Spring Photoshoot

So we did a shoot last week for high summer and autumn but this post is about our previous photo-shoot back in Feb because we need to catch up on our posts (eek)

Usual suspects included Clare from HoF to style and Bethany Jane Davies from The Vintage Beauty Parlour in Manchester who we often have for our shoots. We at Foxy have worked with Bethany for several years and she is a good friend and has recently been nominated in the National Vintage Awards - good luck Bethany.

New faces for us are Tanya, our model, and Chris Lord photographer.

Tanya is a professional model and part-time student. She was just what we were looking for - strawberry blonde and freckly. But even better - she is a quirky, free spirit who isn't afraid of anything new! Not a diva in sight ;-)

We wanted a studio shoot that was beautiful and vintage inspired - but not pin up. Chris is an inspirational photographer who brought many new ideas to the shoot including a rotating set which ties our collection together whilst not detracting from the garments.

Creating the set

It was a lot of fun (although messy too) getting it ready.


There's a lot of yellow in this SS15 collection - I think this could be because I have been frustrated by the lack of sunshine (certainly in Yorkshire) and wanted to add some extra brightness in the stock room.

But there is plenty of variety in print and texture in this collection and we are pleased to see the entrance of some styles that are influenced by the 20s - something that I personally, am very excited about. I especially love the late 20s/early 30s when staggered & asymmetric hemlines started coming through and the waistline started to move up to its natural position.

the hem of our new 20s inspired 'Sheba' dress

Anyway - thanks again to Chris, Bethany and the gorgeous Tanya for helping us create this great collection of images.

A New Direction

So this post is about our recent rebrand and why it marks a new move for us.

Customers will have noticed our subtle rebrand at the beginning of the year.

We wanted to keep the 'Foxy' element of our name but we felt we had grown out of the play on words that marked our initial brand. 

We are different because we make everything in the UK, in a dedicated factory. And here we can create a number of new products throughout the year and are not restricted by seasonal collections that are mass produced in the far east. 

It also means that we can produce short runs of 25 or less easily. Our customers tell us that these limited edition garments are possibly the next best thing to original vintage because they yearn for something different...

This prompted us to look at what we could do to use this better - more detail, more limited editions, better quality and more higher end garments that are made to order. 

With all the above in mind together with the fact that we are/were all fans of national treasure TV series ' The House of Elliot' - The House of Foxy felt like a natural progression for us ;-)

We hope you like it too!

1940s spring collection - part 1

This year, we really wanted to get our 40s collection 'sorted'. I always struggle with the compromise between creating garments that are faithful to original styles and making sure that we cater for as many people and sizes as possible. Then there is production costs - in the 40s, fabric was at a premium and time was less expensive. The opposite is true nowadays - every seam has a cost and 7 gore dresses, shirring and gathers typical in the early 40s are not cheap to produce now. Fabrics are also of less quality in general and dont always behave as vintage fabrics do.

So our challenge was to create a collection that was affordable, faithful as much as possible to vintage styles, different and using quality fabrics.

The 40s Wardrobe

I always recall a lovely neighbour telling me about what she remembered of the 40s - she lived near to an american base and used to steal herself away for the dances during the war. She had one dress for dances, a classic shirt dress for the day, a few skirts and blouses and was one of the first young ladies to wear trousers!

I have researched SO much, i have collected many vintage garments and talked to many people about clothing in the 40s. Suffice to say - we certainly have a rose tinted view of this era - but it probably doesnt matter. Despite utility and war restrictions, there was something sweet and demure about it. I regret that i do prefer american 40s fashions - and this has influenced our collection.

Seperates are always in demand and we decided we needed to make a collection of interchangeable seperates. We are pleased with our 1940s swing trousers (or pants!) and pussy bow blouse. The swing twousers are extremely popular and now that we offer custom lengths, we often have customers returning after their initial purchase to take all colours available. We added the swing skirt this year, a lovely design based on a photo i saw, the key elements are a fitted band around the hip with a free skirt flaring beneath. This means its great for dancing but retains modesty at the same time.

I am in love with our pussy bow blouse! I love the gathers at the shoulder and back and the slight puff in the top of the sleeve. I wear mine a lot! With swing pants, pencil skirts and even a circular skirt. I have maybe gone overboard with 3 different fabrics and more to come - but Im so confident that people will love this as much as i do!

We are about to launch our shirt dress - which in my opinion every woman should have one of if they love the 40s! Practical, demure and very vintage. This pattern will also provide us with the classic shirt blouse - an alternative to the pussy bow version.

Anyway - more in part 2. here is a pic of Slinky Sparkles in our pussy bow blouse and swing skirt from a recent shoot! Thanks to Bethany for the hair - which is so fab and also to Kim from Madame Boudoir.

till next time...

Twinwood 2012

We have totally neglected this blog - so my mid year resolution is to start posting again. Im afraid a premises move together with the process of getting our own range of garments manufactured has taken prescidence! I have several posts lined up including our fabulous shoot with Leyla Rose modelling our 'So Foxy' collection and a preview of our new wiggle dresses! So watch this space!

Nikki and friends from The Swingbytes - the ladies are wearing our fever dress. (perfect for dancing in apparantly!)

However, just over a week ago, we had the pleasure of having a stall at Twinwood Festival nr Bedford. As a dancer myself, i adore this event which has several dance floors and live bands - dance lessons during the day (which sadly we couldnt go to because of the stall) and live music from the likes of Lola Lamour. Everyone is so friendly and the majority of punters really go the extra mile with their outfits - great to see so many people in vintage!

So below are some of our customers - existing and new - and when it was quiet enough, i managed to take a few pics.

Lovely Carly and friend!

there is a car - must have picture taken with car...note the wellies

This lady was so lovely, hope to meet her again. Her fella sported a rather impressive tash!

We have already booked for 2013, the same spot - hope i get a bit more chance to dance next year. Thanks to all the lovely visitors and the great comments about our new stock!

Wallis Simpson’s Style – inside the wardrobe

This month see the launch of Madonna’s directorial debut, W.E. – a film that follows the scandalous love affair between the King and the divorced American socialite known as ‘that woman’.

Wallis Simpson may have made headlines for her relationship causing the King to abdicate, but she was also known for her incredible sense of style and was certainly a celebrated style icon of the 1930s and beyond. Wallis was always impeccably dressed and as one of the first clients of Christian Dior – wore the very latest fashions. Images of her continue to inspire and fascinator lovers of heritage fashion across the globe.

1930s fashion - a 'very' quick overview.

The 1930s was a difficult era in history marked by the great depression and austerity. Fashions during this period are fascinating in that they mark the duality between austerity and sensuality. The 30s has always been an obsession of mine since I can remember, the complexity of the cuts such as the bias method - I also have to admit having read most books on Wallis and being one of the many people fascinated by her pictures.

As the depression began to affect the public, a conservative approach to fashion displaced the flippant fashions of the 20s. Hems got lower (mid calf was average), necklines got higher and waistlines returned to their natural place, marking the return of a more ‘womanly’ figure/ladylike appearance. Daytime was feminine and tidy but eveningwear was pure glamour with daring bare backs and contour hugging bias cuts on sensual flowing fabrics such as crepe de chine, chiffons and satins.This era also saw the rise of the halter and cowl necklines, dolman and kimono sleeves. Was this the sexiest decade in female fashion, or what?

Two 30s inspired dress from Stop Staring - modelled here by Slinky Sparkles

We are in the process of working on a 1930s collection of our own - but this is in many way, an indulgence... Since most of the vintage inspired fashion followers prefer the iconic 40s and 50s pinup style, we have mainly focussed on filling the gaps to bring a full collection together. However, we have a few styles in stock and also need to admit our new own brand swing pants are actually based on a late 30s pattern....high waisted with buttons along the side. These are now on sale and are limited in stock, Since we buy short bolts of fabric, we can only produce up to 20 garments in each. This means that you are always purchasing a limited edition.

Swing Pants £55 - Available now - click here

Capsule 30s wardrobe:-
- tweed suit
- square scarfs
- a blouse of either pussy bow variety or simple collar
- wide leg trousers
- bias cut slinky evening gown
- a fur
- saucer hat (cloche hats were still worn for a number of years int he 30s)
- gloves (always, always, always)

Excellent films/tv shows featuring great 1930s frocks:-
Gosford Park
(some) Agatha Christie
Fred & Ginger movies
anything with Jean Harlow
The Merry Widow
Shanghai Express
and...The Devil is a Woman!

Face of Foxy!

We are delighted and proud to welcome the marvellous Missy Malone as an official 'Face of Foxy'  here at 20th Century Foxy. This annoucement is heralded by our 1950s fashion article and front cover of recent issue of Vintage Life Magazine! YES - front cover!

Vintage Life Magazine Jan 2012
(photo by Suzy Allison)

International Burlesque star Missy Malone is a highly accomplished and sought-after performer on the UK burlesque scene who has performed internationally and has graced the cover of several publications and campaigns. Missy is now also the sole creator and producer of "The Missy Malone & Friends Burlesque Revue" - this is one of the best Burlesque shows around.

http://www.facebook.com/events/143911539049987/

 Missy was open enough to work with us on our very first shoot despite never hearing of the site or brand back in December 2009. She has provided much inspiration for our shoots and we have worked with her consistently since then. Our first 1950s dress (pictured below) has been named 'Malone' and is available now in this 'wiggle' version but will shortly be available as a full skirt swing dress version and a sarong style.

Missy modelling our new 50s inspired boned bodice dress

Having a 'Face of Foxy' is all part of our move to define our clothing collections into eras and to launch our own range of heritage fashion garments. Missy is the first model to be sponsored by 2CF and we are in the process of hunting for other gorgeous ladies to become a 'Face of Foxy' for our 1930s, 1940s and our upcoming So Foxy (plus size) range.

Behind the Scenes - December 2011 Photoshoot

This posting is a little late but im afraid christmas got in the way and all of a sudden I'm playing catchup!

Anyway, our last photoshoot featured the marvellous Missy Malone and the delicious Slinky Sparkles! I have been planning to divide the collections for a while into eras and to use the models to define them. Missy modelled our 50s range and Slinky the 40s.

It's always difficult deciding when is the best time to shoot - but with a collection of exciting new samples ready from our own range aswell as lovely new dresses from our exisiting suppliers, I decided to bite the bullet. Fabulous vintage hairdresser, Bethany Jane Davies, came to do hair (she is also my new hairdresser and does authentic vintage haircuts!) and I was also fortunate to work with fashion photographer Phil Witcomb who made the day both easy and exciting! Thanks to everyone for a great and very enjoyable day!

Bethany working her magic (and nearly sending Missy to sleep in the process)

Slinky Sparkles modelling one of our new 1940s dresses

Thanks to all for a wonderful day - visit the site to see the new photos.