Kaleidoscope paisleys, embroidered kaftans, floral-laced prairie dresses and velvet bell bottoms, all common 1960’s and 1970’s wardrobe essentials, these are just some of the unique treasures you will find in shop at Modlips Revival. This is not your typical Miami fashion, hailing from South Africa the sister duo behind Modlip’s is bringing their creative prismatic vision of vintage wears and taking us on a journey into the eccentric eras past.
Dreamers with a penchant for magical vintage threads
Who are the dreamers behind the brand?
The dreamers are basically my sister, Q and I.
Modlips inspiration is straight out of the psychedelic 60s & 70s, with romantic prairie dresses, colorful kaftan’s & authentic pieces that reflect the era’s style. What are some of your favorite styles that inspire the looks?
The first style inspiration is Jane Birkin in the 60’s film “Wonderwall,” and in actuality, her style in the 60s and 70s is our inspiration overall. Definitely, Marianne Faithfull, Francois Hardy, Nico Paffgen, Brigit Bardot, Sylvie Vartan, Karen Dalton, to name but a few, which all stems from our French Pop, Ye-Ye, Folk and VU obsession in the mid to late 60s and beyond. All of the above wore kaftans, mod dresses, capes, cloaks and shawls that inspire us to no end. My obsession with kaftans from the ’60s and ’70s comes from my mum, as she would wear them all the time when I was growing up and still does to this day.
I would don hers back then, which also now belongs to me. Perhaps it also has a lot to do with growing up in South Africa, as it is a staple for women there and for good reason – they are so liberating! With that said, kaftans are part of my culture. “Bohemian/Mod” is what I describe as my style, with countless asymetrical, bowl haircuts in my past to boot.
There is somewhat of a mass-produced nature to the so-called “Bohemian Chic” look nowadays, but we could possibly discuss our feelings on this point at another time hahaha. Some of our other main inspirations and whom we have to mention are Patti Smith, Siousie Sioux, Viv Albertine, Chrissie Hynde and Angela Davis who are, not only in style but our ultimate inspirations.
They embody originality, always and still are true to themselves, against the grain perception of life. I’m going to stop here because this could be a never ending response hahaha. All in all, Modlips Revival is an ode to the passion and creativity of the 60s & 70s.
It seeks to capture the history of music, art, fashion, and film. We strive for looks that embody beauty on the inside and out, for cultured and uncultured pearls of all kinds, for being yourself and defying expectations.
We resist the culture of mass production by defining a soulful point of view.
Speaking of inspiration, what motivated you to start Modlips Revival?
It was something I have wanted to do for years but never thought it possible until last year when I took some of my vintage pieces to a consignment store. Quickly realized what a waste of time, as they wanted to give me next to nothing for stuff that was of value and from my personal collection. It dawned on me at that moment that it might be time to start my own vintage business. So, I told Q about my idea, and she was absolutely into it and right at that moment became my business partner. Here we are today, exactly 1 year and 3 months to the date, Modlips Revival.
Songs lyrics from Nancy Sinatra, Dolly Parton, Nina Simone, just to name a few, are featured in your posts. Give us a few of the tunes in your playlist that keep the Modlips girls grooving. This is going to be a hard one to keep brief, hahaha, and I am absolutely skimming down this list. In no particular order:
MODLIPS MIX
Okay, gotta say, how cool is it that Iggy Pop stopped by one of your pop ups & now rocks a Modlips vest?! Give us the scoop how that encounter happened.
It all happened because of Lauren Reskin aka ‘Lolo’ as we were doing a pop-up at Sweatstock in April. Lolo brought him to our booth and gave me a knowing look that I would probably die hahaha and introduced us to Iggy.
Then, it was pretty much so natural after that because he is amazingly humble and has this really warm, calming energy. He asked if we sold men’s clothing, and luckily we had a few unisex suede and leather vests. He browsed the rack and pulled out a ’70s black suede flower cutout vest, said he loved it and wanted it. He then took off the shirt he was wearing and put on the vest. Naturally I nearly passed out but was holding onto the side of a chair at our table. He proceeded to say he loved our stuff and would love to visit our shop. I gave him our card and explained that we were online only for now.
After hearing my accent, most probably emphasized because of my nerves, he asked me where we were from and that led to him hanging out with us for a bit talking about life, where one another lived and things he loved about Miami. I don’t think that anything could ever top that meeting and experience. If this all ends tomorrow, at least we know he owns one of our vests, which will forever blow us out of this realm. It’s crazy how life works because at the end of the day what you give and project is what you get.
We need to get our hands on one of those lovely lace psychedelic dream dresses, any upcoming pop-ups or events where we can shop the stellar looks?
Thanks so much, we are grateful and humbled by your love and support. Our next pop-up is on September 25th. We will be a part of MELOCHROMANIA: Acid Test Miami!’s psychedelic happening selling our goods.
Always eager to explore, the shops style conjures notions of getting out into the open & enjoying nature in one of your lovely bohemian floral pieces. Take us on a journey through your ideal Miami day out.
In Miami, we tend to hide from the heat, but ideally, a perfect day would involve grabbing coffee and a wee bite at our local French bistro close to where we live. Then off to scour this town for vintage pieces, followed by record shopping at the best in Miami, Sweat Records. And if after all that we still have momentum perhaps to Vizcaya gardens which we love because of it’s old, beautiful and romantic air. Then Home, which is essentially where we want to be, listening to records, and where we are at our creative best, normally takes place in the wee hours. Haha!
