Vintage at Goodwood

The time has finally arrived for us to announce that we will be curating all the vintage stalls for Vintage at Goodwood.

A collaboration between Wayne Hemmingway and the team behind Goodwood Revival are putting on the first ever large scale vintage event, taking place over a weekend and celebrating five decades of British Cool!

This is going to be the most amazing vintage weekender with so much on offer including a huge vintage market (courtesy of the affordable vintage fair), a vintage hair salon, an old fashioned fair, dancing, and afternoon tea served in vintage china. Plus Lily Allen will launch her new vintage fashion venture, “Lucy in Disguise”.

A main music stage will play host to live acts such as Sandie Shaw, who will be making her first performance in over 20 years, and five different club-style spaces will aim to replicate the mood of the decades: from 40s style dancing and burlesque acts in the ‘Torch Club’, to 'Warehouse and Roller Disco’, which will sample 70s funk and Acid House.

We're so excited about this event and hope you can all join us. If you are interested in trading at Vintage at Goodwood please email Judy on vintagefashionfairs@yahoo.co.uk.

Derby and Oxford fairs this weekend

I'm so excited that we're bringing the vintage fair to the Oxford Union this Saturday. Here's a quote from their website to show why I'm excited:

"In 1823 a group of students came together and set up a society that was one of the first of its kind, “having for its object the promotion of Debates and the maintenance of a Library and Reading Room”. Since then, the Oxford Union has become the most famous student society in the world. It has survived two World Wars and witnessed the foundation of 121 independent nations. It has seen forty-seven general elections, the reigns of eight British monarchs and thirty-eight US Presidencies. Union members have debated and voted on thousands of motions tracking the changes of the last 187 years. Nearly six hundred Presidents have made their mark here."

As we do most of our vintage fashion fairs in Student unions its fitting that we have decided to place our latest fair in the most famous union in the world!! Its a small venue so we've hand picked the best stalls to make sure the fair gives you all you'll need.

Here's how the union looks (we're going to have to move the benches)..


I'll post some pictures of how we made it look after the weekend.

We'll also be at Derby Student Union on Sunday with 40 stalls of the finest affordable vintage.

For all our dates and opening times please see our website: http://www.vintagefair.co.uk/

Charity Shop Goodies

I went on an impromptu charity shop trip this week! I only actually went into town to get some spray for the frames I planned to use for the vintage magazines I bought at the Lincoln fair. However, I ended up having quite an afternoon! In the space of an hour I managed to spend £26.44 and came home with a whole host of goodies.

Firstly, I came accross a box of old pictures. I am a sucker for these as I love old frames! I found these for 99p each:

They are much much more suitable for the magazines and although they are 2 different colours, there are four! I have 2 magazines I have been meaning to frame for ages that would go great with them. Plus I like the frames themselves so wouldn't need to spray them, so here we go! The two magazines I got from Lincoln, plus my two others on my wall with my sunburst clock bought from the very same charity shop just a long time ago:

I love any kind of old embroideries and I always feel sad when I find them in charity shops. I remember watching my Mum spend hours making them and think it's such a shame someone spent such a long time making it for it to be given away. So obviously, I always end up taking them home! I found this in the same frame box for 99p.

Moving on to the next charity shop I found this beautiful little suitcase! I really don't need it but it was in perfect condition and maybe it will be a suitable hint for my boyfriend to take me away for the weekend! It was £3 and i love it!

After I discovered the joys of boys shoes at the Lincoln fair, I was suddently aware of the mens shoe rack of every shop I went in! I found these beauties perfect for work for £3.49:

And finally, to go down as one of my all time best ever charity shop finds (on the same list as the clock!) I came accross this 6 piece orginal 1950s condiment set! They were all priced up individually, but the lovely lady (who knows me as a regular) let me have the lot for £15. My favourite is obviously the cake stand but I love them all:

It's Crown Devon and each piece comes with a teak stand! My kitchen is currently in a half finished state, so I will be packing it away, ready for my G plan dining table (also to be acquired, preferably from a charity shop!) and my currently imaginary dream kitchen! Even Minnie the pesky cat loves them!

So there you have it, just like buses, the Charity shop finds come all at once! I have had a real dry spell of late then one afternoon I get the dream lot!

SYKES London Fashion Week

The SYKES collection is so delicate and simple. I love the way this delicacy is enhanced by the models ghostly hair and make up. I have wanted to wear white tights for ages and this is definitely how to wear them! Silk shirts, romantic ruffles and draping is toughened up and given a rock edge with leather, blazers, stud details and pointy shoes.

PPQ London Fashion Week

I was impressed with the AW10 PPQ collection, although i had a sneaking suspicion it would be good! PPQ is totally up my street. I'm so excited for what the season holds in terms of fashion. All the pieces look so luxe. I was struck by all the sumptuous texture.  The fur, gold braiding, velvet and lamé elements are so opulent along with the black and gold. Isn't that what autumn winter is all about, opulence?  

I think the collection is very wearable and there are quite a few pieces i would like to get my hands on NOW. I can really imagine wearing all the dresses. I like that they have a mix of the mini and long flowing maxis, the two extremes! I love the black velvet dress with the gold edged cape. I also really like the simplicity of the black dress with three quarter sleeves and the dress with the collar(last image). The jumpsuits look really well tailored as well. Who am i fooling? I want it all! Enjoy... 

Kathleen and Lily's

It was great to catch up with Kathleen and Lily's at our last Nottingham fair. The 'Kathleen and Lily's' stall always brings something really unique to the fair. The girls arrive at the fair with hoards of sewing related paraphernalia and set to work trimming and transforming vintage wears. 

Kathleen and Lily's lovely website

As well as their customised vintage creations 'Kathleen and Lily's' offer an extremely handy alterations service, perfect if you want some finishing touches to a vintage item that you have fallen in love with at the fair! 

Here's a peek at some of Kathleen and Lily's customised items. There is no end to their talents...

The good news is Kathleen and Lily's will be at next weeks Derby fair on Sunday 28th February and also our first ever Leicester fair on Sunday 7th March! They have a lovely shop in Nottingham and are also involved in some exciting events this summer which include the 'Dot to Dot' festival in Nottingham and 'Indietracks' festival in Derbyshire. 

Leeds and Lincoln finds!

Having been an avid vintage fair shopper for a very long time it still manages to suprise me how many fantastic finds I come accross at the Affordable Vintage Fair! Having visited two in the January Sale period, under the idea that i would just be 'browsing', I now have some more amazing goodies! Luckily, they haven't broken the bank though!

At the Leeds fair on the 24th of January I was completely taken by two dresses! They were both from the same stall, Little Old Me, and had me completely torn!

Dress one was a gorgeous stripey 1950s Betty Draper special!

Dress Two was an amazing 1950s (can you see a theme emerging?) strawberry print cotton number:

After much deliberation I went for dress number one as I really don't have anything like it, and for the bargain price of £45 I couldn't argue. Now all I need is a Don Draper and I will be living the Mad Men dream!

After a couple of weeks rest, the Lincoln fair rolled into town last Sunday, and again I was expecting to browse and not shop but ended up going home with two items I neve knew I needed, but now can't be without!

Firstly on the Haberdashery stall there were stacks of vintage fashion magazines from the 1920s onwards:

I bought 2 of these at £4 each and have some great car boot sale frames to modify for them. I will update you with a 'How to' when I have finished them!

And finally, my favourite find of the season, a pair of shoes! One thing I have never bought is vintage shoes, however the lovely Mr from Princes Vintage pointed these out and I was in love!

They are a bit scuffed now as I have literally, not had them off my feet, they are technically mens shoes, Bally and were the bargain price of £25! What more could a girl want!

Pictures of our York Vintage Fair

Pictures of our Liverpool Vintage Fair

Here are some images to drool over...

Liverpool Affordable Vintage Fair January 2010

Liverpool Affordable Vintage Fair January 2010Liverpool Affordable Vintage Fair January 2010