That 60's Look

Mod is a subculture that began in 1960s Britain and spread, in varying degrees, to other countries and continues today on a smaller scale. Focused on music and fashion, the subculture has its roots in a small group of London-based stylish young men in the late 1950s who were named modernists because they listened to modern jazz, although the subculture expanded to include women. Unsurprisingly, women made a whole big thing out of it: mini-skirts - progressively getting shorter and shorter, long boots, psychedelic prints, berets and black turtlenecks, androgynous looks, fake eyelashes, beehive hairstyles,  suede coats, mini dresses - all giving young women high visibility and relative autonomy.
Reflective of an era that defines itself as a period when women and men started expressing themselves through clothes, music, art and aspired to a competitive sophistication, the mod movement has always fascinated and attracted me. I love the vibrant colours, the geometric shapes, the clear lines, the refined looks with a minimalist tendency. They can't go unnoticed and they are everything but dull: they inspire, they generate reactions, they stand out and they have identity. There's an intrinsic nostalgia in a mini skirt and a feeling of joy and carefree, recalling an age when young people were truly relevant and a powerful element of change. I had fun going back to the Swinging Sixties by using the wonderful means of fashion and make-up to be transformed into a mod girl and imagine the times when my mom had a short hem line, a big hair do and many big dreams in her heart. How can one not love that Sixties look?

Lou Lou's Vintage Fair

On Saturday, Lou Lou's Vintage Fair came back to Bristol and we took the opportunity and went this time (in February we had missed them for a weather related reason). Station, train, hundreds of suitcases belonging to people travelling to Glasgow, people travelling to Glasgow and other big cities, too many for my taste... Anyway, there we were. Armed with our stamp on the hand, we rushed inside. Oh, the buzz, the colours, the music, the beauty parlour offering make-up and hair sessions, the smell of cakes and coffee, they all invaded our five senses and made us tremble with excitement. 80 stalls on display, from records and old photos, to bric-a-brac and vinyls, hats and gloves, old suitcases, denim in all shapes and forms, fur coats (faux or real, they're all okay as long as they are recycled or up-cycled), jackets that Anita wanted for a reason I can't quite comprehend, vintage sunglasses, old toys, jewelry for all tastes, shoes from the time our grandmas were helping the war effort, handbags from all the decades and of course my favourites: dresses! Dresses of all colours and shapes, in patterns that hurt or enchant the eye, maxi or midi, all so feminine and joyful, all sweet and flattering. Oh, women really loved being women back in the day, I am often dreaming of those times and how it was to have those fabrics and buy those dresses or make them yourself. They probably didn't have many dresses, but the ones they had were treasured and loved, which is probably the reason they were passed down the generations. I can't help myself being charmed by these items from the eras that are long gone, somehow they convey an atmosphere of joy and happiness. It might be a misinterpretation of mine, but I refuse to see them as old garbage. They are pre-loved beautiful items that deserve to be revived and loved again. Many people are fascinated by them and I am astounded to see how many young people go crazy about things like that. And while I love the 60s and 70s, teenagers - girls and boys, are into the 80s and 90s fashion. It goes back a generation, maybe, because people that are slightly older that me are really interested in the 40s and 50s. Is it a way of looking into our parents' era, their way of life, their interests, their passions? Is it an innate nostalgia that some of us listen to? Whatever it is, I am thankful events like this happen and people like the lovely Lauren I met at her "Recycled" stall, wearing a big red flower in her hair, keep this going and I hope they make a living out of it.
We concluded our wonderful experience with a delicious slice of cake and a cup of English tea, in the sound of the fabulous live music of the band present at the venue. "Just 3  Harmonies" were amazing and their voices incredible, making the music contagious! A Saturday to remember! My Mum will definitely remember it - it was her first fair of this kind and she thoroughly enjoyed it. And isn't it funny how global fashion is? She recognised the style of the dresses she used to wear in the 70s back in her home country. I love how fashion unites us all and, just like music, is the universal language we all understand and express in.
I also wore a vintage outfit for this event, not especially for the occasion - although it's a must in my opinion and in the opinion of other lovely people that attended, wearing beautiful hair do's or vintage style clothes, but because I love and own vintage items. I will come back with a few more pictures to show you my outfit. Well, I like a photo shoot, I can't deny it and "the person behind the camera knows too well", she just added. ^_^