I’m Melanie. I’m a designer, storyteller, and lifelong lover of vintage. I’ve always been drawn to pieces that carry energy and memory, with a little bit of soul in every stitch. For almost twenty years, I’ve been running my shop, Retro Kandy Vintage. I’ve spent a lot of time searching for clothes that tell the truth about where they’ve been. Somewhere along the way, I realized I was trying to do the same thing with myself.
I’ve worn many roles over the years as a business owner, artist, partner, and mother. Somewhere in the middle of all of that, I started to wonder which parts still felt like me. That’s where UNfashioned began. It’s my space to slow down, reflect, and talk honestly about what it means to let go of who you were so you can become who you really are.
UNfashioned is where fashion meets feeling. It’s raw, personal, and the most honest work I’ve ever done. It’s about unraveling what doesn’t fit anymore and learning to rewear what was always real.
As summer gives way to fall, I return to my closet and realize something has changed. Not just in what I’m wearing, but in the life I’ve created. In the finale story of Season 3, I reflect on what success means to me now, falling in love with my life and someone special, and finally allowing myself to enjoy what I spent so long rebuilding. Sometimes a new beginning isn’t about starting over. It’s about realizing how far you’ve already come.
xo, Melanie
If anything in this story helped you unravel a little, I’d love to hear from you.
email: unfashionedpod@gmail.com
ig: @unfashionedpod / @retrokandyvintage
substack: https://unfashionedmelanieraye.substack.com/
tiktok: @unfashionedpod
website: https://feeds.transistor.fm/unfashioned
shop: https://www.retrokandyvintage.com
photographer: https://www.vickiberloffephotography.com/
6 Aug 2026
The Cover-Up
What if a cover-up was never meant to make us disappear? In this story, I uncover the surprising lesson hidden in one simple summer garment and explore how trust, healing, and authenticity grow when we allow ourselves to be known with intention instead of all at once.
xo, Melanie
If anything in this story helped you unravel a little, I’d love to hear from you.
email: unfashionedpod@gmail.com
ig: @unfashionedpod / @retrokandyvintage
substack: https://unfashionedmelanieraye.substack.com/
tiktok: @unfashionedpod
website: https://feeds.transistor.fm/unfashioned
shop: https://www.retrokandyvintage.com
photographer: https://www.vickiberloffephotography.com/
18 Jul 2026
The Swim Suit Drawer
Swimsuits are some of the smallest garments in our closets, yet they often carry the greatest emotional weight. In this story, I revisit my childhood as a swimmer, reflect on how my relationship with my body changed over the years, and share the quiet reminder that life has never asked our bodies to be perfect only to be lived in.
xo, Melanie
If anything in this story helped you unravel a little, I’d love to hear from you.
email: unfashionedpod@gmail.com
ig: @unfashionedpod / @retrokandyvintage
substack: https://unfashionedmelanieraye.substack.com/
tiktok: @unfashionedpod
website: https://feeds.transistor.fm/unfashioned
shop: https://www.retrokandyvintage.com
photographer: https://www.vickiberloffephotography.com/
1 Jul 2026
Too Hot For Layers
I stepped outside dressed for yesterday and realized the season had changed without me noticing. On an unexpectedly warm summer morning, I found myself overdressed in more ways than one. As I began shedding familiar layers, I realized I wasn't just taking off clothes. I was making room to finally feel the warmth of the season I was already standing in.
xo, Melanie
If anything in this story helped you unravel a little, I’d love to hear from you.
email: unfashionedpod@gmail.com
ig: @unfashionedpod / @retrokandyvintage
substack: https://unfashionedmelanieraye.substack.com/
tiktok: @unfashionedpod
website: https://feeds.transistor.fm/unfashioned
shop: https://www.retrokandyvintage.com
photographer: https://www.vickiberloffephotography.com/
20 Mar 2026
The Closet Between Seasons
In this final story of the season, I reflect on the quiet unraveling that has happened since November.
What began as stories about clothing became something more personal. It became an invitation to look more closely at the life I have been wearing. Standing between seasons, I return to the closet with a different perspective.
If this story resonates with you, please share it or leave a review on your favorite streaming platform.
xo, Melanie
If something stirred while you were listening, you’re welcome to reach out.
email: unfashionedpod@gmail.com
website: https://feeds.transistor.fm/unfashioned
ig: @unfashionedpod / @retrokandyvintage
shop: https://www.retrokandyvintage.com
tiktok: @unfashionedpod
photographer: https://www.vickiberloffephotography.com
Click here to view the episode transcript. (https://share.transistor.fm/s/7afdc9c8/transcript)
19 Feb 2026
The Fabric I Wove
In this story of UNfashioned, I reflect on what it means to understand the fabric of my own life. On my forty-sixth birthday, I move beneath appearance and into composition, exploring softness, endurance, tension, and repair. This story is an invitation to consider what you are made of and how you have been shaped over time.
If this story resonates with you, please share it with someone who might need to hear it, or leave a review on your favorite streaming platform. Your support helps these stories reach further.
xo, Melanie
If something stirred while you were listening, you’re welcome to reach out.
email: unfashionedpod@gmail.com
website: https://feeds.transistor.fm/unfashioned
ig: @unfashionedpod / @retrokandyvintage
shop: https://www.retrokandyvintage.com
tiktok: @unfashionedpod
photographer: https://www.vickiberloffephotography.com
5 Feb 2026
Handle With Care
In this story of UNfashioned, I reflect on care, wear, and the rules we follow without question. Using the care label inside a garment as a metaphor, this story explores what happens when being careful becomes a way of living. It reflects on how listening more closely can change the way we hold ourselves and our lives.
xo, Melanie
If something stirred while you were listening, you’re welcome to reach out.
email: unfashionedpod@gmail.com
website: https://feeds.transistor.fm/unfashioned
ig: @unfashionedpod / @retrokandyvintage
shop: https://www.retrokandyvintage.com
tiktok: @unfashionedpod
photographer: https://www.vickiberloffephotography.com
22 Jan 2026
More Than The Label
In this story of UNfashioned, I explore the labels stitched inside our clothes and the ones we carry in our lives. From brand names and sizes to roles and identities, labels can offer a sense of belonging and confidence, but they can also quietly limit how we see ourselves. Drawing from my experience in fashion, I reflect on how labels shape perception and why true style, both inside and out, begins when we stop letting them define us.
xo, Melanie
Drop me a message and share your feelings about this story. I look forward to hearing from you.
email: unfashionedpod@gmail.com
ig: @unfashionedpod / @retrokandyvintage
tiktok: @unfashionedpod
website: https://feeds.transistor.fm/unfashioned
shop: https://www.retrokandyvintage.com
photographer: https://www.vickiberloffephotography.com
8 Jan 2026
Dressed For Winter
As a new season begins, the unraveling slows. In this opening story of Season Two, I reflect on winter as a time of layering, protection, and quiet preparation. This episode is about dressing for warmth instead of performance, allowing life to soften, and trusting what is forming beneath the surface. Listen if you are craving rest, patience, and permission to move gently into what comes next.
Please share with me how this episode made you feel.
xo, Melanie
If anything in this story helped you a little, I’d love to hear from you.
email: unfashionedpod@gmail.com
ig: @unfashionedpod / @retrokandyvintage
tiktok: @unfashionedpod
website: https://feeds.transistor.fm/unfashioned
shop: https://www.retrokandyvintage.com
photographer: https://www.vickiberloffephotography.com/
18 Dec 2025
The Trend Trap
As the season grows louder, the pressure to keep up grows louder too. In this final episode before the holiday pause, I explore how trends influence what we wear, how we show up, and how easily we lose touch with our own voice. This story is about noticing the noise and choosing to listen inward instead.
Listen if you are feeling the pull to conform and want permission to choose what feels true.
Please share this episode with friends who may need it, and leave a review on your favorite streaming service. Thank you!
xo, Melanie
If anything in this story helped you a little, I’d love to hear from you.
email: unfashionedpod@gmail.com
ig: @unfashionedpod / @retrokandyvintage
tiktok: @unfashionedpod
website: https://feeds.transistor.fm/unfashioned
shop: https://www.retrokandyvintage.com
photographer: https://www.vickiberloffephotography.com/
11 Dec 2025
The New Style Of Me
In this story, I begin choosing the style of the life I want to live now. After letting go of what no longer fit, I step into the try-on room and explore what feels true, supportive, and real. This episode is about experimenting with who you are becoming and allowing yourself to choose with honesty and intention.
xo, Melanie
If anything in this story helped you a little, I’d love to hear from you.
email: unfashionedpod@gmail.com
ig: @unfashionedpod / @retrokandyvintage
tiktok: @unfashionedpod
website: https://feeds.transistor.fm/unfashioned
shop: https://www.retrokandyvintage.com
photographer: https://www.vickiberloffephotography.com/
20 Nov 2025
Worn-In, Well-Loved, Still Here
After the unraveling comes the moment when you finally see what stayed. In this story, I step back into the quiet of my own closet and notice the pieces that remained. It is a gentle look at what endures when everything else has fallen away.
Listen and be ready to discover what has lasted inside you too.
xo, Melanie
Please share with me how this episode made you feel.
email: unfashionedpod@gmail.com
ig: @unfashionedpod / @retrokandyvintage
tiktok: @unfashionedpod
website: https://feeds.transistor.fm/unfashioned
shop: https://www.retrokandyvintage.com
photographer: https://www.vickiberloffephotography.com
13 Nov 2025
Naked In The Void
After the release comes the quiet. In this story, I talk about what happens when everything false falls away and you are left standing in the soft light of your own truth. It is the tender place between endings and beginnings.
Maybe being lost is not something to escape. Maybe it is the very place where you start finding your way back to who you are.
xo, Melanie
Please share your feelings about this episode with me.
email: unfashionedpod@gmail.com
ig: @unfashionedpod / @retrokandyvintage
tiktok: @unfashionedpod
website: https://feeds.transistor.fm/unfashioned
shop: https://www.retrokandyvintage.com
photographer: https://www.vickiberloffephotography.com
6 Nov 2025
The Wardrobe Of Me
For this third story, I unravel the layers of identity I have dressed myself in. These are roles and costumes I have worn to feel safe, seen, or loved. It is about peeling back those layers and remembering who I am beneath them. It is the quiet reawakening that begins when I start to feel again. xo, Melanie
If this story helped you see the roles you have been wearing, let them gently unravel. Let the air touch your skin, and tell me what it brought up for you. I would love to hear.
email: unfashionedpod@gmail.com
ig: @unfashionedpod / @retrokandyvintage
tiktok: @unfashionedpod
website: https://feeds.transistor.fm/unfashioned
shop: https://www.retrokandyvintage.com
photographer: https://www.vickiberloffephotography.com
6 Nov 2025
Closet Clean-Out
In this story, I open the closet doors a little wider and step into the confusion and difficulty of what it means to let go. It’s not the kind of clean out that ends in perfect piles or color-coordinated rows. It’s the kind where fabric and memory blur together, where we sort through the stories we’ve been wearing and decide what still feels like truth against our skin.
If you’ve ever held on a little too long to something that no longer fits, this one is for you.
xo, Melanie
If this story helped you start to unravel what no longer fits, I’d love to hear from you.
email: unfashionedpod@gmail.com
ig: @unfashionedpod / @retrokandyvintage
tiktok: @unfashionedpod
website: https://feeds.transistor.fm/unfashioned
shop: https://www.retrokandyvintage.com
photographer: https://www.vickiberloffephotography.com/
6 Nov 2025
The Things I Don't Fit Into Anymore
In this first episode, I open the closet doors to UN fashioned and begin unraveling the pieces of myself that no longer fit. It’s about release, reflection, and the quiet courage it takes for us to let go of what once looked right but never truly felt right.
xo, Melanie
If anything in this story helped you unravel a little, I’d love to hear from you.
email: unfashionedpod@gmail.com
ig: @unfashionedpod / @retrokandyvintage
tiktok: @unfashionedpod
website: https://feeds.transistor.fm/unfashioned
shop: https://www.retrokandyvintage.com
photographer: https://www.vickiberloffephotography.com/
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Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
6 ratings
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