Sustainable Style Spotlight: Gracie Collier of Spice Vintage

Deciding what to wear each morning is… dependent on my activities for the day!

I choose my look each day depending on… how I feel, how spicy I wanna be.

The best investment I ever made in my wardrobe was… my Dr marten boots.

It takes me a half an hour to get ready because I… have become so much better at getting out the door quickly.

My biggest weakness is… a good second hand bargain.

The one fashion piece I would save in a fire is… is my wardrobe considered one fashion piece!?

My style in three words: Tomboy, baddie, spicy.

My relationship with fashion is… everything to me.

Heels or flats?
Flats.

My style icon is… my aunt because she was the first person to introduce me to second hand clothes, her style is so unique and always on point.

My favourite time of year to dress for is… summer, but I love winter too because I have some amazing coats!

Best style advice I’ve ever gotten… dress for you, don’t care about what other people think.

The 3 ingredients of a good outfit are… decide the vibe, feel good, slay.

My current favourite piece of clothing is… a pair of Nike Cargo pants from Spice Vintage, so sick.

Three wardrobe staples everyone should invest in: a vintage denim jacket, vintage levis and a vintage leather biker jacket.

If I could raid one person’s wardrobe it would be… Dolly Parton’s, 100%.

My fool-proof date night outfit is… all black errythangggg and a leather jacket. A.k.a. Baddie Mode.

My favourite fashion era is… the 80s.

I feel most confident when wearing… anything vintage, a.k.a. anything from Spice Vintage.

Outfit with the most sentimental meaning: one of my mum’s cardigans from the 80s.

My best vintage find… honestly, because it’s what I do for a living, I’ve too many to count!

Fashion is about… having fun and expressing your personality.

The most worn item in my wardrobe is probably… my vintage leather biker jacket from Spice.

My favourite people to follow online for second hand style inspiration are… I just like to use Pinterest for finding style inspiration.

The last thing I bought was… a pair of loafers on Depop (they’re gorge!)

On weekends I tend to wear… activewear because I’m usually hiking, running or surfing.

The piece I have my eye on right now is… a Stussy hoodie on etsy!

The second-hand/vintage platforms I shop on are… Spice Vintage of course! Other than that, mostly individual sellers on Depop.

The Best city for second-hand shopping is… it has to be Amsterdam.

Biggest misconception about shopping second hand/thrifting?
That it’s expensive. It’s most definitely not and it just may require a little bit more effort but that’s the fun of it.

Best thrifting tips?
Go thrifting with an item in mind – for example, “I need more jeans” – or go with an occasion in mind. That makes it less overwhelming and more goal-driven.

I got into second hand fashion because… I really love having items that no one else will have, second hand means one of a kind usually and completely unique, the quality is better and it’s my passion.

Tell us about Spice Vintage… where to begin!? I set up Spice Vintage back in the summer of 2017 as an escape from an unfulfilling marketing career. It was a pop-up shop first, then in 2018 it became a permanent store in Limerick where I was for three years at which point Covid happened and I had to close my physical store. It wasn’t long before I launched Spice’s website and it sold out in 10 mins. I knew from then that I had created something special, a community of spicy humans that love curated hand-picked vintage clothing as much as me. I never re-opened my physical shop, I am going into year three of the website and it continues to thrive. Spice is the most wonderful thing to have ever happened to me, I am so grateful to my amazing customers and followers who I really consider friends at this stage. I feel it’s a privilege to get to do what I do, travel all over the world sourcing gems to bring back for my community. I will never ever take Spice for granted and will continue to do stock drops until I’m old and grey if they will have me!

Photography via @spice_vintage