Join the revolution!

For years now I have been trying to convince the people of Fermanagh and beyond to choose Vintage and pre loved fashion. I’m not saying that you should only wear vintage but instead mix it up a bit with items from the high street. I have always said that cheap ‘fast fashion’ cannot possibly be a good thing. In light of recent events with Primark, where customers found ‘SOS’ labels stitched into items of clothing,  there has never been a better time to step away from the huge chain stores.

Although nothing has been officially proven, Primark have recently released a statement saying that following their investigations they can only conclude that the labels are an elaborate hoax. Having examined the labels from items bought from their Swansea store Primark believe that they have came from the same source yet both garments are from two different suppliers, one in Romania and one in India and therefore the labels must have been sewn in at a later point and not from the factory they were supplied from.

As regards the cropped trousers bought in Belfast, Primark are still investigating this with the factory in China. Whether the incidents are a hoax or not it still doesn’t excuse the fact that these factory workers do work long hours and sometimes in dangerous conditions. Look at the recent incident in Bangladesh when a factory where garments were being made to supply fashion houses in Florence collapsed killing 1,129 workers.

Although garment production does provide many in third world countries with a steady income; mass produced clothing, which is made with low quality materials, are not designed to last, hence the reason why they are sold so cheaply.

Clothing nowadays is simply not designed to last due to the fact that we live in such as fast society with fickle tastes and changing demands. Trends change so often that the fashion industry has to keep up with this and provide it at a reasonable price. With cheap clothing that you can just throw away when you are fed up with it and buy the next latest trend, what incentive is there to buy vintage or pre-loved? One major incentive is the fact that you won’t find anyone else wearing the same outfit as you. The new channel Four programme ‘This Old Thing’ hopes to convince the UK that vintage is the way to go.

At last the word is getting out there that vintage clothing is not only unique and special but also much better quality with a lot more durability than modern clothing. It’s great to see the vintage revolution spreading to prime time TV. The UK mainland has embraced the vintage revolution and in fact seasonal trends are now emerging in even vintage lines. For example people are now hunting for fifties circle skirts, tropical prints and kimono jackets; tropical prints also being very popular this season on the high street.

Unfortunately Fermanagh has not yet caught the vintage bug, however I hope that this new Channel Four programme will encourage people to consider vintage as an alternative to the high street

Are our local charity shops becoming too greedy?

A recent article I read claimed that charity shops were beginning to become almost as expensive as high street stores, which obviously sell brand new items rather than previously loved clothing. Call it what you want previously loved or other people’s cast offs I have always believed that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure and I am proud to say that some of my greatest finds have been purchased in charity shops.

Some people say that modern day charity shops have abandoned their traditional clientele in a bid to become more appealing to modern society and modern tastes. This new approach however does seem to be working with charity shops now outnumbering shoe shops on the high street and charity shop chains such as Oxfam reporting sales of £90 million in 2011, which is an all-time record.

After reading the article I took to Facebook to see what others thought and a few did agree particularly those living in Belfast where charity shops have become more like exclusive boutiques. As always though Fermanagh is that little bit behind and things haven’t changed much here in terms of charity shops. Although they are trying to reach out to new clientele I have to say that the majority of customer’s in Fermanagh charity shops are older people just looking for a bargain.

The shopping experience in a Belfast or any city based charity shop is completely different to the experience I feel in Enniskillen. I almost feel intimidated sometimes by other shoppers as though they are questioning my motives and why I am invading their territory. For this reason I feel that nothing much has changed in our local charity shops whereas in Belfast and other cities prices have gone up because quite frankly they can afford to charge more due to the calibre of customer. Nowadays a charity shop in Belfast will charge more than the likes of Primark even though the items are second hand.

For now I don’t believe our local charity shops are at all greedy in fact they are quite the opposite, they could probably charge more for many of the items they sell. I don’t think our local charity shops will change any time soon or at least until they modernise, appeal to more fashionable customers and get in a few more exclusive items but then for me the whole fun is in searching until you find that one special item.

Allis Vintage Trend Report – Global inspiration

Spring is on its way and Allis Vintage are ready and waiting for it! We can’t wait to kiss goodbye to long dark evenings and the chill in the air.

One of spring summer 2014’s upcoming trends is Tribal, safari, ethnic or whatever you want to call it. On the world’s catwalk’s designer were thinking globally in terms of their prints. They weren’t just influenced by the obvious African inspired prints but also Asia, the Americas and also even Europe.

Allis Vintage have their own unique take on this trend with one of a kind and a few handmade items from the past brought to life today with a modern twist. Get your own unique version of today’s trends from a past life at Allis Vintage.

Do it the Allis Vintage way

Allis Vintage are all about not only bringing you one of a kind unique and fabulous items of clothing to make your wardrobe that little bit different to everyone else’s but we also strive to keep up to date with whats going on in the world of fashion.

As much as we believe that people should not be ruled by trends but instead ruled by their heart’s desire we do believe that is important to present our vintage items in an appealing fashion forward way. We understand that many people are put off by vintage clothing purely because it’s pre-loved and ‘old fashioned’. Allis Vintage however strive to promote Vintage as a good choice for fashion forward fans of all things unique.

Owner Sharon Irvine (me!) selects each item of clothing with a particular woman in mind. She is effortless, chic and timeless and is always one step ahead in the style stakes. I don’t have any specific age group in mind when I select my range but I do believe the right person will find the right item that suits them. To quote Sex and the City I believe that Vintage is like Couture if it doesn’t fit perfectly its a disaster! I hope you enjoy my collection.

Spring summer 2014 the Allis Vintage way!

So we’ve seen how they did it on the fashion capital’s catwalks and how this has translated to the high street but how will you choose to wear this season’s styles?

Although I always keep track of what is going on on the catwalks, like designers I prefer to set the trends myself. I prefer to do my own thing and although I do follow the occasional trend just to get in on the action I prefer to select my line of vintage clothing myself on what I think people will love.

I always select timeless pieces that will never go out of style, items that will help you stand out from the crowd, special one of a kind pieces that will make you feel as special as they are. Every item that I select give me a tingle of excitement and when I style them on my mannequin and photograph them for sale (although my photography skills are quite poor) I give each item of clothing a vintage name to match it’s hidden personality.

Giving each piece of clothing a name not only helps me to differentiate each one and helps me to remember them but also makes them that little bit more special to me, almost like naming children. The best bit for me is actually seeing my clothes on people. When I buy in a new item I always imagine what it will look like on a person what they would wear with it and what they will wear it to.

For Spring Summer 2014 I have selected some new (old) items from 1960s, 70s and 80s which are fun, bright, a little bit whimsical and a lot of quirky. As always I will be getting more stock in through out the season but I hope you love what I have selected for now! All items are for sale so get in touch!

Get to the Bazaar!

The Dollybird Bazaar is held on the first Saturday of each month in Main Street Omagh County Tyrone Northern Ireland and has a selection of one of a kind treats from restored handmade furniture, vintage clothing, delicious cupcakes and chocolate to handmade bunting and baby accessories.

Adele’s Cakes

Although quite small in size the Dollybird Bazaar has everything you could need to treat not only yourself but the whole family and although it may not be in a hot far away country Main Street has all the charms and buzz you could possibly want for a great day out.

Handmade by Becky

The great thing about the Dollybird Bazaar is that there is something for everyone with just one or two of each type of business so that there is just enough selection and not too much of the same thing. Main Street is an ideal location as you can walk round the Bazaar at your leisure not having to worry about the weather as it is under cover and you can stop off for something to eat and drink in between shopping.

Allis Vintage

If fashion is your thing you can browse through the rails of vintage fashion from Allis Vintage and Rustic Runway or formal, evening wear and bridal dresses from Dream Dresses. There is also fabulous handmade and costume jewellery, scarves and handbags from Sperrin Sparkles, Kate’s Krafts and Caroline Mallon. If you are a fan of home wear and interiors you will love the stunning handmade restored furniture from Dollybird Vintage, kitchenware from Pampered Chef and home interiors from OO Sew Crafty, Handmade by Becky and Baked in Belfast. If handmade cosmetics are your thing Cowslip Meadow has lots of specialist products for you to pamper yourself with. If you are a foodie you will most definitely be spoilt for choice with all sorts of tasty treats on offer.

OO Sew Crafty

Baked in Belfast have tasty chutney’s, jams and relishes on offer as well as quirky handmade dishes, jugs and plates to serve up all your yummy treats. Adele’s cakes were on hand to serve up homemade cupcakes and samples of tasty cakes. Adele always has the wow factor with her displays and adventurous cupcake flavours such as my favourite vodka and coke cupcakes. Altemeyer Chocolates is always a favourite and who could resist the melt in your mouth chocolate treats all hand made locally and believe me if you love chocolate you will not have tasted anything like this.

Dollybird Vintage

One thing that surprised me was how many local businesses were taking part and the majority of them were cottage industries. There are so many hidden gems out there that you just don’t find out about or appreciate until you find them at events like this. As I am a fan of unique and quirky things and things that you don’t get everywhere the Dollybird Bazaar is my idea of heaven. The last Dolly Bird Bazaar will be held next month on Saturday 7^th September at Main Street Omagh.

Carter becomes Taylor

 

In a new BBC film set to be screened this winter the firey relationship between Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton will be explored with the central focus being set around their Broadway appearance in the risqué comedy play ‘Private Lives’. The importance of this particular point in their careers was the fact that this was the turning point in their relationship. After seven years apart this play brought them together again and rekindled their love. This was also Burton’s last appearance as an actor as he tragically died a year later from a brain haemorrhage just a year after getting back together with Taylor after two divorces from her.

Of all the people I would pick to play Elizabeth Taylor I would never have imagined Helena Bonham Carter in the role, however on seeing some of the promotional pictures Carter really looks amazing and there is certainly no need to question her acting abilities as she has played everyone from an evil witch in Harry Potter to the Queen Mother in The Kings Speech.

Anyone who is familiar with Bonham Carter will know that she has a very eccentric sense of style and has received many ‘worst dressed’ red carpet awards so I will look forward to seeing her in a more glamorous role and no doubt she will feel slightly out of her comfort zone being compared to one of the most glamorous women of all time.

As we all know Elizabeth Taylor was fond of expensive clothing and priceless jewels, something which Helena Bonham Carter does not relate to. Among her huge collection of jewels, reported to be worth one hundred and fifty million dollars, was a 62.49 carat pear shaped diamond, which Burton purchased for over one million dollars and had made into a necklace by designer by Cartier. More famously Burton also purchased a fifty carat La Peregrina Pearl as a Valentines gift for Taylor, which had once been owned by Mary I of England and is one of the largest perfectly symmetrical pear-shaped pearls in the world.

Taylor was also a huge fan of designer clothing, particularly elaborate haute couture gowns and was especially fond of Valentino and Halston designs. She would always set every red carpet outfit off with a fabulous piece of jewellery often costing much more than the gown itself. Had Taylor been alive today I wonder what she would think of this new portrayal of her relationship with Richard Burton. There is no doubt that the couple were madly in love and he clearly adored her since he spoiled her with such expensive lavish jewellery however there was something about their relationship which tore them apart but brought them back together again. Perhaps this film will give us some understanding of their complex relationship.

Great Gatsby!!

 

The fashion world has been waiting with baited breath for the release of Baz Luhrmann’s adaption of The Great Gatsby. The film set in 1920’s New York was originally due to hit cinemas in December; however producers decided to push its release back to May 2013. I had been looking forward to seeing this film for a long time and when I heard that I had to wait a further five months I was slightly put out.

Fans of 1920’s fashion will be pleased to hear that menswear brand Brooks Brothers have launched an exhibition this week in their London Regent’s Street store as a sneak preview to some of the costumes featured in the film. The exhibition will include just ten pieces as worn by Leonardo Dicaprio, who plays leading character Jay Gatsby and Carey Mulligan who plays Daisy Buchanan. The menswear brand have collaborated with director Baz Luhrmann’s wife and costume designer Catherine Martin who designed and sourced the costumes for the film.

What I am particularly excited about is the fact that costume designer Catherine Martin has collaborated with Miuccia Prada for many of the costumes and they have gone into the Prada achieves as well as creating new pieces inspired by the original period of time. Prada and Martin have aimed to create authentic looks which tell a story of what was happening in New York at the time. In New York during the mid-1920’s what you wore in society made a very strong statement about who you were. For example European fashion was beginning to influence the aristocratic East Coast crowd therefore if you moved in those social circles it was very important to dress in that style. If you followed the fashion of Europe you were

said to be extremely sophisticated, decedant and glamorous; dressing in this style made society think something of you even if in reality you weren’t from a wealthy family you could simply fit in just because you looked the part.  As a fan of fashion and history this is one film I will certainly not be missing and with a host of stunning gowns, a fabulous soundtrack, wild 1920s cocktail parties and a whole line up of stars in 3D to look forward to who would want to miss this?

Make your own

 

Hard at work on my blanket project

As a fan of the unique I have always wanted to create my own designs and although I am not at the stage of making my own clothing just yet I have recently joined a crochet group, which meets every Wednesday in a small village in County Monaghan. The village itself is home to a unique crochet pattern known as the ‘Clones knot’ named after the village of clones in which it was conceived. 

Crocheting and lace making is part of the heritage of my home county Fermanagh and the neighbouring county Monaghan and in fact we have a famous lace museum known as the ‘Sheelin Lace Museum’, which displays all sorts of beautiful lace patterns, dresses and outfits made locally and abroad. I have always loved lace and in fact never realised that lace could be made by crocheting with very fine thread and a hook.

As a complete beginner I have started with the basics and am learning how to make ‘granny squares’ and rose motif in order to learn and become confident with my patterns. For now I am working on a blanket project as something which I hope will be easy to begin with, however in time I hope to progress onto lace making to produce my own unique styles to work in with some of my vintage items. Stay tuned!