Frolics in the Rain.

                                     

                                            I EXPECT I SHALL FEEL BETTER AFTER TEA. 

Recently we decided on a Day out to Lunderston Bay dressed in our best sailor and tennis dresses in the company of Paddy the huge Irish Wolfhound. Of course this being the Scottish summer meant out predictable weather did not play ball and the torrential rain threatened to dampen our day ever so slightly. 

We did our best to avoid the puddles but failed miserably resulting in mucky splashes all over our fine white stockings. 

Paddy brightened our day and he loved giving us an extra shower every so often when without warning he would shake his sodden shaggy fur coat in our direction. Fun and frolics in the monsoon rain!! With some of our dignity in tact, we headed back home for an afternoon of light reading, tea and cake. 

PJ Wodehouse beckoned with Blandings and Jeeves and Wooster ending our wet afternoon with a smile. We think Paddy was by far the star of the show!

Thank you for taking the time to read our blog. We hope you enjoyed it. As always we would love to hear what you think.

The Ahlfeld sisters.

Clothing Jane J

Vintage French sailor dress - Parma Vintage

Vintage Straw Boater - Vintage Guru

Polka dot parasol umbrella - Cosy Rosy Vintage

Silver Mary Janes - Quiz

Clothing Jane M

Vintage tennis dress - Starry Starry Night from auction at Castle Howard (of the Brideshead Revisited fame)

Vintage cloche hat - Circa Vintage

Silver Mary Janes - Quiz

All photos by Patsy Huisman.

A Chance Encounter!!

A Chance Encounter!!

A couple of months ago we happened to stumble upon a fabulous costume exhibition in our local museum and felt we just had to share the images of these beautiful delights. Some of the dresses date back to the 1840's.

The curator told us the museum have about 300 dresses dating back from the early 1800's through to the 1970's, all gifted by people of our local area to The McLean Museum.

Greenock has a fascinating history of importing goods from around the world. This meant that local dressmakers had access to unique silks, lace and adornments from far flung places such as China, India, America and of course Europe.

The beautiful and exquisitely detailed wedding dresses on display from the 1840's through to the Edwardian era were coloured or cream as the no commonly known white wedding dress only became fashionable in the 1920's.

One particular dress made of silk taffeta was made for a couple who were married in a local catholic church in Greenock. The detail and stitching on the dresses are SO precise and it is amazing to think they were made entirely by hand. No Singer sewing machines here!!

Sadly for now this small selection of dresses from the large collection have been packed away in boxes and will remain in storage.

Thank you for reading.

The 2 Janes. 

Cheongsams and Cherry Blossoms

Cheongsams and Cherry Blossoms

Another rare day captured without our children! This opportunity a couple of weeks ago gave us a chance to put together a new post for our blog.

Cheongsams also known in Mandarin as Qipoa and Cherry Blossom are two of our favourite things. The elegance of the dresses, the beauty of colour and the sweet fragrance of the blossom make us two very happy Janes.

The delicately ornate design of the tight fitting Cheongsam/Qipoa dresses that we know today was created in 1920's Shanghai and was made fashionable by socialites and upper class women.

From our very first meeting we both quickly realised that wearing these beautiful dresses was something we had in common and so this has continued.

Being given the opportunity to wear our favourite attire was a chance we could not let pass. A wee quick stop off at the local church with secateurs to obtain some Cherry Blossom and a trip to Jane Ms old flat helped us set the scene for taking photographs.

We hope you enjoy the photographs and look forward to you sharing your thoughts with us! 

The Two Janes