Inside The Vintage Wardrobe

In a couple of months, it’ll be The Vintage Wardrobe’s second birthday! Where on earth did have these two years gone?

As the birthday’s coming up soon, I thought I’d tell you some more about The Vintage Wardrobe and where it all began!

I’ve been wearing vintage for about 7 years and after about 2, I took it to the extreme by wearing it head to toe every day. I haven’t looked back. This style experimentation in my late teens undoubtedly led to many questionable looks, as you can imagine. From completely obscure prints to thinking I was a skinhead, I wasn’t afraid to experiment. I like to think that if it wasn’t for this phase, I wouldn’t dress the way I do now. It was about 3 years ago, that I found my love for 60s and 70s vintage.

I have a penchant for anything fringed, crochet and turquoise! I wear dresses every day and love 70s Indian gauze dresses! If I could give you one style tip (without hopefully sounding contrived) I’d definitely recommend wearing more dresses! They’re so comfortable and it often looks like you’ve made an effort, when really, you’ve just thrown a dress on! (oops, my secret’s out)

Please forgive the cheesy grins, but I’m absolutely not a pouting person and don’t take myself seriously at all!

Another tip is to just go for it! I’ve had people ask me how I have the confidence to wear some of the things I do. I don’t believe that I dress particularly ‘different’ or unusual, but possibly to some people, this could appear to be the case. You don’t have to be the most outgoing, extroverted person to experiment with vintage. I used to be quite shy, so personal style was my way of expressing myself and making a statement. The more vintage you wear, the more comfortable you’ll feel! After a while, I’d often wonder why people in the street were giving me funny looks, then I remembered what I was wearing.

After years of wearing vintage, I loved the feeling of purchasing something special and one off from vintage sellers! It got me thinking ‘how great would it be to be the person giving others this feeling too?’ I’d inadvertently picked up the experience and knowledge about vintage, so why not?

It was pretty clear that when I graduated in 2012 from the University of Central Lancashire that I wanted to embark on a vintage project. I received a 2:1 in Fashion Brand Management, the course was brilliant but I couldn’t imagine myself working for a magazine or PR company.

So I looked at the idea of a vintage business. One thing I noticed about many vintage businesses (and still do) is that they tend to specialise in one particular type or style of vintage. I wanted to create a place where there’s something for everyone!

It took me a while to come up with a name, but when I did, everything seemed to fall into place! I feel The Vintage Wardrobe is so appropriate, as it reflects the business ethos. I aim to fill the wardrobe with pieces for everyone! Whether you’re into 90s grunge, 60s mod or 70s boho. You might have already seen that I welcome vintage wish list enquiries too! So if you’ve got a particular piece in mind, I can try and find what you’re looking for!

Since opening The Vintage Wardrobe, I’ve been lucky enough to meet lots of lovely people, have a radio appearance and feature in The Telegraph’s 50 best vintage fashion boutiques! I can’t explain how excited I am to see The Vintage Wardrobe in a list like this! There’s some really big businesses in there and I never imagined that mine would be mentioned too!

I must say thank you to all of those people who’ve made a purchase from the wardrobe! It’s really wonderful to know how much happiness these one off pieces of history have brought you all! If you have any photos of yourself wearing something from the wardrobe, then do send them in! It’d be great to see how you style your vintage pieces!

What’s next then? I aim to add more vintage additions to the website and have some exciting ideas up my sleeve, so stay tuned!

Sending lots of vintage love,

Sameera