The Style Sequel Customer. Part 2
Here at Style Sequel our customers mean the world to us. Not only are they a thoroughly lovely lot and superbly stylish, they also really know their second hand and vintage fashion stuff.
Second to take centre stage in our homage to our wonderful buyers is the lovely Cerys who recently wore one of her Style Sequel finds to the Star Trek premiere where she met a host of stars – Simon Pegg, Karl Urban and the film’s director JJ Abrams. All no doubt like moths to the flame of her stunning Burberry glitter lace dress (love Simon Pegg’s face! Love Simon Pegg).
Cerys (an Ascot based (by way of Switzerland!) super chic mother of two) caught the pre-owned fashion bug when she moved to Ascot and started buying from her local designer clothing exchanges. Having previously never bought anything pre-loved Cerys’ first purchase (a Marc Jacobs mainline dress for £170) got her hooked and she admitted that “it’s a bit of an addiction now”.
As with so many of our buyers Cerys buys new as well as second hand but having become clued in to the amazing bargains out there she (like me) now finds it hard to justify the expense of buying full price. And she has a weakness for Charlotte Olympia clutches – a woman of immaculate taste.
Find more amazing Burberry dresses here and here
Micro Trend Edit. The Met Gala does Punk
With its theme of ‘punk’ The Met Gala red carpet featured many rifs on the anarchistic side of fashion. There was full on crazy in Madonna’s Givenchy studded jacket and fishnets and also super pretty in Hailee Steinfeld’s custom made safety pin trimmed Donna Karan dress (no, I am NOT jealous of a 16 year old wearing a dress I would give my left leg to own).
There were also some real misses – most surprising to me was Kristen Stewart who pretty much does the whole punk lite aesthetic every day of the year. Her totally unflattering ‘look at my crotch’ and quite frankly dowdy looking Stella McCartney jumpsuit was just odd, odd, odd.
So, if you fancy injecting a bit of dark fashion into your wardrobe the below should be right up your street.
Top left: Les Chiffoniers Black Sequin Leggings
Bottom left: Bionda Castana ‘Roisin’ Black & Gold Studded Corset Ankle Boots
Top centre: Yves Saint Laurent Tom Ford AW02 Black Silk ‘Ribbon’ Skirt
Bottom centre: Alexander McQueen Resort 2010 Black Crepe Zip Dress
Top right: Isabel Marant SS10 Dampa Imp Dark Camo Canvas Boots
Bottom right: Alexander McQueen Faithful Black Leather Ankle Boots
The Style Sequel Customer. Part 1
Here at Style Sequel our customers mean the world to us. Not only are they a thoroughly lovely lot and superbly stylish, they also really know their second hand and vintage fashion stuff. So, we thought it was about time we paid homage to some of our wonderful customers; those wonderful people who make doing what we do so rewarding.
First up; the gorgeous and super, super lovely Eleanor from Sweden, whose blog citycatwalk has featured several (totally unprompted I must add) of her superb Style Sequel finds. We wanted to find what made this super chic Scandi lady tick and what her views on ‘second chance style’ were. Turns out she is pretty much my twin in her views on the joys of second hand and online shopping.
Below are also a few pictures of Eleanor modelling her Style Sequel finds of a Mulberry bag, Louboutin heels and Equipment silk shirt. Doesn’t she look incredible?
Em x
1. Hi Eleonor. Do tell us why you love secondhand shopping so much? Is it a money saving thing for you, or is there more to it?
I love shopping second hand because it gives you the chance to find the rare gems that you missed out on and hidden treasures that are difficult to get a hold of. The money saving is of course a big part of it, who doesn’t love a bargain? But also helping the environment through buying second hand is very important to me.
2. What is the secondhand shopping scene like in Scandinavia? Is it very different (in your experience) to in other countries?
I was so happy when I found Style Sequel because it its hard to find the most sought after designer items second hand in Scandinavia. I’m sure there is a growing market for second hand designer clothing stores but I haven’t found anything similar to Style Sequel in Sweden. There are a lot of small secondhand boutiques that are great for vintage and retro styles, but if you are looking for contemporary and modern designs those are more difficult to find.
3. Do you shop mainly online for your second hand fashion?
Yes, I shop mainly online for all my fashion, both second hand and new. I love the luxury of trying things on in my own home and being able to see if my new finds fit in with the rest of my wardrobe. And who doesn’t love to receive an exiting parcel at their door! Searching online for the things you want and finding them at great prices is a bit like treasure hunting.
4. Of course, you don’t just shop secondhand. How do you mix and match your second hand fashion with new pieces?
I love to mix styles, something cool with something romantic or something brand new with something bought second hand. It makes my style feel more ‘alive’ and exciting. I don’t like to buy a whole new look from one store. I like to feel unique but also on trend, that’s why it’s so good to mix new with previous seasons.
5. Which designers do you look out for most when shopping second hand?
Right now it’s Christian Louboutin shoes because there is no store in Sweden that has them. I also love Mulberry bags; they are of such great quality that they wear beautifully and the leather often looks even more beautiful as it ages. Recently I have developed a thing for Equipment silk shirts. They so classic in style, so comfy to wear and go with everything. Of course the ultimate find is the classic Chanel 2.55 bag!
6. How do you feel about the risk of fakes in the online second hand market place?
It can be quite difficult to be sure you’re getting the real thing. I have been disappointed before. Some second hand stores online put up pictures of the real thing and then send you a bad copy but with Style Sequel, what you see is what you get. Everything that I’ve purchased from Style Sequel looks exactly like it does in the pictures, is of great quality and always authentic. I love that Style Sequel guarantee that all merchandise is authentic, it makes me feel secure while shopping.
7. Do you tend to buy accessories more than clothing second hand?
When buying secondhand online I tend to purchase accessories because you don’t have to worry about how it fits and sizes and I’m also an accessories kind of girl. You can dress up any clothing item with great accessories, so they are worth spending a little more on, in my opinion.
Joy Of Second Hand. Trend Edit. Print Clash
This season is all about letting your crazy side out. Forget all the rules of what goes with what. Pile on the prints and embrace the joy of the mis-match
Top right: Opening Ceremony Jacquard Top
Bottom right: Marni Purple Block Print Top
Centre top: Chloe Floral Blazer
Center bottom: Dior Camo Print Wedges
Top left: Marni Green Print Dress
Bottom left: Balenciaga Plaid Blouse
Blogger Dress Up. Monica & Lea
Our latest blogger dress up was quite simply brilliant. Not only did we have the gorgeous Monica from The Elgin Avenue as our stylist/model we also had the super talented Lea Salomone taking the photos.
Much fun was had by us all as Monica and Lea took some of the most amazing pieces in our collection, including this, this and these out and about in Kennington.
The weather was gorgeous, the outfits were superb and the talent was obvious. Below are a couple of our quick snaps, but really you must go to The Elgin Avenue to see the real deal. Also make check sure you out Lea’s website.
Thanks ladies. It was a blast. Em x
Fashion Investors. What To Buy…..
So. You read my thoughts on being a fashion collector? If not, shame on you, get over there now and take a look. If you are thinking of investing in fashion yourself the below should be helpful, whether you are a Hamish or a Rachel.
What I like to call ‘contemporary vintage’ has been covetable for a while now and there is no doubt that people are becoming more aware of it as a category distinct from ‘true vintage’. The Internet has made it easier for people to reference past collections and to look out for their most coveted pieces in the second hand marketplace. Museum exhibitions of contemporary fashion labels such as Alexander McQueen, Prada and Louis Vuitton/Marc Jacobs have also given people a better ‘real time’ idea of what might be fashion’s future collectibles. Whether it be Tom Ford’s designs for Gucci or Stella McCartney’s designs for Chloe there is no doubt that the pre-owned designer fashion buyer is becoming more savvy about the pieces they spend their money on.
When thinking of who to invest in there are several factors to take into account. If you have the eye of Isabella Blow or Joan Burstein you could try to snap up the first collection from fashion’s next big thing (Blow bought Alexander McQueen’s graduate collection, Burstein bought John Galliano’s). But if you don’t have the rare skill of being able to recognise the future of fashion then you should look at buying pieces with some hindsight – so pre-owned.
Alexander McQueen pieces from Lee’s McQueen’s days are of course very collectible (for obvious reasons of irreplaceability) and Pheobe Philo’s designs for Chloe are gaining cache. Philo has come into her own in collector’s terms. Her huge success at Celine and her reputation as the new ‘Queen of Minimalism’ has heralded a new interest in her whole archive.
Other things to look out for are labels that have undergone a change of designer as pieces from the out-going designers will become more collectible – think about Nicolas Ghesquiere’s Balenciaga pieces and Stefano Pilati’s YSL ones. And also think about iconic collections from your favourite labels – Stella McCartney’s Chloe Spring ‘Horses’ collection is hugely collectible.
And don’t forget key pieces from smaller labels – Christopher Kane’s galaxy print dress, Isabel Marant’s Dicker boots and Bekket trainers and Kenzo’s Tiger sweater to name a handful. And keep an eye on those super hot, relatively young labels such Mary Katrantzou and Charlotte Olympia.
Shop our fashion collectibles here
Fashion Face Off. Part 3. Balenciaga Leather Jacket vs Helmut Lang Leather Jacket
Every girl (unless she chooses to not wear animal products) needs at least one perfect leather jacket in her wardrobe. For maximum wearability black is the obvious choice, but then what style to go for?
Do you prefer the hard edged biker chic of the iconic Balenciaga Moto or the more relaxed, ‘Sunday afternoon’ vibe of the vintage Helmut Lang?
I am a confirmed Balenciagaphile – I seriously worship the label. But I am also a huge Helmut Lang fan and this jacket is from when the man himself was still at the label! So for me an impossible choice to make. So this time I am sitting on the fence. Wearing both jackets…
How about you?
Thierry Mugler Returning To Thierry Mugler
…that has totally made my Friday. When I wrote this I was kinda hoping something like this might happen. Although it sounds like he won’t be designing for Thierry Mugler SAS (owned by the Clarins Group), he is joining as creative advisor and will be responsible for the look and feel of the label’s catwalk shows. Surely only a matter of time though? Wishful thinking maybe. But let’s console ourselves with the fact that, at least partially, fashion justice has been served.
And with George Michael’s Too Funky video for which Mugler designed the clothes
Top 7 Fashion Details
Just some pretty pictures showing details from our amazing stock. For no other reason than they are lovely. Sometimes that is all you need.
Alexander McQueen jacket
Jil Sander dress
Jenny Packham dress
Lulu Frost necklace
Chanel Shoes
Fendi Mini Spy bag
Alexander McQueen trousers
Bring Back Lacroix
I was heartened this morning by the (as yet unconfirmed news) news that Christian Lacroix is to design a one off couture collection for the resurrected House of Schiaparelli. I am a huge fan of Lacroix and was saddened when he went in administration. Ab Fab did him no favours, although of course there were MUCH bigger issues ie that the label never made a profit. Lacroix financed his last couture show – A/W2009 – himself. At the time he said “I didn’t want to cry…I want to continue, maybe in a different way, with a small atelier. What I really care about is the women who do this work”
Lacroix’s label was loud and proud with a penchant for mixing prints and textures to riotous effect. What raised him up was his exquisite craftsmanship (and that of the people he employed) and impeccable eye. His creations in the hands of a less skilled designer would have been way too much, but Lacroix created such beautiful pieces. Often weird yes, in your face yes, but beautiful. You only have to look at the below vintage Christian Lacroix Bazar skirt to see that
So, I say good for Lacroix and lets hope this is the start of more from this master.
