Well! What can I say?! Jailhouse Frock is finally here and honestly, I'm absolutely over the moon!
For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to work for myself and be my own boss, I was just never quite sure exactly what I wanted to do or how to do it. That was until one evening in the final January lockdown of 2021 when my partner Jeremy (now fiancé) and I were sat on the sofa scheming and dreaming up ideas. He suggested a vintage clothing store and that lightbulb moment happened, and with that we were off!

This is me and Jeremy on the evening of the Jailhouse Frock launch party in January this year!
My interest in vintage first sparked when I discovered Marilyn Monroe at the age of about 14. Like many people, I just thought she was pure magic. I started trying to copy the hair and make up and tried to find pieces of clothing I liked in the local charity shops. When I went to University and for a few years after that I stopped dressing vintage because I sort of lost my style and sorry to get deep but I guess my sense of 'self' too. I felt too scared to dress how I wanted to for fear of judgement.

This is me back in 2012 (I think)! I was about 16 and heading off to a fancy dress party dressed as a sailor pin up!
(I think we all used to pose in bathrooms with terrible lighting back then!)
I think about 3 years ago when I started to really think about what made me me, I realised that the vintage style (which I had been supressing for so long) was actually a really important part of my personality. I started to buy more vintage reproduction clothing but still felt anxious to wear it all the time like I wanted to. It sounds like a bit of a cliché and I know that a lot of people probably have similar experiences but honestly I think those lockdowns and the global pandemic really altered my mindset. Life is way too short not to do what you love and if something makes you happy, you should just do it! And so I did. I started making an effort to dress in a vintage-inspired style everyday and I've never looked back. I LOVE it, it makes me smile and most importantly, it makes me feel like myself. When I put my red lippy on and my little gold hoop earrings and hair flower, I feel really empowered. I think the way you dress really impacts the way you feel, both generally and also about yourself. It's so important to express yourself and your clothes are a great way to do that.

So, rewinding back to that January lockdown in 2021, with my re-connection with the vintage style and the dream of starting my own business, Jailhouse Frock was born! It's taken 2 hard years of planning, writing business plans and budgets, learning about how to run a business, finding my suppliers and working to secure the perfect location, but it's finally here and it all feels a bit surreal. I've poured my heart and soul into my little shop and I really hope that my lovely customers enjoy what I've created.
I always wanted Jailhouse Frock to be more than just a shop, that's why I've tried really hard to make the experience fun, inviting, immersive and a bit quirky! As I'm sure you've seen by now, Jailhouse Frock is home to the 'Bad Girls Club', a safe space where you can be free to be unapologetically yourself in a community of like-minded people. You'll see on my events page that we have our first Bad Girls Club coming up at the end of March!
I really hope you can make it, but if not there will be plenty more. Any of my customers can be part of the club and you can even join the private Facebook community here:
This is a space where you'll hear first news, where you can post pictures of you in your Jailhouse Frock goodies and where you can ask for advice from the rest of the Bad Girls Club.
Thanks for reading my first ramble!
Love,
Emma x
Comments