Dawn Collinson talks to the woman who is bringing designer elegance at High Street prices to Liverpool

"A lot of what she wears is designer, I look at her and I see every label hanging off her, and then there’s maybe a vintage satchel which she’s bought from one of the top vintage shops and had personally selected for her.

“I think it’s nice that you look at Alex and wouldn't necessarily know, or you look at one of the A-list stars at the Oscars and don’t realise that it’s a 30s vintage gown they’re wearing.”

Judy describes vintage as her fashion “true love”, although there have been a few other dalliances along the way.

The 31-year-old began her career as a buyer, after training at Preston Polytechnic and doing work experience in Liverpool with Littlewoods.

“But I only lasted four weeks in that job before I realised the sitting-at-a-desk lark wasn’t for me, I hated it,” she laughs.

“So I managed to get myself a job as a personal shopper at Selfridges, in Oxford Street. I was a northern girl, the youngest they’d had in personal shopping, and I had a bit more of a vintage edge.

“That was in 2000 and I stayed there for a few years before I moved to work as a fashion stylist. I did a bit of everything: Madam Butterfly at the Royal Albert Hall, Prince, the last two series of Cold Feet and SMTV Live with Ant & Dec and Cat Deeley . . . before she was all LA!

“That was so much fun, but then suddenly styling became something you could train to do on a six-week course, the industry was getting a bit too crammed, so I decided to do something else.”

Judy, who hails from Leeds, set up her own clothes swapping website. “Because I used to get paid a lot in clothes and they didn’t fit because I’m not model size, so I did a lot of swaps with my friends,” she explains.

During the website’s first year, she decided to hold a party to promote it, along with a small vintage fair. It was then that the idea for the Affordable Vintage Fashion Fair was born.

Since then, the phenomenon has grown and this season, says Judy, the trend for 80s fashion means more and more girls are ready to experiment.

“Cat-suits, in particular, are really big in designer boutiques and on the high street at the moment but you can buy a vintage one from the 80s which is unique and pay about £20.

“Equally, I’m curvier so I can’t fit into a lot of 1940s things across the bust, but 50s dresses are perfect for me. At a fair in Nottingham, I picked up two dresses in pristine condition for £15 each.

“So I’ve got my Luella sunglasses, a designer clutch and I’ll mix it in with maybe a TopShop cardigan.

“That’s the beauty of vintage – you can wear as little or as much as you like.”

THE Affordable Vintage Fashion Fair is at The Engine Room, John Moores University Students’ Union, on Saturday, May 9, from 11am-4pm. www.vintagefair.co.uk

dawn.collinson