What Lysha Loves

Another important question, have you decided what to wear yet? If not, don't worry, here are a few ideas to save the day...

For the day time why not pair a pencil skirt or a pair of trousers with a classic 60's style polo? It's a timeless combination, perfect for during the day. Here below is an outfit grid I've put together, completed with a white 60's waffle polo, checked Aquascutum pencil skirt, vintage black loafers and bag. 

I always love finding out about like-minded vintage lovers, so I have interviewed the gorgeous Abbey Hickinbotham. Abbey is 18 from Herefordshire, and writes the vintage fashion and lifestyle blog What Abbey Loves!

What was it that first got you into vintage?

I have been modelling for nearly five years and I started doing vintage modelling about three years ago. The first time I stepped into a vintage store I just fell in love and knew that vintage was for me, especially as I'm so petite and small nearly everything fits me perfectly. I've also been brought up listening to the Beatles etc, so I just did my research and found out that I love vintage and it's what suits me the most.

Has anyone been an inspiration to you style-wise? If so, who?

My nan was such an inspiration to me whilst looking at pictures of her in the 60's with her blonde beehive, gorgeous two-piece suits and blue eyeshadow. A lot of my family say I'm a lot like her now which is lovely to hear.

What would you say is a vintage clothing must-have?

Roll-neck jumpers for definite. I'm obsessed with them and they're probably my staple piece for winter as they go with everything.

What is your favourite outfit and why?

Probably a roll-neck jumper tucked into a mini skirt paired with some little boots or loafers and a lovely faux fur or mac, I definitely prefer the winter months!

What is it about a vintage lifestyle you love the most?

Fashion, hair and music! I mean what do you get from downloading music these days? Picking up a record is so much more rewarding and it makes me enjoy the music so much more.

Which era is your favourite for style and why?

Definitely the 60's! It's so stylish and daring, with the bold prints and white tights you almost feel like you're in fancy dress if you walk down the road in a pair of fresh white tights but that's why I love it!

Do you have any style icons?

Suki Waterhouse is such a big style icon to me as she makes everything look amazing! She can pull off the 60's look so well as well as mixing it up to make it look modern.

If you could have any piece of vintage clothing in the world, what would it be?

It would probably have to be a vintage Burberry mac as they're just a dream. I would have so much wear out of it as it's such a staple piece.

What's your favourite vintage make-up look?

Well I have really strange shaped eyes so the iconic Twiggy eye doesn't suit me! So I would probably go for quite a smoky eye with winged liner paired with a bright lip or a muted pink lip. I don't really class any of my make-up looks as vintage unless I go for a 1950's style pin-up look with winged liner and a pillar-box lip. 

Are there any high street stores which you shop at that you find offer vintage styles?

Definitely Topshop at the minute with the mini-skirts, high neck tops and gorgeous dressed they've been doing. I also shop in TU at Sainsbury's and have recently picked up the most gorgeous patent 60's style boots and patterned mini skirts. I think it's really lovely of a supermarket brand to cater for people who love to mix vintage with high street.

Thank you much to Abbey for doing this interview, and make sure you click on the image below to check out her blog!

http://www.whatabbeyloves.com/

If you're up to date when it comes to the latest make-up, you'll have known about the hype of the new Naked Smoky palette. I was over the moon to receive it as a present for getting into University, it's not even an exaggeration that I couldn't stop looking at the shades when I opened it.

My favourite shades are Whiskey, Dirtysweet and Combust, I'm using them quite a bit for a day-time smoky eye. One shade I'm really excited to use is Armor, it's so glittery! The palette itself is really nicely pigmented, with a soft double ended brush. One thing which is really useful is the little leaflet you get in the box which shows you different looks you can create, and even tells you which shadows to use.

Here below is my attempt at a smoky eye, I was quite pleased with the first one. The second I didn't like as much but I thought I would share anyway!

I've followed eighteen year old Nallie on Instagram for a while now, and I've always loved her art. I first fell in love of her illustrations of Disney princesses, so when I saw that she was doing wonderful self portraits I knew I had to be cheeky and ask for one! If you have noticed we have a lovely new header which Nallie very kindly designed for me. 

I luckily had the chance to interview Nallie to find out more about her love of art and vintage fashion.

What was it that first got you into art and being so creative?

I've always loved drawing from a very young age. My grandad used to be a professional decorator and my grandparents' attic is full of his paintings, they inspired me to create my own. Art was always my strong point throughout primary and secondary school, I just love expressing emotions through being creative!

Were you ever expecting your artwork to get so much recognition? It must have been so overwhelming when Orange is The New Black got hold of your illustrations!

I'm honestly so surprised by all the attention! I've never tried drawing digitally before but I realised it would be a lot easier to share them online. Social media is honestly amazing, you can post a few drawings of TV characters and suddenly you're getting messages from the company and posters made out of your drawings! Not too bad to say I've only just started watching OITNB. 

What software do you use to achieve your unique style of drawing?

It's a really great free app called Adobe Draw, which I have on my iPad. It's so easy to use and I'm really impressed with how the drawings look.

Your Instagram art page @rosycheeksartwork has been flooding with requests since you posted your self portrait. How does it feel that people love your work so much they want to be drawn by you?

It's a love/hate thing, to be honest! I love that people are trusting me to draw them, it can be quite risky drawing portraits because you could quite easily offend them, but I really enjoy adding unique little features that make the portraits all different. It can be quite stressful dealing with all the requests, some people don't realise they take time, so I've persuaded my boyfriend Michael (@all_m0d_c0ns) to help me! He's been doing a good job so far and it's definitely helping my stress levels. I'm honestly really pleased with all the support and good feedback, it's helping my confidence too.

You're a lover of vintage, which is shown in your artwork. How did you begin to like vintage, were there any influences?

Vintage fashion is my true love. It's a relatively new phase in my life and it started about two years ago when I first went to Affleck's in Manchester. For anyone who hasn't been yet, it's a magical labyrinth of vintage and vinyl and I've bought heaps of 60's dresses since discovering it. I also love the shop Space in Harrogate, Yorkshire because it sells new clothes from Pop Boutique (another love) and Lindy Bop, as well as designer clothes for really good prices. 

Who are your icons when it comes to your style? (if any)

I'm extremely influenced by 1950/60's fashion, so obviously icons like Twiggy and Mary Quant are my main role models when it comes to fashion. I'm a great lover of mini dresses with Peter Pan collars and bold patterns - stripes, polkadots, paisley - paired with Chelsea boots or Doc Martens for a more modern look. Alexa Chung, Zooey Deschanel and Suki Waterhouse are all embracing the vintage look with blunt fringes and eyeliner and I'm pleased to see the classic mod look re-appearing in popular brands!

You're off to Manchester University to study Linguistics, congratulations! Will you still carry on your artwork when you start your studies?

Thank you very much! I'd like to say I would if I had time, but I think I'll always have time for art. Living in a very student-orientated and quirky city will help to expose my art work to a wider audience and I'm hoping I'll get plenty of requests from fellow undergraduates. 

Could you ever imagine making a career out of your art?

I'd love to say yes, but I think I prefer art as a hobby. If I had to do it to support myself financially, it wouldn't feel the same; to me, art is more about creating the art rather than the money. Deep down, my heart belongs to linguistics and words and I'd like to pursue a career in music journalism - a perfect job for someone moving to Manchester, the city of fantastic and iconic bands. However, I've already gotten requests to create album covers for up-and-coming bands - watch this space! 

Cilla's red velvet dress is my ultimate favourite, am I the only one who thinks it looks so comfy? This just expresses Cilla's unique style, even her white wedding dress was a mini, something so different to any other sixties weddings I have seen pictures of. Combined with white tights and lots of pretty flowers, this dress is just beautiful.