Those Frillseekers Girls

Oh My. How Time Flies.

2009-03-23T09:54:00.000-07:00

It's been just a couple of months shy of a WHOLE YEAR since I last blogged.

I must blog more frequently.

I must blog more frequently.

(I'll do the other 97 lines later.)

So, where are we? Well, Frillseekers is going from strength to strength, with more fans than ever before, via the power of Facebook, Twitter and good old fashioned word of mouth.

I recently took a pitch at Portobello. The market is all things vintage on Fridays. I was picked up by my good friend Su (of the Blue Linen Cupboard) at 5.30am - eek! Haven't seen that time of day since Edith was a babe in arms. It was very dark. We arrived at PB at 6.30am and started setting up. Luckily we didn't have to wait to be assigned a pitch as other non-regulars have to - we were 'borrowing' another dealer's regular pitch while they were on holiday.

It wasn't until about 9.30am that punters started to arrive. I made some great sales, and had a fun day. My best anecdote is that I gave one customer a really good price on about 8 items that she'd gathered together. I knocked about £50 off the overall price. She frowned, and thought for a while, and then said, "That seems rather generous. How about I give you £XX?" She wanted to give me £20 more than the price I'd given her! I said, "Oh, ok" like I really had to think hard about it. I bet I never get one like that again.

Other news is that I've just updated my website with all of April's events. We kick off this Sunday with Vintage Vogue, an new, one-off event in Essex. I can't wait. I love meeting new vintage lovers - and new dealers. Must keep my own wallet in check . . .

Spring into Summer!

2008-04-07T04:42:00.000-07:00

Our latest vintage finds have been flooding in from across the globe and this month the Frillseekers rails are looking very lovely indeed! We have a large selection of special dresses for sunnier days ahead as well as all those fun and must-have items you’ve come to expect.

You have four opportunities to visit with us in April:

The London Vintage Fashion, Textiles and Accessories Fair
Sunday 13th April, 10am - 5pm
Hammersmith Town Hall,
King Street, London W6
Admission: £5

Find us centre-stage. Email us at tickets@frillseekersvintage.com if you would like a complimentary ticket to this event.

Frillseekers Open Studio event
Wednesday 16th April, 6-10pm AND
Saturday 19th April, 11am-5pm
Inky Cuttlefish Studios,
5a Blackhorse Lane,
Walthamstow E17
Admission: free

Here at our studio you can browse our entire Spring/Summer vintage collection. PLUS we still have many winter items still on sale at ridiculously old-fashioned prices!

Frock Me! Brighton
Sunday 27th April, 11am - 5.30pm
The Sallis Benney Theatre, Grand Parade, Brighton
Admission: £4 Wish you were here? We have complimentary tickets to give away to those who fancy a day by the seaside. Email us at tickets@frillseekersvintage.com.

Brighton Rocked!

2008-03-12T09:39:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday's Frock Me- by the sea was such fun, so civilised, and quite the success for us Frillseeker Girls. The girls and boys of Brighton simply snapped up our wares! We highly recommend you join us down there next time.

If you need a Frillseeking fix before that you'll be pleased to know we'll be center stage again at Hammersmith Town Hall this Sunday the 16th of March. Drop us mail if you'd like some tickets

Brighton Frock

2008-02-27T06:16:00.000-08:00

In March, we Frillseekers Girls are going on the road. Yes, on March 9th, we're taking our boutique to vintage lovers on the south coast.

Frock Me! Brighton is the seaside version of Frock Me! Chelsea, a hugely popular vintage event held regularly at Chelsea Town Hall. You will find a wonderful selection of vintage frocks and fancies on sale at the Sallis Benney Theatre, situated in the heart of Brighton, near to the famous Royal Pavillion. Do come and join us - make a weekend of it if you can!

It can be Yours!

2008-02-19T08:30:00.001-08:00

We'd like to recommend this nifty little special edition bookazine from Yours Magazine. 50 Years of Everyday Fashion is a wonderful collection of stories and images celebrating women who have resourcefully created glamour and sophistication on a shoestring over the past 50 years.

We do so love heartwarming glimpses into women's lives and wardrobes. But it is the fact that it covers 'everyday fashion' which is of real interest. Much that is written about fashion is exclusive, covering only the zeitgeist in designers and trends. It is refreshing to read about how real women wanted to dress, what they bought, and sewed for themselves to wear in everyday life.

PS. You might want to buy two- it'll be a great mother's day gift!

And the BAFTA award for best dressed female goes to . . .

2008-02-11T07:25:00.000-08:00

Alison, a leading light within the UK Film Council and one of our favourite customers recently came to see us with a very exciting request. She needed to be dressed for the BAFTA ceremony which took place last night.

This is the result. A long, stunningly simple black 1960's maxi dress and a fabulous, full length silver and black frock coat. (Shoes and bag: model's own.)

So remember, next time you need the red carpet treatment, forget Dior (although we are loving Tilda Swinton's outfit), Chanel and Valentino - get yourself frocked by Frillseekers!

Give an old dress a new home.

2008-02-04T04:48:00.000-08:00

This week, we've been dusting and sweeping the studio in preparation for our great sale event. The racks are nearly all filled with some real treats at bargain prices - all our winter vintage clothing will have a third to half off the original price. Do join us this Wednesdsay and Saturday if you can - all details can be found on our website. Hope to see you there!

Meeeow!

2008-01-30T02:31:00.000-08:00

This beautiful Frillseekers frock was recently borrowed for a lookbook for Yasmin Rivzi, an amazing up-and-coming milliner. You can see the rest of the photos here. The shoot was styled by Victoria Cumming, and photographed by Caroline Marks. We think the model looks a perfect sex kitten, and the great news is that the time of posting, the dress is still available to buy at Black Pearl Boutique , located just off Carnaby Street, London.

Black Pearl is a divine boutique, decorated in a South Seas tiki style. It opened in 2005 and is owned and run by designer Fiona Deffenbaugh. Inspired by classic pin-ups of the 50s such as Bettie Page, Jayne Mansfield and Marilyn Monroe, Fiona selects stock either from or inspired by this era. A selection of Frillseekers clothing sit alongside handmade miniature hats, retro-inspired lingerie, corsets, flower hairclips and charm jewellery.

On Thursday 21st February, Fiona is hosting the 'Black Pearl' Lau at the boutique. There will be Hawaiian cocktails, leis, and even a performer doing a Hawaiian routine. The Frillseekers rails will be expanded to include some of the cutest frocks and fancies for the spring, so this could be the perfect time to pay a visit.

A Darned Good Time.

2008-01-28T03:45:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, those Frillseekers girls hosted a mending party. A 'Make-and-Mend-Do', if you like. The idea came about because both Fran and I have so many 'projects' piled up and gathering dust in the corners of our homes: dresses that need shortening; buttons that need replacing; socks that need darning . . . the list goes on and on. And we figured we couldn't be the only ones, so we invited all our friends of Frillseekers to our studio to join us with their mending projects. And they came! Armed with knitting bags, sewing kits, crochet hooks and thimbles . . .

We provided threads, buttons, buckles, sewing machines, darning wool and numerous cups of tea. It was so much fun that we'll definitely host more mending parties in the future. These photos tell the story . . .