ABOUT

The New Format

The site has undergone a major renovation. I have scaled back all the pages other then the shopping page. I did this so that just the clothes take centre stage. I have also changed the format. I am a huge proponent of fashion - both modern and vintage and an even bigger believer in vintage being a working part of every fabulous woman's wardrobe. They are special pieces but they should be worn and treated as a vital and essential part of your working closet. I have changed the format of the site to present the garments as they work into this season's look. Much like the "must-have" list of the season, this collection is presented to reflect what is happening now. I always find it ironic just how timeless vintage is and how the really great ideas are repeated. It's just that with vintage you get a quality and cut not found today outside of the couture houses. I hope you love the new format. It's pared down but I promise as fast as pieces get sold new ones will take their place. I want the site to be like your favorite boutique - the place where you just know you will find the perfect piece time after time. I have mixed in accessories and bags this time around - one stop shopping if you will. But remember these are pieces to work into your every day wardrobe. Pieces you will keep for a life-time and maybe even pass on. Truly fabulous women understand the importance of mixing in those absolutely special one-of-a-kind pieces. I hope you find yours here.

About Me

Shrimpton Couture was born as a result of being an obsessive shopper. From as far back as I can remember clothes have held a fascination for me. Innately I knew that given the right wardrobe a girl could lead the life she wanted. People always laugh when I tell them all the success I have had in my life was born out of the need to have a closet full of Prada and Gucci, sprinkled in amongst pristine Ossie Clark's and a row of beaded silk flapper dresses. They don't really believe me and assume I am saying it to amuse but the truth is that the clothes are not just clothes. Clothes and especially vintage clothing represent the countless women who led extraordinary lives. When you pick up an exquisite bias cut silk floral chiffon gown from the 1930's, each of it's stitches painstakingly done by hand; one cannot wonder what girl once dreamed of her future life while wearing that dress. Clothes are magic...they can transport you from an ordinary girl to the belle of the ball. From an innocent girl to a femme fatale. That is a powerful seduction.

Modern clothes are wonderful things and everyone who knows me knows I do like to buy from the vast selection our present designers offer, but vintage is different. Once you discover vintage it is actually quite hard to shop regular retail anymore. There is something about the cut, the fabrication, and the attention to detail. Modern clothing can offer this as well of course, but to truly get a comparable garment you are often restricted to the very upper echelons of the fashion hierarchy. Maybe vintage is so different because often each stitch on a garment was finished by hand, or that the fabrics just feel "truer". The cut on a vintage garment is different - more in line with the individual body rather then a mass-market pattern. But I am an open-minded girl - you need a bit of both really - old & new. To have a truly fabulous closet that will let you live a truly fabulous life you need to fill it with clothes that tell the story of you, whether that means vintage or sparkly new. And then wear it all with a dash of disdain and wit.

I am a shopper, as I mentioned, and for the longest of times that is all it was about - shopping for my closet and me. Then one day I found a dress by a designer or two that I particularly liked and would pick up a piece here and a piece there, of their work. Then the day came when I came home with a dress that was not even in my size but that was OK cause I just had to have it. That is when you are officially a collector (which is a nice name for someone who has gone a bit overboard). What happens next is pretty easy to guess - once you have a room (or twoish) full of vintage dresses in all sort of sizes and a few girlfriends who discover you have all these lovely dresses - its all over. I became "the girl to call if someone wanted a dress no one else would have" and ironically I found out that I was also the "girl who could match up a dress with a girl and it would be just right". I was suddenly the equivalent of the Goldilocks dress matchmaking service by default.

I adore vintage. I can get lost in the beauty of a fabric and certain dresses will never, ever leave my closet because they belong there - whether they are wearable by me or not. When my burgeoning rooms filled to the bursting with my "collection" and it just got to be too much and I had total strangers suddenly calling me from referrals from friends to "please help them find them a dress"; when everyone I knew said to me "why don't you open a store?" ...that is when I decided to launch Shrimpton Couture.

You will find the best of the best name and label-wise side by side with unlabelled treasures. I am a snob when it comes to quality and cut, after those two criteria are met - that is when the name on the label comes into play. I personally choose each garment you will find on this site, based on its beauty, relevance and whether it can still work now. Occasionally you will find a piece that is only offered on a collectible basis because it is just too good to let go of and sometimes garments that may not be wearable anymore deserve their place too. Very early pieces are almost like art and occasionally I will offer them up for the collector. You will not find vast amounts of stock at any given time. I am a shopper too and I personally don't like having to go through pages and pages of mundane stock. My inventory will change constantly and only the best pieces will ever be offered. Cleaned, pristine, as good as it gets, vintage pieces. Check back at least once a week if you are an addict like me. If you don’t have time to check back often, sign up for my e-news and I will email you when I do updates. My goal is to have Shrimpton Couture be the BEST place you have ever shopped at. . . .Period