Featured Explorer: Monica Barleycorn of Whitby, England

My favorite part about vintage trading is meeting incredible people from all over the world. I would like to introduce---drumroll---the beautiful vintage fashionista Monica Barleycorn!

This lovely foreign girl purchased one of my favorite Tandem Vintage pieces---an incredible wool-blend, tribal-inspired cardigan from the 70s. And, I must say, she makes it look pretty good! So good, in fact, that I invited her over here to tell us about herself.

Check out her blog here. I'm excited to see where her journey takes her...

Tell us about yourself.  

My name is Monica Barleycorn and I'm a 17 year old student from Whitby, England. I've just finished my first year studying Business and Economics, Maths, English Language and German. 

Any habits, hobbies, addictions, or obsessions?  

Fashion is my greatest hobby. Every spare minute I'm bidding on ebay for a vintage piece, browsing websites or trying on outfits! I'm a bit obsessed with animal jewellery at the moment. I'm also a very keen tennis player which most people don't know about me! So I'll be spending most of my summer playing matches and working on my game.

Describe your "style" or how you dress. What are your essentials?  

I don't really have a specific 'style' as such. I guess my fashion changes depending on what mood I'm in. One day I'll wear a pretty floral dress and the next day smart chinos. I guess I'm really versatile. I can be really girly but at the same time very indie. My essentials are knitted cardigans, brogues and my bowler hat.

What do you see as an upcoming trend, if any?

I don't tend to follow trends that much when it comes to my personal style, I kinda just go for what I like. I can see aztec and navajo patterns being huge this summer and I'm loving feathered jewellery at the moment.

What are you listening to right now?  

A bit of everything really. My favourite bands are Daughtry and Maroon 5.

Any major ambitions, projects, or goals?  

My dream is to work in the fashion industry, to be backstage at catwalk shows and to be running around a city in sky high heels. 

If you could go anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?  

NYC. After watching The City, Gossip Girl and Sex and The City, I just feel like its the place for me. Also as a fashion capital of the world, I imagine its filled with style opportuties.

What is your favorite thing about Vintage?

I love that fact nobody else has it. I love the originality and the preciousness of vintage clothing and accessories.

The lovely gold Elephant Brooch I snuck in Monica's package. SO happy she's enjoying it!

Thanks again, Monica! 

Kudos, all...

Man-Eating Vintage: oversized grey-blue fleece by alf

Every time I go on a thrifting excursion, I return with nothing for myself. A small part of this is principle, but the larger part is personality. I don't need anything. But occasionally, some man-eating piece of vintage holds me at ransom for my life... and I write a check. This time, the item is a gorgeous oversized fleece, which literally raises your body temperature in about thirty seconds.

If it manages to keep its rank in my six-shelf hanging organizer for the next month, it may just have survived the frugality litmus test. (Slim... but maybe.)

It has this gorgeous woolly, carpet-like interior, perfect thumbholes in the sleeves, and really cool geometric print on the inside of the collar. And it's a lovely smoky grey-blue. And an adjustable bungee in the bottom hem. And deep, fleecy pockets. And it's made in the USA. Mens'? Bonus points. AND, it says "alf" on the sleeve. AND the tag has a mountain on it!! AND it smells like a CAMPFIRE!!!

(Deep breath...) 

OKAY, LET'S GO!! Wait... it's seventy degrees outside.

Sheesh. I'm all ready for a good adventure and it's too hot? What is this?? ("Bob Saget!!") 

I guess I'm just an off season kind of person.

Kudos.

Cruiser.

What's better than vintage clothing?

Vintage... bicycles. 

No, I can top that. (Pun intended! Apologies.) How 'bout riding a vintage cruiser on an ocean bike path in Hawaii? *FIST PUMP* 

My darling mint green Huffy. 

The immense romance of  the Hawaiin islands stems in large part form "Hawaii Time," a very literal cultural phenomena: somehow, there is always enough time. Time to... lolly-gag along the lush shore with an ocean breeze on your skin on a hundred-pound, fixed-gear chromoly frame. Needless to say, you will rarely (okay, never) see someone in the Northwest commuting to work on a cruiser. On Kaui, the pristine, isolated, emerald jewel of the Islands, it is part of the culture.

As the locals say: "Ah, from the mainl[u]nd? Aloha, friend! Enjoy your stay!"

And these are the lovely people who took me. Bloggers, meet the grandparents.

Jim and Dana. Honest-to-goodness explorers with a constant itch. I barely keep up. Seriously. 

Till next time.
Kudos.