Birmingham Vintage Fair

Today was a big day in Birmingham.

The Vintage Fair arrived! 4 times a year, The Custard Factory in Digbeth is overrun with vintage-sellers flogging their wares to people looking for something new. (Or looking for something old? Works either way.)

Such a good vibe here. There's a few little boutiquey shops set up in actual shop fronts by various sellers, which are really fun to look around. There was a particular one that had a lovely little section devoted to vintage pyjamas and nighties... But the thought of someone's naked boobies on a vintage night-gown gives me the heebie-jeebies. They were pretty to look at though. But more in a museumy way.  The best established shop by far though is Urban Village. (But I will bore you more about that in a bit.)

Me getting my tourist on just outside. Backpack and all.

  

I'd heard about The Custard Factory Vintage Fair last year and had really wanted to go, but the usual hurdles of first year (namely stonking HMV-hangovers) had meant that I 'never really got round to it.' So this year I vowed that I would go.

It pretty much was what I expected. My pet peeve about these sort of events is that sometimes, when something is given the 'vintage' title, some sellers take the piss. My housemate found the Primark blouse that she was actually wearing on one of the rails (incidentally - she had paid £1 for it.) donning a pricetag of £12. You've got to be kidding me. If you were to find the same item in a charity shop it would probably be being sold for what it is genuinely worth. Not playing on people's willingness to pay to follow fashion.

There were a mix of stalls in the actual fair, some specializing in certain areas such as jewellery/costume pieces, and others that were more like jumble sales. One glamourous granny was selling all tops for a fiver, which in my eyes is reasonable for on-trend second-hand clothes. At the other end of the scale were sellers who had 'reclaimed' older pieces by splash-dying them and sticking studs on. For a quick fashion fix these sorts of stalls are brilliant - studded Levi's shorts going for £20, when people are paying £40 for an identical pair in sodding Urban Outfitters. (Fucking hate that place.) However, the skin-flint in me would never actually BUY anything from these stalls unless something really stood out. A lot of the things you can do yourself if you put your mind to it. But if you can't be arsed, then this sort of thing is perfect.

 

To be fair though, even if you don't BUY anything, the Custard Factory is a pretty cool place in its own right. I mean, look at this massive wooden scarecrow. Makes The Bull look like a crock of shit.

So in the end I only bought one item from the actual fair (a lovely silky smock top with silver and black flowers all over it... I envision it worn with leggings and Cons.) for a fiver off the aforementioned Glam-Gran. But I couldn't help popping in to Urban Village on my way out to look at the camo jackets...

A Lesson In Purchasing a Camo Jacket

This camo-jacket is being sold on the Urban Outfitters website for £48.00. Similarly, in Topshop there are a few going for over £50. I got my genuine, gorgeous, lovely lovely lovely camo jacket from Urban Village for £12. I shit you not. I am in love with my new jacket. They have a rail devoted to them in there, all different sizes and styles. Granted, mine had a couple of German badges on the arms, but they were easy to quickly unpick when I got home. Moral of the story? Don't buy one from a high street store. You'll get ripped off.

Will upload a picture of it tomorrow... All that rummaging has worn me out.