Fashion Trends

When is vintage not Vintage?

Long-term followers of Mouse to Minx will know that we started our brand selling quality vintage dresses and homewares in 2005.

As the brand has grown we have continued to take inspiration from those lovely frocks and the styles from the best decades of the 20th century and have brought to you a range of new designers working in an imaginative way to evoke the flavour and style of times gone by.

Our creator – Paula Daly – (that’s her with Daphne, Doris and Dulcie in the photo) started collecting when she was a child: little bits of china, lace and textiles. Quite frankly she finds it hard to stop and needs regular treatment for Chronic Nostalgia.

Since Mouse to Minx arrived in town there has been some significant growth in the sale of ‘vintage’ but Mouse to Minx would like to put the record straight, based on over 30 years passionate immersion in all things fashion, design and style.

One day, Doris turned to Daphne and asked, “what exactly is ‘Vintage’ Daf?”

“Well,” said Daphne, puffing out her already sufficient chest, “in one sense it means a collection or an epoch.”

"Oh you mean like an era, or period perhaps," replied Doris.

“Yes, darling,” replied Daphne. “Just so.”

Doris paused for a while and then asked, “And what about the other ‘sense’ you alluded to?”

Daphne cleared her throat and continued. “As an adjective the word means best, choice, classic, fine, mature,” (she paused for breath),  “prime, quintessential, rare, select, superior or venerable.”

Crumbs!” gasped Doris. “What a lot of words you know Daphne!

”And nothing later than 1979,” Daphne added, as an aside.

Just then, Dulcie came into the room.

“So as you can see, Doris dear, at Mouse to Minx we are using the V-word very faithfully,” she added to the discussion.

“Absolutely,” concluded Daphne waspishly: “nothing nasty, pungent or scruffy here.”

So there you have it.

We do still sell select vintage items, but we have our standards and never offer our customers anything but the best and genuine quality informed by a real understanding of the specialty.

To that end in the coming months we will be welcoming back a small vintage collection from storage, where they have been enjoying a well deserved break away from the hustle and bustle of Minx HQ. If you are in Bristol don’t forget to pop by, or give us a call if you are looking for anything in particular that we may be able to help with.

Toodle-pip until then!

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