Yesterday I was delighted to see my interview with Lydia Fallon in the Cambridge News. We chatted about how Retrovert got started, what I love about vintage fashion and my favourite aspects of running the business. You can read the full feature below.
'A lifelong love for glamorous eras gone by inspired Sophie Collins to set up her own vintage fashion business. Lydia Fallon meets the young entrepreneur to talk style, the swinging sixties and getting to shop for a living
As I step into Sophie Collins’ gorgeous Cambridge home, I can’t help but feel a little disorientated. A super-modern eco affair, think oak clad walls and crisp, white surfaces, I almost expect Kevin McCloud to step out from behind a door mumbling his latest architectural anecdote. But then, when I look a little more closely, I discover the house has a distinctly vintage feel.
Kitsch Fifties tea dresses hang elegantly on the washing line, slinky evening gowns lie nonchalantly on chairs, and 22-year-old Sophie is the epitome of effortless style in a vintage Fifties white dress and turquoise blue cardigan. “I don’t usually wear white,” Sophie tells me when I compliment her on her outfit. “But I saw this last week and loved it.”
I tell her if I ran my own fashion business, I’d probably end up keeping all the stock. Does she ever experience the same problem? “Giving things away is one of the hardest parts of the job,” she laughs.
Sophie set up her vintage fashion and homewares business Retrovert last year, and has been keeping the fashionistas of Cambridge stylishly-clad ever since. From the avant-garde flapper dresses and pearls of the Twenties to the garish sport-luxe style of the Eighties, Retrovert has something to tickle everyone’s fashion fancy, and has proved a real labour of love for Sophie. “The more involved I am in vintage, the more I fall in love with it really,” she smiles. “For me it’s all about the history, I think there’s something so iconic about the Twenties right up to the Eighties, there’s a style you can see in each decade, whereas now there’s much more a blend of everything.
“I just love that the big skirts of the Fifties are because after the war everyone wanted to rebel against rationing, it’s lovely to be able to own that piece of history.”
Having always had a passion for vintage (“I think it started when I was 11 and took part in a historical enactment of Tudor times,” Sophie laughs), Sophie and her friend Jane set up a successful homeware stall on Cambridge Market back in 2011. The duo sold everything from chintzy china to retro kitsch, but the glamorous lure of fashion was getting hard to ignore. Eventually deciding this was where her expertise lie, Sophie decided to branch out on her own. “I have really enjoyed moving into clothing,” she says. “It’s really enjoyable to find something that suits someone’s personality – it can be a lot more fun and personal.”
For eco-conscious Sophie it has also proven another way to up her green credentials. “Our house is an eco-house, and my mum works in environmental policy, so as a family we have always been very interested in recycling and being eco-friendly,” Sophie explains. “Vintage fits in perfectly with that, because it’s taking something unloved and finding someone to appreciate it again.”
And Sophie admits taking past treasures from the depths of the trash can, and giving them a new lease of life is one of the most rewarding aspects of the job. “It’s just so rewarding when you see someone wearing one of the things you found somewhere, and seeing how much it is now appreciated.”
An excuse to spend her days shopping is obviously another added perk. Scouring car boot sales, charity shops and auctions for one-off vintage treasures, Sophie is always on the lookout for something quirky, colourful, and most importantly, wearable today.
“It’s rare to find anything before the Sixties in charity shops and car boot sales, so I enjoy the auctions the most. They are really fun but can be quite risky too, you have to take a chance but you do find some really great things that way.”
And what about her own favourite find? “It changes all the time,” she laughs, before rushing off to show me a recent purchase.
Unveiling a gorgeous Gatsby-esque black evening gown, Sophie admits, that this particular find is going to be incredibly hard to part with. “This one is unusual for me because it is black but with The Great Gatsby coming out soon, I thought it was perfect - so exquisitely made.”
Describing her own style as “eclectic, colourful and comfortable – I wore a purple lace trouser suit yesterday, which was completely mad!” I wonder if Sophie can choose a favourite fashion era? “It’s a toss-up between the Fifties and Sixties. I love the crazy colours and patterns of the Sixties but then with the Fifties it’s the shapes, the fabrics and the way they used to make things.
“But if I had to choose the Sixties would probably just edge it,” Sophie decides.
Sophie currently runs Retrovert as an online business, as well as selling her wares at various local fairs and markets, and with vintage still very much a boom market, business is thriving for the young entrepreneur. “I think TV shows like Downton Abbey and Mad Men have definitely had an effect,” Sophie says. “People will come in and buy a Sixties suit because it’s ‘just like on Mad Men’.
“I also like to think as an independent business, when customers come to me, they know I’ll do my best to help them personally.”
One day, extortionate Cambridge rents permitting, Sophie aspires to have her own shop. But whatever path the business takes, she’s just happy doing something she truly loves. “It’s so much more than just getting to shop for a living, it’s finding things worth treasuring again.”
We think Retrovert is one local business definitely worth treasuring.'
The feature also included an extract from my blog How to turn a Vintage Tablecloth into a Circle Skirt, so was the first time my very own words appeared in print.
A huge thanks to Lydia for writing such a lovely and interesting article, and to Duncan for taking such great pictures of me and my stock.
As I step into Sophie Collins’ gorgeous Cambridge home, I can’t help but feel a little disorientated. A super-modern eco affair, think oak clad walls and crisp, white surfaces, I almost expect Kevin McCloud to step out from behind a door mumbling his latest architectural anecdote. But then, when I look a little more closely, I discover the house has a distinctly vintage feel.
Kitsch Fifties tea dresses hang elegantly on the washing line, slinky evening gowns lie nonchalantly on chairs, and 22-year-old Sophie is the epitome of effortless style in a vintage Fifties white dress and turquoise blue cardigan. “I don’t usually wear white,” Sophie tells me when I compliment her on her outfit. “But I saw this last week and loved it.”
I tell her if I ran my own fashion business, I’d probably end up keeping all the stock. Does she ever experience the same problem? “Giving things away is one of the hardest parts of the job,” she laughs.
Sophie set up her vintage fashion and homewares business Retrovert last year, and has been keeping the fashionistas of Cambridge stylishly-clad ever since. From the avant-garde flapper dresses and pearls of the Twenties to the garish sport-luxe style of the Eighties, Retrovert has something to tickle everyone’s fashion fancy, and has proved a real labour of love for Sophie. “The more involved I am in vintage, the more I fall in love with it really,” she smiles. “For me it’s all about the history, I think there’s something so iconic about the Twenties right up to the Eighties, there’s a style you can see in each decade, whereas now there’s much more a blend of everything.
“I just love that the big skirts of the Fifties are because after the war everyone wanted to rebel against rationing, it’s lovely to be able to own that piece of history.”
Having always had a passion for vintage (“I think it started when I was 11 and took part in a historical enactment of Tudor times,” Sophie laughs), Sophie and her friend Jane set up a successful homeware stall on Cambridge Market back in 2011. The duo sold everything from chintzy china to retro kitsch, but the glamorous lure of fashion was getting hard to ignore. Eventually deciding this was where her expertise lie, Sophie decided to branch out on her own. “I have really enjoyed moving into clothing,” she says. “It’s really enjoyable to find something that suits someone’s personality – it can be a lot more fun and personal.”
For eco-conscious Sophie it has also proven another way to up her green credentials. “Our house is an eco-house, and my mum works in environmental policy, so as a family we have always been very interested in recycling and being eco-friendly,” Sophie explains. “Vintage fits in perfectly with that, because it’s taking something unloved and finding someone to appreciate it again.”
And Sophie admits taking past treasures from the depths of the trash can, and giving them a new lease of life is one of the most rewarding aspects of the job. “It’s just so rewarding when you see someone wearing one of the things you found somewhere, and seeing how much it is now appreciated.”
An excuse to spend her days shopping is obviously another added perk. Scouring car boot sales, charity shops and auctions for one-off vintage treasures, Sophie is always on the lookout for something quirky, colourful, and most importantly, wearable today.
“It’s rare to find anything before the Sixties in charity shops and car boot sales, so I enjoy the auctions the most. They are really fun but can be quite risky too, you have to take a chance but you do find some really great things that way.”
And what about her own favourite find? “It changes all the time,” she laughs, before rushing off to show me a recent purchase.
Unveiling a gorgeous Gatsby-esque black evening gown, Sophie admits, that this particular find is going to be incredibly hard to part with. “This one is unusual for me because it is black but with The Great Gatsby coming out soon, I thought it was perfect - so exquisitely made.”
Describing her own style as “eclectic, colourful and comfortable – I wore a purple lace trouser suit yesterday, which was completely mad!” I wonder if Sophie can choose a favourite fashion era? “It’s a toss-up between the Fifties and Sixties. I love the crazy colours and patterns of the Sixties but then with the Fifties it’s the shapes, the fabrics and the way they used to make things.
“But if I had to choose the Sixties would probably just edge it,” Sophie decides.
Sophie currently runs Retrovert as an online business, as well as selling her wares at various local fairs and markets, and with vintage still very much a boom market, business is thriving for the young entrepreneur. “I think TV shows like Downton Abbey and Mad Men have definitely had an effect,” Sophie says. “People will come in and buy a Sixties suit because it’s ‘just like on Mad Men’.
“I also like to think as an independent business, when customers come to me, they know I’ll do my best to help them personally.”
One day, extortionate Cambridge rents permitting, Sophie aspires to have her own shop. But whatever path the business takes, she’s just happy doing something she truly loves. “It’s so much more than just getting to shop for a living, it’s finding things worth treasuring again.”
We think Retrovert is one local business definitely worth treasuring.'
The feature also included an extract from my blog How to turn a Vintage Tablecloth into a Circle Skirt, so was the first time my very own words appeared in print.
A huge thanks to Lydia for writing such a lovely and interesting article, and to Duncan for taking such great pictures of me and my stock.
RSS Feed
