Bell Street in Marrickville, New South Wales | Design & fashion
Bell Street
Locality: Marrickville, New South Wales
Phone: +61 2 9030 0341
Address: 449A Illawarra Road 2204 Marrickville, NSW, Australia
Website: http://www.bell-street.com
Likes: 472
Reviews
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25.01.2022 1940s coat, 1960s top, modern skirt & clutch... this is EXACTLY what a glamorous time traveller would wear, dont you think? I once had an idea for a novel about a time travel agent who would help people plan time travel holidays, deciding the best time & place for them to go and helping them prepare by providing era-appropriate clothing and currency. Where and when would you go to, assuming you could come back after a couple of nights and return to normal life?... Id go to London in 1963 and hit the shops on the Kings Road, then stash all my shopping in a secret safe for me to collect in the future. How about you? Pictured: Carolines top, Amitas top and Zarias skirt, all available to #borrowfrombellstreet (Hint hint - borrowing vintage clothes for a night is kind of like going on a time travel holiday!)
25.01.2022 We are proud supporters of Adara and I get asked a lot who about they are and what they do. In this video my friend Maddy gives a great overview and explains why they need our support now more than ever. Plus there are really cute little kids in it.
25.01.2022 In the spirit of a sustainable Christmas, I’ve recycled this post from last year to remind you that we sell gift cards on our website! Save yourself a shopping trip and a surprise that person in your life who loves Bell Street (or if you are that person, feel free to send this post to your loved ones as a MASSIVE hint). A quick buying guide:... Gift cards are available in custom amounts so you can choose how much money to put on a card. As a guide, most of our dresses are priced between $60-$90 for one week hire. They can also be used to buy jewellery or even be put towards a custom wedding dress. If you wish to present your recipient with their card in person, we recommend selecting the send later option after entering the recipient’s email address. This will bring up a calendar where you can choose the date and time the email will be sent. Select a time AFTER you plan on giving the card, so we don’t spoil any surprises! You can find the purchase page on our website (under the More tab) or with the Gift Cards button in our Instagram bio.
24.01.2022 This weeks window, as chosen by the people who watched my insta stories today. Thanks! @ Bell Street
24.01.2022 https://youtu.be/1GKo4s8w4Og
23.01.2022 This weeks window, inspired by the old Buttercup sign on the awning. Yesterday was such a beautiful day! Is anyone else excited about the weather finally cooling down? Sometimes I feel like its just me...
23.01.2022 Our fourth and final Halloween window is complete! My concept was a weird one but I think it worked - what if we adapted Halloween imagery to fit our Spring weather? I also just really wanted to make cute ghosts. As always this photo is just reflections ahoy so go visit to get a good look at all the ghosties! My favourite is the little purple one with glasses on.
23.01.2022 Theres a first time for everything - all black dresses in the window! I actually have around 100 lovely black dresses in store, but I never put them in the window because theyre impossible to see behind glass! But its been so hot lately that Ive put up a curtain behind the window display area to block out some of the sunlight that comes streaming in here every day (its lovely in winter! )... Its not a permanent addition, because I love people being able to see into the shop when Im closed, but I realised that the light coloured curtain is a perfect opportunity to show off some of my beautiful little black dresses... It might not have as much drive-by impact (shout out to the Earlwood crowd!), but you can at least see the lovely silhouettes - youll just have to stop and peer in to look at the details! So to those of you who walk past every day on their way to the station and press their faces up against the window (I know you do it, Ive seen the smudges on the glass!) - this ones for you. Ill get the windex ready.
22.01.2022 I love this weeks window display because it reminds me of that movie The Sapphires! We have a surprising amount of sparkly turquoise/aqua/blue dresses so if you ever want to form a groovy girl band, you know where to come!
22.01.2022 https://youtu.be/hAEzpK4uUk4 New YouTube video!
21.01.2022 Ironically, we had planned to announce this week that our opening hours had changed to 6 days a week, Monday to Saturday. How quickly things can change! Instead, were moving to appointments only for now, due to COVID-19 concerns & lack of need for party clothes at the moment Email [email protected] if youd like to make an appointment. ... If youve already arranged an appointment with myself or Chloé, dont worry, youre still booked in - but do let us know if youd like to reschedule. Thanks for understanding and dont worry, we can survive a few quiet months and well be back as soon as all this clears up. In the meantime Ill be working on getting our collection online so you can browse from home, and continuing to post fun stuff here. Stick around! See more
21.01.2022 Do you guys know Annika? You should! Annika @littlepineneedle runs a really fun YouTube channel where she shares diy & sewing tutorials at a really accessible level - like, total beginners can handle most of her projects, but theyre way more fun and interesting than most projects aimed at beginners (how many pencil cases do adults really need anyway?!) and theyre still interesting for people who have been sewing for a long time (like me!). Just search Annika Victoria on Y...ouTube to find it. She also works so hard on her Instagram to educate people about living with a disability and making her fellow spoonies feel less alone. What a cool lady! And what a great dress . A couple of weeks ago we all got together in the shop to try on dresses to wear to Annika & Lucis wedding and I have to say, if you have a friends wedding coming up, round up your mates and come in to play dress ups together! Its SO much fun and makes it so easy - has anyone else had those group texts where youre back and forth with what does garden party mean?! Do we wear heels? Are you going long or short? Is this too much? What are you guys wearing? Help!!! ... yeah. Dont do that!
19.01.2022 A family was just walking past and the kids asked their mum what the sign meant. She explained to them that maybe if someone liked a pretty dress in a shop, they could just borrow it for a party and enjoy it for one night instead of having to own it forever. The kids were on board straight away! Thats a really good idea actually! Then you get to pick something new for the next party! YES! You get it! The children are the future!... ... Id better go before I start singing Whitney Houston songs. Have a great weekend everyone.
19.01.2022 If you havent already watched it, this will be the happiest fifteen minutes of your day! Watching Antoni trying teach a chubby little mutt how to make dog biscuits was the gift I never knew I needed
18.01.2022 NEW // I LOVE when unique new suppliers join us! Welcome to our tribe of wedding rebels Bell Street ! Ali is like your fairy godmother who searches for the nice...st vintage gowns so you can come in to her store in Marrickville and ooh and ah over all the #vintagegoodness . Tell your friends...Ali also offers a wardrobe library, where your guests can hire vintage gowns that are unique and the most eco-friendly option too. PLUS Ali offers a bespoke service to create your perfect vintage inspired #weddingdress . Winning! #vintageclothing #vintageweddingdress #clothinghire #dresshire #sharedwardrobe #borrowbeforeyoubuy #bespokegowns #bespokewedding #handmadeweddingdress #handmadewedding #vintagewedding #preloved #uniquefinds #vintagefind #vintagefashion #ecofashion #sustainablefashion #30wears
17.01.2022 LOOK at this incredible wedding dance from Jess and Derek! Jess wore her Mums wedding dress (which I remade to fit her) for the wedding ceremony and changed into one of my favourite #borrowfrombellstreet dresses for their first dance. Jess and Derek met doing swing dancing, so the pressure was on to come up with a memorable wedding dance and I think they nailed it! I wish I could keep watching the whole thing!
16.01.2022 Pulling an old dress apart to fix it up and get it ready for a photo shoot tomorrow. Ill be out all day doing the shoot so the shop will be closed, but Ill take lots of behind the scenes photos, so stay tuned here. People always comment on how everything in the shop is in really good condition - it doesnt come in that way! Cleaning, restoring and repairing vintage dresses is a huge part of my business (so big that I often get my mum to help me - its the only thing I outso...urce!) The most common jobs that need doing are replacing old metal zippers (the teeth fall out over time! ), removing 50 year old food stains and repairing or replacing lining that has fallen apart. I do all this so that you can grab a beautiful vintage dress and wear it somewhere without worrying about ruining it - vintage clothing can be daunting for people and Im trying to take the stress out of it by taking care of all the tricky bits. Think of it like having lots of sisters and a giant shared wardrobe, and Im the mum who does all the mending and hand washing (and working out whose turn it is to wear each dress!)
16.01.2022 Each one of these checklists is for a bride getting married this year. Theyre lining up fast! If youre thinking about a wedding dress, better to get in touch sooner rather than later. I dont want anyone to miss out! More info on my bridal service here- http://www.bell-street.com/custom-bridal-service
16.01.2022 I had way too much fun making this little capelet... I just want to make pretty sparkly things all day every day!
15.01.2022 Bit of detail from a dress I finished recently. It had a cape! Turns out Im really into pretty shoulder details lately. Im so glad she had beautiful weather for her wedding yesterday!
14.01.2022 Our witchy window for Halloween display no. 3 of 4! Decorations this week are pretty minimal but we have ALL of our Smokeandglitter x Sami Sparrow Halloween earrings on display along the front window sill so do check them out if you’re in the area - and if you happen to be out late, look out for the witch’s cat with glowing eyes
10.01.2022 Had some lovely ladies in the shop last night. So far every dress up night Ive hosted has been completely different and Im loving the variety. Last night was a bride looking for a wedding dress, and Im very excited about what we came up with! It was lovely to have lots of time for them to try on as many dresses as possible and to be able to give these ladies my full attention without having to keep an eye on the shop at the same time.... What would you do if you had the shop to yourself for the night? Who would you bring? Tag your friends in the comments!
09.01.2022 Birthday announcement time! In celebration of surviving one year in business, 5% of all Borrow from Bell Streets takings will now go to Adara Development. Adara Development runs projects focusing on improving Maternal, Newborn and Child Health in Uganda and developing remote communities in Nepal.... Everyone has been so kind in supporting me in my first year of business, and my shop wouldnt have such a fantastic range of dresses if it werent for the many wonderful clothing donations Ive received, so this is my way of paying it forward. So, by borrowing a dress instead of buying a new one, youre not only helping the environment and giving fast fashion the finger , but youre helping women and children in Uganda and Nepal access vital healthcare and education. Yay! Also, to kick things off, Im having a clear out the back room sale this Saturday 18th May with half the proceeds going to Adara Development. Over the last year Ive learned a lot about what works and what doesnt, and in that process Ive cleared out some stuff that isnt quite right for the shop to make room for more sparkly vintage things! So pop by for some birthday cake and grab a bargain - or better yet, borrow something fabulous for your next event! @ Bell Street
09.01.2022 New video! Watch, subscribe, enjoy!
09.01.2022 Guess what! Ive started an email list! Get yourself on it and Ill email you once a month with some updates on what Ive been working on and my favourite new stuff in the store. Maybe even a sneaky discount if you read all the way through First update comes out tomorrow so sign up now!... www.bell-street.com/email-sign-up
08.01.2022 Surprise! We started a YouTube channel! Making YouTube videos at the shop has been on my maybe one day list FOREVER but it seemed so daunting that I didn’t know where to start. My usual approach would have been to make lots of videos and not tell anyone about it until I felt like I’d got good at it, but on Saturday we just decided to make a video about decorating our Christmas tree (super original December content) and given the timely nature of that topic, I’m shar...ing it with you now. We have lots of ideas for fun videos so go search for our channel (it’s just called Bell Street) and subscribe so you don’t miss anything! See more
08.01.2022 How do we all feel about Marie Kondo? Love? Hate? Dont care? Pretend you dont care but actually spend quite a lot of time and energy telling people you dont care? I first heard about her from a blogger back when her book first came out. That bloggers photos of her neatly folded sock drawers and empty bench tops had me ordering the e-book within minutes and, a day later, I was folding away Im one of those tragic people who automatically thinks if something is Japanese, ...it MUST be good. I may have relapsed since reading the book but you bet I was watching that Netflix show as soon as it came out and back to folding my socks a week later. I have SO many thoughts about this lady! Watching people get rid of mountains of perfectly good stuff can be painful. But I love Maries attitude of keeping only the things you really need and love, and really valuing everything we own. Folding all those clothes takes forever, so it immediately makes you reconsider how much clothing one person really needs. Anyone else jumped on the bandwagon?
08.01.2022 The second in our series of spooooky windows is up for all to see! I quite enjoyed making that web, who knew being a spider was so much fun? (To all our arachnophobic friends, don’t worry, our pom pom ghost spiders are very cute and fluffy and not in the least bit threatening)
08.01.2022 This is so interesting!
08.01.2022 Photoshoot at Luna Park today! Ill try to keep adding more photos throughout the day
07.01.2022 Few more photos from today. Cant wait to see the finished product!
07.01.2022 #throwbackthursday Such a cute photo of a lovely little family. The boys are much bigger now! I made Amandas wedding dress back in 2016 out of gold silk dupion with gold lace appliqué. I also made ties and a vest for her adorable sons. I have a few more gold wedding dresses in the works at the moment which of course makes me very happy!... I only have two more openings for new brides this year so if youre getting married this spring or summer, get in touch soon! I like to have lots of time so I can make something really special for you.
07.01.2022 Have you watched our latest YouTube video yet? We try on a bunch of different dresses at the end - go watch and let us know which one is your favourite! https://youtu.be/6l1tXpViCnM
06.01.2022 I met Meg from AV Blooms yesterday. She just opened her own shop this week! And shes open for wedding and event bookings so if you need a florist, go and visit her in Clemton Park!
06.01.2022 Interesting article! Especially how it goes into the current problem of wardrobing where people buy a dress online, wear it once and return it, taking advantage of generous return policies. I do wish theyd talked more about the ethical/environmental impact but just getting people talking about it and normalising the concept of renting dresses is a really good start!
03.01.2022 Some sparkly white dresses for the window this week. Which is your favourite? I love the short sleeveless on second from the right.
02.01.2022 It’s October so our Halloween windows have started! We’ve decided to do four this year. Why not?! I love costume parties (obviously) so I’m all for Halloween in theory but I just hate all the ugly decorations SO MUCH. So my challenge is to make four Halloween displays in October that aren’t hideous, so keep an eye out for them! And stay tuned for a special surprise we have planned for the 31st
02.01.2022 https://www.instagram.com/p/B9L52_9H89-/
01.01.2022 One of my favourite things about gathering all these pretty vintage dresses is seeing the random details you just dont really get on modern clothing. I mean, when was the last time you saw a dress with delicately beaded bunches of grapes around the neckline?! I feel like were really into novelty prints for daywear these days but maybe its time we got a bit more whimsical with our evening wear!... Ive heard a few people comment in store that borrowing a dress is more freeing than buying one, and its so true! When youre not committing to owning the dress, you can get a bit more adventurous and choose something really fun for your specific occasion.
01.01.2022 Hello happy customer! Jacki (on the right) borrowed a dress from Bell Street for a 1950s themed birthday party. She looks perfect! I love that Ive sort of ended up running a costume shop. Fancy dress parties are my FAVOURITE!... How do you feel about fancy dress/theme/costume parties? Love em or hate em! Whats the best theme youve ever seen done?
