The Vintage Bazaar Textile and Costume Fair

The Cheese and Grain at Frome

Yesterday I spent the day in one of my favourite places to go shopping, Frome in Somerset. It has a fantastic collection of vintage shops, as well as a multitude of charity shops and a couple of fab sewing shops. There’s also a place there called The Cheese and Grain, a venue where they hold fairs, markets and some really interesting concerts and yesterday it was the turn of The Vintage Bazaar’s Vintage and Antique Textile and Costume Fair.

The Vintage Bazaar

The only way to describe the fair is a cornucopia of vintage textile bits and pieces! It had just about everything you could think of relating to clothing, accessories and interiors and we were there for hours.

The Vintage Bazaar

Each stall was beautifully displayed and instantly drew you in so you couldn’t help but just stand there looking at everything, desperately trying not to miss anything. There were trimmings, fabrics, buttons, patterns, flowers and all kinds of accessories. I loved the purple suede gloves in the above picture but didn’t dare try them on as they were so tiny.

The Vintage Bazaar

There was also a whole host of vintage clothing stalls, all at very reasonable prices which was really refreshing. The quality of the clothes was very good and there were some really special pieces available. The stunning 1950s dress above featured a hand painted print on the top layer of taffeta and had many other layers below. It was absolutely immaculate and I just couldn’t resist taking a photo of it.

The Vintage Bazaar

The heels in the above photo caught my eye. Crafted in an antique gold colour, they featured so many sparkly crystal beads imbedded into the fabric that you couldn’t help but notice them. Could you imagine them on a pair of shoes today?

The Vintage Bazaar

This 1950s pink floral swimsuit had a matching one in green and they were both just so cute.

The Vintage Bazaar

Lace pieces, lace collars, bonnets, braids and buttons, what more could you need?

The Vintage Bazaar

The Vintage Bazaar

There were plenty of vintage quilts, blankets and bed covers to choose from. Perhaps next time I’ll get one for my new house.

The Vintage Bazaar

The Vintage Bazaar

I found these gorgeous unworn, dead stock, and completely immaculate vintage bras hiding at the back of shelf display. I was so excited I just had to photograph them. Unfortunately both were, at the most, a B cup and there was no way my double Ds were going to squish into them.

The Vintage Bazaar

I did try on this beautiful 1950s lace front girdle though. However, it just wasn’t big enough and I really, really wanted it to fit 🙁

The Vintage Bazaar

In the end I picked up this gorgeous summery 1950s handmade dress for £35. When I tried it on it fitted like a glove, as if it was made just for me. I saw that as a sign! I also bought a seriously cute, and extremely easy to make, bikini pattern for £3 and eight white glass buttons for £2.25 that I plan to use on a couple of pairs of French knickers I want to make.

If you wanted any vintage trimmings of any kind for your sewing projects, this was definitely the place to come. I have a lot of projects planned for when I get settled in my new house, so I really hope they do another one in the near future.

Lark Vintage, Frome

After we had an amazing lunch in the Cheese and Grain restaurant we headed up a very sunny Catherine Hill where all of the vintage shops are. I just had to photograph this stunning dress in Lark Vintage to show you. It looks very 1920s but I was reluctant to think it was genuinely from that era as it was so pristine. It’s more likely to be 1970s or 80s but that doesn’t take away from how beautiful it is.

Deadly is the Female

I couldn’t go to Frome without paying a visit to lovely, and always welcoming, Deadly is the Female. You can just about see their gorgeous dog, Gomez, enjoying the sun in the right hand window. I had been saving my money so that I could pick up at least one of the dresses I had had my eye on for a while.

Timeless Dress Deadly is the Female

I tried this green Stop Staring! Timeless Dress on in the large size the last time I was there and it fitted perfectly. I tried it on again this time, in the green, blue and red versions, but the large was too big! I had somehow gone down a whole dress size and fitted perfectly into the medium. Yes! After deciding that the green was a great compromise between the professional looking blue and the ultra sexy red, I made my purchase.

Sea Breeze Dress Deadly is the Female

However, this beautiful Bettie Page Sea Breeze dress also caught my eye and, when the only size they had left in the shop, fitted me like a glove, I felt a little reluctant to let it go. My mum, who is an extremely bad influence on me when it comes to spending money, said that I should get both, so who was I to argue? I ended up spending a small fortune. Roll on pay day!

Me

My mum also insisted on taking some photographs of me in my beautiful 1950s dress that I bought a few years ago at the Clerkenwell Vintage fair in London. I had so many compliments all day and she said that I must show it to you. She was trying to be arty with her shots, so I apologise for the strange composition!

I’m heading out in the Timeless Dress tonight for my parent’s 50th wedding anniversary celebration so may have a photo of me in to show you at a later date.

Cate

Just a vintage gal suffering from the Golden Age syndrome. A lover of all things old, especially the 1930s, seamstress, crocheter, maker of hats and enjoys rummaging at flea markets.

11 Comments

    • Aw, thank you! Yes, if it had been one size up I think I could’ve squeezed into it. If you get any others that are bigger I would definitely be interested.

  1. Really pleased you liked the diamante heels, and thanks for buying the sundress from Loulabelle vintage! Come and see us again soon!

    • Will do! I’ll be wearing the dress tomorrow, weather permitting, of course.

    • You’re welcome! I’m already looking forward to the next one.

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