Greetings vintage fans!
The loquatious creatures that we are [clearly got 'word of the day' loo roll for Christmas, or have watched too much Frasier] it’s probably no surprise that we love a good chat!
This week on our virtual sofa, we sat down with the lovely Gemma of Vintage Norwich, ahead of her slot as a guest judge at this Sunday’s Norwich Affordable Vintage Fair [giving out medals to best-dressed guests - yikes!] Gemma, the floor is yours…
How did Vintage Norwich come to be?
“I’ve lived in Norwich for nearly 10 years, and I was writing a lot about events in Norwich, and listing dates of events on my blog Retro Chick (http://www.retrochick.co.uk), obviously these weren’t always of interest to all my readers who lived elsewhere, so I decided to start a separate site for the local information and in March 2011 Vintage Norwich was born!”
Do you have any links to the other ‘Vintage’ regionals out there? [like ‘Vintage London,’ ‘Vintage Manchester’] – is it a big ol’ vintage family?
“I’m actually part of a network, set up at the beginning of the year, with 3 other “Vintage” regional sites. We’re called the Vintage City Network (http://www.vintagecitynetwork.com/) and the sites involved are The Vintage Guide to London (http://www.thevintageguidetolondon.com/) Vintage Brighton(http://vintagebrighton.com) and Vintage Manchester(http://www.vintagemanchester.com/)”
Although you can’t be biased online, which era are you all about?
“My favourite era is the 1930s. I love the glamour and decadence of 1930s Fashions. I also have a soft spot for the make do and mend ethos of the 1940s, and 1950s styles seem to be what suits me best!”
Is there any wardrobe advice you would give shoppers coming to the fair on Sunday? What’s going to earn them a medal?
“I like people who dress with style and panache. Smartly dressed, elegant, people who’ve made a real effort will likely catch my eye and earn themself a medal!”
The 70s was back last summer, the 50s and 60s are constantly in and now the 90s has reared its head – is there an era or item that you HOPE stays firmly in the past?
“I think most people can agree that the return of the shell suit would never be a good thing. I can’t think of a more unflattering or uncomfortable garment.”
Finally, it’s the Vintage Norwich awards this coming Monday – if you could get an award for anything, what would it be and why?
“Well if it can’t be for world peace or curing cancer, then maybe I’d like an award just for being a Jolly Nice Person. Or maybe I’ll settle for having good hair.”
A beautiful barnet – isn’t that the dream? For all wanting to see Gemma in all of her gold-medal glory, head down to St Andrews Hall on Sunday from 12pm. As for that award for being ‘jolly nice, Gemma you’ve already got it in the bag!
xVVx
No appropriate phrase springs to mind, so we’ll settle for ohmygoditsfrikkinamazinglookatherpigtails – ithinkimgoingtopassoutitssogood! [roughly translated as s'good!]
