back to the future...

September was a very busy month.

As well as the wonderful period we spent in Malvern at the Autumn Show, we also spent a fantastic (if not very short) spell back in the last century...

Goodwood. As a Sussex lass, a place very close to my heart, and the setting for the immense undertaking that is the Goodwood Revival Festival every September - a celebration of classic cars, engineering and fashion.

As a self certificated eco obsessive, many of you will wonder why I adore a festival that praises the motor car, and motor racing...

Well, the sheer fact that a lot of these beautiful cars are still running is testament to the fact that THINGS WERE BUILT TO LAST. Our own 1962 Morris Minor has her grumbles, but she looks stunning and does the job she was built to do - nearly fifty years after her birth. How many of the new cars rolling out of the factories will be able to do that, whether they are well maintained or not?

Also, a lot of the cars had small engines and ran incredibly efficiently - the Morris Minor again being one of them.

Ok - a lot of them have taken a massive amount of work and cannot be put into the 'efficient' category (the cobras for starters), but we should celebrate our design and engineering history, lest we forget how good we were (and indeed are) at making thing in the UK.

History is also something that can be learnt from - the ideals of thrift were of course brought about by the needs of the war and are as important now as they were then, albeit in updated manners.

Another element that I love about Revival is the intricate attention to DETAIL - something that I am also passionate about as a designer. Tea wagons were not those terrible plastic affairs that you usually get at shows but beautiful, original vehicles and service transporters, security people were dressed in vintage Police uniforms and even the contractors emptying the bins wore brown overcoats reminiscent of 'open all hours'.

Visitors are also encouraged to dress up and the crowds wore a throng of vintage outfits, service uniforms, prom dresses and sharp suits. It really was a sight to behold - a 40's serviceman talking to a bare footed hippy. Plus, those who had NOT dressed up were in the minority.

I wore my full circle 1950's dress I had made to an original pattern last year, a cardi and pearls, topped up with matching shoes, bag and gloves and back seamed tights. A slick of eyeliner and I was complete...

Entertainment was period based and varied, and I enjoyed shopping for vintage dresses whilst listening to a fantastic lady singing Vera Lynn and playing a ukulele.

There was also a man dressed as a comedy dog, who made me jump then laugh so hard I nearly fell off my heels. Fantastic.

My little meeting at the festival went well (hopefully more of this at a later date and thank you to those at Vintage), and I had a wonderful afternoon people watching.

Stick it in your diary for next year - believe me - it is really worth it.