This is a tale of ups and downs, highs and lows, sunshine and heavy showers... and it is a long story, so if you're not interested, you may wish to scroll, scroll and scroll past!
Let me begin at the very beginning.
Almost exactly a year ago, I spent three days at the Goodwood Revival, working at the Vintage at Goodwood taster event. You can read my review of the weekend on my blog entry at the time. Now, the review I gave was a pretty positive one, because although the weekend was exhausting, it was fun; and I had high hopes at that point for a role at the inaugural Vintage at Goodwood festival. What I didn't mention was the rudeness of one particular 'curator', the complete lack of communication before and during the event, and the seemingly complete absence of appreciation of our hard work and precious time. Most of the people involved made it a pleasurable and rewarding weekend, though, one particularly super curator and our amazing friends.
Fast forward a year, and a lot of water has flowed under the bridge, taking with it all the enthusiasm for the forthcoming Vintage festival. After all our graft at the taster event, and my many offers of help to Wayne Hemingway et al, communication had broken down even further. After Naomi and I were treated to a business lunch with our lovely curator, to discuss our involvement; the goalposts were firmly repositioned each time we spoke. I must stress that this was nothing to do with the curator, she was following orders from above; but essentially, the offers went from us having a presence there, something to really get stuck into, embracing vintage, promoting ourselves and Vintage together, something we could really get behind; to us doing something vague for which our expenses would be covered; to us being there if we wanted to, under our own steam and our own expense. A lot of other people experienced similar reneging on initial exciting offers, one person experienced a degeneration from an invitation for proper involvement to an invitation to apply to pay the organisers money to sell things. And then our dear friend pulled out, very late, and we knew that she would never have dreamed of doing so if there weren't some significant creative differences. And the festival as a whole seemed to be turning into something that was not really my cup of tea - hugely money driven with big corporate sponsorship, sky high stall fees, rip-off ticket prices and incredibly expensive camping costs. Plus loads of bands I couldn't care less about (personal opinion, of course!).
All in all, my experiences during the last year left a very sour taste in my mouth, and Naomi and I had decided not to be involved in any way. This changed when The Chap was asked to take part, staging a 3 day Olympiad as part of the 1940s area, which was itself curated by a lovely couple of my acquaintance, Harry and Edna of the Home Front Friends. I thought that if I could have a free three-day ticket to see the success or failure for myself, to turn up at lunch time and be finished by tea, well, how could I refuse? Of course it turned out to be significantly harder work than that, with a Chap fashion show scheduled for Friday morning, and my assistance given to Naomi for another on Saturday!
My feelings about my treatment meant that I declined to give the festival any free advertising on my blog, but I was happy enough with my arrangements and responsibilities for the weekend. And then, just when I'd geared myself up to go, this article appeared on Amelia's Magazine, summing up all my misgivings and bringing it all back. Do go and read it, plus all the comments, to get a clearer picture of the divide in opinion about it all.
But when I have committed to something, I follow it through, and so on Thursday night, I packed up and headed to my parents' house, conveniently situated a 30 minute drive from Goodwood, and prepared myself...
Friday
Sad to say, Friday confirmed all my fears in one fell swoop. Arriving at 10.30, laden with clothes, I collected my wristbands and struggled my way to the 40s area. Harry and Edna had done a great job pulling lots of interesting things together, from Dig for Victory gardens to magazines (The Chap, Glimpse and Vintage Life) plus book stalls and food. I couldn't help but feel, however, that the whole set up was extremely badly designed. Hidden behind the vast marquee of the Tanqueray Torch, and tucked right down the end, it meant that people could not just walk by, stumble across us or even see us. I loaded myself up again, and headed to the Fashion Pavilion, pausing to be thoroughly disgusted by the existence of a Primark shop in the 'High Street'. We were promptly told we could not leave our outfits there, but if we wanted to leave them outside on the steps we could! Well, thanks very much, but I'll decline to leave my precious vintage outside in a busy area. I lugged it back.
I then realised I had not received my promised meal voucher - something that was not a problem at the Revival last year and was never for one moment in doubt in my mind. But no, I was told that despite being on site from 10.30 until at least 5 or 6 every day, we weren't entitled to any meals. I went back and gave them what for, and managed to prise some vouchers off them. For an evening meal, valid 6.30 - 8.30pm. How useful. I forked out £4 for a bacon roll.
By this time rather peeved, we headed off for the fashion show, which was rushed and hectic, but enjoyable and, apparently, among the best in the whole weekend (according to Mr Hemingway himself). Here are some photos!
Some show shots! I pinched these off the lovely Amy Georgina (who was lovely and not remotely stalkery BTW!)
Please visit Amy's Flickr to see the rest!
I wore a vintage Swirl, hat and jacket, and an Able Grable gown. I stayed in my trouser outfit for the rest of Friday: a Revamp Vintage ensemble. Afterwards, we started to set up for the Chap Olympiad. Not far into the first game, which was poorly attended due to the position, the heavens opened and everything was abandoned. We took refuge in the Torch, wet, cold and miserable, refusing to pay £7 for a gin and tonic with no lime. At about 6pm, fed up, I decided to head for the car, sloshing through thick mud, ruining my sandals, soaking my trousers to the knee, thoroughly hungry, chilled and angry. Upon leaving, I noticed that the entire front ticketing/programme/door area was being run by children of 14. This inexplicably annoyed me even more. And that was the end of Friday. I didn't enter a single shop (with the exception of What Katie Did, where I bought a Harlow suspender belt and did my hair), see a single band, or do any dancing or anything fun whatsoever. Oh well.
Saturday
As you might imagine, I was not looking forward to Saturday, especially since my sartorial choices were limited slightly...
Dressed in our vintage finery (but with me looking very early 90s in my 40s Swirl and clumpy black leather boots bought a number of years ago to wear in the snow), Naomi and I had to be there for 8.30am, and we were - complete with vintage swimsuits and props for the Bathing Beauties fashion show. The mud was slightly tempered with the application of woodchips, meaning I could change into nicer shoes, once I got inside, thank goodness.
The fashion show went off without a hitch, leaving me to head over to the Chap site. Imagine my relief to arrive and see that everything had been moved further towards the main drag, meaning people were browsing around everything and generally getting involved. Even greater relief came when Harry told me he'd secured everyone on the Chap team a lunch voucher! Finally, we were being treated properly. Sadly, this day's Olympiad fared only a little better, with a downpour interrupting play, and the substantial crowd dispersing to seek shelter. Everyone floated back afterwards though, and the games were a lot of fun. The chap who won the gold cravat did so in style, and had a splendid 'tache to boot (not as good as the Whistling Tailor's of course)! ;)
And that was Saturday. I still did no dancing, shopping or band-seeing.
Sunday
Feeling fairly chipper after an OK Saturday, I was at least not dreading the final day. As it happened, I had a marvellous time! I arrived at lunchtime, took part in more games than I ever have before in the Olympiad... and won the Silver Cravat for my efforts! These included a discus 'throw' which consisted of me walking with the plate on my head before 'fainting' and being revived by a medicinal pipe; and using my womanly wiles and flashing a stocking to unseat my opponent during Umbrella Jousting. I can find no pictoral evidence of the latter, sadly, and the best photos of the former are not permissible to be linked (despite me asking the photographer nicely). So see here, here and here for more! Instead, here is an outfit photo...
And a photo of the final day's winners!
Gold Cravat winner was the one and only Mr Edward Marlowe (owner of this photo), and Bronze was won by a chap called Ben.
We soon decamped to the Torch for celebratory champagne at having survived and I then headed home with my dear mum.
The end.
You may notice I didn't do a single bit of shopping (though I walked up and down the stalls to look and the majority of the vintage was the usual not-particularly-old 70s/80s stuff you find in most UK vintage shops), nor dancing, nor did I see any acts so I can't comment on any of those. I heard some of the acts were quite good, and some laughable. I also heard the camping facilities, which I didn't use, were pretty awful. But on the whole I was very disappointed in the organisation and the treatment of the volunteers by the main organisers (and the weather, but that's by the by). The Primark store, and the abundance of ridiculous costumes disappointed me as well. For something that set out to celebrate British cool and vintage as a movement that is both eco-friendly and individual, the presence of Primark and super high-end watch brands was pretty shocking. But despite the incredibly high (for the first year of an event) ticket prices and astronomical stall fees, I would imagine they spent so very much money organising it that corporate sponsorship was the only way. I just think this vintage festival with potential turned into a way to cash in on the current trend and the end result was lacking in soul.
Those of us who love vintage, who gave our time for free, I think are the most let-down over it all. With so much support ready for organisers who treat us fairly and who have a real passion, it could have been really wonderful. Not just a big bandwagon-jumping, commercial, money-driven affair. Because I genuinely believe something a bit more sincere would have the potential to make more money. I just hope that sellers who took the risk found it worthwhile. There were certainly more people there than I expected, and many seemed to be enjoying it, and thus were probably in a shopping mood.
All in all, if you're interested in lovely vintage clothing, fabulous stalls, swing dancing and classic cars, go to the well-established and value-for-money Goodwood Revival, that's my advice. I only wish I was going this year. If the idea of a vintage festival that seemed as though it was 'organised by the Tory Party' (quote source not known but told to me by Naomi - please let me know if you said this!) then do visit next year's Vintage at Goodwood. I, for one would not buy a ticket and won't be going next year unless I am paid to be there. A lot of fellow volunteers I've spoken to feel the same way.
Do look out for my review in the next issue of the Chap, which will focus on the positives and gloss over the negatives... sartorial abominations notwithstanding! ;)
Fleur xx
DiaryofaVintageGirl.com
PS. Just as a final little anecdote, I was further shocked to hear from my dance teacher, Nick Kirby of Jive Connection, that he was called up by the organisers and asked if he would take a group of dancers to some southern shopping malls to promote the festival. The exchange he relayed summed up the organisers' ethos perfectly, I felt.
"OK," he said. "How much are you paying us? Oh, nothing? OK, how much will we get for expenses? Nothing. Right, well, how many free tickets will we get? None?? Goodbye!"
Edit: Firstly, in the interest of fairness and honesty, I must mention that I was taken into a stall called Bellapacella (I hope that is the right link) by my dear mum, who had found a 20s-inspired headband she loved. She bought herself one, and then after leaving, she asked me if I would buy her another one. I did so, and thus this could be counted as shopping. Let me clarify, that I didn't go off and browse through the stalls at any point, looking for vintage goodies to buy. That is what I mean when I say 'shopping' - I literally walked up and down looking at the wares on display, none of which caught my eye. So that is what I mean when I say 'I did no shopping'. I did no shopping 'for me'. Apologies.
Secondly, I am being informed that I was seen dining in the Torch, and watching an act. This is news to me. The first time I was in the Torch, I was drenched and cold, trying to get signal on my phone so I could find where Naomi was. There were some people dancing, I think to a DJ. This does not count as an 'act' which I was using to mean a band or a performer. On the Sunday, as mentioned, I was in there for approximately half an hour having a glass of champagne, after which I left to go with my mum to the aforementioned headband stall. As far as I was aware during this second sojourn, there was another DJ on - some of my colleagues went up and did a foxtrot at one point. I honestly have no recollection of a band coming on stage, and I'm sure I would have noticed? Bear in mind I was worn out and dying to go home and see my cat by this point (how rock and roll). The above blog is my own account of my own experience at Vintage at Goodwood, where I WORKED and was not there as a punter. And, as mentioned, the weekend did improve for me to the point of being bloody good fun on Sunday. I do not appreciate being accused of lying (why on earth would I), nor do I appreciate the insinuation that I am in some way bitter about not being involved with the organisation. Like my curator friend, I would probably have dropped out when I saw the direction it was taking. I still have only praise for Harry and Edna for their loveliness and hard work in the 40s area. Also, again, whether an act was on in the Torch or not, that is completely beside the point, as I didn't see any acts on the main stage (except Aswad while I was queuing for the loo), nor did I visit any of the other tents - Northern Soul, Blues, Rave, what have you. I did not make a note of the acts on offer and go and see them. This is what I mean when I say I didn't see any acts, whether one might have been playing while I was nearby... which I genuinely do not remember.
Thanks for listening, and if anyone else who enjoyed the festival would like to accuse me of lying and unsubscribe, please go ahead. ;)
It seems they got you all in the previous year, picked your beautiful vintage brains then dropped you all like bombs from a Lancaster.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'm bitter 'cos I couldn't afford (morally afford, I may add) 1K for a postage stamp sized pitch for my frocks!!
But my dear, you were gracious with this blog.
agree, very graciously said, Fleur.Sorry we didn't manage to meet up.wonderful pics and you look marvellous as always x
ReplyDeleteGreat blog. Events like this that are so commercial need people like yourself to highlight and voice the opinion that is similar to almost all I've spoke to who also attended Vintage Goodwood. The overpricing, lack of originality and general poor management.
ReplyDeleteWell done on being so gracious with your review! I would have found it hard to be as polite, possibly.
Keep up the great work Fleur!
Gary.
As I commented on Tuppence Ha'penny's blog; After spending about 1/2 an hour reading all the other VAG reviews, and seeing the photos Im so glad that I didn't go to this event. It looks far too 'festivally' and commercial, and I think that charging a (high) entrance fee, then charging again to get into the attractions is ridiculous - and greedy. The concept of VAG was amazing, but at the end of the day, Wayne Hemingway may be a talented designer (how good did the website look?!) but he is no Michael Eavis. I will be sticking with Rhythm Riot - a 'proper' vintage festival, run by people who are completely into the scene and your entrance fee weekend pass includes EVERYTHING! AND not a Primark in sight!!
ReplyDeleteGood for you for giving a real insight into what a shambles it was!!
Good grief, a Primark?! I wasn't tempted to try VaG myself, not least due to the fact they omitted the 30s entirely, but I am sorry that so many were disappointed by it and that so many others were treated so badly by the organisers.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this honest review Fleur. Me and my boyfriend drove all the way to Goodwood from Cambridge on the Saturday morning and camped one night. This was the first vintage event we have been to together and I have to say I really struggled. Firstly when we walked in I felt a little sad as although I think the idea behind the event was good (allowing people with a common interest to come together and celebrate) I also felt that the fact that it was such a huge event represented how commercialised the vintage scene has become. I like you didn't bother to do any shopping as the clothes were mainly those nasty synthetic fabrics from the 60s and 70s. I was also dismayed to see Primark and John Lewis there and still cannot fathom what link they have to vintage. Whilst I enjoyed seeing the different interpretations of vintage style in peoples mostly fabulous outifts I was also annoyed at those who clearly did not take it seriously or appear to know much about vintae turning up in items that looked like they came from a joke shop. I have decided to send the organisers some feedback from the event and I don't think I will be the only one. x
ReplyDeleteTo be fair, I think I missed all the good stuff, the good bands, the dancing and the things like the Wall of Death were apparently ace. But I was so worn out from working (for free) that I just had to go home. If I'd camped I may have died.
ReplyDeleteMy wife and I are big Goodwood Revival fans, and we like to dress in vintage style when attending.
ReplyDeleteWhen we first heard about the Vintage festival, my wife thought she may prefer it to the Revival, as she’s not really that fussed about the classic cars and we have a one-year old baby who wouldn’t go a bundle on the loud noise from the racing cars.
However, we balked at the idea of paying £110 for two tickets (baby would be free) for Vintage at Goodwood, seeing as we were only thinking of popping along for the Saturday afternoon. Anyway, the long and the short of it was that I was instructed to go along on my own for £55, to see if the festival was up to mufty, while my wife went off to her sister’s.
I have to say, the best bits for me were The Chap mini-Olympiad, and the Sussex cheese on toast with cloudy lemonade. The Forties area was very good, and had the big advantage of being outdoors, which meant it was accessible to a large number of people, and easily accommodated a large crowd.
The rest of the festival was interesting, but I found the stalls long and narrow, which made them difficult to get into and browse, given the crowds. The music was not of much interest to me, although I heard some great jazz coming from that Torch club, but I didn’t fancy having to queue up to get in. Likewise, the wooden mock high-street was very crowded, and one would have had to squeeze and wriggle to get in through the entrance to each of the shops. I fancied poking around the Fortnum & Mason, but there was a crowd of people standing in the doorway, and I decided to go back later, but never got round to it.
The mud at VaG was a first for me, not being the festival type; the Revival is on tarmac which never gives a problem keeping your clothes clean. Also, having parked in the field of the public car park at VaG, I noticed I was the only one wearing vintage style clothing. Being prepared for a spot or two of rain, I dressed in tweeds; but everyone else walking down from the car park was dressed in their usual modern clothing, some with wellington boots, which are probably a festival staple. It seemed to me that there weren’t as many people dressing up for the VaG as do for the Revival.
All in all, we’ll stick to the Revival, and maybe venture to the VaG in say 4 or 5 years time, when all the teething snags have been ironed out. We’re going to the Revival for an afternoon this year, whilst baby is being looked after by grandparents.
What a shame, but it's as I suspected having spoken to yourself & others before the event.
ReplyDeleteWe were approached to have a stall there but when I was told the price I nearly fell off my chair! It was extortionate. I know What Katie Did was there, but don't know any other dealers that went, although I will ask around.
I also thought I might go for the day to check it out in case it was worth taking a stall next year, but when I saw the price for a day ticket I decided against it, I think charging £55 to attend for 1 day is beyond extortionate.
I'm also going to stick to well established events organised by enthusiatic and nice people like The Rhythm Riot, Hep Cats Holiday and the Rockabilly Rave. These events you really do get your moneys worth!
What puts me off this kind of thing are all the people who don't really care about the vintage thing. It's just a new bandwagon and they will abandon it when another comes along. All those who willingly trash items of clothing that, by rights, ought to be looked after very carefully or in a museum, just to give them an "edge,".... vomit! As a historian and passionate textile collector this absolutely horrifies me.
ReplyDeleteI must admit I didn’t attend the event. But it looks as though Goodwood Events have bitten off more than they can chew with this one. Fleur, you must have been gutted with the out come of the weekend. All that effort for no reward.
ReplyDeleteHowever, as you say there was some light in the gloom. Anything that involves the Chap is a known quality and is bound to be good.
I wonder if the event organisation was put out to tender. If so the REAL enthusiasts got a bad deal. Uninformed Jo Public would have no idea and just pay up and turn up.
If the general consensus is that the event was poor then Charles March needs to do some damage limitation.
I will probably not bother with it if it happens next year and attend the revival instead. That’s much more up my street.
Having said all that, the Chap photos are great, and Fleur, you look magnificent as always!
Dave…..who’s now off out to shoot some Spitfires.
I'm confused.... you say you "didn't do a single bit of shopping" - however you purchased a handmade headband for your Mum at my friends stall Bellapacella. You & your Mum spoke with us for quite some time & say you both adored the piece which your Mum instantly starting wearing.
ReplyDeleteVery true - my mum did some exploring, discovered the stand mentioned by Leona, then she asked me to pay for a headband for her birthday, which I did. I didn't note the name of the shop, so I apologise - thanks for posting it. It's a very pretty headband & she is delighted with it but it wasn't my shopping, was it? I also am not really counting the suspender belt I bought from necessity (well it's mentioned above briefly), nor the sunglasses we borrowed for the bathing beauties show, the sellers card was quickly lost (please get in touch if you read this!). I was merely talking about the fact that I did no shopping of my own as there wasn't really much to my tastes there. The fact I bought my mum a present doesn't change my personal opinion of the shortfalls of the festival!
ReplyDeleteI have to start by saying that I went for one on the Saturday and had a lovely time as a customer! There were a few minor issues, but I think from my perspective they seemed like nothing more than teething problems.
ReplyDeleteI hate festivals as they are muddy and facility free, but it seemed that this was trying to be a festival for people who didn't like festivals, rather than a festival for vintage lovers.
Regards the camping, I camped both Friday and Saturday night and had no problem with the facilities (the ladies blocked a couple of times, but they had them cleared within an hour each time) I've paid more to camp in other places, though I hear if you paid the sky high glamping prices things weren't so good!
I also think that the ticket prices seemed roughly equivalent to other festivals, even if they are more expensive than other vintage events. To me it was just another thing to do. You can go to Hep Cats Holiday, War & Peace, Rhythm Riot, The Revival AND Vintage at Goodwood if you can afford it and choose to do so, and they'll all be something different I guess.
I almost wish they'd called it something else! Glamour at Goodwood or ANYTHING less controversial than Vintage!
HOWEVER.
Although I personally had a good time, I had no contact with the organisers (apart from when they spammed my Facebook page with pictures, for which they apologised when I pulled them up on it. Oh, and they asked if I would like to put a downloadable flyer on my site, for free, but I declined.) it does concern me a lot to hear these stories about people being treated badly and unprofessionally. It seems to me that they are trying to tap into an already existing culture, but rather than reaching out and trying to make friends they are strolling in with huge boots on assuming that because they are rich and organising a big event everyone should be begging to work with them.
Maybe they'll see this criticism and get a grip for next year. Or maybe not, in which case I suspect they'll find themselves left in the lurch and unable to out on the event.
Anyway, I hope some of that rambling made sense!
How strange..... I could have sworn I saw you watching the live entertainment whilst dining in the Torch club?
ReplyDeleteTwasn't me! I didn't dine in the Torch club! We sheltered in there from the rain on Friday and had the above mentioned champagne on Sunday, but there were no acts on either time.
ReplyDeleteTwas you! unless you have a twin!
ReplyDeleteA blog really should be fair and accurate, this is not, although I'm sure it would have been if you had been involved with this great new festival which I loved. Surely we want new blood into the scene to enjoy it - which was happening in that Torch club.Kitten von mew and harry and edna and the lineup were all amazing and spot on.All respect for this blog has gone and I shall unsubscribe. Sorry!
Fine by me! I don't want people reading my blog who think it's ok to argue and accuse me of lying about whether I saw acts at Vintage at Goodwood or not!! Let me state again for the record - I did not see any acts at Vintage at Goodwood!! I think there were some DJs on when I was in the torch club, that is not the same as an 'act' which, for the purposes of this blog, I am using to mean bands, performers, whatever. Perhaps I am going mental and there was a band on stage which I somehow missed. Seems unlikely. I was too busy talking to my colleagues, drinking a glass of champagne and then going off with my mother to really notice what was going on. I have little patience for people who get uppity when someone has a differing view to them - you loved it? Well good for you! I am sincerely glad you enjoyed it. You'll note the part when I said that Harry and Edna had done a sterling job, it is Mr Hemingway, Freud PR and the rest of the main organisers which disappointed me. I don't think this is a festival for 'new blood' on the vintage scene to enjoy. I think the Goodwood Revival is. You will not be missed by me, 'Anonymous' cowardly person, or 'becky' or whoever you are.
ReplyDeleteA blog is a personal thing, and this is my personal experience, which is highly subjective. Accusing my own experience as not being 'accurate' is laughable.
Meh! I LOVE you and your blog Fleur! :)
ReplyDeleteHAHAHA, nice anonymous comments.
ReplyDeleteI SAW YOU, FLEUR!
I don't get why it matters what you were doing while there.
I'm wondering if this is coming from people who have something to do with the festival, and are pissed that you gave such a review.
Check your blog stats, I bet it comes from the same IP address.
LAME!
"although I'm sure it would have been if you had been involved with this great new festival"
ReplyDeleteDoes that mean you were involved, anonymous person?
I'm with Miss Tayva, I suspect this person is a shill.
Ha! I love the comments that ramble that they saw Fleur and by geez she was having a good time! Sure she was - probably drunk on gin and meal voucher gluttony? NOT. I love your review Fleur - it is true and honest and I agree whole heartedly. People seem to think we take pleasure in giving VaG a bad review?!
ReplyDeleteSorry - no, nothing to do with the festival, I just enjoy your blog usually, spotted you there and was loking forward to seeing what you thought of it. Of course you are entitled to your opinion, and so am I, and you are quite welcome to check my ip address or whatever it is! talk about paranoia! I think if you had a rubbish time then say you had a rubbish time, dont go on and on about, 'Oh I struggled through the mud, etc etc' and try and pan absolutely everything about it. I dont know how you can fairly judge it anyway if all you saw was the olympics! it comes across very bitter thats all. having read so many great reviews i was just surprised at yours but wasnt prepared to be yelled at by someone whose blog ive read for so long! oh well. hope you enjoy revival IF lord march lets you in after this!!!
ReplyDeleteWow, well I have literally no repect for snobs and your Vintage at Goodwood blog has just about done it. This was the 1st year that this has been on and it is bound to have some issues on teh 1st run, apologies that it didn't meet your high standards. I was also interested to hear that you didn't visit any of the entertainment, why was this although you seemed busy enough with the Chap things.
ReplyDeleteThere were a lot of hard working people at the event who were very proud of their stalls, artwork and performances Im sure and your blog has put down all their hard efforts and that of the Hemmingways with their 1st major event. Shame on you and hope that people who disagree with your blog do not bump into you at Goodwood Revival. I fear you will not be well received.
Ha! We've all been burnt by anonymous cowards. If they don't have the conviction to stand up and be counted for their opinion. It ain't worth merde! The likliehood is that it's someone who was 'involved'(in bed more like) with the organisers. And someone who is known for their rivalry. I think we both know who it is and I think think their cowardice a joke.
ReplyDeleteWell done on the honest and open review. And well done on losing one unwanted, juvinile reader.
Xxxx
I'm sorry... you say you read my blog and yet my usual style of writing somehow does not apply here?! I'm not allowed to dramatise my experience like I do in every single blog post I ever write? If I just wrote a bullet pointed list of facts, it wouldn't be much fun to read. I was telling a story for goodness sake!
ReplyDeleteAs far as I can see (with my alleged dubious eyesight) I have not yelled at you, you flounced after I had questioned the fact that I dined in the torch club, and if I already 'lost your respect' then I have nothing to lose in defending myself.
Things I have not personally said include checking IP addresses (I don't know how and wouldn't bother if I did) and the fact that I had a rubbish time - you're clearly ignoring the part when I said Saturday was fine and Sunday brilliant. I also clearly said that I couldn't comment on the bits I didn't see or do - I am just at a loss to see what you're driving at. It's a review of the bits of VAG I did see and did do.
As I say in my post, I am not going to the Revival and I don't think for a second that Lord March either knows who I am or would care one way or another! I'm flattered you think that me writing this critical review of a separate festival on my lowly blog would be enough to get me barred from all Goodwood events though.
Finally, I am not entirely sure what you thought my reaction would be to being accused of lying, but I am not the sort of person to let something like that lie unaddressed.
Sorry I feel the need to pick up on the last two comments, and not wanting to bE drawn into a protracted arguement with two(though more likely one) people with no strength I'm their convictions. Either man up and make your vested interest known or bugger off. The review is fair, has not put anyone down who was running stalls, apart from mssrs primark. You really need to grow up and accept people have different points of view, without feeling the need to act like a 5 year old spoilt little brat. The revival is a top draw.
ReplyDeleteLord march is far too much the business man, to behave like the spoilt children you are.
People are pefectly within their right to dislike something, that others like. I think you need to move on. And if you are as everyone thinks involved with the organisers, maybe you could get your thinking caps on and address the issues that a vast number of punters and reviewers of said festival have brought to light. Your incistance of all good reviews bar this one isn't true and you come across as someone with their head I'm the clouds.
okay, i will leave it there. If I dont agree then I must be in bed with an organiser - I wish - i might get in for free next year! and im anonymous because we have mutual friends I dont want to bring into petty discussions. Just please give your readers a little more credit! I'm sure that lord march does not know who you are, and that was in fact a tongue in cheek joke, but you do this blog to help keep the scene we love alive dont you? so maybe you should have taken the time to explore properly as your job as a blogger, and see some acts, go and look at the other areas and do an informative review rather than a lot of pics (albeit it very nice ones)
ReplyDeleteanyway, I really do not mind at all if your pals want to cane me for whatever, I've said what I wanted to and although am sad to not read about your glamorous endeavors anymore, also now understand a bit better. Toodle pip!
Good on you for your honest opinion, Fleur. I have to say that almost eveyone I know who went share your opinion. The general consensus seems to be that cramming so many decades together did not work for people who live and love vintage. Some friends did enjoy it but noteably they are not into vintage at all and treated it as another festival. I'm now gald I didn't go and there are better events to attend.
ReplyDeletex
Anonymous 2 (gosh you people are cowardly, at least put a name in there), I don't see how I have put down the hard work of all the people who were proud of their stalls. I didn't see them, it is not the same thing as doing them down, is it? Yes I have criticised the organisers - I think they made a lot of mistakes. That's what a review is for. I'm really struggling to see why I am having to defend my personal account of this event, but this is my blog and defend it I shall.
ReplyDeleteAs for being a snob... perhaps you haven't read the Chap. Perhaps you've never seen my blog before. Yes, I am a snob about my passion, because it is my life. I love it when things are authentic and passionate, and dislike it when things are mainstream and soulless. As to why I didn't see anything, the reason is simple. I was knackered by 6pm every day and there was nothing I cared about enough to keep me going and make me want to stay.
Anonymous 1
I wasn't there as 'a blogger' or even as 'myself'. I was there as a volunteer, working for The Chap.
For the umpteenth time - to anyone reading these comments, I was there to work and not flit about having a lovely social time, reviewing it all for my readers. It is a review of my weekend working at VAG. That is all.
I've just been reading down all these comments and have decided to stay 'anon' lest I get stoned to death after reading teh rplies of the other 2 anons! I must admit that I was rather shocked reading the blog entry as I was one of the many entertainers of VAG and although hard work due to rain and there were definitely things that need to be put right for next year, I had a smashing time and enjoyed every aspect. It can certainly dampen a day when the weather is bad but we must not blame the organisers for that. I personally didn't see you around fleur but heard that you were mainly staying around the Chap area.
ReplyDeleteI am disappointed to read your comments, although obviously you were just commenting on your own experience, I know how much hard work went into this event so it is upsetting for those of us who put in that hard work to hear such things. I would have liked to have seen more equal amounts of positives, perhaps about stalls, entertainment and the like?
I was really disappointed that I was not able to attend the Vintage at Goodwood festival this year, as I believed it would be extra special due to it being the first year (and the fact that the prices were sky high!) I thought they would make sure it was as perfect as they could in order to make sure that it is well received and, in turn, well attended in future years so I am disappointed to learn it wasn't that well organised and so many people were left feeling unhappy and unsatisfied about it.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I never take other people's opinions to be the be all and end all and prefer to see for myself, I will take this post and the comments into account if I ever consider going again- especially as I would have to camp!
Loved the honesty in this post and we have to remember- this is Fleurs personal blog in which she writes her own opinions on things she is doing- that's why we read it. If you didn't want her opinion then you should have just read a review by someone whose job it is to specifically review events, not someone who is a vintage lover and a "full-time Forties enthusiast" as she explains herself.
Love the blog and am, as ever, jealous of your beautiful wardrobe!
xxx
Crikey, that degenerated quickly. Thanks for the honest review. I get sick of reading things that are just fawn fawn fawn isn't everything wonderful. There have been MULTIPLE criticisms of the way this was run, and as far as I can see (I didn't go) it is all fair comment. The exploitation of goodwill for profit is just downright nasty, and is sure to bite them on the arse when they try it again next year.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why the anonymouses (anonymi?) are behaving as though this review is an isolated one, it's far from the first poor review I've seen.
ReplyDeleteIf you anonymous folk are genuine, (which I doubt) I have to say that by remaining anonymous whilst criticising a review (not to mention parroting each other), you're probably discrediting VaG more than any review could. It looks really, really shifty. I don't have a bias either way for VaG, since I'm new to the vintage 'scene', but this has been enough for me to ensure I give it a very wide berth.
I am not really bothered about discrediting Goodwood - they do not care about a comment on a little blog, and if (and the other two) anonymous's look shifty that is not going to make me give my name I'm afraid, so I get yelled at at the 40's events I do attend!
ReplyDeleteone of the others has already stated they were a performer at goodwood, that should be enough surely - all credit to your sharp tongue that people do not feel they can reveal their names! Look, all I think is that a warped (in MY OPINION) review of an event can, as the last comment has proved, stop people from trying it for themselves. Its a shame tis all! cos I thought it was incredible AND a great way to get people interested and come and support our tea dances and events. I spoke to loads of people who would never have thought to have gone to a 40's event and turned up for the 50's area or the soul music, and they were so into what they saw, learnt to dance a bit and are now thinking of coming to revival. If we dont all support each other, none of us will have a scene, and you wont have a job!
I will just say this - see everything there is to offer like I did, THEN give it a caning and I will then totally respect your 'soulless' comments.
Jeasus, how many times does it have to be repeated, that this is Fleurs' OWN opinion as a WORKER. It can't be compared to that of a punter, its a diff experience all together. To the last Anon - 'they do not care about a comment on a little blog', that sounds like a comment from camp VAG (FYI I wouldn't call 100,000+ unique hits a month small). People like the Chap lot make their own scene, not someone who is just leaching off it, so to say such a thing is a bit odd.
ReplyDeleteI think it is very sad how the V@G Festivial has created such bad feeling and divison amongst people who enjoy 'Vintage' - I won't say vintage community as that presumes it's a single fairly homogenous community - which it isn't and I think that's where the problems are coming from.
ReplyDeleteThe comment from Ivy Black 'The general consensus seems to be that cramming so many decades together did not work for people who live and love vintage. Some friends did enjoy it but noteably they are not into vintage at all and treated it as another festival' means anyone who did enjoy it is instantly not 'really into vintage' or vintage enough. Well as a social history curator of over 25 years experience and someone who wore 60s clothes in the early 70s/ was a hippy when everyone else was a punk and wore 50s frocks as a museum volunteer in the early 80s and has a house stuffed full of stuff from the 19th century to the 1960s - I have been living/ breathing Vintage for most of my life.
I loved V@G and the ability to wear 40s/60s frocks, listen to a wide variety of bands (past & present - old heroes & new discoveries), make patchwork and applique and generally see/ hear so many different things etc. There were problems but an event of this size and complexity is a logistical nighmare and having organised small events I know just how difficult it is.
I hope that there is a 2nd V@G and that people can agree to disagree as to whether they enjoyed it or not & whether they would go again. I also hope that people can accept that Vintage equals more that just the 1940s and that what was a problem for some people was actually a highlight for many people (who also live daily with vintage - but not from 1 decade but from a variety of periods).
...and I would have spent more time in the 1940s area at V@G but kept being beaten by the weather
Totally agree with Yvonne.x
ReplyDeleteYvonne, your points are all apot on and well made, but I think that things are being misinterpreted slightly. I don't personally know anyone who is into such a wide range of decades, and perhaps Ivy doesn't either. So the people we know would naturally feel unenthused about the later 60s/70s/80s bits. I do have slightly older friends who commented that they would be sticking to the 40s area, but would nip off to the 70s/80s bits to see some bands... if they had gone. But I honestly think if they had gone, they would have been just as put off by the corporateness of it all.
ReplyDeleteAs to the 'not vintage enough' bit, yes I am dedicated to my look, but I wear 60s frocks with 40s hair almost every day - most of my Swirl dresses are from then. Does that make me not 'vintage enough'?
I barely have 25 years' experience in life, let alone vintage. So as someone with much more experience, once again, our personal opinions are always going to differ as to whether it was a good festival or not... but I don't believe anyone here is trying to say anyone is 'more vintage' than anyone.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteTo all of the anonymous responders above, just one thought... You are afraid of giving your name in case you get 'caned' by like minded people, but you have no trouble at all with 'caning' Fleur for giving her opinion on her perspective of an event. Frankly, get a life
ReplyDeleteFascinating. It appears to my admittedly limited intellect that some people are suggesting that a "community" would be better served by a dishonest puff-piece about one event, that would then draw anything else Fleur said as being suspect. What of integrity? Honesty? Is there any doubt that this is one person's opinion? It saddens me that some people feel the need to find themselves offended by an honest assessment - that does include positive and constructive commentary - and thence to act so offensively themselves.
ReplyDeleteYou know what? Bad reviews happen. We all get them. Ones mileage (and enjoyment or otherwise of an occasion) is known to vary. How one deals with a bad review says more about them in many cases than the review itself can, and this has been a fine example of how not to face a bad review.
Thanks for the review, Fleur. I was curious, as were many others, to see how this went, and an honest opinion from behind the scenes forms a very welcome part of that.
David I could not agree more. I have read pretty much every blog out there on VAG and I have noted that the ones that say anything less than complimentary have been attacked in a similar manner to discredit them. Freud need to do some media training with their clients. You need to look no further than the witch hunt whipped up around Amelia's blog on the VAG facebook page by them. Big PR booboo.
ReplyDeleteFleur, why don't you turn of the anonymous comments? I know it means that everyone needs to write atleas a name and people who really don't (for example) don't wanna be caught in the midde perhaps won't write.. But you still have the choise of just writing a name and a person who wants to comment can just write a fake name. Better then just anon. perhaps?
ReplyDeleteAnother vintage bloog I read hade the same "problem" (depending on how you see it) as you with lots of anon. comments that was really nasty. She ended up turning of all the identety choises exept google or open id. I do understand her tho..
I't ok to have a nother opinion, and even to be really nasty if you want (as someone who comments) but atleast sign it.
I still think it was your own experience and your blog! You are allowed to say what you think, and if they don't like it they can take it up with you, but atleast write a name and be civil!
Fair points, Fleur, and I think it highlights the wide spectrum of views as to what constitutes 'Vintage' (& the potential problems for any 'Vintage' festival) and mirrrors the arguments/ debates regarding other terms such Nostalgia & Heritage (what is it? is it a good or bad thing?). Also I realise (probably only since V@G) that 'Vintage' has changed over the years from a fairly eclectic mix of stuff from all periods thrown together (whether in your wardrobe or flat - which I grew up in) to a much more period specific lifestyle choice e.g. 1940s/ 1950s. So for me 'Vintage' is a mixture of personal nostalgia for my teenage years/ youth culture (70s - the V@G disco was disturbingly realistic), childhood (60s), memories of grandparents' homes (50s) and general fascination with the past - something that many of my friends would also confirm (who all want to go next year). Whereas for you and I suspect various of your friends, it is the specific period of the 1940s and its various aspects (clothing etc) that fascinates you. Therefore, a festival like V@G is going to have problems pulling all this together. Since there are already specialist festivals for specific decades, hopefully a multi-period festival can provide something extra and attract people who are not attached to a specific decade but who enjoy the fashions/ music/ interior design etc of the past 60-70 years. Hopefully with constructive criticism, V@G can be better next year and not cause such a schism amongst Vintage fans - at the end of the day we all enjoy and appreciate the past (in its various forms) and want somewhere to play/ party/ dress-up
ReplyDeleteGoodness me! Are we not allowed to show disapproval at anything any more? If Fleur feels let down then she is entitled to say so on her personal blog. I think it would be awfully bad mannered, even petty, to ostracise her from future vintage events simply for being honest.
ReplyDeleteA word of advice to people involved who are receiving negative feedback...instead of moaning at the complainer why not try and improve at next years event? Man up and take some constructive criticism.
p.s. I can't comment personally on the festival as I didn't attend. The prices completely put me off. I can't camp due to various disabilities and was mildly disgusted by having to pay for the entire event rather than a day pass. Also, if I had attended and seen a Primark I would have asked for my money back. I can shop there on any high street, I go to vintage festivals for vintage.
Claudia Atlantis xx
(I don't have google account etc)
Dear me, what happened to freedom of speech? I thought your post on this was fab, Fleur, and you pointed out all the stuff that you did enjoy as well as the stuff you didn't. Surely that is what constructive criticism is about, and that is also, in turn, what improving something is about. If one cannot complain properly about something, then what is the point in having an opinion about it? I am another one who is glad that they didn't go in the end, but really it was the prices that put me off. You'd expect a bloody good event for those prices, and it was a shame that it didn't live up to it. I've read a few less-than-sparkling reviews now, and they all make fair points. Maybe the organisers will take the criticism on board and next time it will truly be the epic vintage event it was supposed to be :)
ReplyDeleteHello! I was curious about the Goodwood festival, as i am very much an outside-looking-in person at events like these, yes we display vehicles but we don't do the Livingit like some, (although on the occasions that we dress up for hanger dances we love it-even if we don't have the original clothing-we try and that's what matters right?
ReplyDeleteAnyhoo, i enjoyed your review, not only for the festival itself, but its such an insight into how people like you get on at these events. I've heard at other much smaller events about the volunteers (many of whom are EXPECTED to come dresssed for the part & even put on dance demos etc.) It's interesting for people to realise that no, people like you are not part of the 'organisers' as such, but come under your own steam, at your own expense, and without whom there would basically be no show.
There are many reasons why people read blogs, but mainly it's because we are all curious about other peoples lives and opinions well ok in my case i'm just a nosy bitch.. I cant understand why anyone would read a blog post and get so uppidy aboout the content. A blog is one persons an opinion/story of their life..the fact that you are reading it means you are interested in that persons opinion/life. Wouldn't life be boring if all the blogposts were the same?!
Anyway i must go read more blogs, laugh, disagree and agree with other peoples goings on. But no. I won't be getting stressy if they write something i don't agree with. In fact thats often what makes them interesting.
My goodness, I hadn't realised that the world of vintage could be so bitchy! I wasn't able to go (unfortunately) but have heard from a couple of friends who did - and they thought it was fab.
ReplyDeleteMy festival experience is confined to Glasto, so I suppose I'm used to a bit of mud and a queue for the loos. And at least everyone is there to have a good time and not nit-pick.
I'd had a inkling about how this vintage festival was heading from an interview a week or so back with WH in the Times (I think it was) and you could see that it was heading more 'mainstream' if that is the right word. Again costs, mainly travelling and hotels (I don't do camping, I prefer water running from a tap not down the walls of a tent) prevented me from even thinking of attending, and reading Fleur's and others blogs I'm glad I didn't go. Every persons opinion of an event is subjective, and I hear that there were some good elements of the event, but having Primark at a vintage event is just beyond...really. There is SO much expertise on vintage out there that could have been utilised and I suspect that these people would willingly have helped out as long as they were treated with respect that their knowledge and networks deserved. I hope that VaG doesn't fold and that there will be another event next year, but taking into account things that went wrong...that's the way things grow into being unmissable events. Well done Fluer, it's your blog...you tell it how it was...
ReplyDeleteFleur, I've always enjoyed your blog and your comments and experiences of V@G express many ways in which it personally failed you and your hopes for it and may I say you write them excellently. These kinds of reviews are very important in creating a fuller picture of this fledgling festival. Reviews which I sincerely hope the organisers take on board for the next.
ReplyDeleteThere are large elements of the festival you openly admit to ambivalently omitting due to non-attendance. The problem with this is that Hemmingway et al billed it as a celebration of ALL things vintage. Please believe me when I say I have no personal affiliation whatsoever with Wayne, his wife or anyone else on whom this might portray in any particular light. Shining or otherwise.
What many people failed to remember at V@G was that it wasn't a 40's demob camp. Neither was it an 80's Hacienda reunion party. But the separate elements which were brought together offered an INCREDIBLE array of the country's (nay, the world's) finest talents and experiences. And more importantly, FUN!
I'm amazed that you never attended the awesome outdoor rave till the early hours or lost yourself in the superbly soundtracked rollerdisco for an hour. Spun around on the rickety waltzers or headed to the beautiful sprung dancefloor of the soul club.
As much as I agree with a large amount of your review (the actual people who made the visual aspect etc. did it for no more than the love) it's like bemoaning bad sound for L7 at the Reading Festival in 1992 and not sticking around for Nirvana's greatest ever show.
The 40's aspect of the festival was a very small cog in a much bigger engine. It was as important as every other decade there and should have been treat as such. It was an opportunity to embrace more than the 40's. More than the 50's and indeed every other year.
Friends of mine were exhibiting cars and scooters and there's no doubt that there was a massive lack of respect and trust on their behalf and things got damaged. This is completely unacceptable and I sincerely hope WH personally remunerates those who lost out because of this.
In fairness, the high st. shops, as commercial as they were, were situated miles away from all the real fun and in all honesty the Dr Martins shop probably saved many a muddy shoe over the course of the weekend.
They really only need bother you if you had let them.
But to bemoan the expensive drinks, the muddy sandals (it's a field for grass' sake!), and only feature the 40's aspect is to miss the point of the festival completely. Some of the greatest artists in the WORLD all played AFTER you say you'd clocked off at 6pm and not to even check to look at these is more telling of yourself than the event as a whole. The true excitement of V@G only really kicked off at 6pm such was the diversity and thoughtfulness of the weekends programming.
If the talent and culture of the last 70 years was defined entirely by the aptitude of some pipe smoking gentlemen to fling cucumber sandwiches round a field then I look forward to it's exclusion in modern memory.
Most people I knew, from EVERY scene, working at the festival or not, managed to check out perhaps The Polecats or A Guy Called Gerald, Wanda Jackson or The Faces. Or indeed all of these people. And everyone I spoke to (irrespective of whatever decade/s they chose to represent) sought out the enjoyment in the vast and varied amounts of entertainment that was provided for them.
I apologise for this long post. But it's important that normal punters and vintage enthusiasts alike have a wider understanding of what the festival was really about.
It was never going to be Hepcat's Holiday and anyone thinking it could have been should have read further than the swing classes on the line-up.
And been far more excited.
Oh dear. Really not getting it are we? Fleur is not saying it should be more 40's or all about the 40's. She is just talking about the part she WORKED at. I was with her and she had Chap duties all weekend and was helping me backstage at one point. She was super busy all weekend and had to drive home each night, and this, let me spell it out, is her opinion of her working weekend, nada more. This is not a review. She has every right to write what she wants. Seeing that VAG relies heavily on the 'labour of love' I think is this is a valuable insight for future 'helpers' whether they are picking litter or chucking cucumber sarnies. Now please go and write a review yourself if you feel so strongly, instead of trying to change someone else's personal account. Its just odd!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDear most recent Anonymous - as Naomi says, I think you are, respectfully, just not getting it. I mention in the blog above, right at the top, that I am not particularly interested in music. Sure, I listen to it, and occasionally buy it, but the main use music has for me is for dancing, and I was not in the mood for dancing over that weekend. I realise it's hard for people who are passionate about their music to understand those who aren't, but it's just the way it is. I have a Wanda Jackson CD, but if I had wanted to see her live, I could have done so when she played recently, and not had to stand in a cold muddy field to do so. I go to weekenders to dance, and the fact that Clarence 'Frogman' Henry is there (for example) is something that is nice, but not a draw for me. It's just not. Sorry. I couldn't give a monkeys about the 'greatest artists in the WORLD'. Because I am obsessed with 40s-60s clothes, not music.
ReplyDeleteYou are 'amazed that you never attended the awesome outdoor rave till the early hours or lost yourself in the superbly soundtracked rollerdisco for an hour. Spun around on the rickety waltzers or headed to the beautiful sprung dancefloor of the soul club' - why are you amazed? Those things hold no interest for me! If they did, I might have gone to VaG as a punter. Or stayed after working and done them. Why should I force myself to go and have 'fun' doing things that don't interest me in the name of a fuller picture of the festival that I was not trying to review!? My blog is not an all-encompassing guide to the vintage scene, it is an account of my life. People read it, and they enjoy it, but if they come here to get events guides and such-like, they will be disappointed. Please see my most recent blog for more on this.
I bemoaned the drinks, the mud and featured the 40s because... *deep breath* these are the only things that featured in my experience as a worker. For the umpteenth time, I was not sent to the festival to review it, I have merely typed up an account of my experience as a volunteer.
This blog was written from the point of of view of me, a 40s enthusiast who gave her spare time to a vintage festival, and the way I was treated. As a warning to others who might care to do the same next year, or the year after. It is not a review of how well talc'd the Northern Soul dancefloor was, or how well or badly Mick Hecknell did with the faces, because those things do not and will never feature in my world. I am very glad for your friends who 'sought out the enjoyment in the varied amounts of entertainment provided for them', Anonymous, but the fact remains, these things weren't provided for my enjoyment, as a volunteer I had certain expectations as to what WOULD be provided and they were not fulfilled. Most notably the promise that due to the geography of the area, that it would not get muddy. So forgive me for moaning about the unexpected mud.
Your idea of 'real fun' is not the same as mine, and the things that didn't bother you, bothered me. That's life isn't it. So your long post about the 'good bits' I missed out on is hardly going to convince me, or others who share my opinions, to change our minds.
Hi Fleur! A lot of people feel very strongly about this festival one way or the other dont they? your blog is practically alight! I had a friend who went and spent her days in the northern soul room and she was practically in tears when it ended and said it was 'like the old days' and is still talking about it daily! I think for some people it really was heaven on a stick and I will definitely be doing it next year, but then I love watching 40's bands but am also into into my soul, my funk,some more mainstream stuff too, and am not averse to wellies as I could never hobble around in heels (am not as glamourous as you unfortunately) I think everyone likes differet things and I can't wait until I can see it all, but then a lot of the things that you would go to I would feel very uncomfortable and stick out like a sore thumb as the 'dressed down one' with messy hair! but thats fine, I would enjoy the music but not the pressure to look glam as I am more an au naturel girl and love seeing all you gorgeous people but have no desire to do it myself! compared to glastonbury and other music festivals, vintage at goodwood sounds like a haven of cleanliness and nice loos with a very varied range of acts,not all the same ones for a change, which is a massive step up for festivals! each to their own or the world would be very very boring.
ReplyDeleteFleur, I’m sure I saw you climbing into a waiting limousine on the Friday evening, with several attendants loading hat boxes and bags of your purchases into the boot.
ReplyDeleteYou then arrived by helicopter on the Saturday morning and proceeded to ride down the vintage high street on horseback naked, apart from being painted gold from top to toe in celebration of one of those James Bond films from the 1960s.
Then again, I could be wrong, and it wasn’t you at all, it was one of the cleaners.
Thank you Fleur for the review.
ReplyDeleteI have been skimming the tabloids for reviews of this event as I have never been. I didn’t realise it was mostly a vintage music festival. The common complaint I read in the newspapers, was not enough real vintage clothes to buy or on the visitors and not enough bars. Overall the reviews were positive, personally I wouldn’t want to go to festival just for the music, I would prefer the full vintage experience.
Hi Fleur, I've only recently discovered your marvellous blog but I'm having a whale of a time catching up on all your posts.
ReplyDeleteI for one very much enjoyed your review of V@G. I went on the Saturday, and did have a good time, but then I managed to avoid the rain and I wasn't working so was free to explore at my leisure. I am also more of a visitor to the Vintage world rather than a resident (although it looks like a lovely place to live!). My biggest disappointment was missing The Chap Olympics, which looked like it was a lot of fun from the pictures. Curses! Maybe one year I'll make the Olympiad in London.
Don't be disheartened by those who have criticised your honest and entertaining review of the event. You can only comment on your own experiences, as most of us understand. My friend and I are both regular Goodwood Revival attendees and agree that that is a much more 'vintage' occasion than V@G. As a local resident in the Goodwood area I also wonder (and I'm not alone in this!) whether V@G was a devious scheme to sneak a music festival in under the noses of the rather Draconian Chichester planners by disguising it as a Vintage event? Hmmmm....
Anyway, keep up the good work! Much appreciated.
Oh, aren't anonymous commenters awesome? They're even better when they tell you they'll never read your blog again, yet still comment because they can't quite give up on the drama and walk away.
ReplyDeleteSo you express your opinion from the point of view of someone working at the event, turning up very early every morning, and then get attacked for not writing a glowing review of the entire festival, and not only that but you had the temerity to avoid events which you didn't enjoy - except you're not allowed to not enjoy them, because ALL SHALL BOW DOWN AND FELLATE THE WAYNESTER!
Because if you're expressing your opinion, not as an anon, but on your own blog, why can't these people express their contrary opinion as a not-anon? What are they scared of? Are they in fact the 'vintage snobs' who are actually rather embarassed that they enjoyed the roller disco?
I didn't go to VAG myself because I'd rather stab myself repeatedly in the face. It looked like a load of commercialised bollocks, and I really didn't think that mixing all those decades would work. Yes, some people love decade blending, but I would rather sleep on a bed of nails than go to a rave. Why the hell would I want to go to a rave?
Yeah, it would've been fun to see Sandie Shaw, it would've been fun to see The Faces, if only for the original members who turned up (NOT Mick. No no, thrice no). It would've been fun to see Wanda Jackson. WOOOOT! But I hate camping, I hate standing in a field for hours, I hate chemical toilets, and guess what, I would also HATE to see people being exploited - all those vintage fans who turned up and worked for free just so some knobend in an Afro wig could come and have a laugh at them. Amazing. What a great idea. Not.
"I didn't see any acts on the main stage (except Aswad while I was queuing for the loo)"
Sums it up!
Also, what sums it up, is the photographer who took pics of you WORKING FOR FREE and then won't allow you to put the picture on your blog. Not that you'll make any money from doing so, and he would have his work seen by plenty of people. No. But he photographed you and has it in his port, and you didn't sign a release form but never mind, eh.
I went to a 40s thing that weekend anyway and it was lovely. So nerrrrr to Wayne and his circle-jerkers. They're welcome to their Primark and their joke shop vintage outfits!!
PS: Brian wins comment of the year! Helicopter! Hahahahah!
ReplyDeletein my mind, you did well to brave it out.
ReplyDeleteif i'd gone to a "vintage" event and spotted garbage like primark there, i would've walked.
and demanded a refund.
great piece of writing!
Hello all, my name is Sarah - I am Marks wife who curates the Torch club at Vintage at Goodwood. I dont like commenting on peoples blogs and certainly don't agree with the torrent of abuse on this one over a wonderful festival that people worked so hard on. I have no idea why people would be so nasty, either to Fleur or to the other people airing their different views, Fleur didnt enjoy the festival So what!!! thousands did, does it matter? I wouldnt enjoy some of the events that she goes to. So what.I can assure you that goodwood have more pressing matters than to look at catty blogs and are working hard on vintage 2011 at the moment, and trying to iron out the criticisms and teething probs. I would also like to point out that Fleur was not working for Vintage at Goodwood, she was working for a magazine who should have been looking after her properly.People like Fleur who do blogs are great as they flag up opinions and thanks to bloggers like Fleur the next one will be bigger,better and even more sucessful, and will sort out many of the things she mentioned here. It has always been billed as a 'festival' and although she volunteered her services, Fleur has said she's just not a festival girl so its not going to be her thing anyway. I think Fleur will be more than happy to stick to revival, leaving people who are interested in Vintage of all decades and music to enjoy Vintage at Goodwood. I would just like to say that everyone seems to be up in arms about primark - there was no primark store at vintage, it was just sponsoring a style studio with the powderpuff girls in it doing make up and photoshoots. The John Lewis was not a shop but was sponsored by them and was mainly filled with singer sewing machines and people teaching you how to 'make do and mend'.
ReplyDeleteI really didnt want to comment on this but am shocked at the nastiness escalating between everybody and keep receiving emails highlighting this conversation from indignant friends who had such an amazing time.Vintage at Goodwood has spent millions on raising the bar for music festivals, which it totally succeeded at.Even Lord March doesnt have 10million quid under his pillow so sponsorship is needed but it was done the best way possible. It may not be your thing if you are only interested in one decade and dont want the other styles of fashion and music to invade it, on the other hand, you may want to experience the full fifty years of the british celebration, in which case you'll love it. Some of my friends who went wouldn't have usually have had the confidence to wear vintage clothing, this atmosphere of friendliness between some of the top people in the 40's scene, and complete novices in the Torch and the other clubs, enabled them to do so without feeling silly.Of the negative comments they have filed, Goodwood have received thousands upon thousands more from people and critics who absolutely loved it. Well done Fleur for highlighting things that need sorting out - it can only help Vintage at Goodwood 2011 to be bigger, better and even more successful.xxx
I appreciate you commenting Sarah and trying to clear some stuff up - I am also grateful that you're not wilfully misreading my post like others have and realise I was making no negative criticism about the entertainment (and thus to your husband), unless you count me saying that nothing really took my fancy to see, which is not meant in a negative way. I am just, as I said, not that bothered about live music. Calling me catty (presumably for the Tory Party bit and the afro wigs comments) is a bit harsh when my actual criticism was sincere and serious, but hey.
ReplyDeleteIf, as you say, Primark was only sponsoring the shop, I agree it's not exactly the same thing, but I still firmly believe that it was totally the wrong company to have on board for this festival. Especially when Wayne Hemingway has made such a song and dance about how 'green' this festival was meant to be. There have been lots of other complaints about the internet about the lack of 'green'ness. I hope the organisers have taken these comments on board, as well as those who were let down by the 'glamping' and the other quite serious problems that were not to do with mud and meal vouchers. I'm sure that a large proportion of the 'thousands upon thousands' of positive emails were simply stating that the visitor had a fab time, but a significant proportion of the complaints would have been more serious... at least from some of the feedback I've seen elsewhere.
I would like to correct one thing though, it was not down to the Chap to be 'looking after' me - the editor of the Chap was promised certain things which were not delivered upon arrival. This was mostly sorted out by Harry, all praise to him.
All in all, my review of Vintage at Goodwood should have read simply: 'Not my cup of tea'. It would have avoided all this nonsense.
I also wholeheartedly agree with RetroChick above that 'Vintage at Goodwood' is a terrible name for the event. Something based around the 'British culture' idea would have been so much better. I would also argue about it being billed as a 'festival'. When I spoke to Wayne during the Revival last year, he was selling it as the Revival but for vintage fashion. The music thing just kept growing over the course of the year, but I still did not expect it to be a wellies and cagoules sort of festival. That was my mistake, but it doesn't mean I wasn't disappointed in the lack of real vintage.
All in all, as someone who loves home comforts and high glamour, music festivals have long been off my agenda. I honestly thought it would be different to how it was, more like Revival - less festivally. It wasn't. So I didn't like it much. I am not bitter about it because there are plenty of other events I have been to once and won't again.
Finally, I am glad that your friends had the confidence to get dressed up in vintage, and I hope they do so more often now.
I just find it remarkable that my blog about my personal opinion on something is causing so much indignation from people who are not involved in the festival itself (Sarah and Miss 'anon' performer), to the point of emailing it around. But such is life and such is the internet.
That last bit should read Sarah and performer excluded.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your reply Fleur - as you can imagine with an event like this, especially being the first one, the Hemingways and Lord March are very keen to receive the criticisms even more than all the pats on the back so that they can address the issues and make it an even better festival year after year. All the points that you mentioned are basically all the points that have been brought up by others and so are being dealt with right now, they do not take this lightly.
ReplyDeleteGood old Harry, I'm glad he managed to find the meal vouchers in the end for you, hes a good old boy, I am surprised that the Chap werent left these for you on arrival with your pass, but again, something to rectify for next time.
Right from the off, this has been described as a music festival with a difference, including fashion, art, design, I think the problem is you need time to get round it all and you were working hard and so didnt see all the 'Green' things that were there, like all the childrens activites, the fact that every structure has been made especially to be taken down and recycled next year is a first, and there were lots of exhibits promoting recycling, and using rubbish to make beautiful things such as bags and hats etc which were fascinating.
I can definitely tell you are not a festival girl Fleur, apologies for giggling but the management got woodchips down within a couple of hours of the rain, and thanks to the chalky ground, there really was not much of a problem - as someone who has actually lost her wellies in Glastonbury and had to wallow to the car barefoot, honestly it was festival heaven!!! I really, really urge you never to go to Glastonbury or a similar music festival not that you would of course!!!)
Your point about the Glamping is already being dealt with if you were to take a look at the facebook page for vintage they put out an apology immediately they started receiving complaints and are taking it seriously and everyone will be satisfied with the outcome I am sure.
This is the first one, and it can only get better, as with every new venture, but if you are a regular festival goer, and dont usually get to see such glamour, nice toilets, somewhere to get your hair and make up done at a festival its unbeleivable! You wouldnt know this, but at a normal festival people actually carry bottles around to wee in as the smell of the loos is so bad!!!
outrageous I know.
It sounds like I work for vintage, but I dont, I just have lived with the details for the last year or so and know how passionate wayne and Lord March are about this project, and that they employed each curator for exactly the same reasons.
I have to disagree with you about the name,and don't understand why people dont like it ,Its just a word after all, that sums up the vibe of the festival , vintage music, fashion, cinema, art and design, and its at goodwood - so Vintage at Goodwood seems very apt to me! but thats fine!
Anyway, nice to talk to you, and hope you have a lovely time at revival! Sarah.xx
Hi Fleur, I'm interested in what your specific role was within the festival and The Chap?
ReplyDeleteThere were friends of mine who spent the whole weekend doing makeovers for nothing more than the love and the price of the ticket and worked really hard. Not winning competitions or shimmying down a catwalk, but real, physical labour with the people who paid to make the festival it was.
Not one of these girls bemoaned their participation and took full advantage of the dancehalls, bands and atmosphere provided for them. You claim that 'it wasn't put on for your benefit' but that's where your whole case in point collapses.
The whole festival was geared towards providing EVERYONE (volunteers, workers even performers!) with the opportunity to enjoy something that they may not ordinarily have had the chance to experience.
Life is a participatory sport. The fact that you openly refused to participate at Vintage meant it never had a chance.
It's very likely that some girls may have seen your immaculate turnout and been inspired enough to begin their first tentative steps into the world of 40's fashion. That's why festivals like this are important.
Not once, all weekend, in any part of the festival, did I experience any animosity from any other punters with regards to the way I dressed (even by those in cheap afro wigs) and was actually surprised by the level of respect and acceptance.
From your response to my last 'Anonymous' email, it seems that your bugbears still lay with the mud. The fact that you believe that somewhere by the sea may have a geographical chance of being LESS rainy is nothing but bizarre. Wear a 40's land girl outfit and get stuck in! Like the reality of most women in the 40's. Even the Queen muddied up for troops!
Since you went home very night, you may not have been privvy to the (free) glamour booths set up next to the campsite to allow ordinary campers like myself to look their best with full length mirrors and power points for rollers and hairdryers. Though there is no denying that the exclusive camping facilities laid on for an extorbitant price were atrocious.
Your reactions to the way you were treat last year were valorous and for you to initially refuse to take part showed massive strength in character. However, the fact that you reneged on these hard written values so that you could walk down the runway in your finery in front of a ready made crowd (of afro wearing, paying punters) and compete in party games reeks of self serving promotion.
No matter how you try and park the blame, Sarah was right in saying that your real invitation to V@G was at the behest of a magazine. And I'm sure that 50 strapping men of Chap can organise a moustache waxing contest without your assistance.
Musical programming was always going to grow during a festival. All fashion is influenced by music. And vice versa. They go hand in hand. No matter how you dress or what you listen to.
The fact that you don't like music so much but use it only as a medium for dancing makes little sense. I hope I'm wrong but this reads like you dance because you feel you must as part of a scene, rather than for any actual enjoyment of the music itself. Because if this is the case then, sadly, you've shown your card. And it's very empty one.
Vintage at Goodwood is the PERFECT name for the event as it encompasses more aspects of vintage and cultural heritage than Revival, Festival Of Speed, Hepcats and Rhythm Riot put together. It was only yourself who couldn't be bothered to see the other parts of the vintage jigsaw.
Thank you if you managed to stay with me this far. Though Vintage was FAR from perfect, I just think it's important to highlight what and whom made the festival so special and unique. It's our best shot at allowing people to sample a small part of our precious, collective cultures. And inviting them to make it bigger.
Yours,
Non Associated PR.
Wow i must have missed the memo where your not allowed to disagree with other ppl or express your own personal opinion about your own personal experience.Pftt don't worry about it Fluer,i'm sure there are plenty of other things in your life that you need to worry about without having to devote any attention to ppl that want you to justify & defend every word you write.I ,among a multitude of others,still think you are fab & appreciate that your honesty & integrity:)
ReplyDeletexxx
Oh & top marks for Brian's comment*grin*:)
In my younger years, I sometimes attended jazz festivals held in fields. There’s something wholesome about the smell of a wet duffle coat mingled with the damp English soil first thing in the morning.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I eventually tired of having to dry the public loo seat with an electric hairdryer before use, and emptying woodlice out of my pockets for three hours after dressing. It all came to a head one night, when I had my little toe bitten off by a passing fox. I’d trodden in some fish paste the evening before and didn’t have the strength to join the long queue for the shower, so I went to sleep having only given it a wipe with a damp flannel. The blighter of a fox must have sniffed me out, and decided to help himself.
I found him dead in the road the next morning, having been squashed by a passing Austin A30; my toe still in his mouth. I have his tail hanging in my dressing room as a reminder.
I mostly dance to the slow tunes now, but despite my missing pinky, I still look back with fondness to my days and nights spent at the bebopping mud fests.....
Yours, Florrie
Oh my word. I am actually shaking with anger and on the verge of simply deleting your comment and forgetting about it before you make it hard for me to do the work I need to do to earn some money today.
ReplyDeleteHow bloody dare you try and tell me that the things I do for my job, that I put my heart and soul into, that take every ounch of my strength of personality are somehow not as 'worthy' or even as 'tiring' as that done by 'your friends doing makeovers'? And speaking as someone who does makeovers I know how tiring they are too, so don't for a second think I am saying they aren't. But to tell me that what I do isn't? Unbe-fucking-lievable.
Thank you so much for informing me that getting up at the crack of dawn and driving over 400 miles in a weekend, helping and looking after friends and strangers alike, lugging huge suitcases and armfuls of heavy clothes back and forth several times a day from carpark to pavilion for two days, modelling on a hectic catwalk (which anyone who has ever done a catwalk show knows how mental it is), standing, walking and running miles on my feet all day, manning the Chap stand, chatting to customers, selling magazines, giving advice, dressing, accessorising and coaching models who've never done 'pinup' before and essentially being 'in character' all day is not comparable to the 'real physical' work done by girls styling hair all day?! Excuse my french but jesus christ. I can tell you have never been a model, or an actor/presenter, or on stage, or a retail assistant, or a spokesperson or even stood up all day, or you would realise what an utterly ridiculous statement that was, I do hair styling at Rhythm Riot, too, all day long and I know exactly how much hard work it is. And yes I then go out that night, but not for long, because, get this. I'm knackered. I'm so very sorry not to be someone who doesn't get tired. I don't really eat properly, that doesn't help. Why am I explaining myself to you? I am so sorry if I have insulted the pride of your hard working friends by just being some lazy fucker who does a bit of swanning aboout, a bit of modelling and dares to call it work.
contd
I went, as described in my blog, to see what it was like for myself. I wanted it to be fun and easy, as I also said, but it was not, it was hard work. I am once again defending myself pointlessly, but there we go. Naomi was the one who got bullied and insulted during the Revival, and yet, she was there too. Are you going to go off and insult her too? Perhaps tell her that selling vintage clothing is not real work? Perhaps you consider writing to not be real work either? Do let me know what you consider to be real work so I can go and do some, before claiming myself to be tired.
ReplyDeleteThe fact is, anonymous PR, there are people out there who help people we like out for free. I handed out not one single business card while there. I've said several times now that I was promoting the Chap, not myself, but you do not seem to be hearing me. And no, '50 strapping men' cannot 'organise a moustache waxing competition' without me. Do you even realise how much behind the scenes work goes into something like the Chap Olympics? To source, sew and construct the props, both before and during the day? To move heavy hay bales, old iron bicycles and benches about? to choreograph the 'games'? To then be in character all day? *I* was one of the ones who had to try and gather volunteers, and it was difficult to find enough people of BOTH SEXES who were prepared to give up a weekend and come along, especially after the negative press which caused several to drop out for fear of being ridiculed at an event clearly not geared to 'our sort'. One of the girls was recovering from glandular fever, and she still came along, and she had to go on Saturday because, guess what? It was tiring her out and risking her becoming ill again. All that aside, I am the Chap's Vintage Socialite. I was expected to be there. And funnily enough, because of the Chap's extremely small budget, my work for them is purely out of love. As is a huge amount of what I do.
To imply that I dance because I feel I must, because it's part of the scene only serves to show you do not know me, and in fact makes you look utterly pig ignorant about me, and about everything I am. It's beyond insulting. For your information, I love to dance because it makes me feel graceful, it's fun, it makes me smile till my face hurts, it keep me fit, it's led me to meet some wonderful people. I only started because my best friend in the whole world is a dancer, and she had not done anything for a couple of years since her modern jazz class finished. I suggested it, and now she is the one checking every week whether I am up for the class. It is a wonderful thing to do, whether you are on the 'scene' or not - most people in my class don't wear the clothes and don't go to anything other than the dances arranged by our 'school'. I have been dedicated to vintage for over 6 years now, and yet I only started to learn swing dancing 2 years ago. Funnily enough I managed quite well on the 'scene' before I learned to dance.
I also used to go to Reading festival when I was a grungy teenager, because it was a social occasion, not because I would die if I didn't see Rancid. I wasn't nearly so glamorous then, but I still didn't enjoy camping, or mud. And I used to do a lot of drinking to keep me going. Clearly I am a terrible person.
And now I am going to turn off Anon. comments on this blog until this blows over, because I am sick to the back teeth of having to defend myself against cowards who are happy to insult me but not to reveal who they are, on my own blog, which anyone with one eye and two brain cells can read and work out a little about who I am and what I am like, without coming out with ignorant and insulting comments about how what I do not constituting work, that I am some vacuous vintage airhead who is just concerned with image and has no underlying passion for what I do. If you won't try to understand, then I am just wasting my breath. And these long, wordy comments about how the festival *was* wonderful, about how I can't possibly know what I'm talking about because I was only there for 8 hours a day and not 12 are just making me upset and angry. THIS IS MY OPINION and it is not the first 'soulless' review I have seen either.
ReplyDeleteIf anyone else feels the urge to leave an anonymous comment slating me - tough luck.
Wow, popular blog. I was wondering what you would make of Goodwood. I went on the Friday and camped (never again!), and I have to say, I was expecting more in terms of layout. That, and my disappointment in ruining my pristine 50's look with wellies, the prices of everything, and hardcore consumerist bent made it a little difficult to have a great time. But I did see a great blues act, and some big band (though I did not dare dance in my inappropriate footwear). Not a total bust for me, but not vintage heaven either. My friend and I took shelter in the 'talk tent' to have our cripplingly expensive F&M tea, only to accidentally hear the beginning of a talk on 90's dance music. Vintage, indeed!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I initially decided to go to the thing partly because there was a sewing and knitting area (!) but that of course required one to book and pay extra on top. And nearly stole some 'free souviners' that turned out to part of an art installation. Oops!
ReplyDeleteRe: The drama above - very rude to insult someone in their own house. Turn 'em off.
I for one am not about to get drawn into any ridiculous mud slinging with people. I had a good time as a volunteer, and Fleur, a good friend I might add, didn't. I camped for the second time in my life, and watched music until late at night each night because I was there and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. We both have a blog, and your blog is the place to say what you think about something and to document your experiences, not say what you think people want to hear. Our opinions about the event differ greatly but that's what life is all about and although I don't feel the same as Fleur, its not my blog.
ReplyDeleteI must point out to Jody that the knitting area charged £5 for specific workshops and the whole £5 went to Oxfam. However throughout all three days, myself and a number of other volunteers sat teaching knitting and crochet free of charge to anyone who wanted. I also had four copies of one of my books stolen even though they were clearly labelled as for sale, which I could have let spoil the event for me, but everyone I met, except those people who stole my books were lovely people - some vintage, some not.
Susan
(Agreeing with Jody above) Being Anon in order to write upsetting comments on someone's blog is kind of like slinging abuse at someone, while standing in their kitchen, and wearing a paper bag on your head. Odd. It doesn't earn much respect no matter how clever you are.
ReplyDeleteIt helps to remember that there is a real person at the other end, and, if wouldn't say something to their face, or because of upsetting mutual friends, should you say it at all? Could you say it better?
Brilliant blog. Hilarious comments. Don't take anything to heart Fleur - you're awesome.
ReplyDeleteAlso it was little old ME that lent you and VS the sunglasses for the show. (You could probably have had my first born had you asked - I was a little starstruck!)
Anyway keep up the good work!
xx
Ruthie
(www.ruthiemccall.com)
Oh blimey. I honestly don't want to bumble into things and and add fuel to the fire. And, anon(s), I'm truly not having a direct go at you in the points I am about to make. By the sounds of it, I am sure we know each other and, I hope, have a fine acquaintance. So, think of me as a bloggy Switzerland, garlanded in a white flag who has just changed his middle name to Neutral.
ReplyDeleteI would just like to make the point that the experience of two people doing apparently identical things can be utterly different if they are there for separate reasons. If you are attending exclusively for fun, as a distraction from Real Life and the working week, all the effort you put in can be refreshing, in a tiring sort of way, like a weekend's hiking, if you know what I mean.
If you are living a life where work, leisure and personality are all intermingled it really is a more exhausting venture. It means you are always "on" and have to be ready to be "You" when demanded, instead of "you". It means, in a way, performing a role, since you can't go for a drink wearing chucked-on clothes with bags under your eyes or pop out for milk in your dressing gown (unless it is *beautiful*, obviously). It means a constant outpouring of energy which has to be expended in addition to everything else at hand. It means that when utterly lovely people like The Chap ask if you would like to provide a giant tube of Bounder as a prop (and you leap at the opportunity because, of course, it is all good press but it's also great fun and What You Do), you stay up all night making it and have half an hour's sleep before the big day. In my case, you then spend that day boring the arses of anyone within earshot about how knackered you are and how putting up a tent in a monsoon whilst wearing a favourite suit is a Bad Thing. It is a testament to the best of the human spirit that nobody told me to bugger of in the face of my endless moaning.
And, of course, I am only paddling in the same waters in which Fleur is swimming like a champ; my own enterprises will, hopefully lead to full-scale world domination one day but at present are dwarfed by her activities. I didn't catch sight of Fleur being anything less than charming the entire weekend, despite putting up with considerably more hassle than yours truly, so I take my hat off to her. Actually, I literally just did; it's a little warm in here.
No wonder famous people start to go nuts and end up in rehab; I can't begin to think what it must be like if you are recognised everywhere and get pilloried in the press if you are anything less than saintly and physically unblemished. It can be a little tiresome on occasions simply as the result of having comedy facial hair; I shudder at what it must be like if your face is on every billboard.
And please, folks, do try and remember that blogs are not journals of record, unless they say so. They are mostly there to inform or entertain and make a point, which sometimes involves a little judicious jazzing up or editing of the clinically-accurate events. So, if Fleur said she did not do any shopping but bought the item for her mum (who was smashing, incidentally), is it really detracting from the fact that she did not spend hours on end perusing the stalls like many other festival-goers? Nobody is presenting evidence in court here; it's a blog aimed at giving an impression of events, not CSI.
As it happens, despite the rain, the shocking lack of co-ordination by the organisers, the freezing showers and lack of anywhere with hot water and mirrors for shaving; despite the afro wigs and the stratospheric food prices (note to organisers: don't screw over the vendors next year), despite the lack of seating and adequate protection from the predictable rain, I had a cracking time. I loved the fact that I was able to introduce 80s obsessives to the delights of jiving and couldn't believe my luck in seeing the Wailers and be dancing in the Torch Club five minutes later. And, despite being fortunate enough to be given entry for my own minimal efforts, I think I would have been happy to pay for the weekend pass. Those bands don't play for free and there were a lot of them.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I didn't have to drive home every night and actually rather enjoy the festival experience (well, nice, polite ones like this anyway). The fact that Fleur doesn't and has clearly explained why this informed her opinion of Vintage at Goodwood is reason enough to say Fair Enough if you disagree. And breathe...
Lots of Love,
Mr. Wax
Mr Wax, you're a diamond as ever. People seem to think I'm getting some twisted joy out of having not enjoyed myself! I'm not that 'known' in the scheme of things but I was having to be the public 'me' all weekend, and good thing too as girls were coming up to me periodically. Like you say, people don't get just how exhausting it is to be 'on' for the whole weekend, even when, rather especially when, 'performing' at the Olympiad.
ReplyDeleteI do actually wish I had caught one of Ruby's knitting workshops - those are the sorts of thing I would have done and enjoyed had my Chap and model duties not taken up the whole day. I am positive these parts were the sincere things I felt were missing. But I didn't see them and thus can't comment.
I apologise for letting my ladylike veneer slip and getting all sweary up there. I have a limit and it was reached upon being accused of laziness and lack of true passion.
I hope everyone reading this realises that my anger is not directed at people coming here and opposing my views, it's at the cowardly mud-slinging. If I didn't want differing views, I'd have deleted them, but I haven't - I've only deleted a duplicate comment I made myself.
I have read other negative blogs and the amount of hateful and abusive comments amazes me. I bet on any blogs where the writer had an amazing time, they didn't experience others coming along and going, 'no, it was rubbish, you moron, I can't believe you had a good time.'
I can't believe how vindictive this has gotten. Sending a lady 'anonymous' emails to harrass her? Really?!
ReplyDeleteOn a lighter note, I am deeply impressed that Mr Wax managed to fashion a giant Bounder tube.
Un freaking believable! I want to kick all ANON readers in the shins... bloggers can blog what they want for it is there blog - Fleur's blog is great and I have been reading for a long ole time, I respect her opinion. I am shocked and appalled at some of the negative comments on this blog, it has turned into a slanging match. It is always going to be your words against hers...but why do your words have to be so hurtfull? You are now bullying Fleur... We are grown up's for christs sake. What do you want Fleur to do? Change her post and say she had a great time in an afro wig rollerskating at a disco? Idiots!
ReplyDeleteWhat I do not understand is why Anon who said she was unsubscribing keeps coming back? Still reading aye? Lastly this blog is one of very, very many that give VAG a less than glowing review...least Fleur was there all weekend!!!! I was there for less than 6 hours and blogged my dislike for the festival.
Fleur - please do not let this dampen your blogging spirits - I look forward to your posts every week! xxxx
NB xxx
*snigger* rah rah rah blah blah blah anonymous anonymous welcome to check my IP don't scare me (so why not leave your name & email?) blah blah huff puff rant rave.
ReplyDeleteShut up.
This is a *blog*. I went to Glastonbury in 1998, and I hated it, that doesn't make anyone elses opinion of the event any less valid. Get over yourselves.
I still like your blog Fleur, it's nice to have someone writing truthfully about things, instead of trying to impress 'them' all the time xxx
Didn't realise knitting fee went to Oxfam, that is nice. If I had been there all weekend perhaps would have investigated properly!
ReplyDeleteDear Crazy people with no manners,
ReplyDeleteYou come across as blog stalking nasty articles, a tad Witch finder General to anyone sane.
But of course, when you are in hiding to can say what you like can't you. Loathsome types in hiding preaching away there, insulting one girl for her experiences, how very charming.
It's stalking!!
I do hope when Fleur eventually gets where she is going she'll attract a better class of nutter/ stalker!
It's fairly true to say that any comment left anonymously is automatically not worth reading. If you can't stand up and put your name to what you're saying, it's just random pixels on a screen. Spiteful, catty and yes, I would say even JEALOUS remarks make the author look pathetic - which is perhaps why they feel they need for a veil of anonymity.
ReplyDeleteI mean, by all means, say you disagree and that *you* had a fab time, but don't freak out and say WHY YOU ACCUSE ME OF LYING???? when you were accusing Fleur of lying (it's ok for you to say someone's lying, right? But not for Fleur to defend herself, because that's then an accusation of lying?). Or make snide remarks that Fleur was just flitting about doing nothing of work. Did you not read the blog up there? Did it not occur to you that all that was hard, knackering work?
I have studied forensic linguistics and I can tell which comments were left by the same person, and I can also tell that this isn't the first time they've left vomitous bile-ridden personal attacks on blog, anonymously. You, Ms Anon, are pathetic. I hope these mutual friends which you share with Fleur will find out what a ras clart they're hanging out with. I really hope you don't have a blog because wouldn't it be a shame for people to come and leave nasty anon comments on it? Oh - that's the trouble - nobody reads it.
Don't worry about the bad language Fleur, my Grandfather used to say that one could always tell a real lady by how bad her language could be when required!
ReplyDeleteSpiteful, pathetic and ignorant idiots should always be ignored. Deep breath and think calm.
it is worth mentioning that primark stuff will never be vintage, as it mostly falls apart after one wash.
ReplyDeleteOh I wish i could've gone home to see my cats!
ReplyDeleteAs a stall holder's assistant we found it was not as planned. "63 hot showers for the stall holders" No. 63 freezing cold to boiling hot, sometimes dribbling, sometimes not working at all showers. For everyone.
Liley Allens new shop? (not that I care) Not there. Waitrose (so vintage?! ) glad it wasn't there. PRIMARK?! I normally view style magazine as my bible, but this has made me reconsider.
I'm glad I didn't pay. If it wasn't for the fact I was with two tremendous friends on a free ticket, I'm sure I would give a more sour taste of events. It is ghastly that when the entry ticket is so high the curators think it a good idea for everyone entertaining to be a volunteer. How miserable.
I admire you for speaking so eloquently
xo
After reading this blog and all the comments, I feel I should have my say.
ReplyDeleteI own a vintage clothing company which I work super hard at and am very very proud of. I jumped at the chance to take a stall at VAG - despite the fact that it's 300 miles away and was very expensive. I wanted to be there, to meet all the people, to show off my lovely stuff, to contact collectors and enthusiasts and just to be part of the "British cool" festival.
But I was shocked at the amount of utter tat that was in the marketplace. Reems of crap skanky polyester frocks and tasteless trash. Our stall was tiny but crammed with Horrockses, Ossie Clark, YSL, Biba, Chloe, Pucci and Chanel as well as gorgeous pieces from 1920s-1980s. But we didn't get enough people looking closely because the true vintage lovers were fed up by the time they reached our cramped tent.
Don't get me wrong, we met some lovely people and had a bit of fun but we worked our asses off from 10-10 each day and were let down badly.
Not good Mr H & Co.
I'm sure there will be whispers of PR machinations and criticism-neutralising efforts by Freud & co. but there is currently a snap of Fleur on the home page of the VAG website:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.vintageatgoodwood.com/home.aspx
Personally, I suspect it is because it's a rather nice photo.
Mr. Wax
you are so cute! I love these.
ReplyDeleteAnd how beautiful is that green silk dress! wow.
Me and my boyfriend went to a gig in London in May and picked up some flyers for it. I had vaguely heard of it via Facebook but wasn't exactly sure what it was. Anyway we thought it looked quite good. Wanda Jackson was down to play for a star which I believe is worth the admission alone. Anyway so we thought we might go but then we decided to go to High Rockabilly in Spain so we left VAG. And from the looks if it we made the right decision. I hate all this trying to mix subcultures and styles. It doesn't work. It looked really commercial and glossy to me.
ReplyDeleteI prefer to go to things like The Rockabilly Rave and The Hotrod Hayride. These things are far better organised and everyone there lives the lifestyle 24/7. I've seen pictures of girls at VAG wearing Topshop dresses with their hair in victory rolls. It really annoys me when there are people like Fleur who dedicate their whole life to it and then you get people who just see it as a bit of fun or fancy dress.
sorry but i feel the need to comment again, whilst i love the whole vintage scene, as i said in my previous comment, i don't 'live it' when we go to shows we display vehicles do a bit of dancing (although most of the time i just love watching the dancers..could do that all day) it really annoys me when poeple like the commenter above me give people a hard time for 'wearing Topshop Dresses with their hair in Victory rolls!) it's comments like this that give the vintage scene a bad name and makes newcomers unsure as to whether they will be welcomed in the 'clique'. It's all about having a good time and trying to join in..not whether you can afford a complete vintage outfit. The shows that i go to attract a huge wide range of people from all walks of life, some 'live it' and some'treat it as a bit of fun & fancy dress' but at least we are all having a good tim and not stabbing each other in the back. Goodness you make it sound like high school.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments Claire, but we'll just have to agree to disagree. There is no such one thing as the 'vintage scene' to earn a 'bad name', as this festival, this post, and these comments prove. People will continue to get dressed up in fancy dress and have a laugh at 40s themed events, I absolutely guarantee those folks won't be the slightest bit put off by comments by people such as myself or the previous commenter. Which is great. Having a laugh is good. As is passion. Wouldn't this world be boring if we all agreed with everything.
ReplyDeleteAnd with that, comments are now closed as I think the subject is exhausted and I am not prepared to let any new fires be lit. All comments will remain for posterity. That's all folks.