Om Diva: cutest boutique in Dublin?

With June around the corner, it's almost time to mark the 9th month of my fast fashion detox. Not that I'm really keeping count any more. At this stage, choosing vintage over high street fashion is just how I shop; it doesn't feel like a challenge.

It's become such a non-story in my life that I haven't really felt the need to blog about it... Sorry about that!  I've bought a few vintage pieces here and there but didn't feel like it was anything worth posting about. 

Recently however I visited Om Diva near the George’s Street Arcade. Although it had been recommended to me when I started the detox, it had fallen off my vintage radar. Passing the shop recently though, the lovely big Yes Equality sticker in the window caught my eye and I remembered that they had a basement full of vintage fashion. 

With contemporary fashion upstairs and vintage downstairs, Om Diva is probably the prettiest little boutique in Dublin. Pink stairs lead down to the vintage basement which is decorated with fairy lights and jewelled hangers.

Something I've noticed since shopping exclusively vintage and second hand is that lots of vintage styles do not suit my body type at all (boooo!). Having a narrow waist and shoulders but wide hips, means that most of the 'straight up and down' styles trendy in vintage shops right now just do not work for me. So when I found myself browsing rails and rails of pretty, waisted dresses in Om Diva, I knew it would be difficult for me to walk away empty handed. 

I picked up three pieces: two jumpers and my new favourite dress. This dress might not look so exciting in the photos but I LOVE it. The fit is just perfect for me. I love the full, lined skirt, the long sleeves and the fittest waist. It's so comfortable and flattering. The dress cost €55 and the jumpers were about €30 each. 

If I wasn't delighted enough to pick up some nice new vintage bits the owner of the shop made my day by gifting me a pair of Dior style earrings. How cool are these? Just need an excuse to wear them now.

Whether you're into vintage or not, do pop in to Om Diva the next time your passing. Local shops like this deserve our business and I know you'll find something you love there! Check out there website: http://www.omdivaboutique.com/ 

Thanks for reading!

X

PS With only 3 months to go until I complete my challenge to live without fast fashion for a year, I'm starting to think about what kind of  brands I will support once the challenge is over. If you have any recommendations for ethical fashion brands, please let me know! Get in touch on twitter @marylquinn.

Recycle your style with Siopaella

I've noticed that since I started this challenge almost 6 months ago (that's right, almost halfway there!) that I've had two different types of shopping experiences when buying second hand. One is all about trying to find basic items to fill gaps in my wardrobe like a simple black top to go with a skirt I already own or leggings for the gym. Typically to find these pieces I look in charity shops. The other experience is more a little more exciting - it's about buying for fun. In this scenario, I find myself in one of the many cute vintage shops scattered across Dublin.

Recently, I discovered something that fits somewhere in between the two - Siopaella. Siopaella (meaning Ella's shop) is a place I had visited before starting this challenge without realising it sold second hand goods. Based in Dublin’s Temple Bar, the shop is divided across 3 locations. Each shop caters for a different demographic; men, women and designer brands.  

I love these cute bags!

The great thing about Siopaella is that it combines the kind of second hand high street fashion that you hope to find at a charity shop (but at much better quality than many charity shops) and the fun, boutique vibe of a vintage store. The staff at Siopaella are great too; really friendly and very helpful.

So, how does it works? I asked the cashier about this the last time I was visiting and she explained that Siopaella allows people to sell, consign or swap clothes. According to their website:

By consigning to Siopaella, you, as the consignor, receive 40% to 80% of the final sales price, depending on the item’s resale value, and we keep your items for up to 3 months *. As a guideline, you will receive 40% of the final selling price of most high street and vintage items and up to 80% on couture and high-end designer pieces such as Chanel, Cartier and Hermes.

I haven't consigned anything to Siopaella myself. Usually if I'm doing a wardrobe clearout I donate my clothes to the nearest charity shop but if you have high quality pieces or designer items and would like to make a few bucks then maybe Siopaella is for you.

I have purchased from Siopaella though! Although the designer shop stocks some really great brands (Chanel handbags anyone?!) big names aren't really my thing. Instead I headed to the women's fashion branch around the corner, where I picked up this silky hoodie (above). Originally from Bershka (you'll find a lot of high street brands here) I thought this hoodie was a lot of fun and something a bit different. I can't remember the price anymore (sorry!) but I did remember thinking it was more expensive than charity shops. Siopaella is a for-profit business after all and considering the high quality of the clothes there, I was happy enough!

Couldn't say no to this print!

Considering the recent close of Shotsy, I think it’s more important than ever to support sustainable shops like this. I totally recommend checking it out the next time you're in town. As they say themselves, by shopping with Siopaella you can “Recycle your style today, and smile knowing that you’re doing your part for the environment – and your wallet!” 

Oxfam George's St vintage haul

Dear readers, apologies for the radio silence. I promise it's not that I've fallen off the wagon and gone back to my old ways. I'm happy to report that it's quite the contrary; I've found this challenge much easier than I expected. Until this week, I hadn't bought any clothes, old or new, since I attended the vintage kilo sale a few months ago. I'll write a post on how I'm coping without fast fashion another time.

Today I want to share with you some lovely pieces I picked up in Oxfam's George's St. shop. Now, I feel that I should mention that I work for Oxfam.  This is not an advertisement; I don't work in the retail section and wasn't asked by anyone to feature the shop. I shop there of my own free will, I promise!

In recent years, Dublin has since a boom in charity shops. Oxfam has 51 shops across the country and the George's St. shop is probably one of my favourites. They have a lovely vintage section which I've been a fan of long before I started this blog.

I popped in for a look earlier this week and came away with 3 pieces. Outfit number 1 consists of a long, vintage skirt and a navy turtle neck t-shirt. The skirt was the first item to catch my eye. I'm a big fan of high-waisted and love the fit.

Apparently this skirt came with a matching top which had already been sold earlier in the week. I don't think I would have worn both together anyway, so didn't mind that they had been separated. As you can see in the photo, the hem has become slightly undone at the bottom which I can easily remedy so that's not a problem for me. At €7.50 for the top and €6.50 for the skirt, I think this outfit was a total bargain.

I'm not sure how to describe outfit number 2. I feel like a newsreader from the 80's in this dress, but I love it! It's also from Oxfam's vintage collection and at €12.50 I couldn't say no.

I'm really happy with these purchases and think I'll wear outfit number 1 for Christmas Day. I'd love to know of other charity shops in Dublin with a good vintage selection, so if you have any suggestions please let me know in the comments or tweet me @MaryLQuinn.

Mary x

P.S Happy Christmas to you all!

My first vintage kilo sale!

Today I attended my first vintage kilo sale – an experience to say the least! For those of you who are also new to the kilo sale phenomenon, the concept is pretty simple; items are not priced individually, instead you pay for the items based on their total weight. The cost is €20 per kilo so the price is dependent on how much/little you buy.

When Anne Marie told me about this sale I was excited to attend as I'm a big fan of the Folkster shop in Temple Bar. I was also looking forward to hopefully buying something for the first time since I've started this challenge!

When we arrived at the venue early this afternoon, I was surprised to see that although the shop had only been open for 15 minutes it was already jam packed full of eager shoppers. Most of the clothes seemed to have already been taken from the rails as people carried huge loads of garments around in big ikea bags or draped across their arms. We soon realised that people would take as much as they could carry, bring it to a quieter part of the room to sort through, and then leave what they didn’t want behind. With that, myself and Anne Marie found ourselves lurking around other shoppers until they had gone through their stash ready to riffle through their leftovers when they were finished – not my favourite way to shop! Agility, speed and a feisty attitude seem to be the best combination for tackling a sale like this. Nonetheless I managed to come away with one purchase – an oversized Aran jumper.

Although I’m happy with my purchase, I think I'll pass on shopping like this in the future. The chaos, competition and reaaaaaaaaaally long queues are just not for me. I haven't given up on vintage shopping though! I have a family event coming up in a few weeks and am hoping to pop into Shotsy in Temple Bar to try out a few of their lovely, sparkly dresses. Will report back if I make any purchases!

Mary x  

No Regrets!!

So it's been almost 3 weeks since I made the decision to stop buying fast fashion. I must admit there have already been several moments  of panic/regret where I worried that I've set myself up for too much of a challenge. I've noticed myself lusting after everything from trendy jumpers to gym pants and feeling sorry for myself that I can't have them. I've find myself worrying "what if I get invited to a wedding?!". Then I remember that these are ridiculous concerns and people in the world have real problems. I also remind myself that lovely things are still accessible, I just need to re-adjust my shopping routine.

Today I decided to prove to myself that shopping second-hand doesn't mean giving up on buying nice things. On the recommendation of my good pal Anne Marie I decided to check out Om Diva. Close to one of my favourite teenage haunting sites, George's Arcade, this is a shop I've passed many times but never stopped to have a look inside. I'm glad I did. The vintage part of the shop is downstairs and it's so cute I had to take a picture:

I tried on a few dresses here; they were lovely but just not the right fit for me. I will be back!

While I was in town, I also decided to check out Shotsy in Temple Bar. My visit here reassured me that my concerns were unfounded. Firstly, Shotsy has some seriously beautiful dresses so weddings / Christmas parties are covered. Secondly, I had a lovely chat with the ladies behind Shotsy about ethical fashion and buying second-hand. Not only did they make some brilliant suggestions for books I should check out but they also made me feel that this challenge is totally do-able. I'm hoping to make a visit to Shotsy again either tomorrow or next week and will take pictures the next time so keep an eye out for that!

Mary x