Vogue's Autumn Trends

With our stock room slowly filling up with jumpers, coats, hats and scarves, I'm starting to long for the autumn. I know it's wrong to wish the summer away (I'll soon miss those warm days and light evenings once they are gone), I can't help but get excited about the lovely clothes we are saving up for it. So imagine my delight when I discovered Vogue's trend reports for A/W 11 - vintage-tastic! Here are some of their predictions for the coming season...

Forties Glamour

image from vogue.co.uk

Well, you don't get much more vintage than this! Apparently Gucci, Prada and Gaultier have gone mad for the ladylike chic of the 1940's, including vintage staples like pencil skirts, furs, pearls, gloves and shrugs. What's great about this is that is such a flattering look that can work for any figure - plus tweed pencil skirts and faux furs are well stocked at most vintage events and shops so we can all find the ideal pieces to work this classic look. Can't wait! Next up...

Tartan Army

Being a Scottish born girl, I must admit a little fondness for the old tartan print. What's great about tartan is that you can be as subtle or as OTT as you want - work in a little flash of tartan on a scarf perhaps, or bring back the spirit of the Bay City Rollers with some full on tartan flares, it's up to you! Vogue say, "TARTAN, hound's tooth and Prince of Wales checks abounded on the autumn/winter 2011-12 catwalks - with plaid usurping denim as the new key fabric to double up on in your wardrobe. Make like Daks and Yves Saint Laurent - where a Prince of Wales check opened the show - and wear jacket plus dress, or skirt plus blouse."

image from vogue.co.uk

One of the boys

image from vogue.co.uk

For those who think vintage is all about dresses - think again! Vogue predict this boyish look is going to be big, and what better way to create this look on a budget than with vintage? Well, perhaps raiding your boyfriend's wardrobe, but for a better fitting, more you version of this look then you'll need to be keeping your eyes out for gents' tailoring, crisp shirts, braces and gentlemanly accessories. For a more laid back version, why not channel the classic mod look with some crisp jeans and a polo shirt? Which brings us on to...

Sixties Scene

My favourite of all!  "GO back in time this autumn/winter 2011-12. Leave fashion's summer obsession with the Seventies and look to Sixties style icons Mary Quant, Twiggy and Julie Christie to inspire your new season look," say Vogue, and who are we to argue! You can create this look with a gorgeous original 1960's mini dress in an eye popping print, team with a great A-line coat and some hot boots and you are good to go...

image from vogue.co.uk

Now, can someone sort me out a time machine so I can fast forward to October?!

Hop Farm Music Festival, 1st - 3rd July 2011

This time last week Mr Mouse and I were just getting ready to shut up shop for the final time and go off to see the legend that this Prince! Today it's nice to take a moment and reminisce...

The first morning and the shoppers arrive

We were at Hop Farm Music Festival in Kent with our friends from The Vintage Fair, who were hosting a marquee filled with vintage delights to enthuse and bedazzle the festival goers. When we read the line up for this festival we knew we had to be a part of it, so we packed up our finest vintage festival fashion (denim shorts - check, cosy knits - check, waterproofs - check, crazy things we would never be able to sell anywhere else - double check!) and headed south for some fun in the sun.

Browsers in the menswear department!

More lovely stalls

The weather was scorching throughout the festival, as was the line up - we managed to check out The Eagles, 10CC, Ocean Colour Scene, Graham Coxon, Young Rebel Set, Brandon Flowers, Morrissey, Prince and Stewart Lee doing a spot of late night comedy. We also got our groove on at the indie disco each night, while still managing to work 10 hour days manning our stall - phew, no wonder it has taken us a week to recover!

The crowd rather enjoying Brandon Flowers

Birmingham legends Ocean Colour Scene

The Eagles had an impressive show

Indie Disco!

Mozza

A giant puppet in the kids' area

Prince!

The crowd were friendly and very diverse, with everyone from families with young children, teens and students through to people who most likely saw all the legends on stage the first time around. And they were all into different looks - for example the more mature Eagles fans were loving our denim jackets while the younger crowd loved our kitsch sweatshirts and denim shorts (practically a festival uniform now!).

There were a few celebrity visitors to The Vintage Fair tent too - Kitty, Daisy and Lewis popped in before their superb set and their mum picked up a dress from our friends at Jeny & Amber, The Secret Sisters, who I watched and really enjoyed at the Big Tent stage just minutes before, came by and bought a few bracelets and necklaces from us, and the legendary Patti Smith took a browse with some friends (one of whom bought a pair of braces with pictures of horses on - how apt!).

Of course it was all about the music really though, and Prince did close the show with an amazing set - with purple rain tumbling from the sky as the sun set (I still have a few pieces zipped safely away in my purse). What a weekend.

Beach Break Live 2011

Giant deckchairs, a Moustache Bar, a trip through the keyhole, a ski slope and a stunning sandy beach - all things you find at Beach Break Live, a festival for students at the beautiful Pembrey Country Park, South Wales. We were there selling our wares with The Vintage Fair. Joining us this time in the vintage tent were Jeny & Amber, Dolly Anna Does, Kathleen & Lilys, Mother Said, The Magical Tree, Dorothy's Wardrobe & The Gingham Deer.

The festival opened with a bang on Thursday night, with the eager crowds descending on our tent and grabbing all the prize pieces. Friday followed with solid rain all day (boo!) but thankfully Saturday and Sunday offered mainly blue skies.

The view from our stall - the Main Stage!

The crowds were genuinely lovely folks having a well earned break after their exams, they partied hard and shopped even harder! We did manage to fit in a bit of fun too - our musical highlights were We Are Scientists and White Lies, and we loved just exploring the site - there were so many things to see and do and the venues looked amazing - The Leaky Sheep was done up like a Welsh old man's pub, the Moustache Bar was a cabaret tent extraordinaire and the Ghetto Blaster was just that - a giant ghetto blaster hosting all manner of DJs.

We're glad to be home, showered and rested, but we hope we can make a trip back to Beach Break next year! Next stop for us is Hop Farm...

Birmingham City University Graduate Show

This week we attended Exhibit This 2 at the Zellig (part of the Custard Factory complex). It was a showcase of the work of this year's crop of graduates from Birmingham City University who work in the fields of media and communication. We were invited by our friend Jemma Dodd, who is a super duper photographer who we have worked with a number of times. It was really exciting to flick through Jemma's portfolio and see so many of our clothes in all their glory!

I had never been to this type of thing before, but we were very well looked after - with complimentary wine and sandwiches when we arrived and sweets and treats dotted around all over the place! We had a nice wonder around, chatting to some of the exhibitors - a highlight for me was meeting Katie Fox, who had produced Trashion Magazine for her final project. I picked up a copy and really enjoyed reading it - it's a fantastic idea for a magazine, it's a blend of fashion and lifestyle which focuses on buying vintage, upcycling and making your own clothes and accessories. There was a review of the recent Birmingham Vintage Home Fair and guides to make clothes that you would actually want to wear (refreshing when most craft magazines feature clothes that even your granny thinks are a bit dated), including an Alexander McQueen inspired clutch bag. You can check out the Trashion Blog here, and buy copies of the first issue.

We also met Rachael Clarke, a photographer who specialises in product photography who has actually photographed some of our jewellery before but who we had never actually met! So it was nice to chat and see one of the pictures she look of one of our necklaces in her portfolio.

All in all, It was exciting to see so many young photographers, journalists, film makers and creative types who had produced really polished and professional work, which was also full of fresh new ideas. I hope they all manage to put their hard work to good use in their chosen careers.

We also parked in my favourite Birmingham car park - did you know that 'Forward' is Birmingham's motto? Well, this car park makes the most of it-

Friends of Mine Festival 2011

 

A well earned shower and big lie in was in order after our busy weekend at the first ever Friends of Mine Festival. Set in the beautiful grounds of Capesthorne Hall, Cheshire, the line up featured acts like The Lightning Seeds, Buzzcocks and The Charlatans, it was a treat for anyone who likes the music of the northwest! We were there for another reason though, and that was to supply our usual heady blend of vintage clothing, accessories and jewellery to the unwashed masses. And we had a lovely time. We were in The Vintage Fair's marquee, along with our friends from Kitty Kavanagh, SpankT Vintage, The Gingham Deer, Jeny and Amber, Vintage Junky, Angel's Egg Vintage, Dorothy's Wardrobe, Kathleen & Lily's and Syd & Mallory.

The weather wasn't the best, on Sunday a couple of the stages actually had to be closed because of high winds which was a real shame, but the crowd didn't let it stop them having fun. The Charlatans closed the final night with a superb set. Around the site there was lots going on - we spotted a man in a nightie talking on a banana telephone, the sonic manipulator wowing some passers by on Sunday afternoon, a steel drum band playing Madonna's 'Like A Prayer', a house party tent which was set up like a real house (complete with washing machine, beds and strange family portraits), some bizarre inflatable games including people rolling about on a paddling pool in big inflated balls, and a gorgeous traditional big wheel.

We met some lovely people who dropped by to perfect their festival outfits with waterproof jackets, hats, sunnies and cosy knitwear. They were all impressed with the Vintage Fair tent's reasonable prices too, none of your over inflated festival rip offs from us!

Our next festival is Beach Break Live, and we can't wait. In the meantime, here are some pics of our lost weekend in Cheshire...

Minimum Mouse - sunglasses galore!

Beautiful display by Kathleen & Lily's

Our stall

Jewellery by Syd & Mallory

The Vintage Fair in all its glory!

This was my favourite find of the weekend, from SpankT Vintage

The Cribs

The amazing Gideon Conn

James Mouse meeting one of his faves, Gideon Conn