Tucked away in a courtyard across from Lake Ivanhoe in Orlando, FL is an authentic and modern vintage boutique called Retromended owned by Brandy Tezak.
I first met Brandy about three years ago when she came into my yoga class. It was around that time that she had just opened her Etsy Store. It has been incredibly inspiring to watch her dreams and success flourish so much that she opened this boutique a year later in 2012. 
I had a chance to stop by Retromended to ask Brandy a few questions, and loved hearing all of the intricate details that go into determining the era of a vintage piece. She went through the dresses, skirts, and jackets and could tell me what year it came from just by looking at the sewing style, the zipper, or the tag.
I learned that larger tags with larger fonts are primarily from the 80s, and you can also tell by the tag if the clothing was hand made for a particular person.
When I asked her about the fabulous black dress pictured below, she explained how even though it looks like a dress from the 20’s, it’s actually a remake:
This is actually an 80s dress that was created to look like a 20s style dress. The drop waist and fringe is styled after flappers, but you can tell that it was a recreation made in the 80s because of the tag and the shoulder pads. The 80s did a lot of remakes of 20s style clothes.
Everything has a story, and Brandy honors the history by treating every item with love before it hits the shelf. She dry cleans, irons, fixes buttons or zippers, and will even hem or sew items to clean them up, making them brand new again, and ready for the next chapter on their journey. I believe that this is what makes Retromended completely unique.
I asked Brandy how she became interested in vintage clothing. Here’s what she had to say:
I did a lot of garage sales and estate sales with my dad as a kid. And I was super close to my grandparents growing up, so I always had an appreciation for the effort my grandmother put into her appearance. She used to take me to the local thrift shops to pick out my dress up clothes. I would say that is what started my love for the hunt and amazing vintage pieces.
The clothing might be aged, but nothing about Retromended feels that way. If you’re associating thrift stores with dust or clutter, then you’re going to be shocked when you walk into the pleasant and sophisticated atmosphere Brandy created for these one of a kind finds. She not only carries clothing, but also retro art and furniture, jewelry, bags, shoes, and anything else that has an amazing story that she feels should be shared with the world.
A few views from inside Retromended
You might not realize how amazing something fits and looks until you try it on.
Photo Credit:Danny Criswell
Photo Credit: Danny Criswell
Photo Credit:Danny Criswell
A few more images of one of a kind finds:
And Shoes!
I’m super excited because Brandy is giving away a $25 gift Certificate to Retromended! You can see there are a few different ways to enter through Rafflecoptor below! a Rafflecopter giveaway
Terms & Conditions
- NO PURCHASE NECESSARY
- This Gift Certificate can only be used in person at Retromended located in Orlando, FL.
- There is no travel or accommodations included with this giveaway.
- You MUST enter through Rafflecopter to be eligible
- There will be 1 Winner and 1 $25 Gift Certificate
- I will contact the winner by email, and the winner will have 48 hours to respond with their address so I can mail the gift certificate. If the prize is not claimed within 48 hours, the prize will be re-awarded.
- Your email will NEVER be sold and will be completely private and confidential, but I will add you to my blog subscription, which you can unsubscribe to easily if you don’t like it
- The winner will be chosen randomly at midnight on 4/23
If you’re interested in learning a little more about Brandy and the story of Retromended, check out this short video below! You can also find her Etsy store here!
