There’s a vintage store on Oxford Street in Paddington that I visit every week or so and it’s fast becoming my favourite retailer. My intention this year is to be more mindful in my fashion purchasing and only buy vintage or sale pieces and so I get a real high when I’m able to sniff out some jewels in a second hand store. And today was one of those days.
In June I’m attending a good friend’s 50th birthday party in Spain where she lives, and the theme is Palm Royale meets the Costa Brava. So I’ve been thinking about outfits like this…
Or this…
Let’s face it both of these fit the bill and both feel very me and very Spain Summer 2025. The fabric is exactly what i want to wear when it’s hot and the colours are very much in my wheelhouse. AND, fortuitously both are on sale, so technically these are items I could purchase. However, I’m not working in a paid form of employment so a girl needs to be smart about where she spends her dollar bucks. Also, I’m increasingly of the belief that it’s in fact more fun to set onself a vintage challenge. And so off I went on the hunt for an outfit that said glamour, chic, 70’s and festive.
Lucky for me, there are some really fabulous vintage stores in Sydney now so we have the ability to go and fossick and actually unearth great finds. Not the musty, tagless, mystery items of the past, we can now find items which might have been dropped off to the store the day before by a likeminded clothes lover as she pops her items into the washing machine that is the wonderful circular economy.
As I chatted to the fabulous male owner of Cleveland on Crown I spied a glistening gold something from the rack. Enter the vintage gold Rebecca Vallance Cancun jumpsuit. It would have retailed for about $600. It was mine for $89. The Cancun lives on into it’s second (maybe third) owner and I think we’ll be very happy together.
I now have the fun task of styling this outfit so I’m working through handbag, shoes, hair and makeup. Here I am in the change room.
And what is that MAGNIFICENT gold chain belt I hear you ask? No, no, it’s not Versace but it was a racy damn minx of a gold link coin belt from the same store. There was no way I was taking the Cancun home without this little sparkling triumph. I got on a bit of a sparkly roll and I decided after my Madeleine Park wardrobe consultation, I needed some brooches so I picked up three very fruity brooches (some green olives, a turtle and a glorious lion) as well as another gold Chanel 90s esque black and gold number and a fabulous trio of bananas gold necklace. Here’s the haul.
