A visit to Vintage Revivial at Grays

Last week I visited the Vintage Revival exhibition at the Vaad Gallery in Grays Mews and what a treat it was!

Exhibited were stunning hand picked examples of vintage fashion and accessories, some great information on the Antiques are Green campaign as well other interesting vintage subjects.

1950s Green Gloves. Vintage Modes

Vintage Mah Jong Wooden Necklace. Ting's Jewellery Box

Vintage Green Brooch with Faux Pearls. Ting's Jewellery Box

(Left - Right)

Vintage Buckingham Palace Scarf - Vintage Modes

Vintage Liberty Scarf - Vintage Modes

Paloma Picasso Scarf - Linda Bee

Vintage Purple Jacqmar Scarf - Unicorn

Light Pink Floral Jacqmar Scarf - Vintage Modes

1960s Electric Blue Handbag with Gold Clasp. Ting's Jewellery Box

1950s/60s Blue Bracelet. Gillian Horsup

Information on the history of Alfies.

The information boards made fascinating reads on subjects such as 'The Feminine Silhouette', 'Vintage Hair and Make Up'' and 'Vintage and Tattoos'. These contributed to the aim of the exhibition, to explore what vintage means in todays society and what the term 'vintage' means.

If you missed this fantastic exhibition you can see more pictures on Grays Flickr

Some Treasured Finds from Alfies

This week we would like to continue our little story about the wonderful vintage treasures some of our staff have found here at Alfies.

Sarina loves fine jewellery and is lucky enough to have lovely people in her life that made some perfect choices for her birthday. The gold swallow with seed pearls, in the image below, was originally a Victorian brooch which our goldsmith Migo (unit S053) worked into a pendant. Sarina also wears a 1980s copy of a Victorian style 'Regards' ring. If you spell out the first letter of each stone it reads the word 'Regards' - Ruby, Emerald, Garnet, Amethyst, Ruby, Diamond, Sapphire.

Both items by Gareth Brooks G079/80

While it is fair to say that she is a bit of a magpie, Sarina isn't the only lucky one to have been given some great vintage finds. Sarina also found the following items for friends and family at this treasure trove that is Alfies Antique Market:

A lovely brown handkerchief which is proudly worn in one of her friend's suit pocket, and a small, white, embroidered handkerchief which will be sewn onto a small cushion.
One friend was especially lucky, he was given the following presents, all very affordable and absolutely stunning vintage treasures: a very dapper navy silk scarf, a 1950's egg cup (beautiful and practical as it was designed for use in times when central heating was non existant, its inside is therefore insulated to the egg warm!). The gift was completed by a quriky card with an embroidered flamenco dancer. Please see the images below:

Both by Persiflage

Both by Persiflage

By Robinson Antiques

Vintage Revival!

We would like to invite you to Alfies sister market Grays, where we are organising our first Vintage Fashion Exhibition showcasing rare pieces from both Alfies and Grays dealers. The staff at Alfies and Grays are passionate about everything Vintage and we got inspired to show other Vintage lovers what our fabulous dealers have to offer.

Clothes, jewellery and accessories on show range from 1920s to 1980s, and there will be a pretty piece, or several, to capture your eye. All this, in conjunction with a brief history of topics such as vintage jewellery, hairstyling, burlesque and tattoos, accompanied by striking photographs, offers a personalised view on Vintage fashion in the 20th century.

Come and learn about the history of Vintage and how it came to have an impact on today's fashion.




The exhibition takes place 21 - 25 September at the newly opened VAAD Art Gallery on the lower ground floor at Grays, 1-7 Davies Mews, London W1K 5AB.

Open from 10am-6pm, and only 3 minutes walk from Bond Street station.

There is no entrance fee.

Antiques really are Green

Article taken from the Antiques Trade Gazette

06 September 2010

AN independent report has confirmed that antiques are the environmentally friendly way to furnish your home. A piece of antique furniture is likely to have a carbon footprint sixteen times lower than a newly manufactured item. This is the finding of a study that compared the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the manufacture and use of an antique chest of drawers with its modern equivalent. The exhaustive analysis was carried out by Carbon Clear, an independent consultancy specialising in carbon management and carbon accounting, who investigated every aspect of the manufacture and life of two specific pieces – a mahogany-veneered chest of c.1830 and a modern piece of roughly equivalent value available from a reputable High Street retailer. Though it had been assumed that it was more environmentally friendly to buy furniture that was already in circulation, the independent study now puts this beyond doubt. The findings will give huge encouragement to the hundreds of antique dealers who are backing the Antiques are Green campaign, led by Nigel Worboys of Beaconsfield. “The research demonstrates the importance of buying antiques over modern furniture for economic and environmental reasons,” he commented. “Buying antiques reduces landfill, reduces carbon emissions and reduces consumption of new goods from abroad. The antiques trade is the oldest recycling business in the world and the ultimate in terms of preserving our heritage for future generations. This report provides further proof that antiques should be recognised for their genuine green hallmark - sustainable, re-usable and re-saleable”. While details of the cutting and processing involved in the manufacture of the modern chest of drawers in China were readily available, certain assumptions had to be made about the origins of the antique piece based on expert opinion. The carbon emissions associated with the actual manufacture of the antique piece were very low. Cabinetmaker’s workshops in the 1830s were not generally powered and all work was done by hand and in daylight, timber cutting was also done by hand but the report factored in 70 per cent of the greenhouse gas emissions coefficient already calculated at Bath University for current wood cutting and processing. A similarly conservative approach was taken to the life of the antiques chest, where it was assumed to have been sold and restored twice, where many pieces would have required little or no restoration. Even with this conservative approach it was found that the absolute emissions associated with the old chest including restoration, storage and transport were significantly lower. The lifespan of the antique piece was assumed to be 195 years, though it could be much longer. Once this was taken into account, its average emissions per year were shown to be 16 times less than those for the modern chest. The lifespan of the new chest was estimated at 15 years based on expert opinion. The Carbon Clear report was commissioned by the antiques trade as represented by Antiques Trade Gazette, Antiques are Green, International Antiques & Collectors Fairs, The British Antique Dealers’ Association, LAPADA - The Association of Art & Antiques Dealers, The Society of Fine Art Auctioneers and Valuers and Online Galleries. Click here to see full report.

Olympic Fever

One of my favourity things about the Olympics, oddly is the graphics; its advertising and promotion and the memorabilia. That is why I am so excited about going to see 'A Century of Olympic Posters' at the Europa Gallery in Sutton's Central Library, on tour from The V & A Museum of Childhood.

This is a whole exhibition displaying posters from the games as early as 1912 (including my favourite, Mexico 1968) and memorabilia including the 1948 Olympic Torch and ticket to the 1900 Paris Olympic Games.


Here at Alfies, Liz Farrow from Dodo Posters has a vast collection of vintage prints, posters and advertising. She also has several early sporting prints available at shop on the 1st Floor.

A 1938, Frederiksberg poster, paper on linen

Liz Farrow's stand F071-73, 1st Floor in Alfies

So, if like me, the Olympics hasn't kick-started your practical interest in sport, why not immerse yourself in the early design and print on offer, so you are ready for the buzz of 2012?

Canvas Bag Design Competition

Illustration by Lindsay Taggart

Alfies Antique Market is experiencing a green revolution! Alongside the campaign Antiques are Green, Alfies is setting the standard of promoting vintage and antiques as an ethical way to shop by running a competition for illustrators and designers to create limited edition canvas bags.

Buying antiques and vintage celebrates traditional craftsmanship and quality of design as well as keeping ahead of the game in the style stakes;

“Buying antiques is the perfect way to recycle; unique objects are re-used and their histories are carried on, preserving their authenticity for future generations.” Pia Tohveri, General Manager of Alfies Antique Market.

Vintage items are timely, their individuality ignites people to look for quality pieces and this is the perfect way to create and exhibit your own style.

Alfies is running a competition for illustrators and designers to come up with an iconic design to be printed onto 200 limited edition canvas bags. Alfies has teamed up with Bag It Don’t Bin It who supply printed canvas bags using eco-friendly inks and sustainable materials. The bags will be on sale at Alfies from the 16th November to coincide with National Antiques Week and the winning design and runners up will be exhibited in an exhibition in the Rooftop Restaurant at Alfies.

If you would like to enter the competition please email info@alfiesantiques.com and we will send you the design brief and entry details. Good Luck!

Horrockses Dresses in Alfies!

In reference to the last post, it was brought to my attention that we have some fabulous Horrockses dresses in Alfies. The Girl Can't Help It have currently got two stunning examples in their shop.

Blue floral polished cotton cap sleeve dress

Blue and white cotton strap dress with matching bolero

And remember to get down to the Fashion and Textiles Museum to see the exhibition!

We know what we'll do this month, will you join us?

So we have heard about some very cool and intriguing events and exhibitions in London this month, we will definitely try to check out all of them and will report back to you with what we thought. But we're quite sure that some of our dear Alfies followers will be there anyway...

Firstly, we will pay a visit to the Fashion & Textile Museum to see their current exhibition entitled 'Horrockses Fashions: Off the Peg Style in the '40s and '50s'.

For us, the most exciting part will probably be to find items at Alfies afterwards that remind us of what we've seen at the exhibition, who knows, one of our dealers might even have a real Horrockses piece among their vast amounts of lovingly selected items?

Friday evening (27 August 2010) we will go straight to the V&A after work to their Friday Late which focuses on Retro Hollywood Glamour, ooooh, we cannot wait for this one! Workshops! Performances! Film screenings! Oh there will be so much going on, and an excuse to see the fabulous Grace Kelly exhibition!


And have you heard of The Cineroleum? Well, we are told it is yet another amazing project in London not to be missed! Guerilla cinema! Sounds exciting? Well, it is!!

If you - like us - are fans of the golden age of cinema, of the idea of supporting independent groups of people that work hard to enrich our leisure time; if you like the thought of being part of a great outdoor screening at a derelict petrol station which has been transformed into a hand-built cinema, and last but not least - if you love off-beat classics like 'Rebel Without A Cause', 'Metropolis' or 'The Long Goodbye' to name but a few, you must go to the following website and secure your ticket to one of the screenings!



And for those of you stuck for ideas what to do Saturday night, why not venture down to the most fabulous 1930's New York style bar/club in London that is Positively 4th Street? You have probably passed this place a hundred times either not having noticed it at all or having wondered what is going on behind those pretty Art Deco frosted windows... We know we have, and we have gone in and never regretted it!

This Saturday sees a club night called ShugaPush which brings London's lovers of hot tunes from the '20s to '40s their monthly fix lovingly selected and delivered by some of the finest purveyors of hot jazz, swing and blues from that era. For more information visit the club's Facebook group site:



And if you are a little stuck with ideas as what to wear for such events, or should you feel inspired to start your very own collection of lovely vintage records or perhaps even want to buy a vintage record player - Alfies has it all under one roof!

Vintage Costume Jewellery

What I love about Alfies is the huge amount of costume jewellery on offer. From all periods and spanning all price ranges there is always something that little bit tempting to try on and buy!

A selection of bakelite and celluloid necklaces and bracelets offered by The Originals

Late 1960s Trifari Lucite Owl Pendant, from Deborah Woolf Vintage.

Where once this mass produced jewellery was considered cheap and worthless, it is now not only collectable but worth far beyond its original price. Costume jewellery was originally created as a disposable accessory to a particular garment, so the variety of styles and materials is a constant reflection of the changing fashion throughout the 20^th Century.

Art Deco brooch 1920's offered by Linda Chan

Costume jewellery first appeared early in the 20^th Century in Europe and soon the Americans dominated production from the 1920’s. Brands such as Weiss, Coro, Miraim Haskell and Trifari can be found amongst the dealers vast collections at Alfies. During the war, when metal was in short supply, silver became a more economic material to use for jewellery, something that has added and increased the value of these pieces now.

Coro is a middle priced brand synonymous with authentic vintage jewellery. Production stopped in the 1980’s so the pieces in circulation are all collectables.

Signed 'Coro' brooch multicolored glass/gild metal 1950's offered by Tony Durante

Costume jewellery was further made popular by designers such as Dior and Chanel and its use in the Hollywood movie.

1966 Christian Dior 'elephant' brooch offered by Tony Durante

1950s Lucite Bracelet & Earrings, from The Girl Can't Help It

With so many brands and styles to choose from, whether it is something to accessorise a particular outfit or to buy as an investment piece, the Alfies dealers are happy to share their knowledge and offer advice to help you find that perfect piece!

Have a look at the huge collections offered by The Girl Can't Help It, Tony Durante, Persiflage, and The Originals, Deborah Woolf Vintage and many more.