Fashion Voyeur

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Categories: The Fashion Closet, The Glorious North East

Sustainable Fashion: Finding Treasures in Your Own Wardrobe

We all know that rush that comes from buying a new pair of shoes, or a really great, well-made handbag, ore even just the perfect pair of jeans.  In fact, shopping is up there with addictions such as gambling and alcohol, and is often termed a “secondary addiction’ as it quite often slides in after a different addiction disappears.  Yes, we’re a nation of shoppers.  We spend what we earn and the fashionistas amongst us put our wages straight back into our wardrobes and shoe closets.

A shot of Carrie Bradshaw looking into her closet longingly - Fashion Voyeur Blog

“I like my money right where I can see it, hanging in my closet.” – Carrie Bradshaw

But in 2018 there was a huge shift in the fashion industry, one that saw a light shone on the damage done to our environment and the finger of blame was largely pointed at fashion.  We were shown an ocean once thriving, now nothing but dust.  All for the production of cotton for fast fashion.  The cries were that fashion is fickle, but it’s also a very complicated beast to understand as there are so many tiers, so many layers, and so many season and micro seasons within each level.  It’s difficult to find where the blame does lie, other than to know that garment production plays a huge part in the responsibility of environmental destruction.  Making clothes out of a non sustainable material, unethically, is a challenge.  One which may, or may not be solved.  Pointing the finger most definitely will not solve it, making more conscious decisions at a personal level however, can definitely go along way to make your own contribution towards potentially conserving our environment.

Here’s what I suggest:

1.RE-DISCOVER ITEMS IN YOUR OWN WARDROBE

Pixie Tenenbaum Photographed by @meganlscottphotography
Pixie Tenenbaum Photographed by @meganlscottphotography

This is a personal favourite of mine.  We all have wardrobes and closets of different sizes, I’m a hoarder so mine are huge, I never throw anything away, just move it from floor to floor or from property to property so when I rediscover something, it’s like finding treasure.  (I’m aware that makes me sound like a fucking gross snob but I swear I’m not, I still burp and pump like everyone else.)  I found this Gucci Jackie O bag in black leather and denim when I was looking for something else.  It’s pristine, I bought it when I was 20 years old and living in London and I’m pretty sure I was so terrified to use it that I never did.  That means it’s now brand new and twenty years old, still stuffed and in its original dustbag – probably classed as vintage now.  Simple things like this amaze me.  I took it out to shoot with my Blogger and Photographer friend Megan Scott and I swear, this brought me so much joy you wouldn’t believe.  I also rediscovered a dress I haven’t worn for years, I put it away in a box in the attic, it’s been in there for around 9 years and when I tried it recently it just worked.  Obviously I’m 40 now and my body has changed, my hair is different and my style is different.  Things change, don’t throw things away, hang on to them and restyle them.  Fuck Marie Kondo, if you have the space and you genuinely think you might use it again, keep your stuff.

2. TRY OUT CHARITY SHOPS / THRIFT STORES / VINTAGE FAIRS / ANTIQUE FAIRS

All of them. Charity shops are a little more hit and miss as you’re more likely to find damaged items, or pieces that are just other people’s rubbish, however, in recent years, they’ve gotten a lot better.  St Oswald’s in Jesmond is a good bet and they put together a pretty enticing window display.  There’s also a very good one in Chester Le Street which seems to change it’s name every week so I won’t include it because by the time you visit it’ll be different.  In terms of vintage, Clerkenwell Vintage Fair at Freemason’s Hall in Holborn is amazing, it’s seasonal but generally four times per year.  Trendlistr is an amazing curated vintage seller with a studio for viewing and trying on, and there’s also an online selling platform too for the pieces that aren’t in the studio.  If you’re up here in the North East, you get the best of both.

The best thrift store we have up here is one I change my mind on quite a lot, at the minute it’s probably Retro which is on High Bridge Court, but last week it was the Durham American Thrift Store which is a HUGE thrift store in Langley Moor.  It just depends what their stock is like.

Antique fairs are a bit more exciting.  You can roll through these in a flash, especially if you’re looking specifically for clothes and accessories.  I tend to get caught up in picking up stuff for the kitchen but generally speaking, antiques fairs are where I go for hats, they have the best and most outstanding (by that I mean as in standing out from the crowd) collections you’re likely to come across.  You’ll find crowns, tiaras, hats, widows lace, cloches, all kinds of weird and wonderful hats at an antiques fair and the one I tend to head to first is the seasonal Colin Caygill Antiques Fair at Gateshead Stadium.

3. BUY LESS, WEAR MORE

Try different ways of styling what you already own.  I know that’s easy for me to say as a Stylist, but trust me, there are lots of different ways to wear what you already own, it’s why a Capsule Wardrobe is called a Capsule Wardrobe.  Set yourself a Rail Challenge where you pick yourself 12 items from your wardrobe and see how many different ways you can style them in a 7 day period.  If you work in an office it’s something that can be great fun, if you’re a busy mum parenting the kids at home – not so much, then you need to get your fashion kicks in other ways.  As a busy mum myself, I take great pleasure in wearing my son’s clothes when he’s at school, I’m contributing to the sustainable fashion movement and still getting a new outfit every day.  Plus, he has some freaking cool clothes man.  Double the wear and he doesn’t even know I’m doing it.

4. DO NOT BUY INTO THE “YOU CAN’T WEAR AN OUTFIT MORE THAN ONCE” BULLSHIT

This is one thing I can’t stand about the Blogging / Influencing community and something I appreciate that I’ll never be able to change on my own.  The whole ridiculous ethos of “I would never be seen in an outfit I’ve been photographed in”, or, “I can’t wear something I’ve worn before”.  It’s utter bullshit, I don’t know how this came about, it’s like Bloggers suddenly believed they were A-List celebrities, except an A-List celebrity would never behave like that.  You are single handedly contributing to the problem you are preaching about.  By saying that you won’t be seen in the outfit you just posted to Instagram, you are contributing to the sustainable fashion problem directly.  It’s just crazy and unbelievable that people don’t see that.  I’m more than happy to be seen in my clothes more than once, twice, three or more times, clothes are built to last, hence the term sustainable.  I’ve had other local Bloggers say to me that they wouldn’t dare, and they think it’s disgusting that I wear the same clothes a second time, or “Do you know you’ve worn that before?” (er, yes I do, they’re my clothes) “It might be time to throw that T-shirt away, you’ve worn it before” and “You’ve already posted that on Instagram”.  I’m literally facepalming right now.

Wear your clothes.  Wear them out.  If you get sick of them and no longer want them, pass them on to a friend or a charity store. Or, and that leads me on to my next point….

5. ORGANISE A CLOTHES SWAP OR SALE

Got a closet full of clothing and accessories that no longer fit, isn’t your style, no longer works with your brand new hair shade or you feel you just need a change?  A clothes swap or sale might be for you.  So what’s the difference?  Well, a Swap is basically a night in with a selected group of friends who each bring round some pieces from their wardrobe that they no longer want.  You agree to showcase your pieces and then swap anything you don’t want, for something you do want.  Simples.  The problems with this is that you generally need to swap with a group of friends who are all the same size –  I don’t know about you, but my friends come in all shapes, heights and sizes.  This is why sometimes a sale is the best option.

A Sale is similar except you exchange cash.  You might be saving up for something, moving home, saving for a car, for medical treatment, decorating or giving proceeds to charity (all of these are perfectly acceptable).  You set a price, your friends might haggle, once you agree, you complete the sale and sell your item.  I like these ones, they’re like eBay or DePop but more personal, usually in someone’s home, with a few drinks, a few nibbles and you generally get to pick up some amazing bargains and make some awesome new friends.  I went to one in London and met legendary designer Pam Hogg which completely blew my mind.

I’m actually thinking about holding a private sale at my home maybe in April of this year so drop me a comment, message or email if you fancy coming – I promise, it will be mint.

Pixie

Categories: The Archives, The Fashion Closet, The Glorious North East

What I Wore: To My Birthday Dinner

I turned 40 this weekend, a huge milestone in one’s life and apparently as older people will tell you, it’s the point that things begin to take a downward slide.  Totally not the case.  In my case it’s when things get a whole lot more fun, I’m taking more risks than ever with fashion, I have an even bigger “fuck it” attitude towards most things, and I’ve kicked more stressful shit aside than ever.  Being 40 is mint and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

My lovely husband Bo organised a surprise birthday dinner and gathered only the best members of our family to a venue that was shrouded in secrecy, I was told to dress however I wanted to and to keep warm as we’d have a little way to walk from the car.  I have a bit of a love / hate relationship with surprises and Bo knows this, I really, really love them.  But also really, really hate them, so knowing this, I was assured that this was one that I’d love and to just go with it.

So, the facts: a dinner, the best peeps, possibly some cold weather.  I hit my middle floor closet and pulled together an outfit I’d put in the “Cute” category.  A dress covered in space cats bought for me by Bo as a Christmas present (with pockets), opaque black tights, my M&S boots which I bought a few months ago now and have since sold out but I’ve literally never had them off my feet, and a custom made necklace given to me as a Christmas gift by Pop Up Studio in Low Fell which says “Fuck You All” – Yeah, they know me pretty well.  Also, debuting my new shorter hair forced upon me by a pre-Christmas fuck up in the hair salon.

A short car ride later and we were parked up on the Gateshead Quayside and walking in the direction of the old and now infamous Buffalo Joe’s and Baja Beach Club Sites.  As we crossed the road and entered the new By The River Brew Co. site I knew instantly where we were headed, I’d been talking about visiting ever since reading Jay Rayner’s glowing review in The Guardian calling this place a “must visit” and possibly “one of the best restaurant’s in the UK”.  As we entered Träkol (Swedish for Charcoal) the first thing that hit us was how dark and atmospheric the place is.  We visited on an uber cold Winter’s night with the wind whipping our heels on the way in.  The main source of light was a warm, low glow from a free standing Parkray fire in the middle of the main room.

As this is an outfit post rather than a birthday dinner review, I won’t go into extreme detail as I’ll go way over my word count but let me say this, Träkol exceeded expectation.  The whole thing, the ethos of nose to tail meant that the menu proposed dome difficult options but we needn’t have worried, everything we ordered was delicious.  Even Plankton, our twelve year old son was able to order something and finish every last scrap of what he was presented with, the food served is divine.  It’s prepared and presented with care and attention and every ounce of flavour can be tasted.  We weren’t there as press, or Bloggers, we were simply there as a family who paid for a birthday dinner together and we’d highly recommend that you check them out if you’re in the area.

Pixie

Categories: The Fashion Closet, The Glorious North East

What I Wore: To Channel Sabrina The Teenage Witch

Actually, that title maybe a little misleading as this is perhaps more of a Weird Sisters look, I like to think of myself as more of a Sabrina by nature but a Prudence or a Dorkus in the style stakes.  This is one of my favourite looks at the minute and it’s not too difficult to achieve right now as similar dresses are pretty easy to find on the highstreet.

It started as a microstyle on the runways maybe 18 months ago and as with everything in fashion, it takes time to trickle down and eventually hit the highstreet as what we know as a “trend”.   The highstreet is great at picking out the “fast” and easily identifiable top level trends, i.e. the ones that will sell and “convert” into highstreet mass sales, – the ones that the highstreet as a whole will latch on to and buy en masse from overseas producers.  Basically the ones that you’ll see in every shop window throughout Spring / Summer / Fall / Winter.  Because fashion works as a domino effect.

What they’re not so great at, is recognising underlying trends, those are the ones that can take much longer to hit the rails, and often stores have no idea why they’re selling them, or where those looks came from.  Because some buyer watched a show and took a risk on a look and bought up a cheaper production of it.  This is one of those.  It’s one you could very easily make, or customise too, I’ve done it to pretty great effect, all you need is a black shift dress and some heavy lace, you don’t even need to particularly skilled at stitching as it’s all hand stitching and it can all be hidden.

So, your best bet for finding this look on the cheap is Matalan.  Matalan have a couple of similar styles in black, forest green and midnight blue complete with white fluted sleeves however there’s one caveat, they’re only produced in the brand’s petite range which means they’s smaller in every dimension, not just the length.  If like me you’re tall, this option is out.

Elsewhere on the highstreet you’ll find similar (although poor quality) in New Look – currently in administration so be quick.

The dress I’m wearing here is a FW18 Zara dress which I bought myself online (no previous affiliation).  Normally I’d advise you to go into the store and try on because I’m an advocate for keeping our British highstreet alive and thriving, however in the case of Zara stores I’d strongly advise against it and suggest that you buy online at every opportunity.  Staff are rude, obnoxious, unhelpful, patronising, unfriendly – and it’s not store specific.  I’ve experienced this in every Zara store I’ve ever visited and a quick Twitter poll recently concluded that you Voyeurs feel exactly the same.  My advice here is vote with your feet, buy online and use your home as your changing room, return anything you don’t need.  Simples.  I’ve styled this with opaque black tights (everyone owns opaques), my current favourite M&S boots which I bought around September-ish last year (also in this post), and one of my favourite Chanel quilted handbags which I just don’t get enough use out of so I’ve decided to use more this year.

Now, where’s my spellbook…..?

Pixie

Categories: The Archives, The Glorious North East

Scream Factory Halloween Nights 2018

Frights are in fashion and terror is trending, it’s most definitely the season for haunt couture and with that comes the obligatory Halloween walk through experience.  We brought you the preview of the chilling Psycho Path yesterday, and last night we were invited along to the press and blogger preview night of annual scare-fest Scream Factory where we were given a tour of your favourite horror films old and new, with a few terror cliches thrown in for good measure.

Lead Image of Scream Factory 2018 Halloween Experience featuring killer clowns for Fashion Voyeur Blog

On arrival at Kirkleatham Nursery in Redcar, we make the walk down the tree lined drive papered with posters for missing neighbourhood kids, a prelude to what might be coming our way and a huge clue to the movie Scream Factory 2018 takes its inspiration from.  Once inside it’s a similar set up to Psycho Path, there’s a holding area serving food and drink, in this case pulled pork sandwiches and hot chocolate, Prosecco or poisoned lemonade.  We’re called forward in groups of ten and given a safety briefing before being given once last chance to back out.

Rounding the first corner we’re faced with an impressive set piece called the ‘Tates Motel’ (named after the family behind Scream Factory) and our first, very unexpected scare which literally makes me throw the nearest person in front of me as a human shield and it’s not even a person who arrived with us.  We’re off to a great start and Scream Factory just gets better from there.

It’s literally a roller coaster ride of scare after scare after scare, think hidden doors, windows, curtains, pop ups, anything that gives that dramatic fast scare that makes your heart race and your pupils flare; Scream Factory has it all.  The team behind this annual Halloween Horror Night attraction work all year round building each set piece by hand and dreaming up new horrors to terrify guests with in the hope that you’ll make the journey to Redcar just so they can get your pulse racing.  Let me tell you, it’s worth it.

It’s a different attraction all together to Psycho Path, where Psycho Path is a slow and atmospheric build that plays on its surroundings, Scream Factory draws on everything that is associated with horror.  Haunted houses, fun fairs, clowns and every fan favourite horror movie out there, its deliciously satisfying when it comes to the re-telling, if you make it out that is.

The set pieces throughout Scream Factory are amazing, there are some which have been designed to deprive your senses and are so effective, you come out the other end so disoriented that you actually need a moment before moving on.  Whether it’s the thrill of the funfair and it’s tilted floor, strobe lit rooms or optical illusion rooms, you’ll leave there feeling like you’ve been upside down and literally chased through a live action horror movie.

The section which pays homage to your favourite horror movie including the Jigsaw series (which left me feeling haunted yet again by the time I broke that guy’s nose in Florida), Nightmare on Elm Street, IT, Halloween, Psycho and a couple of other cult movies is spectacularly terrifying.  It’s the type of haunt that’s filled with fast scares as well as those spooky re-enactments including little Georgie’s super softly spoken and uber chilling “Have you seen my boat?”

I don’t want to fill this post with spoilers, it would be so easy to do with this one, because of how much they’ve managed to cram into Scream Factory.  There’s no huge space between scares, you pretty much leave one clear scare zone, before progressing into the next ‘themed zone’ and telling you what they all are would just ruin it for you.  What you do need to know is that it’s definitely worth a visit.  I travelled from Newcastle to Redcar with my sister which is around an hours drive and we felt it was easily worth it, parking is free once you’re onsite and very close to the venue itself.  We talked about it all the way home and loved the references to the horror movies, although if you haven’t seen those movies it definitely doesn’t detract from the experience, you’ll still be utterly terrified in the moment no matter what.

Our advice, go, it’s here once a year, it’s the first year we’ve done anything like this in the UK and we were really impressed at the standard of the acting, the sheer scale of the production and the set pieces and the commitment to the themes.  It’s such a fun night out and it absolutely lives up to the hype.  With tickets starting at just £20 screams really do come true.

Pixie

Categories: The Fashion Closet, The Glorious North East

Skull Decorating at Moth Studios

If you know me in real life then you’ll know I have a love of skulls, beetles, bugs and a general interest in the macabre.  Call me weird (I kinda like that), my aunt is a witch and I guess a little of that weird shit rubbed off on me.  I like to think of my back story a little like Maleficent’s, but cards on the table, I’m way darker.

I’m constantly scrolling taxidermy websites and looking to Pinterest for decorated longhorns and roe skulls, if you haven’t looked, seriously, you can find some amazing hand carved, real animal skulls on there if you’re willing to stump up for the extortionate shipping charges.  In America these were common place, we could walk the malls and find these in TJ Maxx and nobody would bat an eyelid, you could go to cattle farms and buy this kind of thing with your food shopping, as long as you were prepared to go through the clean up process yourself.  Here in the UK however, things like this are a little harder to get hold of, unless you know where to look.

I came across Moth Studios as part of the Breeze Creatives group in Newcastle.  This group of creative souls from the North East is housed in a rabbit warren of super cool studios at Bamburgh House.  Owner Sherene has a love and an insane talent for taxidermy and entomology.  Her studio is lined with bugs, spiders, posed anthropomorphic mice, birds and collected animal skulls.  We’ve become friends over the years that we’ve known each other and support each others businesses, it’s a most excellent relationship.  Moth Studios have a pretty unique way of coming up with the goods so to speak, with a massive number of suppliers from all over the UK and further afield, Sherene regularly travels to pick up dead animals, insects and skulls that people have either found, or have had living on farms.  It’s an odd conversation the first time you have it, now it’s just standard; this morning in fact we were chatting about how there’s a robin in the freezer that will make a perfect Christmas themed piece.  Everything she uses has been collected, found or donated and died naturally, that’s the first hard and fast rule of Moth Studios.  Nothing produced in the studio will ever have come from hunted or deliberately killed livestock.

So, after spending time out in the States and seeing this type of thing in American ranches, I promised myself that when I finally got round to overhauling my sitting room, I’d hang some sort of skull in there.  The best part?  With Moth Studios I’d get a hand in create the final product myself.  I booked myself on to one of their Skull decorating workshops and got more and more nervous as the weeks and days ticked by until my class.  What if I wasn’t creative enough?  What if I couldn’t rise to the challenge?  What if I was freaked out by having to actually hold a real animal skull??

I needn’t have worried.  The class is super relaxed and the studio is equipped with everything you need.  From pinned butterflies and peacock feathers to moss and bark, there’s pretty much everything imaginable for decorating your chosen skull type.  Classes are set up for a maximum of 7 people so you get enough time with Sherene if you need specific help with ideas, or anything else.  On arrival you choose one large skull (usually from a roe deer or fox) and one small (normally from a squirrel or bird) then everything else is down to you.

Skulls in hand, I took my seat and pretty much spent 30 minutes just watching what other people did.  After I decided I was going for a flowers and moss kind of vibe; I grabbed some fake flowers, moss and gold foil and set to work.  It’s quite an intense class, especially for someone like me who’s not that visually creative outside the arena of fashion, but once you get in the zone, it’s incredibly therapeutic.  Sidebar, I live with an incredibly challenging disabled child (Sherene will vouch), life gets tough, things get in your head and escaping that is hard.  This class?  Pure bliss for someone who lives their life minute to minute owing to reasons way beyond their sphere of control and influence.  It’s a chance to unwind and the level of focus required means that you have little time for other thoughts to creep in and take over.  Some people take up pottery or knitting, me?  I’m out here painting up skulls and loving every minute.

A decorated roe skull in Moth Studios designed and created by Blogger pixie Tenenbaum at a skull decorating workshop with Sherene Scott in Newcastle. - Fashion Voyeur Blog

Three blissful hours later I’m the proud owner and creator of a pretty awesome roe skull.  Decorated with flowers, feathers, moss, a little barkflower and painstakingly applied gold foil.  I’m proud.  Real proud.  The small skull I left in its natural state, I had an idea to create some kind of bio-zone type thing inside a kilner jar along with some moss, sticks and bark with a pinned butterfly and I was pretty impressed with the fact that I did this within days of bringing the stuff home, rather than leave it sitting, like I’ve done with my gym kit for the last six months.

Next up, bug pinning, I have a feeling I’m going to be a regular here…

Pixie