The Rag Market

I'm a big fan of Birmingham's Rag Market, as I'm sure I've mentioned before.

I popped down yesterday, with the mission of completing my rather disastrous Halloween costume. And I wasn't even going out in it- I was slaving away behind a bar.

For those who might be interested, I went as some sort of angel/devil hybrid. This required me attaching two different coloured dresses together and, as I couldn't fathom out my sewing machine, I needed a hell of a lot of safety pins.

It ended up looking a bit bondage, but who's to say that's a bad thing? I'm top three in the running for the 'best staff outfit' prize anyway apparently- even though my boss couldn't really get his head around the concept, "so you're a female version of Two Face?" I thought the horns and halo would give it away but seemingly not.

(only one picture exists of the outfit so if I track it down, I'll post it to Twitter- @katieafox if y'all didn't know)

Whilst hunting down cheap safety pins and a single white stocking, I had a good browse of the Rag Market's vintage stalls.

If it's a new Autumn/Winter coat you're after, get yourself there! Here's some pictures of great coats I saw. Sheepskin flying jackets, furs, leopard print, Barbour- what more could one ask for?

I'm really coveting the fur-lined Levi's Sherpa jackets at the moment too. I spotted some vintage ones at the market and almost bought one for £25- not bad considering they set you back over £100 new. I can't seem to find any female versions online; however I've seen plenty of ladies rocking this jacket around Birmingham.

Picture courtesy of ASOS

 I also picked up some buttons that I'm going to add to a couple of garments.

I'll be sure to post these once I get round to it!

Foxy
x

A new coat fur me...

Firstly, I vow to get my arse in gear and blog more regularly...
Secondly, look at this gorgeous new (well, old- you know me) faux fur coat I bought!

Sorry about the pictures by the way, I've lost my camera again! These were taken on my amazing new phone (though admittedly the photos aren't great!) And my general appearance probably warrants some sort of apology too...

Anyway, the most amazing thing about this coat, I think, is where I got it from.

Now, the words ‘Perry Barr’ may mean nothing to you, but to those familiar with this north Birmingham area, I’d image you’re saying, ‘seriously’?

Yes deadly. Perry Barr is the unfortunate area where my university is located. Let me tell you, it’s in no way Birmingham’s style hotspot.

Perry Barr, from what I’ve seen of it, has one charity shop- Age Concern (another which hasn’t yet made the switch to ‘Age UK’). This branch of Age Concern is right next door to the train station, so I pass it often enough.

Doesn't look pretty, does it?

I can’t really justify why I don’t go into this charity shop; though I did once pop in to buy a cheap picture frame for a uni project.

Maybe it’s the location within Perry Barr- so many students pass it on their way to and from uni; however I’m not embarrassed about my bargain hunting or anyone spotting me (I do blog about it for God’s sake!) so this isn’t really a good enough excuse.

Perhaps it’s the mindset that won’t allow me to believe that any residents of Perry Barr (besides the students of course, who I doubt give their clothes away often) have a single scrap of style consciousness.

(N.B. I’m sure there are some stylish Perry Barrbadions out there, they’re obviously just an elusive bunch)

So what made me go into this branch that particular day?

Well, I was on my way to uni via the inconceivably unreliable London Midland train service, a record 40 minutes late for my lecture (I still slipped in unnoticed), when I passed the Age Concern window.

I spotted said coat, proudly displayed at the front- and it wouldn’t leave my poor brain alone all day. It was like the coat was sending me telepathic messages of “buy me!” throughout my day.

With less than 5 minutes to spare on the way home, I decided to call in for a closer look. The coat had been removed from the window but I soon found it hiding around the corner.

I flung it on, had a quick glance in the mirror and made the split decision to buy at £10- and I’m so glad I did!

Like most things I haven’t had the chance to think about properly, I wasn’t so sure about it when I first got it home. I thought it looked too big on me and noticed a stain on the collar I hadn’t seen in the shop. Upon first outing however I loved it. It’s so warm and I got lots of compliments.

A yellow stain and a black one on the collar (noticed the black one after buying)

The fur is really soft, much better quality than my black C&A faux fur. It’s from Debenhams, and going off the label, looks like it could be a few years old- anyone like to hazard a guess?

 The label underneath says ‘tissavel of France’, which I’ve seen on a few other vintage faux furs. The lining is an orangey colour in a silky fabric. There were also a couple of the coat's original buttons, which had been taken off, in one of the pockets. I've placed them on top of the coat so you can see what they're supposed to look like. Personally I think I prefer the coat buttonless.

Anyone who knows me is familiar with the fact that I haven't really been a massive fan of brown in the past; however I've quite warmed to the colour.

I'll be wearing my new coat with this gorgeous satchel bag that my lovely friend Lucy bought me for my birthday (it's from Topshop) and these New Look brogues, only £27 with my student discount- bargain!

I didn’t really have time to look in this branch of Age Concern properly, but I also spotted a sheepskin flying jacket and a full length leopard print fur coat.

It may be worth a trip back; sorry for the preconceptions Perry Barr!

Foxy x

Odds and ends

This post is a collection of recent random musings/observations/purchases that don't really justify an individual post so basically I've chucked them together here, like some kind of horrible junk-filled charity shop in a bad area- sift through at your leisure.

Spotted in This is England

So firstly, I was watching one of my favourite films the other night- This is England. I know a few people who dislike the film and feel it's overrated due to the amount of acclaim it's received; I however love it for what it is and the film's concept appealed to me from the moment I first heard about it.

I'm really interested in the skinhead subculture (the harmless kind of course) of the 60s, having grown-up listening to my Dad's extensive ska collection, so love the soundtrack in particular; not forgetting all things mise en scène too- the fashion, the northern 1980s council estate setting and general direction by Shane Meadows.

I was re-watching the film in anticipation of the upcoming drama series, This is England: -'86- following the group three years on.

Anyway let's get to the matter at hand- I'm now thinking I could've definitely justified an individual post for this! So I'm at the point where our main character Shaun goes off to a shop with his Mum to get himself a pair of iconic Dr Martins, and I suddenly got a pang of deja vu.

I'm sure there's an easier, more technically-advanced method of getting an image of this point in the film but being pretty dense, I thought taking a picture of the TV would be the best option!

Looking familiar? No? Let me cast your minds back to this post.

So yeah, this was a pretty obscure shop I found in Kendal, Cumbria not too long ago. Maybe This is England's one of their faves too! No Dr Martins in sight here; although some of the gear in the shop wouldn't have looked out of place on the set at Shaun's house.

Burgandy? I'll have a glass of red thanks!

Remember my questionably attractive burgandy shorts I crafted from some vintage deadstock jeans? (see here if not)  Well, well, imagine my surprise at the discovery that they are in fact not burgandy, oh no, they are wine.

Yes wine, one of the new must-have colours for A/W if you take notice of that sort of thing. I believe I said something along the lines of 'they might look alright come Autumn'- did I predict it or did I predict it ey? Yes okay, one might argue that I could have easily looked through photos for the A/W '10 runway shows by the time I wrote that post; however being a mere mortal (and having a slight tendency to be lazy), I don't have time to trawl through pictures as soon as they're posted online, I usually just wait for the all-important September issues to hit the shelves to find out what's going on.

Don't look too shabby in this new climate do they?

No comments on my appearance please, your author was very hungover and in desperate need of a good shower

 A mosey around Settle

Ahh the small North Yorkshire town I call home. You may have cottoned-on to the fact that I'm back up here for a few days.

Firstly, as I mentioned here, I decided to go check out my main local charity shop (Age Concern- not yet making the switch to Age UK in these parts!) in my quest for a fur coat.

Now, with no disrespect, my local Age Concern has a pretty ridiculous policy on fur/ faux fur coats- in my opinion anyway.

Basically, the upstairs of the shop is quite unusual. It's quite an extensive 'dressing-up' area, in which clothes and accessories can be hired for around a pound an item- to the best of my knowledge.

It's a truly amzing place to be. Genuine garments from every era conceivable; some pieces being very quirky and rare. Heaven you'd think? Absolutely not.

Why? Because you can't buy anything! The staff at the shop are so committed to stocking this area, that any unusual, vaguely old wearable items entering the shop go straight upstairs- never to see the light of day again (unless of course they're hired out, which isn't all that often).

Tis a tragedy of shakespearean proportions. Just my luck then that EVERY SINGLE fur coat making its way into the shop is considered 'fancy dress'. One of the volunteers looked baffled when I explained that I wasn't attending some pimps and hoes affair, I actually just rather wanted to buy one. "You mean for everyday wear?" she questioned. Believe it or not sister, people sometimes wear these things for reasons other than jest.

Anyway, the volunteers are relentlessy loyal to their policy of not selling anything from the 'fancy dress' section and I was told that the only way I could have a coat is if, by some miracle, there were any that hadn't made that final journey to the top of the stairs. PRAISE THE LORD! behold, three fur coats hadn't yet been exiled to the top room. Unfortunately they were ugly, too big, too long and brown- Miss Fox didn't approve. And so it was that I walked away empty handed.

I also visited the 'All sorts Market' held at the Victoria Hall. I was just passing and thought 'all sorts' might include some fabulous bargains for me- it didn't, and I left 50 pence out of pocket from the entrance fee, boo!

As I was nearby, I also popped accross to the small weekly car boot to see my lovely Gran who has a stall there every Saturday.

I came away with these cool earrings:

They were 50p-a-pair. The black ones are clip ons and the gold ones are studs. Excellent additions to my collection!

Happy Birthday Nanna!

To round off an utterly thilling morning, it was my Great Nanna's 90th birthday- I hope I'm still throwing parties at that age (not that I'm likely to get that far at the rate I'm going).

She showed me up by quaffing champagne whilst I stuck to the J20s- suffering from the night before!

Wow that actually turned out to be a rather long post ey? Still, I've decided to keep it all together; I haven't the heart to uproot the different little sections, not after they've bonded and got to know each other- that's unethical.

Oh Clitheroe...

I was very excited today to be visiting the car boot sale at Clitheroe Auction Mart. I haven't been since I was a wee nipper and can't particularly remember enjoying it so much; but nowadays car booting is like treasure hunting for me!

The auction mart is also where the livestock market is held so it isn't the best smelling or aesthetically pleasing place to shop but it's definitely a rewarding experience!

A quieter part of the car boot sale

I actually didn't end up buying much (more to do with a lack of funds than anything!) but among the few things I bought, I saw old tapestry bags/cases, vintage trunks, big chunky kitsch cardigans and quirky 80s jewellery galore!

Item number one is this black leather purse with gold fastenings for 50p.

The lovely old woman who sold me it told me that it she'd been given the purse as a gift and it had sat in her drawer for years- so perfect condition!

Bargain of the day, I would have to say, is this black faux fur coat which was a mere 3 English pounds!

As you may have read in this post, I've been seriously lusting after a fur coat. I decided I didn't particularly want a black one but at £3, you can't really afford to be fussy!

This one is from C&A; which, seeing as the company left the UK in the late 90s, must be over 10years old at the very least. The label states 'made in the UK' so I assume that the coat isn't from one of the company's current international stores.

If anyone can guess the age from the label, please do!

In a size 12, it fits me really well- just a hint of over-sized, er, ness.

Mummy and Daddy Fox also found me a sewing machine, something I've been after for an age! It's pretty old (my Dad reckons 60s/70s) and is pretty basic, technically speaking, but I'm a (very) basic sewer so that's okay- plus they bartered it down to a fiver!

I literally know nothing about sewing machines nor much about sewing, but the thing works and has all its bits and bobs intact as well as the original instruction manual and even a guarantee! Pretty sure it's expired by now but it's the thought that counts ey?

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 :)