FOLLY SHOPKEEPERS: RAIDERS VINTAGE | LIVERPOOL

So have you ever looked back at Xmas family photographs and wished that your mum had kept that awesome bat-wing jumper, slinky mini-dress or those flashy stilettos? I do all the time. Sadly as the decades passed and fashion fads came and went, my mothers more outlandish items of clothing slowly wriggled free from her wardrobe, destined for the local Oxfam or landfill and never to be seen again. Sob. However, if you are anything like moi, sob ye not my dears. Possibly my favourite Liverpool vintage store, Raiders Vintage, has just opened a brand new extension filled with wonderful 'my-mum-used-to-have-something-like-this' items. After visiting the new improved Raiders, I was so excited that I asked the always fabulously dressed owner of the boutique, Kelly Reid, if I could come back and take a few pictures of her and the shop for a wee FOLLY SHOPKEEPERS feature.

    

For those of you who haven't been, Raiders is a vintage fashion boutique with a cosy interior decorated with antiques and old-school props (think Victorian checker tiles, silk roses and Louis XV furniture teamed with charming retro posters, shabby chic display units and postcards), selling a purse-friendly range of fun party dresses, cosy things, handbags, accessories and booties. 

Following in the footsteps of her mum, who ran her own Merseyside vintage shop back in the day, Kelly (above) is an antiques fanatic and collector of all things old and pretty - including a personal vintage fashion collection spanning Chanel, Oscar De La Renta and Yves Saint Laurent. You can tell she has a real flair for what she does, not only from the lovely interior design of her store but from her personal style...when I popped in to take these pics she looked amazing with her mane of gorgeous boho hair, oversized 70's mohair cardi, mix of silver accessories and killer YSL-esque skyscraper heels. Ever so stylish!