Pop-up and Popcorn

Rag&Bow, the 'roaming vintage store', is heading to super-cool Shoreditch bar The Book Club to host a pop-up sale tomorrow, with a screening of 80s classic flic Desperately Seeking Susan afterwards. I like the sound of Rag&Bow - selling affordable vintage rags from the 50s to the 90s, and even bringing its mobile shop to a home or hen do with a stylist on hand for fashion advice. 

Good Old Fashioned Glamour

I’m a big fan of the vintage-themed events at gorgeous micro hotel 40 Winks, so was interested to hear that owner David Carter is launching Coquette which looks like a fabulous girly afternoon out (not exactly top of my calendar right now but a girl can only dream!)

Hosted at Kettners in Soho, you can be coiffed vintage-style by Lipstick and Curl hair stylists, run wild in the vintage dressing up room, try your hand at 40s swing dancing, or partake in a spot of ‘self-improvement’ - including masterclasses in ‘Etiquette for Girls’ and ‘The Art of Kissing’. Early booking is recommended for the next event on June 18th . 

Local finds

One of the nice things about my newfound status as a mother-in-waiting is having the time to rediscover my local area and potter about in all the cute cafes and shops around London's East End. One recent find is The Create Place on Old Ford Road, that I stumbled upon on the way home from a nice leisurely lunch at the Pavilion Cafe in Victoria Park (crushed artichokes and soft boiled egg on toast - yum). 

The Create Place runs as a craft collective and charity, acting as a space for local designers to sell their handmade products and also holding free workshops to encourage the local community to get involved in craft - including free sewing workshops and craft drop-in sessions every Wednesday. They also host parties and events, including Hen Do lingerie-making, using vintage silks and lace. 

The shop sells some gorgeous products too - I loved Zeena Shah’s screen-print cushions and Kerry Layton’s whimsical prints. 

Vintage dressmaking courses

I love the sound of The Papered Parlour’s vintage-inspired workshops in their Clapham studio space. This weekend they are hosting a DIY dressmaking workshop where you can learn how to run up a nice little number on a vintage Singer, using recycled fabrics and vintage prints. They also run masterclasses in reworking vintage patterns (always the nicest in my opinion!), as well as courses in screen printing, quilting and wallpaper printing. It would make a great vintagey hen do venue too - hosting craft workshops accompanied by cockteas and cake... 

Vintage hen weekends

If the idea of being dressed up as Joan from Mad Men is far more appealing than L Plates and a pink tutu, then these hen weekend ideas could be your ideal alternative to the usual girlie getaway:

Firstly, Vintage Vacations on the Isle of Wight – where you can bed down in a 50s airstream caravan complete with fabulous retro décor, stay in a quirky beach shack, or spend a weekend in a converted tabernacle where you’d have trouble prising yourself away from the wood burning stove it's so cosy.

An Airstream

The Shack

The Mission

The Bungalow

Up North, there is the bohemian La Rosa caravan park in Witby – a cornucopia of kitsch abodes, from a converted truck and old-fashioned gypsy caravans, to a big top tent - along with plenty of eccentric touches such as an open air roll-top bath in the orchard!

La Rosa

For something a little more luxurious (with prices to match), British homewares company Pedlars has just opened the spectacular Balbegno Castle. Kitted out in their signature heritage-inspired style, it would make the perfect vintage retreat.

Balbegno Castle

Vintage wedding dresses: Ooh La La! Vintage

Vintage clothing specialist Ooh La! La! Vintage (run by the exquisitely stylish Tara Munro) was one of my first ports of call on the wedding dress hunt.

Based in Paris, Tara can source one-off vintage dresses and accessories for you, or you can book an appointment with her London counterpart Annie, who can help you create a made-to-measure vintage-style dress or alter an existing vintage piece from her stock of dresses (shown below).

Tara also runs vintage weekends and events where she hosts a vintage masterclass and dressing-up session (accompanied by champagne, afternoon tea and Edith Piaf), followed by a tour of the best Parisian vintage haunts in her charming Citroën 2CV, and finished off with a night out at the Moulin Rouge. Sounds like a fabulous vintage-themed hen do idea!

 

 

Vintage wedding jewellery ideas

I haven’t even begun to contemplate jewellery yet, but my colleague Sue sent me a link Sarah Drew’s handmade collection of vintage bridal headdresses and necklaces, and I couldn’t resist posting a couple of pictures up. Sarah cleverly combines antique brooches, lace, pearls and gems to create one-off pieces, and you can even provide your own brooch to personalise a look.

I love the sound of her Boutique Bridal Jewellery Weekends that she hosts in Cornwall: a weekend of making your own bridal or bridesmaid’s jewellery and even wedding rings – perfect for a pre-wedding bonding session with your bridesmaids or a creative and crafty hen do.