Nica's Design Inspirations: Explore My Favourite Vintage Influences

This week, I wanted to share with you one of my favourite vintage stores in London, The Shop in East London (3 Cheshire Street to be exact!). It’s one of my favourite ever places to snap up a great thrifty find, and believe it or not, it’s also acted as a source of inspiration for my own designs in the past too!  

It's filled with a selection of not only vintage clothing and accessories but also a great range of textiles too. One of my favourite finds there, was a beautiful silk scarf. It always has a great choice of scarves to choose from, and their prints have often inspired my own print designs too. 

I love to infuse my designs with a vintage feel and not just be driven by the mainstream trends, and although some of my designs may not look overtly vintage, some of them have been influenced by vintage elements without you even realising! On the other hand, clearly vintage inspired pieces such as my Darcia Doctor's bag remind me of my days spent rummaging around my favourite vintage hotspots.   

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Where's your favourite spot for picking up a great vintage find? Why not drop me a comment below or get in touch @Nica_Handbags on Twitter? I may even visit it for myself! 

Love Nica,

- x - 

Blogged: How To Style our Sara Satchel with So on Trend

We love seeing how some of our favourite Bloggers style our beautiful handbags, and this time we've asked the Blogger behind So On Trend to show us how she’d wear our small Sara satchel.

Emulating what could be a Throwback Thursday look, she teams it with retro feeling glasses, and a Sixties vintage jumper in lovely mint green.

She adds a modern touch to her outfit by adding a sleeveless jacket, statement necklace, and leopard ballet pumps. And don't the clashing mint jumper and damson skinnies work so well together?! 

What do you think of her outfit? You can read the full review on So On Trend. And remember, we always love to see how you're styling our handbags, so, share your photos with us @Nica_Handbags on Twitter or @nicahandbags on Instagram!

- X - 

Gems in my Mama's closet - Guest writer Chaka, Ecommerce Userbility and Production

Our guest writer Chaka - Online Userbility and Production.

During one of my seasonal rummages through my mum's 'old clothes closet' I came across this amazing vintage pink twin set from Topshop! Complete with the old style TS label from the late 80's i was in LOVE! 

My mama's vintage Topshop jacket from the 80s

Topshop's vintage label!

Thinking that it may be a bit of an overkill to rock into work wearing the WHOLE outfit, I teamed the jacket (minus the massive shoulder pads!) with a black vest top, black skinnys and plaited wedged sandles, as i was going out that eveining it was PERFECT!

I love this jacket because it is so typically 80's, yet lends itself completely to the trends of today. I also love the fact that it is totally unique.

I highly recommend taking the time to look for gems in your Mama's closet, you can find some fantastic items that just keep coming back into fashion. Some other great finds I have salvaged include this cute white summer dress, and this colour crazy scarf.

I can't wait to wear this cute little number on holiday!

Mum's amazing floral scarf - bang on trend this season!

No doubt I'll be back there for Autumn!

The Secret Garden - Behind the scenes of the Nica AW11 photoshoot



Transport yourself away to a vintage inspired secret garden....



Way back in chilly January the Nica team wrapped up and packed up our favourite bags from our brand new Autumn/Winter 2011 collection, and jumped in a cab from Nica HQ across town to trendy Shoreditch for our AW11 photo shoot. The shoot was held at MC Motors, an amazing warehouse that oozes character and natural charm – the perfect backdrop for our new collection! Wonderful textured walls, different types of flooring and loads of beautiful rustic and retro pieces gives the location a real ‘Aladdin’s Cave’ feeling, which was just perfect for our story.



Unpacking our favourites from AW11 - including the Sinead satchel, the Katya bowling bag, the Nele acrossbody and the Celia portfolio.



The Nele shoulder bag in Taupe sits perfectly with the vintage props of our location



Meeting us on location was our wonderful team of makeup artists, hair stylists, stylists, prop managers, stunning model Denise and of course our fabulous photographer, Mr Theo Cohen. Buzzing with excitement, we got down to business and started preparing the location ready for shooting to begin.

The theme for the shoot was 40’s classic with a strong romantic feel. We wanted to bring the outside in to create an ‘oldie worldie’ feel and, as usual, eccentricity and quirkiness was a key look for us. We challenged our prop managers to create an indoor ‘Nica Secret Garden’ where we had a backdrop of stunning greenery and beautiful, vibrant roses. Unphased, the team set to work to create our garden, and the finished product was spectacular. We had successfully turned an East London warehouse into a magical secret garden that oozed charm and character! Denise was styled in a selection of amazing vintage clothes from the 1940s that perfectly complimented the structured, vintage feel of the bags. With hair and makeup completed, and Denise looking like a true 1940s siren, the shoot began.



Our photographer, Theo and Nica's brand manager, Sinead create the perfect indoor secret garden

 

Spot the sofa!



Our beautiful model Denise perfectly captured the vintage 40s siren look



The amazing vintage inspired wardrobe - the stylists had it under lock and key unfortunately!



We've got the shot!



Imagine if we could use this to transport ourselves back to the 40s...





Unlike most Nica shoots, the day went without a single hiccup – there were no prop disasters (we managed to avoid lugging a giant canoe around this time...) and every shot came out perfectly. As you can see, it was an amazing shoot that perfectly captures the charm and essence of our latest collection. We couldn’t be happier – the pictures perfectly tell our story for this season’s collection.



Nica takes in the surroundings



So, get carried away in a world of 1940s glamour, romance and eccentricity and let us know your favourite shot!

The Elettra Large Crossbody in Red



The Nele Small Shoulder in Blush



The Celia Portfolio in Dark Taupe



The Katya Tote in Burgundy

The Sinead Satchel in Camel

The Celia Crossbody in Navy

Introducing the AW11 Collection...

Be inspired by the upcoming trends for Autumn/Winter 11...

Although the sun seems to be shining, it’s that time of year again when the fashion world goes crazy for the launch of the latest autumn/winter collections. With the launch of the Nica AW11 collection just around the corner, we thought we would treat you to some exclusive insider knowledge about the inspiration behind the collection, and all the key trends you can rock by wearing it!

Doing what she does best, Nica has created a collection that is full of charm and vintage romance with unique shapes, the reintroduction of Nica charms and quirky flourishes. Nostalgia for bygone eras was a big theme for Nica, particularly the 1940s teamed with a subtle 1970s influence, shown through strong, structured vintage shapes such as the saddlebag, the bowler bag, the briefcase and a retro flight bag.

A rustic autumnal colour palette of deep reds, burgundy, amber and jade sit perfectly next to pale neutrals and vintage beige and navy, to create a real sense of bohemian eccentricity and romantic beauty. Fun new patterns and graphics highlight a strong art deco influence, drawing on Nica’s love for graphic design.

This new A/W collection sees the Nica range transcend towards a more sophisticated feel, with an air of vintage elegance. Engross yourself in the grace of past years, yet flourish in the modern world thanks to the playful Nica details that encompass the brand so well.

Luxe Leather - Introducing Nica London!

Here at Nica HQ we have BIG news for you! We are thrilled to announce that our first ever leather collection, Nica London, has arrived! We couldn’t be more excited about the launch of Nica London. The idea to offer a stunning leather collection came to us a few years ago, and we have been working day and night since then to bring you the perfect collection!

Inspiration for Nica London

The inspiration for introducing leather to the Nica brand was to add a touch of high-end luxury full of vintage heritage. Sophisticated classics have been worked with a vintage twist to present a collection that encompasses the elegance of classic 1970’s structure. Nica has effortlessly designed shapes that are simple and minimal yet retain that much-loved Nica charm thanks to playful hardware and Nica detailing.



'Bunty' Shoulder Bag £169



'Bunty' Large Shoulder Bag £145

The colour palette features a range of luxurious colours that will look sensational in all seasons and in years to come. Contemporary earthy colours of rustic browns, cherry reds and pine green will compliment any outfit and age gracefully. Using heavy grain cow leather and exotic skin features such as embossed crocodile, a Nica London bag is designed to be cherished and will only look better with time.



We are so very proud of our first leather collection, and would love to hear your feedback! After all, we design it for you!




'Bunty' Grab Bag £125

 



'Bunty' Satchel £135



As we speak, Nica is working hard on the next collection so be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to hear all the latest snippets of information about Nica London!



Lights! Camera! Action! Nica's SS11 photoshoot

Way back in July us Nica girls packed up our favourite bags from our brand new Spring/Summer 2011 collection, jumped in the car, and made our way to sunny Hastings in Kent for our SS11 photo shoot. Following close behind was a team of makeup artists, stylists, hair stylists, prop managers and of course our lovely photographer Rebecca Miller and her team. Travelling from bustling London to heavenly Hastings saw us all breathe a sigh of relief as we entered the relaxed atmosphere at the seaside. Stopping for a quick ice cream, we were all raring to go to shoot one of the most exciting Nica shoots to date!

 

The incredible view from the beach house. Ice cream anyone?

 The location was a beautiful private beach house, set in beautiful surroundings of long grasses and with a stunning sea view. It provided the perfect backdrop for our collection. The inspiration behind the shoot was definitely to create a sense of vintage romance, full of old-world glamour and charm. The clothing focused on a 1940s and 1950s style, two eras that mastered the art of accessorizing like no other.



Our favourite shot of the day - Bo shoulder bag looks stunning. And the model looks great too...





Marco perfecting hair and make up





The inside of the beach house



The private beach house was jam packed with a mish-mash of ornaments, giving us a playground of props to work with! Some amazing vintage pieces provided the perfect story for our bags! The best, unexpected, find of the day was definitely a beautiful wooden paddleboat that was firmly attached to the ceiling. Yes, the ceiling. Realizing this would look wonderful amongst the tall grass in the field behind the house, we decided we simply had to use it, despite looks of concern from everyone else present. Always up for a challenge, us Nica girls rolled up our sleeves, kicked off our brogues and went about removing the boat from the ceiling. It was definitely a case of easier said than done! Not ones to give up, we eventually got it down and dragged it out to the field for our ‘Bowie’ shot. Needless to say, it was worth it. The shot looks fabulous!




It was a long, long walk to the paddleboat....

 


The infamous paddleboat!



As the day went on the weather went from gorgeous seaside sunshine to blustery seaside gale force winds, providing a slight setback for our proposed shot with 5 giant helium balloons. Again, taking the challenge in our stride we got the shot!



Helium balloons and gale force winds = a challenge!





Our model mastering a vintage bike and helium balloons in gale force winds, yet still managing to look stunning!



As you can see from the shots, we got some brilliant images that perfectly capture the magic and essence of Nica’s latest collection. Back in Nica HQ it was time to decide on the best shots. Surprisingly we all came to a unanimous decision about which images to use – a Nica first! We are really very proud of the shoot and would love to hear your feedback. Do you love the location and theme? What is your favourite vintage inspired prop?



Nica getting into the spirit of things



From left to right: our wonderful photographer Rebecca, Nica herself and hair and makeup artist Marco.