Introducing Circus: A Unique New Vintage Inspired Label!

Introducing Circus!

We are so excited to stock this brand new label – we just had to share it with you! Circus make vintage inspired pieces for the modern woman, and is a result of collaboration between independent fashion retailers in the United Kingdom and Ireland. Consisting of stylish separates and darling dresses galore, Circus is really something special!

Influenced by the classic and feminine shapes of the 1940’s, 50’s, and 60’s, Circus updates and puts a contemporary twist on old favorites. With colourful patterns, unique prints, shorter hemlines, comfortable fabrics, great fits, and a range of sizes, Circus is perfect for the modern vintage loving lady. The range includes a staple of fifteen shapes. More patterns and prints will be added all the time, mixing and matching as the line grows.

Circus vintage inspired dress retro carousel

Each piece is available in a size 8 – 14, and is so easy to wear. Circus make looking stylish and elegant a breeze! Made from cotton and cotton derivatives (such as rayon and viscose) these clothes hang beautifully, and haves a flowing, soft feel. This is especially evident in their dresses, many of which have full circle skirts. That extra swing makes them perfect for movement and dancing the night away!

Circus carousel retro dress style

We think Circus is made for the woman who knows what she wants. The collaborative nature of the Circus label means that retailers who can’t find the styles they are looking for can ask Circus to make them for them. Since independent retailers always love to get feedback and input from their customers, the clothing made by Circus is based on customers ideas and needs.

Circus clothing retro fashion carousel

Fun, unique, elegant, not afraid to be herself; a classic – does this sound like you? Then you’ll love Circus! Go here to see the full range, stocked exclusively in Ireland by Carousel!

Get Ready For The Academy Awards 2014 With Our Vintage Oscars Flashback!

Be Inspired By Our Pick of Vintage Oscars Moments!

It’s that time of the year again! Yes that’s right, it’s Oscars time! While we’re waiting to see who wins what (and equally as important, who wears what!) we decided to take a trip back in time and look at some of our favorite vintage Oscars moments. With the first Academy awards show being held in 1929, the show has had a long and glittering past. There’s no denying that although the stars of today know how to wow with their glamorous attire, you just can’t beat the stars of old Hollywood. Their timeless elegance and style transcends fashion, and would look just as gorgeous on the red carpets of today. So take a look at our pick of vintage Oscar moments, and get in the mood for the biggest show of the awards season tonight!

walt disney vintage oscars carousel

Shirley Temple presents Walt Disney with an Oscar and seven miniature Oscars in 1939 – awww!

elizabeth taylor vintage oscars carousel

Elizabeth Taylor surrounded by admirers as she arrives at the Oscars in 1961

academy awards vintage carousel

Bette Davis who presented Marlon Brando and Grace Kelly with their Oscars in 1955

oscars behind the scenes carousel

Producer Buddy Adler’s Academy Award waits for him in the cloak room of an Oscars after party in 1954.

marilyn monroe dress vintage carousel

Marilyn Monroe on her way to the Oscars in 1951

audrey hepburn oscars awards carousel

Audrey Hepburn surround by paparazzi as she cradles her award for “Roman Holiday”

audrey hepburn grace kelly academy awards

Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn wait backstage at the Oscars, 1956.

joan crawford oscar bed vintage

Joan Crawford receives her Academy Award in bed in 1946 after she feigned illness because she was sure she wouldn’t win!

So, do you have any favorite vintage Oscars moments of your own?

Carousel xox

Spring Style: The Deirdre Dress is Back!

One of our favorite styles of dress – the Deirdre – is back just in time for spring, and we just had to share it with you! With three gorgeous new floral prints to choose from, its the perfectly fresh update for your wardrobe. Whether you’re meeting the girls for a bite to eat in town, taking a stroll with an ice cream by the beach, or hitting the dance floor for a shimmy, this cute and comfortable dress can take you everywhere this spring summer season!

Spring Style floal dress carousel

Vintage Inspired Spring Style

With its mandarin style collar and adorable puffed sleeves, we think this dress has a 1940’s vintage vibe, but is kept thoroughly modern with its shorter length A line skirt and popping bright colours. With so much styling potential, you could make this dress extra pretty by adding a cardigan, sling back wedges and matching flowers in your hair. Alternatively, dress it down and grunge it up with some thick tights, boots and a denim jacket. Play around with your spring style with the Deirdre dress, because this dress is definitely made for fun! Available here.

Carousel xox

Hairspiration! 5 Vintage Hairstyles To Try Today.

Finally, winter is slowly fading away, and we don’t always have to hide our hair under a hat or umbrella. A great way to celebrate this is to play around and experiment with some new hairstyles. There is no better place to look to for some inspiration than the vintage hairstyles of the past.

We particularly love the hairstyles of the 1940’s, 50’s, and 60’s (less so the back combed and bouffant disasters of the 80’s and 90’s – what were we thinking?) which are still as popular today as they were then. These hairstyles are the perfect finishing touch to your favorite vintage outfit, or alternatively, can add a vintage twist to a more contemporary look. Some of them may look complicated or difficult to achieve, but a modern approach to vintage inspired hairstyling allows for looser and relaxed versions of these gorgeous styles, so don’t worry about it being too perfect. We’ve picked our 5 favorite vintage hairstyles and paired them with their more modern interpretations. With a little bit of faking and pinning, they can be adapted to so many types and length of hair. So, grab your hairspray and bobby pins ladies, and let’s give a new hairstyle a go today!

Soft Waves With a Side Parting

vintage hairstyle inspiration carousel lana del rey

The Big and Beautiful Beehive

hair style retro beehive

Victory Rolls For The Win!

hair vintage style carousel

The Always Elegant Chignon

chignon vintage hairstyles carousel

Classy Curls

vintage hairstyles monroe i love carousel

If you want to find out more about how to get these hairstyles for yourself, we suggest heading over to YouTube where you can find a wealth of easy to follow tutorials. We particularly like the YouTube channel of “Cherry Dollface”, which you should check out here for lots of vintage hairstyle tutorials. Which one would you like to try? Have fun!
Carousel xox

 

London Fashion Week 2014 Trends: Fabulous Floral!

We can’t get enough of floral!

We’re very fond of a gorgeous floral frock here at Carousel. It’s the trend that always comes back into fashion every spring/summer season. As the sun starts to peak out from behind the clouds, and the real flowers poke their heads up from beneath the soil, our thoughts turn to warmer days and spending more time outside. Slipping on an outfit that is inspired by nature is one of the best ways to induce happy spring feelings, even if the weather is still not the best. With the explosion of floral prints on the runway at the recent London Fashion Week, floral has again been confirmed as a wardrobe essential! As proved on the London runway, floral prints don’t always have to be dainty. They can be big, bright, and bold, or even mixed with other patterns for a look that makes an impact. Don’t be afraid to stand out!

floral trend spring summer runway

Vintage inspired florals on the Clements Ribeiro runway at London Fashion Week 2014

john rocha floral trend 2014 carousel

Gorgeous and bold florals on the John Rocha runway, London Fashion Week 2014

Get the look at Carousel

graphic black white floral dress carousel

Take a leaf out of London Fashion Weeks book with this bold and graphic floral print dress (above). It’s the perfect mix of tough and pretty, ideal for the transition from winter to spring. Get it here.

Bright floral pattern spring carousel

A vintage rose pattern gets a contemporary update with bright and unexpected colours.. With its flattering neckline and pleated skirt, this dress ticks all of the boxes, and is a spring wardrobe must have! Get it here.

floral shift dress carousel vintage

With an entire bouquet of colourful flowers floating and gathering around this dress, it’s as fresh as a spring breeze. Ideal for any special occasion! Get it here.

Keep your eyes peeled as we add more floral styles to our new arrivals section over the coming months!

Carousel xox

10 Vintage Fashion Photographers That We Love

We love vintage fashion photography! It’s not just because of the amazing vintage style on display in the photos. These photographs are as fresh, influential, and innovative now as they were over 50 years ago – and some of them are even older than that! Masters of their craft and full of creativity, the photographers who made these images create a world around each outfit and add new layers of meaning. Making both the clothes and a lifestyle even more desirable, these photographers influenced fashion and taste as much as the designers of the time did. We made a shortlist of our favorites, and wanted to share with you 10 vintage fashion photographers. These photographers have created some of the most magical and iconic fashion images of the last century.

Nina Leen

vintage fashion photographer leen carousel

John Rawlings

john rawling photo fashion retro carousel

Richard Avedon

avedon carousel vintage fashion photographer

Louise Dahl Wolfe

Beach fashion photograpy wolfe carousel

Lillian Bassman

bassman photographer vintage style carousel

Mark Shaw

Mark Shaw vintage photographer carousel

Erwin Blumenfeld

blumenfeld face beauty vintage photo carousel

Karen Radkai

radkai fashion photo vintage carousel

Horst P Horst

horst vintage fashion photographer carousel

Cecil Beaton

beaton fashion photo style vintage carousel

Irving Penn

Irving Penn Vintage fashion photographers carousel

Who is your favorite? Let us know!

Carousel xox

Mod Style Inspiration: The Mod Couple Portraits of Carlotta Cardana

Modern Mod Style Inspiration

At first glance, you could be forgiven for thinking that Carlotta Cardanas portraits of mod couples are straight out of 1960′s England. In fact, these photographs were only taken in the last three years! This blurring of time is part of why we adore this project. Cardana has taken so much care to place these couples in surroundings that mirror their mod style, and evoke the time and place that mod originated. The surroundings become a part of their style as much as their clothes are. Cardanas photography style – the square format of the photos, the colour palette used, the lighting, all capture a retro vibe perfectly.

Speaking of retro vibes, who can ignore the amazing vintage style inspiration that these couples are? Their dedication to mod style, and also each other, is admirable. It’s so sweet how the couples complement and reinforce each others style. Do you think you could dress like this with your partner? Could you be as committed to a style and subculture as much as these couples are?

We picked out some of our favorites photographs below, but head over to Carlottas website (here) to see the rest of the project and more of her incredible work.

mod style inspiration valentines carouselmod style inspiration vintage carouselmod style cardan carousel retro inspiration

To get your own vintage inspired style, head to our website m2.ilovecarousel.com now.

Carousel xox

3 Date Ideas – And What To Wear On Them!

Fresh Spring Date Ideas

No two couples are the same, so no two dates should be either. Since it’s almost Valentines day, we’ve been thinking about some of our favorite date ideas that are a little different to the usual fancy restaurant or cinema – and some inspiration for what to wear on them. Of course, these date ideas are not only suited to loved up couples. If you’re single, grab your best gal pal, sister, mother, or work colleague, and get out there and have some fun together!

A Heart Warming Nature Walk

Wrap up warm and head to the hills (or your local park)! A walk in the fresh, chilly spring air, surrounded by nature, is the perfect way to get your blood pumping, and gives you and your date a brilliant chance to talk and share stories. You could bring along a mini picnic of warm soup in a flask for extra heart warming goodness. Best of all, it’s completely free! You’ll need a warm and comfortable outfit, but it should also make you feel gorgeous. Layer this richly textured, inspired by nature dress under a parka jacket and a cosy scarf. Add thick tights, a slouchy hat, and comfortable boots, and you’re ready to get back to nature.

Valentines Dates style vintage carousel

A Loud and Live Music Gig

What better way to get up close and personal with your date then shimmying to the beat together in front of a live band? Bound to turn up the heat and get pulses racing, the music might be too loud for conversation, but this is a great way to loosen up and become relaxed in each others company. We’d wear this gorgeous graphic floral print dress under a denim or leather jacket, for that perfect mix of tough and pretty that really gives you an edge.

Valentines floral dress vintage inspired carousel

Become A Tourist In Your Hometown

Grab your camera, a map, and a date, and head out into your hometown to visit places that are usually the haunt of tourists. Wandering around museums and exhibitions is the perfect way to explore the interests and tastes of your date, and will give you plenty to talk about. Don’t forget to take lots of photos of each other on your adventures! By rediscovering and exploring your hometown, you might also start to see it through fresh eyes to boot. This cute and laid back printed dress is perfect for the urban explorer.

Valentines date ideas outfit carousel

Have you ever been on a date like any these? Do you have any unique date ideas?

Carousel xox

Spring Inspiration: Time To Dream About A Fresh New Season!

Escape the Monday Blues With Some Spring Inspiration!

The weather may still be dreary and cold, but in just a few days it will be February. In our neck of the woods that means it will be officially Spring! Now, we know that we’re not going to see great changes in the weather anytime soon, but we’ll take any excuse to dream about a fresh new season. Spring means flowers in bloom, sun on our skin, more time spent outside, colourful dresses and less bulky layers. We can’t wait! We’ve gathered together some images that give us that light and airy Spring feeling. So take a break from winter to look forward to some warmer and brighter days, they’ll be here soon, fingers crossed!

inspirational flowers quote carouselaudrey hepburn bicycle carouselspring inspiration shoes vintage carouselspring inspiration vintage dress carouselspring inspiration camera vintage carouselspring inspiration style vintage carouselspring inspiration ferris wheel carouselballoons model fashion carousel vintage

Check out our new arrivals section here where we will be adding fresh and inspiring new styles in the coming season.

Carousel xox

FAVOURITE BLOGGERS: LEANNE WOODFULL

This week on the blog we are talking about some of our most favourite bloggers. We’ve got so many fantastic fashion bloggers here in Ireland and the U-K, who not only inspire us, but also impress us with their commitment and determination to spread the style word across the globe.

 

We’re kicking things off with Leanne Woodfull’s incredible site, www.thunderandthreads.blogspot.com. Leanne began her fashion journey as a young kid reading fashion magazines and has gone on to create her own little fashion empire through her blog, Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/thunderandthreads0)  , Twitter (https://twitter.com/LeanneWoodfull) , Instagram and impressive YouTube page, which currently has over 51,000 followers (http://www.youtube.com/user/leannewoodfull).

So what do we love about Leanne’s style? Her individuality. Woodfull has been impressively and boldly speaking out about body issues, bullying, and the quest to remain true to oneself since she began blogging, and her courage has been nothing short of stunning. Not only does Leanne let us into her fashion world, she also has bravely opened the door to her personal struggles. Simply putting it, her style is a mix of dark, romantic goth with a twist of our favourite 90s looks and old Hollywood. We simply love how she puts an outfit together and her dramatic makeup to compliment her look.

It’s no surprise that Leanne has awards honoring her great work, keen eye and professionalism within the blogging world. We just can’t wait to see what is in store for Leanne next, but we’ll continue to check Thunder and Threads religiously to find out.

Carousel xx