FASHION HOTSPOT: Wallflower Vintage
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Looking to brighten up your wardrobe for spring? Look no further than online vintage clothing store, Wallflower Vintage. Both a stylish Chictopian and a successful entrepreneur, this girl (and her store) are bound to carry the perfect fashion items of your dreams. What makes her store such a vintage fashion hotspot? Let’s find out!
1. Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself. When did you first start getting interested in vintage clothing? What made you want to open an online vintage clothing store?
A: Ever since I found a box of my Grandma’s old clothes in the attic, I KNEW I had to wear this stuff. The coats and dresses were like nothing I had seen before AND to my happiness they fit! I was an estate sale and auction junkie and would satisfy my “vintage-fix” at every occasion. I found more and more people asking where I got the clothes and where they could find the same (at the same time, my closets were bursting at the seams.) Voila! A hobby-turned-career.
2. Q: What’s behind the store name “Wallflower Vintage”?
A: Behind every item photo in the store is vintage wallpaper—-lots of flowers…thus the name!
3. Q: Describe the ultimate Wallflower Vintage girl.
A: The ultimate Wallflower Vintage girl is one who is not afraid to take risks. She will wear an H&M top with 1970’s bell bottoms and a 1930’s fur-collared tweed jacket and Miu Miu heels. She will dig in the deepest, darkest pile of clothes and find an over looked Pucci dress. In short: self -aware and self-confident.
4. Q: What makes an item sell?
A: I find items sell best when they’re modeled with newer items.
5. Q: Give us your top tips for opening an online vintage clothing store! What words advice would you give to a prospective online seller?
A: Opening an online store? Patience! There are thousands of sellers out there! Get your name out in cyberspace. Excel in customer service. Be fastidious—-wash, repair, throw out when necessary. Consistently add new items. Offering free shipping is a good incentive too. It’s a lot of work, but worth it.
6. Q: How many hours of work per week do you put into the store? Do you have any helpers or models to assist you?
A: It took two years prior to opening online to get the store off the ground. Our models are friends of ours who work for clothes and coffee…thank goodness! I do all the photography.
7. Q: Where do you acquire all your vintage treasures?
A: Our vintage clothing comes from all over. Lately, estates have been bringing in items for us to look at.
8. Q: What’s your personal favorite decade for vintage clothing and why?
A: My favorite decade: 1940s. I love the big shoulders, chiffon, and the advent of women’s’ pant suits.
9. Q: Which fashion decade tends to sell most successfully in the store?
A: Right now the trend seems to be 1960’s. I think it’s because of the success of Mad Men.
10. Q: How do you balance your personal vintage clothing endeavors with the responsibility needed to manage the store?
A: I still have a personal vintage clothing collection which also includes accessories like handbags and costume jewelry.
11. Q: What inspires your vintage style? Books, films, artwork? We’d love to know!
A: Vintage inspiration? You’ll notice the photographs are influenced by (again) the 1940’s. I love those old films! I also read Vogue and take inspiration from their photo spreads too. (Have you seen F/W Louis Vuitton? [editor’s answer: yes, we have!] ).
12. Q: Are you inspired by current fashion trends, or do you revert to more classic vintage influences?
A: I love to tweak new trends and add touches of vintage. You’ll find old in the new if you look. For example, there’s a big 1970’s vibe in this spring’s fashion.
13. Q: Who is your number one vintage style icon, and why?
A: AUDREY HEPBUR. Period. She could wear anything.
14. Q: Tell us about the most spectacular vintage item you’ve ever run across. Did you keep it or sell it, and do you regret your decision?
A: I found the most amazing runway Dior. Keeper! Oh and my great grandma’s blue velvet wedding dress. Never selling!
15. Q: This fall and spring, we’re seeing a huge 1970’s throwback, and fall of 2009 was shock full of 1980’s glitzy glamour. What vintage time periods and clothing styles do you think will be popular in the upcoming fashion seasons?
A: I hope the 1940’s shoulder pads come back…but I think I may be the only one!
16. Q: What are you ultimate goals and dreams for the store? Where do you see yourself in five years?
A: In five years I would love to see Wallflower Vintage as the go-to online vintage clothing store. I also hope Janie Bryant (costume designer for Mad Men) calls me. I think more and more people will realize that vintage is not synonymous with old. As Henry David Thoreau said, “Every generation laughs at the old fashions, but follows religiously the new.”
Be sure to check out Wallflower Vintage’s online store and like them on Facebook
~Pink_Champagne
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