If you've never been to a vintage fair, you can expect to see an explosion of quirky outfits carefully curated by people who are really into a unique type of fashion. Part of the charm of thrifting and vintage shopping is that typically you end up with something that's one of a kind and makes you stand out from the crowd.
It was really refreshing to see such an array of different and creative looks at Lou Lou's Vintage Fair which took place at Manchester Cathedral on Monday (May 29).
READ MORE: Five of our favourite summer fashion finds from the UK’s largest roaming Vintage Fair
One look around the fair and you could see the passion and time put into outfits and that people had spent years collecting much treasured vintage pieces.
With a rise in fashion lovers shopping more sustainably to reduce the amount of clothes that end up in landfill, the fair's visitors proved that you can be sustainable and remain stylish.
Millie Diamond
Manchester-based content creator Millie Diamond, or as her nearly 30k followers on Instagram know her - @diamonds.and.dog.hair - rocked a grunge-chic look as she attended the vintage fair.
"The boots are amazing, they’re from ASOS - I’ve had them for ages. I love a bit of croc print and anything in neon green. It’s such a summery colour.
“The shorts are vintage and I’m wearing a really old American Apparel onesie. I’m wearing this really amazing kimono from One Hundred Stars.
“This kimono always gets so much love from my followers on all of my channels – it’s honestly one of my favourite pieces,” she said.
Millie says if you’re looking for some summer inspo, you can’t go wrong with a “classic” pair of denim shorts.
“You can really dress up a pair of shorts and wearing a kimono with a pair of shorts is great because I don’t like when shorts leave your bum hanging out - so it’s really good at keeping you covered at the back and also keeps you warm.”
Anna Hodge
Dressed in a colour coordinated outfit featuring splashes of pink, lilac and orange, it was very apparent that 22-year-old Anna Hodge from Lancashire knows a thing or two about vintage.
Anna’s floral patterned 50s inspired vintage gown was paired with a lilac cardi. Her outfit was absolutely cute and dainty - even down to her frilly white socks and Chanel-esque pale pink pumps.
“This is my very first vintage dress that I got from a kilo sale in 2018 when I first started getting into the vintage style.
“My heels are second hand, they’re originally from Dorothy Perkins but I got them on Vinted. My accessories are either from vintage shops or charity shops - my partner Rachel is actually wearing a matching gold necklace to me,” Anna said.
Rachel Carton
Anna’s partner, 27-year-old Rachel Carton from Burnley, on the other hand, was wearing much warmer colours.
Rachel wore a burnt orange floral dress which she matched with a deep green leather jacket.
You can tell Rachel has a keen eye for small details as she even matched her eyeshadow to fit in with her colour scheme, topping off her look with a unique pair of hand-made dangly earrings, gifted to her by her girlfriend.
“The dress is from a charity shop - charity shop queen. My coat is actually from Primark, however I’ve got a blue one which is vintage and honestly it’s my favourite thing ever.
“It’s in the same style but I just know my vintage one is going to outlive the Primark one.”
Sophie Nicole and Ryan Richards
Spotted flicking through rails of vintage clothes,19-year-old Sophie Nicole from Manchester and Ryan Richards, 20, from Devon make an eye-catching pair.
Both are passionate about sustainable shopping and enjoy crafting different styles of clothing.
Sophie says her key to thrifting is “going to a charity shop and letting the world call out to you from that place. It’s basically where my whole outfit came from!”
Ryan is proud of his jacket - a military surplus one from Hungary which he found online for £8.
“I got my flares from a website called Fuzzdandy, they do very good vintage flares - but my shirt and scarf are from a charity shop,” he said.
Sophie’ssSummer wardrobe tip was to wear layers - “although the weathers getting warmer, textures make an outfit look great which you can do by wearing light layers.”
Sam
Agreeing with Sophie’s style tip is 29-year-old Sam from Montreal, Canada. Now living in Manchester, Sam says layers really elevate a look and her choice of a layer was quite a unique one.
Her mystic purple vibe was topped off with a cape - something Sam says she has become obsessed with.
“This cape is vintage and it’s probably one of my most favourite pieces that I own. It’s linked back to the 1930s, they were really popular in the 60s during the mediaeval revival as well.
“I got it from an Instagram seller a few years ago and I’ve never seen another purple one before. I do have this cape in several colours to be honest, but this is probably one of my favourite.
“I like layering and I know it’s getting warmer, but with a cape you can get away with it,” she said.
Lou Lou’s Vintage Fair returns to Manchester Cathedral on Saturday, July 29 from 10am-4pm.
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