Happy at Hepwright's

I found my sanctuary today in Southampton.  I needed it because I was a little out of sorts.

I had the feeling you get when you say yes to a job and plan to move 300 miles to a city you've never paid any attention to.

I'd been up since 5 am and here since 9 am looking for a place to call home and trying to find things to like to ease the transition from North to South.

Hepwright's today was truly my sunshine on a rainy day.

I stepped into familiarity - bright colours, tempting clothes and a fabulous welcome.  The owner Catherine Wright bellows you in.

Standing behind the counter, her red curly locks were tamed by a vintage scarf.  Wearing a beautiful embroidered Kaftan she sashayed towards me.  The lady of vintage quickly got to work on getting to know who I am.  

I think she's genuinely interested and she'll remember you, your story and what you bought when you come back. 

Wright is passionate about what she does and cares how you look in her clothes.  

She's honest.  Her nose has scrunched up a few times, when I've come out of the dressing room and we've both agreed what I'm wearing isn't really right for me.

But I like that.  

Catherine is cleverer than just being honest to the detriment of her business.  She makes sure she flips it upside very quickly - so there's no time to dwell on how you look because she's there in a flash with smiling eyes and a bunch of things in her hands.

If your dress isn't sitting right, she'll whisk around her shop grabbing solutions - fabric, shoulder pads, belts, heels an alternative frock - to make everything good again.

There's plenty of everything here.  Dresses, belts, shoes, scarfs, happiness, personality and warm glows and good tunes.

You can hire clothes, sell them, buy them, go in and try them.

When I think of Hepwright's I think of Catherine - chatting to her customers, making a new cage bird feature decorated with earrings, sitting in the shop window re-stitching a dainty frock or declaring how hungry she is and leaving you there alone whilst she runs across the road to get the best cheese sandwich you've ever tasted - so she says :0).

I think of her whistling while she works.  The quirky fairy godmother of vintage waiting for all the plain Janes in Southampton to walk through the door so she can get them ready for the ball.

I bought this delightful skirt and jacket combo made of silk for £25.  I've worn the skirt with a white vest top and I love it. 

Glamour magazine last year said "Hepwright's is one of those vintage shops in the UK you need to know about."  

I agree.

You need to know about her shop and get a little sprinkle of Catherine Wright's magic vintage fairy dusk too.

Happy shopping.

A little bit of Folksy browsing does you good

I found this brilliant website.  It's a place you can buy beautiful handmade gifts and craft supplies from British designers and makers.

I've seen cute dresses.  Cute tops. Cute accessories.

I've spent a little time lost in its pages and have put a lot of things in my Folksy wish bucket.

If you have some time have a look too.

I found some charming birds

Charming Magpies is in the centre of a charming city called Winchester.

When I visited the rain was about to pour down, so I was happy to step into my favourite type of world.

It's all new - the paint, the varnished floors, the brown price tags carefully tied on with string. 



The place was flooded five months ago, but you can tell a lot of love and time has been lavished to ensure the first day of opening was as perfect as it can be.

It feels fresh.  I'm looking forward to going back when the newness is worn in a little and the rough edges start to appear. 

The clothes are neatly arranged and colour co-ordinated, so reaching out to my favourite blues and yellows was really easy and quick. 

The dresses are perfectly pressed and vibrant. The order encourages you to sweep through the rails in the hope of spotting something sweet.

I passed up on a few things I liked because I already sort of had the same shape or style in my wardrobe.   At the moment, I can't justify duplication, even if it is in a different colour.  

My brain is looking for a dress to wear to my lovely friend Julia's wedding.  On this visit Charming Magpies failed to live up to what I imagine I'll wear on the day, but I did see a dress that I thought was pretty and spent some time trying it on. 



I twirled around in the incy wincy changing room - imagining summer and me breezing to work in this frock.

It only cost £25 - so I ummed and ahh'd for a good while.  On my way out the lady gave me a flyer with a 20% discount - oh my I thought, too late.  I'd already ummm'd and ahhddd' for a a good while and imagined how I would feel once I'd left the shop ad left the dress behind.  I decided I'd be ok.  Maybe next time though.  

This place is one of those places I wish I could just pop into during my lunch break or at the weekend when I’m on my way to the station to go somewhere else.  I'm sure I’d find something at some point.  You know it’s a gem you could rely on to fill your wardrobe with beautiful unique things. 

The range isn’t vast, everything isn't crammed in, so you can have a good dress feast without feeling overwhelmed. 

They have more suitcases to pick from than ladies belts, but I imagine, more stock will whisk its way in and out of there as they get more and more stock important.

It’s a cute little shop that just needs more people knowing it’s open again for business.

You can find Charming Magpies at this address: SO23 8AT

Will you ever go to Brockenhurst?

My friend's sister's surname is Brockenhurst, so getting the train to a place called Brockenhurst felt perfectly familiar.  It made me think I must email Sophie and ask her how she is, get an update on little baby Grace and catch up with a lovely friend.

If you ever venture to this sleepy village peppered with walkers, hikers, half marathon runners and people with fancy expensive cars parked in fancy backwater pubs then I suggest you go to two places to satisfy your visual lust for antique plates and pretty things made a long long time ago.

Before having a browse, I did a little bit of happy squealing and hugging.  It's the automatic and natural response that nature kicks in when you haven't seen a fabulous girlie friend for an unreasonable length of time.  There's the realisation that you've missed them and the excitement manifests into high pitch noises of happiness. Well that's what happened when I met Hannah in Brockenhurst for lunch and before we found Pinapple Retro and the Squirrel.

Anyway, I do dribble on - here's the low down. 

Pineapple Retro

We spent more time entering the postcode of this shop into our sat nav than it took us to find it.  It's on the main road that runs through the village called Lyndenhurst and it's really easy to find.

The shed like shop feels small and perfectly crammed with bright retro goodies.  The medium sized kitchen set in the middle of the room was decorated with today's fresh flowers.

The owner was delighted to see us.  I'm sure she's like that with all who enter, but it's a wonderful skill to make your customers feel individually welcomed.

This little spot is up for vintage shop of the year and when she told Hannah and I we squealed again - which I thought was kind of us, but slightly over enthusiastic.  But being the best of something or being nominated to be the best of something must feel really nice.

The focus of time here is between 1950 and 1970.  It's the type of place you walk around and think - oh that's nice, oh that's nice - oh that's even nicer.

There's definitely lots of items to catch people's attention and encourage you to dart about the shop - touching, feeling, picking up, putting back and picking up again.

Squirrel

What a delicate space to show such delicate beautiful items.  The decor is a wonderful canvas for china plates etched in flowers, wispy leaves and patterns.

Hannah took the lead and thought we may as well have a look inside because it's next door to Pineapple Retro.  I assumed the price tagging system was similar to its neighbour so I was content at standing back and taking lots of photos.

But this place also had the darting affect.  Hannah went from shelve to shelve exclaiming how much she wanted each new affordable find.  So I started taking a little more notice.

There was a tea set for £225. It was like artwork on the wall, the owner said she wanted to keep it and just look at it.  I understand that train of thought.

I saw a jug, but I don't need a jug, so I put it back. It was only £7, but I thought I'd prefer a glass of red wine today with my Sunday roast.

Hannah and a jug. Hannah and a pot.

Once you are ready to pay, the sight of the cash machine is a treat.  I played supermarkets and  fish & chip shop when I was younger than 10 and this cash machine would have been a grateful play addition.

It doesn't work, but the owner likes to press the buttons and look at it every day.

But my favourite bit is the opening hours of the shop - in winter - from 9 am till dusk.

"Who says that these days?" 

But when I saw it on their business card I thought...oh...I like that.

The city of coal and kind hearts

After a long search, I finally bumped into a little bit of vintage heaven in Newcastle.  

It's the night before I leave the city of coal and kind hearts and I'm chuffed to have discovered Vintage18.

If I ran as fast as I could from here to there it would take me less than 30 seconds, so I'm sort of glad I'm off because I'd be there ALL the time spending ALL my money.

The narrow shop is small, but carefully lined with clothes that you know the owner Lynn would wear if she could or had the time.

It's not a mishmash of random stuff that someone hopes to punt off - there's lots of carefully selected pieces you want to buy, take home and wear straight away.

One of the first things I spotted was a black long lace coat that belonged to her grandmother. 

I asked if I could try it on, but she hesitated and shyly said it was just for show and to share.  

I'm was so okay with that as there was plenty more to distract my attention. 

The future of Vintage18 I'm told is wedding dresses and Hawaiian shirts.

I'm not sure how that will work, but when you have a business in the land of hen and stag do's, I suppose there's a natural economic urge to provide for the clientele.

I was here for hours and did buy a white skirt with a belt in my favourite colour - holiday blue door.   Lynne says it's a circular skirt from the 50s.  When you put it on and twirl it whirls around you and forms a perfect circle. 

I bought a cream skirt covered in autumn leaves and branches.  I imagined wearing it with a very heavy brown cardigan, boots and scarf.  A light, but warm in winter sort of look.  I've not done it yet, but I have plans.

Vintage18 is definitely a place to visit - one I hope more people will make an effort to find.

Address: NE1 4HZ

Attica

Attica was the first place I headed to when I arrived in the North.

It's a treasure trove filled with things that makes you feel like a lucky magpie bathing in gold coins.

On a chilly late afternoon - the warm yellow glows from the lamps strategically scattered - make you feel like you've stepped into a shop of sunshine. 

Every time I've come here, I've happily let go at least an hour of my life looking through clothes, trying on coats, stroking the furniture and wishing I had a massive van to take it all away to my massive imaginary house.

The furniture section is definitely way better than the clothes bit, but it's delightful place just waiting for you to pop by.

Address: NE1 1EZ

Retro Clothing

There's not much to say about Retro.  It's a standard place that's on my way to Attica, so I always have a look just in case there's something worthwhile.  I've bought a pair of shoes for £12.

They are beautiful but realistically too small.  I need to find them and then find an event where I don't have much walking to do.

Address: NE1 1EZ

Tyneside Market

You will love this place - even if you buy nothing.

Trinkets, house items, furniture reclaimed stuff, home made cakes, coffee, old books, newly polished retro tiles - are all waiting for someone to see their charm.

What's better than a little train ride, a wonder through the market, then a walk out to the beach to look at the sea?

What's better than doing a wee bit of vintage shopping, eating fish and chips while you watch the waves and hope the seagulls don't shit on your head.

When the thought of work is looming and Monday morn is getting closer, it's one of those trips that makes you feel you've had a worthwhile day.

Get off the train at Tyneside Station and you will know you have arrived.

When can I wear my white and my brights?

I was late.  I am always late.

Running out the house without my coat would normally be a problem in the middle of Feb, but by the time I noticed my body was freer than normal I was too far away to turn back.  Getting it would mean being  noticeably late and that's not good when I'm still trying to make an impression.  

Today I wore a gently pink dress with vines of pink and green faded flowers growing in different directions.



Lady like pink wasn't my intention as I really wanted to wear the one above with deep splashes of bright colours, but I thought no...are you allowed to wear white and be so bright when winter still calls?

I bought three skirts a few months ago all in different shades - old, boiled washed and greyish. One is a dainty 1950s circular skirt from Vintage18.  I have white dresses lined up waiting to be worn.  Film stars, wife's of film legends, music queens, famous people famous for nothing are boldly stepping out in the colour I want to wear.  They look great in the mags and gossip pages, even if they look very very cold.

There have been plans to wear all my summer frocks right through the seasons of rain fall, slushy snow and when the dark colours best fit gloomy days. I was going to wear burgandy, navy, warm chestnut brown cardigans (I don't have any navy, burgandy or warm chestnut cardigans) with heavy boats and layer everything up on top of my white frocks.



But I didn't.

I failed this task as soon as I started trying to find cardigans - I couldn't be bothered.  Topshop did nice overpriced chunky knits, second hand shops had stacks of big bad knits that were way to itchy for my skin.   I did find one cream wollen cardi for £5.  It was tad too big, but now it's a tad too small cause I tumbled dried it to death. Sad face.

Urban Outfitters predictably and drastically reduced their prices, but my focu is now on saving my pennies for a trip to Montenegro rather than perfecting my winter summer look.

I asked someone today if summer was coming so I could start collecting a little courage to wear my whites. He said no and I thought oh.

Then my thinking too much brain thought why do I need courage to put on a weight dress?  Honestly - don't I have bigger things to worry about?  Don't I have to use my courage for other stuff and reserve it to bat away life's beasts when they roar?

But as much as life is about serious stuff, I'm aye ok sewating about the pretty stuff too.  Balance.  The thought of facing life's crap in a decent looking frock isn't so bad is it?




Dresses: Ribbons and Taylor: Church Street: All under £30 each