JunoSaysHello.com blog

Spring/Summer 2012 Pastel Trend

2012-01-14T07:48:00.000-08:00

Sorbet tones were all over the SS12 runways. Gorgeous pastel confections featured in the Louis Vuitton, Ralph Lauren and Dior collections.

Even Mulberry are getting in on the act.. their latest ad campaign is a very literal translation of this season's ice-cream tones, setting the scene at Brighton Pier on the south coast.

We have an absolutely stunning vintage 1950s dress in stock at the moment. The halter-neck dress is made from textured silk and has a beautiful candy stripe skirt. We bought this dress in the States - this kind of design would have been unheard-of in Europe at that time - and is made entirely by hand.

The dress will fit a UK size 8 and 10. It's with our seamstress at the moment as it needs a small amount of TLC, but will be ready for sale from next week. The dress won't be online until March, so if you want to see it before then please make an appointment in our central London studio.

We think it would look amazing with these Tom Binns earrings....

We have another pastel shade dress in stock at the moment, a stunning 1970s maxi gown in perfect condition:

This dress is available to buy online here. Nostalgic pastel shades can be sharpened up with cool metallic accessories - these Alexander Wang glossy silver heels are perfect:

Our next studio sale is on Thursday 2nd February. All are welcome but RSVP is essential as space is limited. There will be discounts, wine and cake - please reply on our Facebook page.

Girls in Vintage on New Year's Eve...

2012-01-05T09:47:00.000-08:00

December 31st is a brilliant excuse to put on the sparkliest, spangliest dress in the wardrobe. For the last two years we have invited our Twitter and Facebook followers to send in photographs of themselves wearing vintage on New Year's Eve.

All the girls look amazing but two really stood out... step forward Charlie Anderson, stylist and erstwhile fashion director at Tatler. Charlie wore one of her grandmother's handmade frocks from the 1960s - a chic little black dress. Beautiful earrings and a chignon completed the look... as well as everyone's favourite accessory, a glass of champagne. But minus points for double parking, Ms Anderson!

We received another photograph from actress Olivia Darnley, wearing a stunning scarlet cocktail dress:

Such a glamorous look! Olivia wins an original 1960s evening bag from the Juno Says Hello boutique, a box design covered with fine chainmaille and lined with silver satin.

Thank you to everybody who submitted photographs. Feel free to email in your snaps at any time - we love hearing from our customers and finding out what everybody's wearing!

If you're in London on Thursday 2nd February please join us for our next studio sale. There will be browsing, discounts and wine.... not to mention delicious treats supplied by Mary's Tea Parties. All are welcome (though I should mention it's ladies only) but RSVP is essential as space is limited. Please get in touch via this link and let us know you want to come along.

Happy new year x

Juno Says Hello behind-the-scenes video...

2011-12-14T09:45:00.000-08:00

On a cold day in October a team of models, a make-up artist, and an assistant headed up to a photographic studio in Golders Green.

We were joined by Dani Riot, our photographer for the day and owner of the studio. Sonny Malholtra shot the video you see above. A special thank you to Elodie Russo who helped the day run without a hitch.

We managed to get some great shots. It's so good to see these beautiful vintage dresses come to life. Blogger Clara Wood wore one of our stunning evening gowns (below). This dress is a late 1960s garment by legendary American designer Adele Simpson, whose gowns were worn by first ladies and socialites throughout the 1960s and 1970s. The dress is available to buy online here.

Another friend of Juno Says Hello, Rebecca Thacker, modelled our vintage sequin maxi gown (below). To view this dress in our online boutique click on this link.

Our next late-night shopping event at our London studio is on Thursday 2nd February, 2012. Come along for a glass of champagne, browsing and discounts. All are welcome but RSVP is essential as space is limited - please get in touch via this link if you would like to be added to the guestlist.

A selection of our stock is online but we always have more garments in the studio, so if you are looking for something specific please drop us a line.

Merry Christmas and see you in the New Year!

Vintage Scent Sessions at Les Senteurs

2011-11-16T06:09:00.000-08:00

London's haute parfumerie Les Senteurs has just opened a second branch in Marble Arch. The new space includes an events room, where perfume expert Odette Toilette will be giving a series of talks on vintage perfumes.

Juno Says Hello is providing original vintage dresses as part of the display for each talk. The first event will focus on perfume and costume from the Belle Epoque period, and the ticket includes cocktails, cakes from Konditor & Cook as well as perfume samples.

19th November: Belle Epoque - 1919

28th January: 1920s

10th March: 1930s

19th May: 1940s

14th July 1950s

15th September: 1960s & 1970s

Tickets: £35. Advance booking via this link.

Les Senteurs, 2 Seymour Place, London W1H 7NA

Photo: Odette Toilette wearing Juno Says Hello

Dalmatian Spots...

2011-10-23T11:24:00.001-07:00

Black and white polka dots were all over the AW11 shows. The pattern has been popular since the 1950s and this photograph of model Mary Jane Russell by Louise Dahl Wolfe for Vogue was one of the iconic images of the time:

Designers including Marc Jacobs and Stella McCartney used spots as the main theme for their collections:

We have a stunning original 1960s nude illusion cocktail dress for sale right now - it has sheer sleeves with black and gold spots woven through the chiffon. To view in our online boutique click here.

This cocktail dress would look fabulous with Stella McCartney's polka-dot kitten heels, available from Net-a-Porter:

Alexa Chung wore a vintage polka-dot evening gown to Elton John's White Tie & Tiara Ball earlier this year:

For a similar look we have a gorgeous vintage dress for sale now in our boutique. Click here to view the dress online.

ASOS.com have an oversize clutch in black and silver polka-dot print that would look great with this dress, available to buy via this link..

Hitchcock Blonde Tippi Hedren was photographed for Vogue in 1954 in the Plaza Hotel lobby wearing a Jacques Fath gown:

We have an original 1950s monochrome dress with a similar silhouette, available to buy on our website via this link.

For more polka-dot vintage dresses check out our new collection on Juno Says Hello's main website. If you would like to make an appointment in our Kings Cross studio, please get in touch via this link. We can open up any time between 7am and 10pm, including weekends. There is no obligation to buy and all visitors receive a Juno Says Hello tote and scented candle.

Mitzi Gaynor: Vintage Style Icon

2011-09-04T11:09:00.000-07:00

If you follow Juno Says Hello on Twitter, you might have seen that I often post pictures of vintage style icons on their birthday. Today is a particularly special occasion - gorgeous Mitzi Gaynor turns 80 years old. There are too many lovely photos of her to choose just one, so this birthday gal post has turned into a mini-blog. Enjoy!

Mitzi is an actress and dancer. The camera loved her and she started her career in showbusiness as a chorus girl.

Her dancing was legendary and Mitzi was often given her own TV 'special'. Here she is a program recorded in 1969:

In addition to her dancing career, Mitzi had a column in The Hollywood Reporter for many years.

Some of her routines are wonderfully camp and have no doubt influenced contemporary burlesque performers.

Like fellow dancer Ann-Magret (who tore it up with Elvis in Viva Las Vegas) she had gorgeous red hair.

Mitzi is best known for her role in 1958 movie South Pacific. I remember singing along to this with my mother when I was a little girl...

Mitzi toured her one-woman show, Razzle Dazzle: My Life Behind the Sequins (told you she was camp) in the United States throughout 2009 and 2011, and the show will be continued into 2012.

Many happy returns!

New to the boutique: 1960s hostess gown as worn by Julianne Moore in A Single Man

2011-08-15T04:50:00.000-07:00

Tom Ford's directorial debut A Single Man came in out in 2009. The movie is based on the novel of the same name by Christopher Isherwood and stars Colin Firth, who was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of George Falconer, and Julianne Moore.

Based in California and taking place over the course of a single day, November 30th 1962, the film places emphasis on the culture of the 1960s; the production design is by the same team that designed TV show Mad Men, which is set in the same era.

One of the movie's most memorable moments is the dance scene with Firth and Moore:

The monochrome caped column dress worn by Moore was made by Neusteters, an upmarket department store that closed in 1985. Costume Designer Arianne Phillips sourced this dress for the movie. I'm informed there would have been about 40 dresses made for the store and I've have managed to track down the exact same design.

The dress is size 10-12 and is available to buy here. The back of the gown is covered with a floor-length monochrome cape, as seen in this photo:

The front of the dress has a high neckline and a tapered white panel down the centre:

If you would like to make an appointment to visit our studio in Kings Cross, please get in touch via this link.

Moore's 60s look has inspired several online hair and make-up tutorials:

Stephanie Theobald wrote a really interesting piece on Julianne Moore's character in A Single Man, explaining why a vamp on the verge of a breakdown is irresistible. Read the full article here. The Times called Moore's style 'sloshed chic' when the movie came out - read my previous blog post here.

Date for your diary: we are holding a late-night shopping event on Thursday 1st September. Our Kings Cross studio will stay open until 10pm and there will be wine and cakes courtesy of Mary's Tea Parties. All are welcome but space is limited so please RSVP via this link.

Grazia Hot Trend: Embellished Collars

2011-08-03T01:42:00.001-07:00

Jewelled Peter Pan collars are all over the designer collections & high street this season. Grazia magazine featured this style as one of their hot trends this week:

We have three stunning vintage dresses with unusual collar details in the boutique. Our Naomi Party Dress is an original 1960s handmade garment in metallic fabric with grey and gold woven thread. It has a cream lace collar with ribbon detail - very Alexa Chung - and the dress is fully lined.

Our second dress is a gorgeous 1960s-inspired design with white plastic 'gemstones' sewn onto the neckline. Available to buy here.

Finally we have a stunning Peggy French Couture late 1960s dress with embellished collar detail, available to buy here.

If you would like to make an appointment to visit our Kings Cross studio, please get in touch via this link. We can open up any time between 7am and 10pm, including weekends. There is no obligation to buy and all visitors receive a Juno Says Hello canvas tote and scented candle.

Two beautiful actresses in Juno Says Hello

2011-07-12T07:49:00.000-07:00

Actress Annabel Scholey is playing Lady Anne opposite Kevin Spacey in the Sam Mendes production of Richard III at the Old Vic. For Press Night she picked out a 1930s crimson evening gown from our boutique. Annabel looked absolutely stunning - here she is with Kevin Spacey at the Savoy Hotel in London:

Annabel was accompanied by actress Maimie McCoy - a good friend of Juno Says Hello and pâtissière extraordinaire.

Maimie - also known as Mary - set up Mary's Tea Parties, specialising in elegant afternoon teas; the perfect way to celebrate any occasion, from birthdays to baby showers, to hen parties. Each party is made entirely the way you want it. She will suggest a selection from her carefully prepared menus with delights such as raspberry “fantasy” cake, or delicate lavender shortbread stacks, and together you can create a wonderfully bespoke party. Everything is handmade by Mary in her little kitchen and is delivered to your home, served by professional Afternoon Tea waiting staff, and then cleared up and whisked away, leaving you to play host and delight in cakes.

Mary surrounded by her delicious confections

Mary has supplied delicious treats for several Juno Says Hello late-night sales... the cakes and tarts are so irresistible they are in danger of outshining the dresses! We've had miniature Bakewell tarts, passion-fruit meringues, ice-cream cone cupcakes... all absolutely mouthwatering.

Mary picked out our stunning Scarpetta dress to wear to the Press Night with Annabel. Doesn't she look amazing?!

The chevron-pleated fabric is a black silk-cotton mix and the dress comes with matching belt. Click here to view the dress online.

We're doing another studio sale this afternoon and Mary is about to drop off another tray of delicious goodies... it's very difficult to resist eating all of them before the customers arrive!

If you would like to come along to our next event and sample her cakes for yourself, please get in touch via this link and let us know.

Rebecca x

Princess Catherine works a black lace shift

2011-07-05T01:53:00.000-07:00

Princess Catherine arrived in Ottawa, Canada wearing a black lace shift by British-based Canadian designer Erdem Moralioglu:

I had to do a double take when I saw this picture... Juno Says Hello has a dress that is almost identical. A stunning vintage 1960s 'nude illusion' black lace dress with peach silk lining:

The dress is similar to size 10 and is available to buy here. If you would like to make an appointment to visit our Kings Cross studio, please get in touch via this link. We can open up any time between 7am and 10pm, including weekends. There is no obligation to buy and all visitors receive a Juno Says Hello canvas tote and scented candle.

Black lace dresses are absolutely foolproof - you will always look sexy and chic. Here's a picture of Marion Cotillard from Vogue Italia wearing a similar dress:

70s Fashion Icon: Michelle Pfeiffer in Scarface

2011-06-16T06:11:00.000-07:00

Brian de Palma's award-winning film Scarface isn't the most obvious choice for fashionistas, but this epic crime drama set in the late 70s and early 80s also features some of the most glamorous moments in movie history thanks to Elvira Hancock, played by a breathtakingly beautiful Michelle Pfeiffer.

Elvira is Tony Montana's wife - a spoilt, pouting diva - and her cream skirt suits and satin maxi dresses have had a particularly strong influence on designer collections over the last few seasons.

Elvi's froideur as she struts past her husband Frank is one of the best entrances in film history:

Even when the wheels start to come off, she still looks amazing...

I love that she manages to look serene even when dancing...

How the hell does anyone get their hair so shiny?

Here's a video tutorial on how to get her make-up 'look':

When we started out we didn't buy many 1970s dresses for the boutique, but they have turned out to be such a popular request that we recently sourced about 25 original 1970s evening gowns - all absolutely stunning and in excellent condition - that will be uploaded to the site soon. If you want to make an appointment for a preview, please get in touch via this link. We can open up the studio any time between 7am and 10pm (including weekends) and we're 2 minutes from Kings Cross station. This leopard-print maxi gown is one of our 1970s dresses currently in stock, available to buy here:

These YSL gold wedges complete the look:

I'm going to be posting on Studio 54-inspired fashion next week, including a selection of our amazing disco dresses. Here a sneak peek of a sequin maxi gown (size 12) we have in stock - not yet online - it arrived with original tags and has never been worn! If you want to come in and try it on please get in touch.

Rebecca x

Dressing for Royal Ascot: three exquisite pieces

2011-06-13T22:17:00.000-07:00

Royal Ascot starts today and for once decent weather is forecast for the entire week! As usual James Sherwood will be there with his camera spying the best (and worst) outfits. James has just written a book called Fashion at Royal Ascot, featuring photographs from the last 300 years at the races.

Here is Vogue model Fiona Campbell-Walter at Royal Ascot in 1953 in a beautiful saucer hat:

One of the most outrageous fashion icons in the racing world was Mrs Gertrude Shilling, aka the 'Ascot Mascot', seen here in 1969:

Here's Queenie and her gang in 1974, wearing a Launer handbag - still her favourite in 2011 - and a turban.

Martha Sitwell is a 21st century beauty who wears exquisite vintage pieces to the races:

We've picked out three outfits from our boutique that are perfect for Royal Ascot. Our first choice is a stunning 1960s silk houndstooth dress with matching jacket. See more photos here.

Our next choice is a shantung silk early 1960s dress with chiffon daisy detail on the hem.

This ultra-chic navy and cream organza dress would look sensational at the races:

To view our full collection of dresses please click here. We are able to deliver on the same day if you live in central London. If you need more inspiration here is some footage of James's show from Ascot a couple of years ago:

Red carpet round-up: 64th Cannes Film Festival

2011-05-30T05:22:00.000-07:00

The films are in danger of being eclipsed by the dresses during the Cannes Film Festival. We saw some absolutely knock-out dresses this year and plenty of new faces on the red carpet. Last year's undisputed break-out style star was Fan Bing Bing, and she didn't disappoint in 2011. Queen of the Cannes red carpet this year has to be Uma Thurman. Her choices were flawless and she has never looked better. Here's our round-up of the best dresses from this year:

Karolina Kurkova in Armani Privé at the opening ceremony.

Another blonde glamazon: Uma Thurman in Versace.

Rachel McAdams in Marchesa at the premiere of 'Midnight in Paris'.
Love the vampy 1940s hairstyle.

Fan Bing Bing in a dress designed by her stylist Chris Bu Kewen.
She looks like an empress.

Model Bianca Balti in a white Alberta Ferretti gown and some big ol' emeralds. And the sugar daddy who might have bought them.

Ines de la Fressange in a plum tone satin column dress with accessories by Roger Vivier. Ines recently wrote a book called Parisian Chic: A Style Guide.

Diane Kruger in the first of many silver dresses we saw at Cannes. This one is by Calvin Klein. I know that Diane is supposed to be one of the great beauties of our time, but to me she always looks slightly uncomfortable.

French actress Melanie Laurent - the new face of Dior fragrance Hypnotic Poison - in a black organza gown by Dior and jewellery by Chopard.

Sarah Jessica Parker in Dolce & Gabbana. Not sure about all the pearls but the hair is amazing.

Actress Tang Wei in a white column dress with organza frill detail by Valentino. What a beauty!

Fan Bing Bing in Atelier Versace. She looks like a floating lily.

Sarah Jessica Parker at the premiere for Wu Xia, wearing an Elie Saab printed dress. One of my favourite looks from the festival.

Here we have Cheryl Cole in Roberto Cavalli. Metallic gowns are extremely popular this year. I do wish she would wear less make-up - she has youth and beauty on her side but it's impossible to look chic when she's covered in Snog Marry Avoid amounts of bronzer.

Fan Bing Bing in one of the most striking looks of the entire festival: ruffled gown by Atelier Versace.

Last year Zoe Saldana wore a vaguely similar dress by Givenchy to the Academy Awards.

Angelina Jolie in a dark chocolate satin gown by Atelier Versace.

Gwen Stefani in a sequin jumpsuit by Stella McCartney.

I think Iman worked it better in bronze at the Met Ball the other week...

Fan Bing Bing in Oscar de la Renta taffeta gown with a Restoration-style neckline. The chartreuse colour and simple braid hair keep the look contemporary.

Bar Rafaeli in a sapphire Pucci gown. I'm not sure about the 80s-style 'facial contouring' bronzer... She looks like one of The Human League!

Kirsten Dunst in a mustard-colour midi dress by Chloe for a daytime photo call. Beautiful pleating and perfect for the occasion.

Zhang Ziyi in a black dress with a strong 1940s silhouette and peacock sequin detail.

Milla Jovovich in Prada. This hairstyle is so pretty on her.

Uma Thurman in a dove grey gown by Chanel haute couture.

Gwen Stefani gives a sleek Armani Privé gown a little punk attitude.

Rosario Dawson in Roberto Cavalli.

This girl has such a beautiful smile.

Actress Blanca Suarez in a silver column dress by Gucci.

Uma smoulders in a royal purple maxi gown by Armani Privé.

Karolina Kurkova in Roberto Cavalli. His designs were the most popular on the red carpet.

Next red carpet event: CFDA Fashion Awards on June 6th. We will be posting pictures from the ceremony in real time on our Twitter account - to follow us please click on this link.

Web exclusive: our big summer sale is now on!

2011-05-16T09:23:00.000-07:00

2011 has been a really exciting year for Juno Says Hello and our dresses have appeared on the red carpet at the Elle Style Awards, the BAFTAs, the Academy Awards and the royal wedding. To thank our customers we are offering 20% off ALL dresses with free UK postage and gift wrapping until Monday 6th June.

Each beautifully packaged purchase also includes a scented candle (white tea and jasmine fragrance) and a large printed Juno Says Hello canvas bag. To activate the discount just enter 'JSHSS11' at the checkout. Here are some of the gorgeous dresses on sale now:

1950s Lola dress by Suzy Perette, available to buy here.

1950s silk-mix rosebud print frock, available to buy here.

1950s black cocktail dress by Bernetti, available to buy here.

Super glam 1970s leopard print maxi, available to buy here.

Sheer 1970s spotted maxi dress, available to buy here.

1960s lace shift by Horrockses, available to buy here.

1970s silk evening gown, available to buy here.

Estorille cocktail dress, available to buy here.

1930s velvet Greta dress, available to buy here.

Our central London studio is 2 minutes from Kings Cross station - customers are very welcome to come in to browse and try on our dresses, with no obligation to buy. We can open up very early or very late (including weekends) to work around your schedule. To make an appointment please contact us via this link.

We have many more dresses not yet online, so if you are looking for something in particular we may well have it in stock - get in touch and let us help you find the perfect dress. We can also source petticoats, accessories and corsets to complete the look.

We regret that international customers are not eligible for free postage.

Start browsing now...

This month's giveaway!

2011-05-16T02:35:00.000-07:00

This month we're giving away a brilliantly useful - if bizarrely named - hair accessory: Bumpits. Each box contains several combs that work to create volume in the hair. No more nasty backcombing! This video shows how easy they are to use.

I love this picture of Jean Shrimpton on the cover of Newsweek - this is exactly the sort of hairstyle that Bumpits help you to achieve:

Here's the photo from the front of the packet:

You can use the Bumpits for long hairstyles or chic up-dos, like Ms Holloway:

A bit of volume on the crown also looks good on a pony tail:

Get the Eva Mendes look:

Gwyneth Paltrow with a volumized up-do:

The gorgeous Olivia Palermo with a 60s volumized bob:

We are giving away a set of Bumpits in mid-blonde (we'll be giving away other shades later in the year). To be entered into the competition all you have to do is sign up to our newsletter via this link. Our monthly newsletter includes details about private events, sale previews and exclusive discount codes. The winner will be notified by email on 16th June. Good luck!

The 2011 Met Costume Institute Gala

2011-05-04T01:18:00.001-07:00

Film premieres and award ceremonies are excellent red carpet opportunities for film stars and celebrities, but the Met Gala is the event of the season for true fashionistas. Designers, models, stylists and historians fly in to New York from all over the world to be received by Anna Wintour, left, editor of US Vogue.

The Costume Institute contains more than 80,000 costumes and accessories. It used to have a permanent gallery space in what was known as the 'basement area' of the Met, however, due to the fragile nature of the items in the collection the Costume Institute does not maintain a permanent installations. Instead, every year it holds two separate shows organized around famous designers such as Cristóbal Balenciaga, Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent as well as style doyennes such as Diana Vreeland, Nan Kempner and Iris Apfel.

The Costume Institute's annual benefit gala, co-chaired by Anna Wintour, is an extremely popular - if exclusive - event in the fashion world; in 2007, the 700 available tickets started at $6,500 per person.

This year the gala coincided with an exhibition on late designer Alexander McQueen, curated by Andrew Bolton (see photo above). Guests were greeted by a receiving line of actor Colin Firth, designer Stella McCartney, and Vogue editor—and gala organizer—Anna Wintour. Suzy Menkes wrote a very interesting review of the exhibition for the New York Times, read it here.

Now to the dresses! There were some fabulous outfits (and some real turkeys) but I've compiled some images of the best ones... specifically those which are vintage-inspired or chime with a certain vintage look.

First up is Isabel Lucas, wearing a 1970s-style coral pleated maxi gown by Louis Vuitton. What a great face.

Also working a strong 1970s look was Florence Welch, wearing a white gown with bell sleeves by Yves Saint Laurent. Have you noticed how Flo doesn't smile much for photos anymore?

This girl always gets it right: Margherita Missoni. She has a beautiful face and a very fresh look - just like Ali MacGraw. Here she is in Missoni:

Also channeling a vaguely 1970s vibe was hostess Anna Wintour. I really didn't expect her to wear something like this! It's Chanel haute couture...

Here comes Iman to show us all how it's really done. A vision of 1970s disco perfection in a bronze sequin jumpsuit by Stella McCartney:

Jennifer Lopez glammed it up with a red silk gown with feather shrug by Gucci. We don't really get to see her wear this colour very often - it looks fantastic and much better than her usual beige or black choices. She's still Jenny from the block though... the girl can't resist baring her midriff!

Working back through the decades, there were a couple of dresses that were very 1960s in style. Fashion icon Sarah Jessica Parker wore a fabulous embellished maxi gown, complete with beehive hairstyle. Here is a photograph taken in her dressing room before she arrived at the event. Do I spy an empty bottle of Veuve Clicquot in the background? It's a blessed relief to know she's just like us and enjoys a few jars before going out on the town.

Here we have Bee Shaffer, Anna Wintour's daughter. She wore a very grown-up gown by Balenciaga, featuring a 'watteau' train that was a very popular feature for evening dresses in the 1960s. She looks great but it doesn't feel right for May - do you agree?

Next we have one of my favourite dresses of the evening: model Jessica Stam in a petal-pink tulle gown. The silhouette and fabric are typical of 1950s evening dresses, but the hem and accessories give the look a modern twist.

Actress Dakota Fanning wore a sensational couture gown by Valentino. This is a really elegant dress with exquisite flower details, but I think she needed a more sophisticated hair and make-up look to carry it off.

As usual, Salma Hayek was a vision. She was one of the honorary chairs of the Met Gala this year. We sold a dress very similar to this one a couple of months ago - it was so beautiful it didn't even make it on to the website as it was snapped up by a girl who came in to the studio before I had chance to upload it. It had exactly the same rose detail on the hip but was in a very pale apple silk chiffon, instead of the blush tone Salma's wearing.

There were quite a few guests working a strong 1940s look. One of them was Nicole Richie, with a Lana Turner hairstyle and a gown by Jason Wu:

Diane Kruger also wore Jason Wu. The embellished bodice is superb - but I wonder whether the skirt would work better without such a big slit?

Next up: Madge! I thought this was the best she has looked in ages. Not only does the colour work very well on her, but only a real fashion icon could carry off a star-embroidered train at an event like this. She's pop royalty and she won't let you forget it! Dress by Stella McCartney:

Here is Lucy Liu in one of my favourite designers, Vionnet. Her dress isn't particularly 1930s (in fact the hairstyle is definitely 1960s) but I wanted to mention the design house as their history is fascinating.

Madame Vionnet (1876-1975) was known as 'queen of the bias cut' and specialized in Grecian goddess-style gowns. Eschewing corsets, padding and anything that distorted the natural curves of a woman's body, her clothes were famous for accentuating the natural female form. Influenced by the modern dances of Isadora Duncan, Vionnet created designs that showed off a woman's natural shape. Like Duncan, Vionnet was inspired by ancient Greek art, in which garments appear to float freely around the body rather than distort or mold its shape.

Here's a wonderfully atmospheric picture of two models (the one of the left is Marion Morehouse a.k.a. Mrs e e cummings) wearing her designs. Photograph by Edward Steichen.

Actress Amy Poehler does a fine Jean Harlow impression with her J Mendel 1930s-style gown and hairstyle:

Here we have one of my favourite dresses of the evening: Maggie Gyllenhaal in Stella McCartney. The silhouette and draping is very 1930s but the blue sparkle gives it a 1970s disco twist. Maggie always looks so happy and relaxed - here she looks utterly serene. I guess the army candy helps.

Karen Elson looked sensational in a gold evening gown by McQueen. The silhouette of the dress is quite 1930s, but the fabric and shredded hem make it unmistakably contemporary. This sort of juxtaposition is signature McQueen.

And finally, here we have model Chanel Iman wearing a white embellished shift by Dolce & Gabbana. This was another of my favourites looks from the evening. It's quite hard to pull off high-octane glamour in a short, pale dress (especially when you're surrounded by guests in floor-length gowns) but she manages it!

Look at her beautiful 1920s hairstyle in this shot. Left to right: Chanel, Bar Rafaeli and Isabeli Fontana.

Whenever there is a big event involving beautiful dresses on a red carpet, we tweet photos in real time on our Twitter account - if you want to follow us please click on this link.

We love your comments so please do let us know whose dress you liked the best - or if you think we missed anyone out!

By the way....

We're having a big online sale in a week - 20% off ALL dresses with free UK P&P (with gift packaging) - please sign up to our newsletter so we can email you the discount code.

Start browsing now ....

Vintage Gowns for 21st Century Brides

2011-04-28T08:11:00.001-07:00

As promised here is the post on finding vintage wedding dresses. I've started by listing specialist boutiques and the second half is dedicated to contemporary designers whose collections feature vintage-inspired bridal gowns.

For original vintage, I really recommend Love Miss Daisy. The boutique has an entire category dedicated to vintage wedding dresses and they are all beautiful - it's easy to see that Terri has a fantastic eye for finding truly unique garments. This fairytale 1950s ballerina dress is available to buy her e.

The Vintage Wedding Dress Company, set up by stylist Charlotte Brear, has an impressive selection of vintage and vintage-inspired dresses. Here is one of their sublime 1920s-inspired silk gowns:

Kate Halfpenny is a renowned celebrity fashion stylist and is known for her superb designs. She also has a great collection of vintage dresses - I particularly love this one:

Antique Lace Heirlooms is a UK-based shop selling a stunning selection of vintage lace wedding veils. For other bridal accessories, I recommend Unique Headdresses. They specialise in real flower headdresses and tiaras which can be made to match your bouquet. Check out their gallery to see historical designs such as Art Deco floral tiaras, Elizabethan garlands and this particularly beautiful Georgian-inspired headdress:

There is a phenomenal original 1960s Oscar de la Renta beaded silk gown available to buy on Ebay at the moment which would work brilliantly as a wedding dress. It really reminds me of the dresses from Spring/Summer 2011 Dolce & Gabbana show!

There are some wonderful dresses out there by contemporary designers that give more than a nod to vintage wedding dress design. This 70s-style frock is from the Brioni SS11 collection:

Alberti Ferretti had a similar design from the same season:

Carolina Herrera, famous for her bridal collections as well as RTW, shows how a statement veil can add extra drama to the wedding gown:

This wedding-friendly dress is from Chris Benz's Resort 2011 collection. The nice thing about relatively simple bridal gowns is that you can get away with serious hair. Big volume hair + big volume dress = Princess Margaret!

This dress by Monique Lhuillier is the perfect combination of contemporary and vintage design. The Edwardian-style heavily embroidered skirt is balanced by the very modern low neckline:

Every collection by Alexander McQueen includes several high-drama gowns. I'm convinced Kate Middleton will wear McQueen tomorrow - but we shall see! Many designers have been mentioned in the run up to the big day, but very few boast designs that are able to carry the weight of the occasion. Temperley makes gorgeous dresses, but a beaded floaty number just won't cut it in Westminster Abbey. This dress with 30s-style bodice is from the Alexander McQueen AW10 collection:

Marchesa is a popular choice for brides - Georgina Chapman chooses such romantic fabrics for her designs. Here is a modern interpretation of a 50s wedding dress silhouette from her SS10 collection:

I love how Jean Paul Gaultier mixes it up in his collections. This design features a flapper-inspired veil with a 1970s-style crochet tunic. And it works!

I blogged about vintage wedding dresses last year - check out the post to read about more online boutiques selling vintage or vintage-inspired frocks for your special day. If you're looking for a book of glamorous inspiration, Reel Art Press are about to launch their lavishly illustrated 288-page book, Weddings & Movie Stars. You can buy it at the pre-launch discount price of £35.00 via this link.

If I've missed out specialist vintage bridal boutiques (and I'm sure I have!) please add the links in the comments box. I'll be posting again on Saturday - with lots of pics, of course - about the royal wedding. I'll be watching the ceremony like a hawk... one of the guests is wearing a Juno Says Hello dress so fingers crossed we'll get a glimpse of her going into the Abbey! Have a great weekend x

Modern Royal Weddings

2011-04-25T09:43:00.000-07:00

On Friday Kate Middleton becomes Princess Catherine. Part of the transformation involves a big white dress - designer still unconfirmed. I'll be doing a specialist vintage wedding blog (including images from historical royal weddings) later this week, but in the meantime here is a photo round-up of recent royal weddings throughout Europe.

In 1995, Marie-Chantal Miller married Prince Pavlos of Greece in a Valentino gown thought to have cost £150,000:

In 1999 the Belgian heir-apparent Prince Philippe married speech therapist Mathilde d'Udekem d'Acoz:

The same year Princess Alexia of Greece married Spanish architect and yachtsman Carlos Morales Quintana:

In 2001 Haakon, Crown Prince of Norway, married Mette-Marit Tjessem Hoiby. Their relationship was not without controversy, as she was a former waitress with a four-year old son from a previous relationship with a man with a drug conviction.

Princess Märtha of Norway married author Ari Behn in 2002:

Willem-Alexander, Prince of Orange, married former investment banker Máxima Zorreguieta in the same year:

In 2004 Prince Felipe of Spain married newsreader Letizia Ortiz Rocasolano:

In 2005 Prince Pieter of Holland married Anita van Eijk:

In 2008 Prince Joachim of Denmark married advertising executive Marie Cavallier:

Later that year Microsoft executive Mary Donaldson (below) would marry Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark:

This is a photograph of their first dance. No pressure!

Prince Edouard Lamoral Rodolphe of Ligne married actress Isabella Orsini in 2009:

Last year Princess Victoria of Sweden married personal trainer Daniel Westling in a spectacular ceremony. The bride looked beautiful but the guests really went to town - check out the outfits here.

This sort of post wouldn't be complete without a clip from the 1986 wedding of Charles and Diana. Regardez! I'm doing two more posts later this week with a royal wedding theme - one with plenty of pictures from historical royal weddings (from Eleanor of Aquitaine to Grace Kelly) and how to get the corresponding 'vintage' look on your special day - and another with links to the best royal wedding street parties in the UK on Friday 29th. Stay tuned x

Our dress in the window of Persephone Books

2011-04-21T08:39:00.000-07:00

This wonderful bookshop prints mainly neglected fiction and non-fiction by women, for women and about women. The titles are chosen to appeal to busy women who rarely have time to spend in ever-larger bookshops and who would like to have access to a list of books designed to be neither too literary nor too commercial.

They have a very pretty bookshop on Lambs Conduit Street in London. I walk down this street all the time as it's on the route I take from the studio to our dry cleaner (a vintage dealer's best friend). They usually have a vintage dress in the window, and I thought how lovely it would be if they agreed to have one of our dresses on display for a while.

When I approached the owner she was very enthusiastic. After handing over the dress I thought would work best, she told me that its pattern was almost identical to that found in the endpapers of their new book, Miss Buncle Married by De Stevenson. She very kindly gave me a copy and it's true, the pattern is almost exactly the same:

The frock itself is a beautiful 1930s tea dress with seamed bodice, made from sheer lawn fabric. There is no fastening (it's pulled on over the head) and comes with a matching belt. The dress also has drawstring puff sleeves and is approximately size 10.

When Persephone Books changes its window display the dress will be available to buy from our online shop and customers are always welcome to drop by our studio on Judd Street, WC1. To make an appointment please contact us via this link.

If you're looking for gift inspiration have a look at Perseohone Bookshop's fabulous list of suggestions here.

Alligators, Old Mink & New Money

2011-04-05T11:48:00.000-07:00

This is the wonderful title of a book about one woman's adventures in vintage clothing, written by sisters Alison Houtte and Melissa Houtte. Alison was a fashion model in Paris and Manhattan before she opened up a vintage clothes and accessories store in Brooklyn, selling everything from pre-War ball gowns to 70s glitz.

Houtte knows that every article of vintage clothing has a story behind it. This is not only the story of one woman's life in fashion, but a wonderfully entertaining guide for anyone seeking out vintage finds to add to their wardrobe.

Available to buy here.

Competition time: win a Bewitched DVD box set

2011-03-28T07:46:00.001-07:00

This month we're giving away the complete first season of Bewitched on dvd. Samantha may be the star of the show but as far as we're concerned her mother, Endora (below), is the real style icon. We even named this dress after her.

This Emmy Award winning series contains 36 episodes. Check out the wonderful opening credits here. To enter this competition simply sign up to our newsletter via this link. The winner will be chosen at random on April 24th and notified by email. Good luck!

Opportunity to 'upcycle' a stunning 1930s dress

2011-03-23T05:44:00.000-07:00

We bought a gorgeous 1930s silk velvet gown at a textile auction last year. Sadly the fabric is so fragile (and has now torn in places) we cannot sell the dress in the boutique. So... over to the upcyclers! Many of our followers on Twitter are very talented designers / textile fetishists / creative seamstresses so we decided it was best to hand over this gorgeous dress to those who could rescue it and perhaps transform it into something else!

Check out the link here: Ariane 1930s Dress (named after the heroine in Albert Cohen's Belle de Seigneur)

This dress is free although we charge for P&P. If you want to pick it up from our studio in WC1 there is no charge and you have the option of selecting that at the checkout.

Free gift included with online purchase!

2011-03-10T07:52:00.000-08:00

We're including a beautiful 'starburst' design diamante brooch with every online purchase, until stocks last. To see a selection of our vintage dresses please click here.

Our dresses at the V&A Ethical Fashion event

2011-03-10T06:31:00.000-08:00

Last week stylist and fashion PR Katie Antoniou gave a talk on ethical fashion at the V&A Museum of Childhood. Other speakers included designer and V&A trustee Betty Jackson, Guardian columnist Lucy Siegle and stylist Jocelyn Whipple.

Juno Says Hello dressed two models who took part in Katie's talk. The 1950s red lace party dress is available to buy here, and the 1930s blue velvet frock is available to buy here.

A big thank you to Katie for getting us involved in such a great event.

Get in touch with us via Skype!

2011-03-01T08:39:00.000-08:00

Juno Says Hello runs a fashion clinic via Skype once a fortnight. All you need is a basic (free) Skype account and you can access our group video chat. Clinic times vary so let us know if you want to join in via this link and we will make sure you are kept in the loop.

Clincs operate as an advice exchange and can also be an opportunity for a bit of wardrobe show-and-tell. At the end of the clinic (which usually goes on for about an hour, and you can join in at any time) I show a selection of our dresses that aren't yet online. We are buying a lot of stock at the moment so you can expect a sneak peek of at least 10 dresses! If you see one you like you can make an appointment in our central London studio to try on, no obligation to buy.

We also provide personal consultations via Skype, absolutely free. Just contact us via this link and let us know how we can help! We can recommend a seamstress, help you track down a outfit for a special occasion or dig out a specific dress you've seen online.

Rebecca x

Win a copy of Fashionista!

2011-02-21T06:52:00.000-08:00

To be entered into this month's competition to win a copy of Simone Werle's lavishly illustrated hardcover book Fashionista: A Century of Style Icons, simply sign up to our newsletter via this link.

Instead of focusing on the designers that have made their marks in the past decades, this original and inspiring portrayal of style icons features the unforgettable faces and bodies that helped propel designers into the limelight over the years. The book features a wide array of fashion icons, including sophisticates such as Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis and Audrey Hepburn, it-girls like Edie Sedgewick and Chloe Sevigny, bombshells like Marylin Monroe and Brigitte Bardot, and eccentrics like Bjork and Grace Jones.

The winner will be drawn at random on March 20th and notified via email.

Good luck!

Browse our new range of spring florals

2011-02-17T02:41:00.000-08:00

We've uploaded a range of floral print dresses to our online boutique - click here to browse.

We are in the process of uploading 15 new dresses to this category over the next week.. stay tuned!

To make an appointment in our central London studio (no obligation to buy) please contact us via this link. We can offer early morning or evening appointments to work around your schedule.

Rebecca x

Edith Head: Hollywood's greatest costumier

2011-02-16T13:30:00.000-08:00

"You can have anything you want in life if you have the dress for it" according to Edith. For my birthday last week I got a couple of books on this formidable woman and after reading for 5 minutes I knew I had to blog about her!

The dust cover to The Dress Doctor reads: "Long before celebrity stylists became as renowned as the Oscar-winning film stars they advise, Head was dressing Hollywood's most fashionable women and men on screen and off and lending her sartorial wisdom to women across the country on radio and television. In 1959, she published a best-selling memoir and style guide, The Dress Doctor, in which she shared tips on style and dozens of entertaining anecdotes on Hollywood's A-list with her fans".

Edith on Audrey Hepburn: 'Audrey knows more about fashion than any actress save Dietrich. Her fittings are the ten-hour, not the ten-minute, variety. To sketches for Roman Holiday, she added a few of her own preferences: simpler necklines, wider belts.

'Audrey and I went shopping in San Francisco; she wanted me as confrere and audience. Shopping is her idea of fun, and no wonder - no matter what she tried on she looked simply delicious. "And now let's celebrate," she'd say when we were exhausted, and that meant heading for the nearest confectionery to devour two of the biggest, fattest, most chocolatey French pastries. When she lived in Holland during the war, food was scarce and she developed a passion for chocolate'

The style guide offers advice on what to wear for every kind of social occasion, from garden parties to roller skating. Even breakfast gets a mention: 'It's good psychology to start the day with bright colours, so choose something gay in a washable fabric. Breakfast coat, brunch coat, house dress, smock, skirt and shirt, or slacks and shirt + apron if you're cooking, shoes - sandals or flats'. Got that?

Of Bette Davis (right) Edith says: 'She thinks like a businessman. Hers is a truly organised point of view, and working with her I felt like I was in conference with a bank president. You can see the authority on screen, in her walk, her voice, her actions; there is not a trace of indecision - she's the same on screen and off'. Want proof? Here it is.

Edith takes her role as sartorial adviser seriously: 'Every woman's task is to be a do-it-yourself dress doctor, and the person she must know is herself. Every woman, like every actress, is capable of being visually translated into many different women. A woman in a bath tub has little personality, she is just a woman without clothes. Clothes not only can make the woman - they can make her several different women. There's no one style, there's a style for a mood: a tailored woman at work, a siren at night, a feminine, attractive creature at a luncheon, an efficient chairwoman of a PTA meeting'.

Mae West is another one of her favourites. 'I designed thirty or forty pounds of jewellery for Mae to wear as Diamond Lil in She Done Him Wrong. I first found pictures of period jewellery to show her. "Fine, honey" she said, "just make the stones bigger". You can see Mae in all her glittering glory in this brilliant clip from the movie.

'"I like 'em tight, girls," she said, and tight they were; there wasn't a costume in which she could lie, bend, or sit. To afford her some small relaxation, we improvised a reclining board; it had armrests and was tilted at an angle, and there she leaned between scenes in glittering splendour, the jewels winking from her hourglass gown, and dazzling from her throat, ears, wrists, and every finger.

'Once, I made a skin-tight black nightgown and over it, a chiffon and diamond negligee that gave the effect of a spider web. On the shoulder I perched a huge diamond spider, anchored by adhesive tape. When Mae wore this on the set, the whistles and screams sounded as if the Queen Mary were docking in New York harbour. Mae had switched the diamond spider to a more. . strategic spot. It took half an hour to quiet the hilarity and get Cary Grant and the crew back to work'.

The Dress Doctor features beautiful illustrations by Bil Donovan on every page, bringing the book to life.

Superhero costume designer Edna Mode in The Incredibles (2004) is said to be based on Edith Head, as indicated in this brilliant clip.

The best vintage looks on the red carpet

2011-01-31T14:16:00.000-08:00

Award season has started. After the nominations are announced, the focus of the ceremony is not so much the acting but what the guests are wearing. Given the intense scrutiny of the red carpet - and Joan's acid tongue on Fashion Police - many actresses prefer to wear something conventional, but for those who choose to make a statement about their own style, a chic vintage dress is the ne plus ultra in elegance. Here is a selection of my favourite vintage red carpet gowns from recent years:

Kate Moss in a stunning 1930s Dior satin dress at the V&A Museum.

Renee Zellwegger at the 2007 Golden Globes, also in vintage Dior.

Renee at the 2001 Academy Awards in a lemon chiffon Jean Desses column dress.

Penelope Cruz in a vintage princess-style Balmain gown at the Oscars in 2009.

Emma Watson at a premiere in a 1970s Ossie Clarke maxi dress. The floaty fabric means her tiny frame isn't drowned by the length.

Kristin Davis at the SATC2 premiere in a sexy 1970s Norman Norell gown from Decades INC.

Reese Witherspoon at 2006 Academy Awards in vintage Dior. Too beautiful for words.

Jennifer Lopez at the same ceremony in a Jean Desses chiffon gown. Did she fall out with her make-up artist?

Julia Roberts at the 2008 Academy Awards in ultra-chic vintage Valentino.

We have an entire category dedicated to red carpet-style gowns at the Juno Says Hello online boutique. Our selection of formal floor-length dresses has been hand-picked from vintage collections all over the world.

If you see something you like but want to try before you buy, our central London studio is open for daytime and early evening appointments. All visitors receive a limited edition JSH canvas tote and scented candle - contact us to put a date in the diary.

Vintage shopping in Brussels

2011-01-25T10:47:00.000-08:00

I had been planning to visit a girlfriend in Brussels for a long time, but when she told me that the city has some of the best high-end vintage shops in Europe I booked my ticket immediately!

I did a bit of research and there are scores of online guides to vintage shops in Brussels. A particularly useful one is this top ten list of boutiques from the Guardian and this one from Tales of Endearment blog.

First on my itinerary was Gabriele on Rue des Chartreux, supposedly the boutique that kicked off the trend for vintage shopping in the city. Here's a photograph of my friend Sonia (another vintage aficionado) outside the shop:

I found three amazing dresses and bought them for Juno Says Hello. Here is a photograph of one of them on our model, Nora Mixova. It's an early 1950s silk satin dress with a blue and green floral print.

The photograph below is a behind-the-scenes shot of our brilliant make-up artist Helen Pike with Nora. This dress is available to buy online here.

I also came across this gorgeous (and very vampy!) 1960s red dress, available to buy online here.

I'm currently in the process of uploading 25 new dresses to our online boutique. Follow us on Twitter for live updates!

Accessorising with vintage jewellery

2011-01-07T03:29:00.000-08:00

Every so often I post for The Collective Review, a contributor network of 250 writers including journalists, bloggers and industry insiders. My most recent contribution was a post on where to buy vintage jewellery in London and online. Check it out here.

Iconic actress Elizabeth Taylor boasts one of the finest collections of vintage stones in the world. In 2002 she published a book called My Love Affair with Jewellery; her range of fragrances include Black Pearls, Diamonds and Rubies, Brilliant White Diamonds, Diamonds and Sapphires... and so on.

In my post I mention where to buy vintage jewellery in London and online, but if you want to check out the rocks before purchase and don't want to travel to do so, then the jewellery counter at John Lewis stores in Kingston, Bluewater, Cambridge, Milton Keynes, Edinburgh, Newcastle and Cardiff now stock Eclectica Vintage, run by Liz Wilson. The glamorous costume jewellery is accessibly priced and personally sourced by Liz, and her selections are absolutely fabulous. John Lewis in Oxford Street, London, hosts the largest collection which changes weekly.

My online boutique Juno Says Hello is giving away a copy of Caroline Cox’s lavishly illustrated book Vintage Jewellery (see cover photo above), which features designs by Cartier, Christian Dior, Fabergé, Tiffany, René Lalique, Boucheron and others through the 20th century. Just enter your details via this link. The winner will be drawn at random on February 1st. Good luck!

Win a copy of Belle du Seigneur!

2011-01-04T05:37:00.001-08:00

To be entered into this month's competition to win a copy of Albert Cohen's wonderful book, Belle du Seigneur, simply sign up to our newsletter via this link.

Set in Geneva in the 1930s, Cohen's endlessly inventive satire of middle-class manners and ambition revolves around Solal, a man of remarkable gifts and disappointed ideals. As Under-Secretary-General of the League of Nations, he has become disillusioned with a world dominated by personal and national interest. His one hope for redemption is through love, and he embarks on the seduction of the beautiful Ariane, wife of the dull-witted Adrian Deume who works for Solal.

'The last of the great modernist novels, a genuine literary event' - New York Newsday

'A masterpiece that stands alongside the classics of French literature... a virtuoso work on a Joycean scale' - Boston Globe

The book is being made into a film starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Natalia Vodianova, to be released in 2012.

We have just uploaded a beautiful - if very fragile! - 1930s silk velvet gown, named after the heroine Ariane. To view click here.

The winner will be drawn at random on February 1st and notified via email.

Good luck!

EDIT: We have a winner! Congratulations to Jane Cook.

Gizzi Erskine wears our dress for series finale

2010-12-17T05:32:00.000-08:00

Glamorous TV chef and cookery writer Gizzi Erskine is wearing a Juno Says Hello vintage gown for the series finale of her new Channel 4 show, Cookery School.

She chose our ultra-stylish 1960s Ursula gown, available to buy here.

The show airs next month - look out for many more Juno Says Hello dresses throughout the series!

Win this vintage evening bag!

2010-12-08T07:34:00.001-08:00

To be entered into our competition to win this stunning vintage evening bag just sign up to our newsletter via this link.

The bag is a 1960s evening purse made by Le Soir, with contrasting bead patterns on each side. There are diamante studs on the clasp and a slip-through chain.

This is a stunning bag but due to age marks on the fabric (barely noticeable - see photo) we can't sell it in the boutique. But it needs a loving home!

Good luck ladies x

Shopping for Vintage in NYC

2010-11-16T15:10:00.000-08:00

I was lucky enough to spend the last five days in New York visiting PINTA, catching up with friends and checking out the vintage stores in Manhattan.

PINTA is a modern and contemporary Latin American art show - not the sort of place where I expected to see any recognition of fashion - but a large stand was dedicated to the designs of Nicolas Felizola, a Miami-based couturier. The exhibit featured several mannequins wearing gowns inspired by Maria Felix, widely regarded to be the most beautiful face in the history of Mexican cinema. Costumes below:

All very interesting, but the clothes weren't for sale and I was determined to find some amazing vintage dresses for Juno Says Hello during my short stay. I have tried well-known places like Resurrection before and found the selection very underwhelming - more 80s retro jumpers than 40s or 50s cocktail dresses, but with stellar price tags. The first shop I visited was called Zachary's Smile on Lafayette St, which sells mainly 60s and 70s vintage alongside a selection of clothes by contemporary independent designers. I bought a stunning early 1950s blue and ivory silk frock - perfect for an alternative wedding dress - with a rigid aluminium frame in the corset. Faut souffrir pour être belle!

I also picked up a primrose yellow shantung silk cocktail dress with bow details. All my new purchases are being photographed on Thursday and will be uploaded to our online boutique before the end of month! Please sign up to our newsletter on this page for special previews.

One of the reasons I buy almost all our stock from the US and Canada is because the quality and condition of the dresses is far superior to most of what is available in Europe. In addition, the sizes are slightly more generous. Many women are put off buying vintage because they believe it will be too small - the waist too tiny, the sleeves too short - but this is simply not the case if you know where to source it. We currently have ten size 16+ dresses in our online boutique and we're about to upload several more - stay tuned.

My next stop was Screaming Mimi's, also on Lafayette. This place was fantastic but better for accessories and club-wear rather than cocktail dresses. There was a rail dedicated to 'Bad Christmas Sweaters' which made me laugh. I was wondering whether to buy a 1970s red and yellow skintight satin jumpsuit for my friend Juliette, but just couldn't justify the price tag. Sorry darling! I'll make you one instead.

So far, OK, but I didn't strike gold until I found Stella Dallas on Thompson. This amazing shop is named after the 1937 film starring Barbara Stanwyck and had an exquisite selection of vintage dresses, coats and accessories. I found eight or nine incredible frocks that are being loaded on to the aeroplane back to London as I type... then uploaded to our online boutique ASAP. The quality of the fabrics was unlike anything I had seen before - couture gowns and flirty 60s shifts - and I couldn't help but pick up a mink-trimmed winter coat for myself! At this point smoke started coming out of the credit card machine so I held back from visiting anywhere else.

Next time I'm in NYC I'm going to try out Rare Vintage - supposedly where Anna dello Russo (pictured right) gets some of her vintage gowns - and the many boutiques in Williamsburg. In the meantime, follow us on Twitter or Facebook for previews of all the dresses I sourced in New York. We had a bumper consignment from a lovely lady in Dorset earlier in the month so those dresses will also be featured in our new collection.

**We're open daytime or early evening for private appointments in our central London studio - no obligation to buy - click here and let us help you find the perfect Christmas party dress**

Our frock makes Vogue's Best Dressed List!

2010-10-21T06:30:00.000-07:00

The lovely Gizzi Erskine attended the Observer Food Monthly awards ceremony last week wearing a Juno Says Hello dress. Vogue chose Gizzi in this outfit for their weekly Best Dressed List... check out the photo here! Dress available to buy from Juno Says Hello - click on this link.

NARS launches vintage nail polish collection

2010-10-12T08:19:00.000-07:00

Classic cinema is the theme for these five autumnal shades. Left to right:

MASH - army green infused with gold

KING KONG - copper brown

MIDNIGHT EXPRESS - deep navy

ZULU - forest green

FULL METAL JACKET - metallic grey

The best manicure I've found in London is at Bella Nails on 23a Tavistock Place, WC1. These guys gave me a 40s-style manicure for £15 and it only took 20 minutes! Creepy hand photo below:

Gizzi Erskine visits our studio

2010-10-04T04:36:00.000-07:00

The lovely Gizzi Erskine popped into the studio recently to buy some dresses. Here she is modelling our Abigail shift!

Gizzi has just been commissioned to star in a brand new 50-episode cookery show, and we're thrilled to announce that Juno Says Hello is supplying a large chunk of the wardrobe throughout filming. She also picked out a stunning early 60s peplum silk dress for her launch party last week - it looked fabulous!

Thames Revival

2010-09-07T08:17:00.001-07:00

The Thames Revival is an annual event that celebrates vintage glamour, classic boats and the golden days of sailing. The event is being held as part of The Mayor’s Thames Festival, London’s largest free outdoor arts festival, taking place on 11th & 12th September 2010.

Entering the historic St Katharine Docks will be like stepping back in time as you cast your eye around a fabulous variety of craft. To add to the period feel, all the boat crews will be dressed in the period of their boat. If you would like to be part of the spectacle and get a hands on look at the boats you can spend the day in the members enclosure. There is also a fashion show, a paper boat race for children, live music, and vintage clothing stalls. Entry is free to all festival goers.

My new column for The Collective Review..

2010-09-03T07:31:00.000-07:00

I'm delighted to have been asked to be a guest contributor for The Collective Review, a network of 250 writers – 'from acclaimed journalists, to top bloggers and industry insiders'... which apparently includes little old me!

Covering a broad spectrum of topics and interests, The Collective Review is a daily look at the biggest issues and talking points of the moment – whether it’s a review of the latest Hollywood blockbuster, indepth commentary on the latest fashion industry news or a polemic on a recent parliamentary debate.

My column will be based on reporting from fashion and arts-related events. Check out my first missive here. Next week: St Tropez!

Just uploaded: new collection

2010-09-02T10:24:00.000-07:00

September starts with a big bang: a stunning new collection of luxury vintage dresses from Juno Says Hello. Check out our dedicated link here.

Model Emma Rice wears our Lola dress, available to buy here.

Minxy TV chef Gizzi Erskine gives us a mention!

2010-09-02T09:22:00.000-07:00

The lovely Gizzi Erskine mentions JunoSaysHello.com as one of her favourite boutiques to look for vintage dresses in the Sunday Telegraph Stella Magazine.

Thanks Gizzi we love you back!

Summer-to-autumn wardrobes: vintage shifts

2010-08-28T02:47:00.000-07:00

All women love the shift dress - it is totally versatile, and is the easiest thing to throw on in between seasons. Bare legs, opaque tights, heels or flats... it's all good!

We currently have a couple of beautiful silk shifts at JunoSaysHello.com: our Nyasha dress has a bold floral pattern with an unusual double hem, and our Tamara shift is made from the softest silk we have ever seen. Both garments are in mint condition and are perfect for work-to-play dressing.

The simple silhouette of these dresses make them very easy and comfortable to wear. Our Biarritz olive shift works beautifully on its own, or it can be styled up with strong accessories. We have a fantastic monochrome shift dress that would look amazing on tanned or darker skin, and our Sadie shift has femme fatale written all over it. Just add these and these!

These dresses are available to buy online or can be reserved to try on at our next studio sale, which is on Thursday 30th September. Please visit our Facebook event page here to sign up. Ladies are invited to relax with a glass of wine and browse our beautiful vintage dresses. There is a special goodie bag for the first ten guests and a seamstress will be available to help with fittings.

Vintage at Goodwood

2010-08-25T09:18:00.000-07:00

I was full of enthusiasm and curiosity when I went to check out this new festival, brainchild of Wayne Hemingway. There had been a huge amount of hype (not to mention a couple of unfavourable previews) whizzing around the blogosphere but I was determined to give it a fighting chance.

Well... I was a little bit underwhelmed. There are some excellent reviews out there, complete with superb photographs - so I am going to pass the baton on to fellow vintage dealer Natasha Bailie, 1940s enthusiast and model Fleur de Guerre, journalist and fashion PR Katie Antoniou, and a whole host of reviews at QueensOfVintage.com. Enjoy!

Mad Men fashion: how to look good when behaving bad

2010-07-27T02:08:00.000-07:00

Mad Men's costume designer Janie Bryant was once asked if the show's vintage style rubs off on her current wardrobe. "Sure," she replied, "But there's a fine line between looking like you've been influenced by the early '60s, and looking like you're going to a theme party for the early '60s!" In other words: A little period styling goes a very long way.

The dresses at Juno Says Hello definitely chime with this aesthetic. All of our vintage frocks are chosen because they look amazing on 21st century women.

In the new series Anna Camp plays Bethanny, below, Draper's 25 year-old love interest. Get her formal dinner-date look here.

After years of putting up with Don's infidelities, this season sees Betty Draper embark on an affair of her own. Channel her butter-wouldn't-melt look in this stunning floral print dress, below, or dip into her evening wardrobe and style up this sexy black shift with killer heels and immaculate make-up.

Bombshell Joan Holloway (below) knows exactly how to work her curves. We can definitely see her sashaying down those agency corridors wearing this number.

Nothing emphasizes the silhouette better than vintage. Our emerald silk dress (below) is a great example of early 1960s tailoring. Necklace by Little15.

This season also sees Peggy Olsen finally step out of Don's shadow. She gets a new haircut and smartens up her office wardrobe - our Abigail Day Dress or John Camery suit would be perfect.

Mad Men Season 4 comes to the UK on BBC4 in the autumn.

Source: AMCTV.COM

Photos from our latest collection

2010-07-19T14:49:00.000-07:00

Nora Mixova models a stunning 1950s cocktail dress, made from textured black satin, available to view and buy online here.

The next dress is one of the most beautiful we have ever seen, an original 1940s swing dress in printed silk. Click here to see more images.

Our third photo is of an early 1960s tassel dress with jet beading on the neckline. Click here for details.

We uploaded eight more dresses today, available to view by clicking on this link. We have had some incredible consignments recently and will be uploading 30 more dresses before the end of the summer - sign up to our newsletter via our homepage for previews and special offers.

All photography © Jonas Persson

The Chap Olympiad & Amwell Street Fête

2010-07-14T07:20:00.000-07:00

Taking place in a beautiful Georgian square in central London, The Chap Olympiad is a delightful day of themed sporting events, live music, sideshows and refreshments.

The Olympiad has become Britain's most eccentric sportsday, attracting Londoners to this now famous celebration of athletic ineptitude and immaculate trouser creases.

Hosted by The Chap magazine (a monthly journal filled with articles on tweed, hat doffing and martinis) and Bourne & Hollingsworth, the Olympiad is an eye-catching spectacle, full of oddball elegance and quirky panache.

All guests are invited to come in period dress. We have some amazing original 40s dresses that would be perfect for the look - our Romilly outfit or summery Justine frock need no accessorizing and allow enough movement for the Cucumber Sandwich Discus, one of the event highlights.

For inspiration, check out some photos and a video of last year's event. If you're the mood for more retro frolics this weekend then Amwell Street is hosting a swing party as part of their annual 'village fête'. There will be stalls for cakes and vintage fayre, bingo, a tug-of-war, a dog show, a 1940s wedding parade, and a period fancy dress competition all played out to live music.

The Chap Olympiad
11am - 12 midnight
Saturday 17th July 2010
Beford Square, WC1.

Amwell Street Fête
12.30-5.30pm
Sunday 18th July
Amwell Street, N1.

STUDIO SALE - Tuesday 13th July, 3pm-9pm

2010-07-12T06:35:00.000-07:00

Unwind after work with a glass of wine and browse our beautiful vintage dresses. Many items not available online until August!

Places are limited so RSVP on this event page or contact events@junosayshello.com. Our last sale was Daily Candy's selected shopping event - don't miss this one!

Our in-house seamstress will be available to take fittings on the evening. Ladies only.

Dress worn by model available to buy online here.

Win 2 tickets to see Lucia van der Post

2010-07-05T10:36:00.000-07:00

Create a wishlist at our vintage e-boutique Juno Says Hello to be entered into a draw for two tickets to see Lucia van der Post at the Last Tuesday Society on Wednesday 7th July.

Lucia wrote the indispensable style guides "Things I Wish My Mother Had Told Me" and "Celebrate: The Art of the Special Occasion". She also had a weekly advice column, 'Ask Lucia', in The Times and was the founding editor of the FT's How to Spend It magazine.

The event will focus on the importance of glamour and elegance... something that all aficionados of vintage clothing can appreciate!

Click on to Juno Says Hello and sign up that wishlist now! Winners will be notified by email on Wednesday morning.

Royal weddings - the original red carpet!

2010-06-30T02:32:00.000-07:00

Swedish Crown Princess Victoria married Daniel Westling last week. It was a very modern romance: Daniel was Victoria's personal trainer and their big day was filmed for reality TV show The Royal Wedding, which has become the most watched show in the country. Fifty million people across Europe watched the nuptials live!

The heir to the throne wore an ivory silk Par Engsheden gown and her mother's 1976 wedding tiara. Royals don't do accessories, they do decorations. There were sashes and medals galore, and Grazia magazine wickedly described The King of Norway as wearing 'a full canteen of silverware'.

The wedding dress was stunning, but the guests didn't disappoint either. My vote for best dress goes to Princess Elena of Spain's striking fuschia ensemble (above) with dramatic detailing on the bolero and in her hair.

Guests included Princess Letizia of Asturias in a nude floor-length dress:

Queen Rania of Jordan looked serene in an Armani Privé gown:

Margarethe II of Denmark in a stunning chartreuse silk gown:

Queen Silvia of Sweden in a pitch-perfect Mother-of-the-Princess-Bride ensemble:

Queen Sonja of Norway in a fabulous coral chiffon gown (homage to Margot Ledbetter?):

And finally, Princess Rosario Nadal of Bulgaria:

Check out a video of the Swedish Royal Wedding here. I've never been one to get excited about weddings - all that attention, horrible! - but I do love getting dressed up as a guest. One of our most popular categories at Juno Says Hello is Weddings & Races. On 10th July we will be uploading 25 more dresses... stay tuned!

Stars choose vintage for SATC2 premiere

2010-05-29T02:05:00.000-07:00

Sex and the City fever is here again. The plotlines are fun, but the real kick comes from checking out what the girls are wearing. We've been hooked since 1998 - and there is a reason why: wardrobe supervisor Patricia Field's quirky outfits single-handedly introduced vintage styling to a mass audience.

A decade later, the actresses remain true to the vision created by Pat Field. At the recent SATC2 premiere in London, Kim Cattrall chose to wear a stunning vintage Thierry Mugler gown, reminiscent of the John Singer Sargent portrait of Madame X. Kristin Davis chose a ravishing vintage Norman Norell sequinned gown, which she found online from California's fabulous boutique, Decades Inc.

We found the original post on the Decades blog announcing the provenance of this dress here. It is fascinating to see the 50-year journey this dress has taken to arrive on the red carpet at one of the most anticipated premieres of the year.

Louboutin's Magical Mystery Tour

2010-05-12T03:48:00.000-07:00

Shoe designer extraordinaire Christian Louboutin has created a series of short films in which a mysterious silhouetted figure in a top hat (Mr Loubi) sends three beautiful ladies on a road trip. With cameos from Mika and Dita von Teese, costumes by Martin Grant and Rouland Mouret, and previews on Graziadaily.co.uk, this is a gorgeous, glamorous, epic enigma.

Check out the films here.

FT.com interviews Browns boutique owner Joan Burstein

2010-05-10T10:55:00.000-07:00

The London boutique Browns, sophisticated go-to store for original international design, is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year with an exhibition and a book consisting of famous designers’ recollections of the fashion institution. Here, Joan Burstein (affectionately known within the industry as Mrs B), the eighty-something owner who launched a hundred fashion careers, recalls her memories of the world’s most colourful fashion designers.

Read the full interview here.

‘Browns: 40 Years of Fashion Innovation’, Regent Penthouses and Lofts, 1618 Marshall Street, London W1, May 1330.

Follow Juno Says Hello on Twitter!

2010-05-05T03:59:00.001-07:00

Keep up to date with events and promotions via our Twitter feed.

Grace Kelly: Style Icon at the V&A

2010-04-15T14:59:00.000-07:00

The long-anticipated exhibition of Grace Kelly's dresses opens this weekend at the Victoria and Albert Museum.

'I don't want to dress up a picture with just my face', said the actress. Her look continues to inspire the catwalk and her demure style of dress harks back to a more delicate femininity. Hitchcock might have called her the original ice queen but still waters run deep: behind the scenes she was a rather passionate woman. She had a tendency t0 sleep with everyone on the set of her movies (including the writers) and was labelled a nymphomaniac by Hollywood's then gossip queen Hedda Hopper.

Vintage fashion guru and blogger Natasha Bailie was interviewed by the BBC about the new show at the V&A. Check out her post here . At Juno Says Hello we have made a selection of Grace Kelly-inspired dresses: a High Society-style frock, a Dial M for Murder fur-trimmed suit, and an Oscar de la Renta gown capable of redeeming even the naughtiest of princesses. Click here to watch original news footage of her 1956 marriage to Prince Rainier of Monaco.

Grace Kelly: Style Icon
(sponsored by Van Cleef & Arpels)
17th April - 26th September 2010
Victoria & Albert Museum, SW7

Sunday Tea Dance @ Finsbury Town Hall

2010-03-29T09:26:00.000-07:00

Ragroof Theatre is putting on one of their ever-popular dress-to-impress tea dances, suitable for experienced dancers and beginners alike.

Scintillating rhythms from DJ Champagne Charlie. Instant dance classes from Dorothy's Shoes to ease you onto the dancefloor. Tea and cakes (and gin) on sale to keep you refreshed and energised for an afternoon of fun and frolics!

Have a quick look at this amazing footage of the legendary Lily Farling playing the piano at Old Finsbury Town Hall.

2-5pm Sunday 4th April
Finsbury Old Town Hall, EC1
Tickets £3/£6 on the door

Image: Oli Longmore

And the bride wore vintage...

2010-03-19T05:26:00.001-07:00

We're coming up to that time of year.. wedding season! All brides want to look beautiful - and unique. Many are shunning bespoke designs in order for something equally breathtaking: a vintage wedding dress.

I visited the Designer Wedding Show in Battersea last year and was surprised to see at least two very chic stands dedicated to vintage wedding gowns. The quality of these garments was outstanding and a range of accessories (veils, jewellery, stoles) was also available.

Renowned stylist Charlie Brear has brought together her years of experience in fashion to create The Vintage Wedding Dress Company, for brides who would love to wear something completely original but don't have the time, energy or faintest idea where to start. The central London showroom has a rare and diverse selection of gorgeous gowns and accessories from the Victoria era through to early 1970s, which can be tailored to a couture finish.

Other London-based vintage wedding dress boutiques include Heirloom Couture, Circa Vintage Brides and Halfpenny London. Butler & Wilson remains a favourite for costume jewellery and accessories. Vintage Dress is an online shop selling a selection of vintage wedding gowns at very competitive prices.

One of the most popular categories at Juno Says Hello is our Wedding & Races collection. Although originally designed for wedding guests rather than brides, we have had several enquiries from ladies who want an alternative to a big white gown on their special day.

As any net-savvy bride-to-be knows, there are thousands of wedding blogs out there. Most of these are fashioned as style diaries providing inspiration for everything from hairstyles to table settings. Some of the most well-researched include Love My Dress and Once Wed, although I know there are plenty of other wonderful blogs out there - feel free to add them in the comments section!

Vintage Clothing for Men

2010-03-16T09:16:00.000-07:00

Since launching my shop Juno Says Hello, I've had several enquiries about whether I sell vintage clothes for men. Sadly not, nor do I have any plans to... so I thought I should write a little post about where gents can go to kit themselves out properly. The most popular request seems to be for sporting tweeds, but there are plenty of suppliers out there who also sell immaculately tailored suits and beautiful vintage accessories.

Many men seem to have been inspired by programmes like MadMen, for example, but others are simply after a one-off 'look' for an event like Goodwood Revival or the Chap Olympiad.

One of the biggest online shops is Vintage Whistles (whistle being rhyming slang for suit, of course). You can browse their stock by era or garment type, and delivery within the UK is free. New items are uploaded every day and the quality really is very, very good.

David Saxby has a shop specialising in sporting tweeds and formal wear. A selection of their stock is available online and their shop is in Fulham. Another London-based vintage men's clothing shop is Thrifty Beatnik, which is just behind Victoria. They provide costumes for the BBC and have a fantastic selection of velvet jackets.

I also came across an online guide to 007's tailoring - check it out here. Recommended gentleman's outfitters are Kilgour, Darren Beaman and Henry Poole & Co.

Surrey-based Vintage Revived specialises in tweed jackets and suits by Aquascutum and DAKS.

All other suggestions welcome - please add links in the comments section below.

Burlesque Undressed

2010-03-08T04:18:00.000-08:00

The Grand Vintage Ball @ the Rivoli Ballroom

2010-03-08T03:43:00.000-08:00

The next Grand Vintage Ball will take place in the sumptuous environs of the Rivoli Ballroom down in South London.

Guests are invited to enter the Vintage Attire Pageant, where they can be crowned Best in Show. Categories include:

Dictator's wife
Champagne Socialist
Dressed to Kill
DIY Delight - I made it myself!
Fur Coat & No Knickers
The Margot Leadbetter Award for lifetime services to synthetic fabrics

The venue (pictured) started life as the Crofton Park Picture Palace in July 1913 and was converted into a ballroom in 1957, reopening in 1959 with a large sprung maple dance floor. It is now priately owned.

Famous for its original decor and interior fittings (red velvet, flock wallpaper, chandeliers, glitter balls and over-sized Chinese lanterns) it is often used as a film location and plays host to many dance and musical events. Some of the BBC's Strictly Come Dancing programs have also been filmed here.

Music on the night will be an aural extravaganza of jive, rock n' roll, 1970s glam stomp, 80s new romantic pop, Studio 54 and Motown.

The Grand Vintage Ball
7pm - 1am Saturday 8th May 2010
Rivoli Ballroom, London SE

For tickets and information click here.

London Fashion Week Digital Schedule

2010-02-18T06:55:00.000-08:00

Catch live streamed shows and digitally presented films from the comfort of your own home. All the front-row shows, none of the catfights. Check it out here.

Image: Osman Yousefzada

Source: Daily Candy

Lee Alexander McQueen, CBE (1969-2010)

2010-02-16T10:49:00.000-08:00

McQueen's death was announced on the afternoon of 11 February 2010. He was found dead that morning by his housekeeper at his home on Green Street, London W1.

His dramatic designs met with critical acclaim and earned him the British Designer of the Year award four times.

Friends of the late designer respond to the tragic news:

Detmar Blow, husband of fashion icon Isabella Blow, recalls the deep bond that united the designer and his muse

Lisa Markwell celebrates the extraordinary legacy of the designer

Joan Smith on McQueen's supposedly sinister view of women's bodies

Vogue recounts in pictures McQueen's most memorable fashion moments

Plum Sykes looks back over their long friendship, the wedding dress he made for her - and the time he stood her up

Crystal Renn: Fashion's biggest model on why size matters

2010-02-16T10:43:00.000-08:00

When Crystal Renn began modelling, she starved herself to fit the industry ideal. Then she had an epiphany, started eating again – and, as a size 16, now has the world at her feet. Harriet Walker (Independent) meets a woman whose figure is changing the face of fashion.

Read the brilliant article here.

Diane von Furstenberg launches a new initiative recognising female role models

2010-02-11T00:45:00.000-08:00

Diane von Furstenberg has long been seen as an empowering fashion force, from the invention of her easy wrap dresses in the Seventies to her support of young designers in her role as CFDA president, but now she is set to take the idea a step further, by launching the DVF Awards. The new awards scheme will recognise women whose leadership skills and vision have had a positive impact on the lives of other women around the world, with prizes presented at an annual ceremony.

"Women never cease to impress and inspire me," the designer said, "and I am very happy to create these Awards to honour and reward their leadership and dedication to the advancement of women." Each honouree will receive $50,000, aimed to help them sustain and expand on their humanitarian efforts.

The first DVF Awards ceremony will take place at the United Nations on March 13 and will honour four women. Two are from the Vital Voices network - Sadiqa Basiri Saleem, who established a learning centre in Afghanistan, and Danielle St. Lot, Haiti's minister of commerce, industry, and tourism - whilst the People's Voice Award will honour an American woman to be voted for by the public at www.facebook.com/dvf. The fourth recipient will be announced on the night.

"These are women who have shown the courage to fight, the power to survive, and the leadership to inspire," von Furstenberg added.

Source: Vogue

Sloshed Chic: Fashion in A Single Man

2010-02-09T00:19:00.000-08:00

"There are many things to ogle in Tom Ford’s film A Single Man. Colin Firth’s house. Colin Firth’s car. Colin Firth’s hotness (he looks better than he’s ever done before — that wet-shirt scene included). And a ridiculously honeyed, honed Nicholas Hoult. But one could miss all that and still have plenty to feast on, thanks to the fashion.

Permanently clad in an impeccably cut suit (Ford’s “Falconer”, due to hit shops this summer), with a skinny tie and the coolest retro specs, Firth dresses how we all wished our boyfriends dressed — in the art-directed version of our fantasy lives.

Better still is Julianne Moore as his daytime- drinking, cigarette-smoking fag hag. With a wardrobe that slurs expensively dressed, bored housewife, she’s a study in slightly sloshed chic. Get the look with kaftans, housecoats and the odd marabou slipper. Make-up is all about smoky eyes. Accessorise with a martini for breakfast and some Sobranie Cocktails and you’re done. If a little drunk."

Source: Times Style

Europe's largest costumier puts on a sale

2010-02-05T10:39:00.000-08:00

Tens of thousands of items from famous TV series and films are up for grabs in the Angels costume sale tomorrow.

Clothes from Bafta-nominated An Education and the Ian Dury biopic Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll are also on sale. It also features clothes from cult movie Trainspotting and some of the Bond films.

Angels has received an Oscar for dressing Laurence Olivier's Hamlet and has supplied costumes to films including Henry V, Star Wars, Titanic, Gladiator and the sublimely stylish Marie Antoinette.

The Angels Retro Sale takes place on February 6th at Courtenay Road, Wembley, from 8.30am. Entry is £5. Clothes are sold on a 'by-the-bag' basis, with a medium shopper setting you back £20 and a supersize bag £50 which you fill up with your items. The sale follows the success of its Big Vintage Clothing Sale in 2008 and its Uniform Sale last year.

For more details check out the dedicated event page on Facebook.

Source: Metro

Enter Juno Says Hello's first competition!

2010-02-04T07:13:00.000-08:00

This month we're giving away style maven Lucia van der Post's fabulous book, Celebrate: The Art of the Special Occasion.

This wonderful pink tome guides the reader through how to throw an unforgettable New Year's Eve party, find the perfect dress for your Valentine dinner, and prepare a delicious Easter picnic.

All you need to do is email us with a description in 100 words or less of the best party you have been to in the last year. The winning entry will be notified by email and posted on the Juno Says Hello blog for all to see.

Good luck ladies!

Material Girl on BBC1

2010-01-30T07:58:00.001-08:00

Touted as the British answer to Ugly Betty, BBC1's new £6m series Material Girl has failed to excite viewers. This program is part of the Babylon franchise, based on the writing of Imogen Edwards-Jones.

In fashion writer Laura Craik's review in the Evening Standard, she commented that 'it's clear that the writers know as much about the fashion industry as Giorgio Armani knows about darts. This is a program that makes Skins look like Cranford'. Ouch!

The program is based around fictional designer Ali Redcliffe and her Brick Lane studio. I think the creators were trying to emulate the Shopaholic / Sex and the City vibe but reviews have been very mixed.

What do you think? Watch episodes of Material Girl on the BBC micro-site here.

Grace Kelly exhibition at the V&A

2010-01-30T07:21:00.000-08:00

A tribute to Grace Kelly's elegant style will be on display at the V&A from April. Grace Kelly: Style Icon includes various treats - from the black chiffon dress worn in Rear Window, her trademark sunglasses and the original Hermes Kelly bag created in her honour.

To coincide with the exhibition, our online boutique will be promoting a selection of Kelly-inspired frocks. Daywear choices include a stunning stripy frock and eveningwear features elegant cocktail dresses as well as breathtaking formal gowns.

Customers are very welcome to try garments on before purchase - please make an appointment to visit our London studio via the contact page.

Via Stella Magazine

Tom Ford's first feature film

2010-01-30T07:08:00.000-08:00

Fashion designer Tom Ford has directed his first feature film, A Single Man, starring Colin Firth (left) and the beautiful and very talented Julianne Moore.

Based on a Christopher Isherwood novel and set in the summer of 1962, it tells the story of a single day in the life of a single man, played by Firth. The film has already been nominated for a Golden Lion at the 2009 Venice Film Festival.

Check out the trailer here.

EDIT: A very kind friend took us along to a private screening followed by a Q&A with Tom Ford last night. The film really is superb... and Tom Ford is the most deliciously stylish Texan we've ever seen.

How to get a festive reality check

2010-01-04T10:47:00.000-08:00

Lisa Armstrong writes another brilliant (and hilarious) article on our obsession with 'party-dressing':

For weeks the nation has been doing what it generally does at this time of year – ie, pretending it’s Kate Moss about to embark on a whirl of parties and the odd bout of “exhaustion”. Helpful advice about how to cook, drink, dress and decorate during the endless fiesta that supposedly turns December into MasterChef meets The Hangover flows forth from magazines and TV, culminating in the What to Wear on Christmas Day article that assumes you’re spending Christmas at Balmoral. No wonder people start to feel inadequate.

Obviously I would never cast aspersions on the usefulness of what is written on a glossy page, but has it occurred to anyone else that all this anticipation might be mass delusion?

A real check list of what you need to do in the clothes department right now would start with ensuring that your favourite items have been dry-cleaned and aren’t missing any buttons.

Another plan of action is to revamp your wardrobe. Ever since I saw Christopher Kane’s velvet biker jacket in October I’ve been mulling over why it would be endlessly useful – with strappy dresses, jeans, T-shirts… And why it would make everything look just right, whatever the occasion. I think it comes down to it being a simple classic piece, but reworked to look fresh. I’ve also been wondering how to work the idea of it in without having to own it, since owning it would mean parting with £1,000. And they say fashion’s easy.

Switching around favourite combinations in your wardrobe could result in a similar, fresh eureka moment. If you’ve always worn black with black, try adding some navy – it looks chic, understated and very dramatic, especially if you mix textures like velvet and silk.

Go for sheen rather than out-and-out shine – it’s more flattering and, on the whole, classier. If you can’t resist sequins – by New Year’s Eve the pressure to have a Diana Ross moment may be overwhelming – a sequined top under a jacket or a sequined skirt with a jersey or cashmere tank (as seen at Costume National, above, right) looks cooler than head-to-toe glitter, and it’s more versatile. While we’re on the subject of tops, something one-shouldered is a simple, striking graphic statement that’s also current. Skip necklaces with this one though, in favour of bangles or earrings.

Lace is another standby that slides from wedding to understated. There’s a lot around, from horrifying tat to beautiful classic pieces – as at Moschino, above, left. (The best high-street lace tops seem to be in Oasis.) A lace dress can look tacky but a top or trim is often all it takes to nudge daywear into something special. A tweed, Chanel-esque jacket thrown into the mix also looks hip and elegant and works well with velvet jeans on Christmas Day.

If you need head-to-toe glamour, think about buying something plain that you can rev up with jewellery for big nights out and wear more casually for cosier gatherings. Strapless dresses are another versatile fix – slip a cardigan over them for lower-key evenings.

Image: Karl Lagerfeld for Romanian Harper's Bazaar

Designers with the most dresses in the V&A

2009-12-11T11:52:00.001-08:00

Shortly after Christian Dior premiered his spring/summer collection in 1947, the editor of Harper's Bazaar approached the designer, shocked, and said. "Why, Mr Dior, it's such a new look". The name stuck.

A total of 29 Dior dresses, spanning 33 years, are on show in the V&A's esteemed textile and dress collection, an achieved challenged only by Yves Saint Laurent, who has 26. (Even Chanel, covering twice the number of years, only manages 14).

Having your dress displayed by the V&A is, of course, the equivalent of being inducted into the fashion hall of fame. "The piece must be virtuosic - made to the highest standards of design quality, and show an exceptional degree of craftsmanship," says Eleri Lynn, a curator at the museum. Among the more famous pieces to be immortalised by the V&A are Yves Saint Laurent's black trouser suit - "Le Smoking" - from 1966 and all nine inches of Vivienne Westwood's "Super-elevated Ghillie" platform heels, which were too high even for Naomi Campbell: she tottered and fell while wearing them on the catwalk in 1993.

Source: The Times Magazine

Vionnet: Resurrection

2009-12-11T11:41:00.000-08:00

Resurrecting the French house of Vionnet was never an easy task. Sophia Kokosalaki and Marc Audibet have had a stab, and now Rodolfo Paglialunga, previously at Prada, tries his hand. The original Vionnet aesthetic - Grecian drapery, bias-cut and exposed shoulders - remains but the designer has brought a fresh modernity, with many of the pieces wearable in different ways. Harrods, Selfridges and Harvey Nichols have all snapped up the collection. From £600.

Source: Telegraph Fashion News

Kate Moss launches 'Vintage' fragrance

2009-11-16T05:59:00.000-08:00

Last month Mossy launched her fourth fragrance, Vintage, a 'fruity floriental', designed by Olivier Polge (son of famous Chanel 'nose' Jacques Polge). Behind the perfume's genesis is Moss' love for vintage fashion - and she admits that among her most treasure possessions are dresses by Madame Grès and lamé pieces from the Thirties.

With the fragrance, Moss opted to highlight the glamorous side of vintage. The scent’s bottle, for instance, was inspired by her love of Art Deco design. The heavy glass bottle’s smoky hue is a nod to a vintage ring belonging to Moss.

“The imagery is modern, but it’s vintage,” said Moss, referring to the scent’s advertising, which was shot by Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott. In the ads, Moss is pictured against a mirrored backdrop reminiscent of Vintage’s bottle design.

“Everything I’m wearing, apart from maybe the shoes, is vintage,” said Moss.

A very glamorous jumble sale...

2009-11-16T04:36:00.000-08:00

There are jumble sales and then there was Selfridges' Really Really Great Garage Sale in aid of the charity Mothers4Children.

The event, which took place yesterday lunchtime, took over the first floor of the store's car park and had 45 stalls selling items donated by celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Tamara Mellon and Lisa B, manned by the likes of David Walliams and Trinny Woodall.

By the time the stalls opened at noon the queue was 800-strong. Items for sale included a stunning Roland Mouret dress (pre-owned by Davina McCall) and a pair of Dame Shirley Bassey's glittery platform shoes. All show-stoppers!

Charity Swishing Event

2009-11-04T10:45:00.001-08:00

On Saturday 19^th September 2009 Juno Says Hello Ltd held its very first event! We organized a swishing party at the award-winning Jerusalem Tavern in Clerkenwell. For those who are not familiar, swishing is a form of eco-friendly and sustainable style - a quick a fun way to swap your way to a better wardrobe.

Everyone brings clean, presentable clothes that are lurking unloved in their wardrobes, and other girls fall in love with them and give them a good home.

Swishing RULES:

1) Everyone must bring at least three items of quality clothing
2) You will hve an hour to browse before the swish opens.
3) No item may be claimed before the swish opens.
4) As soon as the swish is declared open, everyone may take what they want.

Everyone has to play nice - no scratching, spitting or fighting!

Thank you so much to everyone who came. It was a lovely day and we managed to raise £450 for a very good cause: Look Good Feel Better - the cancer support charity that helps women manage the visible side effects of cancer treatment.

London's oldest specialist fashion bookstore

2009-11-04T10:18:00.001-08:00

RD Franks, founded in 1877 and located just off Oxford St, is stocked with a mind-boggling selection of books and magazines from around the world, not restricted to, but specializing in the fashion sector. Publications are imported from countries such as Italy, Germany, Japan, and USA.

For the curious, R D Franks is also a supplier of ‘advanced trend information’. They stock a range of Trend Forecasting Books filled with colour palettes, texture samples, fabric patterns and shapes. These do not come cheap, but are small bibles for all designers.

Their equipment section covers areas such as pattern blocks, dress stands, mannequins and fashion figure templates for illustration. It doesn’t matter if you’re popping in for something in particular or if you are looking to get lost in a wonderland of magazines out of the cold winter rain. RD Franks is a magical cave for those with a creative mind.

Vogue: The September Issue

2009-11-04T10:01:00.001-08:00

R. J. Cutler's compelling documentary The September Issue, is a fascinating, eye-opening and often playful peek into the inner sanctum of style, following editrix Anna Wintour and her team as they assemble the September 2007 issue of American Vogue.

Although it's difficult to comprehend why a woman so preoccupied with image and control would permit cameras into her world for nine moths, it's not hard to see why it was Cutler who persuade her. Big, bearish, red-haired and, he admits, far better groomed now than he was before he entered Wintour's orbit, the film-maker is respectful of her achievements and careful in conversation. Questions about everything from Wintour's relationships to whether she ever has fun are met with a cautious "It's not for me to say".

Cutler says, "Nobody can put on an act for nine months. This is Anna Wintour. She is extremely economical in the manner in which she communicates, She doesn't waste a second of any day as far as I can tell. I once asked her if I could come to her house to film her hanging out. She said: 'I don't hang out'."

Also featured in the film is Grace Coddington, Vogue's creative director. With her wild red hair and explosibe enthusiasms, she seems the antithesis of Wintour's groome froideur. It is the spiky relationship between these two difficult, brilliant women that drives the film.

Source: Wendy Ide for Times2