frock me! vintage fashion fair

Hi everyone, apologies for the hiatus... I know I tend to go MIA once in a while... Anyway, I am back to blogsphere and hope to blog as frequent as possible.

Last month, I had the opportunity to visit Frock Me! Vintage Fashion Fair in Kensington, London. It was a total breath of fresh air and such as different vintage scene compares to Hong Kong. As I moved from one stall to another stall, I went ooh and ahh, drooling over lovely vintage pieces especially from 1930s, 1940s and vintage hungarian embroidered blouses. If only I don't need to worry about my purse, I would go for a shopping spree... 

I will let the photos speak for themselves....

What do you think of the fair? Pretty cool, right? There will be another vintage fashion fair tomorrow at Chelsea. For more details, check out their website. 

Hope everyone is having a good weekend. Till my next post, stay chic!

wanderlust: when in vienna...

As Vienna is an interesting city with many beautiful places to visit, it is quite challenging to fit one or two vintage stores into my itinerary. Having said that, I came across Extrachön by accident when I was wandering around in the neighbourhood (District 7). 

The interior of the store is beautifully decorated with chandeliers and red carpet which makes one transports back into another space and time upono entering the store. The store is well-curated from dresses, tops to shoes and accessories. Worth the visit even it's just to check it out. 

Extrachön

Kaiserstr. 67

1070 Vienna

Austria

I wish I had more time to explore the vintage scene in Vienna. Nevertheless, this was a good start and I hope I will have the opportunity to visit Vienna again in the future. 

Hope everyone is having a good weekend. Till my next post, stay chic!

wanderlust: when in bath... visit the fashion museum

One of the highlights of my trip to Bath is the fashion museum. It is said that the Fashion Museum Bath is one of the world's greatest museum collections of historical and contemporary dress. During my visit, currently there are exhibiting two exhibitions; a History of Fashion in 100 Objects (now until 1 January 2019) and Royal Women (now until 28 April 2019). 

The History of Fashion in 100 Objects will take you on a fashion journey through time from the 1600s to the present day, giving you the opportunity to take a closer look at the lovely curated pieces. The Royal Women exhibition looks at dress worn by Queen Alexandra, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret. Each piece tells a story and how these royalities chose to present themselves.  

Fashion Museum, Assembly Room

Bennett Street, Bath BA1 2QH

Opening times: 

- Jan to Feb: 10.30 am to 4 pm, exit at 5 pm 

- Mar to Oct: 10.30 am to 5 pm, exit 6 pm

- Nov to Dec: 10.30 amm to 4 pm, exit at 5 pm

A visit to this museum is highly recommended to fashion lovers. Believe me, you will go ooh.. and aah.. or even drool at each piece displayed. 

Hope you have enjoyed reading this post and enjoying your weekend so far. Till my next post, stay chic!

wanderlust: when in london... visit brick lane

First of all, I would like to apologize for neglecting my blog in the past months... I was travelling for work but was fortunate to have some personal time to do the things that I love. And I think you can guess what were on my to-do-list. Yes, vintage hunting (either for purely checking it out or shopping)! This time, I checked out Brick Lane Vintage Market. 

You can find a wide variety of vintage items for ladies and gentlemen from clothing, shoes, to accessories. If you are lucky, you might find something to bring home. As for me, it was a good experience to check out this market. 

Brick Lane Vintage Market 

The Old Truman Brewery's Vintage Market

F, Block 85 Brick Lane London E1

If the vintage market leaves you unsatisfied, there are couple of vintage stores around this area. 

Blitz 

55-59 Hanbury Street London E1 5JP 

The store is spacious and nicely decorated. Vintage pieces are arranged neatly on racks.If there is a kilo-sale going in the store, then you are lucky.

Absolute Vintage

14 Hanbury Street, London E1 6QR

As I entered the shop, the shelves full of vintage shoes got my attention. Let me tell you a little secret, I almost bought a pair of 40s/50s black suede pumps... I even tried them on and then I know I should not asked myself this "Do I really need another pair of vintage pumps?" but I did. And automatically I put them back on the shelf where they belong... 

Oh, by the way, I got too excited with the vintage shoes that I forgot to take more photos. The store is stocked with vintage clothes for women and men, bags and accesories. You can spot few designer vintage items such as Ferragamo shoes.

So this is my little vintage adventure in Brick Lane. Not a bad experience after all.

Hope you are enjoying the weekend. Till my next post, stay chic!

vintage finds from paris and london

Most of the time when I was on vintage hunting trips, luck was hardly on my side. However during the vintage hunting trips in Paris and London, I had a little bit of luck and also some extra money to spend - my so called vintage fashion fund. 

Vintage slip (perhaps from the 50s)

Vintage mother of pearl buttons 

I bought the vintage slip and vintage buttons from a store in Les Puces. And I also for the first time I tried bargaining as there few stains on the  vintage slip - just trying to push my luck a little. Well, if you don't ask, you will never know. The seller was kind enough to offer some reduction. As for the vintage buttons, I bought them for future sewing projects. Mostly probably a blouse or top.  

Vintage 90s does 50s dress 

When I was in London, I stayed in Notting Hill area and everyday, I passed by a vintage shop with no opening hours information. Such a mysterious shop! One Saturday afternoon, I purposely walked pass the shop hoping it would open. And indeed it was opened for business. Whether I had luck in finding something for myself or not, I was excited to explore the shop. As always, I would check out offer rack first and this 90s does 50s dress was calling out to me.  

Vintage bag (era unknown, brand: Rakhams for Harrods Store)

Looking for vintage at the Portobello Market was fun. However, sometimes it was either the piece was not my size or it was over my budget. When I was about to leave the market, I stopped by at a stall selling mostly pre-loved items. Then the lovely golden velvety bag stood out and caught my eyes. Without much hesitation, I decided to give the bag a new home, half way around the world!

I never thought during these vintage hunting trips I had luck. Now, it is a matter of time to wear the dresses. As for the bag, I think I will let it rest for now until a suitable occasion arise.

Have a great weekend everyone. Till my next post, stay chic!

wanderlust: when in barcelona...

In late April, I travelled to Spain for a one-week holiday (a little short for an interesting country though!). First stop was Barcelona for a 3-day 2-night stay. Despite a short stay, I managed to squeeze in visits to a vintage store and a thrift store.

I was lucky that Holala! Plaza was within 10 to 15 minutes walk from the hotel where I stayed. Hence, after checked-in and freshen up, this was the first place I went. The store is big and the merchandise is nicely displayed and organised in racks. One can find women and men vintage clothes and accessories. I would say most of the vintage dresses are from the 70s to 90s. There are several Holala! stores; worth to visit if you are in Barcelona.

Holala! Plaza

Plaza Castella 2,
08001 Barcelona
Monday to Saturday, 11 am to 9 pm
Tel: +34 93 302 05 93

Humana is an NGO who aims are environmental protection, humanitarian aid to developing communities and assistance to other groups in Spain. Humana sells used clothes to help them to achieve their social purpose and to self-financing. The price of clothes is as low as 2 EURO! During my stay, I visited a Humana store at Ronda Universitat, 19. Looking for vintage pieces may require time and patience. And if you are lucky, you might find something you like.

Although during this trip I did not check out many vintage stores, I was still happy with my visits. I hope I will be able to return and visit more vintage stores. Keeping my fingers crossed! 

Hope you have enjoyed reading this short post; until my next post, have a great weekend and stay chic!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you had a good one. Apologies for the hiatus - technical issue. My eight or nine years old laptop has decided to take a long rest. I have been told eight or nine years is quite a long 'laptop' life. Normal life cycle is five years. Anyway, I bought a new laptop as a Christmas gift for myself. Now, I am happy to be able to blog again. 

Whilst I was not blogging, I have been online shopping expanding my vintage wardrobe; shopping of different yesteryears: the 1940s and 1950s. As these two eras are relatively difficult to come by in Hong Kong, I rely on Etsy a lot. Here is a snippet of my purchases.  

I cannot wait to complete the alterations which mostly are re-hemming and start wearing these beauties.

Hope you are having a great weekend and started the new year with a great start. Till my next post, stay chic!

   

my first vintage 1940s dress

Most of my vintage dresses are mostly circa 1970s, 1980s and perhaps one or two from the 1960s. I have been trying to expand my collection by acquiring dresses or clothes from the 1940s and 1950s recently. In Asia, this can be a challenging task if one purely looking for these in local vintage stores. Selection or choices could be limited and the price would be a little too pricey. I believe these vintage stores most probably buying their stock from the US or Europe. A more affordable option is to buy 1980s does 1940s or 1950s. However, for someone who loves the history and nostalgia of vintage dresses, this does not feel the same as the original piece. 

Before embarking on the journey to search for the perfect 1940s/50 dress, a basic knowledge of characteristics clothing in the 1940s and 1950s is important to ensure the piece is genuinely from these periods. There are a number of blogs and websites giving tips or guides identifying or buying dresses from any period of time; making it easy to do research within a click of a mouse. The Vintage Fashion Guild has good resources and information. One major characteristic that I use as my own guide is the side seam metal zipper. 

Finally, I purchased my first vintage 1940s dress on Esty! Yay! The dress was on sale - double yay! When I received the parcel, I was so excited and couldn't wait to get home to try the dress. It fits but the hem is a bit longer for my frame. I am still contemplating whether to shorten the hemline or to leave it as it is. Another reason why I have not worn it yet;  the material is semi-sheer and I need to buy a slip.

The parcel - I love the personal touch!

The dress

A closer look of the dress - the neckline and sleeve 

 

The pattern - fern-like leaves

I could not wait to wear this lovely dress for one or two twirls around the city. But before that, one question has been answered though - to rehem or not to rehem? What would you do if you were in my shoes? I would like to hear your thoughts!

wanderlust: used clothing stores in harajuku, tokyo

Ragtag is a secondhand designer clothing chain store. The store carries famous designer brands such as Alexander Mcqueen,Chloe, Christian Louboutin, Christian Dior, Chanel, Givenchy, Marc by Marc Jacobs to name a few catering for women, men and kids as well. According to its website, there are seven Ragtag stores around Tokyo and one rt in Ginza. During my trip, I visited the store in Harajuku. Whilst I did not notice anything vintage but on the website it stated there is a vintage section. My guess is perhaps vintage can be found in other stores?

Ragtag Harajuku

Address: 6-14-2 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Telephone: 03-6419 3770

Opening hours: 11 am to 8 pm

Website (in English): http://www.ragtag.jp/english/shop.html

Jumble Store another secondhand chain stores with several stores around Tokyo. The stores carry past season's clothes from international designers and also unique items from smaller Japanese brands. The prices are reasonable.

Jumble Store

Address: 4-26-4 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

Telephone: 03-5772-3427

Opening hours: Mon-Sun: 11 am to 9 pm

I am saving the best (in my humble opinion) for the last - Kinji Used Clothing store. Firstly the store itself is huge. The third photo shows the first half of the store. I felt I was in the heaven of secondhand clothing. And secondly you can find vintage here, yay! Lastly, the price is very reasonable. There is a section selling used designer items; clothes, bags and shoes. I had fun rummaging each rack trying to look for 'treasures' to bring back home. I found couple of treasures for the price of JPY3024 (approximately US$27).

I think this striped vintage dress is circa 1970/80s.

Scored this lovely French Connection pleated skirt

Kinji Used Clothing
Address: YM Square Building B1, 4-31-10, Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Telephone: 03-6406-0505
Opening hours: 11 am to 8 pm
Website (in Japanese): http://www.kinji.jp/

This post concludes wanderlust posts on Tokyo. Although this is not complete listing or coverage on used clothing/secondhand or vintage stores, I hope you find these posts useful for your travel planning. I can't wait to visit Tokyo or Japan again. 

Have a wonderful weekend and stay chic!