Styling at Durham thrift fair - what i wore and what i bought!

Today i was working and helping out the stylist at the Durham thrift fair held at the gala theatre. The point of the afternoon was the show people how to up cycle and put life back into clothing from charity shops or just old clothes in there wardrobe they never wear any more. And to show people to how to dress for there body shape. We also put together some outfit ideas on mannequins showing people how to style up items from each charity shop. And also just giving people a little bit of styling advice on clothing they'd bought from the stalls Giving them some interesting ideas on how to style it that maybe they wouldn't have thought of putting with it. It was also a great opportunity to work with a great stylist and the days atmosphere was great.

But of course they were local charity shop stalls with a few interesting vintage items so i couldn't help treating myself to a few vintage treats. And oxfam had a £5 a kilo sale where i managed to pick up a few good pieces. So here is some photos of what I wore for the event and what a managed to get my hands on.

1950s purple flower hat - eBay part of a job lot

Peggy French couture suite - £30 age uk

Fur coat - Armstrong vintage Edinburgh £40

Vintage brown leather handbag - £5 Salvation army

Scarf - 50p salvation army 

Lemon kid leather 1940s gloves - £3 Durham market

Shoes £4.99 salvation army

Balmain vintage nylon tights £5 - Age uk

Blue knitted snood £3.99 eBay

pearl earrings - gift from a lovely instragram follower all the way from Canada.

And now onto what i bought...

Picked up these amazing pearl earrings room the st cuthberts hospice stall for £1.50

Got this amazing real Alligator skin handbag from St cuthberts for £10

Got this cute jacked from the kilo sale so im not sure the price as everything i got from there ended up costing £5!

Hat - St cuthberts £6.50

Hat -  St cuthberts £6.50

Love the huge bow on the back!

Jacket - kilo sale

Dress - kilo sale

Jacket - kilo sale

Dress - kilo sale

Fashion in Durham designer catwalk and launch party review

Every year Durham my city hosts its very own take on London fashion week however of course it isn't as good doesn't feature real "designers" and there are no "Celebrity appearances". But it is Durham where there are absolutely  no people interested really in fashion so its never a hugely popular event. But each year it is a four day event where shops and boutiques from Durham showcase there newest collections on catwalks across the city. This year was the second year of fashion in Durham But i have to say last year was a better event. 

However to get on track of the actual point of this post is to review this years "Designer catwalk" and launch party. But lets just say i am a brutally honest person and this isn't going to be a nice sugar coated review because it isn't going to be i am going to be as honest as i can be about the event. The event took part at the slug and lettuce a local bar/restaurant next to the gala theatre. This was already a huge down grade from last years event however The slug and lettuce have 2 for 1 cocktails so that started the night well. Last years even took place in November which meant it was cold but that didn't matter because the venue was Genius!!! the show took part in a local multi story car park. Which i know your thinking what? shes seriously saying a multi story is a good venue for a fashion show?! but when you think about it a little bit of decoration  is a genius idea apart from the cold thing! It was urban and interesting. But when you go from that to a tiny catwalk in a bar with around 30 seats when last year seated around 100. It is a huge downgrade and well really disappointing. Also last years show was a lot more diverse showing a wider variety of  Designers showcasing different things such as recycled knitwear inspired by WW2, various underwear designer. And local designers such as Jessica Bonarius who showcased her amazing circus inspired costume designs.And a local student who designed neon statement jewellery pieces.

Ding Dong vintage

Jessica Bonarius

Ding Dong vintage

Ding Dong vintage

Jessica Bonarius

And that's before we get started on the actual show. The show started with Anthony Hutton apparently a celebrity?! which was introducing and commentating the show. He came on at the start of the show and read from two sheets of A4 paper looking down at the pages the whole time could he not have learned what he was going to say before hand? surely he cant have been that busy?

The show then proceeded to show 5 small sets from  "Designers" showcasing jewellery, urban wear and handbags before taking a small interval. The hair and make-up was mediocre compared to last years fantastic hair which resembled a horses mane. Which was wacky and very high fashion however this years hair looked rushed and was different on each model. We then had another small interval which wasn't scheduled then there were another 5 designers showcase there work. The only designer that caught my eye of course because of my love of hats was a hat designer " The Libertarian" Which showed interesting and insightful, Playful hats They immediately caught my eye and i thought i need my very own! Her work was worn by various people at Ascot. And in my opinion was the best of the night.

But overall i think the show could have been more planned and put together it seemed as if the show was all over the place and rushed last minute. As there was 3 intervals in the end as models didn't seem to be ready and a lot of the guests left after the second interval which did make me think people were losing interest. Oh and can i also mention there were goo die bags? which weren't to bad but weren't good. You got  a 10% shoe zone voucher, County Durham book, and a variety of other offers. But when if you over look the venue the designers shown although there was a better selection last year the designers shown where great and where chosen well. With a variety of both accessories designers and clothing from urban wear to wedding and occasion wear. They didn't disappoint.

But now for the pictures from the show.

The Libertarian

My favourite piece by the Libertarian.

I would have featured my images from the event however they were not added to there website yet. All photos credited to Durham Bid.