A Day in Vintage

Sporting a little vintage on the blog today. Since starting the store and going full time with the business, I’ve had to become more and more intentional about avoiding the inventory, especially on the vintage side. Thankfully the team is there to do quality check, leaving me to do the pulls for any editorial shoots and e-commerce shoots.

However, on this day I couldn’t resist the urge to play dress up…which unsurprisingly turned into shopping. Against my better judgment, I took this beautiful vintage lookout for a spin, and boy am I glad I did. Initially, my eyes were drawn to the boldness of the houndstooth plaid pants. But the beautiful burnt orange color of the vest and trousers were tugging at my heartstrings as well.

I paired the set with an aqua oversized shirt (which actually has matching pants as well), and slid into my white mules creating the perfect complete 70s look.

outfit details — vest: vintage (here); pants: vintage (here); mules: F21 (here)(here); oversized shirt: (here)

I hope you guys liked this look. If wearing head to toe vintage isn’t something you’re comfortable with; each of these pieces could be worn as separates just to add texture and uniqueness to wardrobe basics. Also, feel free to shoot me a note if you are interested in any of our vintage/thrifted items.

SOSNU Collecting and Care for Vintage and Pre-Loved

Since announcing our relaunch and expansion in the SOSNU Co. (include link to sign up) monthly newsletter, I’ve received several questions regarding our transition into retail along with balancing the blog content and my freelance fashion work. So I figured it would be a nice idea to come here, and share one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned thus far.

Initially, we shared our idea to start an online sales portion of the company with a few family and friends.. Without question, they all began to shower us with overwhelming amounts of inventory. Some good, and some not so good. Clothes, shoes, and accessories had amassed in every corner of the studio, and we had to do major streamlining, pulling only the best quality pieces. So my first priority quickly to determine if the pieces were in tip-top shape, and could actually be resold. My job became ensuring that we had the best and most unique vintage and thrifted secondhand merchandise available.

So the process started with restoring, repairing and learning to maintain the essence and beauty of these vintage and pre-loved clothing. I forced myself to learn several tips and tricks about caring for the one of a kind pieces.

Washing

After purchasing or acquiring a vintage or thrifted piece, I would recommend some method of cleaning, either washing or dry clean. However, I would never wash embroidered silks or satins. If you opt to machine wash a piece, do so at a lower temp to prolong the life of the garment, and do so less often. Vigorous washing can damage the fibers of the clothes. If the fabric is very old, delicate or pre-1960s vintage, consider hand washing or not washing the garment at all. Most times a good airing out will remove odors.

After washing, hang wet garments to prevent stretching it out of shape. If possible dry your vintage flat on a towel. If you want to dry clean specialty vintage items that are durable enough for it, then use a reputable dry cleaner.

Storage

Try to keep your vintage and thrifted clothes in a dry, dust-free, fur-free place away from direct sunlight. Humidity and dampness tend to damage delicate fibers, and sunlight can fade vintage prints and colors. Store clothing in breathable, cloth garment bags. Hang your vintage clothes on wooden hangers, or for best protection, cloth-covered padded hangers.

Maintaining - Preventative maintenance

Don’t wear vintage consecutively. Allow the pieces to breathe, air out and restore itself. Repair small rips and tears immediately. They will definitely get bigger and pose a larger problem.

information source: beyond retro

Colville...Where Good Styling Lies

Colville is a relatively new label. It’s co-founded by Lucinda Chambers (former Fashion Director of British Vogue), and designers Molly Molloy and Kristin Forss. With live out loud bold colors, spunky prints and cool girl layering vibes, it’s destined to be fashion’s next big thing. Colville inaugural’s release back in 2018 was only available on econ website, Matches Fashion.

This season the brand presented its SS20 collection in the fashion capital city of Milan. Colville’s distinctive aesthetic was on full form with loads of multi-layered dresses with cool asymmetric silhouettes in beautiful prints. I also love the streetwear element of the pieces. The added masculinity paired alongside the silk dresses literally screams originality and edge. There is truly something for everyone in this collection. Colville is a SOSNU brand on the rise because of our shared sustainability values. Not only did the designers worked collectively with Colombian women to create woven accessories, upcycled silk scarves were patched together to create dresses, gowns and other one of a kind pieces.