Swish Swiroo.....Part Two

So...as mentioned on a previous post I am all up for helping charity this year...especially the cancer charities due to Mother having the big C.

And what could possibly be better than raising money for charity and getting free clothes...and...cake...my idea of heaven.

So (as I also mentioned previously) I am organising an event along with Preloved Reloved to raise money for MacMillan Cancer Support and Coppa Feel (two AMAZING causes) and also to have some fun.

The event is taking place on Sunday 8th of May at Bar Music Hall in Shoreditch (tres trendy and does amazing chips).

Doors will open at 4pm and when you step inside you will find the following....

• Pop-up vintage boutiques inc clothes, jewellery, home wares...you name it - 10% of all sales will go to MacMillan
• Retro hair and make-up - ever wondered how the gorgeous vintage girls always look so stunning...now is your chance to find out how
• Vintage photobooth
• Alcoholic afternoon tea - booze + cake....I don't think I need to explain this one

And...of course...the all important Swish event.

When you come through the door you will be required to give your clothes to the lovely Swish Assistants who will asses your clothing and give you tokens which you can then use to buy other 'Swished' clothing.

All clothing must be in a relatively good state and clean please...!!

In the evening there will be entertainment in the form of burlesque and of course more booze and cake...!!

So...alcohol, shopping, cake....perfect day out...non..??

If you don't have any clothes to swish this does not matter you are more than welcome to come along for the shopping and/or everything else.

Entrance to the event is £2 and all proceeds go to MacMillan.

So tell your friends, work colleagues, family, the random people you meet when drunk on the train home as we need to raise as much money as possible...!!

Details can be found here - http://swishing.com/events/498 and any queries can be sent here - lucy@hummingbirdvintage.co.uk

A home for Hummingbird Vintage....

So last night the boy got back from holiday after the obligatory present hand over (MAC red lipstick in a gorgeous vintage shade and an AMAZING candy striped vintage dress....lots of brownie points earned) we sat down for a serious chat.

But before we get on to this.....just so you know...my dress is like this....I LOVE IT

Both of us hail from Essex...the land of white stilettos and vajazzles and moved up here just over a year ago. It was only meant to be for a year so we could have some crazy fun in the Big Smoke and not have to commute but we had so much fun that we decided to stay for longer.

Our flat is tiny....really tiny and when we thought it was just for a year it was fine but now we are here for another year at least and...to top it all off I have started this crazy vintage adventure which is going better than expected but also means there are vintage clothes everywhere....so much so that I have to literally climb over them to get into bed.

So the chat last night among other things was the lack of space..as... lets be honest what boy really wants to live in a tiny flat surrounded by vintage clothes and kitsch objects...he is a saint to have put up for it for as long as he has. And not to mention the new wedding dress phase....a panicked look comes into his eyes when he see's them I am sure.

So after racking my brain for a solution (which included moving back to Essex, giving up vintage all together (this caused tears), getting a bigger flat but having no money for fun) I have decided to look for a shop....ideally vintage...that I can rent a rail off of or they can take commission on my sales. Anything that I sell through my shop I can pick up from the shop and package nicely and send to its new home. It will be like a Hummingbird Vintage feature.

So this is where I need help...if there are any shops you know of....preferably in the Land of London who would even consider this then please pass this on.....I will reward you in homemade cupcakes and gin...promise..!!

Musical Glamour....

So this week the boy has been away and although I have missed him it has also given me a chance to indulge in my guilty pleasure.....Old Musicals.

I have a theory that men don't really understand these films but for me (and don't get me wrong I love being able to vote, earn my own money and drink gin until I fall over) it makes me wish for a time when women got to wear amazing dresses, go to dances and spend the days shopping and marry a man who was usually very debonair, carried cigarettes in those great silver cases, was (usually) very rich rich and knew how to dance....bliss.

Of course I know that it is just a film and therefore not actual reality (although I do need reminding at times) but a girl can dream.

In the past week I have watched a number of films but the one I have watched more than once (four times infact) is Singing in the Rain.

If you haven't seen it, it is the classic story of boy meets girl...they fall in love...they fall out...they get back together in a big all singing all dancing finale. It is much like a much less racy version of Dirty Dancing.

It also features one of my all time great loves....Gene Kelly.

I love this man...I think it is mainly the dancing ability as I have a similar crush on one of my dancing teachers even though he is clearly ten years younger than me and gay.

For those of you who don't know...here he is......

...I think I fell in love at a young age...and...looking back...all my lovely gentleman friends throughout the years have all had dark hair and blue eyes...but...sadly not the dancing ability....shame.

But the best bit about the film (apart from the well know song) are the dresses.....total ladylike perfection and gorgeousness during the day and then sequins and high splits in the night.

So...if you fancy evoking a bit of Singing in the Rain glamour then these pieces may be right up your street....

£30

£30

£35

£35

£30

£30

...all available at Hummingbird Vintage...and if you are interested in any then drop me an email for the discount code...lucy@hummingbirdvintage.co.uk xx

An affair to remember....??

So this weekend saw me at my first ever vintage fair as a trader....exciting stuff.

I spent all Saturday packing everything up and then Sister Hummingbird (Holly) arrived bright and early on Sunday to help pack everything off into a car and then off we went.

From the start we were regarded suspiciously....this is probably due to the fact that we were clearly first timers as everyone else had beautifully prepared rails and mannequins whereas we were hanging things up in the street and my mannequin fell over and broke which gave her a drunk appearance all day....not quite the look we were going for.

When we finally got in the venue after the rail braking every three steps, me swearing like a trooper and lots of disapproving looks from the regulars we made it to our spot on the stage.

We rushed to get everything ready as the doors were opening in ten minutes and when the clock hit eleven we were set....me slightly on edge and wired and Holly stroking the fur coats on the stand next to us.

And then we waited....and waited...and waited....and to be honest not much happened. Don't get me wrong we sold quite a few dresses (including my favourite one that Holly had literally to force me to sell) and we got alot of lingerie orders and wedding enquiries but I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little bit disappointed.

This is my own fault as I had visions of us selling out of everything by lunchtime and then toasting our success with a gin and tonic down the pub whereas, in reality we were sitting in an almost empty, freezing town hall drinking red wine secretly under our table in order to a. keep warm and b. try and make the situation a bit more amusing.

I had been told by the other traders that is was unusually quiet and a one off but I am afraid this may have put me off for life.

Buy the end of the fair Holly and I had drunk the best part of a bottle of wine and the thought of packing everything up again did make us consider giving everything away and going to the pub to carry on drinking...!! But...like good Hummingbird Girls we packed everything away and set off again and then drank wine.....bliss.

Although (as you can gather from reading this) I am not the biggest fan of fairs it made me realise how much GORGEOUS (if slightly pricey) vintage stuff there is out there and infact people were way more interested in my made to measure lingerie and wedding package service than the clothes. So...where do I go from here....carry on with the vintage or concentrate more on wedding and undies.....answers on a postcard please...!!