Lest we forget

All poppied up and after a two minute silence, I was to experience the delights of Clerkenwell vintage fashion fair today. The fashion treasure trove enveloped unique pieces from the 1800s to the 1980s, and it seemed to be particularly fitting to be browsing the stalls for sweetheart broaches and clothes that evoked a wartime glamour.
I'm not usually one for vintage shopping - I'm not particularly good at searching through clothes that usually smell a bit dubious and were meant to stay well and truly in the decade they've surfaced from. But Clerkenwell was different; the venue, The Old Sessions House, provided a fabulous labyrinth of stalls. I felt like Alice down the rabbit hole, rustling in the different rooms, frequently backtracking to try and find once more 'that special something' that I needed to have a second look at. And the experts had truly cherry picked their best finds! I saw some utterly wonderful furs for no more than £30 (and a fabulous wild mink coat for £775!), some very sweet sixties shifts, hand knitted cardigans from the 40s, and dozens of butter-soft leather heels just waiting for their thrifty Cinderella.
I walked away with a beautiful Hermes silk scarf for £20 which was in pretty good condition, a few small stains but nothing that a bit of cunning twirling couldn't disguise! I also grabbed some rather sexy lacy black gloves that were more than a little bit Dita Von Teese. And also the real crocodile bag pictured for £30; I managed to get a few quid knocked off that, it's had a lot of life and some of the scales split down the side, so a bodged job with some glue has left the leather stained black.
Just as I was about to lindyhop out with my bag full of goodies, I was drawn back in by the a capella sounds of a trio, all dressed up in 1940s clobber; just like the Puppini Sisters. That truly was the cherry on top of the cake (oh and there were delish cakes there too!!). It was beautiful to listen to; and if you grew green with envy eyeing their decadent forties make-over, you too could be Bettie Page for the day thanks to Lipstick & Curls who were also at the event. Click here for more information.
So, what a find!! Only trouble now is fitting my trinkets in my suitcase and carting it back to my flat....wish me luck!!
Clerkenwell Vintage fair is on bi-monthly, check their website for details by clicking here. A little birdie told me their venue would be changing shortly, so keep a keen eye on their website for more details.