A Very Vintage Day

A few weeks ago there was a vintage fair in Newcastle. Having missed the last one I was rather excited at the prospect of vintage clothing, swing bands and afternoon tea. After a rather roundabout hike (purely my own fault) I made it to the venue and was rather excited by a big display of hats by the door. I'm a girl of simple pleasures. I totally forgot to get a picture of them, but here's a lovely suitcase full of scarves to make up for it:

I've never been to a vintage fair before so was rather shocked by the pricing on some stalls. The worst I noticed was 'vintage' Dr Martens going for ridiculous amounts (though I did fall in love with a very reasonably priced pair. If only my budget stretched!)

I didn't actually buy much and by the time I was finished wandering I was rather disenchanted. A lot of the stuff there just seemed like a massive rip off and the stall holders were really aggressive when I tried bargaining.

As luck would have it on my way back into town there transpired to be another vintage fair in the Theatre Royal! Hurrah, I thought, I'll give this one a go and see if it's any better. Despite the crowding, it was absolutely fantastic. There was some beautiful pieces (including some fantastic fascinators and an amazing beaded dress which I couldn't get close enough to photograph.) The location really made it something special, and there was a live singer on one of the higher floors.

Among other things I fell in love with a collection of fish plates and some pendants made from an old German dictionary.

And the moral of this story is.... Vintage fairs aren't that bad, sometimes. Decisive!