JUMP TO THE BEAT

Frock Around The Clock Vintage Fairs recommend 8 TO THE BAR, a new retro club brought to you by the lovely people at Bellehoppers. The first event takes place on Friday 5th March at Belfast's Black Box from 7.30pm to midnight. The night will kick off with a free basic swing dance class at 7.45pm to help you take to the floor. Then with DJs spinning the coolest tunes you can enjoy the atmosphere or dance Charleston to happy jazz, Lindy to big band swing or get down and dirty to the blues.

Dressing up for the occasion is encouraged so get your best vintage outfit out of the closet and girls apply lashings of red lipstick. Don't have a vintage frock? Don't worry as there are several places in Belfast  that can help - Best Vintage on Ann Street, Bang Boutique on Church Lane (opposite Muriel's Bar), Rusty Zip on Botanic Avenue and Oxfam Vintage on Castle Street.

And with the following 8 TO THE BAR date set for 15th May there is no excuse not to get all frocked up in vintage as Frock Around The Clock Vintage Fairs will be appearing at the Belfast Empire on Sundays 7th March and 11th April and at the Holiday Inn on 9th May.

Admission to 8 TO THE BAR costs £5 and is payable at the door.

MAMA MIA

Mothering Sunday is on 14th March, and if you are looking for gift ideas to show your Mum how much she is appreciated you can't go far wrong with popping along to the first Vintage Sunday at the Empire on 7th March.

With 18+ vintage dealers on board there will be a large variety of unique and interesting gift ideas on display and available to purchase. Vintage clothing and accessories dating from the early 1900s to the 1980s will be available from Lulu Rose Vintage, Jel Vintage, Fabulous Vintage, Banshee Vintage, Betty Bankhead, Angela O'Brien and Old Tea Rose Antiques, while jewellery will be in abundance at the stalls of Norma Jean Vintage, Sandra Crawford Antiques, Old Mill Collectables and Old Tea Rose Antiques.

If your Mum is into music you can pick up something from her favourite artist at the Vinyl Countdown stand, or visit Little Lo Lo's House where old vinyl records have been recycled into clocks. Beautiful vanity items like perfume bottles, compacts and dressing table sets are the speciality of Sandra Crawford Antiques, who also have a lovely collection of opera glasses.

If something for the home is what your Mum would love there will be stylish furniture and home decor items from Kirkmodern and Retrorumage, while floral china, mirrors and pictures will be available at a number of the other stalls. The paper art creations of Vintage Paperworks make fabulous gifts, as do the bone china candle holders and soap dishes from Wicked China.

And if by some very slim chance you can't find anything in this emporium of vintage delights that would please your Mum, you could always purchase a gift voucher from the Ashby Hairstyling stand!

THIS IS THE MODERN WORLD

Geoff Kirk of Kirkmodern and Paul Byrne of Retrorumage, Dublin-based businesses specialising in Mid 20th Century Design, will be appearing at the first Vintage Sunday at the Empire (the new Frock Around The Clock vintage fair at the Belfast Empire) on 7th March, showcasing a fabulous collection of classic designs in furniture, lighting, ceramics and home decor items.

Springtime is the traditional time to give your living space a facelift, and vintage fairs offer a great opportunity for picking up unique and original designs for the home. Kirkmodern and Retrorumage add a new dimension to Frock Around The Clock appealing to design-savvy individuals, couples and collectors who favour a chic and modern look.

Tina by JH Lynch, 1962

Kirkmodern specialises in Scandinavian and post war British design, featuring classic pieces by leading designers such as Stig Lindberg, Jessie Tait and Terence Conran. Expect to find coffee tables, clocks and ceramics as well as bold and unusual designs like the 1960s Toot-a-Loop transistor radio, the 1960s Sputnik Rocket Lamp and the 1950s Zebrette Vase.

1960s Toot-a-Loop Transistor Radio

Geoff is no stranger to Frock Around The Clock, having exhibited at our vintage fairs in May 2009 and February 2010. His bright and colourful wares have a wonderful contemporary feel, perfect for the modernist home and provide a stylish alternative to the abundance of bone china and chintz. Visit the Kirkmodern website and Geoff's blog for the latest news and to be the first to know about new arrivals.

1950s Zebrette Vase - Beswick

The Retrorumage collection is likely to include such pieces as 1970s coffee tables, G-plan sideboards, 1960s chairs and smaller items such as retro clocks and telephones. This is vintage for the modern world.

Paul has built up a great reputation as a regular dealer at the Dublin Flea Market and the Newmarket Brocante where he has an ever-changing display of furniture and collectables on show. Visit his blog to keep updated on new pieces arriving all the time.

The first Vintage Sunday at the Empire takes place on Sunday 7th March at the Empire Music Hall, 42 Botanic Avenue, Belfast from 12 noon to 4.30pm. Other vintage dealers will be selling vintage clothing and accessories, jewellery, vanity items, vinyl records and much more. Admission costs £2.

Other 2010 dates for Vintage Sundays at the Empire are 11th April, 4th July and 1st August.

This is the best way to spend a Sunday afternoon in Belfast; shopping for vintage with your partner, family, friends, or having some quality time to yourself. The Empire Music Hall has the perfect ambience to match our vintage fairs and with refreshments available to purchase at the fair, and hot food served in the basement bar, you have the perfect excuse to stay all day.

1960s Sputnik Rocket Lamp

CRAFTY DEVILS

At Frock Around The Clock we are proud of our dedication to recycling through the wearing and selling of vintage clothing and other treasures. Our Vintage Fashion and Textile Fairs also include a small group of clever creatives who specialise in handmade items fashioned from vintage or recycled textiles. Here are some of the crafty devils who appeared at our February vintage fair at the Holiday Inn.

Salvage Kitten is the brainchild of my lovely sister Rachael. Her hand made creations are crocheted from wool that she salvages from old knitted garments, and are then trimmed with unusual vintage buttons that she rescues from old clothing, Granny's button tin and vintage sewing boxes.

Having inherited the knack of crocheting from our grandmother, she is able to conjure up all manner of pretty things from her salvaged materials. Popular favourites are her lacy hats and cuffs, while her gingerbread men Christmas tree decorations sold like hot cakes at our November fair.


Eve of Vintage Paperworks is a textile and paper artist who produces fabulous paper art using discarded materials such as vintage maps and dressmaking patterns. Popular creations at FATC are her pretty paper dress pictures which are available either framed or unframed.

Rosie of Lulu Rose creates beautiful hats and jackets under her Aubergine Lining label. These are hand made from recycled textiles, with contrasting linings and fabulous fabric bows. These unique, one-off designs feature interesting textures, quirky colour combinations, and special details.

Rosie is also a keen knitter and produces a range of colourful knitted hats under the label of Loopy Yarns.

Clare of Little Hooligan creates vintage-inspired handknits for babies using vintage knitting patterns. These are then hand finished using vintage buttons and trimmings.

ALL THE SMALL THINGS

At Frock Around The Clock we love bargain buys. The purse is a little light at this time of year (except when we see a fabulous pair of shoes of course) so we were overjoyed to find lots of little affordable goodies at our February vintage fair.

Fabulous choice and prices to suit all pockets meant that whether you had come with the intention of making a luxury purchase, or with the objective of making your pocket money stretch as far as possible, you wouldn't be disappointed or leave empty-handed. Here are some of the pretty little things that we loved.

Opera bag from Anne's Antiques

A selection of old jewellery boxes from Dream Jewels

Owl necklaces from Stray Jewellery

Clip on earrings from A M Antiques

Matchboxes from Vintage Is A Girl's Best Friend

Owl earrings from Beadalicious

Bathing Beauty Cocktail Set from Kirkmodern

Glitter and sparkle from Strictly Vintage

Dolls, bears and miniature teaset from The Optimists

Pocket watch necklaces from Innocent Chaos

Gloves, brooch and clock from After Sybil

A selection of goodies from Roisin Purdy

THESE ARE A FEW OF MY FAVOURITE THINGS

Decadence didn't have a stall at the February FATC, but the upside was that inbetween all my organiser duties I was actually able to get around the whole vintage fair to see what everyone else was selling. That was a first!

Armed with my vintage camera, held together with selotape, I was on a mission to get some great images for the website. It was very difficult to choose my favourite fab finds, but here are just a few.

Dresses and accessories from After Sybil. I just adore the 1950s shoes with lucite heels.

Vintage accessories, vanity items, ephemera and jewellery from Sandra Crawford Antiques. So much choice, but how to choose?! The silver and turquoise pendant necklace on the right now has a new home in my jewellery cabinet.

Wonderful offerings from Fabulous Vintage. The handpainted silk shawl above left is utterly gorgeous, while the embroidered brown leather gloves above right and the blue shoes to the left were my absolute favourites. Simply to die for!

Gorgeous goodies from Little Blue Cottage. Colourful tights and stockings bang on trend, a 1950s cotton swimsuit as sweet as sugar candy, and a 1920s lace dress, truly divine!

A shimmering gold 1950s Frank Usher prom dress and deadstock girdle from Revamp.

Mid 20th Century design from Kirkmodern.

Hats galore and adorable girly lace dresses from Granny's Attic.

Pretty In Pink, 1950s flocked chiffon party dress and Betty Boop at The Old Tea Rose Antiques.

WEDDING BELLES

The flyers for our first Vintage Fashion & Bridal Fair arrived this morning. They are perfect! Now it may be 4 months to the big event but I am excited already! There has been a lot of interest shown in this vintage fair, and not just by brides-to-be. The event will incorporate fabulous vintage bridal fashions & accessories with vintage special occasion wear, jewellery and all the usual trimmings found at our regular fairs, so it aims to satisfy the  lusts of vintage shopping addicts as well as brides, mothers and guests.

A couple of exhibitors brought along some taster items to our February event so that I could get some advertising images, and our resident retro hairstylist Kelly had fun trying on a gorgeous bridal gown from Banshee Vintage that made her look somewhat like a silver screen goddess.

 

Brenda from Dream Jewels had brought along one of her prized possessions; a silk and lace gown dating c1850. It caused quite a stir and more than a few murmers of admiration. Needless to say, no-one was brave enough to try this museum piece on no matter how robust it was. The colours and the detail are amazing:

I was also smitten by this vintage head dress and these pretty bridal posies from Dream Jewels. I wonder what tales of vintage romance and love they could tell?

The Frock Around The Clock Vintage Fashion & Bridal Fair will take place on Sunday 13th June 2010 at Malone House, Barnett Demesne, Belfast from 12 noon - 5pm. Watch this space for more details coming soon.