Up to no good

I’ve been on the caffeine again! Here I am customising another vintage denim jacket. I love getting messy and creating something new out of something old. Reworking & up cycling vintage clothing is a passion of mine and the fact that I get to do it as my job is pretty cushty!

Been on the Caffeine again!
Been on the caffeine again!As well as making a mess and giving the walls a splash of colour, I’ve been busy painting vintage denim jackets. Revamped, reworked and revived, they’re in store now and ready to RoCk n RoLL!https://thestellarboutique.com/product-category/fashion/clothing/…
Posted by The Stellar Boutique on Wednesday, 13 November 2019

Check out my reworked, custom denim jacket collection here

I also offer a unique personalised customisation service where you can have pretty much anything you like on pretty much anything you like! See the ‘Customised your jacket‘ details here.

Splash and dribble

Having a Jackson Pollock kinda day!


Having a Jackson Pollock kind of day
Posted by The Stellar Boutique on Thursday, 12 September 2019

Custom clothing made to order. Check out my custom fashion collection here or have something personalised and made especially for you, see here for full details… Customise your jacket

Stellar customers

Nothing puts a bigger smile on my face than seeing my gorgeous customers in their Stellar buys 🤩 I had the pleasure of meeting this beauty at Knutsford Makers Market at the weekend. She kitted herself out in my custom vintage, and just how good does she look! 
🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼

Remember peeps, keep tagging your new clobber on Instagram @thestellarboutique to feature on my page and enter into a draw for a Stellar voucher ✨ 
(and make a humble vintage seller very happy) 

P R I D E

Pride. You were incredible 🌈 
What a fantastic few days, so proud to have been part of and supported such a beautiful cause. I met some amazing people and had an absolute ball. Huge thanks to my fabulous helper @localhotelparking 
I couldn’t have done without you chica 😘
#onelove @manchesterpride .

Prepping for Pride

Late night sessions have been the order of the week getting the last of these ‘loud & proud’ custom tees ready for Manchester Pride this weekend 🙌🏼🌈

So excited to be bringing my boutique to the heart of Manchester for the ultimate party in celebration of LOVE!  
All ready to go! Come and find me in the Gay Village for a bargain and a boogie, I’ll be there spreading the love with my vintage spangles and bangles ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜

10 years of indie biz life

Here’s me in my first HQ in Spain 10 years ago when I’d just launched

The Stellar Boutique. 

July 2009, back when the internet was still a bit of a mystery to me, I only really used it to book flights, I never shopped online and I didn’t even have Facebook! I know, I mean…wtf?

All I knew was I wanted a fashion & vintage shop. I’d originally intended to have an actual physical boutique but when it fell through at the last minute (after investing in and even decorating the shop) I was devastated. A friend suggested I opened an online shop instead 
‘it’s the way of the future’ she said, 
‘internet shopping? Surely it’ll never catch on’ I said! 
The thought of it just didn’t excite me as much and, as a total technophobe, I had no clue where to start. 
Thankfully I heeded her advice and set out on this arduous yet rewarding journey, learning as I went and making a string of mistakes along the way too. 
To say it’s been a challenge is an understatement, there have been highs and lows galore. Running a small business on your own (on a shoestring) is tough, it’s full of difficult decisions, obstacles, problems, long days & late nights and anyone with an indie biz will know that sometimes the business has to be juggled around an array of part-time jobs just to stay afloat! 
One summer my shop was one of 5 jobs I had on the go in order to buy stock and pay the bills! 

There are times when you lose faith in yourself and question your abilities and there have even been moments when I considered throwing in the towel and getting a regular ‘secure’ 9 to 5! 

But this is not a violin moment, on the contrary!

 
To anyone considering starting up their own business, my only advice is to just go for it. As long as you’re passionate about what you do and are prepared to dig deep and work hard, you will get there. I’ve still got a long way to go and a lot to learn but I am loving every minute (most of the time) and to everyone who’s ever bought anything from me I thank you from the bottom of my heart! You have made this whole journey possible 😘

Ok, enough of the Oscar-style speech, better get back to work 👩‍💻

 

A little love from the Evening Standard!

Totally delighed to be featured in the Evening Standard’s choice of best online vintage shop! Thanks Evening Standard you’ve always been my favourite too 😉 And here’s the article…

Alongside this boutique’s vintage offering that comprises of bohemian clothing, jewellery, bags and belts, there is also the added option to have your jacket customised, choosing your own style, slogan and effect.

 

See the full article here

 

 

Stellar New Year challenge

Setting new years resolutions is always a love / hate relationship. If you’re anything like me it generally goes a little like this… December 31st, reflect on the year gone by, feel motivated, inspired and full of promise for the year ahead, set unrealistic resolutions, and by mid January all recollection of those so-called goals have disappeared into oblivion and it’s back to the old routine! If this isn’t the case and you stick to your resolutions like glue then I applaud you! Carry on as you were (and please let me in on the secret of your success!)

But for the rest of us, following on from our previous post on sustainable fashion, set yourself a challenge to make this year count and (if you’re not already doing so) make a pledge to take steps towards a greener, kinder and more sustainable fashion future.

 Because let’s face it, you love the world of fashion (hence you’re here now reading this) that’s not gonna change and neither should it have to! But there are plenty of wardrobe changes (even if small) that we can make without going cold turkey on our fashion addiction. So let’s set ourselves an achievable New Years fashion resolution and stick to it. There’s so many simple but effective improvements to our shopping habits we can incorporate, whether it’s deciding to purchase quality over quantity and avoiding fast fashion, only purchasing from ethical brands, buying less but choosing well, recycling clothes by buying second hand items and thrift store shopping, keeping it circular (and interesting) by sticking to vintage fashion, making a point of wearing more of your ‘old’ clothes that you once loved but that no longer get a look in, upcycle, customise and rework tired old pieces, set up a swap shop with your friends to swap and share clothes so you always feel like you’ve got something new and keep your wardrobe fresh, do that big clear out you’ve promised yourself (you know, the one you promised yourself last January too) and take your unwanted clothes to recycle bins or donate them to a local charity. Whatever you decide, little by little, we can all make a big difference.

We’d love to know how you get on so tell us what you decide and keep us updated by sharing your progress using #stellarnewyear

We can all do our bit to stay more fashion conscious , keep fashion circular and kind.

So have fun with it and use the challenge as a catalyst to get even more creative with your wardrobe choices, upcycle, recycle, rework and rethink.

The possibilities are endless xx

 

granting wishes

So my latest commission was the sweetest sentiment, I was asked (by Justin) to paint his handwritten message onto this jacket for his girlfriend’s birthday. We decided to keep it in the style of his handwriting to add that extra personal touch! What an absolute pleasure helping out in the name of love! All done and on it’s way to NYC… Judy you’re one lucky lady, extra brownie points to you Justin 🙌🏼❤️👫
.
Send me your requests and I’ll make your wish come true

Customise your jacket here