Oakland University students have a local opportunity to find vintage apparel.

Lilly Greig is a student who has a passion for vintage clothing and apparel. Finding herself needing money for tuition at Oakland Community College, she started her own vintage clothing shop, Love Charles Vintage. 

She had been toying with the idea for a long time before actually setting up the clothing shop.

“Being a full time student I wanted something flexible and that I could grow with,” said Greig. 

Not only is her work an extension of her love of vintage but she said it is also rewarding. 

“Even though being self-employed means you work double the hours of a regular job, you also get what you put into it,” said Greig. “When you work for yourself, you work a lot harder.”

She finds throwback dresses, tops, vests, shoes, boots, jackets, purses, accessories and belts at thrift shops. She displays and sells her finds at her site, www.etsy.com/shop/LoveCharles. 

She also sells vintage and handmade jewelry. The handmade jewelry she makes herself.

Nicole Derocher, sophomore at OU is a regular customer at Love Charles. 

“Since I am a huge dress fan, I loved the dresses,” Derocher said. “They are super cute with all the different prints, and with the belt underneath the chest,” Derocher said on Greig’s selection of vintage dress items. 

“I like it because on myself it makes me look slim, but not too slim. Dresses like the ones on that particular page (of the site) are flattering to anyone and everyone,” Derocher said. 

Dercoher also said that Love Charles has a variety of professional tops to choose from.  

“Overall the Love Charles Vintage clothing are clothes that I would actually wear. They are professional, fun, flirty, exciting and different. Different is always good if you want to stand out at the right time and place,” said Derocher.

Recently the clothing company H&M chose one of her outfits as a contest winner, and they are now featuring her creation as well as the other winners on the H&M website. 

The challenge was to create a look where blue was the main color. The picture of her winning look also appears on Greig’s blog, which can be found at  lovecharlesvintage.blogspot.com/.

For her personal style, Greig said she tries to choose pieces more on the classic side and silhouette her figure, rather than what modern fashion magazines suggest. 

With the vintage pieces she selects, she likes to be able to mix in trendy clothes as well. This is similar to the way she tends to pick out items for her website. She strives to have a large variety of clothing available, making it appealing to everyone.

“Everyone has a different style and being able to add in these unique pieces is what makes an outfit special,” said Greig.

When asked about her favorite designers she listed Alexander McQueen and Jean Paul Gaultier. She said they contribute to ideas and inspiration for her outfits. 

Yet another inspiration for her is the 1920s era. Many of her looks are ultra feminine.

The ’20s is her favorite fashion era because of the way the clothing and models looked in pictures.  

“I love the ’20s era; the clothing was gorgeous and had so much detailing,” Greig said. “The women always looked very lush in the photos I see.” 

Also, she said, there is not one trend she stays with, stating that her style vision is always changing and evolving. 

“By the time spring rolls around, it will have morphed into something else,” said Greig. 

As for now Greig’s vision for spring fashion on her website involves a lot of big floral patterns, pleated skirts and draped blouses. Many of the items are made of chiffon, silk and lace.

 For colors, she plans to find outfits mixing muted jewel tones, with light spring time neutrals, beige, ivory and light pink for a spring look.

Her marketing strategy is through blogging, word of mouth and by networking with others in fashion over the internet. 

“I try to support other stores and bloggers as much as I can,” Greig said. “Networking is one of the best forms of marketing in my opinion.” 

The name for her store was inspired by something close to her heart.

“As much as I would like Charles to remain mysterious, my shop is actually named after after my pup, and he is a very deserving pooch,” Greig said.

Anyone interested can also visit the Facebook page for more information on LoveCharles at www.facebook.com/LoveCharles/Vintage.