Fabulous Finds: Purchases from the 2014 Toronto Vintage Clothing Show

As mentioned in my last post, Mama and I had a fantastic and successful trip to the Toronto Vintage Clothing Show last weekend. I could have easily blown through my life savings, but I'm very pleased with what I did settle on, without going too crazy. So without further ado, I present to you - our purchases!

Mum spotted the first find for me within about 5 minutes of us checking out our first stall (vintage boutique Retrouver) - a sleek, black wool dress from the 60s in absolutely flawless condition:

The minute I tried it on and looked in the mirror, I knew it had been hanging on that rack just waiting for me to take it home! Gorgeous pure wool with delicate gold braided detailing, fully lined, a very cute (and very typically 60s) front pleat and matching belt to boot. Who says there's no such thing as love at first sight?

THE DETAILS:
Era: 60s
Label: Rona New York
Material: 100% pure wool
Made in USA

 Mum's got a keen sixth sense for fashion, and in no time she had pulled another dress out for me from Larkspur vintage's booth. This time, a colourful and flowy piece from the 70s/80s:

Guess what I wore to work today! This dress is not only super fun, but also very comfortable. I love the flowery pattern and the subtle colours. Bell-bottom sleeves yes please!
 
THE DETAILS:
Era: 70s or 80s
Label: Tessuto
Material: Rayon
Made in USA 


And last but not least, the shoes! Yes, I had mentioned in a previous post my disdain for pre-worn shoes. But guess what?! There's such a thing as new vintage, and luckily for us, one booth had A TON of it in footwear. "New vintage?" you ask? In a nutshell, brand new items that were never sold and sat in a warehouse for 40+ years (commonly known as deadstock). So it's not "new" per se, but not used either. However, it's still vintage, and in my books that means it's up for grabs! 

Mum and I tried on a number of styles before settling on a pair each. At $25 per pair for quality leather, hand-made in Canada shoes, who could say no to that?

A pair for me...

...and a pair for Mama!

They're also super comfortable (apparently this brand specialized in comfort footwear - and they either made too many or weren't popular enough to get rid of them all!) 

The sizes were all a bit wonky though, so my new size 9's are currently being stretched out at home. >>>>>


THE DETAILS:
Era: 70s
Label: Celebrity Handmade
Material: Leather
Made in Canada




"But what about mum!" you're desperately wondering. Oh don't you worry - I've also got the knack for picking out clothes for other people (it's genetic). So when I spotted an original 60s Lilly Pulitzer shift, she didn't have a choice but to try it on. 

"But is it me?" She asked. "Of course it is," I scoffed, "it's Lilly Pulitzer!" You never say no to a Lilly:

Fashion sense runs in the family. Female side only.

I think it looks fantastic on her! Brightly coloured with beautiful lace detailing and fully lined - even a hand sewed hem! An absolutely gorgeous vintage designer piece. (You can read more about the history of Lilly Pulitzer on their website - they still make fabulous clothes to this day; one of my favourite designer labels!) Considering that on Ebay and Etsy, original 60s "Lilly" dresses go for between $80-300, mum got hers for a bargain, only $40! Summer can't come soon enough...

THE DETAILS:
Era: 60s
Label: Lilly Pulitzer (sold by Lord & Taylor Fifth Ave. for their spring/summer line)
Style: "The Lilly"
Material: 100% Cotton
Made in USA

So there you have it - three dresses, two pairs of shoes and two very pleased women. All in all I spent less than $150 - not a bad day, I'd say! Oh, and I did pick up a wee something from a booth on the way out:

No cheeses for us meeces

 Well, what else was I going to spend $3 in change on? A TTC token? HA!