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.  

We Love You Southampton

It was an absolute pleasure to make our Southampton debut at the weekend. The Guildhall was brimming with some true vintage treasures. It was one of those fairs where you could just pick up a dress from any stall and imagine the story behind it, who wore it, where, when, why and how it ended up in your hands. There were occasion dresses from all eras and here are just a few of them from The Southampton Vintage Fair.

The Vintage Hair Lounge had a very busy weekend in Southampton and Brighton, these ladies looked especially lovely with their victory rolls and beehives. We also had some very well dressed customers, were you snapped?

The Original Poster company sell beautiful, rare cinema posters, lobby cards and cinematic snapshots of famous silver screen icons. Here is a little sneak peek into what they have on offer, but be sure to keep your eyes out for a feature on this lot super soon!

So there you have it, a brief look into what we brought to Southampton over the weekend, make sure you look out for what we got up to in Brighton too!

Gina x

Another winner and another giveaway!

The lucky winner of our Burlesque Rocks giveaway is Mikaela Jay Osbourne. She will be having a jolly old time at Day Of The Dead burlesque night at The Southampton Cellar next Saturday night. Of course, she'll be completely kitted out in vintage from our first ever Southampton Vintage Fair at The Guildhall earlier that day. And so will you no doubt.

However, if you entered this Southampton based giveaway and were left empty handed, fear not! As we have another pair of tickets to hand over for this brand spanking new vintage club night, do read on...

Set on celebrating 7 decades of British Cool The Cellar has teamed up with Wayne Hemingway, Eddie Piller & Public Service Broadcasting to bring you one glorious night of live music. With DJ sets from Wayne & Eddie, live performances from Public Service Broadcasting, Freddie and The Freeloaders & Mr Mountain this night is brand spanking new but with an authentic vintage feel.

On Saturday 10th November The Cellar invites you to revel in another night of nostalgia. Glad rags on ladies and gents this night might be Vintage but you certainly aren't, so lets dance.

To be in with a chance of winning a pair of tickets for this event you have up a massive THREE opportunities:

1) Follow this blog and leave a comment below with your e-mail.

2) Go over to http://www.facebook.com/pages/Burlesque-Rocks/107801512618599?fref=ts and "like" and then LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW! 

3) "Share" this blog post from The Southampton Vintage Fair facebook page. 

The giveaway is only open to UK entrants and the closing date will be November 1st at 5pm.

Boogiewoogie-go-go-go!

Gina x

Burlesque Rocks

We have a very special post for you today, especially those of you in and around Southampton. To promote the very exciting return of Burlesque Rocks we have one pair of tickets to give away for the come-back event of Burlesque history (probably...).

Just when you thought all was lost Burlesque Rocks has decided to make a come back and what a show we have in store. Showcasing the best contemporary and internationally recogonised Burlesque performers the UK has to offer Burlesque Rocks is proud to introduce to it's stage Kiki Kaboom, Missy Fatale, Domino Barbeau & Miss Banbury Cross.

Burlesque Rocks has forged a name for itself as the foremost Burlesque night the South Coast has to offer. Constantly bringing you the very best performers, the best music and the best drinks courtesy of none other than Sailor Jerry's BR plans to live up to its name and promises to wow the pants off of you (pun intended)

On Saturday 3rd November we invite you to join in with our Day of The Dead celebrations. With lashings of sass and sex appeal guaranteed, this, ladies and gentlemen is Burlesque at it's very best!

On 3rd November, Burlesque Rocks present Day Of The Dead at The Southampton Cellar at 8pm sharp. To be in with a chance of going to this spooky, glamorous night you need to:

1) Follow this blog and leave a comment below telling us who you're most excited about seeing...

...and for a second chance of winning:

2) "Like" Burlesque Rocks on the old Facebook page here. Then leave another comment on the blog below with your name, so we can find you.

Winners will be announced next week on Tuesday 23rd November so you've got time to plan your fabulous outfits! Open to anyone in the UK. Get following, sharing and shimmying your tail feathers. 

Gina and Katie 

x