Arts and Crafts

I don't think my City friends give much thought to what I get up to in the West, but I'm having a blast as of late! Last week was the annual Cairde festival in Sligo. It's an annual week long arts festival that "celebrates diversity". It is comprised of cultural events for families, and grown ups, there were art exhibitions, plays performed in the woods, a cabaret show, too many gigs to mention, a vintage fair and the frolics concluded with a party in the park on Sunday just gone.

Barra Cassidy's exhibition was held in the Yeats Society building

My desk can't be seen for the amount of event guides covering it at the moment. I have to be selective or I'd be burnt out. I managed to go to "Burlesque Fantastique"; a cabaret show hosted by Lady Veda, an art exhibition (see above) and The Frivolous Fare, where I left my heart behind with a set of mint 1970s Babycham glasses. Retro Rummage, based in Dublin, is a specialist in vintage & retro home wares. If I ever have an apartment, (or a job!) of my own (a pipe dream these days) I will certainly be looking this guy up. My Dad, who accompanied me, looked over the retro goods, unmoved by my cooing and exclamations of joy. He'd seen it all before, having been a student in the 1960s and lived in Dublin during the 1970s, this was the stuff of his student flat days.

I wanted to wear my new wedges that I'd acquired a couple of weeks previously. I wore them with my favourite casual vintage dress. I was drawn to this as it reminded me of the Arts and Crafts style of dress, it fits like a pinafore, it buttons up at the back and ties at the waist, and it incorporates all my favourite autumnal colours. The trench has been well loved, but I've yet to find a summer jacket that will replace it yet - its the perfect colour, style and length. The search is ongoing.

1970s cotton empire waist dress (label David Silverman) / trench: h&m (circa 2009) / shoes: fly london / bag: ollie & nic (circa 2010)