Caught by the River

>> Am I suppose to feel like a proper dunce that I haven't been to a proper 'off for long weekend' festival this year?  No Coachella/Glasto/Primavera action for me thus far.  Fashion muscling in on festival turf has been accepted conduct in the UK for the past few years when high street stores now create specific collections for the festival season.  Email alerts telling me that a certain type of bead is so 'hot' for festivals this year or that you can pee easily with specially-designed rompers/onsies start flooding in from around April.  

The trouble is that the intensely beast-esque sizes of certain festivals have always put me off a little bit.  Secret Garden Party was a viable option until I inquired too late, found it was already fully booked and realised that SGP has probably grown into a beast too since the last time I looked at it.  To fill the festival hole, I'll be heading down to the unorthodox lit festival Port Eliot in St Germans, Cornwall from the 21st-24th July for a quieter experience.  I went in its second year of inception back when I was at uni – a hazy experience of riverside lounging, smallish but lively talks around the beautiful grounds and house of Port Eliot in St Germans and lots of Kings of Convenience on the iPod (oh and tickets were ¬£40 for the weekend).  

Port Eliot has grown but not to beastly proportions.  Instead, it has broadened in its genre scope to add elements of art, horticulture, food and fashion to its literature roots.  For 2011, the 'Wardrobing Department' of the festival has been curated by Sarah Mower, as ambassador for new talent from the British Fashion Council in addition to other fashion performances and talks…     

So we have…

…Meadham Kirchhoff and hat designer Nazir Mazhar making accessories out of flowers and handing them out.  I expect to go back a multiple of times … 

…the wonderful Louise Gray giving make-overs using Topshop make-up.  Hopefully she'll paint my eyelids with neon orange and bright blue…

…Sarah Mower will be in conversation with the fearless head of CSM MA Louise Wilson, talking about her top 10 fashion books.  Mower will also be speaking to Luella Bartley…

…and Bartley herself will be on the hunt for lovely looking 'English birds' with great style around the Port Eliot site and then asking them to come into the Wardrobe Department tent to talk about their style.  I'll be stalking them too… 

…Barbara Hulanicki, the foudner of Biba is back to fashion outfits out of unlikely materials with Bartley on hand to help….  

…Stephen Jones will be giving a lesson on 'How to Bake a Hat' in the kitchen… 

…Anita Pallenberg and Anna Sui will be doing some sort of a performance…

…Vicki Sarge-Beamon of jewellery label Erickson Beamon will be giving 'Trash to Treasure' jewellery-making masterclasses…

…Rubbish magazine will be testing people's styling skills by asking them to do it blind-folded, something I'll have a go at…

…Mary Katrantzou has created a dress inspired by Port Eliot which will be on display along with pieces from her A/W 11-12 collection dotted around the site…

…Justine Picardie, author of Coco Chanel: The Life and Legend (I haven't extensively reviewed it but it's one of the better Chanel biographies out there for sure…) will be talking about camelias at the festival's Flower Show, which happens to be curated by Michael Howells, the close-collaborator of John Galliano for Dior as well as having done set production for Alexander McQueen and Christian Lacroix…

…the Pamflet girls will be talking up their fashion and feminist icons and talking about protest dress.  I've not yet been to one of their discussion/salon events so I'll be looking forward to getting vocal at Port Eliot with them…

…Herm√®s will be on site with the sort of branding I don't mind at all.  They'll be setting up a Herm√®s horsebox offering a range of scarves with stylists on hand ready to work their scarf magic on you.  

That's just the fashion-related highlights but of course the literature, comedy, film, music and food parts will also keep me busy.  I'm going to be militant and try and hit 80% of the things I've circled on the timetable.  The list of writers, musicians, artists and personalities at the festival is pretty exhaustive and seemingly keeps on growing so yes there's an extra ¬£100 on top of that ¬£40 I paid back in 2004 for a full weekend ticket, but just the list of happenings above, make it a worthwhile venture down to a pretty part of Cornwall (incidentally my favourite county in England outside of London)…

Who's joining me by the river?