Afternoon At A Vintage Clothing Market

There were many varied and interesting vintage items of clothing for sale    Image:Marie Vonow

I spent Saturday afternoon at a vintage clothing market. It required catching two trains to get there but it was worth the effort. As the market was held inside a town hall it did not matter that the weather outside was cold with some rain.

There was a good variety of vintage and retro clothing including some pre-loved designer items. I did not go along intending to buy any clothes but just to look. It was interesting to view the racks of all sorts of dresses, skirts, blouses, jumpers, evening wear, gowns, trousers and more. At times it was difficult to get a good look because there were many other people trying to inspect the items for sale.

There were about 50 stallholders at the market         Image:Marie Vonow

I like the colours of this jumper                                            Image:Marie Vonow

As there were many items from the 60s and 70s when I was growing up and starting to take an interest in clothes, some items brought back memories. I remember my mother and her friends wearing items similar to some that were on sale.

There were even some that reminded me of clothes I wore back in the seventies, by which time I was choosing and buying my own clothes.

I remember buying Dolly magazine when it was first released. Although I was interested in the beauty advice, it was particularly the clothes and fashion that attracted my attention. I think Dolly cost 40c back then. Another fashion magazine I sometimes bought was called Flair.

I recall a maxi dress I drooled over in one of those issues of Flair. It was velvet and the pattern was like stained glass. Now, if I ever found a dress like that and it was in my size I would be very tempted to buy it. However, I don't know if I would wear it and if it was just going to hang in my wardrobe, that would be a waste of money.

I enjoy browsing modern fashion even when I have no intention of making a purchase and it's even more interesting to check out fashion from the past. It makes me wonder who owned each item and where they wore it.

There were plenty of jackets of various prices                                      Image:Marie Vonow

 In addition to clothing there were shoes, hats, bags and other accessories for sale. Some women may not want to wear a vintage dress but a bag could make an interesting addition to an outfit.

There were bags and shoes, this pair in the original box.           Image:Marie Vonow

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I stuck to my plan of not buying any clothing but I did buy a pair of lovely handmade earrings. The young woman who sold them to me explained that she used vintage fabric. I like hand crafted jewellery and it's great to have the opportunity to talk to the person who made the item. I enjoy wearing something that has a story behind it and it makes a great talking point.

Hand crafted earrings                                 Image:Marie Vonow

 On my way home I stopped for a coffee at a cosy cafe and then, having twenty minutes to fill in before the train was due, I went into a boutique selling modern clothes. I got talking to the shop assistant and she was interested to see my earrings and hear their story.