I took a day off last weekend for a special occasion; the Love Vintage Show was in town and I really needed new vintage style inspiration! It is hard to explain to Mr.SKM why I need to go to another vintage shopping event when my closets are overflowing, but more often than not, these events are really about socialising for me.

Whether it is a vintage show, a music festival or even a classic car event; it is the one time I get to see friends from all over the country and catch up about our mutual obsessions. This Sunday was no exception, and I wanted to treat my styling team to a big day out of “fancy old things”.

Sometimes I head to these events with a budget and an agenda, but this time it was really about finding new inspiration for me. We all go through times when we are sick of looking at our closets, no matter how much variety there is, and I’ve been struggling with this of late. I really adore vintage everything, but occasionally it is like I’ve overdosed on it and just need to press the reset button. That has been my last few months.

With a serious lack of storage space, I’ve had to pack up the majority of my vintage collection to make more room for Miss 6’s bedroom, and I found by putting everything away and out of eye line it gave me a bit more clarity. I’ve stuck to the same few basics and gone for function over high style, to give myself the ‘no frills’ time I needed to get on top of some major projects happening at home. (By major I mean heavy machinery and no roof!)

Having this little hiatus has given me the sartorial palette cleanse I needed. It’s allowed me to look at my collection with new eyes and decide what I should part with and what I truly love. Spending time in the company of my other artistic inspirations, gives me room for new ways to interpret and mix those old favourites. As vintage lovers with the internet at our disposal, it is all to easy to live exclusively in our own style microcosm; but without keeping your inspirations fresh, things can quickly go stale. And that was how I was feeling, stale.

Fast forward to a few months later, (now) and I have a sense of enthusiasm and refreshment that you just can’t fake. The kind that keeps you up sewing frustrating vintage patterns until midnight or more. And that is why I love these vintage shows; spending time not only browsing beautiful wares, but browsing the way other people interpret their take on vintage style.

Vintage will always hold new and fresh ideas for me, but it is important to know when and how to look after your style mojo. I’d guess I’m not the only one of us who goes thorugh this, and I’d love to hear what you do to keep things fresh!

Outfit Details

Purple “Ava” dress from Pin Up Girl Clothing

Berry suede heels from Airstep

Hand bag from Prada

*Photography by Helen McLean*