Sunday, May 30, 2010

Who's that girl? Part I

Vintage Packstocks is one of my favourite vintage blogshops. I am privileged to get up close and personal with the owner, Ana. She is going to be 22 and is on job hunting whilst running VP on a part time basis. Ana enjoys indulging herself in manga, cosplaying, photography, bike, architecture, vintage and thrift finds, Korean and Japan stuffs, blogging, cats and mammals, money and travelling.


1. How and when did you start Vintage Packstocks (VP) – what inspired you?


At first I started selling me and my sister's pre-loved stuffs in Paperpuppet Closet, a year ago. I just knew about online business at that time. A bit late, isnt it? :D Then I fell in love with vintage and thrift finds after knowing my boyfriend. We like to travel and find some vintage clothes at that time. I started VP at the end of January 2010 after graduation.


My dad inspires me a lot to do this business as he used to sell RM1 clothes at the street when he first came to Malaysia in 1980 (I think) to start a living here. I want to be like him, to be able to do something valuable for myself and family by taking things one step at a time.




2. Who is VP girl?


A VP girl loves vintage clothes and enjoys adding modern touch in her look. For example a batwing top tucked in high waist pants and paired with tan oxford heels. An oversized denim top, with stripy pantyhose and a pair of boots. Or a vintage dress with electric blue vintage blazer and paired with Mary Jane shoes :)


3. There are many vintage blog shops in the cyber space, how does VP stands out from them?


Firstly, VP concept is vintage in modern way. We recycle the clothes that have some history. Regardless whether it’s petite, medium or plus size, just pair it with a pair of killer shoes, or roll the sleeves up, tuck in the high waist skirts or pants, these make it alive. VP logo portrays it - vintage, yet modern. :D


Secondly, VP prices are affordable and reasonable. Shine your image, get your confidence even you only have RM10 in your pockets.


4. In any businesses, customers are very important. How do you keep your customers?


By being honest and considerate when dealing with customers. Sometimes I do make mistakes but I will try to improve myself to have more regular customers :D


That is all for now. Don’t worry, the interview did not end here. In the next entry, Ana would share about her future plans for VP and something about fixie bike. Stay tuned!



Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Fashion experiment: Denim like material dress

Yesterday another package arrived at my workplace. "Online shopping again?!?", asked my colleague. I just smiled and nodded. Received one package last Friday and another one yesterday. Who can resists S-A-L-E? Thanks to Vintage Packstocks, I added few more dresses into my collection. And one of them is denim like material dress.

I tried four different looks, started off with just adding belt and necklace to layering with other clothing pieces. Played with colours and accessories too.

Date night - white with blue create a clean and fresh feel. Paired with grey colour shoes to break the boring colour combo of white bag, white necklace. Grey is subtle and complements the colour combo for this look.

Shopping with BFF - layered another halter neck top with the dress. Played with colours for the bag and shoes.

Lady boss - Blazer dressed up the dress, from casual to serious. Layered necklaces as I do not have big and bold (statement necklaces). Paired with peep toes heels to add a touch of femininity and sexiness.

New gal in office - Replaced cardi with shirt. Rolled sleeves up for a relaxed look. Played with colour by accessorizing with bright pink necklace.

I must say, last week's online shopping was fun but I think I need to stop for a while (keeping my fingers crossed). Wait a minute... Just realized that June is around the corner, which means my monthly shopping fund for June is going to be replenished soon. Hhmm....







My First Review

Today was a pretty normal day at the office - doing paperwork, replying emails etc. - until I logged into Your Shopping Kaki blog. As I was scrolling down the page, heading to 'Vintage' section, I couldn't believe my eyes. Vintage Packstocks owner has posted an entry on 'Colourful Buttons'. Clicked the link and it led me to...


When I first started to write this blog, I never thought I could reach this level - to be reviewed. I was and still doing it for fun at the same time to brush up my writing skills, to work on my creativity and to break the mundaneness of life.

It is such an honoured to be featured in Vintage Packstocks. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Ms. VP, you have made my day :-)






Thursday, May 20, 2010

Little Grey Dress


Grey somehow has become one of my favourite colours. Not sure how it happened, but one day I have decided to must get couple of grey dresses. And I did. All of them are vintage dresses.

Though grey (just by itself) looks dull but if paired with bright colours, it creates great colour combination. Grey can be as versatile as black. Maybe because black + white = grey?

Tried couple of looks using different colours. I love grey + red combination the most. Whilst working on the dresses, I discovered turquoise-blue looks great with pale grey.

I can't wait till tomorrow as I am looking forward to receiving my order from Vintage Packstocks (besides it is Friday, which means weekend is around the corner) and guess what I have ordered? A grey vest. :-)




Sunday, May 16, 2010

Fashion experiment: Baby batwing top

At first glance, vintage baby batwing tops did not grab my attention and these tops are a bit 'mature' like. The picture I had in my mind was aunties in these big loose tops pairing with slacks. Now, how come I have one? Well, I thought I was going to give it a try especially since it was on sale.

I was excited when I received the parcel at my office and can't wait till I got home to try them (I ordered 3 different styles of baby batwing tops). I fell in love with them the minute I put them on and can't wait to work on them.

Pair the top with tight fitting bottom such as skinny jeans, high waist skirt or pants to avoid bagginess.

Treat it as a cardi-like piece and layer it on a dress.

Mix with another print of the same hue for a trendy look.

Tie a knot at the bottom instead of tucking into a skirt or a pair of pants.

The picture of baby batwing tops in my head has changed completely. I'm glad that I've taken the step to try it. Now, I can't wait for my second piece of floral baby batwing top to arrive at my doorstep!

Friday, May 14, 2010

Fashion experiment: Tooled leather vintage bag

It did not occur to me that my favourite bag, the tooled leather vintage bag, could be quite versatile. With patterns are tooled on the bag, it can be a challenging task to complement clothes without losing its uniqueness?

Choose monochromatic outfits .

The bag is the focal point therefore keep other accessories minimal.

If you are a print lover, stick to small prints.

Above are looks that I have experimented - from office to brunch date. I love all the looks but love 'It's casual Friday' the most. The colours combination gives a refreshing feel. Which is your favourite look?

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Vintage bags hunting

During my trip back to my hometown, Ipoh, I tried my luck in searching for vintage bags. With little knowledge of second hand or thrifted shops in Ipoh and purely based on my recollection of memories of a closed down departmental store, I further pursued my quest with little hope.

My memories did not disappoint me. I found several second hand stalls which sell used items - electrical, clothing etc. I was thrilled to find couple of vintage bags and without hesitation, I bought five bags in a go. I bought two more bags from other stalls respectively. There were good deals and I could not get such good offers back in KL or from blog shops.

After back in KL and checking through my purchases, I have summed up the following points when purchasing vintage bags directly from second hand or thrifted shop or jumbo sale:

Check the condition of the bag
Check every bit of the bag - zip, pockets and strap. Look for scratches and other faulty bits.

To restore or not to restore
Ask yourself; are the scratches acceptable? Can you clean the bag yourself or do you need to send it to someone professional to do it? If you need professional, how much would it cost?

Resources
Have contacts of shop or someone who can assist you with the cleaning or repairing the bag if there is a need. Leather cleaner or polish or any other tools required if you want to DIY.

Budget
Do you have the budget to repair or restore the bags? If yes, does it worth it to do so? I mean, we have to be realistic and practical at times, say the bag was purchased at less than RM20 but to restore or repair it cost more than RM20. Need to work out the maths here: repair or restore cost vs the aesthetic value of the bag.

Well, the above pointers are few things that you may would like to think about. Vintage bags hunting can be fun but do not let the fun and excitement blinded you. I have few vintage bags which need to be restored and I am still contemplating about it and trying to find more affordable means to do so.

Fashion notes:
Top right: dirty condition inside of a bag
Bottom right: need to be glued