Jillian Lyons Designs: Valley Vintage

Why We Vintage

5:32:00 AM

I may be dating myself, but I have been buying and thrifting vintage so long, my thrifting is vintage!I have been buying vintage clothing since I was in high school. It started with my friend Jenny and I going to local flea markets. I became obsessed with adding vintage 1970s clothing to my wardrobe. The first vintage item I ever purchased was a bright orange button down polyester dress. I wore it until it literally disintegrated. Then came the 60s and 70s mens flare jeans. I lived in them. I had a pair in dark black with bright white threading I probably wore weekly for about 8 years. I eventually donated them back into society, still in pretty great condition.

Vintage mens jeans from Valley Vintage!

I was bitten by the vintage bug then. I have been shopping vintage ever since 1993.

What I learned between 93 and now is that vintage clothing is strong as fuck! It is almost ridiculous how much of a beating older clothing can take and keep on going. I may be showing my age here, but it’s just made better! I handle items from the 1930s - 1990s. I clean items, repair them as best I can. Usually older items need a little TLC. But even with these minor repairs - this stuff lasts! Vintage clothing is incredibly sustainable. That also means it’s eco-friendly. Vintage clothing is the essence of reusing. This is a huge part of what endears me to it. It’s such high quality that it can be used again and again throughout decades.

True vintage clothing must be at least 20 years old. At 20 years we experience the first wave of nostalgia as consumers. With nostalgia comes a yearning for relics from the past! With vintage you never really need to recreate a favorite decades look. Why recreate a style you’re nostalgic for? The fact is that you can literally find and use the original fashions of that period. There is something exciting about being able to recreate a period of time in your life. Or visit another era with the change of a dress!

To me vintage stuff is just cooler. I have always been a bit of a collector of things. As a teenager it was rare CD’s and imports, and concert t-shirts, as a 20 something it was comic books and action figures. As a 30 something, it’s still collect all of those things, plus vintage clothing and vintage decor. As an adult I express my love of decades gone by through my fashion choices and my home. I cultivate these looks to mix with my own taste and style. It gives my fashion and interiors a cooler one of a kind look. Over time these vintage pieces have dwindled in quantity. My pieces are not mass produced. They are harder to find and closer to originals. That to me, just makes them cooler!

My vintage dining room table. Warm fuzzies!

Which comes to my final reason on why we love vintage. Why we seek it out and go out of our way to repair and breathe new life into it. Every piece of vintage has this feeling of love and tells it’s own story. It just needs to find the right person that also has that feeling of love for it. It’s kind of like falling in love. Everything I’ve held onto or has been passed down to me is true vintage. My dining room table was hand made by my great grandfather in the 1940s. It means something to me. It’s like we share something special. Every time I look over at that table, I smile. Even though he’s no longer with me, a piece of him always will be through that table. On a less personal note, I also have a favorite pair of vintage jeans. When I saw them I got that instant, oooh I need to try THESE on! I snatched them up and I have kept for years. They hit me in all the right places, they are super comfy and broken in, and they give me a 60s and 70s feel no other item in my closet can. I feel great every time I put them on. I launder them carefully and never put them in the dryer, in hopes of keeping them as long as possible. I am the owner they were meant for. I love them! To me, that’s IT. That’s what it’s all about! That feeling. That feeling that is like yes! This is mine and only mine! It BELONGS with me!

That’s why we vintage.

childrens vintage clothing

Endless Summer Sale @ Valley Vintage LLC on Etsy

9:03:00 PM

Ashley Taylor

Summertime @ JLD

7:11:00 PM

Summer is here, and we’re so excited for what’s to come. June was a busy month for us in the Valley as Jillian has officially made the move to the quaint Borough of Naugatuck, Connecticut! July currently has us adjusting to a new home office space that has a home for all three JLD brands. Aside from the move, business has been booming!

Jillian Lyons Designs has now become it’s own separate entity, working exclusively with small businesses of all sizes, helping them to market, brand and build their social media presence. We are pleased to announce our newest member of the Jillian Lyons Designs team, Ashley Taylor. As our Administrative Specialist she works hard on helping to create our marketing, posting to our social media, and helping to keep our office up to speed and our deadlines met. She possesses a great interest in both vintage and contemporary fashion as well as blogging. We look forward to seeing what creativity she brings to JLD and it's sister brands, Valley Vintage and The Red Queen.

We have also recently teamed with the film Aaron’s Light, a film about one Autistic man’s journey to reach his dreams, all the way to Yale University. Donations are currently being accepted for this groundbreaking movie that will be filmed entirely at Yale. Please consider making a donation to this film, we strongly feel it will make a difference for people with disabilities.

Valley Vintage is pleased to announce that last year’s beloved Summer sale is back! That’s right -- The Magical Summer Sale -- from July 18th, until August 15th, 2016, save 40% on all festival wear, denim, groovy 60s fashions and summer inventory! Continue to check ValleyVintageLLC.etsy.com regularly for updates. Find some of your favorite Vintage Summer pieces now! We will be featuring new inventory daily during our sale.

Our newest brand, The Red Queen, has now officially started to feature its latest products at The Mad Hatter & Co. shop in Bennett Square at 41-D Main Street South in Southbury, Connecticut! Our latest items are brought to you by Mystic Knotwork, Designer Dwellings, The Red Queen brand and more to come! Be sure to keep checking out our Facebook page for updates and new items and local brands available through The Red Queen! We’re so excited and hope that you are too!

All of us from the Valley thank you for your loyalty, support, and your business. If you have any questions or concerns, be sure to email Jillian directly at JIanBoutique@gmail.com for more information.

Have a wonderful Summer!
-- The Jillian Lyons Designs Family

1990s

No Scrubz - The Vintage Fashion of TLC by Ashley Taylor

6:00:00 AM

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No, I don’t want no scrubs – a scrub is a kinda guy that can’t get no love from me. Hanging out of the passenger side of his best friend’s ride, tryin’ to holla at me! Remember that song? You probably do, since it was on the top of the charts for four weeks straight! Released in the mid-90’s, hip-hop group TLC’s single – No Scrubs – has been streaming through radio stations for twenty full years. So in celebration of their success, let’s journey back to the 90’s and see how T-Boz, Left Eye, and Chilli redefined fashion of their reign’s decade!

Back in the early 1990’s when the group first formed, trends were already beginning to rapidly change. Flashy prints from 1980’s no longer existed, and people began filling up their wardrobes with flannel shirts and ripped up jeans. It was all about the grunge, punk-rock look inspired by singers like Kurt Cobain and fellow Seattle rock gods. But with heavy influence from the hip-hop and rap music industry, artists like Destiny’s Child and Snoop Dog pushed for hip-hop outfit trends that TLC heavily influenced later on. TLC was known for drastic, bright block print colors, baggy pants, over sized t-shirts, and denim, denim, denim. Every appearance of the trio sparked controversy as their styles constantly changed, yet stayed coordinated with one another. So let’s take a look at what they brought to the table.

1. Color Coordination was their definition for stepping out of the “norm”.

Frequently, the girls were depicted sporting off color coordinated, matching outfits that grabbed the tabloid’s attention as well as the public. Bright colors are no doubt a way to have all eyes on you, and it was clearly evident when people began sporting outfits similar to theirs. Bright, neon colors were migrating into warbrodes everywhere.

2. They incorporated designer brand clothing with their street-style attire.

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Designer brands have always been mainstream, but when paired with a TLC’s laid-back hip hop style, the ladies made their outfits both unique and casual. Name brands were also growing in popularity, especially active wear garments. Brands like Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, and Dolce & Gabbana grew in popularity, surely with a little help from TLC. Well done ladies!

3. Overalls were their “thang”.

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If you didn’t rock overalls in the 90’s, were you even relevant? Heck, even celebrities were strutting their stuff in them! TLC has been seen on numerous occasions coming to events and concerts sporting denim or colorful overalls, as seen above. Overalls were a staple trend in most American households. (and I say it should be back in style today.) It was surely nice to see the celebs rock them too in a unique way. TLC even stirred some controversy by sticking condoms on theirs, as seen on the picture on the right. Cheeky girls.

4. They rocked denim and graffiti.

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We all know denim and over sized t-shirts were popular, so it comes to no surprise that the girls would rock these outfits. TLC went through a phase of denim-street style attire, and even had the idea to graffiti their own clothing. This really was a turnover for fashion. Designers like Louis Vuitton and Tommy Hilfiger took some of the creative flows from this type of design and incorporated graffiti into their own clothing and accessories. Remember those white LV bags with the multi-colored graphics? You can thank TLC for making that look popular.

So thank you TLC, for not only slaying the charts, but also slaying the fashion game with their wacky, unique sense of style. You really paved way for a 90’s fashion takeover. The next time you try on those overalls I know you still have laying in the tubs in your basement, you should thank TLC for making them a fad in their time. Happy 20 years to not having any scrubs!

angel wings

The Resurrection of Jillian Lyons Designs

11:57:00 AM

Valley Vintage has begun thriving as a business. With our official one year anniversary as a business happening this month, I have no doubts that VVLLC will continue to grow and be something I will continue to love curating and running.

Jillian Lyons Designs on the other hand, has had a very troublesome year. Sales had progressively gone down. On top of this I had burned myself out last year from crafting. I took a break for a while. I had very little inspiration or drive. I think this is something many artists go through at one time or another. To make matters worse, I hurt my arm and wrist for a prolonged period of time at the height of the Holiday season. When 2015 rolled around, my precious JLD started to feel like it was dead in the water. I toyed with the idea of closing it. Putting all my eggs in the vintage basket seemed like what would eventually happen. But it hurt me deeply to have to publicly say my inspiration is gone and so is JLD.

Then Marissa at Sassy Mouth Photography tapped me to use some of my angel wings in a Victoria Secret inspired series of photo shoots. As I said in a previous post, I HAD to say yes. She was practically magical! I admired her work. So off I went.

Seeing her finished images moved me. I was finally ready to make wings again! The flood gates opened and I started creating. I also started posting new items to Jillian Lyons Designs for the first time in a year. It felt so good. Like an awakening of my authentic self.

Soon enough offers came my way. PopUp55 offered us the use of their wonderful pop up shop space for a 2 week run with a Spring theme. Assuming they meant Valley Vintage I started curating bright Spring colors in my mind. Then a surprise. Elinor Slomba, my contact at PopUp55 and New Haven's Project Storefronts said no. She was actually looking for Jillian Lyons Designs to bring in the Spring. I was surprised, nervous, worried. Even though I had new product, I wasn't sure if JLD was enough for the PopUp55 shop. or it's New Haven customers. I negotiated for both vintage clothing and my costumey accessories to have a presence there. Elnor said ok, but let's say Jillian Lyons Designs @ PopUp55.

So that brings us to the present. I have just wrapped up my two week long pop up shop event. What I learned from this, is that people liked Jillian Lyons Designs. I sold both old and new products. The things I felt weren't my strengths did just as well as the things I thought were shoe ins. AND the vintage clothes weren't the huge success I expected them to be. They did EQUAL business.

I learned many valuable lessons about working with a staff, what works for me in person versus online, how to better market myself in all respects. I learned so much that the powers that be from PopUp55 / Project Storefronts have invited me to share my experience and Etsy marketing tips at a workshop. So on April 23rd I will be at The Haven Collective giving a little talk about all of these things. This is happening from 7:30 - 9pm at 938 State Street New Haven. You can find more info HERE.

In my next post I'll be adding some of the gorgeous shots from our Pop Up Photo Shoot on the streets of NHV! For now you can find a few in the I Love New Haven blog, courtesy of Mr. Chris Randall.

Andy Warhol

AndyGram

7:14:00 PM

I am convinced, if Andy Warhol were alive today he would have not only loved, but like INVENTED Instagram. It's the ultimate most self serving form of Pop Art. Instantaneous gratification. Play by plays of the Factory. Constant modern art uploads by Warhol. Andygram could have been amazing.

I recently went through a creative rut. I started focusing on my newly formed Valley Vintage business and spending time building it. But in that time my little personal bank of ideas was just empty. With Halloween on it's way, one of my very favorite times of year, I felt like I needed to do something to motivate myself. Jillian Lyons Designs was kind of depending on it. So I decided to challenge myself to use the awesome power of Instagram and post a picture a day, every day, no exception. It's been 9 days so far. Doing a picture a day has forced me to get off my ass and make art in some way. I'll tell you, the flood gate of ideas is open and flowing.

It's been amazing so far! No matter where I am, if it pops in my head I pull items together and make it happen. It's also forced me to use things around me to make these things happen. Things I've made. Stuff around the house. Random things around me. It's forced me to get out more into the world when I want to do something more nature involved. Creative on the quick! I highly recommend it.

So in less then 2 weeks. My own Andygram (Jillygram?) has snowballed into the creation of two photo collections I am hoping to create prints from. 1) Dia de los Muertes which feature Dick Dangers & myself modeling masks I made. I am hoping to create a story from these images. And 2) Valley of the Dolls, which will feature me (again!) and hopefully other friends, fam or models, recreating famous images and scenes from my all time favorite book and camp classic flick - Valley of the Dolls!

Some exclusive images just for the blog from my Insta-shoots are below. You can see my actual Instagram feed here. I'm also using #apictureaday as well! Follow me to see my new image each day. My goal is to do it for a month. (Maybe even pushing it further to do it for an entire year!)

angel wings

Wednesday's Child Part 1: We Are the Desperate

11:30:00 PM

My first project since our move back to the Valley started with driving around and re-discovering Seymour. Down random streets and back up through familiar areas, I started to view Seymour with fresh eyes. My creative process went into full swing as I started imagining what I could do in some of these spaces. How I could use what I had made and collected to tell a story while still marketing my businesses. I love the idea of making art, to sell other art.

I put out a call to local models on Facebook. I still wasn't entirely sure what the project was going to be, just a few different ideas bouncing around. The one that i kept coming back to involved a location we went by and was part of a park and Seymour Land Trust. On an old dumpster in the middle of the back parking lot someone had spray painted WE ARE THE DESPRATE. Spelling error and all it called to me. An old co-worker of mine reached out and suggested someone he knew. I looked at her pictures and everything started coming together in my head. The 1960s mod dress I had purchased that screamed Wednesday Addams. It was full motivation to get it repaired and in wearable order. Wednesday's Child started to come into being.

Julia Karen was someone super easy to work with. She had no fear of the camera and was up for anything. She and my old friend Finks of Absrtact Koncepts were a couple, they came together for the shoot. And thank goodness they did! Finks brought a camera so that he could snag some shots of his own. About 5 shots in, my camera stopped working. Finks took over as photographer as I directed the shoot. It was such a fantastic collaboration that we had hundreds of usable shots!

So after much painstaking editing, I decided to release this as a series called Wednesday's Child and in parts. Part 1 is below. It is entitled We Are the Desperate. Both wings and dress are currently still available.