I haven’t posted in over a month! Christmas was absolutely crazy this year, one of the many joys of retail of course being that I only had Christmas day off. Obviously because I haven’t posted in forever I have loads to talk about! First of all BoutiqueVintage has officially changed to Retro Robin. The website is currently being designed and built by the lovely people at EKMPowershop.com, the logo has been drawn up and I have a date to go and handpick all of my stock in early February. This is probably the most exciting thing I have ever done, I loved running the market but because I was working 6 days a week I never got to dedicate a lot of my time to picking out stock. I cant wait to get to the warehouse and start choosing things to sell. I’m pretty nervous about having an ecommerce website, it makes it all official and will need a lot of my time to continuously update the stock, send out the orders, keep on top of customers etc etc. Unfortunately due to my day job getting so hectic over Christmas I have had to stop trading on the market for the time being. I’m hoping to get back on there in summer when we quieten down a bit but for the moment I have had to give it a miss. I am absolutely gutted as I really loved being there and doing what I love, BUT I’m hoping that the website is going to be just as much fun, and also give me more flexibility and a wider audience.
Next news update is that later this year my partner and I will be leaving the lovely city of Cambridge. We have been looking at Norwich, Brighton and Reading but I all depends on work for the both of us. Of course I’m sure that in a few months time I will have been able to quit my day job and will just be running my lovely website! I have been approached with an offer to do a concession in a high street store however I have a few worries. Because my stock is vintage I will only have one of everything and cant order more in. I’m not sure if the cost of renting out a space in the store would be balanced out by the sales. Anyway, I need to do a few more sums before I decide on anything but would love to hear what you think, would you buy vintage from a high street store? Do you think vintage clothing is accessible enough? Would you like to see more vintage on our high streets?
Final news is that I will be starting my next piece for Cambridge news this week, I have a few ideas laid out but can always do with more! If you have any questions on the best places to buy vintage or things to watch out for, popular eras, styling tips….anything! I am currently working on style dilemmas that I have been sent with a few pictures and hints and tips, of course it will be posted on here before it goes anywhere else. Tweet me @hollievintage and let me know what you think of my vintage concession idea and any pieces you would like to see on here and in Cambridge news xx
Wednesday 11 January 2012
Tuesday 6 December 2011
Vintage shopping guide part two!
6) Easy Ebay
When I started collecting vintage, my secret weapon was US Ebay. As soon as the pound starts to look strong against the dollar get on there and get bidding, if you buy a few bits from the one seller you can ask them to post it all together and save on the postage and customs charges. Not only is EBay a huge marketplace for just about everything its also quick and easy, also it can be done at home sat on the sofa with a cup of tea (sofa and tea are optional). Look out for detailed descriptions, lots of pictures and their refund policy. Don’t be disheartened if you pick up a bargain and it isn’t quite as vintage as you had hoped, communicate quickly over eBay to get a refund or, if you’re looking to wear and not sell keep it anyway! A great tip is to search for misspelled items, most of the time they will be an absolute bargain as no one else has found them. Always check the item description carefully; vintage and vintage style are two different things.
7) Start small
If you want to experiment with a vintage look bit aren’t sure where to start then pick up some cheap pieces of vintage jewellery. Vintage rings and necklaces bring an edge to any outfit. If you are wearing a plain black dress, put on a few chunky rings or a brooch and layer some long beads to create a completely different look. Put your hair into a loose bun and fix some pretty tie pins in for a quick hair fix when you’re in a rush. Spend a little more money on investment pieces, a leather satchel never goes out of style and is a great investment piece that you can wear again and again.
8) Don’t limit your self to one era
Some people will pick an era and dress for it, whether it’s the glamorous twenties or the swinging sixties and that can look great. However, for day to day dressing its not always practical or suitable to dress as a fifties housewife. Personally I like to mix between eras, who says you can’t have a beehive and denim cut offs? If you are looking for varied, fun wardrobe choices, my advice would be to go with what you like not what a certain time period dictates. If you look at high street shops now they will have influences from lots of different periods all in one season. Just look at what’s in fashion at the moment, we have eighties style printed leggings with sixties Peter Pan collar blouses. Mixing and matching is part of the fun of vintage shopping. Mix a seventies heavy knit jumper with some eighties floral print leggings for an easy daytime look.
9) Always check the small print
Checking the care label on an item before you commit to buying is a must. Yes that mohair cardigan might be fabulous and in pristine condition but is it in that condition because no one could actually ever wear it for fear of the cost of dry cleaning? If a vintage item says dry clean only then beware, this really does mean dry clean. Factor it in to the cost of the piece, if it’s a fur coat that you will wear year in year out then it may be worth the extra cost but if it’s something that you aren’t 100% in love with then put it back on the rack. Care labels are also a good way to tell the time period of an item. If it claims to be a genuine twenties dress but has a care label that says do not tumble dry then something isn’t quite adding up. A lot of the time the person selling it will be able to tell you roughly what year it is from but a check of the label and some common sense doesn’t do any harm either.
10) Don’t be afraid to stand out
Some vintage items will come in bright, crazy patterns, especially anything from the seventies onwards. Don’t let this put you off, print is always on the catwalks and will brighten up any outfit. Just because you haven’t tried something like it before doesn’t mean it won’t suit you. Look at the shape of an item, if you know that you suit a pencil skirt why not try one in a brighter colour or different material than you would usually go for. Everyone else might not be wearing Hawaiian print cropped shirts with pin tucked shorts but I would look at that as a good thing. Make your own trends, fashion always goes round in circles, what was in fashion in the eighties has and will come round again so even if you buy a vintage piece that you don’t want to wear straight away, rest assured that at some point it will be at the top of everyone’s wish list again. One of my favourite stand out pieces at the moment is a fifties tropical print orange and pink mini dress. On its own it’s almost too bright to look at, but put with some black tights, military boots and a leather jacket it’s a fun, easy to wear piece.
Monday 7 November 2011
Monday 31 October 2011
How to mix vintage and high street
To bag two trends with one item get yourself a pair of leopard print leggings. Printed leggings are everywhere at the moment, as is leopard print. They are a great statement piece that can be worn day or night.
A great daytime look is to team the leggings with a washed out tee and a cute over sized cardigan. Print clashing is all about confidence. I wore this look with some fur lined ankle boots and finished it off with a knitted headband and vintage Chanel handbag. (Leggings - topshop, tee - h&m, cardigan - vintage, bag - vintage, boots - red or dead, headband - topshop)
All it takes to transform that look for the evening is to add some colour pop heels and a slick of red lipstick. you could also add some draped beads or a clutch. (shoes - topshop, lipstick - maybelline 530 fatal red)
A trend that looks set to stay is the cropped or tie front blouses. I like the ditsy floral prints of summer however they can sometimes look out of place in your winter wardrobe. Here are a couple of ideas to incorporate them in easy ways.
I live in cut off Levis. I love the contrast of bare arms and thick warm leggings. If I was going out for a coffee I would probably add a chunky knit scarf and possibly some mid length gloves depending on how cold it was. (Shorts - vintage Levis, top - urban outfitters, boots - schuh, leggings - zara)
Too cold for just a scarf? Add a printed over shirt for an extra dimension without getting too hot. (Shirts - all saints)
For a wintery day pop on a cable knit cardigan over your tie-top. This keeps you cosy whilst showing off the tie detailing. I like a bit of colour matching with the fur of the boot but a bright colour would lift the outfit too.
I always stack on some pretty rings and shove some earrings in before going out just to finish off an outfit. I love vintage rings as they don't turn your fingers green, however the high street does some great, cheap vintage-a-likes too so mix them up to get more for your money. (Eyeliner - maxfactor, foundation - bobby brown, mascara - maybelline volumizer, lipstick lipstick - maybelline 530 fatal red, rings - mixture of vintage, h&m, azendi and tiffany, earrings - vintage)
Shopping Vintage Part 1
The BoutiqueVintage guide to: Shopping Vintage
Here is a jargon free, ten-step guide to getting the complete vintage look at a fraction of the price. This guide wont tell you to get up at a ridiculous time in the morning, it also wont advise you to attend every car boot sale within a seventy mile radius or use a lead based paint on your face for that authentic porcelain skinned look, it will however suggest ways to re-vamp your wardrobe without spending a fortune. The aim is to help you find some beautiful, original pieces along the way!
1) Raid your relative’s wardrobes
With their consent obviously, but this can be a great way to get started with a vintage look. By the time I started to get really interested in vintage fashion my parents had thrown out most of their old clothes, only a few survivors remained which I pounced on and claimed as my own. That old pair of Levis your mum has will look great cut down into shorts worn over a pair of patterned tights, with some brogues and an oversized jumper for the perfect autumn look. Tie your dad’s old shirts up at the waist and team with some statement leggings and colour pop heels for drinks in town. The key is to put your own spin on classic pieces.
2) Let your imagination do the talking
OK so that old full-length skirt of your nan’s might not seem that inspiring now, but if you just look past the cut and look at the colour and pattern the possibilities are endless. Why not cut it into a cute skater style skirt and wear it with an off the shoulder printed tee and some cute ankle boots; or keep it long but wear it belted on the waist with a cropped bandeau top and a beaded clutch for an effortless day to evening look. If you use a little bit of imagination when looking at vintage pieces you can create a truly unique but current look.
3) Mix it up
Some people may not agree with me on this one, but I am a firm believer of mixing high street with vintage to keep your look on trend but original. Just as most would never wear top to toe Topshop, I wouldn’t wear a full vintage outfit. I think that a little era mixing creates a nice balance however trying to get everything vintage can lead to a cluttered, confusing look rather than a well thought out stylish ensemble. My favourite look for autumn so far has been a pair of super skinny spray on black Levis jeans with pair of cute fur lined wedge heels from Topshop, an eighties tan cropped blouse and one of my oversized seventies mohair cardigans; top this off with a printed bandana and a leather satchel and this look will take you to work, shopping, out for dinner or wherever else you please!
4) Don’t be a charity shop snob
If you look at shopping in charity shops as a way of getting your statement pieces for the season at a fraction of the high street cost then you will start to see every item in there in a whole new light. As we have already learnt, if you use a little bit of imagination you can pick up some great pieces and style them up to suit different occasions. Most charity shops will block by style or colour sometimes both, which is even better. As long as you don’t go in with a concrete idea of your dream piece then you will generally find some lovely bits. Look out for branded items, they will always be good quality and last that little bit longer. Make sure that you leave enough time to go to a couple of different charity shops and spend a little while looking through the rails. Sometimes you need to put in a little effort to get the most out of it but it is definitely worth it to get the right piece. The best thing about charity shops is they don’t have any rules on seasonality. They will have shorts, coats, knitwear and dresses in all at the same time. So if you spot the perfect winter coat in June, pick it up. Vintage never goes out of style.
5) Customise your way to cutting edge
One of the most important things I have realised is that customising is key. This can be anything from cutting some jeans down into shorts, to making a skirt out of some old material. I have customised almost all of my vintage pieces in one way or another. The easiest way to customise is to cut it up. Whether it’s cutting dresses shorter, taking the arms off of a denim shirt or cropping a blouse. It’s the easiest way to instantly update a piece and make it your own. I’m also quite fond of replacing the buttons on an item; you can pick up vintage buttons just about anywhere, and if you don’t want vintage then pop into John Lewis and visit their haberdashery, they have jars of cute mixed buttons that brighten up anything. I recently replaced the buttons on one of my 80’s floral playsuits with some pretty, brightly coloured ones. I had so many compliments on it I’ve now done the same with all of them. It doesn’t have to be playsuits, it works with cardigans, skirts, shoes, you name it. Just make sure the buttons you choose fit into the existing button hole. A popular customisation at the moment is studs. Its bang on trend and will instantly add a rocky edge to any piece of clothing. Distress some bleached denim cut offs and glue on some silver studs down one side or around the pocket for a quick and easy outfit update. In short, you don’t have to be a whiz on the sewing machine to update your clothes.
.........Next instalment soon!
Sunday 16 October 2011
OMG!!!!!!
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