Vintage at the Southbank Centre
Head down to London’s Southbank Centre for Wayne Hemingway’s Vintage Festival and immerse yourself in the past.
As part of the Festival of Britain 60th anniversary celebrations, the Royal Festival Hall has been transformed into a 10-venue fun palace celebrating British cool from the 1920s to the 1970s. You can try 1940s jive, lindyhop and tea dances in the The Torch Club, celebrate 80s rave culture in the The Warehouse, 70s disco in the Style Studio, 50s rock ‘n’ roll in Let It Rock and in the Soul Casino you can sample the full experience of the Northern Soul scene (complete with authentically sticky carpet).
The music line up includes dance bands, DJs and icons such as Percy Sledge, Sandie Shaw, Thomas Dolby and Adam Ant. But the stars of the event have to be the regular punters. Dressing up in the clothes from your favourite decade is de rigeur. Fashion from the 40s and 50s seemed to be the most popular on Friday, while fans of the 60s were channelling Twiggy and Farah Fawcett’s influence was paramount for those in 70s dress.
But if you don’t have any vintage threads, never fear: there is a Vintage Marketplace with more than 200 purveyors of vintage and vintage-inspired clothes and hands-on creative workshops where you can knock up an outfit or two. The iconic 40s, 50s and 60s British fashion label, Horrockses, is celebrating its relaunch with a drop-in workshop where you will be shown how to make your very own Horrockses dress from the new bed linen collection fabrics, which were in turn inspired by the original dress designs. And then you can complete the look with free decade-specific hair and make-up touch ups.
For many at the Vintage Festival on Friday, it was the workshops that were the big draw. You can learn how to refashion a skirt from a man’s shirt, create fascinators with vintage scarves and old haberdashery, or make yarn from recycled t-shirts to fashion into jewellery, hats and crochet. Recycling is the watchword of the Festival with many of the sellers in the marketplace and the Royal Festival Hall selling not just vintage originals but new creations made from a mix of old and new. It is a trend which is becoming very important to consumers. Jude Long of Kicsi Haz, which restores and re-styles mid-century chairs using contemporary fabrics says: “People are more considered about the impact they have on the environment. They want quality pieces, not just something you throw out after a few years. And that does input into the vintage revival”.
But is this renewed interest in all things past which has seen such an upsurge in the last few years, more of hankering after “better” times in a new age of austerity? The dancers and DJ at The Torch Club, who regularly organise swing, jump ‘n’ jive nights have seen an increase in interest in their 1940s-themed evenings. “We get them all, from 16-year-olds to 70-year-olds,” says Rob B Bop, “Even the Mods are using our music to dance to. It brings everyone together.”
Maybe it’s just that cycle of fashion and culture that goes round and round. For the last few summers, in fashion, we have seen 70s-inspired maxi dresses for women. Recent catwalks have referenced the television series Mad Men, set in the early 1960s, and this autumn we can look forward to a profusion of 40s glamour with furs and pearls and the return of the pencil skirt from Gucci, Prada, Gaultier and Donna Karan, while other designers are turning to the boxy Mod look of the 60s. It’s all there.
It is not so much a rehashing of old ideas but a reworking of old styles and culture. With Mods dancing to music from the 30s and 40s in their clothes from the 60s and the ubiquitous mid-century influence in current furniture design, it seems we are always recycling ideas. What is new is that we are now much more interested in recycling the materials.
The Royal Festival Hall is open from 10m to 1am Saturday and Sunday. Entry can only be gained by ticket holders. Day passes for the Royal Festival Hall cost £60. If you would like to attend the evening Revue Show, you have to book a day pass + Revue Show ticket. Prices start at £75.
