Vintage Classics

I'm a huge fan of classic films. Anything produced before 1960, I have to watch. And of course these movies are chock-full of the best fashions. Who can forget how Grace Kelly breezed onto the set of To Catch a Thief, the center of Hitchcock's focus and winning the hand of the prince of Monaco in marriage to boot? Nowadays, fashions are far more laid back, which is absolutely delightful if you just want to roll out of bed and get to class. However, when you want to dress up, vintage is the best way to go. Check out Red Dress Shoppe an adorable little boutique with unique and lovely pieces!

Reconstruction!

Lately, good quality has been hard to find. T-shirts wear out, leaving small holes in the arms or stomach area, jeans fray at the hem and knee. Gloves and mittens become threadbare at the fingertips. Much to my dismay, threads are falling out of my new knock-off Pashmina. So when you stumble across a designer who makes it their priority to present only the best quality, you are certain to return to them repeatedly for clothing.



Stephanie, creator of Anti-Factory is just that. Her clothing is all meticulously crafted and has the durability that will last you for ages. She uses only recycled or thrown away materials for her pieces. This generally sounds like it wouldn't turn out well, but her sweaters, with their unique double butterfly sleeve look adorable! I highly recommend you check it out. Sure it's pricey, but it's worth every penny.

Maiden Post

Here’s a situation you may recognize: You’ve found a wonderful shirt. It’s cute, it’s creative and it expresses YOU. The next time you go out you feel confident with such a great outfit. Problem is, while out you see about three other girls wearing the same shirt. No longer does the shirt express you, it categorizes you.

Welcome to the world of independent designers; unique artists sewing one-of-a-kind pieces. But how do you find the designers you like? The clothes you can afford. The websites you trust with discrete financial information? I’ll try to help you out, deciphering which sites are safe and, most importantly, contain attractive clothing.

A good starting point would be my favorite indie store: Modcloth. Started about four years ago by Susan and Sharhzad (unusual name) it started out with mostly original finds in various vintage shops around Philadelphia. As they’ve grown and expanded, they’ve concentrated on ordering clothing from independent designers. Every order always arrives promptly and comes full of unexpected goodies such as gifts, stickers and gift certificates. Here’s a taste to entice you to follow the link. I hope you enjoy and I’ll add more next week!