SheBreathes™ | Fashion + Culture

Boutique Feature | Brook & Lyn Vintage Boutique

I have so much admiration for fashion blogger Mimi Jung of Brook & Lyn. Instead of hastily rushing into launching a possibly mediocre online boutique, she took her time and delivered an exceptional product. Born out of her love for fashion, Jung recently launched the Brook & Lyn boutique, which is an eclectic yet refined mix of gently used, new and vintage wears.

Brook & Lynn started out as normal fashion blog and rapidly evolved into a personal style blog due to the increasing number of hits from DIY and style photo posts. On a whim Jung posted a pair of Nina Ricci boots that were the wrong size and to her surprise they were sold in an hour! This began her diligent journey of launching the Brook & Lyn boutique. Over a six month period Jung immersed herself on everything she would need to know to operate a fully functioning e-commerce site.

On August 11th the Brook & Lyn boutique went live with much anticipation from her loyal readers, "I've never done anything so rewarding in my life. Every ounce of energy I put into my boutique comes back in spades," said Jung. Brook & Lyn boasts everything fashionistas are looking for in an online boutique. From the product details, unique packaging and beautiful selections you can almost feel Jung's passion exuding through the screen. Handpicking every item and vowing to never stock something that she can't personally see herself wearing lets you know just how passionate she is. Jung has future plans of expanding the shop to include foreign designers not yet available in the US to a small womenswear line. I'm convinced this is only the beginning for Brook & Lyn and Jung!

All Fotos Courtesy of Brook & Lyn | Photographer Brian Hurewitz for usage on SheBreathes.

Please visit the Brook & Lynn online Boutique and indulge in the current selections.

Boutique | Archive Vintage + Giveaway

Archive Vintage was launched online two and a half years ago by Kerry Bonnell. Her resume includes a previous five year stint as manager at the popular NYC Resurrection Vintage. Housed in the fashionably progressive city of Dallas Texas Bonnell serves up a generous offering of vintage designer clothing, accessories, and home goods. "I like to stock mostly designer pieces from the 60's-90's", adds Bonnell referring to the likes of Costa, Ungaro, Alaïa, and Halston. Last year Bonnell revamped her studio into the current retail location of Archive Vintage extending a more diverse shopping experience for customers. And if that is not enough a recent addition of non-designer hand-picked vintage will be added to the back room (the retail location) including selections for men.

Vintage shop owners are similar to designers in their approach to fashion as an art form. They are constantly digging for that timeless piece of history to bring a smile to any vintage lover's face. Its truly an ongoing craft that requires perfecting and maintenance like any other passion. I think it's safe to say that Archive Vintage is on the right track. And with so are many online/offline vintage shops surfacing daily, when you find a shop that posses the "it" factor its a joyous moment, and Archive Vintage definitely has it! 

Be sure to check the Archive Vintage blog for weekly secret sale items!

Archive Vintage is located at 2912 Maple Avenue Dallas,Texas/214.999.8921

And today is the vintage giveaway, so keep reading for details!

Giveaway:

1 $75 Archive Vintage Giftcard. Open to US/Canada readers only.

Rules:

Please leave one comment with your first name and last initial telling us your favorite neighborhood vintage spot. We want to know your neighborhood favorites, from Brooklyn to Budapest. Please only leave ONE comment. If you leave more than one comment or don't leave your last initial you will not be entered in the giveaway. Feel free to comment on Archive Vintage as well. Please DO NOT leave your email address in the body of your comment. Thanks and good luck!

Duration:

The giveaway begins today and ends on 7/19/09 @ 11:59pm est. A winner will be randomly chosen and announced on July 22nd. (Please note all giveaways are hosted by SheBreathes unless otherwise noted).

Boutique | Pudding Vintage + Giveaway

Discovering new vintage shops is like finding a treasure! My recent find is Pudding, which stocks an array of vintage accessories and clothing from various eras that will complement any ensemble. Proprietor Sabine Tucci was born in France and later studied in Paris at the popular ESMOD School of Fashion. She honed her skills while working at renowned Parisian jewelry shop, Delphine Charlotte Parmentier. During her time there she worked with iconic brands like Chanel and Swarovski. Sabine started out selling reworked vintage jewelry and accessories, and later opened a separate Etsy shop to house her vintage clothing finds, like velvet hat's from the 50's and fabric pumps from the 80's. These are just a few things that you'll find within the two shops. Pudding is a must visit vintage shop! Not only does Sabine add new items daily, her selections are well curated!

Fotos Pudding Vintage.

Once a month there is a giveaway with one of the Vintage features and for June we're giving away a $150 gift certificate to one reader! Details below.

Giveaway:

One $150 Gift Certficate from Shopbop. This giveaway is open to EVERYONE!

Rules:

Please leave one comment and one comment only using your first name and last initial, answering the following questions:

1. What is La Belle Époque?

2. Name one designer of the Fifties Vintage era.

3. Which designer is regarded as the "Father of Modern Haute Couture"?

Only those who leave their last initial and who answer all the questions correctly will he entered. Have fun and good luck!

Duration:

The giveaway begins today and ends on June 9th, has been extended to June 11th @ 11:59 pm est. The winner will be announced on June 10th, June 12th.