Schiaparelli is one of my absolute favourite vintage designers. Her novelty and pictorial works are what appeal to me most. So when I came across this new pattern made as part of her retrospective  "Shocking ! The Art and Fashion of Elsa Schiaparelli", I knew I had to share it with you. While not strictly a 'vintage pattern' its result is very close to the 1920s original. 

I would love to knit it someday. I don't really wear black so I'd be tempted to try it in blue or maybe red. The two colour Armenian style looks quite tricky, but I think it could also work using the intarsia method. 

Here's the link to free pattern for the Bowknot Sweater.

Have a great week!
Sophie from Retrovert

ps Follow us on Bloglovin so you don't miss our next Vintage Pattern post! 

This is one of my favourite vintage patterns. I've already made a couple of shawls from it and will definitely use it again. It is a simple crochet pattern and it works up nice and quickly. I think it would work well in a variety of yarns and is a great basis for experimenting with colour and texture. 

Here's one of mine. It's perfect for wearing with vintage dresses (especially over ones which you can't team with a cardi because of annoyingly shaped sleeves!) 

Here is the 1970s fringed shawl pattern from groovy crochet. 

Big wraparound shawls are really in this season and these would be great gifts to whip up for Christmas. 

If you are inspired to make this then I would absolutely love to see what you come up with! Tweet us your pic, or share a link in the comments below.

Cheers, Sophie from Retrovert

p.s. You can check out the previous Vintage Pattern of the Week here: 1945 Victory Jumper

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?

A massive thank you to all the lovely people who entered our Celebration Giveaway and joined in with our excitement at opening our Online Shop!

We are very excited to announce that the randomly drawn winner is... 

... the wonderful Ros from Retro-On-Sea! 

We are delighted to know that our vintage accessories will be going to such a good home - Ros has a fabulous shop full of seaside delights, so do check it out! 

Sorry to all the other vintage fans that missed out - I wish you all could have won! As a thank you for taking part we are giving you a discount on orders with Retrovert. Use the code Celebration10 at the checkout to get 10% of your vintage purchases :-)

Wishing you all a very happy and vintage filled April! 

Sophie from Retrovert x

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