Vintage Fair

"The House of Rose & Brown" on Victoria Road in Saltaire is an absolute treasure trove of vintage clothing, jewellery and articles for the home. Every now and again they hold a Vintage Fair in the Victoria Hall. I've never been to one before, but I had a wander round last weekend and was amazed by the vast array of interesting things on display. I was tempted to give a good home to the teddy bear. In the end I bought myself a beautiful silk scarf for £4 - I have a very similar one in different colours that was a gift and cost at least six times that! So if you have an eye for a bargain or want something different, this is the place to go. (Lili, you'd like this!)

As well as clothing, there were some stalls selling lovely things for the home: crockery, lampshades, quirky vintage radios, kitchen paraphernalia, fabrics, cushions and all manner of patchwork and lacy things. Some of the vendors were selling articles hand-made from recycled fabric and buttons. I spotted some gorgeous cushion covers beautifully made from old sweaters, and artfully trimmed with lace and buttons. Each had an attractive label with a photo of the original sweater it was made from, which I thought was a nice touch.

Almost as interesting as the stalls were the people looking round, some in the most creative of outfits, lovingly and stylishly put together from the fruits of their previous vintage trawls. There were some wonderful hats too! There's something about vintage that chimes in with the times - recycling, good stewardship and honouring our collective history - and it's a venture that fits very well within the spirit of Saltaire. The only slightly upsetting thing is that I'm getting old enough to remember when some of those things were new and groovy!

[NB: The shop is currently closed for a refit, reopening in April , but they have an online boutique too.]