Legs Eleven

There was a gasp of surprise, horror and excitement when our delivery arrived containing a whole batch of leg warmers. The aim of the leg warmer is that it does exactly what it is meant to.. keep your legs warm and that is great for those who like to layer up and snuggle into some heavy knitwear, gloves, scarves and winter accessories. We have had to separate our styles into cosy, practical winter wear and loud, colourful 80's leg warmers.

If you feel like the bright, neon, sports, '80s Fame style pairs are more for you then we salute you. Like most of our product in store, we cater for all so this can't be any different. Though if you are looking for that other layer for these freezing cold mornings or you do fancy the perfect fancy dress accessory, you know where to come and find it!

We have tried them both and can highly recommend a good warm up in the correct attire to this playlist!

Salt-N-Pepa PUSH IT

Rick James SUPER FREAK

Madonna INTO THE GROOVE

Shannon LET THE MUSIC PLAY

Meet The Team!

As a follow on from the last Meet The Team blog with our Web Manager Richard Manning, we are introducing our our Seamstress and Re Work member of staff Alison Simpson. Alison has worked with COW for over 3 years and we are going to find out what keeps her going.

ALISON SIMPSON - SEAMSTRESS/ REWORK MASTER 

HOW DID YOU GET INTO REWORKING FOR COW?

I studied Fashion at Ravensbourne University and learnt all of my sewing skills there, then I interned with a small clothing company who showed me how to work for specific markets. I saw the job for COW advertised and felt it would be a great opportunity to work within a fun company and have the freedom to come up with my own ideas and styles to have in their stores.

HOW DO YOU CONSTANTLY COME UP WITH NEW EXCITING IDEAS?

I follow a lot of fashion shows, street style blogs, take inspiration from everyday things like shapes, art, music, design and vintage fashion, everything really. I then brainstorm with the store's team and crack on with putting all of this into action.

WHAT'S THE MOST POPULAR ITEM YOU HAVE MADE/ REWORKED?

Styles change from season to season and the most popular piece of the summer was the bandeau tops which I thought would work well for our customers. Since it's been so cold I would say the patch pocket shirts have worked the best because they are great for layering. But also our cord dresses sell really well. 

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT COW?

I think COW is constantly full of exciting product which invite an exciting crowd to the shop and this makes it feel like a fun place to be rather than just a regular vintage shop. I like the selection of dresses that we have in all year round, I probably spend most of my wages on those.

WHAT ARE YOU EXCITED ABOUT FOR 2013?

Summer time is my favourite time of year and I am hoping for a hot one this year. Plus it is best for rework and we will be producing new styles and product with all of our new ideas.

Let It Snow. We Are Ready.

It's turned up, a few weeks too late for the picturesque white Christmas we would have loved but never too late to encourage us to pile on the layers in COW. We are lucky enough to be surrounded by a huge selection of knitwear, jackets, cardigans, wool shirts and a never ending amount of wool hats and scarves. Here is how we wear our layers, wrap up, keep warm and stay stylish!

All items in these images are available at our Sheffield Store but if you see anything you like please visit the website at WWW.WEARECOW.COM for similar styles and options.

Green Bobble Hat - £6

 Red Bow Blouse - £15

Mustard Aran Knit Cardigan - £18

Red Wool Cape - £18

ReWork Wool Mittens - £8

Wool Patterned Briefcase - £30

 Green Speckled Bobble Hat - £9

Patterned Blouse - £18

Denim Jacket - £45

Sheepskin Coat - £55

Wool Checked Scarf - £14

All flat items in the above image available at our website click the link below or visit. www.wearecow.com

Christian Dior Navy Wool Peacoat - £120

Red Checked Wool Shirt - £15

Navajo Print Wool Jacket - £40

Green Ribbed Knit Cardigan - £18

Cream and Black Waffle Jumper - £15

Cream and Grey Checked Jumper - £15

Black Lace Up Ankle Boots - £28

Brown Lace Up Walking Boots - £35

Cow Vintage Ebay Store!

Ever get those days when you have looked around the shops, come home and browsed the website and still not found what you are looking for?
Well don't panic because even though we have a huge range of styles and pieces in stores we also upload over 100 items a week to our Ebay Store which you won't be able to find in the shops or on our website!

You will find a great selection of well priced vintage styles but what you may be excited about is that we share a lot of our vintage designer pieces on there with names including Calvin Klein, Yves Saint Laurent, Escada, Ralph Lauren, Pendleton and many more. We also have a great deal more Era pieces ranging from the 1950's to 1970's on our Ebay store, so if you are looking for that one off original retro item that you may not be able to find in our stores please check it out here.

1960's Floral mini dress - £14

Ralph Lauren Pastel Suit Jacket - £18

1970's Paisley Print Maxi Skirt - £12

1980's Mickey Mouse Sweatshirt - £30

 Calvin Klein Suit Jacket - £35

 1970's Graphic Print Blouse - £16

1960's Print Maxi Dress - £16

Vintage Cycling Jersey- £25

Happy Shopping from COW!

23 George Street Collaboration

You may have seen and even bought some of the jewellery and accessories that we have in our stores and wondered where we get those from. The supplier for our jewellery and accessories in our stores is the wonderful 23 George Street, an independent Jewellery Boutique based in Nottingham.
Walking into the wonderful store, which you can find at 23 George Street, Nottingham, is like walking into a treasure chest full of affordable quirky pieces of costume jewellery.  Expect to find a vast selection of items from rock style skull rings, religious symbols, punky spikes, twee pendants to kitsch bunny earrings. The store holds a few collections pleasing all of your on-trend needs, the pieces are easy to wear, eye catching and surprisingly very reasonably priced!

All images from Instagram/23GeorgeStreet

We asked the Store Owner and Buyer Jessica Matthews a few questions about how it all began and how the collaboration with COW came about.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN COLLABORATING WITH COW?

I have been working with Cow for just over 8 months now. I approached the Cow Nottingham store to see if they were interested in my collections and they were happy to stock my pieces in store which led to supplying for the other stores in Manchester, Birmingham and Sheffield.

HOW DO YOU SOURCE YOUR COLLECTIONS?

I do a lot of travelling and collect pieces we find and also use an overseas supplier to keep on top of demand.

WHERE DO YOU FIND YOUR INSPIRATION WHEN CHOOSING PIECES FOR YOUR COLLECTIONS?

I visit trade shows such as Bread and Butter in Berlin to find out the next big thing that my customers will want. I also keep an eye on future trends and blogs.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT COW?

I love the interior and vibe of the stores, especially the new store that opened up in Nottingham. It is exciting to see what is going on in there. I think COW are going in a new direction rather than just being a regular vintage store and it is great to be involved.

WHAT ARE YOU EXCITED ABOUT FOR 2013?

I am excited about the summer! There are new styles coming out, new trends and you tend to see more jewellery on show in the summer with people wearing lighter garments and dressing up simple garments.   

We have 23 George Street Jewellery and Accessories available in our Birmingham, Nottingham, Sheffield and Manchester stores now.

Scrunchies are back..

..Love them or hate them they are here! The scrunchie has made quite a comeback on the Spring/Summer 13 Catwalk and we have decided to make our own collection for our 80's loving fashion focussed gals out there. There are many colours, prints and sizes to choose from and will be available in all of our stores soon.

Here are the shows that reminded us even though they are a little bit silly and a little bit scary they will always be fun, keep your hair out of your eyes and bring out our inner Madonnas!

 Ashish S/S13

 Jean Paul Gaultier S/S13

Vivienne Westwood Red Lable S/S13

All show images from style.com

We're Taking Even More Off!

As well as having the Sale take over all of our stores and Online.. We are now offering an extra discount for all of you loyal customers!

We are handing out our limited edition vouchers to get £5 off when you spend £40 in all stores. If you are in the Sheffield, Manchester, Birmingham or Nottingham areas then look out for a member of our staff handing these out around town or just pop in and ask us for one.

Offer is valid until 31st January and can also be used when purchasing sale items.. We call that DOUBLE DISCOUNT and everyone loves that!

Meet The Team!

We know there is a lot of love out there for our stores and the website and we'd like to share with you how COW came about, who thought of that name, how we do things and what goes on behind the scenes! So from now on we will be uploading short interviews with the staff you may not see in stores and find out the hard work that goes into making COW what it is today.

RICHARD MANNING- WEB MANAGER

WHAT'S YOUR USUAL DAY LIKE?

After checking all emails and replying to customers about orders and queries I will sort and organise the new orders. I am in charge of photographing all new product for the website which is updated daily, I aim for at least 20 items a day. As well as running the website and customer communications I will also be constantly checking our Twitter feed, Facebook and Tumblr to make sure I can reply to people, upload the newest images and share what's going on with everyone else.

WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE PART OF YOUR JOB?

Receiving thank you letters, messages and emails from customers who have purchased from the website and are very happy with everything. It all takes quite a lot of time so to know people appreciate it and get what they want is great for me.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT COW?

I would say the individual pieces you can find in store and online for such a reasonable price. The stores are easy to shop and you know no one will ever been seen in the same outfit as you.

WHAT ARE YOU EXCITED ABOUT FOR 2013?

I want to be doing loads more photo shoots and look books. We are also planning to expand the website and we will be sharing it all with our friends, followers and customers!

Things To Come..

.. 2013 is going to turn out to be a very eventful year. Our diaries are already filling up with exciting new movies, exhibitions, gigs and more. Here are a few things we are looking forward to attending over the next few months.

THE GANGSTER SQUAD - in cinemas January 11th 2013

Set in LA in 1949 this Gangster movie is first on our list to see this January. With Sean Penn running the shots through the streets, eye candy cops Ryan Gosling and Josh Brolin trying to keep him in line and the red head love interest played by Emma Stone, there is definitely plenty of action to wake you up from the January blues. We are also looking out for the classic 1940's zoot suits, glamour and vintage style that comes with this movie.

LONDON FASHION WEEK - London - February 15th - February 19th 2013

Here at COW we love vintage and retro clothes and accessories but as a fashion lover you can't ignore the drama and excitement through London Fashion Week. We will be sure to be checking blogs, watching twitter feeds and hopefully sending people to some shows to keep up to date with what next big trend is coming through for Autumn/ Winter 2013. This gives us the chance to make sure we are picking the best pieces for our stores and online for you to filter these trends and pick up the style for less.

DAVID BOWIE IS - Exhibition at the V&A - 23rd March - 28th July 2013

We can guarantee a COW road trip to London for this one. A retrospective of the work and life of David Bowie. The show compiles over 300 objects from the legend's career including instruments, hand written lyrics, costumes, photography and much more. As a major influence in Fashion and Music and also a bit of a weird heartthrob for all young girls whilst watching The Labyrinth this will be a great exhibition to spend time with friends, family or on your own taking in all of the wonder that this man projects.

THE GREAT GATSBY - in cinemas - 10th May 2013

Well what can we say.. It's finally here. Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire and Isla Fisher all come together head to toe in 1920's attire. With a story line based around loosening morals, glittering jazz and bootleg kings as well as the super rich, their illusions, loves and deceits, what could go wrong. We can only wait in anticipation of probably one of the most super stylish movie releases this year by shining up our pearls and polishing up on our Charleston. 

Keep your eye out for other events we want to share with you on here, twitter and facebook and let us know what you're most excited about!

SALE! SALE! SALE!

We have started our January Sales in all of our stores and online. Just when you thought COW's value for money couldn't get any better we have only gone and reduced items to up to 70% off!

We have rails upon rails of quality mens and womenswear throughout all stores in Manchester, Birmingham, Sheffield and Nottingham. There is something for everyone and with items online you are sure you won't miss out. Click the links for mens sale or women's sale and we would love to see what you have found and will be wearing this 2013.