Vintage at Goodwood

Festivals where people wear heels are my kind of festivals. the scales first fell from my eyes about the sartorial prospects and potential of festivals when I went to Lost Vagueness (the burlesque, cabaret and period fashion inspired off-shoot of Glastonbury) about 5 years ago. Heels rather than wellingtons just make everything better. the end. and if there's a tea dancing tent where you can be spun round by a dashing gentleman in vintage army uniform, so much the better.

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Vintage at Goodwood was awash with vertiginous heels, not to mention beehives, 1940s curled hair, seamed tights, billowing skirts with colourful frou frou petticoats, nipped in waists and red lipstick; men decked out in three piece suits, trilbies, canes, and twirled moustaches; teddy boy clobber or mod-ish garb. 'Vintage' being a loose term, there were quite a few looks; it was bizarre - punk-inspired mohicans bobbing up and down to the music in front of mothers in 1950s prom dresses jiggling their babes in arms. but so much fun to both watch and be a part of.

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Everyone gathered round 1950s camping vans, war-era style tents serving cream teas, queued to have a period make-over at the beauty parlour, or skated round to 1980s tunes at the roller disco. As well as about 5 music stages, there were fashion shows and make do and mend sewing classes. In truth, on a sunny Sunday, it felt like a very jolly, very big fete. NB if you are driving from London, via Guilford and Petworth, it is the most glorious drive (and thus makes for a great day trip) - reminds you of why people used to 'go for a drive'. if you had a vintage car it'd be heaven. I'm seriosly considering going down for Goodwood revival in September, for the vintage car racing.

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Highlights for me were twofold. the first was listening to The Puppini Sisters; their coquettishly zesty cover versions of songs, from Tu Vuo Fa Americano to Beyonce's Crazy in Love are both sparklingly witty, brilliant adaptations and bursting with fruit flavour (of the flirty, teasing variety). I've been a fan since they released their first album about 4 years ago and live they were a million times better. You want to tap your foot, then jig about, then dance, then dance with someone - and be spun around vigirously, and then perhaps thrown in the air and caught. One of my favourite songs has to be Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights. amazing.

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Lastly, there was the shopping. hours i could have spent trawling through the tents of vintage clothes. and i did, eventually coming away having frittered away most of my month's salary but having several jaw-dropping finds... including a floor length, strapless 1950s taffeta pale grey ballgown - the tight corseted top drops into a gorgeously flowing, twirl-me-about-on-the-dance-floor full skirt. heaven.