My girlfriend Flim Flam Kitty has a singing Elvis on her desk, Joan Crawford is her favourite black and white movie star and she likes her Yorkshire tea from a cup with a saucer. So I thought she’d be the perfect rockabilly chick to co-write this post on Vintage Sheffield.
The vintage look from Kitty
On a weekend you can often find me moseying round Sheffield’s vintage haunts looking for houseware, shoes, bags, clothes and accessories to get that retro look and feel for me and my house. Here are some of my favourites:
- The Front Parlour, Sharrow Vale: This shop is full of pre-war ephemera. I once bought my sister a 1940s silk and lace nightie there for under £20! For gents, they do granddad shirts, braces, gloves and hats.
- Langton’s, Chesterfield Road: You’ll find plenty of retro furniture, from 1900s to the 1980s. You can buy original Hawaiin shirts and recently I spotted a navy lace 1950s cocktail dress for £35. My favourite stall is the Fifties Funhouse where they stock formica dining tables from £80 or a set of 1950s cups and saucers for around £20.
- The Sheffield Antiques Centre, Broadfield Road: There are so many wonderful stalls to rummage around here – handbags, 1940s tea dresses, old champagne glasses, butter dishes, bread boards and furniture. One of my best buys was a pair of black, pony-skin kitten heeled mules for £6. Like many of these places it also has a café serving home-made soup and great cakes.
- The Pad and Time Warp, Abbeydale Road: If you’re into the 1960s and 1970s head to these two neighbouring shops. You can find retro Heal’s fabrics to make your own curtains or cushion covers, carefully selected pieces of furniture, light fittings, mirrors, and artwork. I love seeing what they have in the window display each week.
The vintage scene from Lucy
So now Kitty’s given you the look, here are a few places you cool cats might like to check out:
- The Vintage Fayre: 12-5pm, Saturday 25 September at The Circle, Division St. There’ll be handmade clothing, craft, jewellery and cupcakes, but the thing which really caught my was The Vintage Salon where you can complete your look with a vintage hair do from £10, make-up from £5 or nails for £15.
- Rock n’ roll dance classes: My current fave is the friendly, funky and bargainous lindy hop scene at Solly Street, but you can learn to be a jive bunny at Crookes Working Men’s Club or rock n’ roll at City Limits. They all have social dances, workshops and you don’t need a partner.
- Gigs and music: King Pleasure and the Biscuit Boys are an awesome swing band playing at The Common Room at The University of Sheffield on 23 October. Standard tickets are £15, and the £30 premier tickets include a great three course meal. Also, Carmen Ghia and the Hot Rods are a seven-piece rockabilly band guaranteed to rock your socks off. They’re playing at The Stardust Bar on 18 December and look out for more gigs in the lead up to Christmas.
- Vintage Rose Catering: Finally, if you can’t go to the party, this lady will bring the party, pop and bunting to you, not forgetting divine homemade cakes served on porcelain crockery. She specialises in bespoke catering for all manner of vintage-styled afternoon teas, picnics and parties to get you in the mood.
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