everything depends upon how near you stand to me (Beyond Retro Label s/s14 Launch)

Today I was lucky enough to be invited to the Beyond Retro Label s/s14 Launch at their Dalston store. I have been a huge fan of their clothes since I discovered them in Brick Lane back when I had only just started to wear more vintage-y clothes, and since then I have been basically hooked. Somehow they manage to combine fabulously groovy (yes I am using the word groovy) items with incredibly reasonable prices, all neatly housed in the coolest warehouse-like stores. I'm a sucker for presentation, and their displays and shop interiors have won my heart every season so far.
Beyond Retro Label is a collection of custom-made items sold alongside the store's normal vintage stock. They combine high street styles with vintage pieces and fabrics, mixing the two to create a perfect hybrid, and a great introduction for those new to vintage and secondhand shopping. It's also incredibly ethical - instead of throwing away old pieces, they rework them into something new and stylish.

I met up with Naomi from Two Shoes One Pair, Hannah from Beyond Retro, Adora Mehitabel and Kayla Hadlington, and spent the evening oohing over the new collection, taking photos of the store and stroking everything and anything velvet or sparkly. It was super quiet and so it felt like we had the store to ourselves...which was incredible as it was literally a haven of vintage and retro clothing, with some pieces even being original 60s and 70s designs (shift dresses and dagger collars galore).
The Label collection was obviously just as awesome as Beyond Retro itself; customised shorts, cropped shirts, leather dungaree dresses and sweaters that all worked as solo pieces or combined. I am thoroughly looking forward to seeing these items in store, and stocking up on pieces for when the weather (hopefully) warms up.

I loved the cropped jumpers and shirts the most; high-waisted shorts, skirts and jeans are my absolute favourite thing to wear. They are so flattering (and in fashion at the moment) however they can get a bit bulky worn with normal length jumpers, so I for one will definitely be stocking up on these as I've actually found them quite hard to find anywhere else.

Cropped bomber jackets, with patterned inserts. Does life get better? I loved the flamingo print especially, and thought they would be an easy way to wear the current sportswear trend.

I got to hang out with the amazing Kayla and Adora, both whose blogs I read with dedication. Their style is incredible and they were so lovely, and shared my passion for bright and sparkly things (which we managed to find quite a lot of).

I found these two pairs of shoes and basically I would have bought them both instantly if they had been my size. Usually I'm quite lucky with shoes as vintage stores often stock a lot of small sizes (I'm a 3 or 4) however recently I've not been doing so well. Maybe I found all the small ones already.

The decor fit the evening's aesthetic so perfectly, and since 'selfie' was declared the word of the year last year I felt it necessary to take a few with Kayla in the awesome mirror we found at the back of the store.

Coat and belt: Beyond Retro // Shirt: Absolute Vintage // Shorts & Shoes: Rokit // Socks: Topshop // Jewellery: Hannah Makes Things

Basically I had an incredible night (what gets better than hanging out with awesome people surrounded by awesome clothes?!) and am now really looking forward to any future collaborations with Beyond Retro, and of course London Fashion Week, which I am going to be attending on Saturday and hopefully Sunday and Monday too. Thanks to Hannah, Naomi and everyone at Beyond Retro for inviting me!

ellie xo