Vintage fashion is one of my favorite styles outside of things that I hand make, and I absolutely adore "Adore Vintage". Adore Vintage is an online vintage boutique that sells some REALLY cute and chic vintage finds that include clothing, accessories, and even some great finds for your home! Rodellee, the owner of Adore Vintage, is just as beautiful as her treasures and I am stoked that she took the time to share a bit of her vintage inspiration with us!
Ok, here is Rodellee..I hope you enjoy! Oh, and be sure to check the boutique often because things are always changing, one day there may be a lot of things sold out, but the next day or week over, it can be filled with her fresh finds, so be on the lookout!
Style Gypsy: Why is creativity important to you?
Rodellee: I could not live without it of course! I create and express through my clothing, my dance, my day to day life. I think it is the most wonderful feeling to create something (an image, a photograph, a dress) and be able to share it with the world and have someone else just truly appreciate it. My creativity allows me to add color, meaning, and laughter in my life.
Style Gypsy: How would you describe your most creative spot/atmosphere?
Rodellee: My office is the most creative place for me. I am surrounded by beautiful dresses, quirky shoes, handbags... just all these wonderful things that make me smile. I also have a skylight in here so I can gaze up into the sky when I feel like clearing my head or search the clouds for inspiration.
Style Gypsy: Where were you in life when you decided to start your own boutique, and what things would you like to achieve in the future within your career and life?
Rodellee: My husband and I had just moved to Texas from Budapest and we were about to get married, so I had this surge of energy and invincibility, not to mention a rapidly growing vintage dress collection... I started selling on Ebay, but as a freelance webdesigner, I really wanted a look and feel for my shop to be completely customized. So I designed the first layout for Adorevintage (it was very pink and very girly) and within a couple months had opened my own online shop. I am still 100% involved in all of the design work for Adorevintage. In the future I would really love to see Adorevintage become the best online resource for vintage clothing and accessories for men and women and opening up an actual storefront.
Style Gypsy: Favorite Fashion magazines, books and T.V shows?
Rodellee: ZiNK has some of the best fashion editorials, so I always peruse for inspiration. I love ELLE for their "ELLE SHOPS" section and although I'm no longer a teen, Teen Vogue always has fun and playful fashion and a lot of ideas that are readily wearable. I don't watch much TV, but I do own every season of Sex and the City and Family Guy.
Style Gypsy: Top 3 Fashion/Beauty Boutiques or Designers?
Rodellee: Oh goodness...only three? My top favorite designers are Diane von Furstenberg, Anna Sui, and Marc by Marc Jacobs. I tend to favor different designers throughout the seasons depending on the collections.
Style Gypsy: Do you have any areas in your home that truly depict vintage style?
Rodellee: I do pick up a lot of vintage knick knacks here and there and they are scattered throughout my house. Generally if I like something I'll go ahead and purchase it because I have this mentality that "someday I'll find a use for it."
Style Gypsy: What are your top 3 marketing tips that you would give to an aspiring boutique owner who wants to focus on vintage fashion?
Rodellee:
1.] Get to know your field, educate yourself with the product
2.] Figure our your target market (who do you want shopping at your store, what kind of men and women are they? what do they like to do?)
3.] Be friendly, helpful, and genuine.
Style Gypsy: What are 5 things that you must have in your closet or purse?
Rodellee:
Closet: White tank top (infact I have multiples), a little black dress (I have a Holly Golightly inspired vintage 60s cocktail dress that I love love love!), black cigarette pants, comfortable but quirky ballet flats (I'm a sucker for ballet flats), and an oversized handbag.
Purse: Chapstick, cellphone, notepad & pen (I'm old fashioned, I write everything down), a book (you never know when you'll get stuck waiting for something), and a camera (for capturing life's beautiful and random moments)
Style Gypsy: Favorite vintage fashion era?
Rodellee: My favorite would be the late 60s and early 70s when clothing was just very flowing, colorful, and all about self expression. But there is something about every era that I love, the 20s for the gorgeous flapper dresses, the 30s for the old Hollywood glamour silhoutte, the 40s for the fitted feminine suits, the 50s for the voluminous skirts and dresses when women looked like walking flowers, the 60s for the adorable minis and the wide eyed look, the 70s for that BIBA look, and of course the 80s from off the shoulder dresses to wristbands. Every era had its own special something and I am ecstatic to be able to share the clothing from these time periods with the world and have them be appreciated and loved.
Style Gypsy: Do you have any beauty tips, products, or pampering regimens that you like to use/do to keep your beauty in its glow?
Rodellee: I love St. Ives products and its very inexpensive and has always worked with my skin. Other than the facial scrub and clay mask which I use twice a week, I wash with mild soap and water and moisturize with Ponds cream.
Style Gypsy: If you had to pick a song that represented your personality from a "vintage" time, what song would it be and why?
Rodellee: "After Hours" by Velvet Underground. The song is so simple, so innocent, and it has a good beat. Every time I hear it I feel like dancing around like Anna Karina in "Band of Outsiders". I also love absolutely LOVE "Moonriver" which was sung in "Breakfast at Tiffany's" written by Johnny Mercer and Henry Mancini in the early 60s. The song is heart wrenchingly beautiful.
Style Gypsy: Other than fashion, in what other ways do you express your creativity?
Rodellee: I draw, or mostly sketch... usually flowers, branches, and faces. I write poetry and short stories as well, but not as often as I used to. I also like to bake sweets and invent my own little recipes (my recent invention some sort of coconut, chocolate chip cookie bar concoction that remains nameless but received rave reviews from my husband and friends).
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