Lou Lou’s Vintage Fair has held the title of ‘Best Vintage Fair’ for three consecutive years in the UK now, so when it arrived at Cardiff’s City Hall on the 11th October, it was only right for Quench Fashion to pop over and see if the hype was worth it! Read on to find out how our insider, Teri-May Howells, spent her Sunday at this antique affair!

Walking into Lou LouÔÇÖs Vintage Fair was like stepping back into a rather cool era. The selection of pretty much anything you could possibly wish to buy was impressive and the products varied in ÔÇ£vintage-nessÔÇØ with everything from fifties tea dresses to seventies shirts and nineties denim. At first I was completely overwhelmed because, as is the case with many fairs, itÔÇÖs hard to know where to start in the initial explosion of trinkets and tea cups.

As I was also attending the event as a blogger I was given a ÔÇ£blogger challengeÔÇØ wherein I was tasked with the challenge of creating an outfit for ┬ú30 so hit the clothes rails, I did! Frankly speaking pre-seventies fashion isnÔÇÖt my cup of tea but it was lovely to see people who clearly take vintage fashion very seriously wearing bold outfits with the utmost confidence. It added to the whole nostalgia of the morning and I couldnÔÇÖt help but think that my Nan would have felt so at home in that environment. Combined with the wonderfully retro ÔÇ£Gentlemen Prefer BlondesÔÇØ performing swing renditions of old and new songs, I was transported right back in time!

Nestled among the clothing rails were absolutely amazing stalls selling homeware, accessories and collectible vintage memorabilia. If I wasnÔÇÖt a typical student with a monthly budget to follow, I’d have trundled out of the hall with my arms full of incredible decorative pieces. The worry that comes with attending events such as this, is that everything will be overpriced but I was pleasantly surprised by the affordability of almost everything. Tables full of rings and brooches for ┬ú3 each, the most amazing collection of sunglasses at ┬ú5 each, legit vintage Levi jackets for ┬ú20, and ┬ú75 record players.

      

One of the coolest things that the fair had to offer was the retro hair and make-up salon. The women doing the makeovers were beyond lovely and created some fantastic, impressive looks on the keen customers. Next to the salon was a tea room offering tea and cake at very reasonable prices for the peckish at heart. At ┬ú2.50 for a slice of mouth-watering and good looking cake, I was all over it. Being aesthetically very fancy, I took my time with the cake served in delicate china as let’s be real – it’s not everyday we students get to experience little joys like that!

For my blogger challenge I actually came up with two possible outfits; like I said, I was spoilt for choice. Both were denim based, ÔÇÿcause I love me some denim, and nineties fashion is obviously bang on trend right now and what says nineties more than a shed load of denim?! An┬áover-sized plaid shirt (┬ú10) to go with some Levi shorts (┬ú15) and a pair of retro sunglasses (┬ú5) were my first selections. For my second outfit, I couldnÔÇÖt resist this adorable pair of dungarees (┬ú18) with a tie-dye t-shirt (┬ú10) to wear underneath. The budget didnÔÇÖt stretch to cover shoes in any of the possible outfits that I was creating, so realistically ┬ú30 is unlikely to get you a ÔÇ£fullÔÇØ outfit. But for a top, bottoms and accessories, I certainly couldn’t complain!

                   

Although the venue was buzzing with eager customers, the pocket friendly buys and kind customer service were a real catch and I know I’ll be returning to their next fair on the 29th November – just in time to get some really special Christmas presents and perhaps a cheeky little treat for myself too!