Upon entering Beacon Hill’s Holiday Boutique (53 Charles Street, Boston, 617.973.9730), customers are immediately greeted with a certain type of feminine flounce that mixes lady-like details with a dash of the undeniably Brahmin style that the neighborhood has been cultivating for centuries. Among the racks of enviable pieces from the likes of Scout and Loeffler Randall are hidden gems that owner Jessika Pavlic and her sister, Andrea Goranson, have dubbed “Pretty Little Vintage.”
After opening the store almost seven years ago, Pavlic — a life-long vintage lover with a killer eye for one-of-a-kind pieces — would often turn to Goranson’s stellar sewing skills to revamp her flea market and thrift store finds (“I’d rather be at a flea market then a department store,” says Pavlic). The results brought unending compliments and requests from customers. Realizing that many of her clients don’t always have time for the hours of treasure hunting involved in vintage shopping, Pavlic teamed up with Goranson to create a line of reworked vintage pieces that now makes up about 10% of the boutique’s merchandise.
The idea is simple but brilliant: making something old new again with a few strategic adjustments, like the addition of some sweet details or the shortening of hemlines or sleeves. The resulting singular styles — which rock a retro flair without running the risk of looking outdated — have made the line a success for Holiday. However, with these difficult economic times, we can’t all slip some Pretty Little Vintage into our recession-ravaged budget, which is why we asked Pavlic and Goranson to give us some tips so we can create our own to-die-for designs at home.
Pavlic’s first piece of advice? “Don’t be a snob.” What may look like something you wouldn’t typically wear (take a white long-sleeved maxi dress from Mexico, for instance) could easily be transformed into a covetable addition to your closet after a few snips with a pair of pinking shears to the sleeves and hem. Suddenly, you’ve got a summertime wardrobe staple, a perfect little white dress topped off with a touch of ethnic embroidery. Most importantly, Pavlic stresses taking the time to dig around flea markets and vintage stores to find well-priced items that will make your pieces look special as opposed to straight-up arts-and-crafts-y. Here’s some inspiration to get you started on your own collection of homemade vintage upgrades.
Create a No-Sew Scarf Top
Find a 36” × 36” square scarf and fold it in half into a triangle. Double knot the top of the triangle and lace a substantially sized necklace through it. Put on the necklace and tie the scarf behind you, and in under three minutes flat, you’ve got a halter top hot enough for any summer’s day. This piece was inspired by a Pretty Little Vintage scarf top that sells at Holiday for $145. In that case, the necklace is securely sewn in and the sides of the scarf are hemmed to prevent any wardrobe malfunctions. But this look is so easily achievable at home in such a short period of time that it’s worth a shot — as long as you can tie a tight knot.
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