Vintage at Goodwood – celebrating five decades of British cool

The festival at the Goodwood Estate near Chichester is the brainchild of designers Geraldine and Wayne Hemingway MBE of Red or Dead fame and Lord March, the mastermind behind the internationally-acclaimed Festival of Speed and Goodwood Revival. The festival was curated by some of the country’s leading music, fashion, design and vintage experts to be the first celebration of creative British cool, which will hopefully become and annual event.

Wayne Hemingway spoke of the event as “Vintage at Goodwood will bring something fresh and unique to a summer festival circuit. It re-unites music, fashion and culture, that is unashamedly about dressing up rather than down. There has been nothing to date like Vintage.”

First stop as you entered the festival site was a huge sign dubbing the event “The Festival of our Lives”, as you walked under the sign and on to the red carpet it was like stepping onto a film set. Vintage cars greeted festival goers, and the entrance was awash with glamourous people who had clearly made and effort for their day at Vintage at Goodwood.

Vintage at Goodwood, the Festival of our Lives

The High Street was the central area, with a the first stop being the Beauty Box, a hair and beauty area with Jemma Kidd Makeup School and Simplicity Remastered recreating that perfect vintage look. Two lovely ladies who had already created their look were Debbie Hurran and Shereen Shimmin, both from London who looked divine in perfect summer vintage attire.

Debbie Hurran & Shereen Shimmin excited about the day ahead, and a couple relaxing after a day of Vintage inspired fun

Also on the main thoroughfare was the Sunday Times Style Studio and some great British classic stores such as John Lewis, Dr Martens, The Body Shop and Penguin Books. The High Street was also home to the Fashion Pavilion, where the catwalk shows take place and a Vintage Cinema showing a great collection of British classic films.

Future Vintage

At the Now & Forever exhibition on the High Street and a theme for one of the afternoon catwalks was Future Vintage, what will “vintage” be like in thirty years? The concept looks at a collection of objects chosen by people from the worlds of TV, culture, design and science and what they think will be “vintage” by 2035. From fashion disasters (think Crocs and Uggs) to classic success (Mr Men books) what will be considered retro, cool and timeless in our future. It was certainly an interesting concept and provoked much thought.

Crocs & Ugg, are they future vintage?

The review of the Future Vintage catwalk show can be found here.

Pop up stores and fabulous outfits

Alongside the main High Street were the 2468 Motorway, Penny Lane and Electric Avenue that hosted an amazing array of pop up shops. Gently Worn Vintage, a fabulous vintage company from Tunbridge Wells in Kent had a great range of outfits and accessories for any lover of vintage to get excited about and told LadyM Presents that they are looking forward to opening their store in the town at the end of September.  Whilst Milliner Kate Underdown, with a superb collection of hats and head pieces said it ” was great to learn about what the customer wants and that everyone who comes to the event appreciates quality”. Kate is one of a eleven Milliners in the Hat Collective who have a pop up shop in Kingley Court off Carnaby Street, London until the end of August.

Some of the fabulous outfits on display

Outfits seen throughout the day ranged from the 40′s Land Girls with scarves in their hair and superb military outfits to a lot of maxi dresses being on parade in Sixties soulful prints. Also a lot of faux firs and tea dresses with amazing hair accessories for the ladies whilst the gentlemen looked very at ease on the Goodwood Estate, suited and booted for an afternoon of shooting or slicked back hair and velvet blazers hailing from the Seventies, ready for the dance floor.

Music at Vintage at Goodwood

The lineup at the festival was inspirational from world renowned DJ’s and bands from each decade to contemporary artists such as the Noisettes who headlined the Main Stage on Saturday. Around the site as well as the main stage were five on site clubs recreating decades in British history. From the Torch Club, a 1940′s style nightclub with a dancefloor, stage and restaurant to the Let it Rock tent, the Leisure Dome or the Soul Casino, a two room venue replicating a mid 1970′s Mecca Ballroom. Not forgetting tucked away in the corner the fabulous retro 70′s and 80′s Warehouse and Roller Disco. It was certainly an entertaining sight to see fabulous vintage style dresses moving rapidly around the roller disco dance floor to some 80′s classics, and the people within reliving their youth.

The Retro Roller Disco

Vintage at Goodwood – a great success

The festival, perfect for the whole family with enough to keep the children entertained and the opportunity to have a retro day trip or a weekend of camping and live music.  With the backing of music turned fashion icon Lily Allen and mother and daughter duo Pearl and Daisy Lowe for their Soundtrack of our Lives fashion show, the fashion side of the festival was a great success.

On Sunday Wayne Hemingway seemed delighted with the success of the event and when asked about next year he said “we will have to regroup and decide if it will be annual or maybe biannual”, but he seemed very content with the turnout. For him the main focus was the music and creating a really good atmosphere and vibe to emulate the ultimate British cool.

Wayne Hemingway, talking to the press

“Generally speaking, clothing which was produced before the 1920s is referred to as antique clothing and clothing from the 1920s to 1980 is considered vintage” (Wikepedia).

Hot off the fashion press is the launch of a fabulous new online Vintage boutique, GiGi Vintage. GiGiVintage does all the hard work of finding hundreds of great vintage pieces to save you the time and effort of doing so. Forget traipsing around a Parisian market or the Vintage stores in Spitalfields, just head online to www.gigivintage.co.uk.

GiGi Vintage

GiGi Vintage was originally founded by Gurmeet Grewal in 2009 . Gurmeet’s experience as a footwear buyer for high profile retailers has given her invaluable knowledge and expertise to create a fabulous concept online boutique.

“Being an avid vintage shopper, both in the UK and around the world, I have failed to find a vintage boutique that is not only inspired by catwalk trends, but one that also sources more boutique-style pieces whilst creating a pleasant shopping experience at the same time. This is what inspired me to launch GiGi Vintage” .

www.gigivintage.co.uk

Gurmeet has been searching shops and looking for amazing pieces for many years now. Calling on inspiration from her mother’s wardrobe from the 1960s onwards and the beautiful vintage pieces that belonged to her late grandmother, Gurmeet has an “extremely strong passion for everything ‘vintage’ and everything ‘fashion’.”

Handpicked from around the World

The aim of GiGi Vintage is to bring an element of personal shopping that is individual and desirable. Every piece in the collection is handpicked from sources around the world, to ensure the collection is at its very best. The website offers a great range of dresses, tops and accessories that can complete a fabulous outfit. The collection features items from the 1940′s through to the late 1990′s. GiGi Vintage understand that not all Vintage pieces can be easily translated to today’s trends, Gurmeet sympathetically “modernises and customises some pieces to make them more wearable and user friendly”.

The Collection

GiGi Vintage’s collection is bang on trend for this summer, from fantastic playsuits and jumpsuits to the essential Maxi dress that has recently been spotted on celebrities such as Ashley Olsen, Daisy Lowe and Heidi Klum. In the essentials aspect, Boyfriend blazers sit alongside gloriously unique coats and delightful shoes.

Gurmeet says “ What makes GiGi Vintage also so special is the prices; ranging from £15-£45 for tops and £12-£65 for footwear, which makes looking individual so affordable”.

The collection is perfect for summer days, a statement office wardrobe, a capsule festival outfit, or a special one off piece.

Sneak Peak at the Collection

DAISY CHAIN maxi dress

Daisy Chain Maxi Dress

A stunning floaty maxi dress by Verena Piadra from the 1970′s.  In a sumptuous shade of pink with beautiful floral print. Really fitting in with the prints trend that was popular on the catwalk this Spring.

RIVIERA Navy houndstooth cardigan

Riviera Navy Houndstooth Cardigan

Perfect to ‘chic’ up any outfit, a sophisticated little off-white and navy blue cardigan with houndstooth design, gold-rimmed faux pearl buttons and navy blue trim!! Stylish worn over cute mini dresses or with skinny jeans. Team with a pair of retro ’70s sunglasses and a chain handle bag for some vintage Riviera elegance!

ENIM DIVA Floral print denim playsuit

Enim Diva Floral Print Denim Playsuit

This season’s ‘must-have’ item!  Hit that denim trend with this cute little belted shorts oversized playsuit made of a fabulous floral printed denim material. Stand out in the crowd

IT’S ALL NAVY high waisted skirt

It's All Navy High Waisted Skirt

Hit the nautical trend with this high waisted navy coloured mini skirt with gold-edged buttons down the front! Two front pockets and elasticated feature at the back. Perfect for a cute summer outfit.

The online boutique also includes the ‘Super Brands’ section, where you will find a delightful array of stunning pieces from YSL, Lanvin, Dior and Chanel just to name a few.

Head to www.gigivintage.co.uk now, let Gurmeet be your Vintage fairy godmother!