After posting a sneak peek of the ever so stylish Amanda Sanft on our socials just a few weeks ago, we felt that our community already knew and loved her as much as we did! Having been a customer + friend of the brand since pretty well the beginning of time, we had to catch up during our time in NYC. Whilst exploring some of her favourite NYC thrift stores, we chatted about Amanda's history with Spell {one of our favourites to date} and her very own second-hand venture, Shop Sanft. Let's just say, Amanda's style resonates with us to our core ~ a never ending mix of unique vintage finds, dreamy whites and heavy accessories... Read our interview below!
In 2012, I wore my Spell Dreamweaver Crossbody Bag to just about every music festival… Lizzy and Spelly stumbled across my festival style on Tumblr and shared it to the Spell Instagram page asking their following to help find my handle. I actually didn’t even have an account at the time but they inspired me to create an Instagram to start sharing my Spell and vintage style! I have connected with so many Spell angels all over the world that I still keep in touch with today!
What has inspired your sense of fashion?
I am always inspired by past trends. I love watching older movies and tv shows and even looking at vintage magazines for inspiration…
Tell us about your online vintage store venture, Sanft!
My twin sister & I have always collected vintage t-shirts. We started sharing our collection online and decided to turn it into an ecommerce store. Our Grandpa had a store in Brooklyn in the 60’s/70’s called Sanft’s (Sanft is our last name). The inspiration for the logo and name came from a vintage shirt that he wore in his shop. The shirt is a ringer tee with a stretched out smiley face on it that says ‘Sanft’s Groovy Clothes’. For our logo we decided to keep the smiley stretched out just like it is on the tee to symbolise worn in & distressed vintage t-shirts. We are always on the hunt for vintage treasures to add to our shop that can be styled with vintage t-shirts!
We’re here for the inside scoop… what are your top three holy grail vintage stores in NYC?
A few of my favourite NYC vintage stores are 10 ft Single by Stella Dallas, L Train Vintage + 9th St. Vintage.
Do you have any hot tips for successful thrifting?
My top tip would be to know what colours and fabrics you like to wear. You’ll find pieces you love without having to flip through each item! Don’t only check the women's section some of the best items can be in the lingerie or Halloween costume section. Always check the mens and kids section for graphic t-shirts.
Favourite and most worn Spell piece to-date?
My most worn and favourite item would have to be my Hanalei Cowrie Shell Tee. I have it in multiple colours!
Muse Amanda Sanft
Photography Ashleigh Bakos