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 Vintage coat / vintage dress / American Apparel leggings / Doc Martens / vintage headscarf

I haven't done an outfit post for ages so here we go! I've had this dress for years as I bought it when I was last living in Paris during my degree but I think it's pretty timeless: spots never go out of fashion. I've paired this dress with my American Apparel disco leggings, which makes for a very comfortable outfit. Check out my recent guide to vintage shopping in Paris as each of the three vintage items in this post come from three different Parisian vintage shops.

Izzie x

Cela fait un moment que je n’ai pas fait un exemple du look, alors voilà ! J’ai cette robe depuis longtemps car je l’ai achetée quand j’habitais à Paris la dernière fois, pendant que je faisais ma licence. Je crois qu’elle est intemporelle : les pois ne se démodent jamais. Je porte mes leggings discos d’American Apparel avec cette robe pour un look très confortable ! Regardez l’article récent que j’ai écrit sur faire du shopping aux friperies dans Paris car chacun des trois articles vintage vient de trois magasins vintage parisiens. 

Bisous, Izzie

Paris Vintage Shopping - Le Marais

Paris is the best city for vintage shopping that I've ever been to. This is not because of the sheer volume of vintage shops in the French capital - as London probably boasts just as many - no, it is the cheap prices that you just do not find anywhere else.

 Kilo Shop - 69-71 rue de la Verrerie

There are several Kilo Shops around Paris and I work for the first and the biggest one on rue de la Verrerie in the Marais. The concept is that you buy clothes by weight. Each item has a certain colour tag which corresponds to a different price per kilo, for example: red is 20€/kg, greenand yellow are 30€/kg and orange is 60€/kg. This means you can get some absolute bargains! It also means, especially with the orange tag, that some items can be expensive. There are also fixed price items such as fur coats which start at €89, bags and accessories and the renewal vintage range called ‘Culture Vintage’. There is loads of choice and it is a great shop! I’m not just biased, honest!

Il y a plusieurs Kilo Shop dans Paris et je bosse pour son premier magasin, qui est aussi le plus grand, sur rue de la Verrerie dans le Marais. Le concept est qu’on achètedes vêtements au poids. Chaque article porte une pastille et sa couleur corresponde à un prix diffèrent au kilo, par exemple : rouge est 20€/kg,vert et jaune est 30€/kg et orange est 60€/kg. Alors, on peut trouver des affaires absolues ! Mais aussi, particulièrement avec le bip orange, certains articles sont chers. Il y a aussi des pièces aux prix fixes, comme des fourrures, des sacs à mains et accessoires et notre collection ‘CultureVintage’. Il y a plein de choix et il est un magasin génial ! Je vous promets que je ne suis pas partiale !

Other locations:
- 65 rue de la Verrerie
- 125 boulevard Saint Germain
- 39 boulevard Saint Michel
- 63 rue de Passy

Coiffeur/Vintage Désir - 32 rue des Rosiers

The smallest and probably the most famous vintage shop inParis. Situated on the bustling rue des Rosiers (also known for its collectionof falafel restaurants), this shop is just fab. All year round there is a great selection of dresses, patterned jumpers, denim shirts, dungarees, shorts, skirts and bags. There is a good men’s section too. I would say that most things don’t cost more than €10 unless you are buying a jacket but even then you’ll be getting a bargain. If you can, go during the week because this tiny shop gets very busy at the weekend.

Il est le plus petit et sûrement le plus connu magasin de vintage dans Paris. Situé sur une rue animée – rue des Rosiers, qui on connaît pour tous les restaurants de falafel, ce magasin est juste génial ! Toute l’année, il y a une sélection superdes robes, pulls à motifs, chemises de jean, salopettes, shorts, jupes et sacs à main. Il y a aussi une bonne partie pour hommes. Pour moi, la plupart desarticles ne coûte plus que 10€, sauf on achète une veste qui aurait aussi une affaire ! S’il est possible, allez pendant la semaine parce qu’il y a toujours plein de monde au weekend.

Free ‘P’ Star - 61 rue de la Verrerie

I always say it is all part of the joy of vintage shoppingto rummage for real gems amongst pile of rubbish and this is one of the main draws of Free ‘P’ Star and its 1€ bins. They also sell a selection of leather and denim shorts for €10 a piece and faux and real fur coats with prices ranging from €10 to €100 or more. Free ‘P’ Star has three shops in the Marais, each within about five minutes walk from each other. 

La joie de faire du shopping dans les friperies vient de fouiller dans les grands tas de vêtements pour trouver des vrais bijoux, je dis toujours. Cela est une des attractions de Free ‘P’ Star et ses paniers de 1€ ! On vend aussi une sélection de shorts en cuir et en jean pour 10€ à l’unité et des manteaux en fourrure vraie et fausse pour les prix entre 10€ et 100€ ou plus. Il y a trois magasins de Free‘P’ Star dans le marais et on peut marcher entre chacun dans cinq minutes. 

Other locations:
- 52 rue de la Verrerie
- 20 rue de Rivoli

Hippy Market - 21 rue du Temple / 3 rue de Turbigo

Hippy Market is part of the same group as Kilo Shop so it sells the same great range of clothes but everything is more expensive.So, if you are looking for good quality and well-presented vintage, shop either here or Kilo Shop!

Hippy Market fait partie du même groupe de Kilo Shop – il vend la même gamme géniale des vêtements mais tout est plus cher. Donc, si vous cherchez des vêtements vintagede bonne qualité, bien arrangés, trouvez des trucs soit là soir à Kilo Shop!   

 The King of Frip - 33 rue du Roi de Sicile

A rather hit and miss shop to be honest. I have found some real bargains in The King of Frip over the years but recently some of their prices seem to have shot up. Coats, furs and dresses are quite expensive but you can still find denim shorts, shirts and bags for about €10, which is pretty cheap.

Un magasin imprévisible si je suis honnête. Dans le passé j’ai trouvé plein d’affaires chez The King of Frip mais récemment, quelques prix ont augmenté. Les manteaux, les fourrures et les robes sont assez chers mais on peut toujours trouver des shorts en jean, des chemises et des sacs à main pour vers 10€, qui est plutôt bon marché.  

Other vintage shops in the area:
- Vintage Le Bar - 16 rue de la Verrerie (for high end and designer vintage)
- Come on Eileen - 38 rue de Rivoli

Izzie x

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*Updated May 2015

Down by the River

Bristol Harbour Festival, or 'Harbourside' as it is generally known, is a free annual event based in the docks area of Bristol, which took place at the weekend. With a variety of musical, theatrical and circus shows as well as market stalls and boat trips, it really is a great event that can be enjoyed by everyone.

Unfortunately, the Saturday was rather wet. In fact it rained solidly from 3pm until way into the night so we spent most of the day in the pub and under an abandoned gazebo. Of course none of us had come that prepared so we had to fashion some waterproof gear out of bin bags. I know, so chic.

Sunday was much sunnier and I took advantage of this by visiting some of the boats and the market stalls. The outfit photos below were taken on board The Matthew which is a replica of the boat sailed by John Cabot from Bristol to Newfoundland in 15th century. It is a really pretty boat which resides in the Bristol Docks so I thought it was the perfect setting. 

Dress - Topshop / Bag - Vintage / Necklace - Vintage / Sunglasses - Asos / Lace cycling shorts - H&M (old) similar here

I can hardly stop wearing this dress at the moment. I know it's quite a common item that everyone will have in different colours because it's a Topshop basic but it is so easy to wear. I actually thought I would never wear orange, it being my least favourite colour, but I saw this and loved it. I wear it with lace cycling shorts just in case a gust of wind blows up my dress!

In the afternoon and evening I went to see some local bands play such as Peter & The Harmonics and a personal favourite of mine, Yes Rebels. I would highly recommend a trip down to Bristol for Harbourside next year if you want a weekend filled with lots of boats, lots of culture and as much local cider as you wish.

Izzie x