examples of a girl in a t-shirt with print emblazoned across the chest? Maybe. And check out those cropped trousers and flats. Ta da.




But she doesn't just do casual. This full circle skirt, nipped in at the waist, is the stuff that fashion (wet) dreams are of.



Happily I have a similar dress as part of my current collection. It is red and charcoal horizontal stripes. Add shoes, gloves and the sunglasses to match and we could almost recreate the scene. If only the young roguish Jean Paul Belmondo was as easy to find.


(Yes, that is my bathroom. I must get a full length mirror. One day I'll fall in.)

If you'd like to buy the dress, or just try it on, let me know. It is size 8-10 and £85. The colour makes it ideal for the upcoming festivities.

PS I gave my hand towel a thorough folding after this.

Faux real?

I am an animal lover. I love them so much, I wear them. As fur. Capes, coats, wraps, collars... even a handbag.


But before you skin me to wear around your own neck, let me tell you why and when I wear it:


1. I wear fur whenever it is likely to strike up a conversation. On the tube, to a party, the pub. Whatever... So long as I can chat to people about new versus old, real versus fake, you'll find me in fur. There is no conversation starter like it and it lets us chat about the points below.


2. I buy it second hand, so no money goes to the fur farming industry. The older the better. And a charity shop find beats all others as then money is going straight to a good cause.


3. Faux fur is usually made from polymers. Like acrylic . These are synthetic fibres that need water, coal, petroleum and other ingredients. I won't elaborate on why these are bad. There are also cases where supposed fake fur has actually been made using real animals, and sold in high street shops. Watch this: Racoon dog film


4. If nobody wore old furs, or other cast off clothes, they would pile up in landfills. This takes up land and, more worryingly, the decaying process releases methane into the atmosphere. This contributes to climate change.


5. I don't only buy second hand fur, I buy all my clothes that way. I think that if more people did, the better our climate and environment would be. People who want to protect animals should act on that. Rather than an aversion to fur. Of course you can buy faux that way too.


Lastly, I really do love animals. I've adopted two homeless old lady cats, and the ashes of my pet rabbit take pride on place on my mantel place. Yes, that is him in the picture. And no, I didn't kill him.

Location:London