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£2.00 May 2010
HISTORY REPEATS Why Vintage has made such a massive comeback and how to get the look.
WORK IT! READY, STEADY, GO!
What working in the fashion business is really like
Get ready for race season
Hello Sunshine
It’s time to leave the coat at home Spring is finally here!
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C O N T E N T S
BELLE www.belle.co.uk
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May April2010 2010
On the cover: 2- What it is really like working in fashion, we interview vintage store owner, Emma Swinnerton to see if owning our own boutique is really as glamerous as it sounds. 4- Get ready for spring with the latest trends for the sunny season. 10- Races season is upon us, we look at some of the hottest trends for ladies day.
Features: 11- We look at the rise of vintage fashion and offer some tips on achieving that perfect old look. 12- How fashion is moving into the 21st centuary we explore the world of blogging and how it is changing fashion forever.
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I N T E R V I E W
Owning your own boutique may seem glamorous but what is it really like running your own fashion business, Vintage shop owner Emma Swinnerton talks to Anna Johnson about setting up her own shop and her love for the past. “We wanted to sell genuine vintage pieces instead of reworked vintage. A lot of the ‘vintage’ shops in Manchester and Liverpool, like Pop Boutique, have so many stores they struggle to stock them all and have to buy UHWUR WR ¿OO WKH VKRS :H ZDQWHG to be different and go for original pieces.” Walking into The Vintage Shop, Watergate Street, Chester is rather like wandering into an Aladins cave. Silk skirts, lace tops, sequined covered dresses and brightly coloured scarves cover every wall; antique dressing tables are buried under carefully displayed necklaces, earrings, broaches and even tiaras. The VKRS RR]HV ¿IWLHV FKDUP DQG elegance taking you back to a time when fashion was all about individuality and quality. Shop owner Emma Swinnerton always dreamed of opening her own clothes store although she originally started out on a very different path when she went to study English and American Literature at Goldsmith College, London. “After a year I decided it wasn’t for me and knew it was a now or never situation so I left University and went to do an intensive training course with Mac make up. After that I applied to London College of Fashion doing make artistry. That is when I really got into vintage fashion because most of our assignments were photo
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shoots and instead of getting clothes from chain stores like Topshop we started scouring the vintage shops to make our shoot look more unique.”
with advice and we used her accountant. We did a lot of research before opening for example it was a good time to open a vintage store as lots of celebrities had started With her love for vintage “We wanted wearing vintage, reawakened at college Chester has a large to be Emma returned to her student population and home town of Chester different there were no other in 2008 with the aim stores in the and go for vintage of starting her own city.” business. She enlisted the original help of her mother and However starting up her pieces.” sister and soon managed new business was not WR ¿QG DQ HPSW\ XQLW LQ ZLWKRXW LWV GLI¿FXOWLHV the city centre. High council charges and the recession meant things would not “My mum has owned her own be easy. business for over 20 years now and she helped us a lot “You do not get support from the
I N T E R V I E W
council you have to apply if you want to change anything, like the shop sign or the colour of the shop. Plus council rates are crazy a lot of shops have had to close because they haven’t been able to afford them.â€? There was also the problem of VWRFNLQJ WKH VKRS DW ÂżUVW (PPD and her sister had to go to London to get their clothes. “We sourced a lot of our stock from Camden and went to antique markets but then we started to be approached by dealers in Chester who had heard about us through word of mouth, you really have to rely on people talking about you to get known.â€? Now the shop has been up and running for two years the next step for Emma is creating the website. “We are having a website designed by a friend, we wanted Above- Emma Swinnerton’s shop, bottom right- A display in Emma’s shop. to do it sooner but it is very popularity is continuing to grow “People like vintage because expensive. I already have a blog with more and more customers they are bored of the high street and a page on Facebook where coming from outside Chester just fashions and feel like they are RXU FXVWRPHUV FDQ ÂżQG RXW DERXW to visit the store. getting value for money here, new stock. We get new things which they do not get from shops in all the time and if it is good “We have customers who travel like Primark, people can invest in stuff it goes really quickly so I from Liverpool a piece.â€? keep a wish list of items every week just customers are looking for “I always So is running her own vintage and I have a mailing list wanted my own to see what new things we have fashion boutique all Emma so I can let them know if shop but you in. Once people thought it would be? anything comes in.â€? we are here never know if know whenever they are “I always wanted my own shop But the shop is not just but you never know if you are about selling the clothes, you are going to in Chester they going to enjoy it or not until you they also give customers enjoy it or not will come in.â€? try it. There are days when you advice on how to care or Emma believes get the pressures of owning your their items, offer a clothes until you try the shops success own business, like when all the repair service and will it.â€? is because people bills come through but I still KHOS \RX ÂżQG WKDW SHUIHFW are fed up with the love it. I love meeting new and RXWÂżW \RXÂśYH EHHQ ORRNLQJ IRU high street shops and throw away interesting people and having a fashion culture. chat with the customers.â€? It seems The Vintage Shop’s
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F A S H I O N
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F AC SO HN IT OE N T S
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F AC SO HN IT OE N T S
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D I S C U S S I O N
CAUSING A SCENE With the highstreet failing to inspire it seems everyone from celebs to students are turning to the past. Anna Johnson looks at why vintage has made such a strong come back. By Anna Johnson.
wardrobe for years to come. The clothes are usually handmade and much better produced then modern day clothing that is quickly and cheaply made and is VHHQ DV GLVSRVDEOH ÂżWWLQJ LQ ZLWK our throw away culture.
Since the start of the recession independent boutiques have been struggling to survive, with shoppers favouring the cheaper chain stores like Primark. But it seems that vintage shops have managed to buck the And it’s not just students or those trend offering a cheap on a budget alternative to the mass “Vintage items hunting for a produced ‘Fast Fashion’ vintage bargain, manage to on the high street. another reason why Vintage has The label of ‘Vintage’ can retain a little grown so much in be given to any clothes romanticism; popularity is the from the 20th century that celebrity factor. are considered wearable, people enjoy Kate Moss is but mainly refers to one of vintages the satisfaction fashion from the 1920’s biggest fans, to 1980’s. The sudden RI Ă€QGLQJ WKDW recently admitting rise in vintages popularity she loves anything shows a backlash against perfect pair of old except mass produced clothing, shoes or bagâ€? men. She even proving people no named her latest longer want to be clones perfume after strolling down the street in the the trend. Other celebrity vintage latest Ugg boots and Topshop T lovers include Penelope Cruz, shirt. Dita Von Teese and even bands like Kasabian and The Arctic Vintage items manage to retain a Monkeys. little romanticism; people enjoy WKH VDWLVIDFWLRQ RI ÂżQGLQJ WKDW perfect pair of shoes or bag after hunting through the shelves for hours, buying vintage is buying an item that will live in your
So for the latest look start raiding your grandmas wardrobe because 9LQWDJH LV GHÂżQLWHO\ EDFN
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T E C H N O L O G Y
BLOGGING AND FLOGGING The internet seems to be taking over everything and now the world of fashion is no exception, with fashion blogging turning the world of design on its head. By Anna Johnson. After years of ignorance it seems IDVKLRQ KDV ¿QDOO\ UHDOLVHG the potential of the internet, online stores such as Asos and Boohoo have started popping up everywhere, even social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter are being used as a base for designers to show off their latest creations and gain recognition.
comments on the clothes. The blog has now become something of a phenomenon, the couple have been featured in several national newspapers and magazines and Katie now regularly gets sent free samples of clothes from major designers such as Marc Jacobs in the hope their designers will feature on the blog. Other successful blogs include bryanboy.com, started by 22 year old Bryan from Manila, since starting the blog Bryan has
become a major industry player DQG LV UHJXODUO\ ÀRZQ WR IDVKLRQ shows, all expenses paid, just to hang out, he has even had a bag named after him by Marc Jacobs. ,W VHHPV WKDW ¿QDOO\ WKH WDEOHV DUH turning and designers are starting to listen to what the public want instead of dictating what we should be wearing. The internet has provided the next fashion generation with a voice and that voice is getting louder.
However one of the most VLJQL¿FDQW GHYHORSPHQWV LQ RQOLQH fashion is the blogging. There are thousands of fashion blogs online offering advice and commentary on celeb style as well as photos and reviews of catwalk shows. Some of the most popular blogs such as Moment and Catwalk Queen are run by fashion experts and offer daily style guides, but anyone can start their own blog, in fact it seems to be the more personal blogs that offer a more individual take on fashion which are really causing a stir. One of the biggest blogs was started by an East London couple, Katie and Joe. Boyfriend Joe takes a photo of Katie everyday wearing D GLIIHUHQW RXW¿W DQG OHDYHV KLV
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