Last May, on my way back to Berlin from Brittany where I was visiting family, I decided to make a short stop in Paris, seeing as I had only ever been once before as a teen. I wanted to spend some quality time with the epitome of all that is beautiful and tasteful, exploring as many nooks and crannies as time would permit. And of course, since you can’t really say you’ve been to Paris without having bought something, I made a few cheeky vintage clothing purchases.
Aside from a few postcards I picked up on the first day, whilst visiting Le Musée de l’Orangerie and Le Musée D’Orsay, I treated myself to three very fashion items, if I do say so myself! All three were bought in Le Marais, in extravagant vintage shops, the names of which will be listed after each piece.
Freep’ Star – 61 Rue de la Verrerie
The first is a men’s large Pineapple Connection Hawaiian button-down shirt. I was immediately drawn to the floral print panels running down the front and was pleased to see the sequence also continued down the back. It has a nice weight to it, yet still very flowy and breezy. On hotter days, I’ve been wearing it as a dress, since it hits just above my knees. It’s one of those easy to throw on and head out pieces, and the best part is that it only cost me 6 Euros!
Kilo Shop Le Marais – 71 Rue de la Verrerie
The second item of clothing is this absolutely delightful, 100% cotton, A-line skirt. It was a tad tricky to buy as it was hanging off a rail of one of these “no dressing rooms” store… As my fellow prudes can anticipate, I asked one of the ladies working there where I could change, only to be told: “Oh, you can just find yourself a corner”.
Needless to say, I marched over to a corner and tried to fit the skirt around my waist and over my pants. The top button just about closed when I exhaled, which is never a good look. However, since it only set me back 4,50 Euros (bless lightweight items in kilo stores!), I went home with it anyway. Thankfully, when I tried it on the hostel, in the privacy of an empty dorm room, it fit like a glove! This is definitely a piece I will try to make myself using the pattern. Vintage clothing.
Kilo Shop Kawaii – 65 Rue de la Verrerie
The final thing I got was this black felt hat. I have always wanted one, but a certain someone who shall remain nameless, always told me that this style and colour looks too harsh on me, which naturally dissuaded me from getting one. Being a downright rebel, however, I couldn’t help myself when I saw them stacked on the shelf. A little overexcited, I tried on all the sizes (who knew heads were so different!) before heading to the till. I felt so fabulous sashaying down the narrow Parisian side streets with this beauty on my head! A 20 Euro well spent in my book.
As the picture shows, I added a black ribbon for the windier days – for peace of mind. Vintage clothing.
So there we have it! The three new clothing items I can happily brag about having acquired on my solo trip to Paris.