Wartime Weekend in Sheffield

Last Saturday I ventured to Sheffield to join the Frills of Steel lolitas on a trip to a 1940’s celebration called Wartime Weekend. This was my first time at that event, although it is an annual one – and now I am absolutely going to go next year as well!

| Metamorphose Sailor Tiered skirt | BtSSB 134*405 shirring blouse |
Innocent World shoes | DreamV bag | Two Days Slow bow clips | Sweet
Dolly House ring | vintage necklace | offbrand socks |

Can you even tell there's makeup on there?

My original outfit plan was completely different, however, the heatwave gripping the UK continues and I had to change in order to survive. Since I couldn’t do anything that would be even vaguely on theme without layers too hot for the 25ºC+ weather forecast, I decided to go for whatever seemed like the most sensible option. So I put together this semi-oldschool ensemble, which I ended up liking a lot more than I anticipated! It was simple and very breathable thanks to 100% cotton. And full body shirring all the way for maximum comfort levels! I would’ve loved to take this further into more proper oldschool territory with long peeking bloomers and maybe even a simple rectangle headdress. Definitely gained a new appreciation for that style of lolita and can confirm that it’s a great option for hot weather because, again, 100% cotton and plenty of comfortable shirring if you want. I also really liked the no-makeup makeup I did. Meant I didn’t have to worry about anything melting off my face, but still felt confident with how I looked.

Wartime Weekend took place at Kelham Island Museum, which is a museum of Sheffield’s industrial history. It even has a massive steam river don engine which turned on every now and then (I want to say every hour, but that’s just guessing). It’s fairly small, but they manage to put a lot in there, both for their regular exhibition and for the event. There were stalls with food, a vintage fair, a stage with live music (I counted three different performers) and a lot of 1940’s cars, both military and civilian. I even spotted a crafts table and a handful of actual World War II veterans.

The vintage fair very quickly claimed some money off me as I spotted a lovely brooch which would work so well with military lolita. Generally, there were lots of great things, from fashion to homeware and books (almost bought an original 1929 booklet on contraception and sexual health – bound to have some gems!). Given the smaller space there wasn’t that much choice for shopping, however, because the event was specifically 1940’s themed there were a lot more things from that period and around – big vintage fairs can often suffer from an overload of things from the 1970’s and 1980’s, since these survive a lot more easily and/or in better condition that things from the 1920’s through to the 1940’s (or earlier, although those are now officially antiques). 

It was dark inside where the stalls were, but there were
so many great thing to be found there!

A bargain beauty at £7.50!

 

Because the weather was really warm (thankfully there was a breeze), it was vital to keep ourselves hydrated. One lady made an absolute killing off me on strawberries, although the museum pub also would’ve made a ton of money on drinks alone that day. Whilst standing in one of the queues for food a very lovely gentleman in a uniform approached us and admired our clothes, then asked if he could have a photo of all of us in front of his sports car. Turned out he was the one to own this fantastic light yellow 1941 MG TC Midget. As much as I normally don’t care about cars, this one was without a doubt the nicest one there and I’d happy pose in front of it all day!

But what made my day even more was the fact that I even managed to do a bit of swing dancing! I love to dance, although don’t always get the opportunity to (let it be known publicly that my boyfriend is terrible and refuses to dance with me). Throughout my life I’ve gone to several different dance classes – ballroom as a kid, then Bollywood and other Indian at college, then finally fulfilling my lifelong dream at university by getting to do Irish dancing – but never formally learnt any swing or anything related. So when the opportunity came up, I did not think twice! It was SO much fun and it reinvigorated my love for dancing, I need to find a class to give myself that creative outlet. Although if you’re going to dance in a tiered lolita skirt, make sure to wear bloomers, kids!

Natasha Harper, dubbed the Nightingale of the North, had an absolutely lovely
voice!

  

This was one of the most fun days I’ve had and being able to wear something different than I normally would in lolita was a great experience. Like I said, totally going to go next year as well, I’ll probably drag my Mum who also likes vintage vibes – although I might end up going in vintage fashion instead of lolita if it’s this hot again next year!