VINTAGE Festival, Southbank Centre

Vintage clothes and accessories have always excited me... it is something about their history and heritage, the distinctive beauty as just a visual object, but mostly it is the uniqueness of the item that lures me. There is normally only one, and so owning that singular piece makes you feel very special. I always used to wait till family holidays in the South of France to find and buy vintage treasures - the flea markets there were much richer in stock, and priced more reasonably that London rip offs. Recently though, all vintage is expensive, as the phenomenon for used and old items gains massive popularity and consequently the prices soar. Surely it doesn’t make sense to buy an old designer handbag for more than a brand new one costs?

Bearing in mind this popularity for all things retro it is surprising that a vintage festival had not been done long before 2011. Most music festivals have the odd stall bargaining off a few out of shape cotton dresses... but never has vintage been the focus, until now thanks to Southbank Centre’s VINTAGE Festival - the exciting vision of Wayne Hemingway and his wife Geraldine.

The event took place over three days and showcased an eccentric variety of fashion, music, performances and activities. There was particular care taken to ensure every important fashion era was represented. Located in the Royal Festival Hall and flooding onto the Southbank this event was quite a visual spectacle. Typically just as an indoors festival arrives the English weather brightens up.

I particularly loved the Vintage Marketplace, an area of the event that was open to the non-ticket holding public. Rows and rows of stalls glittered with clothes, jewellery, sunglasses, shoes, hand bags, even furniture, all either vintage or reworked retro inspired. It was a heavenly playground for me to look round, I happily could have stayed here all evening. Once I had a few (too many) purchases in my hands my friends dragged me away to see the other attractions. In case you were wondering I bought: a bright pink pair of plastic TART sunglasses, (dead stock so beautifully made and perfectly in tact), a 60’s union jack print shift dress (so I could pretend to be a Spice Girl at home), a wonderfully wacky Versace mini yellow waistcoat, and finally, a not-so-practical neon pink 60’s hat, a bit worn but so unique and pretty I couldn’t resist it!

Inside was a sight to behold, vintage queens were out displaying their wildest outfits, with mad and massive hairstyles and striking accessories adorning their bodies. Each of the many floors was crammed with appropriately decorated stalls and activity areas where guests could take part in the party. Make-up and hair stylists were transforming 21st Century girls into vintage goddesses in the vintage makeover section, I was tempted to have a go, but the queue was neverending.

The musical REVUE was taking place in the main auditorium, each night a different genre of vintage music was being played. I went on Friday, which was allocated to Electric Phuture, an interesting performance, though not my favourite kind of music. Saturday was dedicated to Soul, and Sunday named as a Hit Parade – celebrating British hits from the past seven decades.

It was wonderful to see such a diverse range of guests at VINTAGE, all so passionate about the theme: the older folk enjoying the dancing lessons and kitsch tea rooms, while teens could dress up and dance away beneath the disco ball upstairs. This festival was more imaginative and nostalgic than I ever thought it could be... You did have to be a dedicated vintage lover to attend though, as ticket prices don’t come cheap costing £60 per day.

VINTAGE at Southbank Centre PREVIEW

Since Hop Farm and Latitude I have been getting serious Festival withdrawal symptoms so my ears pricked up when a friend told me about Vintage at Southbank Centre, Wayne and Gerardine Hemingway’s award-winning festival which was launched last year at the highly acclaimed Goodwood event.

This three day extravaganza takes place along the Southbank, with the Royal Festival Hall being transformed into a dressing up box for vintage enthusiasts. There will be all kinds of retro events to try out: vintage clothes galore to delve into, catwalk shows, live music and DJ’s, pretty foodie treats, film and art events, cocktails and makeovers. All the ingredients for the chicest festival in town...

Celebrating the 1920 to the 1980s every kind of vintage will be on show. In the daily catwalks vintage connoisseurs Jo Wood, Pearl and Daisy Lowe and Sue Tilley will be delighting audiences with their own personal collections and prized possessions. For each of the catwalk shows models will be showcasing wacky hairstyle trends from bygone eras thanks to the beauty experts from Urban Retreat salon at Harrods.

I am particularly excited about the Fashion Workshops; the glamorous Horrockses brand will be demonstrating how to make dresses from bed linen, and at the fashion reworking station Chop & Change will show you how to make a unique skirt out of a man’s shirt!

If, like me, you hate trudging round the overpriced vintage boutiques for rare and often overpriced gems, you will enjoy the Vintage Marketplace. Here some of Europe’s finest vintage traders will be offering you their best stock. This pop up high street will display brands from past and present, so if you have any themed parties coming up, you will find your perfect outfit here. A vintage hair salon from Batiste and a beauty salon by Benefit will both be doing decade-specific makeovers, to get you in the mood.

My favourite thing about this festival... It is mud free, so leave the Hunters at home and bring your best vintage heels out to play!

Vintage at Southbank Festival takes place 29-31 July, buy tickets here.

Hot on the Highstreet Week 43

I think it’s time that I told you all about my greatest shopping secret, Notting Hill’s retro shops. Many a time I have found myself alarmingly bored of my wardrobe - my drawers cluttered with last season’s has beens, staring sadly up at me - and feel desperate for a revamp or at least one exciting new garment. I am overly sentimental, so sometimes getting rid of that special dress or meaningful t-shirt can be very difficult. With the prospect of new clothes though comes strength; this is the beauty of exchange.

Once I have stuffed a bulging bag of giveaways, I take it along to Notting Hill to see how much they are willing to give me for it. Each piece is priced separately and depends on quality, size and how ‘on trend’ it happens to be at that point in time. The current season and weather also affect how much they give you, as this all contributes to the garment’s selling potential. The final price is offered in cash, or doubled in vouchers.

These shops cater for all needs with two RETRO WOMAN shops, a RETRO MAN shop, music, book and even homeware shops. The best thing about the vouchers is they can be received and used in any of the shops, so you could take in a load of books, and use the vouchers to buy yourself a new outfit! I recently took in a few old jackets that I had grown out of, including a grey and black checked velvet Luella number, and in exchange bought a beautiful orange silk Hermes head scarf that I completely adore.

Unlike a lot of London’s vintage outlets, these aren’t ridiculously overpriced, and with several different shops in the same vicinity, there is a wide variety of designers and prices to choose from. Rokit, Absolute Vintage and other chains tend to limit their collections to the look of the moment, with identikit layouts, and rails of the same item in every colour and size. Notting Hill’s shops are much more individual, there is only ever one of anything, so you walk away feeling like you have found something really special every time.

Located around Notting Hill Gate station, open 7 days a week.

All Star Lanes Bowling

Why I had never heard of All Star Lanes Bowling Alley before I do not know, it felt like the place was made for me. My friend had her 23^rd birthday outing there last weekend, and we all had an absolute ball, despite none of us being any good at bowling!

All Star Lanes was founded by Mark von Westenholz and Adam Breeden who opened their first venue in Holborn in January 2006. The second All Star Lanes followed in 2007 in Bayswater with the third opening on Brick Lane in November 2008. They are expanding further afield in the next three years with more branches set to open all over the country.

‘Inspired by a passion for bowling and the changing-face of going out in London, boutique bowling was born - a marriage of bowling, cocktails, the finest cuisine and unforgettable music.’

We turned up around 11 pm to discover the place very much alive. Most people were dressed up for the occasion in thick rimmed glasses, headscarves, floral print dresses, or cropped trousers. Once again I was shamefully under-dressed and under-costumed, although I was wearing my favourite Sara and Zoe rabbit waistcoat, so my outfit attracted a little bit of attention. The decor, the waitress' uniforms, the music – all of it screamed ‘Grease’, I loved it.

There are only four bowling lanes, so obviously this limits the number of people who can use them. The organised birthday girl had just managed to book us in, but the only slot available was at 1am. For those who aren’t lucky enough to get a bowling spot, there is a bar with fabulously retro cocktails and a dance floor that was completely full of impressive jivers. I couldn’t help but stand and watch the enthusiastic dancers, who all seemed to be having such a good time.

We were split into teams for the bowling, our team seemed a little more interested in sharing round the red lipstick than winning the bowling game. We tried our best, and yet many of us (me included) consistently knocked zero pins over. The jubilation when someone did get a few down was indescribable; I soon lost my voice. We danced too while our teammates had their turns. At the end of the night my final score was 66; amazingly the best female score in the team.

Lucy in Disguise : Lily Allen and sister open their new vintage shop

The two sisters: Lily Allen and Sarah Owen

‘Lucy in Disguise’ is the latest idea from Lily Allen, who has set out to prove herself as more than just a singer. Lily has teamed up with half-sister Sarah Owen to launch this Covent Garden boutique. The two sisters admit they have not always been friends, though in the song ‘Back to the Start’ Lily offered her sibling a peace offering and this joint venture shop suggests they are now a lot closer.

Unlike most of the little vintage gems tucked away in Covent Garden LID (Lucy in Disguise) is large and easy to find on Kings Street. It’s luxuriously purple glow makes it stand out even on the rainiest of days. The shop opened a month ago, but its unique selling point is only revealed to the public this week – a fabulous lower floor with all kinds of treats. I was given a sneak preview and was delighted to see retro nail and hair and make-up sections, a mini Grey Goose vodka bar and a very special VIP section with a selection of spectacular one off vintage pieces for renting only. Everything you could need for the perfect retro look.

I was sceptical about the idea of this shop, but being a vintage clothes lover and a fan of Lily Allen, decided to pay it a visit. So last Friday afternoon I took my weary legs off to Covent Garden (giving up my sacred one evening off). I was delighted to discover the comfort and ease of the shop; there is no struggling through dusty rails with disappointment, everything here is superbly selected by experts. The prices vary, and it is clear that the LID team aim to please every budget... some unlabelled items come in at around £30, and then there are stunning designer pieces that range from about £80 up. Many of the more expensive designer pieces also offer the option of renting for a fraction of the price. I bought a delicious green patterned Valentino jacket that has already won me several compliments. I could have easily bought more; I fell in love with a dinky make-up purse, and some of the glamorous costume jewellery is to die for.

I had a lovely conversation with a few of the staff in the shop,who seem to have a real passion for the project on which they are embarking, and perhaps that’s why so far the idea has been a success. Lily Allen is never one to think small and this is certainly true of her newest mission. The shop offers more than any other of its kind, and they will have to work hard to keep such a big ambition alive. Luckily this business isn’t snooty or pretentious as celeb ventures can often be. The thought that has gone into LID is clear from the moment you walk in, even the psychedelic name (that links to the Beatles song ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’ and the drug LSD) has been cleverly chosen.

In the corner is a Playstation Move for all those poor poor boys that are dragged into this girly haven. And if they are still dissatisfied they can pop downstairs for a cheeky drink. I kept my accompanying man in tow to give me what I hoped would be valuable opinions on the outfits I tried on. But then I remembered, men don’t get vintage clothes, so better just to decide for yourself.

Lucy in Disguise can be found at 10 Kings Street, WC2E 8HN. Visit the website here.

Flashdance at The Shaftesbury Theatre

It’s always exciting to see a musical for the first time. Flashdance has just opened at The Shaftesbury Theatre and after hearing all the hype I was looking forward to seeing it. Unfortunately it didn’t live up to my expectations, and definitely didn’t live up to Hairspray (the last musical I saw at The Shaftesbury).

I booked tickets for a Saturday 3 o’clock matinee... which seemed like a good idea – tickets tend to be slightly cheaper and it is less likely that I will fall asleep from exhaustion (as I increasingly do at evening shows!) When we arrived I was delighted to find that our (cheap, Grand Circle) tickets, had been upgraded to top price Stalls tickets. I was initially ultra smug about this, before realising that in fact this meant the show was likely to not be selling very well, hence all the empty seats. This was the first suggestion that the show may not be as fabulous as I hoped.

It starts with a bang, of light, music and movement. No-one can deny this production has overwhelming energy throughout. I enjoyed the electrifying atmosphere initially, but as the show went on and continued to grow more and more deafeningly loud, I began to feel like I was in a nightclub, and one with bad music at that! (Druggy criminals and skimpy outfits included.) It isn’t all bad, there is the odd recognisable song, ‘What a Feeling’ and ‘She’s a Mania’, both quite enjoyable, and sung well.

Arlene Phillips should be commended, she really is a wonder with her choreography; it is quite astounding when you think that Phillips, who is now 67 years old, can still think up routines as contemporary and complex as those seen in Flashdance. Strictly Come Dancing were silly to let her go, her judging was their biggest asset. The dancers are good in Flashdance, some are very good, but the narrative is dull and this makes even the dancing boring after a while. In fact the plot is very similar to Billy Elliot – the heroine Alex Owens works in a Pittsburgh steel mill by day and as a dancer in a showbar at night, with the ambition of becoming a professional ballet dancer.

Alex Owens was played by Twinnielee Moore, although the part is normally taken on by Victoria Hamilton-Barritt. Moore is a competent enough dancer, but the sentimental acting sort of ruins her part for me. Also in the cast is Matt Willis (from boy band Busted), who I’m sure will excite the younger girls in the audience!

The feel-good ending is rushed and insincere, leaving the audience with a bitter aftertaste; I left feeling a bit cheated. Flashdance is similar to Dirty Dancing and Fame, and the dancing talent definitely compares to these shows, but unfortunately the direction and songs do not, and I predict this will shorten its run in the West End.

Book tickets here.

My favourite musical: GREASE

I am very enthusiastic about many musicals, but in terms of the long standing favourite, GREASE is the always the winner. I saw this retro musical for the third time this week. It is as fabulous as ever, with all the rock’n’roll numbers everyone remembers from the film, and dance routines that are as brilliant as expected from choreographer Arlene Phillips. The cast has recently changed and now features Matthew Goodgame (Channel 4 Musicality, Chicago) as the leader of the T-birds, Danny Zuko and Lauren Samuels (BBC1 ‘Over the Rainbow’ finalist) making her West End debut as Sandy.

Grease tackles some controversial social issues like teenage pregnancy and gang violence, subjects that make the film gritty and sexy. For me, this production is a little too tame and nice to live up to the exciting film, but this could also be because of the lack of John Travolta. I think the geeky characters are the best on stage: Faye Brookes as an adorable Frenchie, and Hayley Gallivan as a fantastic Jan. All the guys look great but their voices aren’t quite as sparkling. Lauren Samuels also impressed me, the role of Sandy is probably the least exciting part to play in Grease, but she grabs the audience’s attention with her strong voice and obvious stage presence.

Despite not being entirely convinced by this production, I still recommend it as a fun night out, catch it before it goes off on tour in Spring 2011.

Other retro musicals to see in London:

- Flashdance: new to the West End stage it tells the tale of 18 year old Alex, welder by day, ‘flashdancer’ by night who hopes to be given a place at the Shipley Dance Academy.

- Dreamboats and Petticoats: a sweet song-writing love story that features many classic songs.

- Dirty Dancing: brought to the stage after the hit 1987 film, features rebellion, growing up pains and above all, the power of dance!

- Sweet Charity: the story of a dancer-for-hire at a Times Square dance-hall who finds love at last (hurry it ends 6^th November).

If you really want to get into the vintage musical mood, pick up a snazzy t-shirt at Grease or Flashdance. I got a Rydell High tee in grey and red, that I love.

The Arts Theatre Club in Soho

The Arts Theatre Club is based in the centre of glittering Soho. This bar is in the style of a 1920s Prohibition Club.

The Club was recently redecorated by award winning designer Lee Broom.The decor is fun and stylish, but also comfortable with large velvet sofas to spread out on. You enter through a little door and follow steps downstairs where you reach a luxuriously dark red room. A functioning piano stands in one corner. The atmosphere is easy-going, and yet when drinking in The Arts Theatre Club you feel like you are brushing shoulders with an elite group of artists.

The club was started up by a group of actors as a meeting place after finishing on stage. A vibe which is still very much intact with a very interesting eclectic crowd.

I drank the delicious Arts Theatre Club cocktail – fruity with a little kick of spice, delicious and very moreish.

With so many fabulous places to drink in Soho it can be impossible to decide. I recommend The Arts Theatre Club, especially if you can manage to go on a night when one of their suitably retro DJs is performing.

http://www.theartstheatreclub.com/