Judy's Affordable Vintage Fair - the UK's leading vintage fair travels round the UK with the finest purveyors of vintage clothing, accessories and homewares from the 1920s - 1980s.
Judy's cities include: Glasgow, St Andrews, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Durham, York, Leeds, Liverpool, Chester, Manchester, Sheffield, Lincoln, Derby, Nottingham, Leicester, Birmingham, Leamington Spa, Oxford, Cardiff, Cambridge, Brighton, Southampton and London.
If Helen's face launched a thousand ships, The Shrimp's figure launched a thousand shifts. Irrevocable, unforgetible and so super-chic it hurts, we're all of a quiver to see the Doctor's assitant Karen Gillan portray her tonight in 'We'll take Manhattan.'
Inbetween You-tubing Bailey, Twiggy, Edie & Andy [we've gone all sixties this week- get me in Betsey and call me a 'quaker!] we found this adorable clip of Shrimp from the states...
See, even her handwriting was sassy.
In the midst of all this sixties-ness, were crying out for more sixties TV. Less 'Twiggy's Frock Exchange,' more 'Shrimp my Ride?' [perhaps. Possible cover art below]
A Rolling Stone once told me, rather profoundly through my speaker-box, that "you can't always get what you want."
NEVER wanting to question their rock n' roll omniscience, I've always left it be.
But as the years tick on, I've indulged in a regression of sorts. Just like a toddler may, say, spit and stomp over not being able to have everything at once, I find myself agreeing. Although those Stones [many years ago now] told us we often can't have it all, served-up in a jiffy on the shiniest of plates, it really takes its toll!
And with that in mind, we took action.
Here at Judy HQ, We want you to get the MOST out of our fairs that you possibly can. We understand the wonder and whimsy of each event being a mystery, a kind of 'will-they-won't-they' we don't want to take away. That said, sometimes we too cannot take the heart-break. Counteracting that, we're delighted to be offering you a brand NEW service, whereby you call the shots on what we bring.
Wedding dresses, plus sizes, missing pieces and more- the forum is now open! Name exactly what you want, the city you're hoping to visit and heck, we'll bring it along! It can even be generic - a sewing stall at Spitalfields, more menswear in the Midlands - all suggestions are welcome!
Opening the lines of communication from you to Judy HQ, just pop me an email on kieran@judysvintagefair.co.uk and we'll get back to you.
Just like the rock n' rollers say, 'you can't always get what you want.' But boy, you can bloomin' well try.
Versace collabs, Mccartney on our tracksuits and Ab Fab back on the tele-box- welcome to the year of the label-drop, dear shopper, where every outfit is a sartorial 'Guess Who.'
Only joking, although we are partial to a spot of designer ware, especially if the price is right.
Channeling it so, we couldn't resist showing off this shopper from an end of year event, packing more designer than Patsi's black book. Old-school beret meets bag by Lagerfeld and a bomber so iconic you'd know its maker from space.
With designer pieces always featuring at fairs, we've got our eyes peeled for stylish sixties Biba, Gucci prints and accessories and an overdose of Moschino. Our Tunbridge Wells and Norwich events could well be the place to begin [SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT] with many traders dropping names on the rails.
Until then remember - pennies make pounds, and pounds make Prada [just not as many as you'd expect!]
Hello vintage fans! It's Kieran, the Vintage Vulture writing to you for the first time in 2012. Cor, isn't this NOVEL?! You're still here, we're still here, nobody has disappeared in a Y2k-style disaster [wasn't that a funny NYE? Spending the end of '99 waving flashing beanie Millennium-Bugs whilst secretly taking inventory of your canned goods JUST in case you had to hit the bunker come midnight. Just my family? Seriously? Ok then.]
Folks, we should apologise; at a time when the web is bereft with diets, holiday plans and sunny summer clothes [We haven't been below three layers for months!] our light-hearted chat is a necessity. Taking our snouts out of the Quality Street tin just long enough to type, [seriously Santa, next year just bring me a nose-bag and a farm-hand to peel them] we thought we'd get back on the blog-horse.
Now, we were going to commence with just how ridiculously amazing our SPITALFIELDS JANUARY SALE was [I saw a woman leave with a Welch-worthy vintage wedding dress for a fiver. Madness!] but then we came across this: -
Lightbulb-headband and candy-pocket aside, it's not too far off the mark. Up-dos? Check. Zips? Check. "Skirts will disappear entirely" - judging by your average episode of TOWIE, check, check check! This got us to thinking, what trends do we think will be big in a not too distant future?
Prepare your notebooks and set phasers to STUNNING as we run through some of 2012's S/S potentially hot trends....
Sportswear-as-every-wear: Stella makes tracksuits, Ri-Ri wears short-shorts and our wardrobes crumble into 'going for gold.' Olympic fever may be here but there's no need to look like a hemorrhaging rainbow; just like Victoria B, we're turning to tailored vintage Lettermans and satin-y blouses to get the 411 on looking less 118. Adidas head-to-toe a million miles from a podium? Never going to be cool.
Do you see what I sea: Avast Versace, you constant muse. As any landlubber will have spotted, under the sea is in. Think shells and mermaids, sea-weed and reefs - easy to pick up on 50s and 60s dresses [as this sea-bird number above demonstrates] The trick? Channeling 'Ariel' and never 'Auld Gregg' [Disney via Noel Fielding] Boot of Baileys sold separately.
Melissa-Joan <3: Clarissa at one end, Sabrina at the other - Melissa Joan Hart provides the proverbial book-ends to a decade that's back in action. Noughties to nineties - who would've thought it? Sabrina-worthy velvet, rucksacks and peter-pan collars [A/W] now fade into pastels, tie-die and Clarissa-worthy print. Go easy on the dungarees and accessorize with an annoying younger sibling and presto, you've nailed the trend.
Fearne Cotton, Harry Potter, Blake Lively & Whoopi Goldberg - now there's a come-dine-with me that we'd like to see! Unifying this motley crew of fictitious wizards and nuns on the run is a penchant for the circular. Perfect for working that Lennon-look, we predict big things for sunnies which measure 360 degrees. Not sure? Draw some on! You'll be left looking hippy-chic in a jiffy [just never leave the house.]
And there we have it folks - more pouring over our crystal ball as the season ticks on!
What happens when you give three up-and-coming London bloggers disposable cameras to capture the launch of a historic, new vintage market right in the heart of Spitalfields?
The answer: The flash doesn't work [x 3] All together now everyone...a big fat 'D'oh!'
Nevertheless, what we were left with gave a seeming two-fingers to Alanis Morisette and that whole 'irony' thing she so famously crooned about; dimly lit, the resulting snaps are rather spectral and Dickensian [imagine Oliver goes to market and you're pretty much there] and as anyone with a TV license will tell you, Dickens + ghosts = so hot right now.
Spooky [well, not really, although that last shot of the uninhabited kids pump does make me want to lock my doors..] but beautiful nonetheless. Thanks to Becky [blah blach becky] Laura [the magpie musings] and Mel [tatty little boots] for their help!
Because it wouldn't be Christmas without a shameless plug, for any of you who missed out on Spitalfields, we're back the first Saturday of EVERY month [kicking off again with our huge January sale on Jan 7th - click here for details]
'I bet that you look good on the dancefloor?' asked one man to this be-spotted Sheffield shopper. Apparently, she does. Flaunting a fifties circumference the size of the Sun, we <3 it!
