
Wednesday, 30 December 2015
Five fantastic detective duos

Labels:
books
,
crime
,
film
,
radio
,
television
Saturday, 26 December 2015
Sunday, 20 December 2015
Mending…
I am an admitted clothes hoarder. For the past couple of winters I've been resigned to the fact that the cranberry-coloured lambswool cardigan that I bought just before going to university has been wearing out at the cuffs. It wasn't an especially expensive cardigan, coming from Littlewoods (even the cheap end of the high street sold knitwear in natural fibres back in the early 1990s), but it's lasted 23 years so far. I've stitched up the loose edge of the cuffs in past autumns, but they are fraying rather more now. If it were more fitted, I'd shorten the sleeves for a 1940s look, but that struck me as a bad idea with this boxier shape. So the poor old cardigan was put on the pile for rag recycling.
Go go gadget hoarding instinct!
I couldn't send the cardigan away. 'Look at me,' it seemed to be calling, 'I've kept you warm all these winters and so much of me is good! Surely you can salvage me...'
Thursday, 17 December 2015
Nothing to see here, move along
Mulled wine at my desk. Oh yes! |
Labels:
robot data
Monday, 14 December 2015
Oh kit-mas tree
Every year we buy new decorations for the tree, but fewer old favourites are coming out this year. Why? I wonder...
Labels:
Christmas
,
robot data
Thursday, 10 December 2015
Christmas 2015 telly and radio highlights
Watching the extended versions of the Lord of the Rings films is a Christmas tradition chez Robot, as is watching Muppets Christmas Carol (the complete version, with Belle's song 'The Love Has Gone', but I've probably ranted about that before so shall spare you a repeat). Anyway, here's my brief roundup of what looks interesting over Christmas. I've left off showings of classic films as there are so many.
Back in Time for Christmas (BBC 2, 14 and 15 December, 9pm)
I loved Back in Time for Dinner when it was on (writeups here and here) so as you can imagine, I'm jolly excited about this. I'm not sure how much traditional British Christmas food has changed over the years, but the team behind the show rely on the menus real people recorded for each decade, so this should show us what changes have come about – perhaps different ways of doing turkey, or more bought ready-made items, or different chocolates over the years. And, more importantly still, will Rochelle have mastered the use of the tin opener? The first show covers the 1940s-1960s, and the second the 1970s-90s.
![]() |
Back in Time for Christmas |
I loved Back in Time for Dinner when it was on (writeups here and here) so as you can imagine, I'm jolly excited about this. I'm not sure how much traditional British Christmas food has changed over the years, but the team behind the show rely on the menus real people recorded for each decade, so this should show us what changes have come about – perhaps different ways of doing turkey, or more bought ready-made items, or different chocolates over the years. And, more importantly still, will Rochelle have mastered the use of the tin opener? The first show covers the 1940s-1960s, and the second the 1970s-90s.
Labels:
Christmas
,
television
Tuesday, 8 December 2015
A happy Herb Alpert Christmas to you! Plus bonus Elvis
Actually, it's a happy Herb Alpert Christmas to Mr Robot and myself, as he mentioned Tijuana Brass Christmas tunes the other day (probably in the pub) and I immediately thought DO WANT. Because nothing says 'Christmas' like Herb Alpert's not-actually-Mexican midcentury style, inorite?
Friday, 4 December 2015
Sunday, 29 November 2015
The Hog's Back Mystery, Freeman Wills Crofts
Back in 2011 I wrote a post entitled The Disappearance of Freeman Wills Crofts, musing on the way one of the biggest names in 1930s crime fiction had seemingly been lost, with what remained of his work in print being very pricy. Well, hooray for the British Library, as they've started including some of Crofts' work in their Crime Classics series.
Wednesday, 18 November 2015
My outfit posts are a lie (sort of)
Gemma recently did a post on the history of her outfit shots, and how it showed her personal style changing and evolving. It was fascinating. (Annoyingly, I can't seem to find it to link directly to it.) As someone who's floundered a bit with style since my early 30s, which was when I stopped dressing as gothily as I had in my 20s, I was interested to see how my look had evolved on my blog. I don't feel as though I'm floundering so much any more, and I do feel as though I have a more coherent look – but would this be reflected in my photos? A quick check back surprised me rather.
Labels:
clothing
,
outfit post
Tuesday, 17 November 2015
Rat Pack Vegas Spectacular Show
My mum and her partner came to visit last weekend, and we took them to see the Rat Pack Vegas Spectacular Show at Trowbridge's Civic Centre. I don't have photos for you as they asked us not to take photos or video, otherwise I'd have sneaked one or two. We all love the music of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr, and it gave us all something fun to do for the night.
Friday, 13 November 2015
Jekyll and spies
Gorsh, time for a session of SPEAK MY BRANES. And I warn you, if you click on the link, I have a lot to waffle about, starting with some musings on ITV's 1930s-set Jekyll and Hyde.
Labels:
robot data
,
television
Sunday, 8 November 2015
I met Vix!
I don't know what the weather's like where you are, but here in Darkest Wiltshire is has been utterly putrid (as they'd say in the Wilds of Norfolk, where I grew up*). Leaving the house for my Saturday morning trip to the butcher was bad enough, and Mr Robot and I got soaked through. I'd never have left the house again, only there was a Judy's Affordable Vintage Fair in Bath, and Vix and Jon were bringing Kinky Melon's stall. I really wanted to meet Vix, and had high hopes of finding some new clothes too. Since coming to realise that late 50s/early 60s stuff suits me best, I've been slowly shifting my wardrobe in that direction, and Kinky Melon struck me as the ideal place to look for things.
![]() |
Looking at this photo, our frocks work pretty well together! |
Labels:
Bath
,
bloggermeet
,
events
,
shopping
Wednesday, 4 November 2015
Adventures in Burlesque: the naming of cats
![]() |
You only get to call yourself Kitten if you can live up to it... |
I think part of it is getting to know my fellow students better. I find the room full of people less intimidating, and I feel more part of things. Also, we've moved on to developing our stage personae. I've enjoyed that immensely, though coming up with a name was hard – T S Eliot may have written 'The naming of cats is a difficult matter', but he'd never tried to name a burlesquer. That's a difficult matter. In a way, you're bringing out your fantasy self, which is hard enough, before you start piling other significances onto your choice of name.
Labels:
burlesque
Monday, 2 November 2015
Who's Queen?
![]() |
Okay, this is Princess Anne's. But look at the beading! |
Labels:
clothing
,
events
,
exhibition
,
icons
Thursday, 29 October 2015
The other Dracula

And back in 1931, Universal made another film version of Dracula.
Tuesday, 27 October 2015
Are you a winner?
If you're Paul Starkey, then congrats, you are! You've won a vintage copy of The Second Pan Book of Horror Stories, plus some other bits and bobs. (Frankly, you're lucky the gingerbread mummies are making it into the parcel, as I was tempted to eat those myself.)
I posted some Halloween cards off to relatives on Saturday, but still need to make my Halloween cake for work. I'm planning on making a mummy-head carrot cake this year, and bought a special nozzle so I could pipe the cream cheese icing into 'bandages'. I hope it works!
Today is the second day of Thadingyut, which Mr Robot and I mark.
I posted some Halloween cards off to relatives on Saturday, but still need to make my Halloween cake for work. I'm planning on making a mummy-head carrot cake this year, and bought a special nozzle so I could pipe the cream cheese icing into 'bandages'. I hope it works!
Today is the second day of Thadingyut, which Mr Robot and I mark.
Sunday, 25 October 2015
The Pan Books of Horror - GIVEAWAY!
When I was a teenager (in the 1980s-1990s), battered old copies of the Pan Books of Horror Stories were everywhere. Secondhand bookshops had loads, as did just about every jumble sale or car boot stall. Anywhere that sold secondhand books, it seemed, would have one of the volumes.
Friday, 23 October 2015
The desire to hibernate
I don't know if it's the weather, or the nights drawing in, but I'm feeling rather less outgoing than usual right now – I just want to hide at home and cook and make things. Having had sore ears hasn't helped. I've definitely not been in the mood to go places or do anything exciting (ie bloggable). Unfortunately by the time I've got in from work and have done all the things that have to be done any enthusiasm for intricate projects has drained away and all I'm really good for is watching telly*. At least when you're a knitter telly time can still be productive.
Labels:
knitting
Sunday, 18 October 2015
Halloween cards with vintage elements
![]() |
My cards! And the cobweb bowls are from Lidl, if you're interested... |
The Robot has been rather light on Halloween content this year, for which I apologise. But look, cards!
Friday, 16 October 2015
Confessions of a hoarder
![]() |
This blouse was one of this year's purchases |
Labels:
charity shopping
,
clothing
,
shopping
Tuesday, 13 October 2015
Three novels by Francis Durbridge
It's funny where you find things. We've got a couple of bookshops in Trow, Waterstones and then Super Book, a place that sells cheap books. Usually their stock is stuff that's been on sale for full price elsewhere, but I've honestly never seen Arcturus Crime Classics on sale anywhere. The bookshop was selling them at two for a fiver, which makes them less than half the price of the British Library classic crime reprints. What really attracted me was that three of them are by Francis Durbridge, creator of Paul Temple!
Sunday, 11 October 2015
A trip to Guerlain
![]() |
Guerlain has a restaurant. A RESTAURANT. |
Friday, 9 October 2015
Judy in Paris
After all my agonising about what to wear in Paris, I ended up falling back on a few favourites. I haven't blogged about it yet, but I bought this 'Judy' dress in the 'wonky wedges' colourway from Heyday! at the Vintage Nostalgia Show, and it's already become a wardrobe staple. I hadn't planned to take it on holiday, but popped it in the case at the last minute and it was perfect.
Labels:
clothing
,
outfit post
Monday, 5 October 2015
New faces / old hobbies
Thursday, 1 October 2015
Bloofer gent: Christopher Lee
Every October I salute a Vintage Hottie of Horror – lady or gent doesn't matter, all that counts is that they are creeptacular retro-crumpet – and this year there can only be one candidate: Christopher Lee.
Labels:
bloofer lady/gent
,
crumpet
,
horror
Tuesday, 29 September 2015
Vintage fair isle, off and on the needles
![]() |
Off to work I go! |
Thursday, 24 September 2015
Five brilliantly bonkers British TV series
Something weird happened in British telly in the 1960s. I'm not sure what drove it - the euphoria of leaving the ration-blighted 1950s behind, perhaps, or the increasingly multicultural nature of the place, or even the growth of the free-love-and-drugs culture. Who knows? At any rate, as far as weird programmes go, the decade was a goldmine.
Labels:
1960s
,
television
Monday, 21 September 2015
Bonjour, gorgeous people!

I nearly wrote 'foof and drink' there. It's not that sort of trip!
Here's our hotel room. We're staying in a little 12-room place in the Marais, the converted Presbytery of the St Merri church, just round the back of the Pompidou centre. When we stayed here all those years ago it was very cheap. It isn't cheap any more, but it is lovely.
Wednesday, 16 September 2015
Spooky vintage telly times ahead
October is not far away, and one of the treats to look forward to is ITV's Jekyll and Hyde. They haven't announced firmer dates than October yet, but it's definitely one to look out for.
Why should you care? For the following reasons:
Why should you care? For the following reasons:
Labels:
1930s
,
horror
,
television
Monday, 14 September 2015
Sensible shoes for serious walking
My shoes are boring and I like them that way!
Last year, with vouchers to spend and no idea what to spend them on, I bought a pair of penny loafers. FOOTWEAR REVELATION! I've always veered between clumpy boots and ladylike-but-bland shoes. (I think a really distinctive pair of shoes would send the matchy-matchy part of me into panic trying to find things that would look right with them.) My penny loafers were still great for tramping around in, but rather less casual looking. I wore them so much, I wore them out.
Last year, with vouchers to spend and no idea what to spend them on, I bought a pair of penny loafers. FOOTWEAR REVELATION! I've always veered between clumpy boots and ladylike-but-bland shoes. (I think a really distinctive pair of shoes would send the matchy-matchy part of me into panic trying to find things that would look right with them.) My penny loafers were still great for tramping around in, but rather less casual looking. I wore them so much, I wore them out.
Labels:
accessories
Wednesday, 9 September 2015
My Queen brings all the bling to the yard...
First up, thank you so much for the lovely comments about Boycie. We miss her terribly, but we know we were right to let her go. It's funny how such a scrap of fluff can leave such a big hole in your life.
Now, happier things. Queen Elizabeth II has become the longest-serving British monarch! I'm not a royalist per se - I'm not sure I approve of the concept of heads of state or leaders at all, frankly - but if we absolutely have to have someone in that position, I'd rather have her than elect one of our politicians. For one thing, Boris would look rubbish in a tiara (though he does at least have big hair). Joking aside, after the result of the last general election, I'm not sure I trust the rest of the electorate to get things right. So I'll stick with her Madge.
Now, happier things. Queen Elizabeth II has become the longest-serving British monarch! I'm not a royalist per se - I'm not sure I approve of the concept of heads of state or leaders at all, frankly - but if we absolutely have to have someone in that position, I'd rather have her than elect one of our politicians. For one thing, Boris would look rubbish in a tiara (though he does at least have big hair). Joking aside, after the result of the last general election, I'm not sure I trust the rest of the electorate to get things right. So I'll stick with her Madge.
Thursday, 3 September 2015
Snif
Well, 2015 has proved itself to be indescribably crap. I might not post for a week or two as our pusscat, Boycie, who we knew was a bit elderly and frail, now has kidney failure, so we're planning to give her lots and lots of love (and salmon, and her favourite Chinese chicken balls – meat part only) for the next couple of days before we say goodbye to her. Coming in the same year as losing my mother-in-law, it's all a bit sad in the House of Robots and we'd quite like the unhappy stuff to stop.
Boycie couldn't care less about vintage – she did wreck the satin skirt on a 1980s dress I'd owned from new, but I think that was general naughtiness rather than an aesthetic judgement on her part. And, as you can see here, she did take time out from her busy schedule to assess the midcentury dresses I was planning to wear at Vintage Nostalgia earlier this year. (Note: cotton dresses are safer around cats than satin ones!)
I love my kitty, and I am going to miss her terribly.
Boycie couldn't care less about vintage – she did wreck the satin skirt on a 1980s dress I'd owned from new, but I think that was general naughtiness rather than an aesthetic judgement on her part. And, as you can see here, she did take time out from her busy schedule to assess the midcentury dresses I was planning to wear at Vintage Nostalgia earlier this year. (Note: cotton dresses are safer around cats than satin ones!)
I love my kitty, and I am going to miss her terribly.
Labels:
aargh
Tuesday, 1 September 2015
Costume time: Partners in Crime - N or M?
Partners in Crime has finished, and the second three-episode story, N or M, served up as much costumey goodness as the first. (If you'd like to see my costume writeup, it's here: The Secret Adversary.) Walliams and Raine have won me over. I do like this programme. It's fluff, and it's not faithful to the original books, but it's entertaining and feels done with genuine love of the source material even as it deviates from it. Agatha Christie didn't write masses of novels about Tommy and Tuppence Beresford, and I do hope that when they've run out of books to adapt, the programme makers carry on.
Mild spoilers ahead - I won't reveal whodunnit or whohaditduntoem, but I will tell you a little of what the Beresfords do in this story.
Mild spoilers ahead - I won't reveal whodunnit or whohaditduntoem, but I will tell you a little of what the Beresfords do in this story.
Labels:
1950s
,
costumes
,
crime
,
television
Sunday, 30 August 2015
Autumn approaches...
![]() |
This dress should be good for autumn |
Labels:
clothing
Tuesday, 25 August 2015
'Mixing It: The Changing Faces of Wartime Britain' at IWM North
If you've read Crinoline Robot for any length of time, you'll know I get a bit of a bee in my bonnet about our nation's multicultural history being forgotten or ignored, especially around November when the 'My granddad didn't fight for [insert minority group here]' brigade get going in the run up to Remembrance Day. Because of that, I was really pleased to see that from the 12th of September 2015 IWM North, part of the Imperial War Museum, is going to be running a display entitled 'Mixing It: The Changing Faces of Wartime Britain'. It's showing research conducted by the University of Huddersfield into the stories of people who came to Britain because of the Second World War: a Jewish teenager, a tot from the Kindertransport, the first Nigerian pilot to serve with the RAF, Czech airmen and more.
Labels:
exhibition
,
Manchester
,
museum
,
WWII
Saturday, 22 August 2015
Outfit post: Potty Lotty
A few people have asked for a closer look at this yellow dress, so here you go. I thought I'd take advantage of the heatwave and get Mr Robot to take some photos.
Labels:
clothing
,
outfit post
,
shopping
Wednesday, 19 August 2015
Who wants to be a badly-dressed tourist?
![]() |
Grey waterproof. Practical, not stylish! |
Sunday, 16 August 2015
The Man From UNCLE
I finally got round to seeing the new The Man From UNCLE film and I loved it. However, the verdict in the Robot household wasn't unanimous; the film has had mixed reviews, and my husband wasn't massively keen on it.
I'd had high hopes from the first trailer. The film was set in the 1960s, like the original television programme, and I'd really hoped they'd pull it off. Well, they did. The story starts in Berlin, and it looks like 1960s Berlin, and the film looks like a 1960s film - the colours look like those of a movie shot then. Even the font used for the titles looks like a 1960s font. The music is fantastic, and sounds very 1960s even though much of it was composed especially for the film.
I'd had high hopes from the first trailer. The film was set in the 1960s, like the original television programme, and I'd really hoped they'd pull it off. Well, they did. The story starts in Berlin, and it looks like 1960s Berlin, and the film looks like a 1960s film - the colours look like those of a movie shot then. Even the font used for the titles looks like a 1960s font. The music is fantastic, and sounds very 1960s even though much of it was composed especially for the film.
Thursday, 13 August 2015
Costume time – Partners in Crime: The Secret Adversary
It seems like ages since I've done a costume breakdown for a telly programme, but the outfits in the first Partners in Crime story were so striking that I really wanted to. I really wasn't sure how I felt about the show after the first episode, nor did I like Tuppence's hats. Well, three episodes in, with the first story complete, I like the show and have come to accept the titfers.
Tuppence
You can't really avoid looking at the hats. In the first episode, I was particularly startled by Tuppence pairing a chestnut hat with a black bag and chocolate gloves. That's the point, I guess: Tuppence's hats are supposed to be over-the-top and frivolous.
Tuppence
You can't really avoid looking at the hats. In the first episode, I was particularly startled by Tuppence pairing a chestnut hat with a black bag and chocolate gloves. That's the point, I guess: Tuppence's hats are supposed to be over-the-top and frivolous.
Labels:
1950s
,
clothing
,
costumes
,
crime
,
television
Tuesday, 11 August 2015
The Man from UNCLE: One of Our Spies is Missing
While we're all waiting for the new Man from UNCLE film to hit the cinemas on the 14th (or am I the only one bouncing in anticipation?), why not enjoy one of the original films?
Saturday, 8 August 2015
Recent purchases and a good read
Finally the charity shops have started yielding some goodies again. I would say 'not much in the way of clothes', but today I found exactly what I needed (modern) to adapt for my burlesque costume in Oxfam for £8. (I'll probably do a proper post on my costume purchases/work at a later date, though without revealing the exact theme.) Last week I gave a couple of 1940s dresses to a local chazza with a specialist vintage section - I explained to the manageress what they were, so hopefully they will get a decent price for them - and perhaps that's topped up my charity shop luck.
Wednesday, 5 August 2015
Losing the 1960s
![]() |
Cilla! |
Sunday, 2 August 2015
My five current favourite Etsy clothes shops
I've bought some lovely pieces off Etsy over the past 12 months, so I thought I'd share my five favourite Etsy clothes shops with you. These are all shops I look at regularly, because I know they have great stock, in a good choice of sizes, and they're not massively expensive – though everyone has a different definition of expensive, and I'm lucky enough to have a full-time job; you might feel differently. Being fuller of figure, as much as I love a chazza bargain I'd spend a lot of time naked if I didn't fill in with stuff from vintage dealers or modern manufacturers. I've stated what I've bought from each one not to be boastful, but to reassure you that I do put my money where my mouth is – I've bought from them as a regular punter and had good experiences.
Labels:
shopping
Friday, 31 July 2015
And the winner is...
The random number generator picked out number six, LOUISE NORMAN!
Louise, please email a postal address for me to send the box of robotness to - my email address is crinolinerobot AT yahoo DOT com.
Congratulations!
Everyone else, I've got a huge pile of wool at home, so I'm thinking of doing a winter woolly giveaway later in the year when I get my knit together. If I do find time to make some nice hats and gloves, what are people's preferred eras/colours? I won't do those as a draw, I'll do them on a 'first comment wanting it gets it' basis.
Louise, please email a postal address for me to send the box of robotness to - my email address is crinolinerobot AT yahoo DOT com.
Congratulations!
Everyone else, I've got a huge pile of wool at home, so I'm thinking of doing a winter woolly giveaway later in the year when I get my knit together. If I do find time to make some nice hats and gloves, what are people's preferred eras/colours? I won't do those as a draw, I'll do them on a 'first comment wanting it gets it' basis.
Thursday, 30 July 2015
Birmingham with a toy robot
Every blogger looks at the search terms people use to find their blog. As I've covered both Chrystabel Leighton-Porter (the model for risque wartime cartoon strip 'Jane') and the astonishingly buxom Sabrina (no surname needed, back in the 1950s) in my 'Forgotten Bombshells' pieces, I get a fair few people looking for them, usually either their measurements or in the nude. Oh, internet*. However, a while back someone searching for 'Nice places to go with a toy robot' found my blog. Were they looking for nice places to go that already had a toy robot for them to meet, or nice places where their toy robot would be welcome? Sadly, I had no way of knowing.
Labels:
Birmingham
,
cricket
,
nice places to go with a toy robot
Monday, 27 July 2015
Partners In Crime [television]
I had a mixture of hopes and fears for the new TV version of Agatha Christie's Partners in Crime stories. On reflection, it wasn't awful, but I didn't fall immediately in love with the programme.
Labels:
1950s
,
crime
,
television
Thursday, 23 July 2015
Win a box of robotness!
Yes, it's a little later than I'd have liked, but it is time for my annual blogoversary giveaway. In case you're not familiar with them, to celebrate another year of speaking my branes I give away a box full of things I like in the hopes that you might like them too. They're always all things I've bought or made, I'm not simply passing on promotional freebies. Anyone from anywhere in the world can enter. All you have to do is leave ONE comment, and then I'll pick a winner using a random number generator. Dead simple, eh?
Monday, 20 July 2015
New old dresses, old old dresses
![]() |
1970s-does-Edwardian. Gorgeous. |
Sunday, 12 July 2015
In which I apologise for being rubbish
![]() |
I have not been eating cake. I spent seven days living on soup, and can now manage mash. |
Wednesday, 8 July 2015
Britain on Film
Britain on Film is a new digitisation project led by the British Film Institute, aiming to show the lives of British people over the past century. You can search the collection by location, decade or subject (for example, Factories, Street Scenes or even State Visits!). It includes classic TV programmes and feature films, but also documentary footage and home movies. Not all of the content is free to watch - you'll need to pay for some of the films - but a good portion of it is. Also, you have to be in the UK to see the films.
Labels:
film
Monday, 6 July 2015
Explorer style
Have you ever wanted a particular style of home? I always wanted an art deco home, and this year I've really been enjoying Porcelina's posts about restoring her home to its moderne-era best, Cate's (Vintage Gal) renovations and Marija's (Pinky Purple Honey) notes on decoration. The thing is, I'm never going to have an art deco home because I'm never going to have those uncluttered surfaces. I have too many books and knick-knacks.
Labels:
homewares
Subscribe to:
Posts
(
Atom
)