Vintage in the Shires Easter Fair

On Saturday 19th April I took Make Me Pretty Shop for a short trip (round the corner) to a Vintage in the Shires fair at the Royal Pump Rooms in Leamington Spa.

Event Poster

It was quite a dreary and cold morning and it was the Saturday before Easter, but having secured my pitch thanks to a cancellation and with virtually no travelling required, I was optimistic.

Royal Pump Rooms, Leamington Spa

I hadn't yet done a Vintage in the Shires event, but heard they were popular. Trevor was very pleasant to deal with and pitch price reasonable and the venue is one of my favourites in town.

Upon arrival I was thrilled to find I had the first front facing table in the Assembly Rooms - not going to miss me there!

I quickly began setting up my stall, and although I had plenty of time I still buzzed around like a blue arsed fly trying to get everything ready and introduce myself to the other traders.

Craft display shelving

I was excited to try out some new shelving I purchased only the day before from another Blighty Bazaar trader - Pam Thomas from Oopsadaisy Retro.

Paper flower statement necklaces

I didn't have time to upcycle them fully, but I did add some lovely lace edging. With it being Easter and all I used the shelving to display my latest handmade paper flower statement collars.

It was a bit of a Blighty affair as us girls had the centre aisle. My stall was next to Angela from Miss Angel's Vintage Emporium and she was next to Amy from Blighty.

The morning started off slow footfall wise and the hall was rather cold, so I spent most of my time eyeing up Angela's cosy coat! 

It was a bit of a gamble doing a fair before Easter to be honest, with many people away for the holidays or nursing hangovers from Good Friday.

Luckily Nat and Chris from the Lindy Diner at kept our spirits up with some improptu dancing.


Come lunchtime I'm pleased to say the good people of Leamington soon appeared and the hall quickly filled up with those looking for a bargain.

Amy from Blighty Bazaar

A 'Chap' of Distinction

For me at least, it turned out to be a good day for handmade jewellery sales as opposed to vintage, but the fab couple at Chaps of Distinction appeared to be doing well with gentlemen's attire.

Once again my tea set inspired jewellery went down a storm, as did my hair accessories and kooky rings.

I was happy to sell a gorgeous rockabilly-inspired red faux pearl and charm necklace to a lovely local lady, who also commissioned me to make a matching bracelet, which I did this morning.

Rockabilly-inspired charm bracelet

All-in-all the event turned out to be a success and I am very glad to have taken a punt on it.

With some spare cash in my pocket I've invested in some lovely new pieces to craft and sell.

Don't worry if you couldn't make it on the day though as I sell my items in Blighty Bazaar on Kenilworth Street for those of you who are local, or on Etsy for those that are not.

And, please remember I do accept requests for custom pieces of jewellery so don't be afraid to ask should you need something different for a special occasion or gift.



 Catch Make Me Pretty Shop at my next fair - Judy's Affordable Vintage at The Custard Factory in Birmingham on Saturday the 24th May.

Lisa xXx

A pretty prairie pick up in pastels!

Today’s Make Me Pretty Shop #fridaysfrock is a super cute 1970’s floral pastel number by the much-loved California designer, Candi Jones.

Candi Jones 1970's dress

Now I may have missed last week’s instalment of #fridaysfrock for which I apologise, but hopefully this little beauty and some exciting news will make up for it.

This dress is perfect for spring, given the pretty pastel colours of coral, yellow, blue, green and ivory, and its fabulous flirty sleeves and short length.

The detail on the garment is really flattering, with cute matching fabric ties at the tops of flutter sleeves and a blouson style bust.

While the label seems popular online, I can find little on the designer, which leads me to believe her designs were for a small boutique with a limited marketing budget.

Candi Jones California label

There is however a lot of chatter about Candi Jones’ designs being similar to the famous Gunne Sax brand known for its prairie and bohemian style 1970’s dresses.

As I there is no record to date the label online I would guess this is an early 1970’s frock. 

The silhouette, is looser fitting than later 70’s designs and the pattern less in your face than those entering the disco era. The length also makes this more likely.

All-in-all the dress is in a good pre-loved condition.  

There’s a small pull just on the hip, which isn’t really noticeable given the busy pattern, and a small part of the fabric has been re-stitched to the elastic at the waist, but again is not visible given the blouson bust which drapes down.

I'm sure you’ll agree these minor flaws don’t detract from the beauty of this frock, and if anything add to its character. So, if you’re bored of cookie-cutter high street fashion and fancy a flirt with a 70’s sweetheart then this dress could be for you.

Oh, at the start of my post I promised some exciting news and here it is. As well as doing another Judy’s Vintage Fair this weekend, this time at The Custard Factory in Birmingham, I have secured some space for Make Me Pretty in a local shop – Blighty Bazaar.

I really hope the shoppers of Blighty love my vintage frocks and handmade retro jewellery – I just can’t wait to see my stock on display. So, if you live in or visit Leamington please pop in! 

Best wishes,

Lisa xxx

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Perks of the job

Just a quick photo post today of a gorgeous 90's dress I picked up at a vintage kilo sale while looking for stock.

There has to be some perks to a job right? Well after a great thrifty haul purchasing stock I just couldn't resist keeping one of the dresses.

I just love the flattering cut of this dress on the bust and waist, and the circle style skirt means my hips are nicely skimmed.

The red floral pattern is super cute and gave me a good excuse to wear my vintage C&A red suede bag and matching shoes.

I decided to accessorise the outfit with a red studded belt, red nails and lippy!

I wore this dress for cocktails with the girls and was glad of the long sleeves, given the chill in the air and spattering of rain.

Fret not though I was restrained and kept lots of gorgeous vintage dresses back for Make Me Pretty Shop, which will be at The Custard Factory this coming Saturday for another fab Judy's vintage fair, so stop by and say hi!

Lisa x

Bags of vintage, well kilos really...

What’s a Leamington girl supposed to do on a wet dreary day? Head to the Custard Factory in Birmingham her first Vintage Kilo Clothing Sale of course!

 After Make Me Pretty Shop’s first and highly successful stall at Judy’s Affordable Vintage Fair in Leamington earlier this month, I was in desperate need of a re-stock.

The Vintage Clothing Kilo Sale is ran by Judy’s Affordable Vintage Fair, in partnership with Europe’s biggest vintage wholesaler Glass Onion Vintage.

The event promised to bring over 5 TONNES of retro fashion and jewellery to Birmingham’s creative quarter, so earlier this week I excitedly applied for a traders pass.

Saturday arrived and with an impressive clear head the morning after Valentine’s Day, my boyfriend, baby and I headed north on the M40 prepared for a thrifty vintage haul.

We arrived in good time, parking was easy and the venue well signposted. Having signed-in I was quickly handed a large plastic sack and off I went hoorah!

There were rails rammed full of fashion from the 1970s and on, and bargain buckets of accessories, but I had come with a clear plan - to unearth wearable dresses.

I must say I wasn’t spoilt for choice, but then I did arrive 40 minutes into the traders’ session. However, if chunky knits are your thing you've been in woolly heaven.

 

With limited time – partner and baby already bored of waiting in the car – I did manage to bag some fab lovelies I’m sure my customers will adore.

I picked up 7 dresses in total, some quality homemades, two by Ms Chaus, a rather fetching Lady Carol from NY, and my favourite - a fuchsia pink and navy number by Tony Ruocco for Alper Schwartz.

The Tony Ruocco number includes a ‘union made’ label dating it between 1955-95. Given its style I’m led to believe it’s a 90’s creation, but the ‘pinked’ seam construction was typically seen in earlier pieces, so i’ll need to do some research and a proper inspection of my haul.

 All-in-all I’m satisfied with my purchases and enjoyed what was a well organised event and certainly a lot more fun than the cookie-cutter High Street.

It was great to shop in a quirky new location and meet the guys and gals from Glass Onion Vintage – Paul who sent me my traders pass kindly introduced himself.

 

I’ll be bringing some of my new finds back to the Custard Factory when I host the Make Me Pretty Shop stall at Judy’s Affordable Vintage Fair on March the 8th.

Until then, keep respecting style, respecting vintage Birmingham!

Toodles

Lisa x

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Resources: The Little Guide to Vintage Shopping by Melody Fortier, thecustardfactory.co.uk, google images.