EU Customer Information
A Notice to our Valued EU Customers – Updated 6th January 2021
We are delighted and relieved by the news that the UK has a trade deal with the EU.
We now understand that parcels we send to EU countries will likely incur import duty at their own country’s rate. Therefore, as we now have confirmation on this – we have removed UK duty from all orders made by customers in the EU. This will automatically occur during the checkout process – when you select your delivery country at the basket stage.
For those who have purchased after 1st Jan and paid UK VAT – we have contacted you via email and have refunded the 20% automatically into the payment method used on the order. This should show in approx 48 hours.
Please be assured that if any new information comes through – we will respond accordingly.
We do have to assume that there may still be some delays in delivery for a short time – if so, we will evaluate our choice of courier for this period and contact each customer individually.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any further queries – we would be delighted to help.
FAQ:-
Please make sure you label your parcel correctly as “Returned Goods of UK origin”.
We will send two copies of your delivery note – please return one copy of the delivery note provided within the box back to us and hand the other one to your courier as proof of returned goods from UK origin. Failure to do so may incur import duties which will be deducted from any refund. PLEASE DO NOT USE FEDEX FOR YOUR RETURN!
foxylady December 16th, 2020
Posted In: Uncategorized
Stories from the Sampling Room – The Jitterbug Dress
The Jitterbug dress brings me much joy.
It is a bundle of happiness and optimism personified in a dress. I honestly think that we were channelling this when we started creating it! A tonic to help us stay positive in a very strange year!
We wanted to create a late thirties style dress that was very wearable and would translate easily in our extended size range. Something similar to our best selling 1940s ‘Grable’ dress that emulates the desired silhouette but also meets the demands of the modern wearer. We also wanted the dress to work well as a day/office style and be easily dressed up for evening.
Some of the ’30s inspiration
I particularly love the styles of the mid to late 30s – not just because the fashions were so elegant and feminine, but also because of the attention to detail. The shirring (big fans of shirring here!), gathers and pleats on sleeves and around the bust-line creates demure, enhancing and super flattering style lines. Hem lines rose a little after 1937 – which helps the shorter amongst us and the shoulders started to become stronger. So many interesting sleeve styles too!
We had so many design ideas that the first concept took a bit of time to get to – but we are very happy with the design we settled on.
The silhouette of this dress is ‘strong shoulders, bust definition and a smooth sweep in the skirt that skims the figure’. The waistline is nipped in but this is enhanced further by a blouson bodice which reinforces the bust. We spent a lot of time getting the folds and gathers of the bodice right – mindful of washing and ironing too! We love how the neckline of the dress is raised and hugs the back of the neck creating a deep but still modest plunge V neckline. The removable drop bow detail gives that added extra detail and is lined in contrasting colour. My favourite part is the sleeves – which took the longest to get right. These sleeves are extra special – covering the upper arm area and have pleats into the shoulder head and some gorgeous delicate shirring at the cuff.
We are consciously trying to produce styles that work well on different shapes and sizes. The combination of our rayon/viscose crepe on the upper with a stretch heavier crepe on the bottom gave us extra confidence for consistency of fit. The upper design lends itself to varying bust sizes whilst the stretch in the lower will accommodate and latter the waistline. We will be offering this style up to a size 24.
There’s something special about this and we hope you love it as much as we did making it!
foxylady November 25th, 2020
Posted In: 1930s Fashion, Dresses
Stories from the Sampling Room – The Utility Coat
The strangest year on record continues…but we have enjoyed the time to work on new styles and ideas for both the upcoming AW season and for next year. Although we cannot ignore the doom and gloom of the news – nor avoid worrying for our future of our businesses – but what I can do is spend some of the time immersing myself in the joys of creating lovely new things and trialling new fabrics. We have certainly been using this time well 🙂
The Utility Coat
First on the agenda was the new 1940s Utility coat. Always something i’d been thinking about following the great success of our 50s couture and glam coats. I think we will release a new style of coat each autumn – they are beautiful to design and work on – but take time and the fabric is expensive.
We want to produce coats our customers will treasure and wear for many years – so quality is really important.
Ive always loved and enjoyed the practical fashions of the early 1940s – the elegant and understated styles emphasised by the fantastic hairstyles, accentuated shoulders and a strong red lip. Although the designs were particularly steered by the events of the time and the austerity rules that needed to be followed, it nethertheless produced styles that were innovative (in terms of use of fabric and how to get more from less), super comfy and very wearable.
So I wanted to create a practical early 1940s coat and set about researching original garments, photos and looking at original patterns. This was possible the first time i was focussed on practicality as well as silhouette! A bit of creative licence was needed to make this work in our modern market – less exaggerated shoulders so coveted in the 40s and a slimmer silhouette.
I wanted something super warm, elegant but in the main – super wearable! Below is a summary of my favourite design elements.
Im overjoyed by the result and this beauty is now available in 3 fabrics. We hope you enjoy wearing our new favourite coat and look forward to seeing some amazing pics of you wearing it!
xx
foxylady October 29th, 2020
Posted In: 1940s Fashion, Jackets, Uncategorized
A Dream in the Making
We are just over half way through a very challenging year for people all over the world. There is absolutely no doubt that the 2020 pandemic has wreaked havoc for so many businesses, big and small. Let’s also not forget how fortunate we are here in the UK unlike so many throughout the globe – in that we have some form of safety net and provision. It’s very humbling.
Due to challenges caused by this pandemic and the ongoing lockdown, our UK manufacturing was brought to a standstill. But if a business is to survive, these challenges should always be met ‘head on’ with a view to turning them into opportunities.
The slower pace and ‘think time’ provided by the lockdown and its proceeding weeks gave myself and my fantastic team the space to consider and investigate how we could turn this tricky situation into an opportunity. It has always been a dream of mine to have our own ‘onsite’ manufacturing unit but it didn’t feel like it was the right time to change how we worked. Now, many things had changed and this ‘great pause’ was the ideal opportunity to move forward.
Our area of West Yorkshire in the North of England has a deep rooted history in textiles and there are still pockets of people with experience, ability and talent that thrive in a ‘making’ environment. So another nudge for me was when I recently rediscovered my history book on the Textile Mills of West Yorkshire (#historybuff #geek). Whilst browsing, I came across an old image of our Mill: ‘Wellington Mills’ in Elland (see below). The image shows one of the floors in work (we think it might be our floor) from the early 1930s.
Wellington Mills – Elland Circa 1930
Although our mill was involved mainly in spinning – this image really demonstrates the manufacturing history of this building. Since most mills in the area have been converted to flats or demolished, it really is fantastic to be in this great place. I was completely inspired by this image.
The third and final push for myself personally to move forward with our manufacturing unit, was when i was involved in making scrubs during the height of the lockdown. I started a local Scrub Hub and ran the hub from our somewhat deserted offices. Our hub was inundated with volunteers and I met some amazing people. Working with these volunteer home sewers – we made 154 sets for a mix of GPs, Volunteer Dentists and even delivered an order to our local A & E. Whilst being a little stressy at times, i really enjoyed getting back onto a sewing machine (will admit breaking a needle or two) and also hand cutting again. It was like returning to my roots.
As a result of the pandemic, things are changing and more people are becoming interested and concerned about product origins. The House of Foxy would never fit into the ‘fast fashion’ category – our focus being to produce high quality items to be treasured. Our intention is to be able to create more and more special products at our on-site factory. Already, we are earmarking production for winter coats, special occasion wear, suits and our menswear….
Our first set of machines…
It’s now the end of July and we have just received our first batch of machines, interviews for staff are in progress and we are slowly converting the space into our little manufacturing unit. We hope to fully open in early September depending on pandemic guidance as it is essential we ensure our machinists are social distanced and protected. It will certainly feel great to have created jobs and to be manufacturing here in Yorkshire again.
Simply put – good things can come from difficult times….
Watch this space!
foxylady July 28th, 2020
Posted In: About The House of Foxy, Uncategorized
A Divine Print – Gold Leaf
I wanted to reproduce this magical and exquisite print for a long time. I love Navy with Gold or mustard – i think it’s a much underestimated colour pairing. When i found this print, although this may sound slightly irrational – but i was speechless!
The rich french navy base suits and flatters most skin tones and the chartreuse gold leaves move the print into both day and evening wear. Then the sprinkle or small flowers break up the strength of the gold and add extra interest. Could this be the perfect print?
This is based on an original American 1940s print – and it proves how vibrant prints were (not dowdy as some would say). It’s a fairly large repeat which created a small challenge of not using it for designs that had many pieces – so we came up with the new ‘Ingrid’ dress (pictured above) which is also based on an American original. The simple bodice and 2 piece skirt means that the print is given the space it needs to spread out in all its glory.
We’ve also made our bestselling Ava dress in the gold leaf – as shown below and modelled by @Wilhelminaaffera
At a time of year when most are wearing red, black and a dash of sequins or glitter – this print will stand out from the crowd. Still party wear but makes a statement of its own – great for non-conformers 🙂
to see our full range of gold leaf – click here
foxylady December 5th, 2018
Posted In: Uncategorized
A #Foxyroadtrip to The Fashion & Textile Museum
If you haven’t been yet and you love 1930s fashion – you need to go. The current exhibition at The Fashion & Textile Museum (83 Bermondsey Street, London) is simply astonishing. I was in fashion heaven.
The 1930s is my all time favourite decade for fashion and design. It has been since i was a child and led me to the ultimate conclusion that i was probably born in the wrong era and wrong class! There is something dreamy about the decade – this was of course the time when Hollywood movies were at their height and portrayed a world designed to distract from the depression. Would we all love to dress for breakfast, change for afternoon tea and then don a fabulous evening gown for dinner with the local elite 😉 Of course this wasn’t reality but Im sure we all have been more than happy to take part in the imagination at times! Fashion, as always, reflected this dream state. The era of the Bias cut, sumptuous fabrics, chic design – long and elegant dresses cut in increasingly intricate ways.
I love this museum and went to see the 1920s fashion exhibition a year previous. My expectations were high but i wasn’t disappointed. We were presented with an amazing array of exquisite 1930s evening gowns arranged by colour – starting with black and white, into reds and jewel colours then to the pales and finally settling on a delicious collection of metallic fabric evening wear too…. I really enjoyed how the garments were displayed and it really made you feel emmersed in a world of cocktail parties and upmarket soirees! My favourite dress of all time is pictured on the left below – a divine chartreuse green floor length gown with bias cut panels (see the faint stripe through the fabric…) swoon!
Daywear was similarly arranged into colour and featured some amazing art deco prints and accessories. Of course there were beach pyjamas and sportswear sets which were just becoming popular and accepted in the 1930s. Tea dresses in stunning prints and in various colours. Afternoon dresses in delicate pastel prints with the iconic accented shoulders. Suits and practical daywear – similarly elegant and beautifully designed.
Then there were the accessories….Belts and buckles (i will be sharing some exciting news on buckles soon), hats, jewellery.
The exhibition culminated in a collection of 30 Cecil Beaton photographs. He, along with John French and Lee Miller, is one of my all time favourite photographers. What a treat!
Unfortunately i only had an hour or two but we could have stayed there all day. Don’t even get me started on the shop!!!
The exhibition is on until January 20th 2019 – details here: https://www.ftmlondon.org
An essential visit for any 1930s fashion fan.
foxylady November 8th, 2018
Posted In: 1930s Fashion, Art Deco Design
1930s Prints – and why i love them so….
The 1930s has always been a passion – since i was in my early teens… art deco furniture, art deco architecture, innovative bias cut dresses, ground breaking films – it’s a dream world! (I was born in the wrong era…)
Nowadays, the 1930s is often described as a ‘design decade’ or the most stylish of the century. Attention was turned towards simple and functional design and was influenced by the ‘modernism’ movement. A recent visit to the Museum of Textile and Fashion in London, which currently has an exhibition on 1930s fashion (blog post to follow), had many wonderful displays. One was a film from the era about interior design. Apart from being exquisitely stylish – the majority of the narration concentrated on simplicity and everything having its place. No clutter. Organised. Beautiful in its simple lines and functionality. This was true of many fields of design in this decade but this look was also reflected in the way fashion and print evolved during the decade.
You can’t call 1930s fashion unfussy or purely functional – there were plenty of frills and flounces. However you can see how the style lines of the garments follow this idealogy and particularly in prints. The shapes used, the style of florals and the ways that the pattern repeats – all work well with the cut of the dresses. Geometric patterns were unfussy and pretty simple in many cases.
I have several books on 1930s and art deco prints and some original hand painted prints (see image below). A few items from my vintage garment collection i chose specifically for their prints and a few wounded birds that cannot be worn anymore but preserved for the print.
some 1930s original prints
Now that we have been able to get our own prints made – which completely opened up design opportunities for me – I am enjoying designing and adapting prints that we own. Below is one of my absolute favourites – the poppy spray print.
Poppy Spray!
The poppy print is approx 7cm wide and is repeated both ways with a nice distance between each spray. This makes the print work really well on bias and medium sized panels. It’s not too busy so the style lines are easy to see (which is important for 1930s dresses).
The poppy flower shapes are quite art deco and stylised in feel, having angled lines. The green stalks of the flowers are also quite stylised. Together with the colour choice of coral red, bright yellow, blush pink and ivory on the black – this, in my opinion, is a typical 1930s print. I just love it. I love how it works so well for autumn and goes with red, black and even gold.
We’ve had this design printed on two fabrics which we sourced so that they are as close as possible to fabrics used at the time. Rayon marocain and semi sheer rayon georgette (we are trying to ensure fabrics are sourced from sustainable suppliers – details to follow). We are making quite a few styles in these – the Ava, new Joanie bias cut dress, new Lana Peplum dress and several blouses. Some pics below.
For our full range in poppy spray – pls click here
To read more about 1930s fashion – pls click here
foxylady October 24th, 2018
Posted In: 1930s Fashion, Art Deco Design, Vintage Prints
Flagship Stockist Mondo Kaos in Copenhagen
So we went to visit Mondo Kaos in Copenhagen. This is one of our flagship stockists because we have almost all our ranges in this shop.
Bricks and mortar shops are really important to us. They help us to ensure we can manufacture higher numbers and they give us important feedback on which products fit well etc. Moreover, they are part of The House of Foxy family and there is mutual love in abundance.
We have been stocking Mondo Kaos in Copenhagen for five years and this was the second time we had the opportunity to visit. Stine and her colleagues always make us feel really welcome and it is a busy and vibrant shop in a trendy district. It was opened in 2006 and has a very large selection of vintage inspired clothing mainly focused on the 40s, 50s & 60s. You can find the website here: https://www.mondokaos.dk
I think their favourite items from The House of Foxy are the Ava, Grable and Hayworth dresses. We think they will be excited about some of our new autumn winter styles – the 40s peplum dress in particular but we always take their feedback into consideration since they have so much more one to one contact and feedback from customers (will admit a pang of jealousy as i would love a shop!).
They are really innovative and always on the look out for new ideas. They stock a large range of swimwear, accessories and shoes too and certainly put some great outfits together! Fine them on social media @mondo_kaos
The lovely Stine (on the right)
I personally love Denmark and particularly Copenhagen – its a fairly small city – extremely friendly and it feels really safe. It’s true that Denmark doesn’t have a large vintage community but one that is strong and definately growing and i also had the amazing opportunity to attend a vintage festival whilst i was there!
In an era where bricks and mortar shops are increasingly under threat (certainly in the UK), Mondo Kaos is a shop that is simply a joy to visit and we certainly recommend you do so if you visit wonderful Copenhagen 🙂
foxylady May 24th, 2018
Posted In: Vintage Shops
Style Guide for The Cycling Revival
What to wear!
The World Cycling Revival Style Guide
To its patrons, the Great Cycling Revival is an excuse to dress-up to-the-hilt in the vintage inspired fashions and style of the period covered (1920s, 30s & 1940s), so here’s our little guide to dressing the part if you fancy popping along and hanging out by the track…
Since amazing prizes could be won for best dressed and being dressed in theme will gain you access to all areas of the event, it is also a great opportunity to enjoy the event even more.
Below are a few ideas to get you started:-
Ideas for 1920s Fans
The era of art deco, the flapper and the boyish look. This decade can be chic and elegant or decadent and full glam. The silhouette in the 1920s was boyish with a drop waist. You can have a lot of fun with the 1920s look!
Hair: was cropped close or in a bob. (a clever up-do can make a faux bob – there are plenty pop tutorials on you-tube)
Makeup: (inspired by the silver screen) was smoky eye and dark lip.
Accessories: cloche hat, long gloves, long pendant necklace, art deco jewellery
Shoes: Mary-Jane or T-bar
Idea 1: 1920s – Gatsby Gone Wild
This look is your opportunity to take opulence to a new level. This is the flapper look – beaded, bejewelled and fringed or sumptuous velvets and chiffons. Jewellery is abundant and headwear often adopted.
Idea 2: 1920s – Coco Chanel Chic
Hailed by Coco Chanel, black became fashionable and so did comfortable, simple drop waist styles. This era saw the start of the ‘Little Black Dress’. This is a really classy look and can combine an elegant drop waist dress with cloche hat and long pearls.
Ideas for 1930s Fans
The 1930s was a well dressed decade. It makes us think of bias cut gowns, tweed suits, flounces and frills. It had many contrasts with the 1920s – the waist has returned and curves are in vogue again. The 1930s, however, also saw the birth of ‘sports casual’ clothing for women when outdoor exercising was encouraged and adopted. Off the peg clothing was gaining pace and despite the economic problems of the decade – fashion was more available and very influenced by the silver screen.
The hair: is still short but more natural and often curled.
Makeup: is simpler than the 1920s but the main focus was a very thin eyebrow and a strong lip.
Accessories: are abundant: faux fur, gloves, scarves and a tilt hat or beret to top of your outfit.
1930s Idea 1:- Trouser Style
If comfort is your thing and you are seeking a trousers style – then this might be the look for you! The new sports casual styles of the 30s often took the form of sailor themes. Very wide trousers with bib fastening, boat neck top or sailor blouse. Pair with a beret
1930s Blouse & Slacks
1930s Idea 2:- Hollywood Glam
In need of a boost and some escapism during the great depression, ladies flocked to the cinemas to see what their favourite stars were wearing. From slinky evening wear is silly satin to practical and stylish tweed or wool suits.
Ideas for 1940s Fans
When we think of 1940s fashion, we probably think of the glamour of the 40s Pin Up and the practical styles of the wartime Land Army Girls. We think of ultra feminine 1940s tea dance dresses in floral prints, wedge shoes and brogues. The fashions were of course, influenced by the war and economic situation and so fashion was practical.
Makeup: subtle winged eyeliner, red lip
Hair: 1940s hair is definitely the iconic element of this era – but can easily look silly if not done right. Avoid victory rolls and try the 40s poodle or pageboy with hair flowers.. check out instruction videos on youtube.
Accessories: seamed stockings/tights, hat or snood, diamanté jewellery
Shoes: brogues or sandals wioth a platform
1940s Idea 1: Home Front Honey
The is a great style for those who seek a practical option – perhaps also very helpful if cycling! Trousers from this period are different to modern styles – choose reproduction high waisted, wide leg trousers which are really flattering and should be paired with a waisted jumper, blouse and jacket. Or opt for a practical shirt waister dress.
1940s Idea 2: Film Noir
Many ladies love the ultimate sophisticated clothing of the 1940s hollywood glamour – whether that be a suit with a faux fur or an elegant floral tea dress. Remember headwear and a bit of bling!
The 1940s Film Noir Style ‘Ohara Dress’
Further Reading:-
Vintage Style Guides: http://www.thehouseoffoxy.com/1950s/a38
Our Pinterest page on 1920s inspirational styles: http://www.pinterest.com/20thcenturyfoxy/1920s-fashion-inspiration/
Our Pinterest page on 1930s inspirational styles: http://www.pinterest.com/20thcenturyfoxy/1930s-fashion-inspiration/
Our Pinterest page on 1940s inspirational fashion: https://uk.pinterest.com/thehouseoffoxy/1940s-fashion-inspiration/
Recommended books:-
Art Deco Fashion – Suzanne Lussier
Everyday Fashions of the 30s – Sears Catalogue
Forties fashion – From Siren Suits to the New Look – Jonathan Walford
The 40s Look – Mike Brown
foxylady May 11th, 2018
Posted In: Uncategorized, Vintage Events
The Spring Shoot
It’s never easy planning spring and summer collections when it’s freezing outside – it’s a struggle to channel sunny weather and warm temperatures.
So it’s January, the sky is currently grey, it’s 8am and the temperature closer to -10 than 10 degrees… but we are in the amazing Victoria Baths in Manchester.
The Venue
Victoria Baths is an iconic building in Manchester and has been host to a number of vintage fairs that I have visited. It has been made more infamous for recent filming of Peaky Blinders.
It is an exquisite building created as a swimming baths at the turn of the 20th century and has been made all the better for its sympathetic restoration which is not yet complete. This is a designers dream and a photographer’s heaven. Luscious emerald green art nouveau wall tiles bedeck the hallways and there are rooms with exquisite original stained glass windows which create astonishing light. There are areas which have been left which gives it even more charm…
The baths still have the original blue wooden changing rooms with stripe curtains which surround the pools, the seating gallery above also remains unchanged. But one of the most amazing features is the flat upstairs that would have housed the caretaker – it’s like walking out of a time machine! Original and ‘worn’ wallpaper, flooring and fireplaces throughout gave the perfect canvas for this shoot. So much so we were completely spoilt for choice. Let’s also not forget the turkish bath areas which are again adorned with emerald green tiles and stained glass. We have so many scenes from this shoot – it is proving difficult to choose our favourite images.
There was so much to work with here and a dream of ours to use this venue for a shoot. We were delighted to work with photographer Kate McCarthy who had worked at the venue before and this was extremely helpful. She is a very talented photographer and brought so many ideas and a new approach and energy to our shoot.
About the new collection
We have 3 iconic prints this season – ‘Spring orient’ is our early spring print which has hues of coral and pink in an exotic and stunning design. Bloomsbury is a vibrant and very bright jewel colour reproduction 1940s print from our personal collection. Finally, our light and bright crocus print is a 1930s interpretation of an original design. We cant photograph everything so we brought a selection of our styles in each. Suffice to say i always try and do as much as possible in a short time. I try to push the limits and I am lucky everyone else goes along with me! More about the collection in another posting coming soon as we have new styles to shout about.
Hair & Makeup
So – onto the hair and makeup. We regularly work with Bethany from The Vintage Beauty Parlour on our shoots and she also styles our models for our fashion show at The Festival of Vintage in York.
I wanted two ‘looks’ for this shoot – with a combination of 30s art deco and 40s femme fatale. We have much more 1930s styles in this shoot – this is where im going at the moment with the designs 🙂 Bethany styled Tanya’s hair is a faux 30’s curly bob and gave her smokey eyes. This worked extremely well with the beach pyjamas and because we also wanted to explore a more masculine Marlene Dietrich look for some of the styles. This worked well on Tanya and of course, she rocked it!
Leela is our new model and is another ‘Yorkshire Lass’ so she fitted in to the team really well 🙂 We styled her differently to Tanya – a 40’s/50’s fusion with a soft curl in her luscious dark hair. More sensual and film noir than pin up. We loved the contrast between these two looks and it, again, helped us get the most out of the shoot.
Check out our ‘behind the scenes’ video below!
The Lido Scene
Following the success of our 1930s Beach Pyjamas last year and my current obsession with the late 1920s and 30s styles – i will admit that this influenced my decision to do the shoot at Victoria Baths. We wanted to create that ’30s Lido’ feel – and since the pools are tiled in stunning ivory and green in the classic lines, it was the perfect canvas for creating this scene. Our spring seasonal collection colours are ivory, soft 30s coral and celadon green – so a perfect match with the pool floor! We had such fun here and the light from the glass ceiling was simply stunning. See a phone snap from the shoot below. Check out the stunning beach pyjamas and the pleated shorts – i cannot wait for warmer weather now 🙂
There are so many wonderful images – we are still working through them and i must say, the choice can sometimes be daunting! A nice problem to have of course. We will be releasing the images over the SS season and have part 1 available in our lookbook here: http://www.thehouseoffoxy.com/lookbook/spring-2018-part-1
Thanks to Bethany for her work, Kate for being inspiring, so flexible and extra speedy! Thanks also to Models & muses Tanya & Leela.
xx Clare
foxylady March 9th, 2018
Posted In: Art Deco Design, Vintage Photoshoots