The Hearing Dogs Charity at Chelsea Antiques Fair

So on Friday I visited the Chelsea Antiques Fair at Old Chelsea Town Hall, as you might remember from Friday’s post: Heading off to the Chelsea Antiques Fair!

The Chelsea Antiques Fair at the beautiful Old Chelsea Town Hall

I just love visiting Old Chelsea Town Hall, as it is such a beautiful venue.  It also creates the perfect backdrop to an antiques fair – let’s take a closer look at the decor:

Such beautiful chandeliers and I love the soft turquoise walls with the golden details…

Chelsea Old Town Hall

I absolutely love dogs, so first of all I have to take you to the Hearing Dogs stand: the charity supported by the fair.

Hearing Dogs Charity, supported by The Chelsea Antiques Fair

As I was wandering around the fair I noticed that some of the objects were marked with a little red dot, and I found out that these were the selected objects where a percentage of the sales would go directly to the charity.  Here is one of my favourites:

“Puppy Toothache” at the Hearing Dogs charity, Chelsea Antiques Fair 

Puppy Toothache – gilt bronze study from early 20th century 

And these handsome guys kept an eye on the fair for us:

At the Hearing Dogs Charity at The Chelsea Antiques Fair

We will visit a number of other stands later on this week but I also wanted to give you guys a quick heads up that there is a fabulous antique auction at Catherine Southon Auctioneers and Valuers in Surrey on Wednesday 26th March at 11:30 (you might recognise Catherine Southon from various BBC Antiques programmes!)  It seems that the bidding will start at very reasonable levels for quite a few objects, so it could be a really interesting one to visit – especially if it is one of your first auctions experiences!

Catherine Southon Auctioneers and Valuers, next sale at The Chateau in Shirley Hills, Surrey on Wed 26th March 2014 at 11:30am

The sale can be viewed on 25th & 26th March at The Chateau, Coombe Lane, Shirley, Surrey CR0 5RE.  For more details, you can visit her website: www.catherinesouthon.co.uk.

Heading off to the Chelsea Antiques Fair!

Oh dear, it is just one of those days…!

It started out so well, as I was very excited to be heading out to the antiques fair that we chatted about in Monday’s post: The Chelsea Antiques Fair.  I had decided to wear one of my favourite vintage dresses, this blue sweetie from Shrewd:

Blue vintage shift dress from Vintage Shrewd, Dorking, Surrey

… and to match the lovely blue colour I picked out these antique gold and pearl earrings with sapphires that I picked up at an antique fair in Surrey a few months ago:

Antique gold and pearl earrings with sapphires…

My thing is not to wear a lot of vintage clothing, instead I like to mix antique jewellery with contemporary outfits, so today’s outfit was a very unusual one for me – and was really pleased with how the whole look came together:

… vintage dress and earrings – my perfect outfit when scouting for antiques!  Or so I thought…

However, fate had a different plan and so I managed to squirt some egg on the dress during breakfast (does anyone know how to get egg stains off your clothes by the way!?)  and instead I will be wearing my beloved snake necklace, a white t-shirt and black skinny jeans.  I whisked my hair up in a quick side-bun as it makes it is easier to take photos, and I intend to take a lot of those today at the fair!

And so here is the final outfit for the day!

Okay so I have my camera, handbag and phone ready, and can’t wait to upload some glorious jewellery photos for you on Instagram – so follow us here today for all the fabulous updates!  Time to head off to Chelsea Old Town Hall and see what sparkling treasures are up for sale today!

Wishing you a lovely Friday dear!

We will be back again in two weeks!

Bye my dear, I am off to the other side of the world to find some beautiful antique jewellery to bring back to you.  Last year the trip went something along these lines:

Beautiful Cape Town bride wear a pair of Decades of Elegance vintage-style marcasite earrings

Silver brooch with red garnets – now in a loving home in Sweden

Tourmaline and silver earrings from Cape Town that also ended up in Sweden, adorning the most beautiful young lady – pictures hopefully to follow!

Until I see you again have a lovely October!  Enjoy wearing your favourite autumn colours and remember that this is also the season to start experimenting with different fabrics.  Pair up a silk top with a tweed skirt, and add your favourite vintage necklace to express your own style and mood.

And do follow us on Instagram as it will be updated with photos during these two weeks!

Kate & Aud in Brighton

As I zigzagged down Brighton’s charming streets – among the many shops, skateboard riding dog-walkers and ladies dressed in vintage top-to-toe – I suddenly found myself outside a rather quaint looking vintage clothing shop: Kate & Aud.  I couldn’t possibly resist this lovely shop window and had to pop inside for a closer look: 

Kate&Aud – 27 Trafalgar Street, Brighton

A sneak-peek through their shop window, where the most alluring old pieces were on display

The shop was so nicely decorated and it felt like stepping back in time when I walked around among vintage pieces, remade vintage clothing, handmade leather bags, and jewellery – all very reasonably priced too!  Downstairs I was browsing through their lovely clothing collection, and all this charming jewellery so cleverly hung up on an old mannequin:

Lots of ethnic-style jewellery in various colours and metals

 

It is all about presentation – with a shop decorated so beautifully, you can’t help but lose yourself in all the fascinating pieces that are for sale

Perfect for those sunny summer days – that are bound to come soon!

I then realised that there was an upstairs as well, so I walked up the winding little staircase and found myself in yet another room filled with old treasures…

 

Make sure you have a good chunk of time to spend on browsing through the railings of vintage pieces.  Grab a few items that might not be your style at all and give them a try – with vintage you never know what to expect until you are actually wearing it!

… don’t leave any corners unexplored as you never know what might hang at the end of that railing

This charming boudoir screen add that perfect touch of glamour to the shop – and I of course love everything with beautiful little birds on them!

Beautiful vintage hat to crown your outfit and with its soft tones it goes so well with the pearl necklace and light blouse

 

I can imagine these worn for example with a floral vintage dress 

 

An old photo features in this jewellery cabinet and emphasises the vintage look and feel

… beautiful details can be found throughout the shop…

Thank you Kate & Aud for having me – and with your stunning collection you are bound to see me very soon again!