I really hate it when people act all coy and secretive on social media. Pseudo-enigmatic tweets and statuses that read “So excited!” or “Heard the most amazing news!” make me gag. Whatever it is, just tell us already, or face losing my interest and/or getting unfollowed.   Back when I was involved in community radio I was told: “never trail the news”. This meant that you could hint and build excitement about upcoming programmes and songs, but never be a tease about the news. It makes sense; the news transcends such cheap chicanery. As it is in community radio, so it should be in real life.   After all that, I’m now going to pull a rather dramatic about turn. Today’s blogpost is a collection of photos. This is because I’m really busy working on exciting stuff that I can’t tell you about. By my very nature, I want to tell you and squeak excitedly in your general direction (sorry). But I can’t, at least not just yet.   There you have it, I have become a cheap and tacky social media tease. I feel dirty.   Here are some pretty pictures from the day I went to Bridgnorth and Instagrammed the place to hell. If there’s one thing that the world needs, it is another blogpost of try-hard “artsy” pictures. Enjoy.   BBxx            

  I’ve wanted to post a picture of this dress for ages. I picked it up for £15.00 from Cow Vintage in Birmingham a few months back. My guess is that it is either fully handmade or two dresses stitched together at the waist (the belt makes me think the latter). It is made from silk – with the bodice in check taffeta and the skirt in slubby raw silk. The bright yellow, pink and navy are an unlikely combination but it somehow works.     Dress: Cow Vintage Cardigan: Pied a Terre Tights: Boots Boots: Jones Bootmaker Bracelet: Made   Vintage has been on my mind a fair bit recently, after reading Shopping for Vintage by Funmi Odulate. What I don’t fully grasp is the nature of being a “vintage collector”. These are people who buy beautiful clothes with no intention of ever wearing them. Really, what is the point? I doubt that this dress is of any real value to a vintage collector or a hardcore vintage fan. All I know is that it looks good and I doubt I’ll catch anyone else wearing something similar.     I’m also going through a phase of wearing lots of yellow. I’m not sure why.   BBxx   P.S. I have major bitch face in that picture. Me and my Gorilla Pod had just had an argument, otherwise I was practically dancing with joy on the inside. Honest.  

There’s something magical about Birmingham’s Great Western Arcade. It is so grand, with arches, tiled floors and fancy light fittings. It reminds me of the scene in Francois Truffaut’s Jules et Jim (OK, the Sixpence None the Richer video for Kiss Me that was based on Jules et Jim) where Jules, Jim and Catherine run through the beautiful Parisian arcade, all bohemian, androgynous and chic:     That’s enough of the artsy-fartsy French film and middle-of-the-road ‘90s Christian soft rock references. I visited Great Western Arcade on Saturday to check out Birmingham’s first vintage charity shop: Forgotten Vintage.   The shop opened back in November and it is a natural fit amongst the old world charm of the arcade. Proceeds from the shop support Trident Reach the People Charity and SIFA Fireside, both of which help homeless people in Birmingham.   Forgotten Vintage stocks garments and accessories from ‘60s through to the ‘90s, ideal for folk seeking something unique with a charitable twist. All proceeds will be split between the two charities and will be invested into work to tackle  homelessness in the city.     The shop is initially open for a six-month trial period, but there are high hopes to make it a permanent fixture in Birmingham’s growing collection of vintage retailers.   Shop Manager, Carl Franklin, believes that Forgotten Vintage fills a gap.He said: “There are very few vintage shops in Birmingham compared with other cities in the UK and this certainly  is the city’s first vintage charity shop.   “I am convinced the demand is out there and the vintage market will grow and grow in Birmingham once there is somewhere like this for people to go.”     Having paid the shop a visit and rummaged through the rails, I can report that there’s some[.....]

    This is a presentation I recently delivered as part of my interview for a PhD Studentship in history at University of Wolverhampton.   The presentation explores the nature of “archive” and “exhibition”, framed by the Hodson Shop Collection. The collection is one of the largest collections of cheap, ready to wear fashions from 1920-1950s. The garments are all unsold shop stock from a small clothes shop in Willenhall. These aren’t garments that have been worn by a celebrity or created by great designer. They are clothes that were intended to be purchased and worn by working class women from the Black Country – which I think makes them pretty special. The collection contains perfectly intact lipsticks, unexpectedly pretty utility underwear, 1920s dancing dresses, eye-popping print aprons…   …I could go on! You can view the full collection on the Black Country History website and find out more on the Walsall Museum website.   I was lucky enough to visit the collection thanks to the wonderful team at Walsall Museums.   I’m not sure how much sense this presentation will make without me talking alongside it – if you have any questions about anything mentioned, let me know!