Tuesday, September 28, 2010

glc news...

We have two exciting things to tell you.

1. The Style Hive has a link to our site on their blog. And the Style Hive is super cool. Based in Welly, Nina, the founder, has a love for fashion and an eye for style. Check out her blog here.

2. The Black Magic necklace by 2Gypsies was worn by the drummer of Dum Dum girls (listen to their sweet sounds here) on a recent tour with MGMT and Vampire Weekend.

How's that for coooolllll? Congrats 2Gypsies! To get your own 2Gypsies piece of goodness shop here.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Dress me up...

Lads of late are stepping outside of the square, gone are the days of Chucks being appropriate as dress shoes or Desert Boots being interesting enough to wear day to day. International style blogs and runways are seeing the return of the brown leather dress shoe and we've been seeing a bit around little ol en zed already. Lucky for you, we have a few pairs right here on gran's loose change for you to check out.



Images from Lookbook.nu

Please note all shoes on gran's loose change are measured heel to toe on the outside. If you have any questions please email us on hello@gransloosechange.co.nz

Thursday, September 23, 2010

How to: shop second-hand this summer

I am counting down for September 26th when daylight savings ticks over and we finally get an hour’s extra light at night. Why? Because that means summer is just around the corner. And summer means long, balmy nights; beach hair; swimming in the ocean; mojitoes; fresh fruit and barbeques - and also means a whole new wardrobe for gran’s loose change, our loyal customers and me too of course!

Summer days change the way we shop for vintage – we start hitting the garage sales as well as the op shops and we start to hunt deeper than we would in winter. Shopping for second hand clothing in the summer is a lot harder than the winter. Oversized knits; leather jackets; booties; and shirts for the boys are in ample supply but when it comes to summer, it starts to get a little bit trickier. Never fear, it just means we have to be more committed, more dedicated and have our eyes on the ball.

Just like the new trends and styles from leading designers, vintage follows trends too; only it has its own spin, which is what dressing in recycled clothing is all about after all! If you’re shopping for vintage this summer, be sure to check out www.gransloosechange.co.nz, we upload new product weekly and you have to be QUICK! If you prefer to shop for second hand and vintage clothing yourself, here’s a few tips and key styles to keep your summer wardrobe fresh, unique and on trend.


Florals
Floral dresses, shirts and skirts are gems to find and when you do, they are usually in impeccable condition. They add colour to any outfit and make you feel like a true, blue summer stunner. Look for skater style dresses, sweetheart necklines and A-line skirts. They are a bit fun, a bit cheeky and a lot sweet! Check out the range of dresses on gran’s loose change here.

Harem pants
The alternative to wearing jeans once it starts to cool down at night - I have been living in my grey marle harem pants already (and it’s only spring!) Team them with strappy sandals, a cami and add a cropped blazer or leather when it starts to get colder and voila! Comfort and style in one. Second hand stores have fab harem style pants, although you may not recognise them to start with. They won’t be as tapered around the ankles as you’d probably like but take them to a tailor and in 10 minutes, your harem pants can be sewn into perfection. Check out the retro aisles of op-shops to find these hidden gems

Neutrals
Beige, nude with a layer of beige is super hot this summer (I wish I could wear it myself although I just can’t bring myself to move away from black. Hmmmff). Look for flimsy shirts in the 16+ section of op shops and wear them tucked into shorts, oversized over bike shorts or over your favourite dress. Layer shirts and dresses up over the top of each other and don’t be scared to try something different. Beige shorts and a white singlet teamed with tanned summer legs? Yes please! (Gala Gonzalez KILLS it in neutrals here)


Sheer
The return of the slightly cheeky sheer is back with a vengeance. Be brave with a bandeau or even just a bra underneath a sheer shirt or singlet and team with denim cut offs or jeans. Look in the shirts section of the op-shops not the dress section as this is where you will find the best buys.


Aaaahh summer... Happy shopping.

As published on FashioNZ.

Worldwide domination...


gran's loose change has now had over 51,000 page views, that's fifty one THOUSAND from a whopping 27 countries. Whew! We must be doing something right, right?

Thank you to our supporters, our viewers and our customers from all over the world. Vintage lovers from the US, the UK, Tunisia, Fiji, the United Arab Emirates, Italy, Argentina and more are viewing our wonderful site. Customers from NZ and Australia are spending more than four minutes on average on the site and searching through a minimum of eight pages.

So, thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Slowly but surely we will get where we want to be...worldwide domination. Peow!

Monday, September 20, 2010

Please shine down on me...

I think the weather has forgotten that it's spring. A storm passed through the Mount on Friday night and I was convinced our old beachfront house was about to blow out to sea. Our power even went out for a few hours so we lit candles and toasted marshmallows on the fire! Although it was blissful and peaceful with no power and only good old conversation to keep us entertained, I'm dreaming of summer. And sun. And bikinis. And new sunglasses. Retro frames, quirky frames, timeless frames, stylish frames, I don't know what to go for this year. What sunnies are YOU buying this summer?





Oh Mr Sun, Sun, Mr Golden Sun,
Please shine down on me...

Oh Mr Sun, Sun, Mr Golden Sun,

Hiding behind a tree...

These little children are asking you
To please come out so we can play with you

Oh Mr Sun, Sun, Mr Golden Sun,
Please shine down on me!

Images by Sabre, Karen Walker, We Heart It and Google Images

Thursday, September 9, 2010

A few of our favourite things...

One of the best parts of being a buyer for gran's loose change is the sheer delight in discovering a good find! Amongst my scavenger hunting last week I could barely contain my excitement when I found this...


It is possibly one of the best finds I have had since launching gran's loose change. It is in impeccable condition. It is fresh, bright, on trend, in style and god damn I wish it fit me and that I wore colours other than black.

It reminded me of the Zapotec dress a dear visiting Australian friend of mine bought from Ruby Boutique last November...

And it's also similar to a couple of the dresses in twentyseven names' summer 2010/11 range which delights me even more as twentyseven names is a personal fave of mine.

Wedding Album dress

Supremes Blue Magic dress

So, what are you waiting for? There's only ONE. It's best suited to a size 8-10 and it is quite small across the bust. It looks fab as is, but I like things a little shorter, especially with summer coming up so a tailor can nip the hem off and bob's ya aunt. Do it.

Now that we are on the topic of faves, here's a few more of mine:
swimming in the ocean. Baby Boomerang by the Shins. sheer shirt dresses. writing. JM. the view at the top of the Mount. d_luxe jewellery. Sabine Taylor Attrill. tattoos. the smell of rain.

In the press...


Bay of Plenty Times, Wednesday 8 September, 2010: My Wardrobe

We love that you love us...

Good old google analytics (a lifesaver for any online store) tells me we have recently been blogged about so this is a 'thank you' to A thread apart and a 'thanks for the referrals' Beatles to Bowie.

Be sure to let us know if you do write or blog about us, as quite often, if we haven't visited your blog or site before, we won't see or hear about it and we want to give love where it's deserved!


Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Introducing... 2 Gypsies

Get to know Amy and Jason from 2 Gypsies better...

Who/What is 2 Gypsies?

It's like 2 eagles kissing, but better.

How did 2 Gypsies come to be 2 Gypsies?

We were on a plane back to NYC from Florida with Sharks Teeth in our pockets. We talked about how it was cool to wear sharks teeth when we were kids, and decided nothing had changed. The week after we had made a bunch of stuff and thought other people might like it too.


Who are Amy Fraser & Jason Woodside?
Just two kids on Back Harlow Road


What are three things you do outside of 9-5?
Gypsies don't know about 9 - 5. We hang out bonfire style.


How would you describe your personal style?

Denim & white t-shirts


What/who do you find most inspiring?
Jacques Cousteau & The Calypso, James Dean, The Seven Seas, Black Ramblers, Dice

One thing you couldn't live without?
The ocean!

Quote you live by?

"We should probably go on holiday soon."
- Jason & Amy
.
http://www.2gypsiesnyc.com/home.html

Hey! Look over here!

gran's loose change is all about supporting, harbouring and selling up-and-coming designers just as much as we are all about vintage. We could hardly contain our excitement when we confirmed 2 Gypsies as part of our Shop New section.

Amy Fraser and Jason Woodside are not only mega babes but they are phenomenal creatives who inspire me daily (you hear that guys? You probably didn't even know it!) Amy is a god with words, (you should definitely check out her writing here and here) and Jason is an artist, check out his work here.

But best of all, they are also the designers and creators of 2 Gypsies. The Firewater Collection, their first, consists of hand made necklaces and rings created from trinkets and treasures. I love how each piece feels like it has it's own story and yet keeps your own secrets once you wear it as well.


Amy and Jason are currently based in New York City (I KNOW! Living the dream right?!) so place your pre-orders NOW! We mostly have just one of each but we do have a few of each of the Shark Fang pieces. Buy now, delivery later. The pieces for gran's loose change are on their way from NYC now, so we promise you won't have to wait too long for delivery. Get in quick because these beauties are sure to sell out! (And let me tell you, if they do, we WILL be ordering more)!

Shop for 2 Gypsies on gran's loose change
here and be sure to check out 2 Gypsies here

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

From us to you...


Click here to view the sale stock and GET shopping! We're making room for new summer wardrobes. Are you ready??

Going gaga over Gala...

Like everyone else in New Zealand at the mo, I am going crazy over Spanish blogger, stylist and model (amongst other things), Gala Gonzalez.

I've been following her blog Inside Am-lul's Closet for about a year now and she still rocks my socks off. She's adventurous, risky, drop-dead gorgeous, has long flowing luscious locks, eyes to die for and killer style. At 24 she is taking the world by storm having recently stopped over in Aus and little 'ol en zed. She loved us so much here in Kiwiland, she's even coming back from the UK in a couple of weeks for NZ Fashion Week.

My fave part about her? her mission statement: "
I'm not gonna tell you what to wear, I'm gonna show you how I wear it."

Check out a few of my fave pics of her below. I'm sure you'll agree, girls want to be her, and boys want to be with her... Move over Gossip Girl, 'GG' has now been claimed by Gala Gonzalez. Ex oh, ex oh.




Images courtesy of Inside Am-lul's Closet

Monday, September 6, 2010

Lusting after...

...the new All Saints range...oh how I wish we were privy to UK fashion any ol' time we wanted it. The All Saints lookbooks constantly inspire me. They are killer at layering, cuffing and colour. Love.