It seems most fashionistas these days are loving vintage looks, with old cuts, styles and classic twists flying off the high street rails.  But when it comes to being individual and authentic, nothing beats the real deal. Melissa Hunt shows you how and where you can get real retro, real creative and real thoughtful, all at the same time…

I’m not quite sure when I first fell in love with antiquities, especially sixties style.  Probably around the time I started wearing countless necklaces, clip-on earrings and bangles from my Gran’s treasure trove. I would somehow manage to parade about despite the weight. There was nothing I liked more than raiding my Grandma’s jewellery box for vintage pearls, trinkets and charms. My love later found it’s icon in the quirky and elegant 60s queen of cool, Twiggy.

So as you might imagine, as much as I heart the likes of Topshop, H &M and River Island, (and if, given the chance, would probably live there if they didn’t check the changing rooms so often), I also like the little indie shops scattered around Sheffield. Just off Fargate is Devonshire Street which may just be one of my favourite places on this planet. Ok, it’s not that amazing but if looking for something a bit more ‘out there’, it certainly ticks all the boxes.

The granddaddy of groove is undoubtedly Freshman’s.  It is truly the flag ship for all successors that have sprung up in the last few years. Sheffield’s original vintage store sells everything quirky for a fair quid with tastes suitable for everyone from the moderately cool kid, to the full on fake-pink-eyelashes queen of eccentricity. My favourite section is probably the stand of sunglasses, of which I proudly own a pair that get glued to my face every summer. The range of festive dresses also makes me squeak with joy, followed by unbelievably annoyance as I’m nearly always strapped for cash. If it wasn’t an unwritten fashion law, I’d undoubtedly wear flower-power prints all year round. No joke. Let’s say bye-bye to the minimalist grey, bring back an amazing A-line covered in flourish and flowers!

Another shop which has followed Freshman’s lead is COW (on West Street – just near the tram stop), which until a bit weeks ago, had slipped passed my retro radar. If the purple neon sign isn’t enough to tempt you in, I don’t know what is. It is definitely better set out than Freshman’s, which allows the whole *wow factor* as you step in.  And the till is shaped like a wooden beach shack for goodness sake, what’s not to like?!  Expect cowboy boots aplenty, colour coded stuff on racks and beret wearing Uni girls buzzing around rails like a family hovering over a box of Celebrations, hoping they’ll be the first to find the Malteser one. The fact everything’s been hoarded from jumble sales, house clearances and second hand shops escapes attention. 

For some reason regulars go gaga over livid, traffic stopping leggings. Why? It’s never been explained, but I’ve got a wardrobe full of stuff that for some reason will look naff if I wear it.  Give a damn? I really do not.  But it was this array of ‘Whatever possessed me?’ clothes, greeting me from draws and hangers, that finally made me get out the old pins and needles for a tad of reinvention. We’re forever bombarded with all this information about our consumer society.  That little bit of guilt you get when you buy emergency socks from Primark, made by a poor kid in Bangladesh for next to nothing, is something frankly, I do give a damn about.

One way is to use the good old make do and mend attitude. Of course I’m not saying we should all become fifties house wives, sewing patches by hand onto our skinny jeans like a modern day Oliver emo Twist. No way. But sometimes I really do relish getting a little creative. Making purses out of old t shirts and dresses, or decorating an old bag with big bad ass buttons. I once even sewed real shells onto a bag I decorated for my friend. It’s all the rage darl. On a serious note though, when you take your male friend around the John Lewis textiles department in search of zips, reassuring him that Haberdashery is a real word, maybe you should cut back a little.

The good thing with retro fashion is that it slows down our stupid senses to demand for new, new, new all the time. I love looking nice as much as the next person, especially at Christmas, but if we don’t slow down, we’re really going to be up to our necks in it – most probably literally buried under a massive landfill that is fast becoming the UK. Buy, bear, bin – the cycle really does have to stop.

If you’re not really in the mood for making yourself, or you feel sewing machines are The Terminator in its very primitive stage, there are plenty of other peeps dotted all over the place that make funky fashion ready to buy. All you need to know is where to look…Good job I’m going to tell you then ay, isn’t it?

The Forum is the infamous home of Alice Takes a Trip, and the mini Freshmans that closed recently (mourns). The owner works tirelessly over her creations which are stunner-ing. They’re also pretty cheap as well – ok, not a steal but around the same price you’d expect to pay at a decent chain store. And the best thing? Not a single one the same.

Syd and Mallory (which I think has moved to the forum now) is also groovy. Set up by a couple of friends in search of an income for their rent it has turned into one of my favourite places to adorn creations I could never knock up, even with a pattern.  The fact the clothes don’t have a specific size makes you not only feel a little unique but removes the ‘I’ll never squeeze into that size 6!’ issue.

So the question, is old the new, new? Most definitely yes. But my advice is don’t be boring and follow the crowd on the high street, go and find your own little favourites. Make clothes or decorate them.   Believe me you really don’t need a GCSE in textiles, just an imagination. And for the guys still reading, that means you too! Do your bit guys and girlls. Make, mend, or make do - and for a real retro treat… go to Syd and Mallorys!

Photo shoot with Cube models courtesy of FRESHMANS