Minimum Mouse at Clothes Show Live 2013

Last Thursday we set up camp at Clothes Show Live at the NEC for the third year running, for another crazy week of fashion madness. Since we are Birmingham based, Clothes Show is pretty much a home from home for us, but we never cease to be amazed by the size and scale of the event. It really is huge, with different areas such as the new 'Vintage Avenue', the Beauty Hall, Style Boutique and our home, the Offbeat Boutique. And it's busy. Busy, busy, busy! The whole place gets packed out with fashion hungry ladies hunting for a bargain.

We had lots of fun at the event as usual, with people loving our jewellery lucky dip, and James's amazing leopard print suit. We also managed to cram in some shopping, picking up bargains at Models Own, Barry M, Bomb Cosmetics, and having a good old rummage in the vintage area, where James picked up an amazing printed shirt from Trunk Junkies Vintage.

Can you tell which one is the real Alex?

James modelling our furry leopard print hat

Alex's face was everywhere, she even made it into the official show guide!

Steph and Alex ready to serve!

Lucky Dip at the ready!

Girls getting a go on the Lucky Dip in exchange for joining our mailing list.

We spotted a few celebs too, Proudlock from Made in Chelsea had a stand just a stone's throw away from us, and we saw Amy Childs and Jamie from Made in Chelsea about the place and Misha B from X Factor bought some sunglasses from us. We also saw Caryn Franklin speak about her new initiative to promote healthier attitudes about beauty in the fashion industry, which was really interesting. We even had our stand filmed for an S4C children's programme which is airing on Friday (Tag at 5pm if you're interested!)

Caryn Franklin speaking in the Heat Radio area

Welsh TV channel S4C filming on our stand.

As usual, the show in the fashion theatre was a highlight. This year's theme was 'a weekend in the country' and it was the usual blend of catwalk and dance with some amazing clothes and dazzling lights. So much fun!

 

So after our crazy week, today we're catching up on sleep and taking it easy. But we're pleased to announce that we have already confirmed for 2014, so hopefully we will see you all there next year!

Feeling Thrifty: Recent Charity Shop Bargains

I don't get to take a look around the charity shops as often as I would like these days, but a couple of weekends ago we found ourselves at a loose end and decided to head to Shirley high street (our local shopping centre, just outside Birmingham) to have a good old browse. The charity shops in Shirley are usually pretty good, it's a nice area with seemingly quite a high number of retired people, and I find that these factors tend to lead to a good amount of nice vintage stuff in the charity shops! If you live in the Birmingham area I would certainly recommend checking out the charity shops in Shirley.

I picked up these fruity glasses in Cancer Research, who were having a clear out ahead of a shop refit, which meant I got these babies for a bargainous 10p each! As soon as I spotted them in the bargain bin I had to sweep in and make them mine!

A few doors down at Age Concern I found this adorable little Thermos cool bag. I love the shades of blue and the pretty floral print. We took it away with us to the Retro Festival and it actually did a very nice job of keeping things cool. It looks super cute in our little caravan too.

Another Cancer Research 10p bargain, this kitsch little Spanish souvenir is perfect for storing our keys in the hallway. And we've both been to Salou in our younger days so it brings back nice memories too.

I'm a sucker for a good handbag, and even though I have a perfectly good selection already, I couldn't resist this lovely chocolate brown delight. I love the 1970's satchel style shape, and it is the perfect size. It was £15, which is quite a bit for a charity shop bag, but I would have paid that without thinking in a vintage shop and the condition is great. It's making me excited for autumn outfit planning!

This cocktail tray from PDSA was quite a find, again at £4.99 it wasn't cheap, but as soon as we saw it we wanted it. At first I thought it was modern but in a fifties style, but looking at the mark on the back on the sticker confirmed that it is actually pretty old. Perhaps we need to throw a cocktail party now?

I have a bit of a thing for kitschy little animal ornaments and coloured glass, so I am always finding ways to feed my habit. This cake tray is so pretty in this vivid pink and the little cat and dog (who do look a bit grumpy, I'll admit!) were only £1.50 each and are just so cute. The little deer came from the Sheffield Vintage Fair a while back and makes me smile each time I walk past him on the hallway windowsill.

So that's it. I could easily fill my house five times over with charity shop bits and bobs so it is probably for the best that I don't get the chance to go too often! Do you have any favourite charity shop finds?

Fashion and Fun at Mostly Jazz, Funk and Soul Festival

 

This weekend we hit our first festival of the year, Mostly Jazz, Soul and Funk Festival in beautiful Moseley Park in Birmingham. It was lovely to do a festival that was so close to home, it was a real luxury to go home to your own bed and have a proper shower each night! Our stall was right next to the bar, and we were busy all weekend, with folks on their way to and from the bar stopping to pick up a bit of vintage finery on their way past. The festival coincided with a heatwave here in the UK, so it was no surprise that sunglasses, straw hats and hawaiian shirts were our best sellers! Here are some snaps from the weekend-

It was our first time at this festival, and we really enjoyed the friendly, laid back feel. Moseley Park is a hidden paradise, tucked away just off Moseley high street, it isn't usually open to the public as it operates on a key system - local residents can pay an annual fee to have their own key to the park and so it's a rare treat to get to enjoy it. It was lovely to see such a great mix of people at the festival, there were people of all ages from newborn babies to true festival veterans soaking up the sun and enjoying the music.

 

Our stall was situated next to the bar, on the tennis courts. Our vintage hawaiian shirts were soon snapped up, and our floral headbands and crowns were a hit. Thanks to everyone who came to have a look!

Our neighbours for the weekend were Summer and Silver, who are based in Birmingham's famous Jewellery Quarter and sell beautiful silver jewellery. Their stall was a real treasure trove of pretty treats! Highly recommended.

Mostly Jazz is a pretty chilled out affair, and the weather was scorching all weekend, so sun dresses and shorts were definitely the order of the day! We saw so many stylish folks over the weekend but I didn't get much time to take photos, so here are just a few of the well dressed ladies who came by our stall at the weekend.

 

You can't beat a vintage print dress, wide brimmed hat and ladylike sandals for an effortless summer look.

 

Floral print dress, tribal style sandals and a bright yellow bag = festival perfection.

 

This cute eastern inspired playsuit and strappy sandals combo is simple and stylish.

 

I just love this citrus sun dress! The chunky necklace and preppy loafers add an individual twist to the outfit.

 

This group of girls have nailed colourful and fun festival dressing. Who needs shoes when you're looking this good!

 

This cute and quirky look is utterly adorable, and we just love the matching satchel and sunnies.

And finally, we have to talk about the music. Initially I wasn't too excited about this festival, I don't really like jazz music and that made me wary, but the line up was really diverse and so much fun. The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble really got the crowd going, as did Craig Charles' DJ set and The Blockheads. But the ultimate highlights were Candi Staton's polished performance and and Chic's closing night set which was the ultimate disco party. They even filled the stage with festival goers at the end and it really did feel like such a treat to get to see them play hit after hit after hit.

We'll be back at Moseley Park later on in the summer for Moseley Folk Festival, Mostly Jazz's sister festival, and we're very much looking forward to it. We just need a couple of lazy days to recover after this three day party and we'll be raring to go again! Next stop, Secret Garden Party!

Chic's On Stage Party

Winter Street Style Photoshoot with Jemma Dodd

You can buy this lovely aran cardi here

One of our favourite photographers, Jemma Dodd, contacted us recently to say she was working on a wintery street style shoot, and asked if we wanted to get involved. Hell yeah! We got even more excited when she popped round with her stylist for the shoot, Sian, who has a very lovely blog called Tea An Toast. They had pulled together a gorgeous moodboard inspired by street style, with a casual and cosy look. Their ideas seemed so in tune with our current collection- chunky, cosy knits, layered up army jackets and shirts, 1970's leather bags and of course, a cute festive jumper here and there! We're so pleased with the results, what do you think?