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X factor runner up Rebecca Ferguson steps out in the stylish Marissa coat. Get exactly what she’s got in the sale grab it before it’s gone!

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Old Hollywood Glamour: Ava Gardner |vintage fashion

October 29th, 2010
We at Darling, recognise that we simply could not do vintage without giving a nod to some of the most stylish women to grace Hollywood. This week we shall be showing you a few treats from a lady who certainly dressed to kill, and most importantly show you how to bring some her looks into the 21st century. This week Darling, looks at one of Hollywood’s greatest Femme Fatales, Ava Gardner…
Ava Lavinia Gardner (December 24, 1922 – January 25, 1990.)
Considered one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood, Ava Gardner went on to debut in silver screen success, The Killers (1964) and was launched into leading actress success. Gardner appeared in several high profile films from the 1950s to 1970s, including The Barefoot Contessa(1954), Bhowani Junction (1956), The Night of the Iguana (1964), Earthquake (1974), and The Cassandra Crossing (1976). Gardner continued to act on a regular basis until 1986.

We absolutely love this picture of Gardner playing the role of Spanish actress, Maria Vargas, in The Barefoot Contessa. Get the look by wearing fitted shirts, wide belts and a figure hugging waistline all complimented with a neat neckerchief. Below we have created a look for the modern woman.

No need for the belt the intricate detail is already in the skirt, and the neckerchief is easily replaced with the delicate design of the pussy bow blouse add some killer heels and there you have it, a look for a  modern day starlet.
For details of the look click here
Love the Old Hollywood Glamour? Let us know below…

How to do Hollywood Glamour like Audrey Hepburn

Old Hollywood Glamour:Audrey Hepburn and The Little Black Dress |vintage fashion

From Audrey Hepburn to Deborah Voigt, from Coco Chanel to Betty Boop the Little Black Dress, lovingly abbreviated to the LBD has long been considered the ultimate item for women of all social classes. This week at Darling, we look at the vintage staple that decades on still makes heads turn and mouths drop…

So what about the dress?


Before the 1920s the colour black was associated with long term grieving, by which the various ways the colour was worn would indicate a certain stage of mourning. To wear black outside of this context was considered highly inappropriate. However, as the death toll rose as a result of WWI and the Spanish flu epidemic, it became more common to see women wearing black.
All this association changed in 1926 when Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel had her design of a short simple black dress published in American Vogue. The dress was affectionately referred to as Chanel’s Ford a reference to the brand’s T model which popularised the automobile, because of the marketability, versatility and affordability of the dress’ design.
Click to Enlarge
The popularity of the dress continued to rise; it became a representation of economic elegance as it survived hard times such as the Great Depression and another world war, which saw everything rationed from textiles to food supplies.
The film industry also benefited, with the introduction of Technicolor, while other colours were heavily distorted during filming, the monotone garment prevailed. This eventually led to the dress gaining serious credentials in the middle of the twentieth century when Audrey Hepburn donned a Givenchy version in adapted novella  Breakfast at Tiffany’s and as the saying goes, the rest is history. Fast forward to the 2006 and that same little black dress sold  at a Christie’s auction on 5 December, for $920,000 (approximately £467,200), almost seven times its pre-sale estimate, not bad for a dress once associated with  great loss.
Today the LBD remains a feature in many of our wardrobes today, with its constant stylistic evolution, disappearing sleeves and reappearing hemlines. The versatility of the dress allows it to be dressed down with pumps and a jacket, but with a few pearls and a touch of sophistication and we can have our very own Hepburn. In fact we at Darling encourage it….

Dresses Ms Hepburn would have been proud to wear?

How to do Old Hollywood Glamour in the 21st Century

Old Hollywood Glamour: Ava Gardner |vintage fashion

We recognise that we simply could not do vintage without giving a nod to some of the most stylish women to grace Hollywood. This week we shall be showing you a few treats from a lady who certainly dressed to kill, and most importantly show you how to bring some her looks into the 21st century. This week Darling, looks at one of Hollywood’s greatest Femme Fatales, Ava Gardner…
Ava Lavinia Gardner (December 24, 1922 – January 25, 1990.)
Considered one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood, Ava Gardner went on to debut in silver screen success, The Killers (1964) and was launched into leading actress success. Gardner appeared in several high profile films from the 1950s to 1970s, including The Barefoot Contessa(1954), Bhowani Junction (1956), The Night of the Iguana (1964), Earthquake (1974), and The Cassandra Crossing (1976). Gardner continued to act on a regular basis until 1986.

We absolutely love this picture of Gardner playing the role of Spanish actress, Maria Vargas, in The Barefoot Contessa. Get the look by wearing fitted shirts, wide belts and a figure hugging waistline all complimented with a neat neckerchief. Below we have created a look for the modern woman.

No need for the belt the intricate detail is already in the skirt, and the neckerchief is easily replaced with the delicate design of the pussy bow blouse add some killer heels and there you have it, a look for a  modern day starlet.
For details of the look click here
Love the Old Hollywood Glamour? Let us know below…

2011: The Year of the Disco Beat| Vintage clothing

Happy New Year Leila Lovers! We hope you are well rested for a progressive year ahead.
It may have only been a few days into the New Year but we already have two things to be particularly excited about.
Firstly, it is January and you all know what that means, It’s SALE TIME and we are very please to let you know that you can now get up 70% off selected items in-store, AND online so you can now buy all the pretty dresses you want online and grab a bargain without ever leaving the sofa.
Get ready to play that funky music as this year sees the return of one the best decades for fashion, the 1970s. That means gorgeous mustard and camel coloured browns, big flares, and big hats, and with us all without the huge price tag. Feel like a dancing queen in this classy camel Malena skirt   which has been reduced to just £12, or feel like the cat that got the cream in this pretty perfect pussy bow dress now only £35.
Still feeling the breeze? Then get floral and fabulous with this £17.99 Aibi flower cardigan and give one of the funkiest decades a fully fledged floral tribute!
This year we have so many new items on the way so keep your eyes peeled for new looks of the season, Christmas is over  now t’is the season to get a trolley and get shopping!