Padam Vintage Review

I recently bought two fabulous vintage dresses from Padam Vintage, and thought I would write a little review of both the dresses and the shop itself! My dresses arrived quickly, safely packaged in a box, with the dresses carefully wrapped in paper and an adorable gift from Granny's Dishcloths! The dresses were exactly as described …

Spotlight: Scarlett Willow Shop

Recently I've been completely obsessed with Scarlett Willow Shop, a vintage clothing store I found on Etsy that specializes in clothing from the 1960's and 70's. As you may know if you've read my blog over the last few months, I've been particularly into fashions from the 1970's and have mostly been making myself clothes …

Bath in Fashion Celebrates 50 Years of Biba!

I know, I know, I'm obsessed! Here is another Biba related video, from the 50th anniversary of Biba, back in 2014. So much fun! I love Barbara and could listen to her talk and tell stories about Biba all day long (From A to Biba is much the same, full of wonderful stories, such an …

Interview with Molly of Folkwear!

Today I am thrilled to be interviewing Molly Hamilton, the amazingly talented and inspiring woman behind the iconic Folkwear sewing pattern company! Folkwear has been on the scene creating gorgeous patterns based on historical and vintage garments from around the world since the 1970's, and they were actually the first vintage inspired sewing patterns I …

The Ultimate Fashion History: Biba and the Deco Revival

Yes, another Biba related video! Last year I wrote a bit about how much I love Professor Amanda Hallay's Ultimate Fashion History videos, and this little spotlight on Biba and Barbara Hulanicki is just one of the many reasons why! I hope you all enjoy this mini-lesson on Biba! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoPsn14eCK0

Vintage Photo Booth Portraits

I've become a tiny bit obsessed with vintage photo booth photographs - it is just so amazing to see these wonderful pieces of human history. When I look at them, I can't help but wonder about the people in the photos, who they were, what their lives were like, what stories they have to tell. …

One Year Blog Anniversary! (And a small giveaway)

Wow, I can't believe I've been writing this blog for a whole year now! So much has happened since I first started The Pretty and the Kitsch - I've met so many wonderful people and had so many cool opportunities and it really has been amazing! Funny, considering that when I first started writing I …

Everyday Women of the 1920’s

When a lot of people think of 1920's fashion, they probably picture something a little like this... But not all women dressed like the stereotypical "flapper" - and not all flapper dresses or outfits fit into this image, either. The 1920's had a wonderful array of styles - and some women during the 20's even …

Some of my 1920’s-1930’s Art Deco Dress Inspiration

As you may know (since I won't shut up about it), I've been in the planning stages of making an Art Deco inspired dress as part of a two part project for my birthday coming up in August. I love the style of a lot of dresses from the 1920's and 1930's - the interesting …

So, You Want to Sew Your Own Biba Dress/Thoughts on a Birthday I Never Imagined I’d See

I found a few 1970's patterns that have the kind of Biba look I want to attempt to replicate (as mentioned in this post and as well as this one)! The problem is finding them with the right measurements (roughly 32" bust, 26" waist, 34" hips), especially when I can't find some of these patterns …