Déjà vu? Not Quite.

Déjà Vu: french for seen before.

Some people say fashion is déjà vu. After all, you can just take a look at the runways now and identity a few trends that were plucked from the looks of the good ol' days. Marc Jacob's S/S11 collection was fun with the bright use of colours and retro big hair. The current wide legged pants bandwagon that many designers have jumped on was reminiscent of the same wide legged pants in the 1970's...fashion is always recycling itself, but yet it is always reinventing itself too. I feel that fashion is about creativity, ideas, culture and art. Designers push themselves to reinterpret and recreate clothes all the time, and each trend that comes and goes are like the metamorphis process of the butterfly, and so each time, the clothes are given a new lease of life.

And so when I stepped into Déjà Vu Vintage, I felt that nothing there was ever déjà vu. I was struck by the contrast between its modern interior decor and the vintage clothes, and mesmerized by everything on display. Déjà Vu Vintage stocks everything from the truly vintage designer ready-to-wear, designer evening wear to vintage jewelry, bags, shoes, scarves, ties...and even one-piece-only handmade jewelry. Some of the designer labels include Diane von Furstenberg, Donna Karan, Armani, and even precious Chanel 2.55 quilted bags!

They even have shoe jewelry! How cool is that! I've never seen shoe jewelry being sold in Singapore before. (In case you don't know what they are, they are to be worn on the heels of your shoes and instantly dresses up your plain black pumps.)

One column dedicated solely for vintage jewelry!

Their selection of vintage rings is KICK ASS. Really. There were quirky and kitschy “#1 teacher” apple rings, elegant spiral rings and beautiful rings of parrots and cats…I wanted to bring them all home, but not on my shoestring budget ): Sorry no closeups, because they are afraid of imitations sprouting up elsewhere.

This was where all the handbags hung (:

Vintage dresses that included labels like Armani, DvF, Donna Karan and lots more...

Precious Chanel vintage handbags sealed in the glass cabinet!

The owner and founder of Déjà Vu Vintage, Kelly, told me that all their goodies are carefully sourced and handpicked from vintage shops from New York, London and Paris. She also revealed that when she first opened Déjà Vu Vintage, most people were not very receptive to the idea of vintage dressing, but she has steadily gained a stream of loyal customers over the years. Singaporeans are still very safe in dressing...as are most Asian countries. There’s actually a saying in Japan that the nail that sticks out will always get hammered back in.

My friend Bobobaroque was musing over it on Twitter these few days, about how the world has become boring with the increasing prevalence of homogeneity of thought...but these days, when you look at the world, everything is about MONEY and ECONOMY. People are educated into schools to serve the economy and culture has taken a back seat in the urge to earn more and consume more.

Fashion, to me, is the way to break out of the circle of homogeneity. It is about living your life without borders. To not be afraid to mix colours, textures, prints and layers together. Think of yourself as a walking piece of collage. A blank piece of canvas waiting to be discovered and dressed up. And you are the artist. That's what it felt like being in a vintage store, it was like looking at artwork/painting material hanging on the shelves, stuck in its own place and time...and I felt like 5 again.

Déjà Vu Vintage  can be found at Millenia Walk #01-70 9 Raffles Boulevard.

Visit their website here. You should visit their website just for their introduction writeup which made amazing sense.