Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Calling All Beyonce Fans-Win Tix to the Mrs. Carter World Tour





Calling all thrifty Beyonce fans, here is your chance to win a pair of tickets to the Mrs. Carter Tour  at Barclay's Center courtesy of Goodwill.   Here's all you have to do:

 1. Go to the Goodwill NY/NJ  Facebook page
 
 2. Click on the  tab that says "Win Beyonce Tickets' 
 
 3.Fill out the form with all your details. 
 
4.  Share the link on your Facebook Page. 

5. You can enter up to once per day.

6. Your friends will increase your chances. Every time they sign up via your unique link, you gain bonus entries. 
 

Winners will be announced the day before and will pick up tickets at the Will-Call for either the December 19th  or December 22nd performance.





Thursday, November 7, 2013

Throwback Thursday







A few years back I went to the library at my alma mater, the Fashion Institute of Technology and looked through tons of archival magazines from as early as the 1940s. Since it is throwback Thursday I decided to post a few images that inspire me from that research trip.

Monday, October 14, 2013

Intro to Vintage Clothing

Vintage clothing isn't always an easy sell. I've had my fair share of possible customers who are intimidated by old clothes. Sometimes it's the boldness that freaks them out in our very casual dressed culture of today. Sometimes it's the fact that it was previously worn by someone that creeps people out. They are all understandable hang ups that I try to understand and still coax a sell out of those that have apprehensions.  If you are new to vintage but not sure how to or what to buy, here are a few tips to get you to become a connoisseur.

Start Small




Whether you're buying stocks, real estate or anything else you are new to, start small. Your first vintage purchase should never be a red fox gown length cape, unless you are someone who just  jumps into anything. Start off with small baubles, costume jewelry is always great for beginners. Go for a brooch, a bracelet or a cocktail ring. Vintage jewelry is almost always great statement pieces and conversation starters.


Banging Bags



After costume jewelry, vintage bags are the next step up. The clutches and frame bags of decades before us can really add some uumph to your wardrobe.  Usually smaller in size in comparison to modern day luggage like totes, the classic bags from the 1950s and 60s are delicate ladylike and just enough room for a night out necessities.


Belt It

A fierce belt can add massive wattage to an outfit. Whether they are skinny or large,vintage belts adds a hint of sophistication, creating shape to shapeless dresses and baggy coats.  Belts very rarely look vintage and can give your wardrobe great range and will get a myriad of wears.



Coat It


Yes, I jumped from accessories to coats but vintage outerwear is very seductive even to a vintage newbie. Whether it's army/navy, fur or classic wool in Gotham City, your coat is part armor, part fashion statement.  Go into stores today and its the same styles on the rack.  Vintage outerwear is always glam and practical at the same time.


All pictures courtesy of Vintage Shaun on Etsy.com

Monday, October 7, 2013

Having Goodwill


Team Shaun for the Goodwill Suits You Fashion Show 



Here at Vintage Shaun we love Goodwill and since March of this year we've worked with them on a number of videos and projects.  On the first of October, myself along with additional stylist and bloggers worked with Goodwill clients on their annual Goodwill Suits You Fashion Show.  My models who I love to call Team Shaun were Khalil, Monique and Ashuna. They all had fabulous personal style so it was more a collaboration rather than a style session. Take a look at some pictures from the event and when you have the chance donate to Goodwill.





Friday, September 20, 2013

Does Goodwill Suit You?

In previous posts I've mentioned my love for Goodwill and I've worked on a few video projects in the past. Here's the newest video for a project called Goodwill Suits You where I  style  employees and clients of Goodwill who are looking for a more suitable look for the workforce. This is the video leading up to a great event in October that I'm super excited to work on. Take a look at the video below.




Friday, August 30, 2013

Ask Vintage Shaun: The Chanel Debate

This came into my inbox a few weeks ago and I got swamped so I apologize Mina!

Hey! So I have this vintage quilted chain necklace. I've had it authenticated but they offered very little for it. Is it worth keeping or should I sell?






Chanel anything makes ears perk, especially when it comes to vintage. However, when it comes to vintage Chanel jewelry the pieces that move the most are usually logo based. Logos are not just a hood fab necessity, logos are cultural reference points and status symbols across both  generations and cultures.  With saying, your piece has Chanel insignia  on top part of the charm combined with classic vintage  elements of a thick chain but the current market isn't offering huge amounts for Chanel jewelry. In the age of eBay, the market gets flooded with high end goods and looses it's cache. Add that to the fact the piece isn't a large logo piece the size of Ghostface Killa's chain and the market may not be in your favor right now. Here's some style advice, don't sell it keep it as a true heirloom, appreciate the fact you have a pretty classic piece. Keep treasures close to you. How many people do you know with vintage Chanel?



If  you or someone you know has a family heirloom or have a question about vintage clothing, send pictures and questions to vintageshaun@gmail.com

Friday, August 9, 2013

Ask Vintage Shaun





Want to know how to buy vintage?
Have a piece but not sure what it's worth?
Not sure how to style your favorite vintage piece?

Ask Vintage Shaun will be a weekly feature. Ask me all your questions regarding Vintage Shaun as well as all things vintage and I am here to kindly educate you all. Just shoot an email over to Vintageshaun@gmail.com and stay tuned for a reply.


Remember vintage is the new black.

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

Cut It Out






If anyone ever tells you vintage clothing can't be sexy, this dress will make them eat their words. As a matter of fact, if anyone tells you vintage makes you look old and dowdy, this dress will make them eat a buffet of their verbal opinion. you eat your words. A mid 1980s cocktail dress with amazing back cutouts, this dress is a sexy showstopper. I picked this up in July, wandering  in one of my favorite thrift shops, I saw it  from about fifty feet away- no lie, and I hauled some serious ass to get to it before anyone could even get interested in it. When I say I hauled ass, I actually had a raised heart beat as I put some serious cardio into retrieving this off the rack. In a matter of less than ten seconds, I jumped over a screaming toddler, politely nudged two older women and blocked a rather stylish looking thrifter from getting around me all to avoid missing out on this stunning number. Look, no one can ever tell me I lack passion. It's a size medium, it's super form flattering and if you want it,  stay tuned for this sexy number to appear at the next Sip n Shop  with details to come very soon.



Wednesday, May 29, 2013

I Know You See Me On The Video


Back in April I worked on a video for the Spring Fling  Contest with Goodwill of Greater New York and Northern New Jersey. The contest encouraged a social responsibilty  such as donating clothes to thrift stores rather than throwing in the garbage, shopping at thrift stores as opposed to mega retailers and also getting rid of excess for a good cause. As a consummate thrifter, purger and shopper I donated my styling expertise to one of the winners, Erin who is a dead ringer for Anne Hathaway. Erin  is stepping into a new phase in her life, and had given away tons of party dresses (gasp!) and was looking for a sleek  more professional look. Erin, has a great eye and knew exactly what worked best for body as well as her wardrobe. We worked the racks at the West 79th Street location and found a fabulous Michael Kors jacket that screamed I AM SHUTTING IT DOWN! The Spring Fling Contest was a fun collaboration between myself, Erin and Goodwill and was one of the most fun projects I've worked on in some time.  Check out the video above and run  with your donation, do not walk to the Goodwill on the Upper West Side and then do a little shopping for yourself,  that location  has some pretty amazing inventory with  high fashion stock at thrift store prices.

Friday, May 17, 2013

Vintage Styling Class at BAV Collective



Vintage Shaun is carried at BAV Collective, a fun store in Montclair, New Jersey run by super woman B.Artiste who is a designer, an author and a college professor.  June is Workshop Month and your's truly will be kicking it off with a Vintage Styling workshop on June 3rd. Vintage Shaun will be in the building speaking about the modern twist on vintage clothes, how to not look like a character out of a period film and what to do with your mom's hand me downs.  It's $25 or you can attend all 4 for $80, reserve your spot  and shoot any questions at bavthcollective@gmail.com, hopefully we'll see you there.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Everyone Needs a Spring Fling

As a seasoned thrifter, Goodwill has a huge stake in my wardrobe. Thrifting and vintage are the truest forms of being  green and ecologically stylish. By shopping or donating to a local thrift store such as Goodwill, you are recycling and reusing therefore avoiding the billions of tons of clothing that ends up in landfills.

In honor of Earth Day as well as that annual task of spring cleaning, I'm working on an amazing   project with the Goodwill NY/NJ called Spring Fling the Excess, where you have a chance on winning a styling session with me. Sounds pretty cool, right? Well, all you have to do is like Goodwill on Facebook and post "I donate to Goodwill because.." with either a photo of yourself or what you plan to donate by 11pm by April 22, 2013 and simple as that, you've entered yourself for a chance to win a  free outfit and styling session at Goodwill.  Check out the video below and start your spring closet cleaning.




Friday, March 29, 2013

The Coat

photo courtesy of Hannan Saleh and Essence.com


Vintage Givenchy Sport Blue Wool/Mohair Belted Coat circa mid 1980s.

Some girls are bag addicts and of course  there are the shoe lovers. Now  I won't say I'm not either of those but,  I truly have a love and borderline addiction in a good way for coats. In New York, it's not about your car or your home when you ride the subway most of the time and  apartments are smaller than ant farms, your coat is a status symbol. It doesn't have to be fur or exotic, although I don't object to that, your coat just has to have a splash of color, a great cut and a twist on the traditional and oh yeah it has to be warm.  Are you a coat head, how many coats do you own? 

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Friday, March 1, 2013

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis Make Thrift Shopping Cool For Hip-Hop Heads

I'm gonna pop some tags
Only got 20 dollars in my pocket
I-I-I'm hunting
Looking for a come up
This is f-n awesome


It takes a white dude with a love of old clothes bought for a song, to top the hip hop music charts.  When I was a kid, shopping at a thrift store  was thought of as the worse thing ever but, Macklemore has made an actual theme song for us professional and amateur thifters and it's a smash hit.  In an era of bling hip hop check out Trinidad James "All Gold Everything" where even though the subject and his peers  are  living in abject poverty, the need to floss with highly expensive items is the only way to survive. Shot in an actual thrift store  with models and  extras styled in arraying vintage fashions mostly from the early 1980s, there is not a booty shot, an Ashton Martin or brick of cash in site and the video is still a fun filled creative work of art.  The  fur coat Macklemore wears  in the opening shot looks like something out of the movie The Mack with a twist of the Lion King but like a true thrifter, he rocks it  with   confidence and brags about how cheap who could resist a dude who says: I'll wear your grandpa clothes/ I look incredible/ I'm in this big ass coat/ From that thrift shop down the road.

Friday, February 8, 2013

Treat My First Like My Last

First vintage fur purchase is this chevron beauty seen here. It was love at first click, my first internet purchase as well from a site, I feel so horrible to have forgotten.  I was a junior in college working for a fashion designer smack in the heart of the fashion district and I was beginning to really open up my view on vintage. Made  of leather and mink it  is a stellar piece that will never leave my closet, it's not for sale just for admiration. 



Tuesday, January 1, 2013

The Search For The Technicolor Dream Coat

It's 2013 and the world may not have come to an end but Kim Kardashian is pregnant with Kanye's baby and although I don't think Baby West is the anti-Christ there is something well kind of off with the announcement  I can't quite place my hand on it but the only think I'm looking forward to is Kim's post baby body. Unlike Kimye whom are looking forward to an expanding family, I'm more like Carrie Bradshaw and looking forward to an expanding vintage collection. So far I've found some pretty great pieces including a rather stunning  burgundy cape and a well made varsity jacket I gifted to my favorite videographer. For 2013 I'm seeking a gold sequin coat. Besides leopard and of course fur a gold sequin coat is just a viscous cold blooded definition of glamour. I lost out on EBay and I may have located one on the East Coast but I'll keep searching to stay within my budget and as I post on my fashion inspiration board, the search for Shaun and the Vintage Technicolor Dream Coat.

1970s Fox Collar Sequin Cape $625 courtesy of Bustown Modern 



Vintage Gold Sequin Coat $2000