Keeper

Dress? Vintage Shoes? Coach Cuff? Unikati (here) Bangles? Clyde's ReBirth (here, wear them all the time...) Clutch? Vintage

There are four ways vintage makes its way from the shop into my closet*.

First of all, there are the things that I see and know immediately will never even make it on to the shop floor. When I do a big buy off an individual I try to limit it to one piece in the entire haul but vintage can be like Lays chips; 'bet you can't have (eat) just one'. This dress for example, was never really up for debate. I saw it, I loved it, I wore it. And I will keep it.

Another way things end up in my closet is if something is damaged and is not worth the fix or not able to be fixed. Vintage clothing has a few years under its belt and flaws come with the territory but some things I can't sell, even at a reduced price with the flaw obviously pointed out. I notice that if there is something I really like but feel guilty about keeping, I try to drink very full glasses of staining red wine in the general vicinity... By the time I spent the money to make this dress a skirt because of the huge holes in the top, I figured I would not get a return on my investment and happily just kept it...

Sometimes if the store is dead or if I am taking pictures for the shop Instagram, I end up trying things on and styling them up and an occasional piece slips its way into the warm embrace of my closet. It doesn't help when I send a text to a friend with the question 'what do you think?'. The answer is almost always 'keep it' because I have a good group of supportive friends;) I fought keeping this jacket for so long (like a month!) but I eventually gave in, like the weak fashion lover that I am.

Finally, there are the pieces that don't sell in the shop. And I get so frustrated because how can anything that I lovingly hand-picked not make get snapped up in a jiffy? What is wrong with you people? Do you not understand my vision? Ha. Sometimes having a shop is super humbling. 

This dress for instance never sold. It is super soft, has fringe, a full skirt and deep pockets. What more could you want? I mean, I know it has a touch of sister-wiveliness to it but nothing super high heels and a well-placed belt can't remedy...

*Don't worry, I leave lots of good stuff and also take stuff from my own collection to put in the shop when the time is right. Having a retail shop is not always fun and games but getting first pick is an undoubted perk.