The Clothes Show Live: what I thought

Wow, I've been neglecting my blog a little recently- sorry! To be truthful, I've had a lot on recently, mostly end of term deadlines and such like. And further apologies if this happens again sporadically throughout the coming year. I'm a third year university student now don'tcha know, and I've got a dissertation to write, a project to create as well as exams and all the trimmings; though I'll do my best to keep up with this little area of the world wide web!

Anyway, I managed to wangle myself a press pass to the opening day of the national Clothes Show Live, held at Birmingham's NEC earlier this month.

I have to say, I wasn't all that impressed. The clothes in the retail section were much the same as previous years; though there were less stalls and the dubious market stall-esque section seemed to have grown a bit; too many diamantes for my liking.

The main bulk of the vintage offerings were to be found at 'Anita's Vintage Fair', which I recall was there last year. This section was great and the prices weren't too bad either.

Jewellery at Anita's Vintage Fair

Alongside Anita's Vintage Fair was Urban Village of Birmingham (who I've just noticed have a snazzy new website)- always nice to see familiar faces, and I was very very pleased to spot the Blue Rinse stand.

Blue Rinse is one of my all-time favourite shops and originates from Leeds, so I've always had a bit of a soft spot for it.

I bought something from their re-worked range, but I'll talk about that another time.

The beauty zone was the same old thing too, but there were some good offers to be had. Brands like Barry M, Model's Own, Eyeko and Bourjois had some great deals.

I didn't really know what to make of the show itself. It was good, but definitely no better than those of the previous years. Perhaps I'm used to their little gimmicks; the male models in their pants, "everyone scream to win a goody bag", an unheard of band singing their debut single- the next big thing apparently? It was all too familiar.

These little things grated on me a bit during the show. I've heard the stories about the ripped-beyond-belief models being completely up their own arses and reluctant to talk to anyone backstage; and I now wince at the women who enthusiastically jump out of their seat, run around the arena screaming and practically stripping off to grab ...'s (insert 'best' celebrity available on the Clothes Show's budget- in this case Gok Wan, which wasn't bad, admittedly) attention so that they might just grab themselves a 'goody bag'- wow.

A bit of impromptu entertainment arose when the power went out around 10 minutes into the show; it was certainly amusing to watch the show's lackeys running around like headless chickens, shouting away into their walkie talkies. Eventually Gok was wheeled out, who sounded like an introverted mouse to the massive audience as his microphone wasn't working; after a while, the male model cartel bundled onto the stage, half naked and wielding, yes, more goody bags- it kept the majority of the audience happy for awhile anyway.

Bear in mind too that this was only the second show of the whole event!

The fashion aspect of the show was pretty good, some good outfits (though I'm not convinced that they were as high fashion as last year) and a bit of dancing was thrown in for good measure. The theme was 'night at the movies' and some of the backdrops were a bit sorry-looking if I'm honest.

Horror- one of the more impressive scenes

Finale

All in all, a good day- for free. I also heard a little rumour that the show's days at Birmingham are numbered and that the plan is to shift it to London permanently. I can't say I'll be sorry to see it go, as I'll probably be leaving Birmingham, my second home, after finishing my course in the new year. Sniff.

Oh and as I mentioned above, I'll do a post soon on the few things I bought at the show, plus another very exciting purchase I made recently!

Foxy
x

Frock On Vintage

As I mentioned in my last post, I discovered something rather exciting in Birmingham on Saturday.

My hunt for the perfect vintage party dress (which is hopefully over now!) took me to The Custard Factory. I remembered that the vintage flea market was on and, being late (just for a change), I hurried over to have a swift browse. No luck there.

On the way to my final destination, Urban Village, I was collared by a very stylish female who offered me a little preview of her brand new vintage shop in The Custard Factory's Zellig building- I didn't need asking twice!

Frock On Vintage is a fabulous appointment-only boutique offering a very personal shopping experience. Pam's little boutique is crammed with amazing pieces, and she was kind enough to let me take a few pictures.

There's plenty of sparkly pieces, perfect for the party season. Pam admitted having a bit of a sequin fetish!

Sequins Galore

A couple of dresses caught my eye, but weren't really suitable for my event; I had to resist taking everything else home with me though!

Pam is lovely- particularly for trusting me with her gorgeous stock whilst she nipped out to find somebody! I wish her all the best in her new business and sure it'll be a great success.

Make sure you Birmingham vintage lovers join her Facebook page. It's well worth booking an appointment just to have a browse at her great stock; even the trail up several floors of The Custard Factory!

Foxy
x

If I were a rich (wo)man...

As I think I mentioned before, I've been busy compiling an autumn/winter trend report for Brum Notes magazine.

I decided that for the most part, it'd be easier to physically go shopping to find pieces that I wanted to include. So on Wednesday that's just what I did.

Easier? yes. Enjoyable? Not really.

When you're poor (definition of my poverty is £20 to last a month until student loan arrives) shopping is no fun, people. It's bad enough having others around you rave on about the new season's clothes, but having to go out and painstakingly choose the pieces you like best yourself without being able to buy anything is pure torture.

Feeling sorry for myself aside; the key trends I selected to write about (which I deemed suitable for the magazine's readers) were: Knitwear, Fur, Camel, Leopard Print, Lace/Velvet, Country and Military.

The main reason for my outing was to check out some independant shops, mainly vintage, where I wouldn't be able to see the stock online.

First off, I wandered up to Birmingham's Oasis Market to see what their vintage department had to offer. The first thing that struck me was their display opposite the entrance. Military-inspired no less, complete with gas masks, camoflage- the whole shebang. They also had furs and quilted jackets prominently on display- these guys have clearly been reading their Vogues.

Shitty phone image- but a taste of the military display in the vintage shop @ Oasis Market

 Next on my list was COW. I expected COW to pretty much have everything covered, but it was the knitwear selection I wanted to size up in particular.

Chunky knits are where it's at this season and the best kinds are adorned with kitsch Nordic and Fairisle patterns- so vintage knitwear should definitely deliver. COW didn't disappoint; their knitwear selection was the best of the vintage shops I saw- if only for the sheer quantity of it. Shoppers are certainly spoiled for choice.

Whilst in COW, I also browsed the sale rail and checked out the bargain bag bin in the hope of finding something cheap enough to justify purchasing.

I came away with this velvety, er, thing. I think the velvet justified me buying it as I guess it's on trend; although I think I may have had my rose-tinted bargain specs on because I'm not entirely sure I like it or if I'll even be wearing it! Only 3 quid though.

The outer velvety fabric is black and the blue and black stripy bit in the middle is attached. The top is by Triumph International- which I know as an underwear brand (same logo), hmmm...

What do you think?

Next on the list was Urban Village as I wanted to take a look at their Barbour jackets. The brand has gained increased popularity with the rise of the 'country' trend- as well as extra exposure at this year's festivals.

Fearne Cotton at the Isle of Wight festival this year, rocking a classic Barbour jacket (picture courtesy of glamourmagazine.co.uk)

If you're looking for a vintage Barbour jacket in Birmingham, this is the place to go. UV stock a pretty good selection, with the prices I saw ranging between £35-£45.

If you fancy splashing your cash on a new one, try A Too Menswear on Ethel St. Obviously they just stock jackets in the menswear dept. but I reckon they look better- a lot more choice too.

After UV, I decided to walk through the Custard Factory to the shop's old home by the lake to check out the 'General Stores' (home to extra vintage sellers once sharing the same building as UV). To my surprise the shop had disappeared! Well, the building was still there but the stuff in side wasn't.

Before walking off, I spotted a sign for another vintage shop (I've forgotten the name!) and with a quick glance back round I spotted it- just a few doors down.

The owner was very lovely and chatty. She greeted me by saying she loved my jumper (she knits and sells very similar ones) and was shocked when I confessed that it only cost £3 (or could've been 2, I forget).

My bargain chunky knitted jumper, which I usually style with this skinny leather belt, knotted

 I told her that it was from this weird sort of warehouse sale in Digbeth and she knew where I meant right away.

This is what I'm talking about, it's called 'Credit Crunchers' I think. It's just by the 'Fancy Silk Store' (of course you're all aware of that!)

The lady from the vintage shop told me that the woman from Credit Crunchers had started selling unwanted clothes but has since cottoned-on to the vintage racket and was now slapping hefty price tags on her stuff.

Curious about this, I popped in to see what was going down. They were closing when I got there (nobody I know would describe me as an early bird) but I was let inside nonetheless. I went to the corner where I'd found my jumper and could only see jumble sale-esque clobber.

The man who let me in then ushered me over to the area near the till where there were more clothes, clearly thinking he knew what I was after. Low and behold, some slighty better looking half-vintage clothes (I say half because most of the things I saw were 90s cast-offs at best). Yet here they were, shielded behind the till and roped off as if they were precious antiques in a museum- nothing carried any prices on either. The lady at the vintage shop told me that she'd asked the price of a stained jacket and was told £50- I didn't bother enquiring about anything.

Perez eat your heart out...

I also obtained a little bit of showbiz gossip on my outing; though I doubt OK! are going to be ringing off the hook for this one- it excited me (a bit) in any case...

Yeah so the lovely woman from the vintage shop also sells on the Vintage Flea at the Custard factory on a Saturday. She said that last Saturday, she was chatting with someone from the X Factor who spent over £100 there on outfits to wear on the show (she'd just completed Boot Camp).

Now, from what she told me: 'a black girl who sang soul stuff, I thought she was really good but Simon gave her a tough time', my best guess is that she meant Birmingham's Kirsty Reeve who ended up singing Valerie by the Zutons (or Amy Winehouse, take your pick).

Believe it or not, the best picture I could find! (Digital Spy)

So look out for this girl wearing some Birmingham-sourced vintage gear! Oh and go and support the lady I mentioned's new shop, she's great!

Sorry for such a long-winded post too, it's been awhile!

x

The sun has got his hat on, hooray hooray hoor- NO!

So those of you in England may have noticed that the weather was rather pleasant today (something I observed on my trip from North Yorkshire to Birmingham- I don't know about anywhere else). Was I pleased about this? No I bloody wasn't!

Upon arriving back in England, after my holiday, I was greeted with torrential rain and a bitter coldness which my holiday/home transition outfit didn't appreciate one little bit. So much for August being the height of summer ey?

So now we reach September, the weather should have deteriorated even more right? Wrong! And I'd just resigned myself to embracing the new A/W clothes and banishing my holiday clothes to the back of my wardrobe. I was also dying to wear my new (well, old really) car booted faux fur coat.

Alas, it wasn't meant to be, so I ended up sat on my suitcase for ten minutes trying to stuff the damn thing inside it.

So once I was stripped of my precious coat, I realised something; I've never featured this top before- it's literally my favouritest ever! I think.

It's from Urban Village, Birmingham. I got it in the sale they had before their move to the new shop. I couldn't believe that it was only £2!

The fit is great, it's like an oversized t-shirt but in fabulous soft material. I have no idea where it's from originally though as there's no label.

The sleeves are quite big and floaty, which adds a bit of interest and makes it that bit more special than a conventional t-shirt. It's got a little keyhole detail at the neck on the back and there's also some ruche detail on the shoulders.

Worn with my vintage levi shorts (cut from jeans)- charity shop

The thing I like about it most is probably the print. It's so pretty, and almost looks like a watercolour painting.

And even minus the coat, I was still roasting in my black opaques! That's what you get for falling out with summer and not taking any suitable clothes up North!

There was no way I was going bare-legged either; not due to hot pants + cellulite issues (I'm still in holiday mode so none of that matters- who needs clear tights!), no, it was my reptilian-like pins that are shedding skin at an alarming rate I was worried about- where's that aftersun!?

x

Especially fur you...

At the moment I'm obsessed with the idea of owning a vintage fur coat.

I've been looking for one of the faux variety, but that got me thinking, would I ever toy with the idea of owning the real deal?

Fur has been a touchy subject for some time. Since the launch of PETA's "I'd rather go naked than wear fur" campaign, which has been fronted by supermodels such as Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss, Elle McPherson and Cindy Crawford as well as many more celebrities to date, the issue of wearing real fur was brought to the fore.

PETA supporters still protest at catwalk shows featuring fur- as many high profile designers still use real fur in their collections.

The imminent Autumn/Winter season has seen the rise of all things furry. Especially this year's insanely popular flying/aviator-style jacket. Burberry Prorsum's jackets are flying off the shelves (excuse the pun).

 A selection of Burberry's aviator-style jackets (complete with REAL shearling collars and lining)

Among the increasing list of designers opting for real fur in their designs this season, Chanel showed that faux can be fabulous with their snow storm-themed runway.

 

 Furry offerings from Chanel

The use of real fur appears to be becoming more acceptable. I personally disagree with killing animals solely for their pelts; though I do wonder where vintage fur fits into the debate.

On some level I think that it's fine to wear vintage fur- no more animals are suffering; however it does convey the notion that wearing fur is still fine and perhaps supports the current farming of it. I also don't fancy the thought of being doused in red paint by an angry animal rights campaigner- so might stick to the faux coats.

I have a significant lack of money at the moment but will probably be investing when the good old student loan goes in.

I got a tad excited earlier because I received a message from Urban Village, Birmingham about their approaching summer sale. I wasn't excited about the summer sale; more the mention of new Autumn/Winter stock which included fur coats.

I tried on a gorgeous grey one in the shop a few weeks ago and nearly bought it. The kind I'm looking for (faux fur, medium length) were around the £30 mark in Urban Village, which isn't bad at all. 

 Some furs in Urban Village

I originally wanted a black or leopard print one but I've changed my mind. With my black hair, I think a black fur would be a little too gothic (not that goths are particularly partial to fur or anything) and I'm not sure I could carry off a full leopard print coat- I might look a little too Bet Lynch. So grey is just perfect (I'm not really into any sort of brown clothing either before you ask).

The high street have some pretty good faux furs,with Topshop leading the way naturally. At the prices though, I'd rather get something more authetically vintage. This minky-coloured Topshop one is £95!

I'm watching this faux fur grey coat on ebay, it currently has no bids and starts at £4- result! (I won't give you the link because I don't want a bigger bidding war on my hands than I'm prepared for!)

I'd of course much rather be able to feel the quality of the coat and try it on (it's a UK16 so may be pretty big considering I'm a firm 10) but if I can get it cheap enough who cares ey?

I'm also going back to Yorkshire tomorrow so may pop into the local charity shop at some point and ask if they have any that I can take off their hands.

Oh, and another thing...

Speaking of ebay, I'm selling the floral Salad by COW dress I featured in this post. Here's the link to the listing if anyone wants to take a look. Please comment if you have any questions about the dress :)

Something for the boys...

Today's post is something that the males can enjoy- hopefully!

Now, don't be scared fellas, but I'm going to talk about the MANBAG- oh yes.

I'm not talking about some kind of unisex, glorified handbag-esque thing (we've all seen that episode of Friends yeah?). Nah, this variety of bag is one which any diserning male can proudly carry around- the sports holdall.

My lovely boyfriend has recently been the object of my amusement for his reluctancy to get himself a decent bag.

He already owns a messenger/record-style bag which is only really suitable for trips to uni or similar. At the other side of the scale he has a medium-sized suitcase. This means that if he comes to visit me for two or three days, he's lugging a mainly empty suitcase around- not so practical.

Like many men, I'd imagine, he wasn't too keen on the idea of getting a 'bag'. After suggesting a sports holdall, he agreed that this may be an acceptable form of, er, transporting equipment.

(why slapping the word 'sports' on something  makes it okay I'm not quite sure)

This is what he ended up with:

This vintage Puma bag was £12 from Urban Village, Birmingham- which I think is very reasonable.

For around the £15 mark , I reckon you're better off buying the real vintage deal; although the current trend among most of the iconic sports brands is retro reproductions.

Here's my pick of the bunch:

For me, Adidas' Originals range has always led the way in retro-inspired sportswear- takes me back to my classic canary yellow/sky blue silky polyester Adidas tracksuit I cherished in the 90s...

Anyway, this adicolor 'Teambag' is a great bit of retro arm candy. At £55, it's a bit steep but definitely my favourite of the lot. The garish 80s-inspired green colour (or in Adidas' words, 'Fairway') is my favourite but it's also available in Black and Gold for a more subtle look.

 

I've always been a big fan of Fred Perry and the brand's heritage. They do some great retro pieces and this contrast barrel bag is one of several in the range. At £40 it's not too expensive and best of all it's classic, a real investment of a bag. This particular style also comes in an array of colours including blue and orange.

Now let's talk about Fila. In my opinion, they've never really jumped out as being the coolest of brands. Recently though, I've been seeing the brand paraded in various shop windows, looking better than ever before.

It seems that this is down to their launch of the 'Settanta' range earlier this year. The range comprises "the most legendary pieces from the 70's and 80's Fila archive".

While there are no bags in the collection, pieces of interest include this track top:

 

This is Fila at its best. At £65 it's a pretty pricey bit of clothing, but the original versions of this track top have been known to go for up to £600 on ebay! Doesn't seem so expensive now, ey?

Sadly there are no bags in the range; though the regular Fila range seems to have had a bit of a makeover too and as a result isn't looking too shabby either. Here's one of their holdalls:

Some other brands which do good vintage repro bags include Dunlop and, of course, Puma who have their own Originals range alongside other collections including an Alexander McQueen collection- definitely worth checking out!

Urban Village- some belated pictures

So as promised, here are the few pictures I took when I went to take a look at the new (not so much now) Urban Village in Birmingham.

This was some time ago but I went and left my camera in Birmingham then went 'up Norf' without it- silly me. Anyway, my little pink Nikon and I are reunited once more so here are the pictures to accompany this blog post.

 The shop front (excuse my father's head)

Inside- beautiful fur coats reminding me that I need to get a lovely black or leopard print one before the weather gets colder!

Another inside. Gorgeous Vespa in the corner (don't tell my Dad- die hard Lambretta fanatic!)

Really must find time to pop into Urban Village again soon to check out the new stock!

The new Urban Village

First comes a humble apology for a lack of posts recently, having a bit of a mare. My laptop is currently at a repair centre and silly old me has gone and left my camera in Birmingham- doh!

Anyway, enough of my misfortunes, here's what I've been up to.

The new Urban Village store

I went to check out the new Urban Village shop at the Custard Factory on Saturday.



I've been desperate to get a look in from the moment it was announced that it was moving into a new building- however I managed to end up in Yorkshire on the launch day!

I've seen a few pictures from the grand opening, which was on the 26th June, and I'm really rather gutted that I missed it! The event boasted live music with DJs and bands throughout the day and a scooter competition- which my Dad would've loved, here's his beloved Lambretta:



So on Saturday I took my Mum and Dad along whilst I was back in Birmingham. I wasn't disappointed. The sheer quality of Urban Village's vintage gear is really well showcased in the new shop. Everything is well laid out and the way the shop is decorated is fantastic- a real mod's paradise.

For some reason things seemed cheaper too (maybe just me), although I didn't buy anything. My Dad on the otherhand bought a great vintage Ben Sherman checked shirt for £10.

Upon seeing the new shop, it's clear that Urban Village has really come into its own and a shop to itself was all it really needed to fulfil it's potential. Urban Village has always been a great vintage shop; I've always maintained that the quality of their stock is second-to-none, but everyone should really go and check them out at the new location- it's brilliant!

I did take a few pictures, but as I said- I left my camera down there! I'll update this post with them as soon as I retrieve it!

Because it was Saturday, I also had a little mooch around the flea market and popped into Urban Village's old home. The place looked so empty!

The 'general stores' are still intact but the area which held Urban Village was looking pretty sorry. There were a few stalls in there but I deduced that these must have been those from the flea market which sometimes overspill out into the Custard Factory's courtyard. Let's hope it will soon be filled with more vintage goodness!