IN
WITH THE OLD
To stand out from the crowd, do what Hollywood stars and models do -
grab a vintage bag! By Lim Swee Hong.
When
it comes to fashion, Punggol resident Pia Chew refuses to follow the
dictates of "magazines or mothers", nor what she calls "the
cookie-cutter world of Mango and Zara".
She enjoys experimenting with different styles and contemporary fashion
just doesn't do it for her. "Current trends are always flogged
to death by every shop in town - you get very few style options,"
says Pia, 30, a marketing executive.
"Not with vintage. The range available is mind-boggling and yet
each piece is unique without being obnoxious. And strangely, everything
works by mixing and matching," she enthuses.
She started collecting three years ago - from vintage bags to vintage
jade costume jewellery, Bally shoes, disco dresses, rotary dial telephones,
1960s clocks, plastic home appliances and 1970s fur coats. Part of the
thrill is discovering history, especially through the thoughtful details
of the purses, such as attached mirrors, coin purses and even quaint
personalised labels.
Her collection grew so large - "I would have about 60 to 80 bags
at any one time" - her husband finally insisted she does something
about the clutter. So she sold some stuff to fellow enthusiasts. The
response was good enough for her to set up an online vintage bag shop,
www.dustbunnyvintage.com last year. "Dustbunny was my nickname
as a LAN gamer - it's cute," she says.
These days, she has friends in the US scouring the estate auctions
for good buys. She selects the pieces she wants by e-mail before having
them shipped over. Mum and her get first pick and the rest she sells
- "It's hard but I try not to form an attachment," she says.
