Say vintage knitwear and it often conjures up images of ugly christmas jumpers or sagging wool swimsuits! So to prove that vintage knits can be much more exciting and attractive, here are my three favourites in the shop right now:

This is such a cute mini dress. The knitted daisy pattern just epitomises Sixties flower power. I can picture it teamed with white tights and boots! 

This black wiggle dress has a fabulous hourglass shape. I love the bold metallic collar. It would be a classic piece for winter nights out.

And finally, check out this beautiful jacket. Aren't the Autumnal colours lovely. This would look fab teamed with a pair of rockabilly jeans. 

So there  you have it, not an ugly xmas jumper in sight, stylish knitwear instead! And if you are interested in vintage knitting, then do drop by on Wednesdays to check out my regular Pattern of the Week feature! 

Sophie from Retrovert 

In case you missed it we were in October's Edition of the Cambridge Magazine. The lovely Lydia Fallon interviewed us, as well as 3 other local vintage retailers. I shared my views on why vintage is special and gave an insight into my own eclectic style. 

You can read the digital edition here (pages 84-87) or on the Cambridge News website

Hope you've had a good October! 

Sophie from Retrovert

I love to make things and I often combine my love of crafts and vintage by using old patterns. I spend lots of time trawling the internet and archives to find vintage patterns so I have decided to spread the joy and share a pattern each week for you to enjoy and possibly inspire you to get making! 

Some of you may be familiar with this week's pattern - The Victory Jumper is an iconic knit from 1945. Bold patriotic colours and a lace stitch pattern make this stand out. I am currently half way through making this and it is not quite as daunting as it looks. After a few rows, the lace pattern becomes quite easy to remember. Check back in a few weeks to see how mine has turned out! 

You can download the pattern from the V and A in their 1940s Patterns to Knit collection. What do you think of the Victory Jumper - would you make it? I think it would also look great in other stripe patterns and colour combos. 

Come back next Wednesday to see what pattern I've got for you then! Do let me know in the comments if there is anything you are trying to find...

Sophie from Retrovert 

Last week the fabulous Sarah Baker featured Retrovert in her 'Vintage Baker Finds' piece on the Bristol Vintage Wedding Fair blog. Thanks Sarah for the great write up! 

To celebrate the start of Wool Week 2014 I wanted to share with you my absolute favourite vintage wool dress available in our ebay shop right now. 

The fabric is by Liberty, renowned for their stunning prints, and this is no exception. The bold floral pattern on soft wool makes this an incredibly striking dress. 

Made in Paris by the luxury brand Nastat Real, known for dressing Brigitte Bardot, this 60s dress is just perfect for wearing this season. Sixties prints have been rocking the runways in the last few weeks so this is right on trend. 

Wool really is a wonderful material - a fact I can attest to on this cold and rainy day! You can find out more about its benefits and Wool Week events at Campaign for Wool. 

And if you fancy having a go at making something from wool, check out our blog on Where to Find Vintage Knitting and Crochet Patterns and get started! 

Have a great week! 
Sophie x

Here in Cambridge we are revelling in the sunshine and the delights that await us this summer. One of our favourite things about this season is the riot of colourful flowers that are coming out, so here are our top five flower prints to celebrate! 

60s Floral A Line Dress 
£40.00

Vintage Pink Floral Dress 
£45.00

70s Liberty Print Top
£40.00

Vintage Floral Peplum Dress
£40.00

70s Yellow Floral Maxi Dress
£35.00

All these vintage beauties are now available in our online shop. My personal favourite has to be the Liberty top - I just love how the print mixes both flower power and paisley. Which floral print do you like best?

On Sunday we ventured out to a new event in the area. We took our colourful vintage fashion to the village of Whittlesford for the very first Authentique Vintage and Interiors Fair. 

The item that got the most love on the day was this Dollyrockers cotton mini dress. It hasn't yet found its perfect fitting partner, but I'm sure it won't be long! 

Our neighbour was the lovely Sheila from Pretty Things. It was their very first fair and, living up to their name, they had a pretty pastel collection of Art Deco ceramics with unusual designs. The most striking item on their stall was a 'Bizarre' sugar bowl by Clarice Cliff. It has inbuilt sugar tongs on the lid and a rich handpainted design. 

On our other side was Oxbow and Peach with a sparkling array of vintage china and decorative wares, perfect for adding a vintage touch to your home. Lizzie and Georgie have a great eye and have recently opened a shop in Whittlesford so do check it out. 

Another stall that caught our eye was Molly's Vintage with a classic Seventies orange and brown display bursting with retro goodies. According to the stallholder Alyson, one of the reasons these iconic storage jars have the text on is to make them specific for a function, and not just purely decorative, which gave them a lower tax rate. They are wonderfully characterful - if you look closely you can see this Onion is even crying! 

Thanks to everyone that came along! Hope to see you at our next event - Judy's Vintage Fair in the Cambridge Guildhall on May 10th. 

Have a great week, 
Sophie from Retrovert x

We had a blast at last Sunday's Cambridge Vintage Fair. The half marathon made it a bit tricky to get into town, but it proved to be no obstacle for hundreds of shoppers determined to get their vintage fix! 

It was the first gloriously sunny and warm day of the year and this was perfectly suited to our stall full of colourful spring and summer vintage fashion. 

Our stall was filled with new stock, not just dresses but accessories too. Like these silk designer scarves... 

... and a sparkling collection of vintage evening bags. 

As always we dressed in our vintage garb. Mum looked lovely in her chiffon tea dress from Retrovert. It has a fresh floral print ideal for spring. 

I went for a 60s look in my original purple lace shift top, white trousers and purple suede wedges. I absolutely love these trousers - they have the most amazing circular 'windows' at the hem and I knew I just had to keep them when I found them. 

We found lovely new owners for many of our unique vintage pieces. This sky blue chiffon maxi was hard to say goodbye to, but seemed the perfect dress to sell on a such a beautiful spring day. 

Thanks to everyone who dropped by Retrovert's stall. We will be back at the Guildhall in May with even more vintage loveliness. 

Hope you are all enjoying the start of spring!
Sophie from Retrovert x

We are so happy about the opening of our Online Shop. To share some of our joy we are giving away a fantastic collection of vintage accessories to one lucky person. 

The prize consists of: 

• Gorgeous blue satin scarf 
  
• Metallic gold handbag
• Mint beaded necklace
• Hand embroidered floral brooch
• Super cute bow brooch

Five fabulous vintage accessories to brighten up any outfit this spring. They would make perfect presents for vintage loving friends, or you could keep them all for yourself! 

How To Enter
There are three ways of earning an entry. The more you do the more chances you have to win! 

• Leave a comment on this post telling us your favourite item in our new Online Shop
• Sign up to our Monthly Newsletter using the box at the top of the sidebar
• Share a link to the giveaway on Twitter mentioning @Retro_Vert

Terms and Conditions

• The giveaway closes at 9pm on the 27th March 2014
• The winner will be chosen at random from the valid entries and will be contacted by email shortly after the giveaway closes. If no response is received in 7 days, we will draw another winner.

Good luck everyone! 
Sophie from Retrovert x

We love vintage fashion and accessories. And we know you do too! We absolutely adore selling to our customers at fairs, but there are so many more vintage loving gals around the world that deserve to get their hands on Retrovert's delights. So it is with great excitement that we announce the opening of our Online Shop.

Our collection is eclectic and full of vintage gems. We want to help you find items that suit your own unique style - maybe you love the classic shape of Fifties frocks, or maybe the bold prints of the Sixties are more your thing -  whatever look you love, we are here to help find the perfect vintage piece for you! 

Here's a little preview of my five favourite dress available in the shop right now (and boy was it hard to narrow them down!) 

We will be adding new items to the Shop each week, so check back often. I promise we have some more absolute stunners coming soon! 

Have a fantastic week
Sophie from Retrovert x