About Us
As we bid a fond farewell to The Secret Parlour, please allow me to welcome you all to Iris & Ivy Vintage. I started The Secret Parlour almost 15 years ago, and loved every minute of it. However, the time has come for change. This is the beautiful new chapter.
I suppose my love of clothes — and selling — has always been in my blood.
I was lucky enough to have two very special Nanas, Iris and Ivy, and although they were very different women, they both played a part in shaping my love of fashion and the way I see clothes today.
My paternal Nan, Iris, was the practical one. She believed in make do and mend — making something last, repairing rather than replacing, and finding a use for what you already had. There was no such thing as throwing something away if it could be fixed, altered or given a new lease of life.
Then there was Ivy, my maternal Nan. She was the more glamorous one of the two, always beautifully put together and loved fashion. She loved shopping, loved clothes and made many of her own. She took real pleasure in dressing well and had a wonderful eye for putting an outfit together.
And perhaps the love of selling came from Ivy’s husband, my Grandad, Peter.
He had a house clearance business, with his own shop, and later had a market stall selling shoes and jeans. I loved nothing more than sending Saturday mornings there with him as a little girl. So I suppose buying, selling, hunting out a bargain and finding something special was always going to be a part of my future!!
Looking back, I think I inherited a little bit of both my Nanas — and perhaps a little bit of my Grandad too.
From Iris, that appreciation for giving things another chance and seeing the value in something that might otherwise be overlooked.
From Ivy, the sheer joy of clothes — finding something beautiful, putting an outfit together and wearing something that makes you feel good.
And from my Grandad, perhaps that entrepreneurial streak and the enjoyment of selling something you’ve found and knowing that someone else is going to love it just as much.
That’s what I love about vintage fashion. It's not about following every trend or having a wardrobe full of brand-new things. It can be about individuality, creativity, nostalgia and finding those pieces that make you think, yes, that’s so me.
My shop is a little reflection of all of that. I choose pieces that I genuinely love — things with character, charm and a story to tell and that deserve a new life and to be worn.
So while this is my little business, there’s actually quite a lot of family history behind it.
Iris taught me to make do and mend. Ivy taught me to love fashion.
And my Grandad taught me that there’s always something wonderful waiting to be found, bought and sold.
And I think that’s where my story really begins.
Thank you for all the support over the years and I hope that you can join me in this next chapter as we say goodbye to The Secret Parlour and hello to Iris & Ivy.
Michele x