Natalie Joos Takes Her Vintage Vibe Commercial
The street style regular and founder of Tales of Endearment is launching e-commerce, but with an old-school state of mind.
Natalie Joos has long been a champion for vintage fashion—wearing her own pieces to be captured by street style photogs, and photographing the collections of other stylish women on her site Tales of Endearment. Now she's also a purveyor with the launch of Tales of Vintage, an e-commerce component on her already-successful site. Comprised of 1940s-1970s dead stock pieces from Granée from Sweden and her own unique finds, the first 150 eclectic and approachable-priced wares recently went up on the virtual block. Below, Joos takes some of the top looks around her Brooklyn neighborhood, and tells BAZAAR about her discernible eye.
A Pop of Pink
Harper's BAZAAR: When did you first fall in love with vintage clothing?
Natalie Joos: I remember my first pair of vintage shoes, I think that was the first time. They were 1960's platforms and they were dead stock. I pretty much wore them every day. And I was 16.
Vintage Tunic, $160
A Pop of Pink
HB: Has it been a mission to collect vintage, or has the collecting process been more natural?
NJ: It's not a mission, but I think it's an obsession. I do have to go into a vintage store when I see one. It's just the hunt, and the excitement, and going through everything. It's finding that one piece that makes you say, 'Oh my God, this is awesome.' It's not like I'm collecting designer pieces, it's more about fun stuff. So it's not, it's not from a collector's standpoint or having to have designer pieces as an investment—they're not investments for me. For me it's pure fun, and you know, to have interesting things and to keep things moving and changing.
'70s Babe
HB: What's your trick to wearing those fun, standout vintage pieces in real life?
NJ: You have to be audacious. And there's phases and moments when I don't wear vintage. Now I'm like, totally into a vintage craze. I'm wearing my Saint Laurent platforms, the green ones, and then like tiny little '60s dresses. I keep buying them, I'm like a little obsessed. But it's the thing right now any way.
Levi's shirt; Granee blazer, $195; '70s Jeans, $179.
'70s Babe
HB: Why was now a good time to launch the e-commerce component?
NJ: I've been accumulating so many pieces and I feel bad just giving them away. I've always wanted to try and sell them, maybe on my site or something, but I thought it was time to get serious and start an actual business. And at the same time that I was thinking about it, a friend approached me about this girl in Sweden who had inherited her grandfather's store.
White Out
HB: Tell us more about the store...
NJ: Her grandfather started a store, Granée of Sweden, in the late '30s. It was a giant store—they closed it in the early 1980s, but they never got rid of their inventory. So we have 40-years worth of dead stock from Scandinavian designers. It's coats, it's dresses, pants, skirts, tops, but a lot of amazing coats – obviously because it's Sweden, it's very cold there.
Vintage white dress, similar, $139
White Out
HB: Who do you see the customer being?
NJ: I have readers from all over the world so that's kind of the easy part.
Vintage bag
