Coming from
the post-punk generation and with not much money to my name, as a teenager I
scoured the charity shops to find something I could adapt to my tastes. I hand-sewed items, chopped them up and added accessories
to make it stand out. I once had a dress
made from a set of curtains and a necklace from a shopping trolley. And I’m sure you have all seen photos of my ‘Black
Bride’ punk phase!
In recent
years charity shops are not what they were and any items considered worth something
are sold on eBay instead of the shop. It
stops a range of people going into charity shops (except for the poorest in our
society) and I do think that charity shops need to re-think this strategy so
they can reinvent themselves as a cool place to shop. But thanks to Dawn O’Porter and a nostalgic
view of all things retro – second hand clothes have rebranded themselves. There are many shops in big cities now that
call themselves ‘Vintage’ and what was once uncool has reinvented itself as
cool again.
So it was
with delight that I heard that Lou Lou vintage Fair was coming to Milton
Keynes. Milton Keynes being a new city
(don’t get me started about the ‘Is it a town/city’ debate – that’s a blog for
another day) does have lots of charity shops but doesn’t really do vintage. In fact the whole ethos of Milton Keynes seems
to be embrace the new and throw away the old. This is certainly true of its architecture
such as The Point, The Agora (Wolverton) and the sad demise of Bletchley
Leisure Centre. I don’t want Milton Keynes
to become the Primark of the country. I want Milton Keynes to stand out and be
proud to be different the same way my vintage items are. Although I love vintage, I did wonder how
successful vintage would be to others in Milton Keynes. So on a very rainy Saturday in October; I headed
over to find out more about what Milton Keynes shoppers could expect from vintage.
I found very
friendly stall-holders. I found a lot of
quality vintage items and some new vintage inspired items, a chance to try out
new hairstyles and some very delicious tea and homemade cake. They even had cake forks and real sugar lumps!
The music was
definitely vintage – mainly 1960s and I found myself singing along to almost
every track. Stalls were very clear on
what their remit was and there was a range of vintage from 1940s coats; gloves
of the 1950s and dresses from the 1960s. I found smock tops and psychedelic dresses
from the 1970s and a bit of sparkle and shoulders from the 1980s. Vintage
really should be over 30 years old to call itself such but really its how you
wear it that makes it special. If you
are old enough to remember the decade you are wearing – then pair that item up
with a more modern item for a fresh look.
I might have
been raining outside, but inside the sun was shining like those long hot
summers we all remember.
I do hope Lou
Lou’s Vintage Fair will visit Milton Keynes again – and those of you who love
vintage make sure you put that date on your dance card!
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