I always wanted to have my own boutique....
Hello and welcome to Stelma Designs!
My shop is devoted to sharing my love of vintage and antique clothing and accessories, home decor and my handmade button jewelry. My family; husband and two daughters, live in a house built in 1895 and I have a studio in an adjacent building where I make my button jewelry and photograph and store my vintage clothing for sale. I keep busy with my girls, a large organic garden of perennials and edibles, 5 chickens, a cat, a dog and my off track thoroughbred horse.
I have a Masters in fine art from MICA and have worked in various mediums over the years from drawing, painting and sculpture to learning to throw on the potters wheel. I have been an artist and collector of old things ever since I was very small. I started collecting and wearing vintage clothing in the late 70s as a student and I still wear it today, though perhaps more selectively than I did in my younger days! I love antique and vintage buttons and began making necklaces from them in the late 1980s. I do take my vintage shop very seriously because accurate dating and good quality are very important to me. I never list any of my vintage clothing as "vintage condition", because what does that really mean? It is not true that all vintage is damaged or shows wear. It all depends, and so I believe all faults need to be described in detail and shown in a photo where possible.
What is so wonderful about supporting vintage sellers is not only the fact you are reusing garments that might otherwise fill a landfill, but the fabric and design quality is so far above and beyond the "fast fashion" of today that is cheap, trendy and ultimately going to fall apart, that is, unless you can afford designer couture. Also, if you are like me, you wish to be unique and stylish in your own way and not follow all the latest trends. Adding even a vintage accessory to a modern ensemble goes a long way to show individual style and isn't that what we all strive for? One final note, you will pay a lot less for incredible quality!
I am very proud to be an alumni member of the Vintage Fashion Guild and I highly recommend searching for our members using VFG in the search box to find knowledgeable sellers of top quality, authentic, vintage clothing.
Thank you for visiting! I do hope you visit now and again to see what is new in my shop.
Julia
