I've spent the last few days preparing for Vintage a Goodwood - a fabulous event with music, art, fashion and shops (see how I left the shopping bit till last? That probably won't happen when I'm there) celebrating 5 decades of British culture. It covers the 1940s through to the 1980s and there are dedicated areas for each decade. I'm going to be mainly sticking to the 40s area, though I might be tempted away by Sandie Shaw, and possibly the roller disco! I'm wondering, actually, how a tea dress and victory rolls will go down in a 70s disco - it could be a surreal experience!

Seeing as this event will be filled with the cream of Britain's vintage fans, what I wear is going to be terribly important. The day times require casual and comfortable elegance and the nights stunning stylishness. I have most of my outfits planned, except for one evening dress.

Thursday - Horse racing in the evening - repro 50s dress and my cute 30s hat (yup, it's a massive mix of eras but it works)

Friday

Cream Vivien of Holloway trousers and green check tie blouse

Night - no idea

Saturday

My new 'Fleur' dress by Heyday

Night - Black vintage dress with lots of jewels

Sunday

40s M&S dress

Vivien of Holloway sarong dress

Dressing my husband has been harder. He has a great de-mob suit, a double breasted pinstripe which he can wear with a homburg and look the business in the evenings, and we've bough some grey hollywood pants for the day time, which he's planning to wear with just a shirt and braces, plus straw fedora for the daytime. Finding vintage mens clothes is really hard, I hadn't appreciated just how much more difficult it is than finding clothes for women. There are no repro companies out there to speak of, and those selling vintage have so few 40s and 50s items that you're very lucky if you can find anything to fit. Is it because women have always owned more clothes than men? That when men buy new clothes it's because their old ones are worn out and so they get thrown away or recycled into something else? I know my grandfather has shirts in his wardrobe that he bought in the 60s and is only just getting around to wearing, because he's had enough shirts to keep him going until now. You wouldn't catch many women doing that!

I'm off to John Lewis' haberdashery later to see if I can find some suitable fabric to turn this pattern into an evening dress. I'm thinking of using satin or another nicely draping fabric to give it a glamorous look. I'd like to use a jewel tone, maybe an emerald green, but sadly nice quality fabrics are in short supply, so I may have to take what I'm given!