ÅLAND

My new favourite shop in Korea is a superior version of Urban Outfitters.  It has a vintage market on the top floor, where the wares are super cheap considering all the clothes are grouped by colour, style and decade.  I could only take a few snaps as photography is banned instore but I think you can kind of see from the pictures that the vibe of the place is very much that of a hip grandmother's attic.

Simplicity Reigns

I don't spend much time poring over pictures of what the schlebs wear to fashion week.  It's usually the photographs of the ordinary people I watch out for, who are snapped looking extraordinary.  As a rule, celebrities lack the interest in style which is innate within the stylish girls who get photographed for their genius outfit combinations.

Kirsten Dunst is a case in point. She turned up to the Mulberry show on Sunday in the simple camel jumper and jeans combo pictured above, and later on to the Mulberry party in one of the brand's plainer pre-Fall evening dresses.  If you passed an unknown individual wearing either of these unadorned outfits in the street, I doubt you'd look twice, and if Kirsten Dunst were a not a super famous actress she would not have these images of herself broadcast on several style websites since Sunday.

Yet Kirsten with her austere outfits has struck a chord with me.  I think it's because she does look decidedly average - which isn't always a terrible thing.  You hear all about these people who look as if they've 'thrown something together', but the outfits often encompass several layers and styles, and are likely to have been laid out on a bedroom chair the previous evening.  Kirsten's are definitely thrown together - there's nothing more efficient than a jumper with matching bag and shoes, worn with jeans, or a dress with tights and heels.

Lately, I've been indulging in fashion in a dreamlike manner instead of literally wearing the clothes I would like to, throwing on jeans and a top instead of a complicated combination that could have come straight from an Urban Outfitters mannequin.  This is why I personally took note of what Kirsten Dunst was wearing.  Because she looks cool and free, wearing everyday clothes that aren't particularly 'in fashion'. They're not steeped in hyperbole, they aren't histrionic.  They're classic, easy, they're SIMPLE, and they're what I, and most girls, wear on a day-to-day basis while we get on with our hectic lives.

While occasionally daydreaming of wearing Meadham Kirchoff, Celine and Acne, of course.

I HEART Vintage

With the recent closure of Lunacy Boutique, it comes as no surprise that the newest independent fashion venture in Cardiff is making its tentative first steps online instead of on the high street.  I Heart Vintage is a second-hand clothing website, the brainchild of two local residents Sarah and Reena, whose love for vintage clothing motivates them to seek out individual finds for themselves and others.

Since I share a passion for vintage with the fashionable entrepreuners, I was keen to ask them a few questions about their venture:

Why did you decide to open an online shop?

R&S - We both love the high street and the key for us is mixing high street with vintage.  We aren't top-to-toe in vintage all day everyday and we don't claim to be vintage experts. We just have a passion for fashion so wanted to share this through setting up I Heart Vintage. We were lucky to have the support and generosity of family and friends which allowed us to set up the online store around our full time jobs. 

Would you ever think about branching out into the high-street?

R&S - We both work full time so at the moment that wouldn’t be an option for us but it’s not something we would rule out for the future. I think we would like to explore other opportunities the high street could offer such as working with stores who would like to add vintage to their range and would be interested in stocking a selection of clothing from I Heart Vintage.

What do you think about vintage in Cardiff?

R&S - We love the vintage scene in Cardiff and have enjoyed being a part of it as we have shopped many times at fairs such as Blind Lemon Vintage and Milgi's Northcote Lane Market. It's really exciting to experience the other side of it now, having become sellers particularly as the options for vintage shoppers in Cardiff grows. We've been able to raise our profile through the vintage networks in Cardiff by selling at fairs such as Make it Pretty and Milkwood Gallery's flea market. This has really helped us and it's been great to meet and get to know other vintage sellers. 

In the near future we are looking to work with local talented designers whose products are inspired by vintage fashion and showcasing them on I heart vintage. We hope that this will help towards the already thriving vintage scene in Cardiff and play a part in promoting Welsh talent. 

 Where do you source your clothing from?

S – We source our stock from a combination of wholesalers, charity shops and private sellers. My Auntie Pearl gave us a good kick start by kindly donating all her beautiful clothes from the 60s and 70s. Shopping runs in the family! To begin with we’re customising quite simply perhaps by shortening, removing shoulder pads or adding buttons but learning to make clothes or change them dramatically is something I’ve always been keen to learn to do.

 What sort of price range will the clothing be in?

S&R – Prices on our website for clothing start at £20 with accessories starting from under £10. We have chosen a great selection of items for the online store with the majority of dresses around £30-£40. At vintage fairs we’ll have a broader price range too.

Why Cardiff?

S&R – We both love Cardiff and live here so made sense to get the business well known and established here before taking on the rest of the world! ;o) Plus vintage is up-and-coming in Cardiff, so it’s great to be a part of it here and we’ve met lots of other great people here who are doing similar things especially jewellery makers who we would love to collaborate with in the near future. 

What era of vintage is the clothing from?
 

S&R - For I Heart Vintage we define vintage as being 80s or before. At the moment we have a lot of 60s and 70s stock but we select items according to what catches our eye more than what era it’s from. If we love it and think other people will then we’ll go for it.

                                        
How would you describe your own style?

S – I have a quite diverse style and incredibly varied taste in clothing. I love the look of celebs like Carey Mulligan & Milla Jovovich. On the high street i love Urban Outfitters and Top Shop. My friend Flair always looks amazing although she says one of her style icons is my mum!  My style and taste has constantly changed although and I’m a little bit less impetuous when buying things now. I’m constantly learning what goes together and what suits me personally.

R – I love Fearne Cotton, Alexa Chung and Kate Bosworth’s style so usually look to them for inspiration. I really like the way they mix their vintage pieces with high street clothes. I like their modern take on vintage. And even when they wear designer pieces you can usually count on Topshop and Urban Outfitters to come up with a great copy. And I am with Sarah on the love of these high street shops as they are my favourite!

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Hmm, good answers.  I very much agree with Reena and Sarah that the vintage scene in Cardiff is burgeoning (just like the blogging scene!), and I love that they're both eager to promote Welsh designers. 

I also love the clothes on their site, especially the 70's maxi-dress above.  Pass me my (imaginary) fedora and bring on the new season please?  I wonder if the couch and the furry cushion will get thrown into my purchase if I ask nicely??

I'm also liking this soft-looking dress (below), particularly for the nipped in waist and pussy-bow style neck.

There's plenty more on the website and prices are pretty reasonable too.  You'll also be smug in the knowledge that no one else will be wearing the same item as you.

I have to say though, as much as I love the site, buying vintage online does have its cons.  You miss out on feeling the quality of the item, of falling in love with the intricate detailing and incredible craftsmanship of a vintage piece.  

 Luckily, Sarah and Reena are still going to be selling at various markets, good news for us vintage-lover that still like to shop in the old-fashioned way. 

You can go say hello to them and their lovely items at:

Make it Pretty at Chapter – Saturday 5^th February

Blind Lemon Vintage Fair at City Hall – Sunday 6^th February

Blind Lemon Vintage Fair in Swansea – Sunday 13^th March

Fittingly, their also having an old-school launch party at 10 Feet Tall tomorrow night, featuring a clothes stall, a bespoke I Heart Vintage cocktail, CUPCAKES, a free prize draw, and Vinyl Vendetta DJing.

Let me know what you bought?

Wild Cat

The fact that I was absolutely frozen before my visit Urban Outfitters Cardiff shop yesterday probably alludes to why this item, over any other instore, predominantly caught my eye:

It's so padded and warm, it's like a handheld sauna. It also handily hangs from your neck, a plus for someone who has already lost three pairs of gloves this winter.

(Images: Urban Outfitters)

Urban Cardiff

Urban Outfitters (UO) opened in Cardiff last Thursday, to much less fanfare than the same-day-opening Spitalfields store, which had Coco 'Hi I'm Sting's Daughter And I'm Cashing In On My Dad's Success' Sumners playing with her band.  

Hi Coco.

She's wearing Urban Outfitters in this picture.  Convenient.

On a recent London trip my friend bought this dress, which I love, from UO Kensington High Street.

She was deliberating over buying it because the price was a bit steep but then Annie Lennox walked into the changing room as we walked out and it just seemed like fate.  Yes, we slightly clutched at straws when jumping to this conclusion, but now whenever she wears the dress she'll think of the time we (sort of) met Annie Lennox.

Annie was trying on fake fur leopard print coats, in case you were wondering.

And yes, of course we're on first name terms, in case you were also wondering.

Anyhoo, back to Cardiff UO.  I took this picture last week, pre-opening.  What does Heluo and Helluo mean?  I'm fluent in Welsh and I'm 93.66% sure those words are made up.

Oh, I just got it. Hel U O.

Doesn't that guy with the coffee cup look like he's posing for me?  I think you've got the wrong shop dear, Hollister is in St. David's 2.  Just up the escalator and turn right, it's the one that looks like a middle class Brazilian brothel.

There's a far more informative post by Cardiff Fashion on the opening if you want actual information rather  than incessant wittering (pictures are from the CF blog too, apart from the one above). 

 Also, I'm venturing into Cardiff tomorrow so will let you know what I think.

Feel free to comment if you've already been in to the shop, a head's up would be super.

(Images: Cardiff Fashion)