I took a train to visit a girlfriend in country Victoria
last week, and as it happened it rained for the majority of my stay. Annoying as
it was that we didn’t get as much gardening done as planned, we did manage
however to forage the racks of three wonderful Charity stores. $60 later not only had I donated to charity (hey hey!) I also had a fabulous array of ‘new-old’ items; from shoes, designer tops, high-waisted slacks, to a ‘Samantha
Jones’ inspired party dress and a fabulous black velvet evening bag, heck, I even managed to score a vintage buckle-up case to carry my lute back to Melbourne in! Needless to say I was more than pleased with our shopping efforts, and country Victoria had become the balls out best destination for thrift shop delights! Yet my happiness evolved into a little bit of a pissed off tiff as it had become all too clear how expensive retro/vintage shopping has become in Melbourne.
My love affair for all things vintage has gone on for as long as I can remember, and will continue till I drop dead - clad in vintage couture, grandmas pearls, cigar ash & cats no doubt - but these days there is such a hype surrounding retro/vintage shopping, that even a lot of charity stores have cottoned onto it and upped their prices! That said, I can't say that bothers me at all as it never hurts to give back to charity, but as a longtime vintage enthusiast I can make like our grandparents and say 'I remember when I could get a dress for...' to show my displeasure for how times have changed. All waffling complaints in regards to vintage going mainstream aside, I still love everything about it. From the potential backstory to the rarity of a garment, heck I'd even go so far to say I get a kick out of the smell - much like I do from a library - there is just so much history in its musk.
With my recent thrifting adventure behind me I felt inspired to go through my closet and drawers to marvel at my collection, this led to taking a few snaps of some items I’ve purchased/collected over the years, plus some shots of my country bargains. So here it is guys and dolls, some photographs of a (small) slice of my personal collection of vintage & designer pieces, plus a little list of some of my favourite hubs for shopping - if you find yourself in the area...
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| EBAY: Escada, YSL, Christian Dior. |
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| Sample sales: Bettina Liano, Sass & Bide. |
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| left to right op-shop delights: Carla Zampatti, Seduce, Scanlan and Theodore, Morrissey, Scanlan and Theodore. |
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| EBAY: YSL |
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| Country op-shop $5 bargain! |
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| Country op-shop $4 slacks, $3 top. |
For more photos check out my tumblr, accessible through the tabs above this post - you know, the one marked 'tumblr'. Otherwise here's the list, PLUS! The link to my beautiful country friend's own tumblr page:
http://rforrach.tumblr.com
Because her fabulousness makes my life better.
Los Angeles
BUFFALO EXCHANGE: Buy/Sell/Trade, multi locations USA
JET RAG: $1 sale Sundays, LA
SQUARESVILLE: LA
Melbourne
HUNTER GATHERER – Brotherhood of St Lawrence: Royal Arcade
RED PARASOL: Croydon
Of course I could go on and on about shopping in Melbourne, but I'll save it for another post!
Also a special mention to BEYOND RETRO, London: http://www.beyondretro.com
I remember shopping here with my brother and I thought he'd lose patience with me, but thankfully there was an old arcade version of Bubble Bobble in the back corner. I almost died! I could have lived in this place... Best. Game. Ever.
&.the.bohemian.girl.xx.
Post-script: Excuse the woeful layout of photos, something's amiss with the upload feature and it doesn't help that I'm not the most tech-savvy lady in the world!
Post-script: Excuse the woeful layout of photos, something's amiss with the upload feature and it doesn't help that I'm not the most tech-savvy lady in the world!
