FROCK CHICK

The lucky winner of our hair makeover competition received her prize from our favourite retro hairstylist, Kelly McLean, at the Frock Around The Clock Vintage Fashion & Textile Fair on 26th September.

Thank you Margaret for entering our competition. You looked gorgeous when you arrived at the fair so it wasn't really a makeover, but your glamorous updo is beautiful and we hope you enjoyed Frock Around The Clock x

CAMEL RACE

I had a sneak preview today of some of the pieces that Norma Jean will be bringing to our Vintage Fashion & Textile Fair this Sunday. I think that the race will be on to be the new owner of this fabulous camel swing coat by Christian Dior. This gorgeous 1980s coat is so on trend right now, and the Dior label makes it even more covetable. Check out the buttons!

Also available is this funky 1960s hat by Christian Dior. A perfect winter ensemble.

FROCK & SOUL

It's been a while, but we have gone back to having live music at our Vintage Fashion & Textile Fair. This Sunday we are happy to welcome the Jenny Kallen Jazz Band who will be bringing glamour, sophistication and fun to our event. Jenny has been fascinated by the genre of musical film since an early age, and takes her styling influences from the pin-up girls of the 1940s and 1950s. So now you can tap your toes to swing, jazz and jumpin' jive while you shop for vintage.

We are also ecstatic to welcome the return of the very fabulous Whistle Bait Babies! Northern Ireland's premier burlesque troupe will be making a special guest appearance and performing at 2pm. Be sure to arrive in good time so that you don't miss the gals bringing some old Hollywood-style glamour and fun to Frock Around The Clock.

CURIOSITY SHOP

The countdown to Christmas is on with only 92 shopping days left, so what better time to start looking for unique and original gift ideas than at our Vintage Fashion & Textile Fair this Sunday? We are not just a great place to find a fabulous frock or a stunning piece of jewellery, we also have all kinds of wonderfully different gift items.

For the little ones we have beautiful clothing for babies from Little Hooligan - very special hand-knits finished with vintage buttons and trimmings.

For the collector we have dolls, teddy bears, toys and other collectables from The Optimists, who specialise in antique cloth dolls and soft toys. Owner, Gillian Trotter, has been a collector for over 30 years and in 2003 her book 'Norah Wellings Cloth Dolls and Soft Toys' was published by Hobby House Press.

Wicked China sell pretty vintage bone china teacups, plates and bowls with handmade candles and soaps, individually wrapped for that special someone or just as a treat for yourself.

For greetings cards visit Nik's Vintage where you can buy old stock vintage greeting cards and handmade greeting cards created from vintage cigarette cards, bubblegum cards and recycled vintage occasion cards.

We have lots more besides - perfume bottles, dressing table sets, compacts, beaded bags and purses, cufflinks, vinyl records, books and curiosities. This Christmas show that you care by giving unique gifts that can't be found on the high street!

HAIR WE GO

Our competition to win a pair of complimentary tickets to our Vintage Fashion & Textile Fair this Sunday plus a retro hairstyling session with Ulster Tatler People of the Year finalist Kelly McLean has ended, and the winners have been notified.

If you weren't one of the lucky winners don't despair as Kelly will be available all day at the vintage fair to create beehives, pin curls, glamorous updos and quiffs for only £10. So if you have a special date on Sunday night, or you just fancy trying out a new look, be sure to stop by the retro hairstyling stand in the Olympic Suite.

And for the ladies, the lovely Claire of Claire McEvoy Make-up will also be available for make-up application.

A CHANGE OF A DRESS

Only 93 shopping days 'til Christmas! That's only 93 days to find the perfect dress to wear for the yuletide festivities. And with the Christmas party season starting in early December it means you only have two months to find a few fabulous party frocks.

Vintage is the obvious choice if you want to avoid turning up to the ball wearing the same dress as someone else, and for the best choice there is no better place to pursue the perfect frock than our vintage fairs.

Frock Around The Clock is the place to find the best selection of vintage frocks under one roof in Northern Ireland, from all eras, and from under £20 to a few hundred pounds.

Look out for 1960s architectural A-line cocktail dresses, feminine 1950s frocks, 70's maxis, and '80s leather ensembles to remain on-trend but still look original.

GLITTER GIRLS

Whether your taste in costume jewellery is for lots of glitter and sparkle, or for something a little less bling bling, we have got something to satisfy everyone at Frock Around The Clock - from Czech glass to Edwardian paste, Art Deco to bakelite, and painted enamel to Hollywood style designer jewellery.

Strictly Vintage always have a fabulous collection of American vintage designer costume jewellery dating from the 1920s to the 1960s, including names such as Trifari, Miriam Haskell and Fred H Block. A big favourite with both serious collectors and the occasional buyer, Strictly Vintage has a range of jewellery pieces to suit everyone at both ends of the price scale.

Diamond Dolls at Dream Jewels is another fabulous source of vintage costume jewellery, though owner Brenda tends not to bring a large selection along to the vintage fairs. However, her Moira based shop is only a short drive from Belfast and an absolute treasure trove of vintage loveliness.

The Old Tea Rose is well known for the fabulous vintage dresses, hats and bags that it always has in stock, but you can always find some gorgeous jewellery pieces here too from sparkling paste necklaces to lucite bracelets and pearl chokers.

Go on and treat yourself, you deserve it! Come along to our Vintage Fashion & Textile Fair on Sunday 26th September and be dazzled.

EARLY RISER

We will be running our EARLY BIRD OFFER again this Sunday 26th September which means that if you arrive at the Holiday Inn and pay into the Vintage Fashion & Textile Fair between 11am and 11.30am you will receive a reduction of £2 on the general admission price.
 
Therefore, for the first half an hour of the event only, admission will cost £3 for adults and £1 for students and seniors (with ID).

The Frock Around The Clock Vintage Fashion & Textile Fair takes place on Sunday 26th September at the Holiday Inn, Ormeau Avenue, Belfast from 11am to 4.30pm.

45+ sellers of vintage clothing, accessories, jewellery and homewares. Music by the Jenny Kallen Jazz Band and a special guest appearance by the Whistle Bait Babies burlesque dance troupe.

WELL, FROCK MY SOUL!

We are giving away fifteen pairs of complimentary tickets for our Vintage Fashion & Textile Fair on Sunday 26th September.


This Saturday, from 2 - 3pm, the gorgeous Whistle Bait Babies will be handing out flyers for Frock Around The Clock at Belfast's Corn Market, and the first fifteen people to go up to the girls and say 'FROCK MY SOUL' will each receive a pair of tickets for Northern Ireland's favourite vintage shopping extravaganza!

Watch out for updates on our Facebook page and Good Luck!

SMOKING ROOM

In June of this year a handful of us Frock Around The Clock folks, a few of our vintage-loving friends, and the lovely people from Living Vintage were asked to be part of a Twenty Twenty Television production 'We Built Titanic', which would be a television series following four modern day engineers attempting to rebuild sections of the Titanic, using only the tools and techniques of the early twentieth century.

So on 10th June we were invited to a special party at the Ulster Museum to celebrate the unveiling of a reconstruction of part of the Titanic's Smoking Room and a third class passenger cabin, where the evening would be filmed and eventually transmitted as part of the television series to be aired in Autumn 2010 by Channel Four and National Geographic.

Dressed in Edwardian attire, some of us attended the party as first class passengers and others as steerage passengers and we all looked a treat as we arrived at Botanic Gardens.

We were greeted by some of the television presenters dressed as Titanic stewards, who served us with the most lethal Edwardian cocktails with names like The Rivet Gun, and another first class gentleman who played card tricks with us in the smoking room. After we had all been plied with copious amounts of the dangerous Edwardian cocktails, we were served tea from china cups that were an exact reproduction of those that had been made for the Titanic's maiden voyage.

It was fascinating to hear how the presenters had set out on their mission to rebuild parts of the Titanic using only the tools and techniques that were used for its original construction, and to learn about how life would have been on the magnificent ship for both the first and steerage class passengers.

The Twenty Twenty team were also responsible for the construction of the 30ft replica section of the ship's hull which was recently unveiled alongside the Titanic Dock and Pump House at the Northern Ireland Science Park, Queen's Island. 

Channel 4 will be transmitting We Built Titanic under the new title Titanic: the Mission from Monday 27th September at 9pm with the following schedule:

Episode 1 - The Hull (Belfast) - Monday 27th September @ 9.00pm
Episode 2 - The Anchor (Sheffield and Dudley) - Monday 4th October @ 9.00pm
Episode 3 - Electricity (Shugborough Hall) - Monday 11th October @ 9.00pm
Episode 4 - Interiors& the Smoking Room (Brighton and Belfast) - Monday 18th October @ 9.00pm
Episode 5 - Safety and The Engineers Memorial (Southampton)- Monday 25th October @ 9.00pm

We are proud to have played a part in bringing the programme to the screen and look forward to following the Twenty Twenty team on their mission throughout the series while learning more about the skills and innovations that Belfast was once synonymous with.

You can find updates and more information about the series on the Channel Four Website and on the Facebook page for the Titanic Mission.

LIVING DOLLS

Great News! Our fabulous friends at Living Vintage are holding another of their famous vintage fashion shows:

On Saturday 2nd October

At the Mourne Golf Club, 36 Golf Links Road, Newcastle, BT33 0AN.

From 7.30pm sharp

If, like us, you have experienced these events in the past you will know what enjoyable evenings they are and if you haven't been fortunate enough to catch one yet then we recommend that you try your hardest to get to this one. You wont be disappointed!

The show features original and stunning vintage clothing and accessories from the 1940s and 1950s, and the models themselves look as if they have stepped straight out of the1940s with hair and make-up perfect for the era. This fashion show with a difference is presented in an atmosphere of fun and presenter Bridget always weaves a storyline throughout the catwalk show.

Refreshments will be served in the interval and a raffle will also take place.

Tickets cost £10 and the proceeds of this evening will be donated to Cancer Research. Tickets can be obtained by calling:

02843724201, or

Bridget on 02844881505 / 07771888641

Visit Living Vintage on Facebook

HOME SWEET HOME

Although originally set up in 2008 as an outlet for vintage fashion and accessories, Frock Around The Clock has evolved so that visitors can now also find a wealth of other vintage treasures, including homewares, and we have a fabulous line up of sellers of vintage homewares at this Sunday's Vintage Fashion & Textile Fair.

Jenny Bond of Jenny Bond Interiors will be returning with her Lost and Found Furniture - an eclectic mix of vintage pieces reworked in a modern way. All pieces are personally sourced and imaginably transformed using vintage and designer fabrics and professional paint techniques.

Angie Martin of Fairy Godmother will be waving her magic wand again and bringing her collection of vintage ceramics, along with some delightful vintage costume jewellery and other treasures.

Following their successful outing at our Vintage Bridal Fair in June, we are pleased that Tea Party will be returning with a gorgeous collection of vintage china teacups, teasets, cakestands, glassware and linens.

Moyra Blaney of Circa Ceramics will be selling ceramic household items and ornaments from the 1920s to 1970s, all ready to be loved a second time around. 

We always find amazing pieces at Sandra Crawford Antiques like this gorgeous tray that was sold at our last Empire Fair, and the fabulous Babycham glasses.

There will also be funky items for your home handcrafted from vintage objects and recycled textiles. We love the popular record clocks from Lois at Little Lo Lo's House. She also sells beautiful cushions made from gorgeous vintage fabrics.

Frock Around The Clock presents the Vintage Fashion & Textile Fair on Sunday 26th September at the Holiday Inn, Ormeau Avenue, Belfast from 11am to 4.30pm.

KITSCH NICHE

We have jewellery sellers to satisfy all tastes at next Sunday's Vintage Fashion & Textile Fair. For those gals who aren't into really glitzy vintage costume jewels we have a fabulous selection of jewellery designers who have kitsch and funky creations with a fun and retro feel.

Amanda at Boopy Doodle creates cute and quirky jewellery pieces which all come gift wrapped so are ideal as gifts for girlfriends, teenage daughters or even mum's. Choose from bracelets, earrings, rings and necklaces - all in gorgeously retro colours and designs. My favourite has to be this Liquorice Allsort bracelet, which looks good enough to eat!

Rachael at RJL Designs will be returning with her fabulous 'Measure Up' range of fashion jewellery made from recycled fabric, cloth, twisted tape measures and buttons. Her corsages and headbands were very popular when she last appeared at FATC in May of this year, and we all loved how she had taken mundane discarded textiles and transformed them into unique and beautiful fashion accessories.

Jennifer of Jennifer Robinson Jewellery has a wonderful and diverse range of unique designs which incorporate the use of all manner of recycled objects - from silver coins, charms, thimbles and even spoons to old stamps and photographs. Proving very popular are her new range of necklaces made from old watch parts. Each and every piece is a one-off so you know that you are unique when you are wearing jewellery from Jennifer.

Roisin of Beadylicious crafts all manner of pretty jewellery items and accessories from fabric, beads and other vintage bits and pieces. We love her corsages and headbands and all the other strings to her bow which include murals and wedding invitations! She is one talented girl!

One of the jewellery ranges from the gifted Norma at Norma Jean Vintage is her collection of handcrafted funky necklaces which incorporate recycled beads, chains and vintage charms, all from old broken jewellery. No two pieces are the same, and there is something to suit everyone, whether your taste is pearls and diamantes or chunky silver and crosses.

We know that a lot of little girls (and indeed big girls) are going to be very excited by the new range of necklaces from Samantha at The Fol-de-rol Dolls. Using recycled beads and Disney charms they are perfect for all us princesses. The problem is choosing which one I like best so I think I might have to buy them all!

The lovely Lois from Little Lo Lo's House will be bringing along a selection of her quirky jewellery designs and accessories made from old and used materials, for when you want something that little bit different like this fabulous necklace.

 

And Sharon Hay of Innocent Chaos will be returning with her ever-popular range of vintage-inspired jewellery, reminiscent of the innocence and chaos of childhood. Choose from necklaces, bracelets, earrings, rings, corsages, and luxurious designs which include her unique bridal bouquets fashioned from vintage brooches.

The Frock Around The Clock Vintage Fashion & Textile Fair takes place on Sunday 26th September at the Holiday Inn, Ormeau Avenue, Belfast from 11am to 4.30pm. 45 sellers of vintage clothing, accessories, jewellery and homewares. Music by the Jenny Kallen Jazz Band and a special guest appearance by The Whistle Bait Babies. Admission costs £5 for adults and £3 for seniors and students.