Midweek Interlude

I had this whole week off and planned to spend at least one day of it dressed up to visit a 1920s cafe in my area. The heatwave has it’s A game on, so it was a battle to dress up in lolita instead of something more weather appropriate, but I survived and regret nothing.

| Innocent World Georges Rose JSK | Baroque tights |
Angelic Pretty Royal Unicorn headbow | Enchantlic
Enchantilly neklace | offbrand blouse and shoes |

Georges Rose is great for summer weather as it’s cotton (although with polyester lining, yuck) and looks great with minimal poof. It’s also simple enough that it just passes as vintage clothing, so less “what are you wearing” and “why are you dressed like that” from the public and more just generic compliments. I actually have a new cardigan from Axes Femme that would’ve looked absolutely killer with it, but I had to keep my outfit sensible to not die of heatstroke, so I opted for a mesh blouse instead. Tights kept me chub-rub free, even if ankle socks would’ve been cooler, and I went with flats since I was doing a fair bit of walking. It’s a simple coord, with minimum fuss, which allows the dress to be the centrepiece.

My original plan was to visit the Interlude Tea Rooms and Emporium in Shipley on my own. I’m taking part in Camp NaNoWriMo this July and almost finished my novel, so I wanted to dress up, take my laptop with me and sit somewhere inspiring to write. My novel is actually set in 1925 England, so a 1920s themed café would’ve been perfect. Ultimately I ended up going with my Mum, who turned out to get an earlier weekend and also enjoys checking out cite cafes with me.

Extra photo by Mum because I quite like how it turned out.

  

Interlude was actually full when we got there and we were advised to return in about 40mins. I did not expect there to be three birthday dos on a Thursday, although summer holidays have started now. Still, we wandered around Shipley for a bit, popping in to almost all charity shops (Mum even bought a vintage dress), before coming back later. And immediately the lady who runs it recognised me as lolita – or more specifically, she asked if I had been before with another girl, who happens to be one of the Leeds comm mods. There was even a photo of the comm in front of the café, from a good few years back judging by our resident Goth wearing a Sweet print, so it’s nice to know that we’ve already left our mark there.

If you're ever in the area, check them out!

Jacket goals from a china princeling.

The menus were stuck inside artbooks - very clever!

Whilst the café feels more just generic early XXth century/vintage than specifically 1920s, it is really lovely. It’s a lot more spacious inside than it appears, as the seating is situated on a lower floor, so I do want to get our comm to return there again. The menu is pretty large, offering breakfasts, hot lunches, sandwiches as well as afternoon tea menus and cakes, and catering to all dietary requirements. We decided to just get drinks and scones – and immediately regretted our decision as the scones turned out to be massive! I had to take a photo next to my hand for size comparison. That is not a dainty scone for a lady, it’s a proper Yorkshire scone that will leave your hunger utterly defeated! 

The china matched my dress!

That butter is small - but the scones are large just as they are!

They were the size of the palm of my hand!

After admitting our own defeat (we each left about half a scone and I managed to drink most of my teapot), we paid (it was really cheap for the amount and quality of food we received) and left for a few more charity shops, before heading back home. As someone who often complains how there’s nothing nice in Bradford, certainly not accessible by public transport, it’s so refreshing to have discovered Interlude. If I really wanted, I could walk there (it’d probably take me about half an hour), but during the work-week I could easily get there by bus in under ten minutes. I totally see myself going back there to try other things on their menu, as well as just live my life in a slightly cuter way. I’m also going to have a look at my comm’s meetup planner and see if I can squeeze another visit there maybe in autumn so that we could update that old photo!

Have you discovered a new place near you, whether a café, shop or just a quiet spot? And if you’re in the Northern hemisphere, are you staying hydrated in the hot weather? Make sure you do, whether you’re braving frills or not!