Atomic Festival!

So since my last post there have been a few changes in my little world... I have moved into a new place with my guy... and it's great!  I also have a new job... or I will do in a few weeks when I start it.  I will still be working in clinical research but in a different role with more responsibility (and more money!) in a different research facility so yay for me.  And I booked a holiday to America for 2015 (Yes, I will finally get to revel in all the VLV fun!)  And I managed to do all this in one week.  But now on to more important things such as....

Atomic Festival!  At the beginning of May, the first ever Atomic Festival was held at Sywell Aerodrome in Northampton.  I had tickets for the Saturday but I kinda wished I had weekend tickets because it was so much fun that I didn't want to go home on Saturday evening!

 

I am so glad that it did not rain... and although it was very sunny, it was a pretty cold start to the day!  This plaid dress was perfect to wear to this 1950s Americana event and I teamed it with my Rocket Originals wedges and then, later on in the day, my saddles shoes. 

 

 

This is actually the second Mr. Mort dress that I own.  The first Mr. Mort dress I have yet to wear even though I consider it to be one of my favourite dresses (how is that possible, to have a 'favourite' dress that I've never worn?!)  This one has a fully lined circle skirt and it's pretty heavy (it swings and hits your partner when you jive in it!) 

 

 

 

 

One of the reasons why I'm a bit gutted I was only there for the Saturday was that I missed the Poodle Parade on the Sunday.  I did get to snap some photos of this super chic lady and her lovely dogs though.

 

 

 

So I have to admit, I was not that enthused to see Demon Drome's Wall of Death but my guy really wanted to go so I went too... AND THEY TOTALLY BLEW MY MIND!!!  It was definitely one of the highlights of my day at the festival - the two guys and girl were amazing and I still can't get over the stunts that they did (they went so fast that I did not get any good photos but if you ever get the chance to see them at an event - DO IT!!!)

 

 

 

I love Classic American cars and I'm glad we got to have a good look around the cars parked in the field.

 

 

Not only was the Festival lots of fun but it took place at such a fantastic venue!  The beautiful Art Deco surroundings of the Aerodrome building and Aviator Hotel looked like they should be the backdrop for an episode of Poirot (rather than a 1950s event!) and I would love to go back one day to explore more of this venue.

 

 

There was so much going on but we managed to see The Revolutionaires later on in the day.  They were so lively and energetic, I hope to be able to see them again in the future.

 



 

To be honest, I don't remember much of Bobby Brooks Wilson's set at Rhythm Riot so I made sure I was right at the front when I caught him at Atomic.  He is so charming and sounds just like his Father, it was a great end to a great day.

 

There was also lots that I didn't take photos of, such as the racing on the drag strip, roller disco, Jive Championships, vintage traders, great food stalls...  Definitely an event I would like to go back to (and next time, hopefully, for both days!)

 

Dress: Vintage Mr. Mort from Etsy

Shoes: Rocket Originals

Sunglasses: Vintage from Vera Mode

Bag: Vintage from Etsy

Earrings: Vintage from Etsy

Bracelet: Vintage from trader at Rhythm Riot

 

 

The Mid Century Market and my Birthday!

A few weekends ago, I turned 27 and decided to spend my birthday in London eating lots of good food and looking at pretty vintage clothes.  My birthday also happened to coincide with Bettina Scarlett's 'Mid Century Market' which I blogged about back in March. 

As it was a special day, I just had to wear one of my favourite dresses...

 
This is the Anne Fogarty dress I purchased on the Sunday at Rhythm Riot 2013 and it is such a great little cotton dress.  I'm surprised that this dress lasted until the Sunday of the weekender but I think it was because it was destined to be mine!

Giggling because there were builders doing work on the street opposite and they were somewhat bemused by my "posing"

The dress did actually come with it's own original belt which is in good condition as well.  However, it could do with being an inch smaller (and because the belt is constructed in a particular way, it isn't possible to make it smaller) so I decided to wear this nondescript black belt instead.

OK, so on to the Mid Century Market... I'm so glad I got to go to this event, it was in a great location with lots of lovely traders selling 1950s vintage and vintage inspired items.  Even though it was my birthday and I did have some cash to burn, I managed to be impressively restrained in my spending.

I bought a pair of 1950s cat eye sunglasses that I had been lusting after from Vera Mode Vintage.  It was so good to see her stuff in person and I am surprised that I managed to walk away from her stall with only sunglasses!

I also treated myself to two pairs of vintage inspired earrings from Bow and Crossbones - so many pretty things at this stall! 

Unfortunately, I only took one photo of the market but you can see how it is filled with vintage goodness!

The next fair date has already been set and it is on Saturday 16th August in the same location in Hammersmith, check out the website for more details.  I really hope I can make it to this one too.

Dress: Vintage from trader at Rhythm Riot
Belt: Vintage from eBay
Jacket: Vintage from Ballyhoo Vintage
Shoes: Marks and Spencer
Bag: Vintage from Vintage to Vogue, Bath
Earrings: Vintage from Etsy
Bracelet: Vintage from eBay
Hat: Vintage from The Little Vintage Shop, Lymington

It's Spring!

So Spring is finally here in the UK!  I am very pleased about that because I am a fan of the 'warmer' months, however, having said that, we didn't have a particularly cold winter (I never saw any snow!)  It did rain a lot though so I hope we don't see rain like that for a while. 

As a vintage lover, warmer weather is certainly easier to dress for.  It took me a while to get into "vintage winter wardrobe" mode, which essentially meant that I didn't allow myself to buy any more summery cotton dresses and instead only bought wool/ wool blend dresses.  I did find some really nice wool dresses as well so although I am happy it is getting warmer, I'm going to miss wearing these dresses and my winter coats! 

My favourite winter dress purchase in the last few months is easily this one...

 

I bought this dress from Lucky Dry Goods on Etsy.  I almost always message sellers when I buy online, usually to double check the condition of the item.  When I messaged the seller this time, it happened to be the lovely Sara from Lilies and Remains who replied as she works for this store!  I love her blog as she has the most sensational 1940s style and she was so kind as to answer my queries and even gave me a 10% discount for a tiny flaw that was overlooked in the listing (even though it is so small I can't even see it on the dress!)

 

 

It's pretty easy to see why I love this dress... cute velvet collar, great fit, and the fabric has little yellow 'x' details woven into the fabric... perfect! 

 

 

I was in London for the weekend of Valentine's Day and I wore this outfit to the Clerkenwell Fair.  I managed to only buy two items at the fair - a pair of red flower screw back earrings and a beautiful Rhona Roy dress in the most exquisite celadon colour!  I can't wait to wear that dress but just need to find the right occasion for it. 

 

 

Dress: Vintage from Lucky Dry Goods on Etsy

Coat: Vintage from Lou Lou's Vintage Fair

Hat: Vintage from The Little Vintage Shop, Lymington

Bag: Vintage, gift from my guy

Earrings: Vintage Lucite confetti, Etsy

Gloves: Vintage from Lou Lou's Vintage Fair

Shoes: Marks and Spencer







Rhythm Riot 2013 Part 2

So this is the outfit that I wore on Sunday at Rhythm Riot...

 

I expected the weather to be super cold so thought that it would be a good opportunity to wear this wool dress.  I bought this on Etsy back in the summer and I only paid £25 for it!  I rarely get to buy such bargains on Etsy.  It's an Anne Fogarty and in great condition too (something I always worry about when purchasing wool dresses online.) 

 

 

 

 

I am surprised that these photos turned out OK as they were taken after only a few hours sleep.  After staying out late to see The Royal Rhythmaires on Saturday night, I got up to go the Boot Sale at 10am (couldn't manage getting there for 9am!)  The Boot sale itself was a bit disappointing because the prices were quite high for a lot of the items.  I did buy a few things (including the hat you can see in these photos.)

 

Although the Sunday Boot Sale was disappointing, the shopping in general at the Riot certainly was not!  Living in Southampton, where there are no vintage shops and the local fairs don't have a lot of pre-1960s, I felt somewhat overwhelmed at the amount of wonderful 1940s and 1950s vintage on offer.  Everything was just amazing and so as a result, I found it hard to distinguish what I liked from what I really liked!  I didn't have a huge budget either so I didn't go crazy but I did pick up some nice items including a 1940s rayon Carol Craig dress, a 1950s brown cashmere sweater, red ?Bakelite hoop earrings and a 1950s Anne Fogarty dress (which seemed as though it was destined to be mine as I was wearing the above AF dress at the time!)  My guy also found some nice items too which he was pleased about because men's vintage is harder to find, at least where we live.

 

 

 

 

Of course, everyone there looked fantastic as well!  It was really great being at an event where people appreciated the 1940s and 1950s lifestyle - from the clothes to the music to the cars.  When I go to local vintage fairs, often, I am the only one in vintage clothes, so it was nice to see everyone in lovely outfits.  I also got to meet some lovely people as well.  I thoroughly enjoyed my first Rhythm Riot and I would definitely go back!

 

Dress: Vintage from Etsy

Shoes: Office

Gloves: Vintage from Lou Lou's Vintage Fair

Bag: Vintage from Etsy

Hat: Vintage from a trader at Rhythm Riot boot sale

Brooch: Vintage from Tamara Watts at the Clerkenwell Vintage Fair

 

Sunday Roast

At the beginning of November, I celebrated my Dad's Birthday with a Sunday Roast Dinner at a restaurant in Romsey.

I have been keen to wear this cute yellow sweater ever since I purchased it at the Bows and Braces Vintage Fair back in August but wanted to wait until the weather was cold enough to wear a sweater and it certainly is now!  I don't know if the details will show up well on my photos but it is a 1930s piece and has beading all over it!  It has been really difficult finding small sized vintage sweaters so I was really happy to see this was in my size!  I also couldn't resist adding another recent acquisition - the Bakelite Scottie brooch which I bought from Tamara Watts at the Clerkenwell Fair (she had some AMAZING items!)

You can also see the hat I purchased from Lou Lou's Vintage Fair back in October.  When I tried this hat on at the fair, I wasn't immediately sold on it but my friend convinced me to buy it and I am so glad she did because I now love it! The colour, the style, it fits perfectly!  I find it quite difficult to buy vintage hats because a lot of them look better on girls with longer hair, so whenever I see a hat that suits me, I tend to snap it up!

I am also wearing my new 1940s coat which I bought in Bath when I went to visit the Gangsters and Gunslingers exhibition.  It has such a lovely shape and also works really well with my fox fur stole (as I am sure you will see in some future posts!)



Please excuse my silly face!



Coat: Vintage from Vintage to Vogue, Bath

Skirt: Vintage from Classic Vault Vintage

Sweater: Vintage from Pret-a-Vintage

Hat: Vintage from a trader at Lou Lou's Vintage Fair Southampton

Bag: Vintage from Etsy

Gloves: Vintage from a trader at the Lace and Tweed Vintage Fair

Belt: Vintage celluloid buckle from Etsy

Brooch: Vintage from the Clerkenwell Vintage Fair

Shoes: Office

Lace and Tweed

A few weekends ago I went to the Lace and Tweed Vintage Fair which is hosted twice a year in Guildford. 

Here is the outfit that I wore on the day...

 

The dress is a recent acquisition from Fab Gabs on Etsy and I am pretty much in love with everything in that shop!  If only it were all my size *sigh*... luckily for me this dress was my size! 

Although I am not a fan of the colder months, there is one good thing about winter approaching - I get to wear fur!  This fox fur stole is particularly practical as I can wear it with a lot of my jackets and coats. 

 

 

 

I hadn't been to this particular fair before but was told that there was some great vintage for sale so I decided to make the train trip to check it out.  I don't always travel so far to go to vintage fairs as they are not always worth the money or effort travelling.  There was some really great vintage on offer but I didn't buy much (a 1950s jacket for my guy, a pair of 1940s gloves and some 1950s cat eye sunglasses.)

 

There were also some very well dressed people in attendance (something I don't always see at local fairs) and I just had to snap a photo of this vintage lady in her autumnal dress - doesn't she look great?

Dress: Vintage from Fab Gabs on Etsy
Shoes: Vintage from Clerkenwell Vintage Fair
Bag: Vintage from eBay
Gloves: Vintage, gift
Hat: Vintage from Etsy
Fox fur: Vintage from a New York Flea Market
Jacket: Vintage from Ballyhoo Vintage

Toffee and Liquorice

Another vintage fair, another vintage outfit... This is the outfit I wore when Lou Lou's Vintage Fair came to town at the beginning of October.

I bought this dress and matching jacket from Dethrose Vintage on Etsy and I just love the toffee and liquorice check print.  I had been looking for a matching set for such a long time!  It is becoming increasingly difficult finding dresses in my size and then to have the jacket be my measurements as well has been a challenge!  So I was overjoyed to find this set in my size and at a reasonable price.  It is quite a lightweight cotton so I'm glad I got to wear it out without needing an overcoat before the weather got too cold. 

I also wanted to show you a better photo of my hat... it is very autumnal!

Dress and jacket: Vintage from Dethrose Vintage on Etsy
Hat: Vintage from Etsy
Shoes: Vintage from Beyond Retro
Bag: Vintage from Vintage to Vogue, Bath
Gloves: Vintage from Etsy
Necklace/ brooch: Vintage from various fairs

A Day Trip to London

A few weekends ago we made an impromptu day trip to London.  Originally we had planned to go to Bath for the day to visit Carter's Steam Fair but the weather forecast did not look good enough to enjoy vintage fairground rides so we opted to go to London where it was meant to be a fine day - and it was!

I haven't been vintage shopping in London for some years now but was keen to check out a few of the newer shops that had opened up in Brick Lane.  Unfortunately The Vintage Emporium was closed (I don't seem to be having much luck with shop opening hours!) but we visited Hunky Dory Vintage and there was an adorable war time crepe dress with faux bolero which I would have totally snapped if it hadn't been £145!

I love the fit of the dress that I chose to wear and I was also wearing my new-to-me vintage half hat which I recently purchased from The Little Vintage Shop in Lymington - Gloria, the owner, has an awesome selection of vintage hats!

We also visited Judy's Vintage Fair which was taking place in Spitalfields and I scored a cute peach 50s blouse and some pale pink crochet wrist gloves.  I also got photographed by them as they loved my outfit and I took the opportunity to take a photograph of the girl promoting the Fair and I absolutely love the print of her dress!

We had lunch at Kua 'Aina which is a Hawaiian burger place in Carnaby Street.  I am a big fan of anything sweet potato and their fries are delicious!

In the afternoon we treated ourselves to desserts at Ladurée in Harrods - I am big fan of their macaroons.  I also had an Apple Mojito mocktail (even though it was ridiculously priced!)

Dress: Vintage from Etsy

Bag: Vintage from Etsy

Shoes: Aldo

Hat: The Little Vintage Shop, Lymington

Crikey! It's Vintage at Killerton

A few weekends ago, I attended the 'Crikey! It's Vintage at Killerton' which was held at Killerton House in Exeter.  The weather leading up to the event did not look good and I was not sure if we were going to go or not.  In the end we decided to make the trip which was a 2 and a half hour car journey.  Luckily, when we got there, the weather was ok and it did not rain though it threatened to do so!

The event was ok - I was quite disappointed with the classic car show as there wasn't that many cars there and the vintage fairground rides were for children only - not the ones that I had anticipated!  It did redeem itself by having a few excellent traders and I did buy 3 items that I love - a 1940s/ 50s brown bolero (I've wanted a bolero for so long!), 1950s pink and grey roses dress and a 1930s parasol (as seen in my last post, I have been desperate for a parasol and was so glad to finally purchase one!)

As it took place at a National Trust house, there were a lot of people there who weren't aware of this vintage event and I did get some eyebrows raised at my outfit. 

This dress is from Dethrose Vintage and I purchased it back in November.  After waiting about 10 weeks for it to arrive and a number of emails between me and the seller, I was given a refund in February.  Then in March I received an email from the seller to let me know that this dress had arrived back with her!  After 4 months of travelling the globe!  She asked if I still wanted it, which I very much did and I re-bought it and this time it did arrive at my house!  It is a lovely lightweight cotton 1930s/1940s dress and I love the cute geometric print on it. 

Enjoying an Elderflower mocktail from the Cocktail Caravan!

Dress: Vintage (Etsy)
Hat: Vintage (Vintage to Vogue, Bath)
Coat: Hobbs
Shoes: Office
Gloves: Vintage (Etsy)
Bag: Vintage (Vintage to Vogue, Bath)
Cardigan: Zara