Vintage Voices: Rachel from Mousevox Vintage

This is our second installment of Vintage Voices, and I am so excited to bring you an interview with Rachel from Mousevox Vintage. One look at her beautiful and inspiring blog will convince you she’s one of the coolest girls around. Rachel sells fabulous vintage clothing on both eBay and Etsy (her dresses are to die for) and takes some stunning self portraits in her spare time. So please enjoy the interview and give her shops some love.

Hinterland: What is your full name and where are you from?

Rachel: Rachel Combs – Nashville, TN

H: What do you like best about where you live?

R: The people! Nashville is filled with so many friendly, creative and inspiring individuals.

H: How long have you been selling vintage clothing? How did you get involved in doing so?

R: Mousevox Vintage celebrated our 3rd birthday this June on eBay and we started selling on Etsy earlier this year. Like many others who work in this industry, I started selling vintage because my own collection of wares began to outgrow the space that I had for it all. Rather than actually getting to work on that “to-alter” pile in my guest bedroom and upgrade my own wardrobe, I chose to downsize and spread the vintage love to others!

H: What are some of your favorite vintage items? Do you own anything particularly special?

R: My most coveted vintage possession is a platinum and sapphire cocktail ring that my grandfather gave to my grandmother. I keep it locked in a safety deposit box though, so it doesn’t get a lot of wear. I also inherited quite a collection of vintage couture from my grandmother, as she and I were the same size and she had most of her clothing tailored to fit her.

H: Where do your normally find items for your store?

R: I hit various thrift stores around and outside of the city at least 2-3 times a week and that’s where the majority of my inventory comes from. I also enjoy a good estate sale, but I’m by no means an early bird, so forcing myself to see the light of day in time to get the good stuff can be quite a challenge!

H: What is the best item in your shop right now?

R: My favorite item in my shop right now is a Sonia Rykiel shift dress. It’s a simple, but incredibly chic piece with gold button detail and the most perfect shape of boxed shoulders.

H: Why do you think people should by vintage?

R: Vintage is a great way to dress creatively while being concious of our planet at the same time. Buying second hand clothing not only cuts down on sweatshops, but is incredibly eco-friendly.

H: Who, if any, are your style icons?

R: I don’t really have any icons, per se, but am more so inspired by street style and fashion blogs such as Hel-Looks, The Sartorialist and Facehunter.

H: Who are some of your favorite Etsy sellers (vintage or handmade)?

R: For vintage, I just love Dear Golden – everything in her shop is so, so pretty! I’m also a fan of Meg Allen of Decor It Yourself’s shop, Enderby Designs.

H: If you had to make a 5-song mixtape to define yourself, which tracks would you include?

R: This was so hard! Having to pick 5 songs to define myself was almost impossible, so rather I’ve just picked five songs that define how I’ve been feeling recently.

1. “Home” – Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
2. “Black Cat” – Broadcast
3. “Wild is the Wind” – Cat Power
4. “Feeling Good” – Nina Simone
5. “Ruler of my Heart” – Irma Thomas

Thank you so much to Rachel for sharing her answers. Visit her Etsy shop and eBay store!