Alternative Fashion Week, London 2005

  • Thread starter Thread starter Noir*Boudoir
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Noir*Boudoir

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Thought I'd post this here FYI. I'm thinking if you can make it to the East End this week, this might be an interesting place to scout for new alternative trends, or network for vintage sourcing/supply purposes.

I've just taken the details from the press release and a link to the website is below.
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<b>Alternative Fashion Week</b>
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SWATCH ALTERNATIVE FASHION WEEK provides a genuine alternative for truly innovative designers to present their work directly to the press, the public and the fashion industry. Alternative Arts supports this fresh talent by producing and directing Swatch Alternative Fashion Week at no charge to the designers.<br>

FASHION SHOWS will be open to the Press and Public daily at 1.15pm starring stunning NEW MODELS and contemporary live jazz.

TWELVE DIFFERENT designers will show each day. Original textiles are a major feature and there will be womenswear, menswear, headwear, footwear, workwear, leisurewear, underwear, fetishwear and fantasywear.

THE FASHION MARKET 12 noon to 3pm each day with stalls selling an exotic range of clothes, textiles and accessories.

ADMISSION IS FREE to this event and includes a programme listing every designer.
See location etc. on the website
 
Thanks for giving the heads up, Lin

(the lady in the picture to me by the way looks like we name would be Countess Dracula with that collar. Or it reminds me of some very very stylized deco era graphics vaguely. Either way :)
 
You know, I'm thoroughly ashamed to say that my ideal 'schedule' for last week did *not* work out in any shape or form, and I only hauled my sorry behind to London on Saturday afternoon (when a spurious scout around the combed-over vintage emporia of Camden had to do instead...)

On the *other* hand, with the flimsy excuse of enabling Anne to exit for the occasional ciggie, I did make it to the Battersea Vintage Fashion Fair on the Sunday.

I enjoyed, as always, being incredibly nosy about Anne's fabbo stock (the Mexican skirts!!!), but I was also completely overwhelmed by the stock on offer at the Fair. I recommend it for browsing and possible lucky-dip purchase possibilities for anyone. T

here's any number of things I could have splashed out on (had I had mucho-coin, which I don't at the moment) amidst the great variety of specialisms and levels of stock and I just felt it was impossible to choose what to concentrate on.

Overall, I was really interested in the extent to which older vintage textiles are covered by these Fairs (loved seeing more than a couple of 40s print frocks - which is the absolute max for me under any other circumstances) and had fun trying on an early 20th cent, if not earlier, Turkish robe of kashmir brocade that a neighbouring store had hanging as its display piece.

In an ideal world, *that*=my definitive collection/stock, but after the stall-holder pointed out I'd pay the same price (8 to 900 quid) for a new Aquascutum coat, I had to break it to him that both were out of my league. :hysterical:

I look forward to going back to those Fairs, however, as it's just so interesting seeing (a) the current 'real world' prices for the kind of things we may want to buy/sell online, and (b) the much wider range of early ethnic and European fare, since this has less of a presence on Ebay, yet I'm really interested in it.

And of course it's great to meet other sellers - really interested in the way some present everything 'in the cloth'.

So I managed *some* kind of report - not what was billed however, sorry!

If I do find reports (say, in the Alternative London mag) of this event, I'll post 'em, however (or if anyone else went, chip in!)

L
 
There seems to be more of a market for having complete vintage clothing shows in England than there is here. You might be lucky to find a handful of dealers at shows, and it is mostly "look don't touch" or marginally unimpressive and over priced. The stained, "excellent considering its age" types. If they are a little bit better in condition quality than that, they are not geared towards the wearer when clearly the items they have are meant to be worn and not museum pieces. There is nowhere to "try something on" not even a curtain or a mirror.

I tend to go to places in slip on shoes, I stay away from wearing jeans or anything that will add bulk along the waistline, and wear a boring tank top with an open button down over it just in case I encounter a situation where I need to slip my arms into something to estimate size. I may not be well turned out in vintage for the world to see if i am there to seriously look to buy, but I do get the job done.

It is not quite the interactive experience from what you speak of.

Chris
 
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