As part of the BFW Ready-to-Wear Shows, The Corn Exchange was once again transformed into a fashion fair, with stalls selling independent-designer clothes, accessories and shoes.
Among the highlights was Creme Nouveau's biscuit brooches and necklaces, Hatastic's domino brooches and leather bow hair-bands, MA Jewellery's vintage-inspired trinkets and Now, Voyager's ecclectic mix of brightly-coloured hair accessories and knitted goodies.
Highlighting the current obsession for all things vintage, there were more second-hand stalls than there were those selling original designer pieces, with some gorgeous Fifties-lace swing dresses, leather bags and retro-print cushions on offer.
Always up for a bit of bargain-hunting, I picked up a pair of Fiorelli speckled oversized sunglasses in a Pierre Cardin glasses case for just 50p, a navy leather belt for £2 and an Eighties' Betty Barclay dress for just £10. Score.
My finds added to the freebies I'd already received in the above-average goodie bag - given out to the first 100 people through the door - which included polka dot bow studs from Miss Funkystuff, a L'Oreal hair treatment sample, 20% off voucher for Warehouse, Irregular Choice bag (the only use for which would be to carry wine bottles to a party) and a copy of new magazine Spindle, which celebrates emerging creative talent and features the beautiful Laura Nixon on the cover.
After the fair, and the Spindle and first Ready-to-Wear shows, my friends and I chose The Dorset's 'Feel the '50s' event from the Fashion Through The Decades venues around the city, where we enjoyed a pint to the sounds of a live Rockabilly band, and a hairdresser creating quiffs, as well as the swing dresses, hair scarves, tattoos and denim turn-ups, proved plenty to admire.
Click on images to enlarge
Posts
