Monday 25 March 2013

The Southampton Vintage Fair: Blogger Challenge


Well, well, well! We are absolutely shattered after a storming weekend down south in Southampton and Bournemouth with The Vintage Fair. But you hear enough about us championing our fairs (well, they are fab) so we thought we'd give one very lovely fashion blogger £50 to spend in Southampton so she could show you just what we have to offer. Meet Emily from Lab Geek Chic.

Hello vintage darlings!

What a Saturday I have had! A Saturday packed with gorgeous little things, vintage treats and all round bygone glamour at Southampton vintage fair. The lovely people that run the fair had a little challenge in
store for me: to find and style a vintage look for £50. Now, being that I got to keep the whole ensemble, this was quite naturally my favourite kind of challenge!





I was so taken in by all the beautiful things that it was only after thirty minutes of compulsive rummaging that I actually stepped away from the clothes long enough to become aware of what an amazing setting I was
in. The fair is held in Southampton Guildhall which is such a perfect venue for bringing a bit of grandeur to any drizzly Saturday afternoon. However, soon I was once again quite perfectly lost in my little treasure
hunt. One of the most exciting things about this challenge was the opportunity to try something I wouldn’t normally go for, I’m the sort of girl that generally can’t be torn away from twirling skirts and dresses but
today I found myself drawn to a particular pair of shorts. Styled a bit like tap shorts and recycled from a damaged fifties dress they lured me in; then when I found the silk lining I knew they had to be mine. Next up I had to find a shirt and the Laura Ashley cream silk blouse that materialised from a packed rail was simply too lovely to ignore. At only ten pounds it's not only lovely but also my bargain of the day and it had a
wonderfully early 1900s feel to it. To finish the look I chose an elegant black velvet purse complete with a delicately embroidered peacock. Whilst the selection of items I chose came from a range of eras I wanted
the overall feel of the outfit to reflect my love of late twenties sophistication and opulence but with a modern twist, but I’ll leave the success of that for you to decide. 




Challenge complete I couldn’t resist the temptation of a few little luxuries and it was a 1940s silk kimono embroidered with flowers and birds from Pretty in Vintage that caught my eye first. I’m wearing it as I
write this and let me tell you: it is just divine! It makes me think of those perfectly turned out 1940s film stars sat preening at their dressing tables surrounded by ornate perfume bottles. Speaking of film stars this
brings me to my second little luxury which is a peach coloured silk girdle from the 1930s that once belonged to a french actress. It is so soft and the tailoring is sublime – every bit as exquisite as pieces from favourite
modern lingerie designers like Agent Provocateur if not more so! That’s all for today but thanks for reading and I hope you had as much fun at the fair as I did!




Kimono from Pretty in Vintage
(£65) and peach silk girdle from
Mabel’s customised and vintage
clothing (£25).


Emily from Labgeekchic Xx

Do you want to take on the next blogger challenge at a fair near you? Please e-mail your blog URL, city and why you'd love to take on our challenge to blog@thevintagefair.com.  



1 comment:

  1. Oh I wish I could do this! But last time I went to the Shoreditch fair I had only enough for a necklace. Next time I go I have to arm myself with at least £100. You snagged some lovely things there

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