SNOWvember in the Vintage Wardrobe

Greetings sports fans! Now, unless you're a mole deep down in a hole [and even then you've got to be wondering why you're chimney looks like a french fancy] you will know that there's only one word on our lips this week...

That's right folks, it's puffy and powdery and gets in yer eyes-ery! Now, despite having the time of our lives bombing down hills, balling passers-by and writing rude words on any available windscreen [that's correct - we've reverted to the age of 13 this week - LONG MAY IT REIGN!] all that lovely snow can only mean one thing - C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S! That's right, with December rolling round tomorrow and 24-5 windows of chocolatey goodness waiting to be snaffled all at once, it's fair to say we here at The VW are pretty psyched for Yuletide. Here's a little snapshot of what we've got planned for the festive period....

SEE! We told you it was JUST A SNAPSHOT [oh lord, hopefully this childishness will fade with the snow] Seriously though, we've got BIG things planned for xmas so watch this space. One of the things we want to do for you lovely lot this Christmas period is provide a bit of solace from the foam-at-the-mouth, your-money-or-your-life Highstreet, a place so inhospitable in December that you wouldn't be considered crazy for dropping to the floor and assuming the foetal position in the middle of Topshop, crying out for January. For those a little strapped for cash and you student types, we here at VW want you to know that we've got the antidote to those two worry-inspiring words, 'secret santa,' this season; from our 'Once Upon a Charm' line to feathered headbands, kitsch casios and scrabble accessories, stocking-filling's never been so thrilling!![wait, thaaaaat didn't come out right...] Basically, we're telling you to NEVER FEAR! VW IS HERE! With a little bit of help, xmas '10 is going to be...  

 [double word score!]

Phew! That's enough spelling for one day. As a side note, you may have noticed our new 'with thrashes' design of  tees in store [or on facebook] All machine washable, costing £15 and best of all, featuring bizaare animals doing human things [vultures CAN'T loiter! silly vulture. Wait...can they?] we've been inspired. First of all, here's a few schnapps of the thrashes tees in the flesh...

Crackers aint they? [But absolutelty great] In a similar vain, Nicole and I are thinking of branching out and designing our own brand of tees, running with the wildlife idea and combining it with the faces of minor celebrities. Check out our demo below...

 

 

Coming in sizes sssssmall, medium and large, we're expecting our 'Jeremy King Cobra' print to be big for Christmas 2010. For further designs, keep yer peepers on facebook [and don't be afraid to make requests!]

Thaaaaat's all folks. Until next time!

VW out x

How Boozaar, How Boozaar...

Greetings Sports Fans!

Now, apologies for our long stint of absence - we've been running around, wrapping up for the season, flailing around in capes and generally trying to hunt down all that killer Winter stock that you hungry lot seem to snaffle up like the Honey Monster fresh out of puffy-wheat rehab! [he's relapsed, whuich is a sad day for cereal cartoons everywhere - still, an addiction to honey can't be that bad. Unless your a bee.] On top of that, we've spent the week getting over that little throw-together, off the cuff wotsit of ours, the...

That's right folks, our debut Brudenell Boozaar took place last Monday and so we here at the Vintage Wardrobe wanted to give you the low-down and what we saw through our slightly-inebriated peepers...

Throwing out tunes bigger than the Dali moustache he was soon to don, resident DJ and wind-up merchant Arthur Pint manned the decks, laying down some big beats as the beers were a-flowin' and the night got a-goin'. With small stalls ranging from vintage get-ups, home-spun handycrafts, vinyls and art-yfacts, revellers were spoilt for choice without being foam-at-the-mouth, hair-pulling-out overwhelmed. As for the venue itself, weeks of the VW crew finger painting, art attacks and huffing and puffing like there's no tomorrow turned the Brudenell into a balloon-ladened, bunting-striped delight![for those of you who didn't  make it, first of all  FOR SHAME! and secondly, imagine a gymboree crosed with a community centre aaaand you're pretty much there!]

Before we get on to our four wunderbar bands that delighted our ears, lets not forget the pure, unadulterated sorcery that was cake-maker Rebecca and her Sugar Rose range- cocktail-themed cupcakes?! Sweet-treats you can eat through a straw?! Rebecca, we may not understand you but heck, do our tastebuds salute you! Pint in one hand and cake in t'other, it was down to our facial artisan Sophia Hill to plaster our mugs with all kinds of designs - from 'Savana' to 'dolphin' to the lesser-known request, 'The Sloth,' Sophia's steady hand and artistic flair left many a punter made-up [quite literally]

Wowzer! And finally, onto the bands. Kicking things off, we had the uber-infectious lyrics and melodies of Ben Peel and The Wool City Folk Club, giving out badges and A-grade banter for all to hear. Following the fur-wrapped bags of swagger came the incredible vocals of both Geraint John Jones and improv performer, trader, photographer and all-round good egg, Lucy Alexandra Howson. Jones' all-round musical talents left a boozy Brudenell crowd spellbound and Lucy's heroic spirit, panache and lyrical ability to match left them bewitched all over again. As the night drew shorter and vision began to blur, romany rockers Ols Moore and the Gypsy Dogs took to the stage to end the evening with an almighty bang, with red-raw vocals and weaving instruments whipping the Brudenell's browsers into a frenzy.

Well folks, that was it. Cakes were eaten, clothes were bought, shapes were thrown. And as those lights went on, we took stock of just HOW MANY balloons had been butchered at the hands of Mr. Arthur Pint and we saw the smiles on the last revellers faces, we knew, we just knew, we had done it. And so to all that came, performed, traded, served behind the bar, flyered, took a flyer, drew, designed, coloured in, finger-painted like a madman, blew up a balloon, wrote a blog [or wore an incredible bowtie - i'm looking at you ShangTing Peng!] or were involved in anyway, we say a big DANKE SCHON! You've made us THIS happy...

And so, until next time! Feel free to get in touch and let us know what amendments you'd like to make the Boozaar ALL-POWERFUL. As we often say on this blog [and in life] LONG MAY IT REIGN!

Lots of love,

A very happy VW x

PS Before we go, check out what was probably the biggest revelation of the night, Captain Crocs Crocodile March, circa 1989....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olfFocGLDz4

WEIRD!

Fashion Fire Safety with The Vintage Wardrobe

Greetings sports fans!


Now, unless you've been living under a rock without a calendar or suffered a bout of amnesia worthy of a Neighbours story line, you'll know that tonight is BON-FIRE NIGHT! That's right kids, one night [outside of festival season] to illegitamately drink outdoors, wave fire around and generally blow things up. Hooray! In the spirit of all things firework and to help you choose what to throw on before braving the elements, here's the Vintage Wardrobe's guide of waht NOT to wear for bonfire fun.

1. Faux Fur [or real fur for that matter] Now as stunning and on trend as you may look strutting up to the park, common or green where you are going to 'ooh' and 'ahh' at the illuminated night sky, all atempts to channel this season's Chanel fur masterpieces may literally end up in flames due to a stray sparkler or Catherine Wheel-gone-off-the-rails. A little less old-world glamour and a little more 'Backdraft,' all in the space of a few seconds. Even if you don't end up ablaze, your gran's old fur is likely to end up doused in cider and smelling like that indeterminable mix of smoke, sauce and vomit at the end of the night. Chiiiiic!

2. Plumage - Now, for all those enjoying a 1920s Flapper revival or prancing around like an extra on set at 'Chicago,' maybe give the feathered headbands and accessories a miss this eve. If in any doubt, just think...what do birds do on bonfire night? Birds... STAY IN! Watch a spot of tele, read the paper, sweep the nest.

Birds don't go out because, in that age-old conundrum of Birds vs. Fireworks, birds ALWAYS lose. Ditch that headband before your goose is cooked.

3. Capes - Yes, yes, it's too late. You've already decided to drape yourself in a vintage version of the Celine cape, swapped your parkas and pea coats for the swish and the funnel necks of this seasons finest. But be warned: keep swishing to a minimum [admittedly a difficult task - heck, who doesn't like stamping out their circumference whilst swishing around their latest threads, possibly imitating the noise of a helicopter or airplane] Too much swooshing tonight can leave you a little less superhero chic and a little more Human Torch tonight...

4. Shellsuits - Not that there's a great danger of many of you routing through the wardrobe and digging out an entire pastel pink eighties get-up or an April O'Neil yellow onesie, but just in case, HAVE YOU NOT SEEN THAT 999?! Yes folks, you know which one i'm talking about - with the jogger and the shellsuit which MELTS onto him! MELTS, like a birthday candle! Just to think, not only will you be caught out for the one-time offence of wearing geometric shapes and day-glo colours [hell, it's dark, why not] but you'll have them FOREVER MELDED TO YOUR SKIN. Like Jimmy Saville in a microwave, nobody wants that [and this time, Jim won't be able to fix it] For those who like the limelight, wear sequins and shiny items insteas and watch revellers 'ooh' and 'ahh' at you.

There we have it folks, what not to wear this evening. Hopefully we make this evening's dress decisions that little bit quicker, allowing you an extra half an hour for guzzling Strongbow. For those who no like the words, follow this-a simple formula for a successful evening...

              +  

Tin Man                            +            Michael

                                                          Burke

                          = Job's A Good 'un!

All the glamour and flamboyance of the Tinman with the conscientiousness of Michael Burke. Now that's good bonfire fashion fun [and nobody loses an eye]

HAPPY BONFIRE NIGHT!

VW x

What comes before part B? PART-AY!

Greetings sports fans!

So, as you well know, it was our celebratory vintage AWARD-robe [see what i did there?] p-a-r-t-y last wednesday, celebrating being ze 'Best Vintage Shop in Leeds' [wonder how many times we can drop that one in...] True to our mantra to never do things by halves, balloons were filled, champers was bought and enough Bucks Fizz to christen a small vessel was swapped for chezza-ade and white spirits [bottoms up!] As pictures speak a million words [very vocal] here's a few faces that made our evening rather spectacular. Here's a little taster of what went down...

 

Fun and games no? Obvs, there are a lorra-lorra faces missing [you know who you are] and so thank you all again for coming out, putting on a tracksuit or hat, having a chinwag, cracking a joke and just generally being here. For further party action, the Vintage Wardrobe has a slot in the Corn Exchange's Vintage Pop-Up Shop, launching Thursday 4th November from 5pm [more on that one tomorrow] in a flurry of music and stylin' Getting lary in a medieval building? Yes please! We'll be there all month so come in and have a butchers. But, before we go, one final word [and a favourite quote o mine from party night...]

 "We salute you, Vintage Wardrobe...

"...LONG MAY IT REIGN!"

Ciao for nahh x