Glam Street Style Shots Drive Sales to this Blogger's Vintage e-Store

By Felicity Loughrey
March 28, 2011

Nicole Warne

Nicole Warne, 22, first dreamed of selling vintage fashion online when she was in high school. A year after graduation, she launched Gary Pepper Vintage on eBay as a side project. Two months later, her online vintage store was her fulltime job. Four months on, she incorporated Gary Pepper Vintage (in case you're wondering, it's a made up moniker) as a company and now employs a staff of three. “I’m very blessed to call my biggest passion my job," she said.

Nicole Warne started her vintage fashion blog the day she opened her online store. “I planned to have them work hand-in-hand with each other but I never anticipated for my blog would become such an important part of my life,” she told us.

Alongside her vintage fashion blog and business, Nicole Warne has close to 70,000 Facebook friends and over 2000 Twitter followers. But most of her e-store visits are from links from outfit posts on user-generated street site Lookbook.nu, where she poses in magazine-worthy shots by her photographer boyfriend.

Gary Papper Vintage

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Eden
Photo Credit: Nicole Warne, Gary Pepper Vintage
Fall
Mismatch
Brunch
Escape
Gary Pepper Vintage Logo

Online, Nicole Warne cuts an incredibly glamorous figure. On a recent trip to Sydney from her home-base of Terrigal (a coastal town 60 miles north of Sydney), she was snapped in a sheer, pleated maxi skirt from American Apparel, a gold lame jacket from Bec & Bridge and clutched a faux-fur purse. Before dinner out one night, she evokes old-world elegance in a vintage red coat, vintage envelope clutch, American Apparel pants and a tee and heels from Topshop. And at brunch, she is foxy in a Topshop jumper, handmade shorts, vintage sunglasses and bracelet, Jeffrey Campbell boots and an Alexander Wang bag.

“People forget that what they see on my blog is what I want them to see,” she told us. “I love spending the time to style an outfit, source a location and shoot beautiful photos for my blog, but when I’m not doing this I’m working 70-hour weeks running my store, usually in the most comfortable clothes I can find. If you saw me during the work week, you probably wouldn’t recognize me!”

So what vintage fashion trends has she been craving lately? “I absolutely love maxi skirts at the moment. I’ve been on the lookout for beautiful chunky knits to get ready for [southern hemisphere] winter, as well as cowboy boots and crochet shorts.”

An afternoon with Gary Pepper Vintage from Chad Waldron via Vimeo.

Nicole Warne began her vintage clothing business on eBay, though Gary Pepper is now a stand-alone vintage e-boutique. “eBay is a wonderful platform for any business starting out. There is little overhead; their system is user-friendly, safe and trust-worthy; and you have millions of people coming through eBay every day, which is the best way to gain exposure. eBay was the best option for me at the time and I wouldn’t have done it any other way.”

And she's not just a top eBay seller; vintage fashion expert Nicole Warne has shopped the online marketplace. “Like every other girl, I always scour eBay for designers like Chloe, Miu Miu, Mulberry, Camilla and Marc, and often find amazing pieces for a fraction of the price.” Her favorite eBay find is a 1980s Victor Costa dress. “I love it so much that I searched eBay for the patterns to make it myself in different colors. So now I own the dress and the vintage pattern!”

Nicole Warne has always had a deep love for quirky, vintage fashion. She reveals: “When I was in Year 7 [middle school in the United States], not only was I the new girl [Warne's family had recently moved], but I was also bullied for the way I dressed. I changed the buttons on my school shirt to rainbow hearts and ladybugs and it seemed that made me ‘weird’. Vintage fashion helped me to express myself and not only discover who I was, but to also be comfortable with myself and what I wore.”

See Nicole Warne’s eBay wishlist for a southern winter.

Roll over items for details

Alexander Wang Ponte Dress

(buy it now, $149.99)

Philip Lim Lace Dress

Chanel Classic Handbag

Gold Cuff

Maroon Faux-Fur Coat

(buy it now price, $39.55)

Vintage Moschino Cheap & Chic Blazer

(buy it now price, $439)

See by Chloe Purple Suede Boots

Isabel Marant Sweater

Glam Street Style Shots Drive Sales to this Blogger's Vintage e-Store

1. Alexander Wang Ponte Dress: “One of the very first designers I search for on eBay is Alexander Wang. I love everything he designs and always try to keep an eye out for his shoes and bags to pop up on eBay. This Wang dress is absolutely beautiful. Simple, chic and extremely flattering—the perfect and modern twist to the LBD and for a fraction of the retail price, too!”

2. Philip Lim Lace Dress: “Feminine, chic and timeless—three things I always keep in mind when shopping. This lace dress is simple yet a statement piece at the same time. I think it's important to keep this in mind when buying designer pieces because they're quite expensive, so you want to make sure you will wear them over and over again.”

3. Chanel Classic Handbag: “A little bit pricey for the usual eBay bargains, but who can go past a stunning Chanel handbag? I absolutely love how timeless Chanel bags are."

4. Gold Cuff: “I love the simplicity of this solid gold cuff. I'm tempted to buy two and wear them on the outside of my blazers to add that touch of glamour.”

5. Maroon Faux-Fur Coat: “Not a designer, but a wonderful winter coat for a ridiculous price. One of the best bargains on eBay!”

6. Vintage Moschino Cheap and Chic Blazer: “Claire Inc. is always full of amazing vintage high-end designer pieces and her prices are insanely reasonable too. I love this vibrant red Moschino blazer and think it's the perfect staple for the colder weather. Add a striped tee, black skinny legs jeans and ankle boots and you have your perfect laid back Parisian.”

7. See by Chloe Purple Suede Boots: “Purple, suede, knee-high—could these boots be any more beautiful? I absolutely love these boots by Chloe.”

8. Isabel Marant Sweater: “This Isabel Marant sweater is so beautiful, on trend and extremely versatile. I could style this a hundred different ways with shots, maxi skirts or skinny leg jeans.”

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