Well, she dances around in a circle

I have come to the conclusion that I absolutely adore markets. Ever since I was little I used to want a little woven basket to go and collect fresh groceries in, so I could take it all home and attempt to recreate 'The Good Life' in my bedroom. This never got much further than a plastic hold-all and wooden pieces of cake and pizza that could be stuck together with velcro, however the love of busy markets and homemade goods has been something that has never really left me. I love seeing people selling things they have made and are passionate about, and like the thought of my money fuelling creativity and enjoyment instead of just contributing towards the never-ending cycle of consumerism the human race seems to have fallen into. That could explain my love of antique markets especially, as, like the clothes I wear, they have not used up any new materials to be made, and on the whole have been hand-crafted or produced by smaller companies instead of huge manufacturers using cheap labour to churn out as many products as possible in the shortest amount of time. Each item is also more unique and unusual, and has more of a story to it that something you just bought in your local superstore. 

I tend to hover around the markets on Camden Passage on wednesdays, the Sunday Up market at Brick Lane, Spitalfield's market, occasionally Columbia Road flower market or Borough market, and always annual affairs like the Amwell Street Festival. A mix of street-party and bric-a-brac, it always provides me with enough pretty china and vintage finds to see me through until it's return the next year, and I love the whole village-y, community feel it brings to a small part of reasonably central London. 

I went this year in the Maya dress from So Loves Vintage. I loved the bright colour and pattern, and the frilly, scalloped detail around the top makes it so pretty and summery. I had to of course weird it up and so wore it over my shirt from Pop Boutique in Covent Garden, with a bag from Camden Passage, socks that were once tights from H&M, shoes from Office and a cardigan from Spitalfield's market.
I enjoyed putting the outfit together as I just pulled out certain colours from the dress and bag and used them to find all of the pieces I needed. I chose the shirt because of the green (that matched the dress) and the orange (that matched the bag and cardigan) and was happily surprised that my nails (still icy blue from last Wednesday) matched the light blue of the bag. I love matching way too much.

 

 

So Loves Vintage is an online vintage shop selling high-quality, handpicked vintage pieces. The clothes are so beautiful and there is lots of information on each piece, making the whole online shopping experience easier, and the event of getting the wrong size or buying something damaged much less frequent. I have been lucky enough to have been sent some gorgeous dresses to style for this blog (including this one) and then Sofia (the founder of the site) and I are going to run a giveaway of some So Loves Vintage goodies for you guys. I will post about it via twitter as well once it is up and running so you won't miss out!

Anyway, here are some photos from the Amwell Street Festival:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Everything was so pretty and vintage-y, so I was of course in my element. I bought a few books for my holiday, three mini china plates that I just couldn't leave without, and a Frida Kahlo brooch from AndSmile which I want to pin on everything. 

I hope you have a great weekend!