Friday 12 September 2014

TWO GIRLS GO VINTAGE: 2: STYLE IT UP!

The second in our special two-part feature about teen reporters Erin & Erin (yes, yes, I know… really!) who are on the hunt for vintage bargains… this week, the girls show you what to choose and how to wear it!


Erin says:
So… the two of us were in Liverpool for the weekend and there was vintage shopping to be done! We looked at all kind of amazing clothes and styles, like the cool tie-dye t-shirt above, but we're only thirteen and money was definitely an issue - the sad truth is that we couldn't afford all the lovely things we saw. Instead, we were determined to make our money stretch… and that meant steering away from the real statement pieces because they're the things that are pricey! Both of us like casual things that can mix and match with the Top Shop type basics we already have… these were the kind of items we were looking for. They needed to be good value and a little bit different to the high street. We had a plan!

We each bought a shirt… a great black, white and grey man's checked shirt to wear layered over vests, t-shirts and shorts, jacket-style… this cost £3, and I've had lots of wear out of it since. Bargain! We also found a women's paisley shirt for £4 and again the plan was to wear it as a layer - Erin had a black body-con mini dress and the shirt looked great with this. You could also wear it on its own, with the lower few buttons undone and the two ends knotted up to show your belly, with shorts or jeans maybe. A very 50s look! Along with the shirts we got a plain white t-shirt for £3 - the kind of thing you could wear anywhere and with anything, really. I know it will be a wardrobe staple, but if I ever get bored with it I might experiment with tie-dyeing it to see if I can get the effect of the awesome pink tie-dye t-shirt we found but couldn't afford! Vintage pieces have already had a few lives, and who is to say they can't have a few more? When something costs so little, you feel free to adapt and experiment or even change it totally… get creative!

My biggest spend was on these vintage Levis cut-off shorts, from one of the vintage boutiques… they cost £25 but they had so much more character than a new pair would have. I love them! I bought them on the Saturday and wore them out on the Sunday, which is when I found the shirt… it was a great, cool cover-up. I could wear shorts and a crop top but with the shirt on top it was all very relaxed and cool, a fun, summer look. I couldn't resist accessorising with my vintage style sunshades and a fab fedora hat!

Trying on hats was one of the best bits of the weekend, and taking pictures of our shopping trip was brilliant - a few people asked what we were doing and we were able to say we were taking pictures for a teen blog-zine! We had a great weekend, and we learned that really there are no rules for vintage shopping: if you see something awesome and you have the cash, then go for it - it will probably be unique. Otherwise, choose pieces you love and know you'll get lots of use from. Oh… and try on lots of hats wherever you go!

Cathy says:
I've loved this fab two-part feature - it feels like we've all been along for the shopping trip with the two Erins! They make vintage shopping seem fun and easy… will YOU be tempted to give it a try? COMMENT BELOW to tell us!

5 comments:

  1. Both Erin's look so pretty in the vintage vibe! Hamdi:)xxx

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  2. you can also get vintage clothes on amazon! seriously, you can get EVERTHING there! once I looked up carrots and the listings were ACTUAL carrots!

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  3. So cool
    From Arabella
    P.S. You need to come to Adelaide cathy

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  4. That is soooooooo cool love it

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  5. this is really cool. I'd love that paisley shirt as a jacket, and those shorts are absolutely awesome! maybe I could tie dye a plain white tee like Erin said (I don't know which Erin!) and speaking of it, it really is to dye for! I could find any brown paisley print shirt anywhere, really, and I'm bound to see a pair of cut-offs since they are very trendy right now! well, bye!

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