Exploring Life & Business with Tess Elizabeth of Tess Elizabeth Vintage

Today we’d like to introduce you to Tess Elizabeth

Hi Tess, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I grew up in Los Angeles. Early on in high school I became obsessed with walking through the alleys and picking up lost objects in my neighborhood. These objects ranged from giant planks of wood, to scrap metals, to clothing, furniture, etc. I felt like a bit of a lone wolf at that age and it was a bit like a secret other life that I lived, though sometimes I’d bring my little sister with me. We’d walk through the alleys of Santa Monica rifling through to try and find treasures that we could use, make art with, or just admire. My sister was nine years younger than me, still in elementary school at the time, so truthfully she was the perfect companion for these missions.

My excitement for finding special things with the feeling of stories attached, whether in an antique market or left on the street, has always been there. As I got older I learned about vintage and antiques, and studied history. My entry into clothing isn’t so much fashion as much as history. But I do love both.

In the last decade, I’ve worked in vintage stores and freelanced as a photographer & (more recently) a stylist. Tess Elizabeth Vintage feels like a world where everything I love doing can be done and exist in one place.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
I always say, vintage can be a hard sell because there are barriers to entry: First, someone has to trust in the process and the idea that clothing can be revitalized and passed through eras, decades, and centuries. Then, that someone or another can love a piece, but it also has to fit right – in most cases I only have one size in each item. That’s also what makes curation really exciting, seeing the pieces find their right home.

I don’t know that this is a struggle, more so a challenge, but all facets of running this business are funneled through me. I source and curate the collection, photograph and style all the imagery, work on the front and back end of the website, do the social media, treat and repair pieces, research, write and send the newsletters, do pop ups and markets, pack and ship orders, etc. I love it all!

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Tess Elizabeth Vintage?
For TEV, I focus on curating a cohesive collection of vintage and antique clothing, accessories, and homewares. I am not worried about specializing in specific decades. I’d say personally I am most drawn to the Victorian era, as well as the 30s and 40s. The craftsmanship and the design sends me. As much as I love so many pieces visually, I really do care about filling my shop with quality items that are durable and well-made, so I rein it in. The spectrum of the types of pieces I pull in is broad, but I do think there is an invisible throughline in the feeling of the collection.

My aim with TEV is to connect people with history. To revitalize these objects of history that have traveled through eras, witnessed countless chapters of life, and remain a testament to the passage of time. I want to create a little corner of the world that is reveling in beauty and share it with others. I also love the concept of revitalizing material that is already here on earth, for the present day.

Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
Putting your work and ideas out into the world can feel like a risk. At the end of the day, I think art, brands, all that, is about communication. Putting work out has been an empowering way of saying what I really feel. I do think that these ideas stay inside you if they aren’t expressed in some way, but there’s also something to not being too impulsive – discernment is important. If you tune in with yourself, you can feel the difference.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tesselizabethvintage.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tesselizabethvintage/

Image Credits
Image of Tess by @50mmchris