REVIVAL REVISITED

The Fabulous Fifties! Well, not strictly just the fifties, but if there is one decade that dominates the fantastic Goodwood Revival, then the fifties is she.

The event celebrations a golden era of motor racing, with cars dating from far earlier last century up to 1966, but if the prominence of seamed stockings and furs is anything to go by then the 50′s are your default setting. Mods mix with tweed clad ladies, war worn (literally) sheepskin bomber jackets sit aside skin tight satin (think Olivia Newton John in Grease) and everywhere, just everywhere, is glossy red lipstick, applied with military precision and outlining gorgeous young and old lips loving every minute. Hair is backcombed, smoothed into neat chignons, tucked into hair nets, encassed in Hermes silk scarves, adorned with feathers and veiled hats, and always given the attention to detail which fashion enjoyed in the days when ladies wanted to dress like ladies and before people thought wearing leggings with everything – regardless of their shape or age – was an immediate fashion winner.

Revival is about motor racing and a celebration of society at that time. With faultless attention to detail – stop for a refreshing cuppa a the Victory Tea Rooms, have a screen test at Elstree, or ask the way from a regular copper on his bike – the Goodwood motor circuit is transformed with as much skill as Doctor Who’s continous time travelling back to its heyday when racing was a regular event. Visit the paddock and watch the mechanics in their boiler suits (always wearing a tie) lovingly tending the bruised and broken cars after each race, and in come case totally rebuilding to race the following day. Take a trip to the Earl’s Court Motor Show to see the latest models on sale, treat yourself to a flight in a de Havilland – yes, there are planes too – or just hop on a tractor and trailer and tour around the circuit, admiring the fabulous West Sussex countryside and spotting fashions from on high.

This is a fabulously inclusive event too, with whole families going to town, polishing their old cars, packing up their picnics, even dressing up the baby in period dress, posing for photographs in front of anything from a 1912 Bugatti to Marilyn Monroe. Certainly something for the family album. If cars aren’t your thing, wander around the many stalls, picking up bits from your childhood, old vinyl records and floral tea dresses or snap up a vintage framed bag at a fraction of the price you’d pay on the high street. And if your bank account allows, fall in love with a classic car and imagine your are Grace Kelly – or even Bridget Jones in that headscarf! Whatever your love, if style, romance and attention to detail appeals, then make a date in your diary for Goodwood Revival next year.

But perhaps the most inspiring moment of the whole Revival weekend was watching the Battle of Britain flypast, with 2 Spitfires and a Hurricane, reminding us of the enormous bravery of our young soldiers and what they gave – and give – for our country.

Marigold x