MUNICH: After looking at the Pre-Fall and Resort shows, I was sure that when I will get back home to Munich or London I will visit my favorite vintage shops and look for the looks I have just seen on the runways. This coming season the inspiration is retro enthusiasm. Not only the collections have shown a strong vintage appeal with lots of mismatched and just perfect accessories, embroideries, jewelled details, texture and different materials all mixed up. It was the fur in the Gucci loafers and the vintage bows on the Prada dresses, the Arabic pierced jewellery the models were wearing at Givenchy Fall 2015 and the fact of being different which made the models walk stronger and looking barer, almost without make-up (Gucci), far away from the common picture drawn of beauty.
Vintage has a very strong touch of beauty, the material, the way a garment is put together, even the label, whether it is the old Yves Saint Laurent tag with the magenta and orange squares or the English script font of a Pucci dress. All this inspires me when I go vintage shopping and who else is a better testimonial than Inge Grandl from Munich, who started collecting in the early eighties when she was opening her Club together with her husband in Miami. She has put it all together neatly in her shop Vintage Love in Munich and it is a great pleasure to shop there.
IRMA: What does vintage mean for you?
Inge Grandl: Love and passion for extraordinary and especially beautiful clothes.
IRMA: What is the focus of Vintage Love and what makes you and your shop unique among vintage shops?
I.G.: We specialize in evening and cocktail dresses along with the matching accessories, elegant dresses and traditional Trachten that you can’t find everywhere, only at Vintage Love.
IRMA: What constitutes a good fashion pool for you and what are you always looking for?
I.G.: Certainly the big names such as Dior, YSL, etc. but also special pieces from dressmakers and workshops who were real master tailors. Few people know them, so their pieces are not very expensive.
IRMA: How to you combine vintage pieces with contemporary fashion? Do you have a styling tip?
I.G.: It’s all about the mix. Never too much of one thing. When you combine a beautiful old vintage dress with stunning new shoes and bag, it looks modern and trendy, as if it were from a contemporary collection.
IRMA: What is the best city to buy unusual vintage finds?
I.G.: New York, L.A. and of course London. In cities with a lot of money you can find real vintage treasures.
IRMA: What is your inspiration when you go vintage shopping?
I.G.: It’s the flair of a city. The fine pieces will find me then.
IRMA: Is there something you should pay attention to when buying a vintage piece?
I.G.: It should be in superb condition. Hold the clothes up to the light so you can see if there are any small holes or wear and tear.
IRMA: And what is you tip for caring for vintage clothes?
I.G.: Depending on the material and condition, you should either hand wash only, use the delicate cycle or simply give it to a good dry cleaner. In Munich I recommend Löffler in Schwabing.
Inge Grandl had a passion for fashion ever since she was a little girl. She studied design and had her first little fashion shop, but then she fell in love with and married Munich gastronome Hans Grandl, and together they ran such hip places like P1, Parkcafé and Roses. Every night she impressed the guests with her stylish vintage outfits, and she started lending clothes to her friends. Several years ago she turned her private passion into a business and started Vintage Love, where she sells exquisite originals, mostly from the 40s through the 70s.
Vintage Love, Frauenstraße 22, 80469 Munich