Mt Barker Opshopping: Eclectica

So finally I went on another little opshopping adventure of the Fleurieu Penninsula. This time, I went to Mt. Barker. I was only planning to go to opshops (a la second-hand) but to my surprise I found this full on vintage shop! In this little country town.

It's called Eclectica and run by Alison. A vintage clothing collector herself, she started the shop about two years ago. Clothing ranges from late 1800s to the 1960s. There are plenty of accessories too, including beautiful hats handmade by a local artist. Prizes are property vintage range i.e. over $65 for anything that's not small, but come on people, the hard work has been done for you.

If you are ever in the area (South Australians?), check it out:












Details:

11B Gawler Street, Mount Barker SA 5251
Tel: 8391 4240
Facebook here

So you think you know Ruche?

I haven't had the chance to go opshopping to any new stores recently (I've just been doing my regular visits of the V.H. opshops), but hopefully in two weeks I'll do another big Adelaide mission and a Sydney shopping trip as I'm there for work during the week anyway.

So in the meantime, a bit more online shopping: Ruche - A modern boutique with a vintage touch.

I though 'everyone' knew about this, but I guess not because Kerry asked me 'what is this Ruche thing' when showing her my latest acquisitions via skype video... I like the clothes and shoes:



But really, the accessories are the best part:



The Lookbooks are great for inspiration and if you join their facebook site, you can get updates such as specials...

Ok, now I'm going to plan out my next few weekends :)

I could have made it myself (but didn't)

You know when you see hand made jewellery and think "I could make this"? It happens to me all the time but I dont make any myself anyway! Now I live a busy life working full-time, blogging, coooking, pursuing photography and somewhere fitting in my friends. So this post is in celebration of all crafty people who make pretty things for me to wear!

First up (drumroll please): Necklaces

All etsy sellers: 1.Whiteowl 2. CreationsbyM 3. SaritasJewelryBox 4. Irregular Expressions

Secondly, Rings:

All madeit.com.au sellers: 1. Epheriell 2. Sparkling Dragon Designs 3. Buttons by Lou Lou 4. Beyond the ordinary


And lastly, rad random things which I just had to post (from a German site):

Sellers from dawanda.com 1.karlita 2.Rockyournose 3. Petitepraline 4. Aramar

The Germans are turning Japanese: Kool Kat Kustom

I've been reading so many German fashion and style blogs, which has been great, because it has yielded some discoveries I haven't seen popping up on other blogs. Maybe I can even coax Kerry into getting inspiration from Spanish blogs... Anyhow, let's cut to the chase.

Kool Kat Kustom is an online shop of accessories: necklaces, earrings, scarves hairclips, buttons, rings, sunglasses, bracelets... breath... mobile phone accessories, and more. It's actually too funny. Germans are usually so reserved and simple when it comes to fashion. You'd expect a website like this from the Japanese - sorry about the stereotype. I mean hello --- icecream as a website background!!

So here are some of my favourite goodies:

What? What? You want more? Ok...


Now, yes the website is in German... Sorry peeps - but it's mostly pictures and you only need to be able to navigate through the menus. I think you will be fine using google translate.

Web: www.koolkatkustom.com

Polyvored Hangover

I'd say today's hangover sits at about a 4/10. Nothing too strenuous at this point and in all my glory and laziness I find myself sitting here scouring polyvore which seems to be becoming a regular daily occurrence. FYI: Amazing. It's not just about the clothes for me, because to be honest majority are far and above my dismal price range right now. I love the website itself, the styling, the idea to match this with that, every brand under the sun, and just clear, easy design which these days is few and far between. I'm such a nanna when it comes to those flashy whiz-bang websites, they really piss me off when I can't just do the simple things like check out some product and get some basic info on it. If anything, polyvore gives me styling inspiration above all else. I guess in my hazy consciousness, surrounded by Doritos and several bottles of empty water bottles I plucked inspiration off fuckyeahstreetstyle, one of my fave street style blogs for the goodies I selected for my 'wish list'. Sometimes, a girl can only dream right.....

What:

• Bag, Marc by Marc Jacobs
• Jeans, Nudie
• Shoes, Umi @ Barneys
• Top, topshop
• Sweater, Alexander Wang
• Sunnies, Karen Walker

These are all brands I have never purchased as new and nor do I plan to. Having said that, I refuse to take away from the fact that this simple idea of having a place you can come to with all these brands and mix and match in one fell swoop and see what's out there, is really handy. Much less an awesome resource for all of us out there who have our 'i have nothing to wear' days which we all know can be highly traumatic.

Now, back to my mini hangover. Hope you all had a fab weekend x

Wow! Millinery - Scally & Trombone

I was just wondering along in Fitzroy the other week when I saw another quirky shop - so in I go, expecting bric a brac and odd pieces... But then, surprise! The shop was a full of hats and gloves. Which apparently - excuse my ignorance - is called millinery. Wow wow wow... This is the type of store you'd expect to find in Paris. And since I have resolved to wearing hats more often, I was in Paradise!

Scally and Trombone has sooooo many style - there really is something for everyone. As you can see in the pictures below, this store sells bags, scarves, accessories, bathing suits, luggage, tights... Lots more! The staff are lovely and helpful, and so it was that I walked away with my first ever pair of leather gloves and felt hat. Maybe I am getting old? Leather gloves and felt hats are not exactly the epitamy of high fashion. Maybe I am becoming wise and stylish whilst not fashionable haha. Well that's my excuse anyway.

Pictures by me: Scally & Trombone, Fitzroy, Melbourne 

And here are my treasures:

Where: 
Scally & Trombone (Millinery & Jewellery)
331 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy Victoria (Australia)

P - 03 9479 6038

Made It

Madeit... Welcome to Australia's version of Etsy. While the concept does not include vintage or second-hand items, every item on the site is handmade and designed which adds to the appeal and unique element of the products. I must admit the clothing section is not quite down my alley (maybe its my second-hand needs), however, the jewellery and accessories are gorgeous and have seriously caught my eye. Definitely, worth the look and/or purchase if you so desire. Here are some of my faves that I am in the process of convincing my bank account it is okay to splurge 'just this once'.

Pretty Patchwork Bag $35, Retro Antiqued Headphone Necklace $19

Red/White Floral Button Ring $8, Je t'aime Baguette $100

Retro Glasses Necklace $22, Love birds on a branch Chain $25

I'm a sucker for anything handmade, just feels so much more like it has a special story behind it rather than some sweatshop horror story. I am also thoroughly enjoying the prices, very reasonable. Hope you're all enjoying a sunny Sunday!!!!

Opshopping: Nook Vintage, Melbourne

So last weekend I was in Melbourne for work and after a nice Sunday brunch at Veggie Bar in Fitzroy with some friends, I decided to roam wild on the numerous vintage and second-hand stores in the area.

And I must say - I would move to Fitzroy if I had to live in Melbourne! I love the people, shops and cafes. Such a lovely atmosphere.

I found a couple of good stores and the first one I want to tell you about is Nook on Johnston Street.

Publish Post

It's worth a visit for so many reasons. There are a few things I feel set it apart for other reasons:

• Extremely well selected range of item- the store is quite small, but every item in there is quirky - theyhave everything from clothes, boots, hats, jewellery, furniture, books,paintings, toys...
• You can buy everything - including all the probs!
• An owner who knows customer service- Rachel, one of the owners was so lovely and greeted every singlecustomer. This is so rare in vintage shops, it was really refreshing. When I tried to find someboots, Rachel even offered to give me a call and send some pictures when shegets some more in my size. Now that's greatservice!
• They've got layby and gift wrapping. Again, this is so unusual in vintage stores who don't usually even offer you a bag!
  
• And lastly, they source pieces - so give them a call if you have been looking for something for ages.

Nook Vintage
258 Johnston Street, Fitzroy Victoria (Australia)
T 0417 187 196
E nook.vintage@gmail.com
Open: Wed-Fri 11-6pm Sa-Sun 12-6pm

Etsy Opshopping

You all know that Kerry and I love browsing (and often buying) on etsy.com. So instead of writing about another real life opshopping trip, I thought I might write about shopping on etsy.

I'll do it in form of an interview with myself (hehe)...

What do you buy on etsy?
I have bought everything from dresses, shirts, skirts and accessories. I haven't bought anything really vintage yet - say from the 50s, but I am planning to. I am also on the look out for some leather boots, as winter is coming here in Australia.

How do you usually find nice vintage items on etsy?
I take 3 different avenues:

Sometimes I know what I want - say a dress or boots - in which case I use the search tool and then sort the items by "price = low to high" (Yes!! I am a cheapie). Then I scroll my way through pages and pages - and often find something that way. This is how I found some of these items.

Other times, I go to fashion blogs I like and click on the etsy sponsors and browse their stores - that's how I found Dalena Vintage for example.

And lastly, I go to etsy's recently listed items tool and just watch the rows appear - it's quite fun if you have some spare time. It's also a way of getting a chance to snap up popular items first! To try it, go to the etsy front page and scroll down to the section that say "Recently Listed Items", then click on "See even more items".


What is the most you have paid and the least you have paid for an item?
I recently bought a snake skin bag (haven't received it yet) for $6. The most I paid was $45 for a massive lot of vintage earrings. The same guy is still selling some of them!

What is the latest item you have bought?
As I said above, I bought the snake skin bag, but I also bought a vintage Levi's denim shirt for a friend too! These are hard to find nowadays.

Would you start your own etsy shop?
Kerry and I have considered it, but not taken any serious steps towards it. It's a little hard as we are both still travelling a lot and without a steady home, we won't have anywhere to store all of our finds! But I am sure it will happen eventually. I've already got some items I found at opshops which didn't quite fit me, but are amazing.

What tips do you have for buying clothes on etsy?
Measure, measure, measure. Just make sure you know all your measurements and check them again and again. If in doubt how something would fit, take measurements of an item you already have and compare it to the one on sale.

Lastly, could you recommend any etsy vintage stores?
Sure! Here are three other shops I recently found and love for different reasons:

Santoki Vintage

A-M-AZING range of shoes and boots!!

13 Bees Vintage

This store isn't cheap, but it sells real vintage - dresses dating as far back as the 1910s!

FabGabs
Whatshall I say. Dresses, fabulous dresses. This lady knows vintage. I haveno idea where she finds so many stunning vintage dresss - anything fromoldschool hollywood glamour, to mad men dresses and vintage lingerie.Not cheap, but not expensive for what is sold (real quality vintagedresses under $100).

Thanks Bec!
No problems Bec hehehehe....

Teapots & Wooden Boxes

Funny story actually, I took this photo last night before heading out for some tapas and sangria with some friends in the hope that I would have some fashion story to reveal to accompany my outfit. But when I sat down today I decided that the major feature of the photo was our new household addition.

Dress: Pepa Loves

Belt: Salvos, Mona Vale

Shoes: Pull & Bear

Ok so we had a little freak out the other day! We hadn't purchased anything but clothes for the last month or so and felt that our humble abode was being neglected. The piles of books, magazines and other paper-like materials that filled our hallway gathering dust day by day had finally cracked us, so off we went into the city. After various unsuccessful attempts to find something that suited our taste, we headed home and decided on the old web search, much to our delight we got this GORGE teapot and matching cups from Oxfam, we didn't even know you could buy online at Oxfam! I love surprises.

To add to our luck, come mid-week we managed to score six wooden boxes from my flatmate's work for nicks. FREE!!!! God, how I love a no-dinero item, makes for a far healthier balance on the old credit card. They fit right in with the other household friends and so begun our obsession with interior decorating. We've been like website groupies ever since... Two of our faves: eatliveshop and Design*Sponge. You know what, I shouldn't even tell you this, as your time spent on the computer is now going to increase by a few hours at the very least. Get into it!

Adelaide Opshopping Number 2

Oh Adelaide... People always make snide remarks about this town, but having visited over the past nine years I already had my doubts - after all I always had a good time there. Now after living in SA for a few months - I am ready to stand up and fight! I have fallen in love (this seems to happen to me a lot lately, I know).

In my dreariness (I think I was fighting a cold), I still dragged myself out last Sunday for my second opshopping trip up to town - read about my first one here.

This time I visited:

North Adelaide Vintage and Fashion Fair

This market is held in the beautiful historic Estonia house. It is well worth a visit. There are lots of stalls selling vintage, retro, designer fashions, preloved clothing, shoes, jewellery and accessories, records and antiques. There is plenty of variety and prices vary. One thing is for sure, there are some genuine vintage items, so I will be back!
http://www.vintagefair.com.au/

Then I ventured out to Croydon where I hadn't been before - and this is what convinced me that Adelaide is truly unique. Queen Street, where both Hype & Seek and Azalia's boutique are located, is just so cute - a hidden gem. 


Hype & Seek 
While the selection of clothes is not too large - well ok I'm being picky because there are three racks chockerfull of ladies' clothes and they even have men's vintage - other items really caught my eye. They sell cool old furniture, records, lots of purses (!)

3 Elizabeth Street, Croydon, SA 5008
See some more pics on their facebook page

Azalia boutique 
Primarily known for its jewellery design, Azalia's boutique also has a great range of new and vintage clothes. Great place to visit if you want to mix old, new and accessorise as well.

5 Elizabeth Street, Croydon SA 5008
http://www.azalia.com.au


Nadia's House of Serendipity

Now I usually prefer highlighting only favourite stores, but this one has got me - I just don't know whether to love or hate it! It is crammed full of clothes, most of which fall more in the 'retro' category than into vintage. The range of cowboy boots was staggering, there were so many accessories and all that buying directly from the public only! I think I have to visit again to make up my mind.

Shop 2, No. 4 Partridge Street, Glenelg SA 5045
http://www.nadiashouseofserendipity.com/

In my travels, I also discovered this free Adelaide magazine 'attitude' which covers fashion, entertainment and more in Adelaide. I found 4 more vintage shops in it and my database of Adelaide Opshops is now up to 38! So anyone who thinks there are no opshops or vintage shops in Adelaide - please contact me and I am happy to share my list :)

Friday Find: Herr von Eden

I've been reading a lot of German fashion blogs lately and have just discovered the German designer Herr von Eden. I've promptly developed a crush!

Now don't be disappointed. There is no vintage fashion aspect to this. Quite the opposite. The style is classic-chic, suits with a twist of eccentricity. I bet it's the only suit label that advertises in music magazines...

I really really love it. Maybe because I am constantly struggling with dressing conservative-corporate at work whilst expressing my own style.

I like how the The Fashionisto put it: "Herr von Eden takes suits and infuses them with youth and spunk." You guessed it, he designs menswear too.

Need convincing? Although I am not a huge fan of her's (sorry to disappoint), some of you might be interested to know that Lady Gaga wears sunglasses Herr von Eden designed in collaboration with MYKITA.

I bloody love this little video shot in the Berlin store:



Lucky for my purse you can't buy online. But watch out Herr von Eden - I'm coming back to Germany later this year!!!

Recent Etsy Purchases

I've had only limited time for opshopping recently due to lots of work travel to Sydney and living an hour out of Adelaide, so I've been giving etsy.com a bit of a work out. My poor friend Erin in L.A. had her house swamped with parcels and parcels to send to me...

Clockwise:

70s Secretary blouse from Dalena Vintage, $10

80s Dress from Dalena Vintage, $17

Daisy Flower blouse from MsMod, $11.95

80s Tea dress from MsMod, $13.95

Paisly Skirt, $13

Vintage Marnie Skirt, $13

Great bargains, don't you think?

Anyway, today I am off opshopping. Going to check out the North Adelaide Vintage and Fashion fair. I will let you know how it went!

Pretend Opshopping: Bows & Bandits

I’ve got a website crush: Bows and Bandits. Austrian. Vintage. Pretty!

Ok, where should I start?

Dresses! I think the original Austrian numbers are particularly charming.

Hats. The number of stylish hats are amazing too!

And my favourite: the shoes!

Now to the best thing about Bows & Bandits: The website and design!

The nerd in me loves the layout, navigation, vintage condition rating system and the quality of the photos. You can even shop by style... Clever clever.

Check out the look books and streetstyle section - great inspiration.

Opshopping: Remix Vintage Shoes, California

Another Fab Guest Blog by Erin. Enjoy :) Bec

Shoes. Beautiful, hand crafted, vintage inspired shoes.

I would have felt bad standing over the table and drooling over some bright red ankle strap platform sandals except everyone there looked equally obsessed with one pair or another. Yes, there’s much satisfaction in finding a random pair of beautiful vintage shoes a second hand store but being surrounded by vintage style shoes is enough to make a girl giddy.

Not only does Re-Mix have style after style, you can just order them up in your perfect fit, no discovering the shoes of your dreams only to find they’re not your size and then be left to contemplate how much pain you might be willing to suffer in order to wear them.

Photos taken by Erin

If you’re able to visit the store you’ll find yourself checking out the décor as much as the shoes and the staff are friendly and knowledgeable.

Can’t make it in? Check out the website, they will ship across the U.S. and internationally. The price tags definitely aren’t vintage, but if you’ve been looking for a particular style without success or you can afford it, the splurge is worth it.

www.remixvintageshoes.com

Address: 7605 ½ Beverly Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90036, USA.

Erin can be contacted at erin.ash.motter@gmail.com.

Opshopping: Retro City, Barcelona

Tucked away in one of the little tunnel-like paths of central Barcelona is Retro City. It is one of a handful of vintage stores in Barcelona. Surprisingly, it seems vintage isn't 'all the rage' that it is in other corners of the world.

Retro City is a small outlet chocker-block with second-hand and vintage items. The racks are crammed wall-to-wall. Typical of such stores it hosts all types of items; dresses, skirts, tops, jackets, pants, shorts and so on. Rows and rows of shoes layer the floor; boots, brogues, clogs, to name a few.

The prices are pretty standard for a vintage outlet (20E for skirts, 30-50E for dresses, 30E+ for shoes), but I would say this store sits a little lower on the price point than some of the other stores nearby. However, the difference in Retro City is they don't price the items. I tried to bargain down a gorge green and white print skirt from 20 Euro to 15 Euro but my plight was unsuccessful. Booo.... I really need to do something with this skint life I am leading, bring on the money so I can buy heaps of cool shit.

Located: C/ Tallers, 51 (off La Rambla)

Trading Hours: 10am-2pm / 4pm-9pm

No website available

The Way We Wear Fair

Hey there vintage chicas, we have this saying in German which goes something like 'Small but beautiful / powerful' ("Klein aber oho")... And this is true for the 'Way We Wear' vintage fashion fair I went to on the weekend in Adelaide.

Watch out! It's coming to Brisbane, Melbourne and the Gold Coast soon too!

I thought this fair has a good amount of stalls, but not too many to be overwhelming. Unfortunately (or fortunately?!) I was just in one of these moods not wanting to spend any money...  But you could have picked up lots of dresses and vintage accessories for quite reasonable prices.

Here are a few pics: 

If you want to go check out the dates at their website:

http://web.mac.com/vintagecelebrity/The_Way_We_Wear/2010_dates.html

Off to do more blog reading!!
xx

Etsy Gets Me

It's official, my Etsy obsession is now an addiction! I could peruse the online treasure pages of Etsy for days without even looking up from my screen. My room mates have 'grave concerns for my health and wellbeing' when I'm with Etsy! Now, the only minor (major really, but I'm trying to stay calm) issue at present is that moving abroad is an expensive venture so as a result my indulgences are forcibly being placed on hold (momentarily). But I refuse to stop looking, browsing and checking all my fave items in the hope that maybe they won't sell, go on sale and I'll snap them up cleanly with no worries at all, wishful thinking! But in all seriousness, not only is Etsy a fantastic hub of vintage and handmade items, it's set pricing so there's no rigmarole of bidding and waiting. You find, you buy, it's yours!!! Fortunately for you guys today I found too many goodies not to share.....

Navy Blazer: Pretty Birdie by Stephanie Teague

Black Oxford Heels: Eaten by Owls

Coral 40's Dress: Prance & Swagger

Lace/Silver Necklace: Hilary Koster Jewellery Design

Tan Pouch: Bayan Hippo

Tasmanian Wood Ring: that vintage

The coral dress reminds of something Jenny would've worn during her time with David (from the film An Education). It has that conformity to it with the high neck, but the shape and colour seem a little rebellious. I just love it, boo to my lack of funding!!!

At the moment, we are collecting items for our very own Etsy shop, so watch this space. Like all of our projects, it becomes our baby, so it will take some time for this to come to fruition but look forward to more little treasures to browse over during your Etsy stays!

Opshopping: Irving Baby, Adelaide (AUS)

In the hope that my shopping rambelings aren’t boring you yet, I will sneak in one more shop review from my recent Adelaide trip, while it is still fresh in my memory: Irving Baby, Hindley Street Adelaide.

Originally I had planned to visit Irving Baby on Twin Street, but when I couldn’t find a car park, I’d decided to check it out another time. Then, wandering along on Hindley Street after going into Goodwill store, minding my own business, I thought I was bananas! There is Irving Baby. Where am I? Did I get lost??

Of course I upon enquiry I found out that there are two Irving Baby shops in Adelaide!

Original photos - by me

Well and what can I say. This is a fun shop, you just wanted to spend hours in there! Unlike the previous shop I wrote about, Hero, Irving Baby has a mix of wares – half vintage clothes, half handmade stuff with a few new clothes thrown in. Vintage clothes include dresses, shirts, shoes, bags and belts. And prices are very reasonable – after all I bought the flowery dress for about $30.

The funnest part are all the handmade things they sell. I mean, who are these creative people making purses, rings, necklaces, paintings, cards and even knitted pictures?! Really, it is disgusting seeing so much talent in one spot. Ok, I’m just bitter I don’t have the talent and time haha!!

Original photos - by me

Anyway. Irving Baby really is a shop with something for everyone. So go and check it out if you are in Adelaide.

Where: 83 Hindley Street, Adelaide SA
Contact: check their facebook page! http://www.facebook.com/pages/Adelaide-Australia/Irving-Baby/25117458751

Alrighty - until the weekend! Over to Kerry :)

When does second-hand clothing become vintage fashion?

This is a question I constantly ask myself when friends comment:

"Oh, vintage is just a posh word for second-hand"....

Wikipedia tells me: "Generally speaking, clothing which was produced before the 1920s is referred to as antique clothing and clothing from the 1920s to 1980 is considered vintage. Retro, short for retrospective, usually refers to clothing that imitates the style of a previous era. Clothing produced more recently is usually called modern or contemporary fashion.”

Mh... What do you think?

Original photos by me and Erin (watch for an upcoming post by her)

What really is vintage fashion? Is it just a bourgeois word for second-hand? A graceful way of saying ‘old’ clothes? Or a term used by serious fashion enthusiasts to differentiate themselves?