VINTAGE FAIR
ISSUE 1 2016
What’s It Like to be...
FIONA HARRISON
Sweater Girl Knitting on the Blitz The all American
D-Day Doll Fiona’s Season
Through the Lens
Living the High Life at
Earsham Hall
Every Girl’s a Pin Up Keep Young and Beautiful
Soprano Style
with a Golden Edge A VOICE IN A MILLION
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“To work is elevating, to accomplish is superb!�
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Photograph by
Retro Air Photographic3
A Brilliant Presence that Shines Deep From Within
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WWW.FIONAHARRISON.BIZ
Inside Vintage Fair
M
eet Fiona Harrison she’s a fizzy fun spirited soprano who brilliantly captures the imagination and all that’s wonderful about vintage. Disciplined and focused, she has single handidly created a market for herself within the world of nostalgia, making her arguably one of the most photographed entertainers on the heritage and re-enactment scene.
Fearless and unconventional, Fiona’s career has spanned more than two decades performing Opera to Rock and Roll from as far afield as Japan to the Outer Hebrides and Europe. An artist who’s not afraid to be different, Fiona has become a style icon to the 40s scene. Vocally she has forged her own distinctive path, embracing technology, stretching musical boundaries making her a force to be reckoned with. Join Vintage Fair as we track her career in pictures and review Fiona’s fabulous wardrobe and fascinating lifestyle.
CONTENTS 6 ALL ABOUT FI The Girl Behind the Voice 9 GRACE AND GRANDEUR High Society Fiona style as we follow her on location with photographer Angela Adams and revive the splendeur of the 1920s and 30s at Earsham Hall 16 PUTTING ON THE KNITZ 1940s knitwear and it’s everlasting sex appeal
31 SOPRANO’S A GO GO From street style to behind the scenes. A working wardrobe with a golden glamorous edge 42 D-DAY DARLING Out and About on Utah Beach with French photographer Alexis Lahaye
COVER GIRL
Photograph by Lewis Brockway
22 MY FAVOURITE THINGS The Braccialini bag that thinks it’s a car 24 THROUGH THE LENS Relive Fiona’s 2015 season in colour as captured by photographer Robert Etsell 28 KEEP YOUNG AND BEAUTIFUL Every Girl’s a Pin Up as Fiona takes us through her daily work out Cut out photos by Colin Aldous
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ALL ABOUT FI
The voice, the look and her mischievious sense of humour, how could anyone not be on Team Fi?
The Girl Behind the Voice
I
travel a lot, so it’s hard to pick a favourite theatre or location although I have some wonderful memories of the De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill, and the Falkirk Town Hall in Scotland. I was made to feel especially welcome at both these venues and it’s often like coming home when I play theatre stages. However saying that I’m just at home singing at a heritage event as I am in a large concert hall! The difference between indifference and excellence is huge and I’m always looking at new ways to improve my shows. It’s not about the money so much as the satisfaction that I’ve done everything to the very best of my ability. That will do is never good enough and the day I stop caring is the day I stop performing.
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It amazes me just how serious people think I am which I’m not at all really. I’m very playful and ever-so slightly mischievous which comes out in my Evette the Spivette act. A foxy débutante who’s had to turn Spiv in order to save the ancestral home. Evette is an extension of me and she’s great fun to play. A little bit naughty and deliciously Devilish.
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I once heard it said by a costume designer you should never favour one historical period over another although I do rather enjoy wearing my bustle when performing Music Hall. I’m mad about leg-of-mutton sleeves even though most people type cast me to the 1940s. My every day look is very equestrian, hacking jackets, 1940s knit wear and full legged trousers but come the summer I tend to go with full skirts and 50s florals. I have three favourite colours, red, green and purple. Some say this might be down to me being a Libran and not able to make up my mind but I disagree. I hate to follow convention and I can’t see why I can’t favour three colours equally. I like the way they make me feel and I reflect this in the out-fits I choose to wear! I’m greatly inspired by the Hollywood Stars my favourites being Grace Kelly, Rita Hayworth and Marilyn Monroe. Their films were so stylish and I often look to them when it comes to styling my own wardrobe. I never go anywhere with-out my Kelly Bag, all my dresses are designed to show off my curves just like Marilyn and when I dance I like to imagine myself as Rita Hayworth with a touch of Cyd Charisse thrown in for good measure! My favourite film is “Mrs Henderson Presents” which probably won’t come as any surprise. I love the music of the 1930s and 40s and whenever I watch this film I imagine myself jumping through the screen and becoming the principal singer at the Windmill Theatre. I also like a good swash buckle so adore “Pirates of the Caribbean” and Errol Flynn in the classic 1939 film “The Adventures of Robin Hood”. I’m very big on period drama and the extravagant styles of the 18th & 19th century. So for this category I choose “The Duchess” and Joe Wright’s “Anna Karenina”. Not every-one gets Joe’s Karenina but I view it as a master piece and his clever use of theatrical sets symbolising convention. My Ambition is to play America, learn to ride side saddle and, fence. The latter two are of no possible use in today’s world whatsoever but I would like to learn never the less! 7
A VOICE IN A MILLION
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WWW.FIONAHARRISON.BIZ
Grace & Grandeur VINTAGE STYLE WITH AN ARISTOCRATIC EDGE AS WE FOLLOW FIONA HARRISON ON LOCATION AT EARSHAM HALL
Photographs by Angela Adams 9
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CAPTURING THE GRACE AND ELEGANCE OF THE 1920s & 30s
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Putting
on the Knit Fiona Harrison writes about 1940s knitwear and it’s ever lasting pin-up sex appeal
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nitwear has always played an important part in everyday fashion and never more so during World War Two. The war had hardly started when women and children were encouraged to pick up a pair of knitting needles and knit “comforts” for the services. These often took the form of scarves, gloves and balaclava helmets as “comfort funds” were set up and knitting circles would do their bit, often adopting a ship or regiment to knit for. The War meant it was now patriotic to knit and with rationing it made sense to do so. Middle and Upper-class women who perhaps had never knitted, made or dreamt of mending clothes before were now being encouraged to take part in the “Make do and Mend” campaign led by the Board of Trade. Knitting was taken up by all classes and where the making of clothes would often require the use of a sewing machine knitting could be easily transported and would often keep idle hands busy in the shelters.
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tz
Photograph by Angela Adams 17
Photograph by Angela Adams
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The number of coupons required for knitting wool was only one coupon for every two ounces and on average most jumpers of the time required eight ounces. However for the thrifty it wasn’t uncommon for people to unravel old cardigans and pullovers wash the wool and knit something new. This became increasingly more common as shortages made it difficult to buy enough wool in one colour. Womans Weekly, Home Companion and Home Notes would often print patterns and give advice encouraging fairisle designs and sweaters which used many colours. The most popular knitting patterns were Bestway. Short sleeves and high waisted styles became fashionable as wool had to go further and cardigans would often be re knitted into jumpers. Nothing was wasted as every little scrap would be reused and put to good use. Many of the 1940s designs would incorporate
Vs to represent victory, but restrictions meant it wasn’t always possible to obtain bright colours. The most common combinations used were Grey, Navy, Brown and Green, not that this hindered design at all. Women’s magazines obliged with a never ending supply of “Handy Hints” articles suggesting new and exciting ways of brightening up tired garments. Crocheted collars, felt corsages and embroidered flowers were often demonstrated on knitwear as women were encouraged to knit and be creative using up their recycled scraps.
“The war meant it was now patriotic to knit and with rationing it made sense to do so”
Despite the restrictions 40s knitwear had great sex appeal often emphasising the bust and waist. Women found it was a practical and affordable way of adding glamour to an otherwise dull wardrobe while still showing off their feminine charms. A few companies even went as far as to ban the wearing of tight
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Shot on location at Pitstone Green Museum Photographer Colin Aldous
“Despite the restrictions 40s knitwear had great sex appeal often emphasising the bust and waist� 20
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sweaters in the work place as it was deemed to be too distracting to their fellow male workers. Fifties film star Lana Turner is often associated with the sweater girl look but flicking through the patterns of the 40s it’s plain to see fitted sweaters were around long before. Glamour has always sold and the demand for 40s style knitwear has really grown in the last few years. For any-one who likes to attend 40s events it’s well worth investing in a few styles. The “Woolly Pully” has become the clothing of choice amongst the Lindy Hop dance community and it's easy to see why when so many styles enhance the female figure. Gentleman shouldn’t feel left out as there is a growing trend for sleeveless fairisle pullovers. The pullover can make a chap look really smart when dancing in shirt sleeves and add a little extra warmth when promenading in a pinstripe or tweed suit. The two most frequent questions I get asked is where do I get my jumpers from and did I knit that myself? I always feel ashamed having to own up to not knitting them, but I do know where to go and who to buy from. With so many 1940s events now taking place it’s easy to find stalls selling knitting patterns and made up garments.
Nearly all my knitwear has been knitted for me by Anne Finch (Ruby Pins) of “Blitz Knitz” of Hastings. Anne has a shop in the old town called “20th Century Fashion and Design” and when ever I’m in town I always make a point to visit. If you can’t make it to Hastings some of the dealers to look out for on the 40s scene are Jennie of “Custom Clothes” and Cathy and Lucy of “1940s Style For You”. Both companies take commissions and all three ladies can often be found at 40s events with their stalls. When buying a sweater the things to look out for are good design and excellent workmanship. The colour combinations are extremely important and if the knitter gets this wrong it can ruin an otherwise beautiful garment. Always try and buy 100 percent wool if you can, although more expensive it’s worth it in the long run as the garment will wash and wear well and won’t rub up where acrylic mixtures always do.
To find out more about Fiona’s amazing wardrobe visit her web-site at www. fionaharrison.biz. More photos can be seen by following Fiona on Facebook, Pinterest and by clicking onto her blog diary which she up dates twice weekly. 21
MY FAVOURITE THINGS The bag that thinks it’s a car
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www.braccialini.it/uk 23
THROUGH THE LENS From Airshows to private parties, relive Fiona’s 2015 season as captured by photographer Robert Etsell
“Doing Lambet Chipperfield Cricket We’ll Meet Again
“Fernando’s Hideaway”
Vale Musical Society, Aylesbury Vale The Swinging 50s and 60s Show 24
“Tutti Fruitti”
On stage with Paul Marsden
“Strangers in th
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th Walk” (Oi!) Club
he Night”
“In the Mood”
The 40s Family Experience Weekend Lincolnsfield Centre, Bushey, Herts
“Raining in my Heart”
“In my Easter Bonnet”
“Sway”
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“Putting on the Ritz”
“Lets all go down the Strand” (Have a Banana!)
“Anything Goes
“We’ll Meet Again”
“Who’s your Lady Friend?”
“A Nightingale S
Flywheel Bicester Heritage Oxfordshire
Military Pageant Air Show Shuttleworth, Biggleswade, Bedfordshire 26
s”
Sang”
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“I’ll be Seeing You”
“Just Like That!”
On Stage with Paul Marsden
Abingdon Air & Country Show Oxfordshire
“Hands, Knees & Boomps a Daisy”
“There’ll Always be an England”
On Stage with Paul Marsden
On Stage with RAF Veteran Bill
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How to Get the Pin-Up Figure Keep Young & Beautiful!
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sk any model and she will tell you the art of looking beautiful is nothing short of hard work. It requires time, dedication a healthy diet, regular exercises and above all commitment. So if you are looking for a quick fix sadly you won’t find one, but with a few pointers and enough determination it is possible to tone your body and achieve the desired shape by performing a few daily exercises with the right diet. Over the years my figure has been all sorts of shapes and sizes from a size 12 to a size 16 and as I roar into my mid forties I’m 28
probably in better shape now than I was back in my twenties. This is down to discipline and having a daily exercise routine. I was fortunate enough to have had a good solid dance training from an early age, but more importantly its understanding muscle tone and how certain exercises can sculpture a body into the desired shape. At thirteen I was diagnosed with diabetes and exercise has always played an important part in my daily routine. Fitness is essential and on stage my shows are extremely energetic, combining physical strength with vocal stamina. During my career there
have been times where I have been tempted to wear a corset but when you are singing it’s important that the diaphragm is left to work freely which is why I’ve always chosen exercise over corsetry. Certainly when it comes to the perfect vintage figure there are so many different ideals. After the First World War the preferred silhouette was a boyish figure and it wasn’t until the 1930s that the bust came back into fashion while still keeping the hips slim. The forties shape was much more natural often encouraging women to strengthen their muscles through exercise and build their shoulders which in many cases came about quite naturally due to the physical work women often found themselves doing. By the fifties two very different shapes
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“I shape my body to recreate the ideals of the 40s and 50s taking Rita Hayworth and Marilyn Monroe as inspiration” emerged. There was the pretty urchin with the half starved figure epitomised by Audrey Hepburn or the curvy Marilyn Monroe, Diana Dors shape which set the trend for the pin up we often think of today. I shape my body to recreate the ideals of the 40s and 50s taking Rita Hayworth and Marilyn Monroe as my inspiration. It’s important to keep your own personality which is why I like to work my shoulders, arms and back with an emphasis on keeping my waist naturally lean. Although I’m sure at times Marilyn Monroe had help from a corset it is possible to reduce your waist size with the right exercise. The best way to do this is to get into a press up position and bring your knees up into your chest one at a time. I like to do 20 on one leg and then swap over and do
another 20 on the other leg. You will feel your tummy knit together as you have to use it to keep your balance and you will also feel it in your shoulders and arms too as you support your weight. Another variation on this exercise is to keep the press up position and to bring your knees up to the side like a grass hopper aiming for your ear changing legs as you go. As you perform this exercise your waist will naturally lengthen and contract from side to side as your tummy muscles work to support your balance. This is a fantastic exercise for reducing your waist and if you attend a gym it’s a great exercise to do on a piece of equipment called the bosu. The bosu looks like half a ball with one side circular and the other side flat. By turning it upside down and placing your hands on the flat surface while in the 29
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Step up and tone your tummy and leg muscles by following Fiona’s workout
press up position it makes your tummy work harder as the ground becomes unstable. Another good tummy exercise is to use an exercise ball. You start by lying across it with your arms down supporting your balance. You then bring your knees into a kneeling position on the ball and push out again with your legs extended. Once you have mastered your balance this exercise will really get your tummy muscles working strengthening your arms and back as you go. It will also help to give definition to your arms with-out making them too muscular and shape your back. With age under arms can often be a problem area. To rectify this lay on a bench and use a light weight keeping the hands together and lifting the weight up and over your head. If you don’t have access to a gym you can always improvise at home by laying on the floor with your knees bent and use a 2 litre bottle of water as a dumb bell. Starting with your arms out stretched at a 90 degree angle to your body and lifting the weight up and over your head and back. 30
This exercise works your triceps and tummy muscles. Just like the arms, tummy, legs and thighs need to be worked out as well. My work-out is all about keeping muscles toned and lean. An easy mistake to make in the gym is to over work the legs on the bench press by piling on too much weight and not changing your positioning. If you work the pad by placing your feet parallel in the centre then parallel at the sides both bottom and top your legs will get a good all round work out as you bend the legs and straighten remembering never to lock the knees. As long as you move your feet about and don’t do any more than 15 repetitions in one position at a time the exercise will help to slim down the legs working the muscles to be lean. Lunging is an exercise you can easily do at home on the flat. Stand with your legs apart one behind the other facing the side with your hands on your hips with both legs slightly bent with your front foot flat and your back foot up onto the ball. Then bend the knees and repeat the
exercise twenty times on each leg performing three sets. You can also do this exercise to the side which will work the inner thigh beautifully while using a step. Most gyms have steps you can use but at home you can improvise by using the first step of the hall stairs. I first started doing these exercises back in 2004 and they have really helped to tone my body reducing my waist measurement by four inches. Walking briskly, dancing and running will raise the heart rate and help to burn calories. Another good tip is to swap your breakfast toast for porridge. I make mine with water and sultanas and it really sets me up for the day without baulking me out too much with carbohydrate. So if you are looking for that pin up figure I recommend you try out some of the exercises I’ve suggested and watch your figure re-shape itself. To find out more about Fiona Harrison and her many shows click onto her web-site at www.fionaharrison.biz
At The House of Dior Granville
Soprano’s A Go-Go! F Bexhill on Sea Out and About in Bexhill and Hastings
iona Harrison is an extraordinary entertainer who never ceases to amaze as we take you behind the scenes and witness her lifestyle up close and personal. From the music hall stage to the house of Dior. This is one lady who has an outfit for every occasion. Hair by Kim Quainton
WW1 Trench Sawbridgeworth 31
Putting on the Glitz This page, clockwise from left: The Roaring 20s Event At De La Warr Pavillion, Bexhill; Off to the Poppy Ball at Walthamstowe Assembly Hall; 40s Glamour at Waldingham Golf Club, Surrey; Make Do and Mend at The Control Tower, Egmere, Norfolk; That Touch of Mink
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The Beauty Trail
Clockwise from right: Pretty in Pink - Hair by Kim of Quainton; Under the drier; A 40s take on Madame Pompadour; Getting Ready for show at Angela’s Hair & Beauty with Nail Technician Leanne; Being Styled by Angela in her Leighton Buzzard Salon
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Going Goodwood This page, clockwise from top: Off to the Races; Glamour at Goodwood; Racing with the Telegraph; Shopping for Vintage Gems
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Vintage Finds Clockwise from middle: Silks at Wayward Fabrics; Xanadu’s Vintage Emporium; Shopping for buttons in Waywards Cellar, St Leonards, Hastings
Greensleeves
Above Right: Between Shows on board the Tattershall Castle in Central London; Out and About at Rushden Transport Museum; An Ice Cream Treat in Bruges, Belgium
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Dressed for Duty
This page, clockwise from top: Birmingham Armed Forces Day, Winston Churchill Impersonator Derek Herbert and Pete Wayre, Tea at the RAF Club Piccadilly; Jolly Good Luck to the Girl Who Loves a Soldier - Fiona in a WW1 Trench in Sawbridgeworth, Walking Poppy at Southsea, Portsmouth; Collecting for the Royal British Legion with Joe Marling, The Poppy Man of Pitstone, Between sets at Commissioners House, Chatham
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Leader of the Pack
This page, clockwise from top right: The Swinging 60s - Summer Holiday; Bubble Mania; Swinging with The Rapids in The Chapel of Love at Swanwick Junction, Midland Railway; 60s Mayhem at the Houghton Regis Motor Show; Mods & Rockers At The Sand and Motorcycles Rally, Leighton Buzzard
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The French Connection
Clockwise from top left: Meeting Up with British Veterans in Arromanches; The House of Dior, Granville; A 2CV Adventure; Sight Seeing in Bayeaux; Paul Marsden & Fiona Harrison in Carentan; Pegasus Bridge Museum; Between Shows with a Vintage Gendarmerie Voiture in Ste Marie du Mont; Pegasus Bridge; The Poppy Fields of Normandy, Grandcamp-Maisy; Fiona taking a break between sets at The Bal de la Ivy Dance, St Marie du Mont
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Out and Abou
Clockwise from top right: Historyonics at the Blackadder Ball Lloyd meets Rentaghost; Lunch Br Tower, Egmere, Norfolk; Tea at The Stratford-upon-Avon; Caravaning t Fiona in her Dirndl at the Ramsey Soprano with a Golden Edge on th Hastings; Between Recording Sets Bracknell
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l, Aldershot as Marie reak at The Control e Fourteas Tea Room, the Austrian Way with Show; Forties Fashion; he Prom, St Leonards, at Raw Music Studios,
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D–
D
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–Day
Darling
On Utah Beach with French photographer Alexis Lahaye as Fiona personifies the all American WAC
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Ste Marie du Mont US Encampment
Magnat Debon Ste Marie du Mont
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Utah Beach, Normandy
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Fiona Harrison is wearing a WW2 2nd Lieutenant WAC Olive Drab & Pink Skirt Uniform with the American Defence Medal & European Theatre of Operations Medal. On her left arm she displays The SHAEF Badge Supreme HQ Allied Expeditionary Forces and 4 Gold Bars, each one representing 6 months of overseas service.
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2nd Lieutenant WAC Utah Beach, Normandy
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FIONA HARRISON
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www.fionaharrison.biz