22 SEPTEMBER 2015 | INSPIRATIONS

Whether you are Rihanna looking for a beaded coat or Indre Rockefeller searching out some beautiful day dresses, there is one destination that women in the know head to when they’re looking for fabulous vintage. Shrimpton Couture, a website helmed by the unstoppable Cherie Federau is quite simply the online destination for everything vintage from wonderful YSL blouses to Chanel gowns, Dior couture to some Hollywood glamour via Pierre Balmain and pretty much all in between. From humble beginnings and just a few pieces in 2006, Cherie has grown a global business making her one of the most preeminent dealers in vintage clothing around. Where she differs from the norm, however, is in her ability to encourage women to wear vintage today. A huge proponent of it as a way to stand out from the crowd – as well as of the wonders that are to be found in decades past of design – Cherie has a knack of picking out and styling her pieces that makes them utterly relevant for today. Here, she shares her tips:

Vintage has really evolved over the years to become a mainstay in just about every closet of every fabulous girl out there. From street style to the red carpet, most women know that pulling out that amazing piece of vintage can really set a girl apart. For me, the key to wearing vintage well is to treat it like you would a dress from this season – don’t do vintage head to toe – mix it with modern day accessories (like a fabulous Kotur bag!) and make a piece of the past feel modern. Here are my styling tips for how to wear your vintage today:

Tip 1: Adding a bold vintage coat instantly updates a sleek and modern outfit and makes you stand out from the crowd. When Rihanna wore her Shrimpton Couture vintage Moschino Couture coat out in her birthday week, it landed her on the top spot of the Vogue Best Dressed list. A statement vintage coat instantly ups your game and takes even a basic LBD to the next level. Look for bold colors or design, strong lines, embellishments and rich fabrics.

‘Look for bold colours or design, strong lines, embellishments and rich fabrics’

 Tip 2: Don’t do black for evening. Who hasn’t walked into a room and been faced with a sea of black dresses? Instead, follow the lead of uber-stylist and street style darling Giovanna Battaglia and wear color. She proved this theory twice, wearing Shrimpton Couture vintage gowns by both Dior and Balmain while making her way through Italy this summer. To tip: when wearing bold color keep accessories simple or add one bold pop in the same tone.

‘Don’t do black for evening’

Tip 3: Sometimes a seamstress is a girl’s best friend. Vintage addicts know that a small tweak can take a dress from wow to POW! I don’t think I have ever been asked for the twin of a dress more that this Alfred Bosand. Dana Al Khalifa, the lady behind the break out Bahrainian blog The Overdressed, had her seamstress do a couple of small tweaks that did not cost a fortune but that do make all the difference.  Find someone you trust and be respectful to the original design and go for it.

Tip 4: Bold for day can work too. Sometimes I think we have all become too minimalist – wear color during the day and walk tall! When Samantha Angelo wore this vintage Donald Brooks set from my shop to New York Fashion week this season she was stopped everywhere she went. This was all thanks to her full on riotous color (paired with black accessories and shoes to keep it within the realm of day.) Maybe it’s not quite office attire, but the lesson here is that a shot of well-placed, bold color gets you noticed.

Tip 5: Finally, sometimes vintage is the best choice when you want to find something that fits the mood of a themed event or occasion. I am not talking about costume, but rather when you need to capture a mood, an era and a feeling. When Indre Rockefeller went to Wyoming this summer she took some simple and pretty vintage pieces that I had found for her and used them to create a dreamy country feel that still felt modern but in tune with her surroundings.  And that is just good style.

‘When you need to capture a mood, an era and a feeling’

Photo courtesy of www.shrimptoncouture.com

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