Ask any stylish woman what era has the most enduring appeal and I’ll lay odds it’s the sixties. First off, the make up and the hair; I’m talking kittenesque, with Jean Shrimpton and Jane BIrkin as key purveyors of the look – gently backcombed, bed-head hair, big eyes, nude lips and that feline, black eyeliner flick that has never quite gone away. It’s iconic and sexy, a favourite going out look for the wannabe ingenue. Then there’s the dresses – sweet and short, couture clever, hippieish and layered, psychedlic prints, off piste colours, so much choice. Show me a hot new thing who hasn’t been given a sixties-over at some time or another and I’ll be genuinely surprised.
So, as the festive season approaches (yes I’ve seen fairy lights in garden centres and Xmas trees in M&S already) we pay homage to the dress as the go to piece for the season’s splurge. It can be va va voom or understated. You choose. For the purpose of The Stylish Stuff, we bring you a gentle nod to sixties style.
What Kate Spade HASN’T done with a bow this season, isn’t worth doing. This LBD is perfection. Not too much leg, not too much heel, this is subtle, classy and will take you from cocktail party to hot dates in posh restaurants.
Dress, £360; Shoes, £310, Kate Spade.
Yes you can add a pop of red to your blushy pinks with accessories, especially if you favour a vintage vibe shoe. ASOS we love you for this beauty.
Dress, £95, ASOS. Shoes, £169, Ursula Mascaro
When is a high collar neckline still sweetly sexy? When the hemline grazes the lower thigh and the sleeves are peekaboo lace that’s when. Miss Selfridge bring us the cutest of little dresses, this we love.
Dress, £49, Miss Selfridge. Shoes, £425, Christian Louboutin.
This little dress could so easily be vintage, throw a faux fur over it and you’re ready for a weekend of partying til dawn.
Dress, £58, Topshop. Shoes, £169, Pretty Ballerina.
Wide eyed beauty using Eylure fake lashes, brings a little drama to this beautiful velvet pinafore and delicately ruffled, chiffon blouse. Paul & Joe, we salute you, again.
Dress, £265, Blouse, £300, Paul & Joe.
When Orla Kiely met Leith Clark, this happened. The Stylish Stuff loves L’Orla. Fact
Dress, £339, L’Orla
The Stylish Stuff Beauty Tips: How to nail sixties style, with subtlety.
Make up artist Frances Prescott started by prepping the SKIN with a spritz of Dermalogica Antioxidant Hydramist to calm and hydrate. Next up, she created a smooth base using Nars Sheer Matt foundation, then a dab of Mac cream blush in bamboo on the CHEEKS. EYEBROWS were defined using Clinique ultra fine brown liner. EYELIDS were then coated with Benefits new Stay Don’t Stray Primer, giving a clean base to apply colour. Next, Bobbi Brown powder eyeshadow in taupe was worked into the socket line of the eyelid and gently extended outwards. A Mac Chroma Graphic Pencil in white was used on the inner rim of bottom Lashes. To create the wide eyed look so synonymous with the sixties, Frances used Eylure fake lashes and then lashings (sorry) of Avon Big & Daring mascara.
Finally for the all important eyeliner, she used Sisley’s Phyto Kohl perfect eyeliner pencil in black on lower and upper rim of eyes (tip: gently tilt the upper lid to expose the rim and gently sweep the pencil across).
Nails were painted with Sally Hanson Miracle gel polish in How Nude
Dress, £55, Liquorish.
Beauty Essentials; Phyto-Khol Perfect Eyeliner N1 Black, £33.50, Sisley; Liner Plume 01 Noir, £22, Lancome; They’re Real Liner, £18.50, Benefit; Big & Daring Mascara £8.50, Avon; Sheer Glow Foundation, £31, NARS. Stay Don’t Stray, £20.50, Benefit.
Antioxidant Hydramist, £36.90, Dermalogica.
Fashion & still life photography by Shelly Vella
Photographs by Emma Sweeney
Hair & Make up by Frances Prescott
Fashion Assistant Sophie Dearden