After two weeks apart, FashionGeek and I went to lunch. And I realized that before lunch I had somehow purchased 3 dresses, 2 tops, 1 skirt, 1 vest and maybe even a partridge in a pear tree... (I blame it on sample-sale mania...) Then FashionGeek shared that she had in the past two weeks invested in something like 15 skirts for work. And then we decided to go visit Gizzy & Nacho, where she bought two more Pleasure Doing Business skirts (ladies, the neon green is officially out of stock!)

So en route to lunch, we decided to relaunch the shopping embargo. For one month, then, we will shop no more, which probably means you'll be getting a lot of vicarious retail porn on here... starting NOW.

I've been looking out for a beat-up old vintage messenger bag for a while now, and these were on my Etsy watch list. Sadly, since I am now a Supershopper crippled by kryptonite, someone else needs to snap one of these up, then maybe loan them to me or give them to me as a gift for being a good girl. The one pictured above is sadly already sold out, but if you move quick you can get the ones below on the cheap.


Vintage leather MAE handbag, US$34.


Leather cross-body saddle bag, US$68.


Vintage burgundy Etienne Aigner bag, $20.


Vintage gold filigree bag, US$26.


Luna Mexican vintage handmade handbag, US$17.


'90s paisley-canvas and leather bag, US$46.


Vintage Ann Taylor, US$30.


'70s Autumnal vegan purse, US$39.

If you grew up in Hong Kong, odds are that even if you do crave a vintage shopping scene, you'd have no idea where to start in the first place. See Exhibit A: (imagine my face in place of this text.) I've been thrifting before, which is an entirely different thing, and involves sorting through bins of crap, crap and more Salvation Army crap to find something that sort of, might maybe, possibly work in your wardrobe, but only after a good tailor has shared your vision and completely reworked the garment. Note, also, that the cost of tailoring will far outweigh the price of the secondhand garment, but at the very least you do walk away knowing that you, like the legions of personal-style bloggers labeling their thrifted outfit photos, are marginally cooler for having gone through this process.

Vintage shopping is somewhat less agonizing. You won't necessarily find $3 shoes or $2 oversized men's shirts, but you generally will find off-season, branded merchandise that's of relatively good quality. I didn't get a chance to attack any stores in New York (being stranded uptown didn't help) but on my home turf of Boston, we got to hit up a few shops on Newbury Street, including two branches of Massachusetts' most prolific secondhand chain, Second Time Around. Salvation Army this is not, but nor is it the kind of flashy New York pit stop you see in episodes of The Rachel Zoe Project. What you'll find is loads and loads of BCBG, Tahari and discarded prom dresses, and a small smattering of some really good stuff -- depending on how hard you're willing to look. You'll need to pull tags out all over the place in order to ascertain what you're looking at, so don't be shy about it.


I assume that because BCBG is so popular with the Newbury set (Boston college kids with cash to burn and countless Asian student smart-casual functions to attend), those dresses are priced pretty close to rack rate, in the US$100-200 range. A flirty electric blue Zac Posen was US$250... but then a Gianni Versace crop top and pencil skirt set came to US$150 together. I guess if you haven't had a Target or H&M collection, you're nothing on Newbury Street.

Imagine my surprise, after I'd perused the "designer" rack and returned to the regular Joe's browsing area, to find a pristine strapless Alessandro Dell'Acqua with tags for US$45? And then, venturing optimistically into the size 4 zone, a freaking Vera Wang gown (okay, bridesmaid's gown, but who can tell the diff) for US$89? Even though my arms frothing with mint tulle by then, I took a last pass at the designer rack and found the sweetest Anne Valerie Hash blouse for US$39. Done, done and DONE. At this point, my fellow press-trip compatriots were on the verge of desertion, so I scurried to pay. Material-girl guilt and a dearth of luggage space prevented me from similarly indulging at Rescue and The Closet, but those too are worth a rummage if you're out there. I'll try posting pics of my finds when I get my act together and take photos.

Second Time Around, for anyone visiting the US, has multiple locations across New England and further. Check them here.

Images: Famespy

There's admittedly a lack of vintage stores in Hong Kong although for those who do covet, I hear there are a few shops in Soho that are absolute gems. If you are going designer vintage, however, choices are limited. That's slowly changing though with the launch of Era (which ShoeGeek will go further in depth about in a later post) and Lane Crawford. The shopping destination also known as fashion porn to us Geeks is jumping onto the vintage bandwagon and will be bringing celebrity stylist Juliana Cairone to their IFC location to showcase their latest collaboration. Juliana is owner and founder of Rare Vintage in New York and has styled stars like Angelina Jolie, Rachel Weisz and America Ferrera.

Rare Vintage only opened a couple years ago but is already making waves in the celebrity circuit with its offering of exclusive and glamorous couture from the twentieth century’s most significant design houses all selected by Juliana herself.
Lane Crawford has collaborated with Juliana to introduce a unique edit of vintage gowns and evening dresses, including designs by Chanel, John Galliano, Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent, Valentino, Balenciaga, and Emmanuel Ungaro. As part of The New Vintage showcase, unique vintage accessory pieces from the following brands will also be available: Erickson & Beamon, Fenton, Fallon, Fiona Paxton, Giles & Brother, Iosselliani, Janis Savitt, Kenneth Jay Lane, Mawi, Miriam Haskell, Shourouk, Vera Wang and Christopher DeNave.

Juliana will take a limited number of private appointments and offer styling advice to customers on February 6, 2010. Please contact Lane Crawford for further details.

PS the image is just a generic image from their Personal Styling page as oddly enough the press release didn't include any images of Juliana nor the clothes, only the vintage accessories.

It's a pretty common complaint that there are no real vintage stores in Hong Kong. Admittedly, I haven't gone out of my way to find any, although HK mag and various other publications have done some round-ups of our city's piddling selection. Why bother seeking out a virtual boutique, however, when there are so many options online, though?

Ever heard of a little online auction site called eBay? It's a treasure trove of pre-loved goodies, provided you can find the right sellers. One of them, who's been on my bookmark list for ages, is Thriftwares, which always has page upon page of eclectic finds, from a simple Pierre Cardin double-breasted blazer from the '80s, to a floral bandage dress of questionable provenance that looks eerily similar to a piece from the Erin Wasson x RVCA collection, to a cage-sleeved jacket that could have been taken from the collection of the blogger fave, i heart norwegian wood.

I for one am particularly smitten with a candy-cane pink member's only bomber jacket that is currently going for US$9.99 but I know will skyrocket when the end of auction time nears... as most pieces sold by thriftwares are wont to do, goshdarnit. Watch avidly, shop freely and style outrageously.

Below: '80s floral shirtdress, sheer flapper dress, '70s tuxedo-style romper, '80s high-waisted leather skinnies, MY members only bomber in pink, sequined turtleneck romper, pierre cardin double-breasted blazer

Vintage stores are relatively hard to find in Hong Kong and while my definition of vintage shopping comprises of going through my mom’s closet (her Chanel 2.55 from the late eights/early nineties is my ultimate find), not many are as lucky as me. Etsy has a plethora of vintage finds and I stumbled upon Are You Taking Me Out while looking for designers to feature. Now before you point your finger and say that this doesn’t fulfil the criteria of a “Made in HK” feature, note that the owner behind the Are You Taking Me Out brand also creates her own handbags and clutches. In fact, if I’m being honest, I’d much rather prefer her handmade accessories compared to vintage finds but then again, that’s coz the closet is a free for all and in the next room.

Fun Facts
Inspiration
My inspiration comes from everything such as different cultures, vintage finds and trends. Currently I am really into 50's style and Japanese fabrics.

Brand name
My brother came up with the name and I love it!

Best selling piece
Gamaguchi purses

Most used material
Rigid fabrics for easy manipulation

Piece you can't part with
The midnight garden gamaguchi purse, I just adore the patterns on it!

Favourite designer
Alexander McQueen & Vivienne Westwood

Visit Are You Taking Me Out here

Always loved the whole pin-up girl thing so was kind of excited when one of our regular readers suggested a post about Varga Lounge, which is a new bar/lounge/hideout in Soho inspired by the Vargas-girl era. The sharp hues and kitschy decor make me want to kit my house out in tawdry nude silhouettes... The lamp is just about the most adorable thing you could put on a side table and what can I say about the mobile? It's a mobile, for crying out loud, an object whose purpose is to entertain crib-bound babies, and it features naughty and gymnastically fantastic cut-outs of some very buxom babes! Too fab.

My first jumpsuit purchase came from those "outlet" shops in Causeway Bay opposite Mitsukoshi -- it was at the height of J.Lo's popularity, in black velour with a white racing stripe down the side, with a hood. The garment kind of scarred me, because I wore it once to work on a casual Friday, thinking that I wouldn't be seeing anyone important, only to find out upon arriving at the office that I had just been promoted (yay!), would be interviewing my own assistant editor (yay!) and that the first candidate would be coming in that afternoon (uh-oh). The girl who came in was six years my senior, and I figured that she would never be able to respect/work for someone who interviewed her in a velour jumpsuit, so by default she was not hired. Oh well.

Vintage: