Now in spite of our close dwellings we find it a bit difficult to go out and explore the wonderful city we live in what with school keeping us busy and all. However we decided that enough is enough, theres so much out there to be explored and discovered that we simply must go take a look.(Who are we kidding we take any excuse to get our mind off school for awhile,this is just a really good one). It doesn't hurt that we decided to meet a fellow pinup we connected with thanks to social media at the same time. Being the opportunistic gals that we are we decided,theres no better way to get to know someone than to go on a brand new adventure and see how they respond to it. We're quite fond of exploring its in our blood,something about it makes our toes curl and smiles spread across our faces so big we look like christmas came early. You pair that curious nature with our favorite vintage era's and we're hooked. "ADVENTURE IS OUT THERE" we cried as we made our way out to meet a new friend and also embark on new places just the two of us. I mean whats the point of living in an amazing city with your best friend if you never learn anything about it right? Now we promise that this isn't a tale of woe,no cats were killed due to curiosity in fact its quite the opposite. We discovered two little gems we didn't even know existed in exchange for letting our inquisitive nature flow and we couldn't be happier. We can't wait to see what other buried treasures hide beneath the cities exterior.
Avalon Exchange
The first place on our list is located about 30 minutes away from where we live in Winter Park,Florida.We decided to meet Katie in winter park since it was halfway meeting point for us all and because its a gorgeous scenic area with a variety of shops and things to do. Unfortunately the endless rain put a bit of a damper on all our plans which included being outside so we decided to make the most of the outing and do what we do best,THRIFT! Although this was our first official meeting in real life we've been talking for quite a while so it just felt like old friends catching up and we all agreed that thrifting was the best way to show the rain it couldn't rain on our parade!(we mean that literally,we aren't afraid of a little water!). So we decided to visit our usual haunt spot good will (albeit new comers to this particular one we are no strangers to good will and all the gems it has to offer). We were set on perusing the aisles and finding fancy gowns to try on for kicks and giggles. Also chatting it up with friendly folks who were smitten with our outfits and were glad someone wanted to lend and ear to reminiscence about the good old days,hoping to find something that tickled our fancy. We love a story as much as the next person but besides meeting some charming old folk, for the most part this run had been a bust. We were looking for something to really lift our spirits when we all spotted it out the corner of our eyes, a shining beacon of light in an otherwise dark stormy and unusually cold night.(Like our flair for the dramatics there? we're trying to set the mood). Just when we had given up all hope and decided to try and just take some pictures together /call it a night there it was. We all figured it wouldn't be open so late but we saw customers coming out of it and jumped at the chance to go take a look. Its a more trendy,upscale and chic thrift store than we're used too and thats probably what caught our eye that and the gorgeous pieces in the display window, talk about eye candy ! Welcome to Avalon Exchange!
We wasted no time ,as soon as we walked in we began searching for beautiful pieces to add to our ever growing wardrobes without having to break the piggy bank.The best thing about thrift stores is you never know what you'll find and even if you don't buy anything you still have a wonderful time playing dress up and looking around.By the time we circled around the whole store we had arms full of things to try on,because whats thrifting without a fashion show? BORING! (We are adventurers mind you and wanted to get the most out of our outing). We were thrilled to see that Katie was not only all for a fashion show,she was the first one in a dressing room now if that doesn't scream the beginning of a beautiful friendship we don't know what does. Browsing the aisles and picking out things to try on we realized we had a growing trend among the items we picked,they all had some form of pattern or polka dots on them. We're all avid disney fans as well as lovers of Lucille ball, so it wasn't a surprise we gravitated towards these pieces. It actually made the fashion show even more enjoyable because we were matching in a not so obvious way. This place has definitely taken a special place in our hearts not only because we made a new friend there but the variety of clothes and options they have is just incredible,the staff was friendly and put up with our incessant picture taking and didn't even bat an eye when we took outfit pictures. If you're ever near the area we can't recommend it enough,take look inside you'll be surprised at what you may find!
Fashion Show
Outfits
Kirsten's outfit details:Pink petticoat-vintage/Ked look alikes-Walmart/White belt-Vintage/Hair Flower - Jezebels/Sprig has sprung dress aka Margaret dress -Bernie dexter co Modcloth
Katie's outfit details: Blue cardigan-Vintage/Yellow plaid Dress-Vintage/Black Purse-Vintage/Pearls-Vintage/Black flats -Target /Hair Flower-Vintage
Paola's outfit details:Polka dot crop top Similar Here -Forever 21/Belt -Pinup girl clothing/Jennifer petticoat -Malco Modes/ Pinup Couture Jenny Dress in Lavender Sateen worn as a skirt- Pinupgirl clothing/Lindy Bop 28" Petticoat-Lindy bop/ Boots-Cotton on/Tights-Walgreens
We hope you enjoyed this first installment of Retro Orlando, we hope to find more wonderful places to show you as the year progresses. We are fairly new to the area so we know theres still a lot to see and discover and we can't wait to seed what else we find. It was wonderful being able to embrace our inner wanderlust and find new places to sink our teeth into. If you have any suggestions of places that we must see whether it be a store,restaurant or attraction do let us know in the comments below we are always open to new experiences. If you have any comments or questions regarding Avalon exchange leave a little something down below and we'll do our best to reply ASAP and help you out.
As always thank you for reading ,
May your days be filled with pretty dresses and a lot of happiness .
Paola & Kirsten xx
Aka "thehepburnmovement"
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