Goodwood 2009 - Fashion Parade

Well here we are again at the glorious Goodwood Revival weekend. The smell of burning rubber and hot motor oil, the roar of Merlin engines from the Spitfires overhead and … er … the best fancy dress party on the planet!

For anyone who has not been paying attention these past few years, I'll be doing the main Goodwood posts on Friday and at the weekend and shall explain a lot more about the event then, but today we'll be enjoying a little fashion parade.

This is my favourite photo from the whole weekend.

It's not just the grown-ups who have fun dressing up. These three were totally in character as street urchins and behaved like perfect cheeky little scamps.
I can just picture them larking about in the bomb-sites and ruins of postwar England. Their mum was standing off to the left and I must say she did a splendid job. The tomboy dressed as a little princess, the one-sock-up, one-sock-down look, the ties, the untucked shirts, the grime-smirched cheeks; I remember all of that from when I was a kid, clambering over the tank traps and gun-emplacements where we used to play.
Brilliant!

Anyhoo, let the fashion parade begin!

This is just typical Goodwood.
Vintage cars mixed with vintage fashions, from the 1930s to the 1960s; the decades before taste and style died screaming.

These past couple of years a lot more parents have been dressing their kids in vintage clobber, and hoorah for that! More fun for all!

I must confess, the Eva Braun look was a new one on me but she did look gorgeous.

If you're going for the German look, however, please avoid lederhosen!

It turned out to be a stinkingly hot day and an awful lot of ladies were to regret bringing fur stoles.
This was taken bright and early in the morning, however, so it was smiles all round.

Dapper, chic and - at least the girl in the middle - just a leetle bit disturbing.

These girls were off to the funfair in the 1950s Rock'n'Roll party area, ready to drink ice cream sodas and dance the day away with James Dean lookalikes (there are always lots of those).

One of this year's themes was the Swinging Sixties and Carnaby Street so there were lots of spiffy Mary Quant minidresses and a general air of Austin Powers grooviness.

Plus the more genteel look (and of course CARS)!

This outfit was impeccable, though not so good later on when the sun burned us all to a crisp.

Goodwood caters for all tastes.
If you fancy a couple of bull dykes decked out like Rosie the Rivetter, you'll find happiness here.

This lady looks like she just met the couple above and got a little startled.

Much as I love polka dots, the dress on the right here is totally fabulous.
(Click on all the pics for more detail, by the way).

And talking of fabulous, here's Phil again, this time with Dick from Lotus (you can't avoid bumping into sports car people at Goodwood).

Listen up, ladies:
THIS is how you should look.
Burn your entire crappy wardrobe, go out and buy something stylish, get your hair done like this and the world will suddenly be a much better place for us all.

Supercute!
I love this dress!
(The one on the right … duh)!

Yay for the Swinging Sixties!
Dolly birds and scooters ahoy!

Woah, Nellie!
(Shame about the bag, though. Accessorise, girls)!

Eek! Hippies!
This was part of the 1960s area and the little radio station cum discotheque was banging out great sixties music all day. It was groovy, baby!

Dancing dollybirds and a funbus for the kids. Who could ask for more?

How many students can you get in a telephone box?

Not as many as we did back in the sixties, that's for sure!

Ooh! Ooh! Katie, if I buy this will you wear it for me?
Pleeeeeease!
Butterflies, hibiscus and cheesecake glamour girls. Yowza!

Of course, if you own a vintage veehickle you can have even more fun.
Though not as much fun as the guy at the top right appears to be having. Looks like he dropped too much acid in the sixties area.

Not just vintage cars, either. There are always loads of great bikes (and great clothes, too … check out the background in these two bike shots).

Vintage Norton. Yay!

Well, that's it for this year's fashion show (apart from a few more that might sneak in amongst the car racing posts later).
Let's take our seamed stockings and walk off into the sunset.

Stopping only to cheer on the wonderful wartime uniforms. Lots (as always) of military chic, but this one stood out. An ARP Fire Warden, complete with tin hat and fire bucket.
Fantastic!

As it's harvest time, there's not just vintage cars, bikes and planes to play with.

Though these two Land Girls seem to have had enough.

Toodle Pip from vintage Merrie England!