Vintage Inspired Review: 20th Century Foxy 1940s Swing Pants

You may recall that a little while back, I declared after several ill-fitting trouser dramas that "I'm never buying trousers again.  Ever."  It seems I'm an eternal optimist, and I have indeed bought another pair of trousers.

From 20th Century Foxy, may I present the 1940's Swing Pants.  Available in black, navy, or red.  They were previously available in ginger and heather, but sold out before I could buy them, so this time I made my purchase when it was hot and sunny and everyone else was thinking of dresses not trousers.

Price and Delivery - 4/5
£55 plus delivery of £3.50 for Royal Mail recorded delivery.  Happy with that.

Sizing - 5/5
Spot on.  They put the measurements up so you can pick by your waist size.

Word of warning!!!  The sizes are different in each colour.  For example, I am a size 14 in the navy trousers, which translates to waist/hip measurements of 29/39.  BUT if you look at the red or black trousers, a 29/39 is labelled as a size 12!

Fit - 4/5
A great fit on me.  They have a lower waist than the similar trousers from Heyday, but I don't mind this, they're still high-waisters.  My only issue - one frequently encountered - is that there aren't a variety of leg lengths to choose from, they are 31".  I need a 33" inside leg to be able to wear trousers with flats, so I always end up losing the turn-up on this type of trouser to accommodate that.  Ideally I'd want a trouser with a 33" inside leg including the turn up, so I could then turn it down to be able to wear them with heels too.  But that's probably just wishful thinking.

Fabric and Quality - 5/5
Lovely swingy fabric. The quality looks perfectly good, no issues there at all, and those little shell buttons are just delightful.

Online Description - 4/5
Could do with clarifying that the measurements stated are for your waist, and aren't the measurements for the waist of the actual trousers.  It does also say they might be able to accommodate different leg lengths, but when I enquired about this I wasn't offered any options other than turning down the turn-up.

Customer Service - 3/5
I've emailed them several times in the past and haven't always received a response.  However, I phoned last time and left a message and they emailed me back very promptly.

Overall Score = 4/5
I love these.  Maybe I'll get them in black.  Or red.  Or both...

40% off at Collectif Clothing!

Yes, that's right, until midnight Friday there's 40% off at the fabulous Collectif if you use code TENXXX at the checkout!

I have just ordered two blouses, the Cowgirl in red, and the Gerry Apple blouse in teal.  I was alas too slow for the Nautical dress and the Flora Dress in Leopard - that's the thing with Collectif, they sell out super-fast!

I shall report back once my purchases arrive...

The English Summer Fete

Morris dancing, bunting, a village green and lukewarm weather in Queen Charlton, Gloucestershire.

Rose Petal Sandwiches & Tea Cocktails!

For the extended Jubilee weekend, the torrential rain overnight here in Wales nearly put a stop to our picnic plans, but luckily the sun did prevail last Monday, and instead of risking sitting on still-sodden ground, we headed to the bandstand in our local Victorian park. I liked the idea of some shelter too, just in case the rain returned!

We had a traditional picnic, with treats such as the obligatory cucumber sandwiches, jelly, scones, and home-made swiss roll. More unusually, I made rose petal sandwiches! Those of you who have Angel Adoree's beautiful book, The Vintage Tea Party, will recognise the recipe. I was a little nervous as to whether they would go down well, particularly as we had two gentlemen with us on the picnic and the whole idea is quite girly really, but every last one got devoured! Phew!

I also have to heartily recommend the tea cocktails both from the book, and from Angel's recent article in the Sunday Times Style magazine. We tried iced Angel peach tea (rather than green jasmine), topped up with Prosecco, and then a Pimms cocktail (made with a White Mandarin tea rather than with the recommended Orange Pekoe). Absolutely delicious.

By the way, Orange Pekoe tea, the staff at Waterloo Gardens Tea House reliably informed me, does not contain orange! It's something to do with William of Orange, and I was so disappointed that I then asked for a tea that actually did have some citrus flavour to it, and hence ended up with the White madarin tea.

What picnic delights have you had recently?   I'd love to hear if anyone has any other unusual sandwich filling ideas to share!

Above: My lovely friend Hollie and I, determined to enjoy ourselves despite the chilly day.

Above: Even the gentlemen appreciated the tea cups!

Miss P xx