As any follower of my blog will know, I absolutely adore vintage clothing and accessories. I love the way that they can spin you back through the decades and make you feel anything from an 80's power ranger to a 40's wartime heroine, via a 20's Charlston girl oozing retro glamour at a 70's disco. I love to mix my decades up and see what happens...my wardrobe contains pieces ranging from the 1920's to the present day with everything in between! I am lucky in that I have always enjoyed collecting vintage and have built up a fairly good range, sourced mainly from charity shops, vintage fairs, my late grandmothers pieces, and eBay. eBay is always quite hard to buy vintage from, though, I find, because I think vintage clothes shopping is very personal-I like to feel and touch each garment, look at the buttons, the lables, the fabric, the colours. Somehow this seems to get lost in translation on eBay, and I have, as a result, bought a few duds! And no one likes a dud!
As a result of this, I started looking into online vintage stores who source stock for you and let you shop it-sort of like a vintage boutique that you can visit any time of the day or night. Of course, there are many to choose from, but most are expensive and seem to be unfairly cashing in on the 'trend' in the current fashion climate for anything remotely old fashioned, retro or, indeed, 'vintagey' in any respect.
And then I discovered The Cherry Closet.
'All That Glitters 'sequinned cape £50 now SOLD OUT
The Cherry Closet is an online vintage boutique. Nothing new there, but this adorable, shabby chic webspace promotes vintage product in a refereshingly new way which makes the garments look desireable and wearable all at once. No more musty remnants; here you will find bright colours, lush fabrics, brushed suede, shiny leather, juicy patent, delicate lace and swooshy chiffon, all begging for a place in your wardrobe.
'Cherry Chapstick Cheeky' Jacket £30 shop HERE
Owned and run by the delightful Nicki Jane, items are sourced from all over the place for you, darling shopper, to peruse, and pieces are inspired by vintage and modern day icons; Nicki cites Lady Gaga as well as Marylin and Audrey as the legends whose looks we can lift with a carefully placed piece of vintage or two.
'Drunk. Drunk at Vogue' dress £45 now SOLD OUT
The vintage clothing and accessories sold at The Cherry Closet are all carefully displayed and honestly described, with multiple photographs of different pieces to show them from every angle. Measurements are given and (my personal favourite part) every item is given an amazing vintage inspired name, as you'll see from the items I've shown here. How adorable are they!
'Eggshell and Roses' clutch bag £25 Shop HERE
One lovely aspect of shopping for vintage is that, whatever you end up with, you'll be sure that the piece you buy is completely individual and ready to be worked into your existing wardrobe. I always think it can be a little scary to start with, if you've never bought vintage before...I mean, where to begin? How to wear it? I remember from personal experience, after I came out the other side of my 'teenage angst' phase and got shot of my uber-flared jeans (hmm) the first vintage piece I attempted was a thrifted Dior belt. I put it with a pair of skinny trousers I think, and that was it-the love affair had begun. I still have the belt and wear it a lot-though I did have a bit of a stomach-turning moment when I decided to stab an extra hole in it to make it a little smaller! Thankfully the belt lived to tell the tale and is practically worn out now, since I've worn it so much.
And that's one of the delights of vintage shopping...the history of the pieces, who has worn them previously, the places they've been and faces they've seen...all these things add so much more weight to the pleasure of shopping vintage.
'Meeting the In Laws' dress £38 Shop HERE
Once I'd started on the vintage, there was no stopping me! Luckily Adrian loves rummaging in charity shops too-him for records and bird-related ephemera, me for vintage clothes, shoes, accessories and so on-so we spent many a happy sunny day traipsing around various towns and car boots in search of retro treasure. In the winter months, though, the internet is your friend-The Cherry Closet specifically!
'Pretty in Peach' dress £35 shop HERE
How on trend is this gorgeous dress? I love how the catwalk and high street is so influenced by vintage-you could so see this going down the runway at a Halston or Stella McCartney show. The draping and crystal encrusting is so now, yet it is a vintage piece...perfection.
'Sassy Secretary' pussybow blouse £20 Shop HERE
This adorable blouse would look fantastic with slim trousers and a killer heel. It's so Karl Lagerfeld! I love it and it costs just £20.
This is another incredible selling point of The Cherry Closet. The product is priced so reasonably, you can't believe what a bargain you're getting...it's so hard to stop shopping! I've already earmarked several pieces to spend my wages on come payday. Many other vintage emporiums often charge over the odds for vintage items due to demand, but The Cherry Closet have stayed true to their accessible-vintage philosophy by making sure that there is something on the site at every level-from boots to scarves, dresses to capes-and to suit every price range.
'She Twinkled With The Stars' Hat £22 shop HERE
...who can resist this gorgeous sparkly hat? A perfect way to dip a toe in the vintage trend, and more than a little Chanel in style....
'Stroll by the River' heels £25 Shop HERE
Or how about these luxe soft suede heels in the most beautiful emerald green? I love these and they are so on trend for the colourblocking looks that are washing over the high street. Pair them with a cornflower blue blouse and a pair of relaxed chino's for the most pretty preppy princess vibe.
'Vanilla Cupcake' Pussybow Blouse £15 Shop HERE
This glorious floaty blouse deserves to be showcased either with leather pants to ramp up the juxtoposition of fabric and era, or with a pencil skirt to channel the sexy secretary vibe we all love to rock. Personally I would dress it down with denim cut offs and minimal leather gladiators for a perfect relaxed summer vibe. I'd pack a picnic blanket a la Carrie Bradshaw and dream a little vintage daydream....
Get inspired (and start planning your vintage wardrobe wishlist!) by checking out the gorgeous Cherry Closet here!
You can also 'like' The Cherry Closet on Facebook, follow them on Twitter for updates, and don't forget to leave your email address on the site to recieve The Cherry Closet newsletter!
xoxo
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