insideKENT Magazine Issue 52 - July 2016 | Page 77

FASHION+BEAUTY

VINTAGE FASHION FINDS
VINTAGE OR RETRO (SHORT FOR RETROSPECTIVE – YOU LEARN SOMETHING NEW EVERY DAY, AS THEY SAY!)
CLOTHING IS ALL THE RAGE. VINTAGE IS IN. VINTAGE IS NOW. YOU COULD EVEN SAY VINTAGE IS MODERN. EXCEPT
THAT, IN ITS VERY PUREST SENSE, THAT’S THE LAST THING VINTAGE IS.
VINTAGE CLOTHING ISN’T BRAND NEW GARMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE TO LOOK LIKE SOMETHING OUT OF
THE 30S, 40S, 50S, AND SO ON ALL THE WAY UP TO THE 90S – VINTAGE CLOTHING IS ACTUALLY CLOTHES FROM
THOSE DECADES; IT’S THE REAL DEAL. AND BECAUSE IT IS GAINING IN POPULARITY, AND BECAUSE IT IS SOMETIMES
A LITTLE TRICKY TO FIND (THE GOOD STUFF, ANYWAY – YOU CAN PROBABLY FIND A MOTH EATEN OLD SHIFT
DRESS IN YOUR PARENTS’ ATTIC OR A TIRED (NOT IN A GOOD WAY) PAIR OF WHITE JEANS AT A CAR BOOT SALE),
SPECIALIST VINTAGE CLOTHING SHOPS ARE POPPING UP ALL ACROSS KENT AND SUSSEX. SO GET YOUR GLAD
RAGS ON AND GO VINTAGE WITH SOME OF THE QUIRKIEST SHOPS IN THE SOUTH EAST!

“Defining vintage is quite hard as traditionally vintage is 40 years and older,
but now it seems to be anything over 20 years – a lot of people are defining
1990’s fashion as vintage. I personally choose each piece in my shop, and
people always comment how lovely my stock is. I personally love 1930s
and also the late 60s and early 70s – especially the British boutique movement
– but all eras can provide the most wonderful frocks and accessories!

Madam Popoff Vintage, Margate, Kent
www.madampopoff.com
We spoke to Deborah Ellis of Madam Popoff about how she got started
and what vintage means to her:
“I started selling vintage 13 years ago on eBay. I used to go to a lot of jumble
sales and boot fairs to get clothes for my son and me – I'm a single parent
and was living in a tower block so didn't have a lot of money – and I used
to also buy vintage clothes too just because I loved them (I had accumulated
a lot). Then one day a friend of mine suggested I put a couple of pairs of
jeans I bought onto eBay as they were quite rare (Levi 201s, as it happens)
so I did… and got £50 for them (I paid 30p)! I was hooked, and Madam
Popoff Vintage was born!

“I'm quite lucky as people bring vintage to me for me to buy from them, or
else I go to people’s houses. I don't have time to have a good old rummage
at jumble sales anymore! It’s always exciting to see what people bring, it’s
amazing how much clothing women have hoarded over the years and they
are more than pleasantly surprised when I tell them the value of some of
their old clothes!

“I opened the real life shop nearly six years ago in Margate, first in a small
premises but we soon moved. We’ve been in our current shop for five years
now, and it is from there that I operate my online business and also offer
people the ch ance to have vintage parties as well as the shop itself.

“My inspiration comes from everywhere. I'm always keeping up with highend fashion and catwalk trends, but also love old pop videos, fashion
magazines and films. And just people watching can be inspiring too, as are
my wonderful customers! I'm now branching into collaborations with designers
and also looking into manufacturing. I also do costume design for film so
I'm pretty busy!”

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