Buy My Wardrobe & Happy Halloween

On Saturday 30th October  I made my way over to 'Buy My Wardrobe', a low key shopping event held at Adam Street members club, whereby wardrobe mistresses sell off as the name would have it a selection of their wardrobes. With beautiful designer pieces at 60-90% off the original retail price, with some items barely worn... it was indeed a dangerous place to be. 

It is a unique concept which also promotes viable sustainability of fashion, recycling luxe, with some of the cream of the fashion industry opening up their closets there were so many gems to be found. 

Down in the basement, it was a pure treasure trove of stalls and rails displaying the fashionistas wears that were on offer. There was also a newly extended vintage section from luxurious fur coats to hermes scarves.  

Expecting to feel slightly intimidated due to my small student budget, it was actually a rather lovely and relaxed shopping event and although designer pieces at really great prices (e.g Marc Jacobs Coat only £150 would of been a steal if the arms weren't miles too long  for me!) there were also Topshop, Reiss and All Saint bits in the mix.

So how does it all work? Well you can browse the rails, try before you buy and generally have a great little social - everyone was very friendly.  

I managed to catch up and have a little chat with a couple of the wardrobe mistresses: 

Items on your rail, which you are selling today are they a mixture or your own…..?

I am designer and my sister is a jewellery agent, so I have some of her jewellery pieces.  I am a Fashion Designer and some of them are my pieces, samples and fashion show pieces. Then there other designers in there too.  

Do you do any other clothes events or fairs?

Yes I do this one and Designer Sale UK (http://designersales.co.uk/). 

My project is veering more towards Vintage, I was wondering what your take on Vintage is and do you buy Vintage clothing?

I do buy it I usually by second hand pieces and mix them with new pieces. But also the look that I like if you look at some of the fabrics they are quite vintage-y and more retro anyway, a lot of my collection is quite 40/50’s orientated.  Yes I like Vintage.

What is your own personal definition of Vintage?

Well it depends really , vintage could be something that you brought 2 years ago or it could be something that is 200 years old, it really depends how you see it. Personally when we were at college we used to buy just old clothes and then redo them, people don’t tend to do that anymore, everyone looks the same. I also lecture and the fashion students now they all kind of want to be in little gangs of what they look like, they all want to look the same, where as when we were at college never wanted to look the same as anyone else.  

I used to lecture at the American College in London. Then also in Edinburgh at the Art College on there fashion course.

Would you say up in Edinburgh that vintage is a big thing?

Yes very very very much so. There are a lot of really good second hand shops. There is a place called Armstrong’s and they do retro pieces, They have old 20’s dresses hanging up on the ceiling, you can’t buy them but they everything from 1920’s vintage wedding dresses, beautiful stuff. And then because it is Scottish they have the old army gear and the kilts. You can get a lot of inspiration from there.    

When you are looking for Vintage pieces, is there a specific era that you go for…?

No, if I see a piece that I like, I like it . I don’t care whether it is fashionable, as long that it suits me, and I like it - your happy and therefore you will look good in it.  

When I was teaching I would always say to students don’t just look at what is on the catwalk, look at older pieces do research. Like anything if you don’t know what has been before how can you design what’s to come? In any garment you may have 15 elements, you may take element B and put it with element D, and it makes a completely different garment, if you say put A & B together. There are all different ways of looking at Vintage and taking inspiration from it, rather than it being a straight copy.    

Two ladies who unfortunately I didn’t catch both of there names had a great rail of designer and  colourful Matthew Williamson pieces.

Do you both buy vintage clothing?

Yes, we do. Definently

When you buy vintage clothing, is there a particular era you search out?

IHannah]- it’s important that I like but also fit wise. There are a lot of dodgy fit vintage clothing, they are beautiful sometimes but it just does not fit properly therefore I would never buy it . for me when I find something that fits really well, it’s amazing, I just buy it.    

I don’t look at a specific era, I know what I would like. It is all to do with whether I like it if the fit is nice,  if the size is good. I know where to go to buy vintage, from vintage shops to charity shops and markets.

I have to be in the mood as well when I go to buy Vintage clothing, as I know it’s a lot of rambling through a lot of stuff, before you find your thing. I have to be in the mood to go through rails, sometimes look and think, oh no that’s too much.   

Do you enjoy the aspect rummaging?

I do when I am in the mood, I do enjoy it when I go to get it,  but you do really have to be in the mood.

Do you typically buy Vintage in London? Or from abroad?

Hannah -London, or when I am holiday I will always look out for markets and shops that sell vintage clothing.  

And what are your own personal definitions of Vintage?

Hannah -Ummm vintage…. A lot of garbage from the past? [they laugh]

Lou- I wouldn’t call charity shop garments, Vintage. You may find vintage pieces there. vintage is a one of an individual piece, from an era sometime ago, in terms of decades and timing I would say 10 years or so.

Do you see a future for Vintage?

There will always be a future for vintage, especially in this country, I think other countries are picking up on it as well, but I think Vintage will never go out of fashion. Fashion recycles and comes over and over again. And seriously there will always be a vintage market. I think also there is so much clothes out there, so much stock of the stock, I don’t think the market will die because there is so much stock, I don’t think the traders will let it die to be honest. We will constantly be fed used things, it might go in and out of fashion but it will never stop. 

Have you ever done these events before?

We have done London Fashion Weekend before, not personally but a colleague, but this is my first time here.

What are you selling today, is it your own personal items?

It is literally all my stuff, I haven’t sourced anything this time around. They are stuff that I have brought and have never worn, or say some vintage pieces, I have brought along items that I certainly have never worn more than twice.  I have a selection of Mathew Williamson pieces as I work there.    

So this little sheet is the key to making your purchases - if you see something you like you can tell the satll holder/mistress and she will keep aside that piece, pass you a yellow ticket to which you then can take to the payment desk where you can pay, take the receipt back and pick up your prized pieces.

Suppose you may be slightly intrigued at what I brought on the day, well on a strict budget, but one that went surprisingly far, I picked up a unusual, scarf attached all saints long top, a pair of gorgeous french sole shoes - which were practically unworn and although not quite sunglasses weather I got this little Marni case for a mere £5, which you can attach to your bag. 

So glad I know about these lets face it guilt free shopping events, it is ethical to recycle darrrling!... I am now hooked bring on the next one:

Buy My Wardrobe returns to Adam St Members Club on Saturday 29th Jan 2011.