Monday 18 July 2011

Monday, 18th July 1949

Earlier today Anne-Marie and Lucy noticed a poster near the theatre advertising an audition for variety acts at our local hotspot, The Winkle Picker Club.  The girls insisted that I should apply for a singing audition; before I could blink Grace was hailing a taxicab.  The Winkle Picker Club is our usual haunt for cocktails; fortunately I’m well acquainted with Mr. Fitzpatrick the Proprietor.  He was most intrigued to learn about my undiscovered talents as a singer, emphatically revealed by Grace who is my biggest fan I hasten to add!  Happily, Grace convinced Mr. Fitzpatrick to give me an audition!

I’m going to give it my best shot and knock him out with the red ‘Surprise’ dress - a real showstopper!  This a-symmetrical classic is sure to wow with its one shoulder strap detail and large white button.  I’ll sign off now to rehearse; I’m going to audition with my favourite Doris Day number ‘A Guy is a Guy’.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xk-iy6n5Ntk

Friday 15 July 2011

Friday, 15th July 1949

Dear Diary,

It’s Show Time!  Last night I took the salon girls, Grace, Doreen, Anne-Marie and Lucy out to see a Variety Show at the Hackney Empire.  We all had such a swell time!  During the opening number one of the chorus girls lost her shoe during the high kicks routine!  Doreen thought that the ventriloquist looked like her brother-in-law and Nino The Wonder Dog was such a cute, clever pup.  Curiously, no one was entirely sure if the animal hypnotist was a Mister or a Miss! 

It was hardly surprising that the headline act, Lola Falana, captured my imagination. The stylish songstress certainly measured up to her bill matter “The Sultry Siren”. Such a captivating, exotic performance and delivered so provocatively in a style that’s wonderfully ‘à la mode’.  Lola found her fame in the nightclubs of Munich and Berlin back in the thirties.  Before the war, Lola fled from Germany to bring her grace and style to our English stage.  Bravo Lola! What an inspiring picture of elegance, wearing a fabulous black satin gown.  Definitely my cup of tea! 

Monday 4 July 2011

Tuesday 5th July 1949 - Never trust a handy man.... ;-)


Dear Diary,

The boutique needed a few odd jobs doing, so I decided to respond to a local newspaper advertisement. Charlie the Handy Man arrived early this morning to fix up a few more clothes rails and an extra shelf or two.  One must always be careful when allowing Tradesmen onto the premises. Always insist on a good character reference before leaving a Handy Man alone in your fashion boutique.

The salon was furiously busy when Charlie presented himself on my doorstep with a tool bag and a friendly smile. Certainly an affable sort of chap, Charlie quickly convinced me that he’s the sharpest tool in the box.  So I was thrilled to just let him get on with it whilst I managed my regular salon ladies.

Throughout the morning, the ladies complained of screeching drills, perpetual banging and the awful grating of saws.  Anne-Marie had to turn up the “Swing Time” radio show to full volume on the wireless set and drown out the awful din.  We hardly noticed when the boutique became strangely quiet. A sure sign that Charlie’s task was complete, so I decided to go and inspect the handy work.

Jeepers creepers!! Oh what a shock!  I swear that I’ll never, ever understand the duplicitous nature of the male of our species!  As bold as brass and posing before the mirror, Charlie had clothed himself in the new
Alika Circle
green dress with the pretty netting detail around the shoulder and cute bow around the waist! Fiddling with a black ostrich feather fascinator, Charlie was so engrossed with his new image that it was quite sometime before he noticed me standing there.

His reaction to my presence was so entirely unexpected that I became absolutely speechless. Raising the skirt hem from his hairy knee Charlie revealed the cantankerous beginnings of a ladder in his stocking.  I was utterly bemused yet curiously intrigued when Charlie very sweetly asked me to help him fix this cumbersome flaw in his vision of perfection. I found myself dutifully assisting with a spot of clear nail varnish strategically applied to stop the ladder running any further.  There’s simply nothing worse than a ruined stocking.