What do animals have to do with vintage fashion?

Not long ago I came across an Ebay store that has more to it than clothes. The store is called Vulture Culture Vintage and specializes in selling vintage fashions while at the same time using the profit from its sales to rescue homeless and abused animals and help them to a better life. The people behind this concept make sure that the animals go through rehabilitation and later on an adoption program. They call it “Fashion…with a cause”. On their FB page you can actually follow the animals through their rehabilitation process. There are pictures and information about the current state of the animals and their adoption status. They also follow up on them after they have been adopted.

The store in it self has some great fashions from 20s to 90s. I am especially hot for this 80s ivory angora sweater. I love the strong shoulders.

  

Pashminas shawls, silk scarves and thoughts on India…

My first visit to India ….

Last month I spent three weeks in India traveling across the country. It was my first time in India and it certainly did not feel like a vacation at all! Perhaps if I only had visited Goa my experience of India would have been different but on the other hand also very poor. During my trip I managed to visit New Delhi, Agra, Jaipur, Ranthambore, Varanasi, Kolkata, Goa and Mumbai. The most exhausting and annoying part of the trip was having to deal with people there who constantly were trying to deceive me one way or the other. And sky is the limit when it comes to the creativity of their schemes. If you are going there or planning a trip to India make sure to plan your vacation well ahead and avoid tourist agencies as it is much cheaper to do it yourself. And don’t trust anybody except the Lonely Planet book! It is also a good idea to read it before you go there in order to be prepared for all the lying, deceiving and fake agencies when you finally get there. Also, never pay the full price for anything. Always pay less than 50% of the price they demand. If they are not willing to give in, then just walk away, trust me, you will find identical items in other stores in every city in India. They all sell the same crap! As for shopping, I followed the Lonely Planet guide in regards to my purchases of pashminas and silk scarves which I mainly bought in Jaipur and Varanasi. I must admit that I have developed a love/hate relationship to India. Even though there are a lot of negatives about India, to me, it still is a magical place with huge contrasts, both on the human side as well as its nature. I am already planning my next trip to the southern part of India …

The Pink City, Jaipur

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The ganges river in India’s holiest city, Varanasi

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pashminas and silk

New buy: Vintage low back mohair jumper

I recently discovered ASOS marketplace at https://marketplace.asos.com/women where you can buy second hand fashion from people who either have listings of their items or a boutique. The boutique side of it is much more professional where the clothes is shown on people from several angels and therefore gives you a better idea of what it looks like when worn. I bought this unique blue mohair jumper with a low V back form Bird On A Wire boutique.

WACKERHAUS

One of the latest designers to enter the Danish fashion scene is Wackerhaus. In 2003, Trine Wackerhausen launched her own brand that since her first fashion show has been praised by many fashionistas. The designer Trine, is not interested in trends and has chosen to stay true to her self and create timeless pieces that can be worn across seasons and for years to come.

I first noticed Wackerhaus last year when I saw a pair of lime green high waisted trousers and a very unique bulky orange blazer that seemed to fit perfectly together. I bought the two items immediately even though the blazer was two sizes too big but it was the only one left at the time.

What sets Wackerhaus apart from all the other brands is her ability to create wearable and comfortable clothes in simple styling that mixes both the feminine and masculine look or as stated on their homepage:

“Despite complementary materials and a versatile approach to silhuette, Wackerhaus succeeds in delivering a clean cut and cohesive look, which on one hand expresses a certain masculinity and on the other a fragile and feminine side of contemporary women’s fashion.”

www.wackerhaus.dk

    

By Malene Birger SS12

My favorite Danish designer, Malene Birger, has made her best collection to date, well, at least in my opinion! I already know which pieces I want to flaunt next summer, which is painfully far from from now. Nevertheless, I have something to look forward to beside the summer vacations – that brief period of sheer happiness and joy of being away from this cold cold country.

What I really like about this collection are the colors that include, beside her usual black and white, green, peach, wine red and light blue. There are not too many details this time and the design is preserved very clean cut and minimal. The silhouettes create the perfect illusion or call it fantasy if you will, of myself, on a yacht, on the French riviera…shopping in Nice, partying in St. Tropez and touring in Marseille.

You can watch the whole fashion show here.

My favorite styles:

      

Icelandic wool sweater

The above pictures show the sweaters that my mom knitted which turned out to be 15 times cheaper than buying at a shop. However, if knitting is not your thing and you don’t know anybody who can make one for you, you can purchase one here for a few hundred euros. The brand is called GudrunGudrun and was started by two Faroese women. The sweater suddenly burst into fame when an actress from the popular Danish TV drama  “Forbrydelsen” started wearing it on the series (the last three pictures). This exposure led to a wave of different kinds of Nordic sweaters suddenly appearing on the market and which are still popular today – or at least in Denmark they are. My favorite is the Icelandic sweater (the above pictures).

These are my favorites, all made of organic wool:

By Malene Birger

I bought this fabulous Malene Birger wrap dress at the Copenhagen Airport. It was the last one left. It would be a pretty simple dress if it wasn’t for the embellishments on the lower part of the sleeves and the shoulder area. It fits perfectly and creates the illusion of me being taller, which I really like 🙂 Also, it floats beautifully below.

The Turban is still here?

Just as I thought that the Turban’s golden days were coming to an end, I see this glamorous looking one on Asos.

The Return of the Turban

 

We have already witnessed the revival of turbans on the fashion runways of 07, 08 and 09 and this year is no exception. Inspired by the early 20^th century when the orientalist trend was at its peak, the turbans have once again sparked a sense of exoticism and elegance.

One might be drawn to conclude that the turban mania started with the SS 07 Prada turbans from three years ago but no one ever really expected the turban to make it to the everyday fashionista’s wardrobe. So, is Miuccia Prada the one to blame for the renaissance of the turban? Well, perhaps, but all we know is that since then, the turban has made a reappearance in several collections in different forms: from relaxed and laid-back versions at Catherine Holstein to exotic and luxurious at Ralph Lauren.

Back in the days, the French referred to the turban as a cache-misère, or “hide misery”, because they were a chic solution to dealing with a bad hair-day. Today, this fabulous head-piece can be a perfect accessory for the evening, paired with an elegant long dress.

Just think Old Hollywood, Marlene Dietrich and Lana Turner in the glamorous 1930s, who knew how to wear the turban with sophistication.

As always, the first ones to embrace the trend have been the celebrities. The turban has already become a popular high-street trend and spotted on several celebrities, such as Nicole Ritchie, Kate Bosworth and Ashley Olsen.

Wearing this kind of headgear will doubtlessly bring you a lot of attention. It is sophisticated, chick and does not look at all like you are hiding a bad hair day.

These women pull it off quite well, even the dude with that fierce look but I guess he’s more used to it than I am 🙂

Nude colors

This spring, nude tones have once again made it to the runways. I first saw the appearance of the nude color trend last spring as part of Stella McCartney’s collection. It was very inspirational and included everything from nude dresses to nude boyfriend blazers and jumpsuits. This year neutral colors can be spotted at Donna Karan, Burberry and Lanvin, just to name a few. I, for one, absolutely love this color but will have to wait till summer comes and I can get a sweet tan to complement it. It just doesn’t look good on a pale skin.

Skirt and top from H&M

Blouse from Topshop

Early 90s flower dresses are back!!!

These months, a wave of 90s nostalgia has been floating through me. I’m thinking Beverly Hills 90210 and especially the characteristic  floral dresses familiar to this era.  Even though the early 90s fashion still cracks me up, I appreciate the more stylish update of it this summer. To me, the most notable were Donna’s dresses, which for the most part were tight, short and flowery. I never had the opportunity to wear the Donna dress in the early 90s (I was only 9!) and nor did I want to wear one afterwards because, well, it was cheesy but now that it’s fashionable again, I think I can pull it off. I’ve found a few on ASOS and in ZARA but I’m still looking for more…

P.S. Check out Ian Ziering aka Steve in his flowery man shirt – I really hope that the 90s flower power trend this summer is only directed towards women’s fashion.