Vintage Frome

The pretty town of Frome (Froom as in broom, not Frome as in dome...) in Somerset is a bit of a vintage hotspot.  As well as a good range of vintage and antique shops, it hosts vintage fairs throughout the year.  It's been on my day-out destination list for some years, so I was pleased to finally tick it off the other weekend.  I was not disappointed.  It's a gorgeous town, with lots of interesting old streets.  We were a bit hot and weary after a few hour's drive, so our first stop was a little vegetarian cafe operating out of a cabin next to the market, where we had a very tasty Thali.  Feeling a bit better, we then strolled through the small market (excellent cheese stall) and headed into town to see what it offered.  There was a smattering of charity shops, and I'd made my first purchase of some vintage necklaces within the first five minutes.  They were only £2 each, so I admit to feeling slightly smug when I saw very similar ones in the vintage stores later that day at much higher prices.

It was a gorgeous summer's day, so I was wearing a fifties inspired comfy dress from Lindybop that doesn't crease and is fairly loose fitting.  It was part of their made in the UK range, which sadly they no longer produce.  I took my trusty vintage wicker bag (it's huge, you can fit loads in!), and wore some flat Clarks sandals, having noted that Frome has cobbled streets - perilous in heels!  The headscarf, sunglasses and brooch were all vintage buys, either from charity shops or vintage fairs.

Lindybop dress, Clarks sandals, vintage bag, brooch, sunglasses and silk scarf in hair.  Lipstick is Besame's Carmine.

There were some excellent vintage and antique shops, well worth a browse.  I found a few 'twins' to items I already own, such as my Miss Jeannie kaftan in brown rather than black, and a version of my Kati for Laura Phillips maxi in blue rather than red.  I didn't make any purchases, as I was saving myself for the Shepton flea the next day.  It was nice to have a selection of shops to browse in, and I did find a few things that if they'd been my size, I would have snapped up.  There were some really good shops, with reasonable prices, but there was the odd one that was disappointing.  If I'm paying £75 for a dress, I expect that broken strap to be mended, not held on with a safety pin, and for that really obvious surface staining on the front to have been tackled.  I called into repro shop Deadly Is the Female too, eager to try on some items by House of Foxy and other repro brands that I've been eyeing online, but unfortunately they'd sold out in my size in everything.  Obviously not meant to be!

It was late afternoon by the time we left Frome, and headed on to the pretty village of Castle Cary, where we were staying for the night in a B&B.  It was a wonderful place, with exceptionally welcoming hosts.  We sat out in the pretty garden for a bit, drinking wine.  I made the most of the fabulous bathroom with freestanding bath and views out over the garden and countryside, before we strolled into the village for some food.  Not a bad way to spend a summer's evening.

We packed a lot in to our Somerset weekend, but despite being physically tired at the end of it I was mentally refreshed and ready to start my working week at full steam ahead.  The only trouble is now that I don't have any other weekends away booked - time to start planning my next adventure I think!

Linking up with: #iwillwearwhatilike, Visible Monday, Fancy Friday