Brand Spotlight : “hey birdie-pie!” – Vintage at its Best

Who is Lara and where did all this love of vintage come from ?

When I try to pinpoint what triggered my love for all things vintage, I always trace it back to the beautiful hand-tinted photos of my grandmother Mary – I would spend ages looking at them and I always return to them. I would say that she’s the reason I began to want to look a certain way. 

My grandmother is also the one who gifted me my favourite antique brooches. They belonged to my two great grandmothers, so I wear them with much pride. I feel incredibly inspired by the women in my family, especially my grandmother, her strength and her love. 

Ten-Word Description of “hey birdie-pie!” Vintage & Second Hand

“hey birdie-pie!”: a nomadic, happy-go-lucky vintage pop-up shop 🙂

How did it all begin ?

My impulse to seek vintage out began about 10 years ago, when I would often pick up vintage brooches from local charity shops. Some time later I moved beyond collecting and began to wear my lucky finds. I eventually became interested in vintage clothing too.

I also like to mix lots of vintage and second hand pieces into my look for ethical reasons: there’s lots of great clothing out there that can be re-used or re-cycled into something new, so I thought, why waste it? 

When I set up the stall for the first time I wanted people to find fun stuff which was also ethically sourced. I tend to shop almost exclusively at vintage stores when I’m abroad, so I’m happy to see local  interest growing steadily.

Where do you make most of your vintage ‘finds’ ?

Finding reliable vendors from which to buy vintage stock takes some research and you also have to take the time to go overseas. I’ve scouted out some some relaible outlets which sell styles I like and tend to stick to a few places which sell vintage clothing to small businesses. 

While abroad I tend to spend a few days looking out for pretty things, hand-picking my stock and figuring out whether I can fit it all in my suitcase for the journey home! Once it’s safely in Malta I go about laundering, pressing and labelling it. It’s a lot of work, but I love it!

However, I also hunt vintage for my personal use, and those finds come from all over the place: vintage shops, on-line shopping, car boot sales and charity shops. These are all great places to look for treasure! 

I think I would be tempted to keep most of the ‘finds’… Do you get tempted ?

Yep. I’m especially tempted by dresses! But I’m being good. I’m getting better at not keeping all my stock – after all, I do this for vintage lovers like myself, so when people come to the “hey birdie-pie!” stall I want them to find pretty things that would catch my own eye. You could say that I’m learning to share the vintage love. Also – truth be told, I’m running out of space!

– Here’s a 1980s dress that I’ve been tempted by for some time. It still hasn’t sold…perhaps it’s a sign… 

Photo by Daniel Vella

Best Vintage find ever that you kept for yourself ?

One dress which was meant to go into stock but never made it was a pale pink 1980s dress with a lovely 1950s style cut. I tried it on and it fit perfectly so I just couldn’t say goodbye. 

– Here it is in a tea party promo shoot for Pastizzi Gourmet this year. 

Best Vintage find ever that you sold ?

Ah yes, the one that got away…there have been so many things I’ve wanted to keep, but I would say that a certain original 1960s dress takes the cake! 

It was a pretty silver coloured thing with paisley pattern – an iconic look with a great cut. However, I know the lovely lady who bought it and so I know that it went to a good home.

– Here it is, modelled by the beautiful Charlene Mercieca of The Soap Cafe for an event which we had organised together in 2012. 

Proudest vintage career moment ?

I’ve been organising “hey birdie-pie!” for about 2 years now – I enjoy the experience every time, but the first time I set up was the most fun I’ve had by far! It was the Patches Christmas Edition of November 2011. I didn’t expect visitors to be so happy to see a vintage stall at a local event, the interest I had recieved from local vintage lovers was really positive and that feedback is always the best part – it’s what keeps me at it.

Future Plans ?

I curently organise “hey birdie-pie!” events as an advanced hobby since I’m a full-time writer for children’s media – so I’d ideally dream up some way of combining all my interests into a single personal website. I’d also love to have a wider variety of vintage wares such as household items and second hand books for sale, but all in good time!

So, where can our readers buy your items from ?