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| Barbour |
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| Hassan Rahim at Blood is the New Black |
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| Beat Up Creations |
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| Pippa Lynn |
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| Steve Madden |
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| Danielle Scutt x Freedom at Topshop |
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| Savage Salvage |
Showing posts with label I shop therefore I am. Show all posts
Showing posts with label I shop therefore I am. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Wishlist
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Licentiate Column 28/04/11: Shopping Irish Vintage
I have two fashion bugbears. One is the bizarre weekly columns of a certain fashion writer for a certain Irish National newspaper, which I pore over weekly like a small child examining the progress of a greenish, particularly notched scab on his knee. Each week I’m increasingly boggled by the factual inaccuracies, patronising attitudes and overdone, lazy ‘shoes-equal-life’ metaphors and Coco Chanel quotes casually executed (in the ‘death by firing squad’ sense) by this writer.
But that’s a column for a country without libel laws. That column will never exist, which is a good thing, because writing it would probably result in such a cathartic burst that I’d expire of sheer happiness on pressing the ‘send’ button.
The other bugbear is much more manageable. That bugbear is the Irish vintage market. As complicated and full of cozeners as the average Dickens scenario, as full of scammers, well-meaning innocents and true-blue fanatics as an X Factor audition and more complicated than a marathon run of Twin Peaks, your average vintage market is not to be ventured into unless you’re very well-educated or have a weight to offload in the wallet area.
In Ireland, people aren’t out to make a profit; they’re out to make a killing. The vintage sector is no different. The problem of overpricing, in my estimation, is obvious in at least half of the Irish vintage vendors.
This is due to many different factors. Vendors buy from abroad and the price of shipping has to be factored in. Vendors buy a dress that they love, but is that little bit too expensive, so the price is doubled for resale. Sometimes vendors are just total chancers and slap a fifty euro price tag on a dress bought from Oxfam or worse, a dress that is obviously from the high street and only a few seasons old, but with the tags not-so-suspiciously missing.
A good rule of thumb is, if you like it and you think it’s worth it, then buy it. If you have any doubts, walk away. In a world where ‘vintage’ has somehow become a by-word for individuality, you’d be surprised how often similar items to the one you just passed up will come along. What’s for you won’t pass by you.
But, if you’re a tight-fisted miser like me, here’s some good resources.
1) Etsy. Etsy is a worldwide vintage and handmade market. The majority of the sellers are from The US, so the dollar to euro conversion will almost definitely work in your favour. Shipping is almost never as expensive as you’d expect and a bargain is never far away if you’re willing to cyber-rummage.
2) Elsa & Gogo. This Irish vintage accessory store has a carefully chosen edit of pretty, ladylike bracelets that look like they came right from Peggy Draper’s dressing table, at very reasonable prices. Elsa & Gogo have one up on the average vintage seller; their packaging is very beautiful and ripe for the gift-giving.
3) Tabitha Vintage. This online shop can be found on Facebook and is the brainchild of bloggers Una O’Boyle and Louise Ryan of Glamrocks Luna, an Irish fashion blog that compiles the very best of style inspiration. Their clothing is superlative grunge-chic, with prices so low I almost want to rub my eyes with surprise like a cartoon character. So, there you have it. Go forth, and shop wisely.
But that’s a column for a country without libel laws. That column will never exist, which is a good thing, because writing it would probably result in such a cathartic burst that I’d expire of sheer happiness on pressing the ‘send’ button.
The other bugbear is much more manageable. That bugbear is the Irish vintage market. As complicated and full of cozeners as the average Dickens scenario, as full of scammers, well-meaning innocents and true-blue fanatics as an X Factor audition and more complicated than a marathon run of Twin Peaks, your average vintage market is not to be ventured into unless you’re very well-educated or have a weight to offload in the wallet area.
In Ireland, people aren’t out to make a profit; they’re out to make a killing. The vintage sector is no different. The problem of overpricing, in my estimation, is obvious in at least half of the Irish vintage vendors.
This is due to many different factors. Vendors buy from abroad and the price of shipping has to be factored in. Vendors buy a dress that they love, but is that little bit too expensive, so the price is doubled for resale. Sometimes vendors are just total chancers and slap a fifty euro price tag on a dress bought from Oxfam or worse, a dress that is obviously from the high street and only a few seasons old, but with the tags not-so-suspiciously missing.
A good rule of thumb is, if you like it and you think it’s worth it, then buy it. If you have any doubts, walk away. In a world where ‘vintage’ has somehow become a by-word for individuality, you’d be surprised how often similar items to the one you just passed up will come along. What’s for you won’t pass by you.
But, if you’re a tight-fisted miser like me, here’s some good resources.
1) Etsy. Etsy is a worldwide vintage and handmade market. The majority of the sellers are from The US, so the dollar to euro conversion will almost definitely work in your favour. Shipping is almost never as expensive as you’d expect and a bargain is never far away if you’re willing to cyber-rummage.
2) Elsa & Gogo. This Irish vintage accessory store has a carefully chosen edit of pretty, ladylike bracelets that look like they came right from Peggy Draper’s dressing table, at very reasonable prices. Elsa & Gogo have one up on the average vintage seller; their packaging is very beautiful and ripe for the gift-giving.
3) Tabitha Vintage. This online shop can be found on Facebook and is the brainchild of bloggers Una O’Boyle and Louise Ryan of Glamrocks Luna, an Irish fashion blog that compiles the very best of style inspiration. Their clothing is superlative grunge-chic, with prices so low I almost want to rub my eyes with surprise like a cartoon character. So, there you have it. Go forth, and shop wisely.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
My Personal Style Resolutions #15: Skinni Peach
Hey Licentiate readers! My name is Dawn and Im the little lady behind Skinni Peach (the skinny on all things peachy). My blog is heavy on beauty ramblings with hints of fashion bits here and there. I write the beauty and fashion pages for RSVP Magazine along with spa reviews and a few features too. Sarah asked me to jot down my style resolutions for this sparkly new year – so.... have you got ALL DAY? The only thing holding me back is my pathetic bank balance!
My Style At The Mo: It varies. I’m in love with anything feminine. The 1940’s and 50’s are my fav eras and my wardrobe is full of dresses inspired by these decades. I’ll be buried in my skinny jeans and at the mo I’m stuck in a floral rut. Anything floral, I gotta have it, it just screams, “Hey, I’m a lady!!.” Give me anything peach or nude and I’ll be yours forever!
2011 Style: Even though the winter chill still whispers through the air the new Spring lines are hitting the high street soon and this year Im loving the spanking new trends. Lace, nudes, print, feminine chiffons, colour blocking, wedges and orientalism...I WANT IT ALL!! But there’s a few things I have my eyes on (although their all COMPLETELY out of my price range, but a girl can wish!). My style resolution this year is to embrace every trend in some way or another. I’ve picked my cream of the crop below...do we share a trend love?
Valentino Lace-trimmed cashmere-blend shawl – the perfect nude colour with an oriental twist.
Diane Von Furstenburg Opal leather wedge sandals – NEED these!
Reiss peacock lace dress – bang on the modern romance trend with the right amount of lace and chiffon to boot.
Betty Jackson Dress – staying on trend with the colour blocking sticking with my fav 50’s inspired twist.
Oasis Pussybow blouse – I bought this 70’s-esque blouse during the week so my style resolution is on the right track!
My Style At The Mo: It varies. I’m in love with anything feminine. The 1940’s and 50’s are my fav eras and my wardrobe is full of dresses inspired by these decades. I’ll be buried in my skinny jeans and at the mo I’m stuck in a floral rut. Anything floral, I gotta have it, it just screams, “Hey, I’m a lady!!.” Give me anything peach or nude and I’ll be yours forever!
2011 Style: Even though the winter chill still whispers through the air the new Spring lines are hitting the high street soon and this year Im loving the spanking new trends. Lace, nudes, print, feminine chiffons, colour blocking, wedges and orientalism...I WANT IT ALL!! But there’s a few things I have my eyes on (although their all COMPLETELY out of my price range, but a girl can wish!). My style resolution this year is to embrace every trend in some way or another. I’ve picked my cream of the crop below...do we share a trend love?
 |
Valentino Lace-trimmed cashmere-blend shawl – the perfect nude colour with an oriental twist.
 |
Diane Von Furstenburg Opal leather wedge sandals – NEED these!
 |
Reiss peacock lace dress – bang on the modern romance trend with the right amount of lace and chiffon to boot.
Betty Jackson Dress – staying on trend with the colour blocking sticking with my fav 50’s inspired twist.
 |
Oasis Pussybow blouse – I bought this 70’s-esque blouse during the week so my style resolution is on the right track!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Licentiate Column 06/01/11
It’s close to midnight on the first of January. As I type this column, the first day of the New Year has drawn to a close. Shops have been shut, roast dinners have been eaten and tins of Roses and Quality Street have been hoovered of all but the most perplexing of sweets (Dark Orange Mocha Nut Crunch, anyone?). If you’re looking for Silent Night, you’ve found it here.
When this column is published, the sales will be well underway and people will understand that the first day of January is a day of silent contemplation - but only if you’re contemplating how to load that half price LCD screen TV onto the roof of your Astra, or of how many people you’re going to knock over to get to the knock-down Carvelas and Prada pumps in BTs.
It is also a time for the silent gathering of strength for negotiating crowds, the silent girding of loins in preparation for any potential punchouts over the last camel coat and silent meditation in order to instill in oneself the cunningness that makes you hide several bras in your size under a pile of coats and pray that they’re still there when you come back from the ATM.
We all know that January Sales shopping is a slog through shops filled, according to a friend of mine, with ‘stuff that we’ve frowned at for the past four months’. The appeal of mediocre clothing is amplified because it’s so cheap; we pick up something we’re not sure about and wonder if it would ‘do’ because it’s been marked down from €100 to 50 cents.
And the sad thing about all this is that we know what a bad ideas it is to buy these variously ill-fitting, unsuitable, wrong-sized clothes - but we still do it anyway. Articles materialise all over the popular press advising people on how to tackle the sales correctly. ‘Tackle’ being the operative word; one has to barrel through an oppositional scrum to get to scratchy jumpers with stretched sleeves and misshapen shoulders, a symptom of clothing carelessly tried on and discarded by all the people who came before you.
No sales are regardedly so rabidly as the ones held at the start of the year, and I have a (very) rough idea as to why.
The start of the year is one of renewal. We make resolutions to ourselves. We decide to become fitter, healthier, more motivated. We decide to take tasks upon ourselves that are fundamentally life-changing. We assess that we can change our personalities and literally become other people.
That is why the sales are so popular; we’re not buying for ourselves (which explains why we knowingly make foolish purchases), we are buying for the different version of ourselves that we will become once we complete our resolutions. Normal Sarah would never wear a leotard but Gym Bunny Sarah? She’ll take twelve!
We do this year after year knowing full well of the consequences of an overstuffed wardrobe. We do this out of hope for the future. Buying clothes is just a manifestation of that hope and a speck-like microcosm of New Years celebrations as a whole. Normal Sarah thinks that I should be sceptical. Future Sarah says that maybe, just maybe, all those leotards will come in handy.
When this column is published, the sales will be well underway and people will understand that the first day of January is a day of silent contemplation - but only if you’re contemplating how to load that half price LCD screen TV onto the roof of your Astra, or of how many people you’re going to knock over to get to the knock-down Carvelas and Prada pumps in BTs.
It is also a time for the silent gathering of strength for negotiating crowds, the silent girding of loins in preparation for any potential punchouts over the last camel coat and silent meditation in order to instill in oneself the cunningness that makes you hide several bras in your size under a pile of coats and pray that they’re still there when you come back from the ATM.
We all know that January Sales shopping is a slog through shops filled, according to a friend of mine, with ‘stuff that we’ve frowned at for the past four months’. The appeal of mediocre clothing is amplified because it’s so cheap; we pick up something we’re not sure about and wonder if it would ‘do’ because it’s been marked down from €100 to 50 cents.
And the sad thing about all this is that we know what a bad ideas it is to buy these variously ill-fitting, unsuitable, wrong-sized clothes - but we still do it anyway. Articles materialise all over the popular press advising people on how to tackle the sales correctly. ‘Tackle’ being the operative word; one has to barrel through an oppositional scrum to get to scratchy jumpers with stretched sleeves and misshapen shoulders, a symptom of clothing carelessly tried on and discarded by all the people who came before you.
No sales are regardedly so rabidly as the ones held at the start of the year, and I have a (very) rough idea as to why.
The start of the year is one of renewal. We make resolutions to ourselves. We decide to become fitter, healthier, more motivated. We decide to take tasks upon ourselves that are fundamentally life-changing. We assess that we can change our personalities and literally become other people.
That is why the sales are so popular; we’re not buying for ourselves (which explains why we knowingly make foolish purchases), we are buying for the different version of ourselves that we will become once we complete our resolutions. Normal Sarah would never wear a leotard but Gym Bunny Sarah? She’ll take twelve!
We do this year after year knowing full well of the consequences of an overstuffed wardrobe. We do this out of hope for the future. Buying clothes is just a manifestation of that hope and a speck-like microcosm of New Years celebrations as a whole. Normal Sarah thinks that I should be sceptical. Future Sarah says that maybe, just maybe, all those leotards will come in handy.
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
My Personal Style Resolutions #7: My Third Cousin
My Third Cousin is a dialogue between distant family members sharing their style snippets and views on 'fashion, art music and whatever takes their fancy'. One a vintage vixen, the other an avowed Wangette: both are well versed in the art of the outfit post. Sarah Commane takes us through their personal style resolutions.
2011 will herald a new style era for My Third Cousin; she has vowed to give vintage a chance. This, my friends, is something I have been annoying her about for a while and despite her 'but its old' retort, she has finally given in. Yes, I am dragging her to the nearest 'old clothes shop' (her words not mine). My Third Cousin will be converted to my mantra of 'vintage dress, nice tights, modern shoes. I’m dressed'. This little formula has saved me too many times to count.
However, where there is give there is take. My Third Cousin is taking my money. She has convinced me to buy at least one good pair of shoes now I’m not too sure what she means by this but I’m guessing she isn’t suggesting a trip to Clarks. I love Jeffrey Campbell shoes and this might be the direction I take this resolution in. Well, hopefully.
Also I have made myself promise to sort out my Wardrobe - eeekkk. I’m pretty sure this will involve being buried under some much neglected clothing from the gothic years of my life.
The final style resolution to be undertaken is to do with blogging and to improve, grow and have fun with our blog. Heres to a stylish 2011.
http://mythirdcousin.blogspot.com/
http://twitter.com/MyThirdCousin
 |
| Source |
2011 will herald a new style era for My Third Cousin; she has vowed to give vintage a chance. This, my friends, is something I have been annoying her about for a while and despite her 'but its old' retort, she has finally given in. Yes, I am dragging her to the nearest 'old clothes shop' (her words not mine). My Third Cousin will be converted to my mantra of 'vintage dress, nice tights, modern shoes. I’m dressed'. This little formula has saved me too many times to count.
 |
| Source |
However, where there is give there is take. My Third Cousin is taking my money. She has convinced me to buy at least one good pair of shoes now I’m not too sure what she means by this but I’m guessing she isn’t suggesting a trip to Clarks. I love Jeffrey Campbell shoes and this might be the direction I take this resolution in. Well, hopefully.
 |
| Source |
Also I have made myself promise to sort out my Wardrobe - eeekkk. I’m pretty sure this will involve being buried under some much neglected clothing from the gothic years of my life.
The final style resolution to be undertaken is to do with blogging and to improve, grow and have fun with our blog. Heres to a stylish 2011.
http://mythirdcousin.blogspot.com/
http://twitter.com/MyThirdCousin
Thursday, August 5, 2010
A short post on, eh, shorts
Since I was a child I had a morbid obsession with the tuba, specifically it's rumbling bass tones. What can I say, it moved me.
So, with the current vogue for leather shorts and the bass obsession, I should probably join a Teutonic Oompah band. Or maybe just buy some vintage lederhosen. Like the pair below.
There's a method to this though. The leather shorts I find in the shop are poofy around the hips and quite a lot have gathered waists and broad, voluminous turn-ups or perforated motifs. This will look suitably amazing on Alexa Chung, but I'm five foot nothing with a biggish bum. Buying vintage boys clothes means that the hips are narrower, ergo slightly slimmer arse and a silhouette that looks more like actual shorts and less like I've stepped into an extra-durable binbag stretched with starch. This pair is also nice and worn, so I won't actually look like I'm in an oompah band (more's the pity)
Here's a bonus track for you. I'm going to listen to it with a stein of Weissbier.
P.S The new Licentiate column for The Cork Independent can be read here.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Sonia Rykiel x H&M
The H&M in Cork is not widely regarded as the best one... sorry H&M fans. it has a great range of basics and things for tweens and adults, but the selection seems very safe. There's relatively few risks taken in the picks on the floor (and nothing from the Divided Exclusive line, which really should be rolled out in more stores). I was pretty surprised, but excited, to see a Rykiel window display slowly evolving in the shop window.
I came to H&M prepared for scrum the likes of which Donnacha O'Callaghan would would be ill prepared for. Instead, tumbleweeds. Passers-by were showing a mild interest in the knits. I felt like crying. With joy that is. More candy stripes for me...
I'm just that smug.
Love the crown emblem brooch - but I get the feeling that it'll fall apart after repeated dings off the scarf. Ah well.
The cross straps on the sundress can be worn front or back. Might make some funny tan lines though.
The knits are nice and dense and need to be dried flat because they're so heavy. Unlike some diffusion lines I could mention (AnnSofieBackFor Topshop*cough*) you can tell that it'll maintain itself and not fall apart if you take proper care of it. Unfortunately, it's all sold out now.
I came to H&M prepared for scrum the likes of which Donnacha O'Callaghan would would be ill prepared for. Instead, tumbleweeds. Passers-by were showing a mild interest in the knits. I felt like crying. With joy that is. More candy stripes for me...
I'm just that smug.
Love the crown emblem brooch - but I get the feeling that it'll fall apart after repeated dings off the scarf. Ah well.
The cross straps on the sundress can be worn front or back. Might make some funny tan lines though.
The knits are nice and dense and need to be dried flat because they're so heavy. Unlike some diffusion lines I could mention (AnnSofieBackFor Topshop*cough*) you can tell that it'll maintain itself and not fall apart if you take proper care of it. Unfortunately, it's all sold out now.
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