I ♥ (vintage) New York

Last weekend, mama and I made the trek down to NYC for the Easter long weekend to enjoy some fun, food and (thankfully) sun. Did I mention food?

MASSIVE NOM

It goes without saying that a trip to the Big Apple deserves a bit of time for shopping, and this little vay-cay was no exception. Amidst much walking, eating, cycling, Staten Island ferrying, eating, Broadway show view-ing, shop perusing and eating, we managed to squeeze in a bit of time to check out a couple of vintage shops.

Our second day in the city, we stumbled across the incredible New York Vintage close to our hotel in the Flatiron district. An incredible emporium of extremely high-end designer and couture vintage clothing from Victorian times to the 80s, the store boasts a successful rental operation for films and celebrities alike, and has styled the likes of Michelle Obama and Lady GaGa. Indeed, while we were browsing through their amazing collection, a stylist walked in and requested a gown for Julianna Margulies for the White House Correspondents dinner. Wowza!

Not for the faint of wallet

The shop was waaaay out of our price range, but we had a fab time browsing the wares (especially a roped-off area of amazing 20s and 30s gowns, all for between $300-$2,000). We (obviously) left the store empty handed, but we enjoyed having a small taste of high-end vintage nonetheless. One day my bank account will allow it...

The store owner mentioned that across the street, a flea market was held every weekend. On our last morning in the city, we decided to check it out, but not before popping into the nearby Pippin Vintage Jewelry (a coincidence, considering we had gone to see Pippin the Broadway musical just two nights prior).

This adorable little boutique had all sorts of bits and baubles exhibited prettily on antique furniture and glass display cases, from costume jewellery of the 80s to dainty, precious gems of the 20s, with some handbags and hats thrown in between.

Where clip-on earrings meet their fateful end

 We perused every nook and cranny of the shop before I settled on a colourful 60s mod pin:

Flower Power!

We also popped into the Pippin home store behind the jewellery boutique, which had all sorts of treasures that we, of course, couldn't get home in our carry-ons. 

Our last stop in our NYC vintage adventure was the Chelsea flea market. It was HUGE. Located in a large garage spanning two floors, there were piles of junk treasures. Vintage clothing, jewellery, furniture, odds and ends, you name it.

You may actually find a flea or two...

I don't normally have a lot of patience for flea markets, and we didn't have much time, but we wandered through and browsed the wares. I was determined to leave the city with at least ONE piece of vintage clothing!

Lo and behold, just as we were thinking of leaving, we popped up to the second floor, which was a lot more sparse. At the very back was a small rack of vintage clothing, staffed by an older bearded gentleman. I pulled a 60s green and brown gingham dress off the rack. There were no change rooms to be found, and the bathrooms looked, well, ahem, like they'd seen better days (and too many bums...in both senses of the word). We had to resort to eyeballing the dress for size. The owner kindly measured the waist for me, and I figured it looked about right. We settled on $30, and I happily left the market and NYC with my little piece of big-city vintage fashion.

So, did the dress fit? Judge for yourself:

Gettin' my gingham on...

Simple yet sweet, with wee buttons and a belt! It's no Chanel, but it suits me just fine. Next trip to NYC, I'm definitely putting more time aside for vintage hunting. And bringing an empty suitcase.

New York, you're a hell of a town!

THE DETAILS:
Era: 60s
Material: Cotton
Label: Stacy Ames
Made in USA

Vintage Crawl Toronto

I can't go to this! Why can't I go to this?! Ugh, WHY does all the fun stuff always happen at once?

Tomorrow is the annual Vintage Crawl Toronto. From 7pm-midnight, participating stores (more than 30!) offer something special to customers (either sales/deals, art shows, musical acts). It's basically the Nuit Blanche of the vintage clothing world. With a capitalist twist.

And alas, I will be in New York. Don't get me wrong, I'd rather be in NYC (where I will be, no doubt, taking full advantage of all the vintage shopping the Big Apple has to offer). I'm just a bit sad that it has to be on the same weekend! Better luck next year, I guess.

Whyyyy

Somebody, for the love of all that is 80s, go check this out for me! I expect a full report back. With pictures.

Bang for your buck

As someone who spends their free time hanging upsidedown on a trapeze, rolling on the floor à la contemporary dance, twirling around a pole, staring at my toes in downward dog or dancing around with a hula hoop, I'm pretty hard on my aerobic wear. And after leaving behind a fair bit of it in France and Scotland when I moved back to Canada, I recently realized that I desperately needed some more active wear. I was a bit unsure where to go, since Lululemon was out of the question and I couldn't just drop into H&M for some cheap tank tops.

So while running errands in the neighbourhood a couple of weekends ago,  I decided to take a browse in the local Value Village, which is very handily located close to me on Queen East. I had been in a few times before to drop off unwanted clothes and household items into their donation bin, but I hadn't considered stopping in to take a look for myself.

I've only shopped at Value Village a handful of times in my life. When I worked at the Canadian Diabetes Association in London, we used to get a 50% discount since a big chunk of the organization's profits came from a donation agreement through Value Village (as do a number of charities), so I took advantage of that little perk now and then.

The second-hand chain is definitely grittier in terms of shopping experience, and it requires time and patience, something I don't always have a lot of. I much prefer carefully curated boutiques than stores with a ton of stock (one reason I've never been a big fan of Winners). I just get too overwhelmed when I have to comb through rack upon rack of fashion faux-pas, hunting for a small glimmer of gold in a sea of shite.

My expectations weren't too high as I began sorting through crammed racks of tanks, tees and cardigans, but I was happily surprised when I came across a few tops that were not only exactly what I was looking for, but they were in great condition, brand-name labels and CHEAP! Perhaps this wouldn't be so bad after all...

I walked out with three tank tops, one long sleeved tee, a cardigan, and my head held high - all for for less than $40!

(Yogis - don't judge me on the triangle!)

I probably won't be making frequent trips to Value Village, but at least I know where to go for all my workout wear and basics needs! $4 for an American Apparel tank? Who cares if it gets destroyed!

One of the best parts of the whole deal (apart from the fact that it IS a deal), is that your purchases and donations directly support community initiatives and local non-profit organizations. Cheap clothes AND good karma? Win-win!

THE DETAILS:
All gently used second-hand!
Labels: 

1. Long-sleeve green cotton tee - Joe Fresh
2. Grey ribbed racerback tank - American Apparel
3. Red(ish) spandex tank - no label
4. Grey cardigan - H&M
5. Cream modal tank (under cardigan) - Banana Republic

The best things in life are free

One fun part about this whole resolution is I get to share my vintage escapades with some of my work colleagues, who enjoy seeing what I bought (when I wear them to work) and some of whom are into vintage themselves.

Last week, one of my colleagues told me that she had brought a vintage item into work that she no longer wore, and asked if I wanted it. She brought it over to my cubicle for me to view, and I couldn't say no! A) It was free, and B) it was awesome. I made darn sure she was willing to part with it before taking it home. 

I welcome to my growing collection of vintage, a funky 70s dressing gown!

Who says nothing in life is free?

Comfy soft coziness all the way to my toes - it even has a little front pocket! At first I wasn't exactly sure what type of garment it was, but after a bit of online searching, the most likely answer is a simple house-dress/dressing gown for lounging and/or sleeping...or for life on a hippie commune (one day...). Vintage lazy-Sunday indoor wear at its finest!

A free piece of Canadian fashion history from an awesome work colleague? Priceless.

Merci beaucoup, S.W.! J'adore.

THE DETAILS:
Era: 70s
Material: Cotton/Polyester blend
Label: Glenayr Kitten
Made at the Glenayr Kitten Mill in Lanark, Ontario!

Thinking outside the (Big) Box

I've mentioned before that one of my favourite reasons for shopping vintage is it forces you to embrace styles that you wouldn't normally consider wearing - often because they're not manufactured anymore! We tend to fall for styles that are in season and opt for what is presented to us in major retailers and big box stores, without really thinking if what we're being fashionably force-fed actually suits us, or anyone for that matter. (Remember Crocs? Yeah. That unfortunately happened.)

True, there are many pieces that are too hideous to even consider (*ahem*, velvet pants? *shudders*), but there are plenty of other unique items that I pull off a rack and think "hey, why not!" 

Such a moment happened to me last week when I popped into Mama Loves You vintage for a browse. I follow the shop on Facebook, and in preparing for Spring, the owner was frequently posting lovely Instagram-ed pictures of 70s maxi dresses, jumpsuits and shorteralls. I decided it was time to push my boundaries a bit and try something completely different. So into the changeroom I went, with a funky 80s skirt, a 80s romper, 70s wide-leg knee length pants, and 80s floral shorts. 

Guess which one I settled on?

Did someone say boombox?

I know what you're thinking - that you have no clue what I was thinking! Flowy, high-waisted floral shorts from the 80s? With a belt? All I can say is, YES. Comfy, flowy, colourful culotte shorts straight out of the decade I was born in. They're out there, for sure, but they're fun and perfect for summer! I can't wait to pair these with a black tube top and sandals. And a hat. That's a given.

Vintage can gently push you outside your comfort zone, if you let it. I'm not saying that everyone should be sporting 70s hot pants (very few people, actually...), but there's nothing wrong with embracing styles that have long since faded into history. Bring it back, I say!

Next time you're in a vintage shop, I DARE you to try on (and buy) something you wouldn't usually look twice at. Ha, dared you! Now you have to do it :)

THE DETAILS:
Era: 80s
Label: UXL
Material: Rayon
Made in USA