SD FASHION: HOW TO SHOP AND WEAR VINTAGE....

Stephanie Okereke in Retrospective Vintage dreses..

There's just something about how vintage dresses fit well...

I love the neckline on the green dress very mucho!

Yaaay! I finally got round to shopping at Nigeria's only 'known' vintage treasure trove 'Retrospective' since my last visit when it relaunched back in August. See pictures from my last visit here, I didn't manage to go to the store but I was informed that they would be at an exhibition so I thought to check them out.I was still hoping to find something similar to the necklace I missed out to Uju Offiah and although I didn't get lucky with that, I got luckier with a fabulous 'pleated' black dress I found (sorry about bad picture below, it was shot on my tired bb)..I couldn't believe no one had snapped it up...It was love at first sight, it looked like something divine from my mum's 1980's wardrobe..it just had that authentic vintage elegance and I loooooove the swirly finishing to the bottom finished in luxury gold threading....Simply gorgeous!!!

The dress came completely plain without the belt but I don't see myself wearing it without...
it's the same dress in above, it's just me messing with accessories to wear with it...
(sorry about the bad picture shot on my phone)

I have started to play with it already swapping accessories, trying it on with a belt etc (as seen above) but I guess that's the beauty of vintage, you can jazz it up, dress it up or down as you please and add a touch of up-to-the-minute trend to it....As for me, I have got my scissors out....I have a few ideas I want to infuse into the dress. It's a midi-dress but I would rather have my dresses short or maxi (not in between) so it looks like, I'll be snipping off a bit of the drop from the inside so I don't cut into the lovely swirls..I also think the sleeves are also a bit too 'mumsy' so I'll play with the design on that as well just to make it more me but asides those changes, I certainly scored big with my Retrospective buy...

I loooooove the swirly bottom....I might pull some of these to the side to give the dress
 a cascading waterfall effect

and when it comes to going vintage Lagos too is falling head over hills with Retrospective Boutique too. Checkout pictures of Retrospective Vintage Boutique pieces in the PRESS ....

Retrospective Vintage dress in complete fashion extra

Eku Edewor wears Retrospective vintage earrings..

As at last sunday Retrospective had this fab dress, seen on Yvonne Ekwere
 in white..so if you want it, you'll have to get your skates on...!

I have a friend who can't stand the idea of vintage shopping but If you want to go vintage but don't know where to start, here are our tips to get you looking VINTAGE FABULOUS...!

10 TIPS ON HOW TO SHOP VINTAGE..

1. Going 'Vintage' is no excuse to look like you fell out of decades beyond. Always lookout and choose timeless pieces, be it accessories or garments.

2. Always pick items with a good finish, if it looks tacky, walk away, the whole point of going 'Vintage' is to capture the elegance and essence of times past not to be the collector or tacky bits n bobs...

3. Never let a special piece go. If it's truly vintage, you'll probably never come by it again. 

4. Say No to 'Vintage Overkill'. Too much of everything is bad when going for a vintage look, ensure you keep it simple. If you are working with a theme and want your look to speak volumes, then consider adding accessories from the same era but ensure that no 2 items compete with one another

5. Buy only from a trusted source. 

6. Only buy items you see yourself wearing. Don't clog up your closet with junk just for the sake of buying vintage.

7. When it comes to buying vintage you've just got to really use your imagination. The clothes might not look great on the hanger but might just be a winner once worn. So if something catches your fancy maybe the colours or fabric, you might want to try it on..same goes for accessories too

8. When it comes to earrings, for health reasons, go for clip earrings only except you are sure it is brand new

9. When picking out items look for character, uniqueness and detail. 

Ask questions and choose pieces that truly standout for you but always let your heart guide you.

Finally,  if it's not exactly what you want but you like it, remember you can always IMPROVISE and tweak it to make it even better. 

I should be done with changes to my dress this week and I'm sooo going to rock it to my my next rockies (BGG)...Well, if it all goes well sha...I'll show you the AFTER picture when its done!

Would you Vintage Shop???

So, what's your take on vintage shopping? What is the best vintage piece you've ever bought?? Mine is a fab roman-style necklace bought 10 years ago...I still looove it ....

Have a fabulous fashion day peeps!

Lots of love,

B