Shop Spotlight: Vantage Point Vintage

I found Vantage Point Vintage originally during my 'witch chic' kick (still ongoing, on most days), while trying to find a mod-style black mini dress a la the Black Belles. With practically every other kind of clothing item I searched for afterward, I ended up coming across their website or eBay page. (Quite a small world, since they found my blog on their own!) Eventually, I developed a system when I had something in mind to look for, I'd check a few specific stores before anything else, and VPV was, and still is, one of those online stores.

Their pieces are eclectic, stylish, and are in beautiful quality. Their prices are pretty reasonable considering their worth, and even if nothing in the vintage department catches your eye, you'll be hard pressed not to fall in love with their Unlike Any Other collection of designer vintage DIY denim shorts. (They even have a men's section, too. Not many vintage shops do!) You know what my favourite part is? They're offering free shipping -- and there's no minimal purchase price. How awesome is that?

Just a few highlights of their current selection of clothing are 80's Floral Romper, 80's Palazzo Floral Trousers, 80's Lenay Tunic, 70's Pin-Stripe Secretary Dress, 80's Sheer Floral Top, and 1996 Daytona Beach Bike Week Tank, all for less than $40 bucks! These are the kinds of vintage pieces we all search for: versatile staple pieces that go with just about everything we already own, yet manage to stand out as well.

Vantage Point Vintage is based in Florida and was founded in 2008 by cutest-couple-ever Jenny and Josh, who have made over two-thousand transactions on eBay alone. I asked Jenny a few questions about VPV's origins and running it with her husband.

How did you and your husband become interested in vintage fashion, and where did you get the idea to run your own shop? 

-- We both love reducing, reusing, and recycling and what girl doesn't love fashion? Josh also really loves vintage t-shirts. If we source any, they may be more likely to wind up in his closest. While still working in the not for profit sector, we founded VPV in 2008 as a hobby to find amazing one of a kind vintage pieces and bring them to our friends around the world. It's just evolved to where we are today.

What is your favourite part about owning VPV? (And what's your husband's favourite?) 

-- Working in my pajamas! There are a lot of challenges in owing your own business but working in my pjs, with my dog snoozing nearby is definitely a perk! I'll let Josh answer that... Josh said, "I love to work with my wife and it's great to be a part of something that can make a difference in your community and who knows maybe one day in the world. It doesn't hurt to dream."

Do you have a favourite piece of clothing that you are selling, or have sold before?

-- Honestly, we've sold so many great items over the past three years and it's really hard to pick a favorite. Honestly, I'm a sucker for vintage band t-shirts and we have a great one from the 1977 Led Zeppelin tour. I could link to 100 others but that would make for a really long email. :-)

In case you missed my last outfit post (or the banner in my sidebar), VPV and I have teamed up to give you a discount on your purchase when you shop on their site! During checkout, use my coupon code ontheganges and you'll save 10% on your order, so go check out their site (if you haven't already) and see what you like!

Also, If you purchase anything from VPV, I'd love to see an email in my inbox of your look featuring the item you bought. You may be featured right here on this blog. ♥ You'll definitely be seeing me in something from VPV soon; I was the lucky girl to claim their oversized southwestern-printed shirt!

Shop Spotlight: Moon Raven Designs

I decided I wanted to start a little editorial series about shops I've come in contact with that I love, both to gush and to give said shops a little more exposure, and my first installment will be featuring my current favourite Etsy shop: Moon Raven Designs.

 

(Note: the availability of items I mention will always change, which is more reason why you should check the shop out yourself once you've read this!)

I first discovered Moon Raven Designs while searching for a Dia de los Muertos ring on Etsy, and stumbled upon their Onyx Black Sugar Skull Cocktail Ring, gorgeously detailed with floral designs all throughout the skull's face. Despite the fact that I wanted such a ring for the classic variation of bright colours, I was so taken by the intricacy of the ring I'd discovered, that I had to add it to my Favourites.

Going through said Favourites later on, I stumbled upon the ring and wondered if the shop had anything else jewelry-related to offer. What I found was far better.

Skulls, talons, antlers, teeth, and beaks greeted me in a metallic colour spectrum of glowing bronze, shining silver, warm gold, and charcoal black, and hues in between. Bird skulls stared wide-eyed at me, wolves and wild cats grinned at me, and I found myself transfixed by what I was looking at. I never thought such a shop existed.

Moon Raven Designs is run by Michael Doyle and his wife Dianne, and is based in British Columbia, Canada. The 'full time wildlife artisan' has been designing these beautiful pieces since 1974, and in an interview with Freedom Spark talked about the origins of his craft, beginning with leather works. (You can read the interview here.) He is quoted as saying, "I have always been inspired by nature from a very young age, and with living in British Columbia, it is all around us."

3D African Fruit Bat Skull Pendant

Your first thought at skull rings and claw necklaces may be something resembling Hot Topic or Spencer's, but I insist that you'd be mistaken. Each piece is beautifully created, realistic and artful. They're less like jewelry you'd find at a mall and more like what you'd expect to find in a mysterious lodge out in the middle of the woods. Many pieces are cast from real skulls and bones of animals that have passed on (from natural causes) and sized down for a more acceptable size for jewelry, though some pieces are perfectly to scale. The same goes for his claw pendants and many other items.

If sporting an animal's skull isn't your thing, Moon Raven Designs offers many other pieces of jewelry (such as under the shop section 'Assorted Necklaces') with a vague steampunk feel, such as keys, wishbones, and gothic crosses (be aware, some may be housing a tiny knife within!) to name a few. Perhaps if you're into dinosaurs, you may have enough cash to pick up a Triceratops or T-Rex skull necklace -- the latter complete with articulated jaw.

Moon Raven Designs even offers anatomy pieces on the human side of the spectrum. Anatomically correct heart pendants dominate this section, but you might still find a humerus bone necklace, or a brain pendant. Really, if you can think of it, they probably have it; if they don't, they're open for custom orders.

If you're a cat lover, then your feline friend doesn't have to be left out either! Moon Raven Designs even provides small bird skull necklaces for your kitty that you can even share to wear as a bracelet or anklet.
 

Sterling Silver Elk Antler Ring

This shop is nothing short of amazing; catering to all of your wildlife needs, while simultaneously inspiring goth to be classy. Moon Raven Designs gives a whole new outlook on nature and the cycle of life, and brings a unique take of a world outside of our own, a world that we too easily forget in our technologically-driven society.

Get in touch with your nature-loving side and take a look at Moon Raven Design’s Etsy shop!

Life Size Crow Skull Ring (Weathered Finish)

Recommended items:Antique Gold or Polished Metal Crow Skull Ring
Bronze Bighorn Ram Skull Necklace
Oxidized Sterling Silver Hummingbird Skull Necklace
Bronze Sabertooth Tiger Skull Pendant with Articulated Lower Jaw

Basically, all of the skull stuff.

(Thanks to Dianne for allowing me to talk about them here on my blog! ♥)