Tag: retro

‘Circus’: Behind the Brand

At Carousel we have always strived to excite our customers. So inspired by you we have launched our own brand,

‘Circus’

We design and sell this Vintage-inspired range in our shop.

We began ‘Circus’ as it was difficult to source fun and interesting pieces that would be unique to Carousel. Items that we could repeat when sold out or edit the design to suit your requests in our own factory. It was also challenging to find good quality individual items at an affordable price. In many ways the creation of Circus was a natural progression and an exciting development of our store Carousel. We felt we had a perfect place to launch the brand we could not find anywhere else.

The name came from a lot of brainstorming! We wanted a word which would evoke nostalgia, fun, and colour and ‘Circus’ is all that. We wanted a name that will stand the test of time.

Circus-Brigitte-Dress-Carousel-Vintage-m2.ilovecarousel.com

Circus Brigitte Dress, Carousel. €65 at http://bit.ly/1AWPewQ

Circus-Ingrid-Dress-Carousel-Vintage-m2.ilovecarousel.com

Circus Ingrid dress €59, available at http://bit.ly/1sfCO0F

Circus-Ingrid-Dress-Carousel-Vintage-m2.ilovecarousel.com

Circus Lucille dress, €65. Available at http://bit.ly/1opN43T

Above are 3 examples of Circus dresses, the inspirations for them and our first sketches in the design process. Running through all of these is our love of Vintage silhouettes & patterns.

Love, Carousel. xoxo

New Patterns & Prints for Circus!

We’ve only just got a boatload of new stock in to Carousel from Irish label Circus. There are so many fantastic new patterns & prints!

There’s a nature theme running through these new prints. Many varieties of birds, leaves and flowers are included in a broad selection of colours. We especially love the Daisy print and Navy and White Swallow print.

Below are our picks for you 🙂 They are available in-store now and will be available online at m2.ilovecarousel.com from tonight.

Circus-Autumn-2014-Carousel-ilovecarousel.com-New Patterns & Prints from Circus

New Patterns & Prints for Circus Autumn 2014 collection at Carousel

Don’t be afraid to clash different patterns. Just be sure that the main colours work well with each colour. These pieces are best accessoriesed with very simple jewellery or block colour scarves.

Circus-Autumn-2014-Carousel-ilovecarousel.com- New Patterns & Prints from Circus

New Patterns & Prints for Circus Autumn 2014 collection at Carousel

 

love, Carousel xoxo

Scarf - tying - scarves - ilovecarousel - carousel - Vintage -Retro

Creative Scarf Tying

Scarves are great.

They come in all sorts of patterns, lengths and fabrics and they’re a great booster accessory for any outfit, not to mind very functional. So why is it that come Autumn you see scarf after scarf tied virtually the same way?

You can do so much with these beauties with a little imagination and thankfully it’s not origami 🙂

Sarah Jessica Parker - SJP - Style - Scarf

Sarah Jessica Parker is our Scarf Hero!

Here’s a selection of creative scarf tying techniques we dreamed up-

Vintage-Retro_Autumn_Fall_Winter_Carousel_ilovecarousel

1. Tie at one shoulder and drape

Vintage-Retro_Autumn_Fall_Winter_Carousel_ilovecarousel

1. Finished

Vintage-Retro_Autumn_Fall_Winter_Carousel_ilovecarousel

2. Wrap around shoulders/upper arms, tie both ends at back of neck, bring endss around and tuck in to front.

Vintage-Retro_Autumn_Fall_Winter_Carousel_ilovecarousel

2. Finished

Vintage-Retro_Autumn_Fall_Winter_Carousel_ilovecarousel

3.Join corners at the back of the neck and tie securely, tuck front end up & in to main part.

Vintage-Retro_Autumn_Fall_Winter_Carousel_ilovecarousel

3. Finished

These are only a few of the hundreds of combinations…try mixing two scarves together. We’re all for clashing patterns 😉

 Here’s some of the designs we have just got in Carousel…we love the fox print-

Scarf - tying - scarves - ilovecarousel - carousel - Vintage -Retro

Scarves at Carousel…see them here: http://bit.ly/1jtokYb

Love, Carousel. xoxo

Summer Movie Style Inspiration – Look 3: Dirty Dancing

And now, for the last of our series of Summer Movie Style Inspiration, we look at the ultimate girly movie, Dirty Dancing.

Dirty Dancing Summer Movie Inspiration

It’s the summer of 1963. The sweet girl-next-door ,Frances ”Baby” Houseman, joins her family at a holiday resort run by a patient of her father’s. Baby plans to attend college that Autumn and then join the Peace Corps…that is until she meets the ridiculously handsome Johnny and all plans fall by the wayside as she falls head over heels for him (literally!)

Dirty Dancing Summer Movie Inspiration

When we first see Baby she wears embroidered white tops and denim shorts…the picture of simplicity and innocence. As the story progresses and Baby starts to dance with Johnny we are treated to some sumptuous dresses that are all fit and flare. These dresses embody the passionate romance of the movie…and they are all about the femininity.

Dirty Dancing Summer Movie Inspiration

We went away and put  together our own Dirty Dancing inspired look for you. This fit and flare dress has all the femininity of Baby’s finale dress but is more wearable for daytime. Throw this beautifully soft cardigan around your shoulders and you’re ready to dance the mamba!

Dirty Dancing Inspired Outfit

 

Summer Movie Style Inspiration – Look One: Grease!

It’s the height of summer, and on those days when it’s just too warm to go outside, or you’ve already been out and about in the sun all day, we like to cool down by watching some of our favorite (and most stylish!) summer movies. Over the next few days, we will be revisiting our top 3 summer movies, and creating outfits inspired by each one! So first up is the colourful and rambunctious musical “Grease”!

Grease summer movie style retro carousel

A classic story about a good girl and bad boy falling in love, this movie is what we wish our summers in high school were like! Even though made in 1978, this movie still looked back to the 1950’s for it’s setting and style, and the outfits are to die for! With lots of retro fit and flare dresses, poodle skirts, cute little sweaters, bobby socks, and bad ass jackets, this movie is a treat for any vintage loving stylista.

Movie style vintage fashion carousel

Getting the Grease look for yourself isn’t too difficult. We really love lead character Sandy’s style throughout the movie. She has that classic prim 1950’s style – all big full circle skirts, petticoats and cardigans. To pay homage to the movies girl gang “The Pink Ladies” we’ve paired this cute pink polka dot shirt with this gorgeous anchor print full skirt. Just tie your hair into a prim ponytail, add a cardigan (worn on your shoulders only of course!) and a pristine pair of white bobby socks, and you have the Sandy look! If you want to represent Sandy’s “bad” (but oh so good!) side that emerges in the movie, you could pop the collar of your shirt and add these sassy vintage inspired cat eye sunglasses. 

Get Look Grease Movie CarouselCheck back soon for more of our favorite summer movie style – next up is “500 Days of Summer”!

Carousel xox

Trés Chic! Vintage Cannes Film Festival Style.

In celebration of the beginning of the Cannes film festival 2014 this week, we’ve decided to take a look at some vintage Cannes style! This prestigious festival has always attracted the biggest stars from all over the world, and they really put their best fashion foot forward. Celebrities are mobbed by the paparazzi everywhere they go, and every minute spent there is turned into a photo opportunity. Cannes style seems to go from one extreme to the other, with no in between. It’s either laid back and casual chic as stars relax by the beach during the day, or all-out glitz and glamor as they strut the red carpet and attend parties at night. Here are some of our favorites:

From the beach…

cannes film festival style vintage bardot

Brigitte Bardot – barefoot and careless on the beachcannes film festival mens fashion retro

Cary Grant – so dapper!

boat cannes vintage grace kelly style carousel

Grace Kelly relaxes in chic floral capri pants

beach style summer cannes retro birkin

Love this laid back all white look on Jane Birkin

…to the red carpet.

cannes festival vintage loren dress

Sophia Loren stuns on the red carpet

red carpet cannes elizabeth taylor vintage

Elizabeth Taylor doesn’t need a crown to prove she’s the queen of style!

cannes retro style polka dot dress

Mitzi Gaynor and some delightful polka dots!

ballgown style retro fashion inspiration carousel

Grace Kelly’s polished ladylike evening look

Find your red carpet look with one of our modern vintage dresses, available here!

Carousel xox

An eye on style: We celebrate retro spectacles!

Whether you need to wear glasses or not, there’s no denying the appeal of vintage mid-century spectacles! We think women’s glasses in the 1940’s, 50s and 60s were much more daring, glamorous and stylish than many of their modern counterparts. Anyone remember what your average pair of glasses looked like in the 80s and 90s? *shudder*. The cat eye shape is definitely our favorite. Made in an assortment of colours, with offbeat shapes and embellishments, they made quite the statement!

Nowadays we’ve moved past the idea that wearing glasses is unattractive (we know you’re all gorgeous no matter what!), and can fully appreciate these retro frames style potential. Adding a pair of retro spectacles to an outfit will give it a wild and unique vintage twist. We love the drama a pair of sharp cat eyes add to any look, framing your eyes beautifully! You don’t need to have a prescription either. There are plenty of frame options available for those lucky enough to have 20/20 vision who want to give this retro look a try! We took a look around for some retro spectacle inspiration, and we were so inspired by what we found we had to share these images with you. So put your glasses on and keep scrolling for a closer look!

marily monroe wearing glasses inspirationGrace Kelly carousel spectaclesretro spectacles typewriter vintage styleglamorous women glasses retro stylecateye glasses vintage fashion1950s woman fashion spectacles carouselvintage style inspiration glasses carousel1960s advertising cat eye glassesglasses on table vintage retro

Here at Carousel we love retro spectacles so much, that we don’t just stick to wearing them atop our noses! You can show your appreciation (no prescription necessary!) with this fabulous fit and flare dress from Circus that has real “specs” appeal, available here!

vintage glasses print dress carousel

Carousel xox

Summer Essentials: Gorgeous new arrivals from Emily and Fin!

Seven new dresses have just arrived from Emily and Fin, and they are stunners! emily and fin dress vintage inspired carousel

We’ve been planning our wardrobes for better weather and summertime, and these new dresses are giving us lots of style inspiration! With a riot of patterns, colours, and gorgeous shapes to choose from, there is a dress for every occasion here. A classic polka dot dress can take you anywhere. You could easily wear these polka dot Emily and Fin dresses to work, a wedding, or a night out on the town. (You can find dress number 2 here, dress 4 here, and dress 5 here)

The two vibrant floral dresses from Emily and Fin will really get you in the mood for summer! Add a pop of colour to your wardrobe with the Sophie dress (here). We love its cinched waist – so flattering! Rock some vintage tropical vibes with the Scarlett dress (here). We’d add a big straw hat and sandals for summer. All we need now is a tropical beach!

Summer is always more fun than winter, and this year you can really up the fun factor with the Jessica and Lucy dresses from Emily and Fin. You’ll stay cool all summer long in the Jessica dress, with its ice lolly print and knock out shirt dress shape (available here)! We’d add some wedged sandals, cat eye shades and a retro hairstyle. Shake off the winter blues for good in the Lucy dress (available here), covered in energetic acrobats flying through the air. We love its longer length skirt, perfect if you want to stay cool with bare legs in the summer heat, but don’t like to show off too much leg!

We can’t decide which is our favorite – can we just have one of each?
Carousel xox

1950s Inspired: The Bestselling Dress From Circus Is Back!

We are in love with this 1950s inspired shirt dress shape. It sold out so fast the last time that it was in stock, that some of us feared we had missed our chance to own one! Well fear no more! The popular green polka version is back in stock here, and, as if things couldn’t get any better, Circus have also added a plain red version of the dress (here)!

The dress would be ideal for a retro themed night out – it really gets us in a 1950s Americana mood! We can imagine ourselves in this dress, sipping on a milkshake in a retro themed diner, then heading to a drive in movie to catch a classic flick. We’d wear it with a cardigan slung over your shoulders, bobby socks, oxford shoes, and a vintage inspired hairstyle to complete the look.

1950s inspired shirt dress vintage carouselGet this 1950’s inspired dress at Carousel!

Get a slice of the 1950’s for yourself, before this dress is as gone as the era it’s inspired by! You can find the red dress here, and the polka dot version here.

Carousel xox

If Spring Were A Dress: Vintage Inspired Spring Style From Circus

Call us crazy, but we reckon that if spring were a dress, it would be this delightful tea dress from Circus! Its delicate blossom print reminds us of all the flowers poking their little heads out of the ground, bursting into bloom as the season starts to warm up. It’s fresh, vibrant colours will invigorate your wardrobe, doing away with any leftover winter dreariness. Inspired by the 1940’s tea dress, this dress keeps that classic shape, but updates it with a shorter length hem. We can see ourselves wearing this dress at a picnic in the park; sitting with your best friends, enjoying some dappled sunlight on our faces and drinking tea from vintage crockery!

vintage inspired spring style dress inspiration carousel

Vintage inspired spring style from Circus – available exclusively at Carousel!

This dress is your very own slice of spring, and is available in two colours, green (here) and orange (here). Find these, and much more vintage inspired spring style, here.

Carousel xox