Project Attic Boutique, located in the heart of Fox Point in The East Side, Providence, RI, is a small shop featuring fine antique and vintage clothing and accessories from the 19th to late 20th centuries.
From the penny tiles that line the floor to the antique, silvered mirrors, the shop exudes an old world, timeless, yet urban aesthetic where shoppers can mix and match unique representations from different eras to create a look as unique as themselves.
A sneak peek into this space will find a little universe filled with old hats and reticules, depression era flour sack dresses, Edwardian liquid satin gowns, 1970s workwear, to fine luxury handbags. The appeal of such a collection is to not only to mix eras, but also to conflate what we consider quality—seeing “value” of vintage beyond the high and the low, the “special” and the quotidian.
Alifair Skebe, owner of Project Attic, comes to vintage through an early background in costume theatre and fashion history through literature, poetry, and culture. At the age of three, she began her fashion journey. Her mother taught her how to hand-sew clothing for the inherited collection of wild and unique hand-me-down 1950s dolls. Since that time, she has imagined and created garments as well as fashioned unique toys and playthings out of scraps of fabric which has turned into wearables made from rare, recycled linens, lace, and embroidered textiles.
Since its inception, Project Attic has been a true “project” of sorts—starting with the intent to clear away the clutter and usher her attic collection to new homes. Today, this sentiment finds itself not in her own attic, but in the attics of others’ homes, uncovering the hidden treasures saved over the years. These pieces are handcrafted, many of them hand sewn by their owners who were unschooled in the art of fashion, but sought to express their style, as they were skilled in the nearly lost art of utilizing patterns and a home sewing machine. This was often a way for them not only to save money but also to have a home couture item tailored to their own fit. This lost art is a true luxury today, as our society has become dependent on the ease and immediacy of fast fashion.
It is a great honor to see the creativity of the customers who choose the slow, newly discovered, luxury of vintage fashion and incorporate it into their wardrobes in unique ways.
