“Hmm. I could swear I’ve seen that style before…”
At the new Déjà Vu consignment boutique in Ocean View, that’s highly likely, although it might not be so much a question of where, but when.
Coastal Point • SAM HARVEY: Karey Sperbeck, owner of Déjà Vu in Ocean View, poses in her new shop.
Season after season, the fashion industry presents its latest and greatest — but Karey Sperbeck’s playing a different game.
“Clothing manufacturers have to come up with new ideas, new trends, every year,” she pointed out. But there’s a lot to be said for the standards, Sperbeck suggested.
“True vintage clothes have always had a following, and I think they’ve gotten a fresh look the last couple of seasons,” she pointed out. “It’s great to see the vintage look open up for all age groups.
“It’s not for everybody, but it’s fun,” she added.
It is easy to overdo it, though, she warned. According to Sperbeck, the trick is to find that one perfect piece — be it a blouse or a belt or a piece of jewelry — and “kind of sparkle up with it.”
Some styles haven’t come around again (yet), and others never left, Sperbeck noted.
She pulled a vintage “car coat” with leopard collar and cuffs from the rack as an example of something that would probably be hard to find in the average department store. But then she pointed to a sheer, ruffled shirt that, in barely modified form, was still something people could find in stores — the only difference being, it wouldn’t be truly vintage).
Déjà Vu offers plenty of modern styles, too, she added — “Consignment’s just a great way to offer quality clothes at great prices.” Sperbeck’s ready for whatever fall/winter brings, with sweaters and jackets alongside seasonal hats and scarves.
She has plenty of leather handbags, belts, costume-to-designer jewelry and accessories, too.
“Accessories are a great way to add that final touch to any outfit,” she pointed out.
Personally, she said, she likes vintage to modern and everything in between.
“It just needs to be quality,” she said. “That’s what’s great about this business. You get to sell all styles, from casual to formal, bathing suits to furs — it’s all fun!”
Russian fur seemed to be the hot item this season, Sperbeck said, and she does have some fur or fur-trimmed items. However, she suspected they might go a long way.
“It seems like it’s a little more casual around here, being near the beach,” she pointed out.
Casual or formal, she suggested most women want comfort first, style second.
“It doesn’t matter if you wear jeans or silk,” she stated. “It’s what works for you.”
Sperbeck’s originally from San Diego, and lived in Pennsylvania for most of the past 20 years. She said she and her husband, Greg, had come to the beach for many a weekend — they have a home near Dirickson Creek.
For Sperbeck, opening Déjà Vu amounts to the realization of a lifelong desire. “I started shopping at consignment shops as a teenager and was hooked,” she recalled.
She’d eventually study interior design and worked in furnishings — she suggested a passion for style, color and design was a common theme in both industries. And she’d worked at a couple consignment shops — but Sperbeck said she’d always known she wanted to have one to call her own someday.
As of this month, she does. For more information, stop by the shop, at 111 Atlantic Avenue (Route 26) in Ocean View, or call Déjà Vu at (302) 539-1335.