About Me

My passion is the 1950’s. I grew up listening to my father’s old Bill Haley and Buddy Holly records but turned to the punk scene when it first began as it was new, exciting and the dress code infuriated my parents (which as a teenager seemed ‘cool’) – to the extent they used to drive me to the station just so the neighbours didn’t see me and my friends going out. All our clothes came from ‘Let it Rock’ / Sex in the Kings Road and were pretty weird to the uninitiated I guess.

One day when I was 17 my brother came home with a record by The Flying Saucers called ‘Planet of the Drapes’ which I listened to over and over again – it was a turning point for me and from then on I was hooked on Rock n Roll and all things ’50’s.

At this time was a huge revival scene which was made up of original teds and rockers from the ’50’s plus a massive influx of younger generation r ‘n’ r fans. Some of the original bands / singers were still performing and we managed to see many of the great rock ‘n’ roll artists such as Bill Haley and the Comets at Woolwich Odeon, Chuck Berry in Lewisham, Clarence ‘frogman’ Henry, ‘Heinz’ (Burt) as well as some of the big US artists more famous for Rockabilly – Carl Perkins, Mac Curtis, Janis Martin, Jack Scott and many more. Never managed to see Jerry Lee, but saw his sister Linda Gail Lewis perform – she is brilliant – absolutely as good as her famous brother.

Everything in my life revolved around the 50’s – the cars & motorbikes, the furniture, the clubs, the weekenders – even my holidays abroad were taken with 100’s of others from the scene.

At 17 with no licence and a handfull of driving lessons I bought my first car, a 1962 Vauxhall Velox (I wanted the ’57 cresta with the split windscreen but hey it still had the ‘wings’) for £200 – in immaculate condition, original working radio and whitewall tyres.

Two pillows on the bench seat so I could see where I was going and a speaker fitted in front of the radiator so I could blast my r’n’r music both inside and outside the car. Those were the days! Never get away with that now.

Really loved that car ( pictured with a Mk 1 Consul in Charlton, South London).

It was important to be ‘authentic’ in those days (if not, you were called ‘plastic’) so we only wore original clothing. Men’s drapes were made at tailors (until places like ‘Teds Corner’ who made repro drapes and circle dresses, came along in the early 80’s) and ladies clothing came from vintage shops & stalls.

In the 70’s Greenwich market (not where it is situated now or aimed at tourists) was more of a ‘flea market’ – but a treasure trove of vintage goodies and not overpriced as it is today. The fabulous Kensington Market was another favourite – packed with stalls selling antiques, vintage clothing, shoes and so much more, you could spend a whole day in there and often did.

Everything was easily obtainable and cheap – dresses, skirts, jumpers, leather jackets, shoes, stockings, as well as all our lingerie, the big knickers and bullet bras. We had ‘pan-stick’ make-up and ‘spit-on’ mascara rather than the ‘modern stuff’ as it was more authentic.

Forgive me for rambling, I think its a typical human trait to ramble about things they are passionate about even if not everyone is interested.

My 3 children and I moved to Spain in 2002 where I lived and worked happily as an estate agent for 8 years, but was forced to return to the UK due to the recession (after a brief 6 month period working in Turkey to try and avoid coming back).

With no money, no job and no idea what to do, I ‘fell’ into hosiery quite by accident. I bought a pair of over knee socks for my daughter and pressed on a seam of crystals with a satin bow at the top. She didn’t like them so I put them on Ebay and they sold immediately so I made more. Then I found some still sealed fully fashion stockings in a charity shop and sold them on Ebay too. The hosiery ‘business’ had begun.

In 2011, I heard of a new government backed project being launched called the New Enterprise Scheme whereby you had to submit a full business plan and if accepted you would be paid a small weekly sum for 6 months whilst setting up a new business and then were given £1,000 loan at the end of it. I’m not sure what I was thinking – setting up a website, marketing and stocking that website all on £1,000 but I jumped at it anyway and was accepted.

It has been 12 years since I submitted my business plan with that scheme and Swanky Pins has changed a lot in since then. We stock far more lingerie than hosiery now, have included many of our own designs, and focused more on the retro styles that I have always had a passion for. In fact, I still have some of my original 1950’s lingerie and stockings, and although some items are pretty uncomfortable to wear compared to today’s modern fabrics, I use them to base ideas on.

I love the glamour of the 50’s – it was an era where the women always seemed to look so ‘perfect’ – from glamorous pin-up girls and the stars of the big screen, to the ‘humble’ housewife, whose husband never came home to his wife cooking dinner in a towelling dressing gown, fleecy pyjamas and a large pair of animal shaped furry slippers.

Now there are 2 of us that work full time on the business – myself and daughter Coral & Stephanie who help with marketing, writing, advice and occassionally model my projects for me, my son Ashley who does the accounts (and is also useful for sizing for male wearers). Having different generations working on the same business is great and has many benefits as we can get contrasting insights into ‘what people want’. The two dogs Clyde (a Pomeranian) and Lexi (the Shih Tzu) also deserve a mention as although they are more of a hindrance than a help, they do often forego their walks because we are too busy.