Addicted To :: 13bees

I’m a girl who just dies for a lovely vintage dress. And when I’m looking for the best of ‘em, I’m usually headed straight to 13bees on Etsy. Megan from 13bees has such great taste, and while her shop certainly isn’t limited to dresses, there sure are a lot of them!

And if you’ve got a spare moment, take a peek at 13bees’ Flickr stream too! There’s some great stuff to be seen!

And without further ado…

Q: Tell our lovely readers a bit about yourself. Is buying and selling vintage your full-time gig or a hobby? How and when did you get started in this business?

A: Hi there! My name is Megan and I live and work in New York City. I hesitate to call my shop full-time because the thing I love most about selling online is the freedom to keep my own schedule. But getting to handle beautiful vintage every day makes me blissful and it’s true what they say when that happens: it doesn’t feel like work, no matter how much of it you do.

I’d always been a thrifter, but started seriously collecting early in college when I was interning in the closet of a fashion magazine and needed great clothes on a dime. Amassing beautiful vintage things became a habit that I supported by also selling online and after a long hiatus, I’m lucky enough to be back to doing just that.

Q: Do you have any favorite, never-let-you-down, treasure hunting spots? Would you like to share, or are they top-secret?

A: I love a good estate haul, but they require pointy elbows and a 4am wakeup call that I’m not always down with. I have a couple amazing stand-by thrift stores and whenever we travel out of the city, there are a few spots that are close to my heart and always come through. I’ve also recently dipped my toes into textile auctions – they’re expensive, but so much fun!

Q: Is there a certain aesthetic you look for when you’re thrifting? How do you decide what to pick up, or just pass on? Do you wait for an item to speak to you?

A: My taste for my own closet and the shop is very particular and after spending so many years working in fashion, my eye is fairly trained to zero in on what I’m finding relevant at that moment. I like the sort of vintage that can be incorporated seamlessly into an already existing wardrobe: a 1950s dress paired with a trench from Topshop and flats from Miu Miu looks thoroughly modern and isn’t hard to pull off. My aunt has this wonderful talent of finding four leaf clovers in fields full of weeds, and I’d like to think I possess a little bit of that same magic when on the lookout for dresses.

Q: Be honest, do you keep many of your finds, or is it strictly business? And do you have any personal collections that you have built over time through thrifting?

A: When I find something wonderful, my first instinct (always!) is to keep it. I need to live with most things, try them on, hang them in my own closet for awhile until I’m finally ready to move on. I attempt to stick to my one dress in, one dress out rule, though it’s not always easy. And if it happens to be my size, black and from the 1940s or 1950s, chances are it’s hanging around permanently!

But I try hard not to keep anything I don’t wear since I hold firm to the belief that beautiful things should be seen, worn and enjoyed.

I also collect all-white modernist mid-century tableware from designers like ben seibel, raymond loewy and eva zeisel, though I’ll pick up anything that’s got great lines.

Q: Are there any items you’ve regretted selling and wish you would have kept for yourself?

A: No! I try to stay focused on the fact that this is my business and by the time I am ready to post a dress for sale, I’ve already let it go.

Q: Pick one and tell us about it: Weirdest, most valuable, or most satisfying find?

A: I bought a totally authentic black Louis Vuitton epi speedy at my favorite thrift a few years back for $1.98. Those are the memories that keep you going during dry thrifting spells, for sure!

Megan from 13bees happens to be on vacation at the moment (hopefully lounging on a fabulous deserted island with a piña colada in hand). But stop by her shop and show her some love so she has a warm welcome when she returns!

Robin Eastwood is a treasure hunter and vintage fanatic. Visit The Fancy Lamb on Etsy to drool over some of her latest finds, and follow Robin on Twitter to hear about her latest thrifting adventures.