Stunning engagement rings added to Vintage Seekers' fine jewellery collection

Vintage Seekers' Fine Jewellery section has this week welcomed some new additions in the form of stunning vintage engagement rings.

A vintage ring given as an engagement ring has a meaning and stock behind it far deeper than simply a beautiful piece of jewellery.

Rich in history and romance, one can imagine the couples from times past who exchanged the rings before you; their love stories and the secrets behind it. Testament to the enduring nature of gemstones, vintage rings are symbolic of permanence and uniqueness - Two things any couple aspire to.

Circa 1930, this ruby and diamond ring is of English origin. The central trapeze cut diamond, which weighs around 1ct, is surrounded by a calibre cut ruby and diamond border.

By Bailey Banks & Biddle, a leading American jeweller, this 1930s diamond ring is mounted in engraved platinum bearing the inscription BB&B.

A vintage 1920s art deco ruby and diamond ring mounted in platinum, thought to be from around 1925.

This 1930s onyx and diamond half hoop ring is mounted in Platinum, and believed to be of American origin.

Of course, these beautiful pieces could also be given as eternity rings, birthday or anniversary gifts.

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Original 1960s photography by Ronald Falloon on Vintage Seekers

Newly added to Vintage Seekers is a collection of original 1960s fashion portraits by the seminal photographer Ronald Falloon, a contemporary of renowned photographers John French and David Bailey.

Originally a music student at Heidelberg University, Falloon was encouraged to pursue photography after his raw talent was recognized during a summer placement in Cannes. He went on to work for French, eventually shooting all of the same models and celebrities as his mentor.

The collection consists of both black & white and colour photographs, all signed and numbered according to their edition. Each print offers the buyer the opportunity to own a rare piece of vintage memorabilia.

The collection is an intriguing symbiosis of the fashion and artistic flair for which the 1960s are famed. Truly capturing the zeitgeist of that era, it includes shots of a typically sultry Twiggy in her 'Bambi-eyes-and-pixie-crop' heyday, snapped in the surroundings of her Ladbroke Grove flat. Two striking photographs of Jean Shrimpton, widely regarded as one of the first supermodels, reveal an altogether more vulnerable side to this icon of the ‘swinging sixties’.

The remainder of the collection is composed of fashion models sporting the likes of Biba and Mary Quant, those stalwarts of 1960s fashion design. All of the images subtly evoke the cutting-edge nature of the decade.

Below are a select few examples of the stunning prints now available in Photography, within the Collectibles category of Vintage Seekers online.

Twiggy, 1967

Model in Nina Ricci dress, 1965

Model on bridge, 1960s

Jean Shrimpton, 1964

Vintage Seekers

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Vintage Party Dresses for New Year's Eve on Vintage Seekers

With the party season in full swing and New Year's Eve just around the corner, why not browse Vintage Seekers' extensive collection of vintage party frocks for the ultimate festive attire. Whether you're in the market for a cocktail dress or an evening gown; something from the modest styles of the 1930s or the ostentatious prints of the 1960s, the Vintage Seekers' fashion section boasts the best of 20th century style. Here are a few picks to whet the appetite.

This Petal Mini Dress by Pierre Cardin perfectly captures the zeitgeist of the 1960s. Playful and daring for its time, it showcases the decade's prominent silhouette - short hemlines and no sleeves. Cardin is renowned for his innovative and futuristic designs - He created the 'bubble dress'.

Another offering from the 1960s comes in the form of this gorgeous evening gown by Morelly.

It features a delicate knot waist, bubble skirt and a pretty deep blue leaf print.

Thanks to some rushed detailing around the waist this 1960s metallic cocktail dress by Marshall & Snelgrove promises a flattering silhouette. Made from a black base fabric shot through with rose gold metallic thread, its suitably festive colour is perfect for whatever occasions may crop up over the Christmas period.

This stunning Ossie Clark evening dress from 1970 is very on-trend with its maxi-skirt and figure-hugging bodice. It is a combination of moss crepe and satin, and comes in an ivory colour way. Ossie Clark can be credited as one of the pioneers of '60s and '70s fashion, alongside such stalwarts as Mary Quant and Biba. Manolo Blahnik remarked of Clark's work: "He created an incredible magic with the body and achieved what fashion should do — produce desire."

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Original Audrey Hepburn Costume Sketch on Vintage Seekers

Vintage Seekers currently has on sale an original piece of movie memorabilia from the 1954 motion picture Sabrina - A costume sketch for its leading lady Audrey Hepburn by the prolific costume designer Edith Head. Sabrina is the classic tale of a working class ugly-duckling transformed into sophisticated swan, ultimately winning the man of her dreams. This watercolour sketch onto paper has Hepburn donning a stunning black ballroom gown with full skirt and bow-strap detailing.

Oft-dubbed 'the Fairest Lady of All', Hepburn's status is cemented as a film and fashion icon, due in part to Head's simple and elegant design trademark. Indeed, Head is famed for her extensive consultation with the actresses with whom she dressed and designed for.

Head's own career is worthy of film plot material. Starting out as a French teacher, she began teaching art having been motivated by its higher salary in spite of only having her rudimentary high-school art class experience. By some bizarre stroke of luck she was hired by Paramount Pictures in 1924 as a costume sketch artist and went on to receive eight Academy Awards for Best Costume Design, Sabrina being one of them, from a total of 35 nominations. Her unparalleled success is rendered all the more incredible by her eventual admission that she had borrowed a friend's sketches for her interview. Head designed for many of the silver screen's greats - Grace Kelly, Ginger Rogers, Bette Davis and Elizabeth Taylor.

This piece is made even more desirable by the fact that it bears Head's signature in the lower left corner, and comes framed; A must-have for vintage film and fashion buffs alike.

Sabrina Film Costume Sketch

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Dior & the LBD From Vintage Seeekers

“You can wear black at any time. You can wear it at any age. You may wear it to almost any occasion. A little black frock is essential to a woman’s wardrobe.” ‘Christian Dior’, 1954

A fashion stalwart and sartorial blank canvas, the LBD’s eminent versatility has seen it adapted and reincarnated subject to the popular silhouettes and trends of the time. This exclusive display of LBDs charts the evolution of the iconic garment within one illustrious fashion house – Dior.

Although Coco Chanel is credited as the original 20th century pioneer of the LBD – she wore a slash-necked crepe-de-chine number on the front cover of Vogue in 1926 – Christian Dior resurrected the garment in the post-war years as part of his legendary ‘New Look’ collection of 1947 and it became an integral part of his Maison’s repertoire.

The first dress in the display showcases all the hallmarks of the New Look: the nipped-in, internally boned waist and full skirt reconstructs an hourglass silhouette, while generous quantities of luxurious fabric marks a return to glamour and femininity after years of wartime austerity. Dior’s inspiration here is the notion of woman as a flower, with the delicate, sculpted torso as the stamen poised above many-layered ‘petals’ of skirting.

Next we have a transitional piece from the mid 50s, which still references the New Look silhouette with its neat waistline but simultaneously looks towards the future of slinkier LBDs. Created under license for the wealthy tourist market in North Africa, it was produced for Dior Casablanca.

After Christian Dior’s death in 1957, the 21-year-old Yves Saint Laurent was promoted from Head Assistant to Artistic Director. His first few collections, which retained Dior’s scrupulous attention to detail and perfect proportions yet rendered them lighter and more wearable, saw him feted as a natural and worthy heir to his mentor. This 1959 velvet dress epitomises Saint Laurent’s characteristic dynamism and sculptural approach to tailoring, pairing contrasting textures and an unconventional bandeau bust line.

It’s hard to believe that such creations were not well received, but by the end of the decade Saint Laurent’s designs had supposedly become too daringly avant-garde, influenced by the Beat Look popular in Left Bank cafés and jazz clubs. In late 1960, Dior bosses ousted him in favour of Marc Bohan.

If Dior was the mature designer who led by example and YSL pushed the boundaries, then Bohan was the most commercial. He picked up on the modernist heritage of the label, channelling Dior’s original recipe for style with the exaggerated hourglass silhouette, yet disarticulated this so as to incorporate what the public wanted and reacted to the work of his contemporaries, particularly Balenciaga, Mary Quant and André Courrèges. The dramatic slit neckline and cap sleeves in the final dress in our display show the masterful balance he managed to strike between tradition and modernity.

Three designers, four dresses, ten years of Dior heritage – here is the evolution of a modern classic before our eyes.

1950s Dior New Look Dress and 1950s Dior Black Dress

1950s Silk and Velvet Cocktail dress and 1960s Dior Silk and Lurex Dress Designed by Marc Bohan

All dresses are available on Vintage Seekers

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Vintage Seekers Celebrates Louis Vuitton Luggage

Vintage luggage from the 1920s and 1930s is now part of Vintage Seekers’ range of 20th century design online.

These rare and highly collectible cases on Vintage Seekers highlight how different the culture of travel once was, as wealthy clients had sets of heavy bespoke luggage carried by porters on rail and ocean liner journeys.

There are three pieces of Louis Vuitton luggage currently in the Vintage Seekers collection. From the 1920s there is an Orange Vuittonite Hat Box and a vintage Louis Vuitton Orange Vuittonite Train Case, designed to carry pairs of shoes on rail journey, complete with its original travel labels on the exterior.



Vintage Seekers also lists a spectacular 1930s cream leather writer’s travel case by Louis Vuitton, which opens to reveal a teal lining and a bureau-style set of compartments in which to transport stationary and books.



Enduringly popular and exquisitely hand-made in France, Louis Vuitton is the most desirable and valuable label in luxury vintage luggage.

Although they may be too cumbersome for contemporary travel, these pieces of vintage luggage make beautiful storage solution and evoke the glamour of the golden age of travel during the early 20th century.

All trunks are available in the Design section of Vintage Seekers

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Rare Vintage Clothing Once Owned By Wallis Simpson

One of the reasons collecting vintage clothing is so fascinating is that each piece comes with its own unique story. The provenance of a garment is not always known, however (imagined or other wise) the romantic notion of its previous life adds to the allure.

It is extremely rare to find a vintage piece that has not only a truly historical story, but also a royal connection. Vintage Seekers currently listed on the site two items that were tailor-made in the 1960s, for Wallis Simpson, The Duchess of Windsor.

Wallis Simpson's Dior Couture Bolero

The first is a show stopping, unique ice blue Christian Dior Couture beaded bolero. It was hand-made and finished and is exquisitely detailed with sequins, crystals and hand-cut crystal droplets that is set upon silk chiffon. Actress Gillian Anderson, who played Wallis Simpson in the BBC adaptation of William Boyd’s Any Human Heart, recently wore the bolero to the 2011 BAFTA ceremony.

Wallis Simpson's Cashmere and Ocelot Sweater

There is also a beautiful Maximillian cashmere and ocelot sweater. It is fitted with short-sleeves, a real ocelot fur panel down the front and a satin lining. Again, this piece was made especially for the Duchess.

Wallis Simpson was an American socialite who became notorious as the cause of Edward VIII’s abdication in 1936. Famed for her impeccable style and sophistication, Wallis Simpson was thought of as a fashion icon throughout her life.

These two items, from Vintage Seekers, represent a rare piece of fashion history.
Currently available on www.vintageseekers.com

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