@elsiematilda @elsiesarchive

Elsie Matilda is a treasure hunter for all things vintage, running Elsie’s Archive, she makes archive style accessible… and a little irresistable.

Elsie: I’m Elsie. I run Elsie’s Archive, it’s my cute little curated vintage and designer online store. I’ve always loved vintage clothes and it felt only right to start selling my own pieces.

Laine: What sparked your interest in vintage fashion?

Elsie: My whole life I’ve been surrounded by vintage clothes. My Mum is a massive collector; she has clothes from the Victorian times, the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s, so that’s been a big inspiration. I feel like being surrounded by it all sparked this passion.

Laine: So you’d say Elsie’s Archive is a hobby turned…

Elsie: It’s definitely a hobby turned into a job, it was really meant to be a thing on the side, but it’s pretty much taken over a lot of my time now.

Laine: You said that your Mum likes collecting vintage also. Is there a specific outfit you distinctly remember her being in when you were younger?

Elsie: Yes! It’s actually back to the Victorian era! She had a jet black beaded cape, a feather hat, and these 2000’s Russell & Bromley heels that one time she accidentally threw in the bin and she was absolutely devastated…

Laine: Oh no…

Elsie: But! Then we looked through the bin, and we found them. That’s an iconic outfit of hers, It’s not really my style but I can really appreciate it.

Laine: Haha, thank goodness! What would you describe your style as being?

Elsie: My style? Lately, it’s been quite minimal, almost 90’s? I love just wearing a vest top and a leather skirt, and a leather boot. But I’m getting quite excited for spring/summer now, I’m getting a lot more colourful, a lot more playful, so I think that era is going to just be sitting in the winter months for now.

Laine: Cute! I’ve been loving your outfits lately! Would you say that when you are sourcing, you cater more towards your personal style, or do you try and branch out of your comfort zone a bit more?

Elsie: It’s a mix of both. Half of the time, I’m actually buying for myself, and then I realise that I shouldn’t keep all the things I’m buying, and then the other half, I m a big Pinterest girly, so I’m constantly looking at them for inspiration, and end up searching for the items that I’ve seen, hoping that other people might like them.

Laine: What kind of girl wears Elsie’s Archive? If you could encapsulate them…

Elsie: I think she is a city girl for sure. I think she’s fun, she likes a margharita, she has a really cute girl-friend community that shares clothes with each other, and she just has fun and doesn’t take herself too seriously or care what other people think of her.

Laine: That sounds so fun! Relating to that, if Elsie’s Archive had a brick and mortar shop, where would you want it to be?

Elsie: I do love Shoreditch’s vintage scene, but I don’t know if being there would cause it to become even more over-saturated. I also love Soho, but it is busy, and sometimes I like the quiet, so if it was in Soho, I’d like it to be in a little off-street that’s not really busy.

Laine: Yes, with a little coffee shop around the corner!

Elsie: I’d like for Elsie’s Archive to be a destination rather than a passing-by situation.

Laine: Oh I love that… A destination… What have been your favourite destinations to go sourcing stock for your shop?

Elsie: Well, so far, it’s mainly just been online. But I’d love to be one of those girls that go on trips around Europe to source clothes.

Laine: With giant bags, shipping back boxes of stuff they find at the flea…

Elsie: Mm! Giant bags, exactly! And then I get to unbox all the boxes when I get home, and it will be such a treat!

Laine: When you’re sourcing things, what draws you to the piece before you even check the label?

Elsie: Usually colours! I try and curate each drop so that they’re all cohesive, so I buy one thing, and then I see another piece that kind of matches, then I’ll just go from there. Also, bad, blurry pictures of things on listings, I think “this is a risk, but it could be good”, you just have to see the vision really.

Laine: What’s the deciding factor when you’re hitting ‘buy’?

Elsie: Ummm… I don’t really think as much about this as I should do to be honest. I buy things on a whim, really, unless I know that it’s an ‘It’ piece, but most of it, I just buy because I think it’s fun for styling, or because if I like it, then there’s always going to be someone else in London, or in the universe, that’s going to like it too.

Laine: You mentioned things being an ‘It’ piece, what determines it to be timeless rather than something disposable and cyclical?

Elsie: The less trendy pieces, are more the archive, designer pieces that I can recognise from a runway show. I spend a lot of time on Vogue Runway, just browsing, so sometimes I recognise something from there and I say “That is an ‘It’ piece.”.

Laine: What would you say Caspar the Label’s ‘It’ piece is?

Elsie: Hmmmm… I think my favourite piece has to be the Poet Shirt that I have - the Cap Sleeve Poet Shirt.

Laine: Love! Which colour did you have again?

Elsie: White! It’s really classy and elevated, but you could also just wear it with jeans and flip-flops. Ugh! That is such a great summer outfit, I cannot wait to wear that. But right now, I’m loving my brown tutu-y skirt that I got at the sample sale! What is it called again?

Laine: Oh! I think that’s an unreleased piece, we might have only made one of those…

Elsie: [Sarcastically] Haha!

Laine: The asymmetric double circle skort is so good… Very Addison Rae.

Elsie: Yes, exactly! I’m also loving my Constellation Jeans, I think they’re the perfect fit. They’re very simple, but the belt detail just elevates them, I haven’t found any other jeans like it.

Laine: What was your first Caspar the Label piece?

Elsie: Ooooo! I’m going to have to think about this…

Laine: Didn’t you say you had the Gemini Pants?

Elsie: Oh my gosh! I have the Gemini Pants, the white cargo ones, the beige one with the wrap skirt, the khaki ruched Gemini Skirt, my Mum still wears that one! The mini Gemini Skirt, all the trousers… Yes. I’m an O.G. fan.

Laine: O.G. fan. O.G. partner… You’ve been with the brand, let’s say practically since Caspar the Label started…

Elsie: Mmmm! Weren’t you guys on Depop?

Laine: Yes! Didn’t you do the first shoot with Caspar?

Elsie: Yeah I did! With Alice and Lola!

Laine: Considering you’ve been with us for a while, how would you say Caspar the Label, as a brand, and your personal career have moved forward and changed since then?

Elsie: I think we’ve both matured a lot. I think the brand has more elevated pieces, more sophisticated silhouettes… And yeah, just a little bit more mature, since I found you guys in my early 20’s and you really fit my style, and now I’m in my late 20’s, the clothes also really fit my style, so I think it’s grown in that way. It’s a brand for any age to be honest! But for me, personally, it’s matched up well.