Meet Jean Marie De Bernardi | Vintage curator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jean Marie De Bernardi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jean Marie, how did you come up with the idea for your business?
Fly Boutique was created from my love of finding great vintage pieces that I knew I could resell. I opened my first boutique in 1995 in South Beach with a few boxes of amazing things I had found in NYC and Chicago along with some jewelry and vintage Pucci and Gucci clothing my grandmother had given to me. I had been working in NYC for Luca Luca and fell in love with mixing vintage with new. Then in 1996, I opened Fly Boutique on Lincoln Road, where we remained until the end of 2013. I also had a location in Chicago’s Wicker Park from 1999 till 2003. It’s hard to believe we’ve been open for more than 25 years! I met my husband and partner Maximiliano in 2007. With his background in architecture and design, it didn’t take long for the boutique to pull him in. His specialty is in the furniture and decor part of the boutique, for which he adds an amazing touch. When we opened our current location on Biscayne Boulevard we really started working together, expanding the boutique with the addition of vintage furniture and smaller home decor. And this year we opened Fly Studio, which is an archive showroom and photography studio located next to the boutique.

What should our readers know about your business?
Fly Boutique is a vintage and consignment boutique that specializes in sourcing designer, archival and interesting vintage pieces. Every piece is hand-picked, taking into consideration its style, era, relevance, condition, and how well it is made. We carry everything from unique and inexpensive vintage to rare and amazing vintage and newer designer pieces. In our ever-changing collection you can find Chanel, Dior, Cavalli, JPG, Missoni, Gucci, and Pucci just to name a few.
Our best-selling items are designer shoes and bags, dresses, and interesting vintage jewelry. I also have my own line of reconstructed and upcycled dresses, bags, and bikinis. The line is called Puglia and all of the items are one of a kind.
New items are brought in and put out on the floor every day and everything that we consider is inspected carefully and cleaned before we put it out. Most days I am out searching for amazing unique finds. And of course, we also have a group of talented pickers that consistently supply us with our selection. We couldn’t do it without them or our consignors, as it is now so much more difficult to find the great quality items we look for.
We are proud to be recycling styles and ideas from other eras as every decade borrows ideas from the decades before and fashion needs to be inspired by vintage to continue. Because we have a large and changing inventory, we are able to sell to designers for inspiration as well as provide a wide selection for stylists and photographers for productions and photoshoots. And Fly Boutique has the most amazing customers, who appreciate vintage or simply love designer items for a much lower price. When they come to us, they are finding those unique pieces that they know they cannot find elsewhere.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We would definitely start off at the beach and relax, then we’d visit Brickell City Center or Design District. The dine in theater CMX is nice at Brickell City Center. We also enjoy the art galleries in Little River, close to Fly Boutique. For dinner, we’d go to Battubelin or Luna Pasta for Italian or Mandolin for Greek. Then for drinks we’d stop by Soho Beach House, The Standard or Faena. And of course we’d hit the Lincoln Road Flea Market on Sunday! I also love Shopping at The Webster in Bal Harbor and dinner at Makoto afterwards. Other favorite restaurants are Miami Slice and Lucali for pizza and Mila and Paperfish for sushi.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I would definitely shout out to my mother and grandmother for introducing me the the world of sustainable fashion and vintage shopping. My grandma used to own an antique shop and I’d spend hours as a child in there with her as well as thrifting and going to estate sales with both her and my mom. I’ve always loved the thrill of finding a treasure and preparing it for resale, it is a passion for me and luckily my job!

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flyboutique/

Facebook: www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063647074843