aux etoiles vintage

How We Make Our Long Distance Vintage Business Work

October 30, 2019 by auxetoilesvintage

In April 2018, Aux Etoiles Vintage launched on Etsy and Instagram with a curated collection of vintage “momcore” blazers, high waist denim, tissue thin tees, and prairie dresses and blouses. As business partners and longtime bffs, we were thrilled to see a 20 year-old dream become a reality. The catch? We are separated by a distance of 1,200 miles. How do we run a vintage business from two separate locations? Here’s how we took our business from an idea to […]

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Put a Blazer on It

October 9, 2019 by auxetoilesvintage

The air is crisp, the days are shorter, and the grocery store has turned into pumpkin spice central! It’s fall! All we want to do is dive into a pile of blazers–plaid, velvet, corduroy, and more. Bring on the blazers! Have you ever noticed how a blazer can solve any fashion emergency. Want to dress up your tee and jeans? Blazer. Dress pattern too busy? Blazer. Need to punch up your wardrobe with only one piece? It’s a blazer! Put. […]

Categories: fall fashion

How We Style Prairie Looks: Part One

August 24, 2019 by auxetoilesvintage

The prairie trend has taken hold and it shows no signs of stopping. From Batsheva to Ulla Johnson on the runway to the popularity of vintage Gunne Sax and Laura Ashley on Etsy and Ebay, the prairie look is hot. Greta Gerwig’s upcoming adaptation of Little Women could even make the trend even more popular. But, sometimes a little prairie goes a long way. Here are some ways to incorporate the trend wihout looking like you’ve wandered off the set […]

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7 Things We Bought at Attire KC

July 25, 2019 by auxetoilesvintage

About a week ago, we were one of the vintage sellers at the Attire KC Summer Market, Kansas City’s premier vintage market organized by Peaches Vintage Collective. It was a great day– we got to meet customers, talk shop with other sellers, spend time together, and we sold a few things along the way. But, oh my goodness, we are not exaggerating when we say that it was the hottest we have ever been. KC brought the heat! But, KC […]

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31 day thoughts

February 1, 2019 by auxetoilesvintage

Part of the motivation for us to start Aux Etoiles was the blow up of ‘prairie’ styles in NYC. As children of both the 1980s and Kansas, we definitely get the floral puff sleeve. As we approach the one year mark, however, we’re a little surprised at the generativity of the second hand/vintage world. Whatever is trending in the elite corners of fashion can be found at your local thrift store: high waist, oversized blazer, billowy shorts. It’s all there. […]

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31 Day Vintage Challenge Week 3

January 31, 2019 by auxetoilesvintage

There comes a time in everything 31 day vintage challenge when you have to break out of the rut, try something new, and take the show on the road. That’s exactly what happened during week 3 when the #31dayvintagechallenge went south for the winter–well for one week–to Florida. My parents live in an over 55 community near Tampa in the winter months. One week a year, I make like a snowbird and leave the snow and cold for the land […]

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31 Day Vintage Challenge Week 2

January 28, 2019 by auxetoilesvintage

Two weeks of the 31 Day Vintage Challenge are in the books. When you make it a point to incorporate vintage clothing in your everyday looks, it changes the way you approach getting dressed. Here are some takeaways from the first 13 days: Planning is key. Putting together vintage looks takes some strategy and creativity. Planning outfits the night before has saved a lot of time. Prepare for compliments. You will get lots of compliments when you incorporate vintage into […]

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…finding that ILGWU tag

January 15, 2019 by auxetoilesvintage

[Hi–This is something I (K) wrote up for my students in my Fashion and Digital Media class last semester. Some of it is based on the work we’ve done starting Aux Etoiles.] As I’ve mentioned, I recently began research into the Etsy shop, vintage clothing seller world. I’ve been conducting a participant observation (or ethnographic) study of this culture since last March. I’ve opened an Etsy shop with one of my BFFs to more fully participate in this world and […]

Categories: garment history, tracy and kara, vintage history

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31 Day Vintage Challenge: Week One

January 6, 2019 by auxetoilesvintage

When we gave ourselves the challenge to wear vintage clothing every day for the entire month of January, we wondered if we could pull it off. We sell vintage, sure, but do we have enough vintage in our closets to wear to work, to run errands, to take on vacation, etc. Well, I’m happy to report that the answer is yes! Being clothes hoarders helps, but taking a creative eye to our closets is also key. Let’s see how we […]

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