Words by: Kylie Kinnett Photos by: DeKwaan Wynn
Refined, chic, and effortless. Those are just a few words that come to mind when you think of Jenna Pilsner, the 24-year-old mastermind behind the ingenious Instagram shop, Blood Orange Vintage. She’s soft-spoken and her presence is gentle, but her savvy business woman approach to her shop and her passion for style are uncanny.
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Blood Orange Vintage, Pilsner’s precious child, came about almost on a whim. She had been selling clothes and accessories through a mobile marketplace app called Depop for a while when she was approached by a local store, Wildflowers, to participate in a pop-up shop. Pilsner’s wheels began turning in her head and she knew an opportunity had presented itself.
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“It kind of opened my mind to the idea of doing something more with my passion,” she says, “a refined version of what I had already been doing, but with my own rules.” And so Blood Orange Vintage was born.
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The shop can be best described as an online store where you can find both vintage and modern clothing and accessories. Each of the items are carefully handpicked by Pilsner herself right here in Corpus Christi. Her ability to walk into a resale shop, sift through hundreds of articles of clothing, and find the perfect pieces that, together, curate her unique inventory, is truly astounding.
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“Basically I have a few favorite spots around town where I thrift—sometimes for hours at a time,” Pilsner says in regards to her process of finding her inventory. “I devote quite a bit of time to shopping for the perfect garments that best represent my brand and style.”
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Although Blood Orange hasn’t been in existence for very long, Pilsner’s passion for thrifting has been with her for quite some time. “When I was in middle school I was definitely…odd,” she says with a laugh, “I had super low self-confidence.” She reminisces to a time when all she wanted was an obnoxious teal Abercrombie hoodie because that’s what all the ‘cool girls’ were wearing. The desire for acceptance from the popular girls is a common theme amongst 13 year old girls sometimes, but Pilsner realized being different, or the odd one out, wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. “I was a confused mess, but I’m glad I have found my way since then,” she says.
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She began thrifting in high school as an attempt to dress the way she wanted to while also being on a budget. She started pairing items like raw hemmed skirts with t-shirts, and in turn, discovered herself and her style. “Starting this vintage brand reminded me just how far back my love for thrifting and experimenting went, and it all kind of makes sense now,” she says.
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Subscribing to the fast-fashion track is nowhere near the top of Pilsner’s priority list. Her brand is simple: minimal, clean lines, mixing oversized and fitted shapes, neutrals with subtle pops of color, and the occasional sprinkle of sparkle. She has incorporated her personal style into her business and has found that others have a liking towards it.
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Her hope for Blood Orange Vintage is for it to serve as an awakening for people in regards to style. “I hope my little shop opens minds to where people can take their personal style,” she says. “I feel like sometimes people here might be afraid to be different—and I feel that. Getting attention for dressing differently than everyone else is scary, but there is also something so satisfying about wearing an outfit that isn’t expected.”
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For now, you can shop Pilsner’s items through Instagram or at various local pop-up shops around town. As for what the future holds for Blood Orange Vintage, the possibilities are endless; but we’re sure the path ahead is filled with clothing racks packed with unique and creative pieces.
