A D A Y I N T H E L I F E: Shop Lucilles

As an Etsy shop owner and shopper, I peruse through Etsy listings and shops quite often. Once in a while I come across a shop that strikes my fancy - Shop Lucilles is one of them.  

Straight out of Portland, Maine, Shop Lucilles sells vintage clothing, accessories, some housewares and handmade items, too. I had the pleasure of asking the shop owners (vintage duo Caiti and Jess) a few questions:

How did you start selling on Etsy?  

Jess- I started selling on Etsy by myself a few years ago because my love for vintage was just getting a bit out of control. I would be at a thrift store and find something AMAZING and buy it even if it wasn't my size. I just wanted to own a little piece of beautiful history! So once that collection got a bit out of hand, I started selling.

Caiti - Well my business partner previously sold on etsy, I just sort of tagged along.

What decade are you most inspired by?

Caiti - I'm in love with the forties. I'm a huge fan of the tailored, nipped in at the waist silhouette. Women's sportswear from the 40's is fabulous too.

Jess - This is a hard question! haha I really love the 1940s. I tend to emulate the 40s and 50s the most in how I dress. But it's also hard to rule out the 20s and 30s... whenever I want to feel re-inspired by fashion those tend to be the eras I look at. The lines & details on clothing were just incredible back then. 

Is there any past fashion trend you wish would come back?

Caiti - I wouldn't really call it a trend but I wish the tradition of dressing in "Sunday's best" and strolling through town would make a come back.

Jess - This is sort of silly, but I wish men stlll wore hats. Not baseball hats, but dashing fedoras & such. I kind of blame that on watching Mad Men. Watching Don Draper put on a hat made me swoon a bit. 

What have been some of your most exciting vintage finds?

Caiti - A trash bag of clothing! 

Jess - Seriously, a garbage bag FULL OF CLOTHING! We were at an auction and they held up one of this big black hefty bags and said "I think it might be curtains...?" and we bid on it on a whim. We got it for ridiculously cheap, then realized it was full of 1920s & 30s clothing. It was the most incredible thing ever. 

Is there any advice you would give to other Etsy shop owners?

Caiti - I would say do your research, vintagefashionguild.org/ and sammydvintage.com/ are excellent resources. Also try to put up at least one item a day. Haveing that continual stream of newly listed items really makes a difference.

Jess - Learn to date your items correctly. I think it's misleading to label something as 1940s when it's clearly from the 1960s. Also, try to have good communication with your customers. It's pretty infuriating as a buyer to be in the dark about questions that you have... try to put yourself in their shoes and be as accomodating as you can.

 I can now say that I will NEVER turn down a mysterious garbage bag full of fabric.  Thank you Caiti and Jess!

 

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You can see Caiti and Jess's shop at http://www.etsy.com/shop/shoplucilles

Also, visit their blog at shoplucilles.blogspot.com

Or you can check out their website at www.lucilles.me 

Here are some of my favorite items at Shop Lucilles:

Awesome Deadstock Sunglasses

Vintage Little Black Wiggle Dress

Handmade Fabric Button Earrings

Sweet Little Children's Sundress

Handmade Vintage Inspired Earrings

 These are just a few of the many wonderful items at Shop Lucilles! Visit the link to check the rest!

Vintage Tucson

It's hard to say what Tucson, Arizona is known for. We have a world famous Gem Show that occurs once a year, but apart from that it's pretty much just a minimum wage town in the middle of the beautiful Sonoran Desert. But what most people don't know is that Tucson is a goldmine for vintage and thrift shopping. Conditions in Tucson are just right for optimal vintage treasure hunting...  lots of elderly folk, not a lot of youths, extremely cheap and very little overall interest in vintage clothing by most citizens. This means that vintage and thrift stores aren't as picked through as thoroughly as stores you might find in L.A. or New York City. As a result, Tucson is filled with huge flea markets, stocked thrift stores and affordable vintage stores. The list of prime vintage shopping in Tucson could go on forever.... so I'll just share my top three...

Desert Vintage

I have lived in New York City for 4 years and have visited San Francisco, Los Angeles and Portland, OR many times, but I must say that one of the best collections of vintage can be found at Tucson's very own Desert Vintage. This little store goes back decades on Tucson's historic 4th ave, but it wasn't until a cute girl and boy duo took over and made it to what it is now. It's one of those stores where you walk in and everything you see is worth screaming over, and best of all, it's so affordable!

One of the many racks in Desert Vintage. They sell vintage men's, women's and children's clothing and accessories, as well as vintage textiles.

How Sweet It Was

Just down the road from Desert Vintage, another little shop that is always well stocked with amazing vintage finds goes by the name of How Sweet It Was. You can find almost anything in here... from flapper dresses to fur coats to western boots... this shop will not disappoint.

How Sweet It Was sells vintage men's and women's clothing and accessories.

Betty Blue's Junk Shop

This little establishment doesn't look like much, but inside is a treasure trove of awesome vintage clothing, accessories, housewares and oddities. Tucked in an obscure part of Tucson, Betty Blue's Junk Shop makes you feel like you stumbled upon a secret garden of vintage goods. Best part of all is that the prices are so low that it makes you feel like you're robbing the place. 

Betty Blue's Junk Shop sells men's and women's vintage clothing and accessories, as well as records, housewares, art, jewelry, odds and ends.

You can find this post as the first installment in an on going series about vintage at Chantal Loves Vintage

S T Y L E I N S P I R A T I O N: Bridgitte Bardot

Bridgitte Bardot is one of those style icons that is known less for her actual style, and more for her.... je ne sais quoi! Maybe it's that face, or her hour glass figure, or maybe how her hair is perfectly piled on her head every time. I think its all of the above and especially her confidence. Bridgitte Bardot equally exudes innocence and sexuality in one, and she does this so naturally. 

Vintage Street Style

Some inspiring vintage related street fashion...

Working the red hair in an amazing dress... kooky but still cool. Photograph by Garance Dore.

Canadian Tuxedo? Dapper.

70's praire dress done right. 

THIS is how you wear patterns. Keep it simple, but don't be afraid to mix it up. 

Those shoes. Those pants. That scarf. 

If this is the same guy as above then man, does he know how to pick a suit. When did men stop wearing suits on an everyday (or every other day) basis? They just look so good and when you look good you exude self respect and confidence. There is nothing more attractive than that.

 Channeling Diane Keaton with a cute tomboyish look.

Sweet sixties dress updated with a bright hat.

I don't even know what the front of this outfit looks like, but I know it look good!

I never knew that I needed a hat like that until I saw this picture. Not to mention everything else she is wearing. 

...More street fashion coming soon!

(I do not claim credit to the photos in this post. Some were taken by Garance Dore, The Sartorialist Blog, and others were found on pinterest)

S T Y L E I N S P I R A T I O N: Amélie

One of my all time favorite films is the charming French film by Jean-Pierre Jeunet: Amélie. Everything about it makes me smile every time I watch it. The story, the music, the characters, the beautiful color scheme and of course, the main characters wardrobe. Audrey Tautou plays the quiet and insecure character of Amélie perfectly, and she is extremely fun to watch throughout the entire film. Amélie is cute and quirky, and her wardrobe reflects her character. Sweet and comfortable dresses with chunky mary jane boots... low cut blouses with long calf length skirts. A perfect mix of young and old, vintage with modern, feminine and masculine. Even her hair cut in the film is extremely weird and on any other person it would look horrible, but on Audrey Tautou - completely adorable. 

Each time I watch this movie, I am completely inspired. I haven't yet cut my hair like hers, but I am close to doing it every time. But in the meantime, I can still dress like her. I try to find a balance between sweet and innocent with that natural French womanly seductiveness. It's a hard balance to find, but once you've found it you instantly want to get on a bike and go to a farmers market... or just move to France. Pouah! UN JOUR!

S T Y L E I N S P I R A T I O N: Jane Birkin

Just thought I'd take a moment to post about one of my favorite style icons, Jane Birkin. Jane Birkin was a British actress who's most notable roles include Desert on the Nile and Blow Up. But Jane is famous for her relationship with Serge Gainsbourg (who was a French singer/songwriter/poet/etc). But honestly, I think Jane Birkin is most known for her effortless style, beauty and charm.

Although Jane Birkin was from England, she had a special French charm to her. Maybe it was her French boyfriend, or the fact that she always smoked cigarettes... but I think it's because she had a natural ease about her. She was (and still is) very comfortable in her own skin. When I look at old photos of her in the 60's and 70's, I often pay attention to not only her style, but her body language, as well. I guess you could say that Jane Birkin easily had (and still has!) the one important accessory in fashion: confidence. 

This is my Jane Birkin inspired outfit:

BDG White Cotton Button Down / Vintage High Wasted Denim / Vintage Straw Bag

S T Y L E I N S P I R A T I O N: Ulyana Sergeenko

If you pay attention at all to the street fashion photography scene you would have probably noticed a pretty lady who often sports 40's and 50's style dresses with scarves and sunglasses that are worn like a 40s film star. This pretty lady goes by the name of Ulyana Sergeenko and she is a fashion designer/blogger/street fashion celebrity. So it's no surprise that she often steals the camera spotlight... somehow she manages to make matronly ankle skirts look cool again, and that is a hard thing to do. She is a true original who takes cues from her Russian roots and recreates classic vintage styles in more contemporary ways. It also doesn't hurt that she is as cute as a button. 

ULYANA!

Part of Ulyana Sergeenko's Fall/Winter 2011 collection

If you like this vintage inspired look but feel like it might be a bit too much for everyday life, tone it down with a regular tight fitting t-shirt and some ankle boots. If you don't know where to find an ankle length skirt stop by at your nearest thrift store and there should be several. Mine, from the photo below, is 100% wool, and I also found one in solid hunter green and khaki colors (you can find them at my etsy store)

Vintage Skirt (also in hunter green and khaki) / H&M boots / Black shirt from it's been so long I don't remember

*This comment is unrelated to the post, but I would like to apologize for the poor photo quality. I am in the process of trying to get a decent camera, so please bare with me.