In our final year at Ryerson, Fashion Communication students have to do a self-directed capstone project. The subject is of your choosing and it can be absolutely anything and not necessarily fashion-related. In our program we focus on visual communication through design with courses like graphic design, typography, illustration, photography, etc so our projects are going to be very broad from paintings, events, brand books, websites, etc. My project relates to My Vintage Secret. As you know, I shop mostly in thrift stores and re-use a lot of clothing. I wanted my project to reflect this idea of clothing as valuable and recyclable in a time that promotes “fast fashion” so I constructed a clothing sculpture. Below, is a piece that I made with donations (thanks to everyone who donated!) which I manipulated into what I hope is seen as something beautiful. In the middle is a white space (white clothing) for my do-it-yourself stop motion videos to be projected onto. After spending four straight days finalizing the sculpture I am 98% done! I just handed in these photos to my prof to mark and the next step is installing it at the exhibition which starts April 7th and continues until the 10th. Without further ado, here is my ultimate DIY.
My prof wanted to have people “interact” with the piece thus me shoving my roommate, Stef and Wes in front of the camera (thanks guys!) Nice poses eh?
To make it perfect I’m still accepting clothing donations. If anyone in Toronto is planning on donating clothing I would love to take them off your hands (preferably tshirts or thin knits… my thumbs hurt from weaving these into the metal frame)
After the Exhibition is over I will be donating the clothing to the Yonge Street Mission Thrift Store.
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...Categories: Blog, Do It Yourself, featured
I love vintage (surprise!) and when I tell others about My Vintage Secret it prompts them to share their amazing finds and stories (Yaay!). Since I enjoy hearing vintage love so much I thought you would too so I’ve decided to start posting mini vintage interviews! I have asked one of my favourite people, Breanna Hughes from one of my favourite blogs, Unbrelievable, to tell me some of her vintage secrets. Enjoy!
What draws you to vintage?
Honestly, I’m new to vintage shopping. I am a tech nerd, so I feel I lack the creative eye, but I started getting a bit more brave and trying new things and now I’m hooked! I like how you know you’ll walk into a party and not be wearing the same thing as someone else. Plus, it’s hard work, so you feel like you’ve earned your outfit.
When did you first shop in a vintage store? Do you remember your first purchase?
My first vintage shop was my moms closet. She was a huge hippie, and has amazing style so I love going through her closet and her old clothes. My favourite and first item was this bag, and I wear it ALL the time.
What is your best Vintage find?
The aforementioned bag, or this amazing necklace my grandmother brought back from India and gave it to my mom when she was still just dating my dad. It has since been passed on to me, and it means even more since my grandmother has passed.
Everyone seems to be addicted to certain vintage accessories or garments? (For me it’s belts) What vintage items are you obsessed with?
At first it was purses, since I have a hard time finding clothes that fit me right (and I’m an awful sewer). Then it was shoes, but now it’s BELTS GALORE. I just bought 5 from 69 Vintage the other week.
Right now, what era does your style fit into? What are your favourite trends from this time?
My style fits into nothing. It’s so different day to day. Sometimes I wear expensive, more put together outfits. Sometimes I wear jeans and a tee. In the summer, it’s all about comfort and I love my little hippie style. I’m loving the 90s Party of Five style right now. I just bought a few pairs of brogues and a pair of oxfords. I’ve been finding a lot of vintage floral dresses that I SWEAR Neve Campbell wore.
Is there a vintage accessory or garment that you crave?
I have been on the hunt for the perfect fur shawl, and I’m just not happy with what I’ve found. (I’m sorry PETA!)
When you go vintage shopping do you have a vintage buddy or prefer shopping alone? What is your vintage shopping process?
Since I’m still just learning, I like to have a buddy with me who knows better than me and can tell me what looks bad or not. It’s so easy to walk away with the entire store when everything is so cheap. I always say “but it’s only $2.99″, but you need that conscience reminding you that you will never wear it. And that closet real estate is hard to come by.
My process is definitely shoes and accessories first. I feel that the good ones will get snapped up quickly, so I always am in a bigger rush to go for them.
If you could steal anyone’s style from the past whose would it be?
I think all fashion is pretty much stolen from the past, no? I love Katherine Hepburns menswear for woman style. I have to have a wardrobe that I can also wear to work, so I love wearing oversized collared shirts and baggier slacks.
Was there a TV show or celebrity/musician from your childhood who influenced your early style?
I think I speak for most girls of my generation when I say Drew Barrymore. I will never forget her daisy pictures and dark lips. I used to wear dark lipstick all the time. I also had a, yup, “Rachel” haircut.
Do you own anything that you want to pass down?
For my university graduation, I received a VERY beautiful pearl necklace from my grandfather. That will go down the family tree most definitely.
Do you have a favourite vintage store? If you shop online where do shop for vintage?
Etsy is great for vintage and it’s honestly where I do most of my shopping. Ebay is more risky I find. I love public butter, because I find they don’t jack up the prices too much. I also love bungalow, because they mix old and new, which is very much my style. San Francisco has AMAZING vintage shopping in the Mission. I brought most my items back from there.
What is your most memorable vintage item/story?
I bought a vintage dress with a bit of what I thought was shoulder padding. I washed it by hand, dried it, and put it on for the day. Throughout the day, I kept noticing a yellow powder on my dress and i had no idea where it was coming from. We went on a wild goose chase looking for where the yellow was coming from. Turns out there were two yellow chalk like tablets in my shoulders, it wasn’t padding at all. I think they might have been mothballs? Gross.
Thanks Bre!
Do you know someone else that has great vintage stories and would like to be featured? Email me at kaitlin@myvintagesecret.com
(3 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...In a Poll I asked you “What Vintage Accessory do you own the most of?” Here are the results:
30% Jewelry
27% Shoes
25% Purses
9% Belts
9% Scarves
0% Hats
First of all, thanks for participating! I really love that there are so many vintage jewelry and shoes running around out there! I am surprised however, that more people didn’t have vintage belts – there are so many amazing ones out there! Obviously, this is the accessory I have to most of. I have over 40 and I have to stop myself from purchasing them now. Here’s my collection:
Most Interesting Belt:
One of these belts… Keep on Reading »
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...
I broke a rule. It’s a girl rule AND a fashion rule so it’s pretty important. I bought the same thing as a friend. Before you gasp and point your fingers yelling, “shame” let me explain. I work with this cute, stylish girl who loves vintage shopping so whenever we work together we talk about our latest finds, stores we plan to visit, etc. She owns these amazing brown lace-up boots and I have been obsessed with them forever. On Friday, I was in the Queen East Area (Riverdale) and I had to visit Common Sort, a great consignment/thrift store that I never get the chance to visit as often as I would like. I have found some great boots before and was hoping to score again. I saw these suede beauties and instantly fell in love! Keep on Reading »
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...The Problem
A common problem people face who shop at thrift stores and something that prevents people from purchasing thrift store items is odour. That mothball smell that reminds us of our grandmother’s attics is not attractive and makes or breaks a purchase especially if the items are not washable. Enter my green leather jacket, and lace cardigan. This jacket is amazing but smelly and after letting it “air out” for a few days it remained smelly. This lace cardigan has been washed but still smells like an attic. I love these two garments so to save them and to help you shop thrift(!) I went looking for a (cheap) home solution.
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...The lovely Renee from Eat Live Shop tagged me to participate in a “10 Things That Make Me Happy” challenge. But I’ve decided to twist it around a bit and post my favourite things about vintage (which inevitably leads to my happiness).
My Favourite Find
I’m happiest when I walk out of vintage and thrift stores with shoes, so it’s a toss-up between my Aigle riding boots that I got from a garage sale for $10 (best rain boots ever), my Brown’s combat boots I found at Goodwill (St. Clair) for $13 or my black (Jeffrey Campbell-ish) shoes I got at Value Village in Regina, SK.
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...Happy New Year! Inevitably on January 1st a lot of people like to start fresh and make resolutions and I’m one of them. Along with a few personal ones (including the usual, “get fit” resolution) I have made some fashion-related goals for 2010.
1. Take more fashion risks
This includes wearing more colour and trying some trends that I have liked but thought were a bit too crazy.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...continued…
6. The Wolf Shirt
“Pros: Fits my girthy frame, has wolves on it, attracts women
Cons: Only 3 wolves (could probably use a few more on the ‘guns’), cannot see wolves when sitting with arms crossed, wolves would have been better if they glowed in the dark.”
This is just one of the many hilarious reviews the Three Wolf Moon Shirt received inspiring a trend phenomenon. Rather than becoming popular the conventional way, from the runway or as street-style, the wolf shirt started as a popular internet joke that spread quickly. To be a part of the joke, people purchased the shirt, which boosted sales of The Three Wolf Moon up 2,300%.
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...One of my favourite things to do is interpret a current trend using vintage and thrifted items (i.e. inexpensive), like finding my vintage leather jacket for $30 after leather bombers became so popular. From my outfits you can tell I’m not a complete (for lack of a better phrase) trend whore, but I think it’s important to participate in trends while wearing what you love to help develop your personal style.
I have developed a collection, report, whatever you want to call it for 2009 and 2010. These trend posts will are divided into five parts: the biggest trends of 2009, what trends have made an appearance this year that will blossom in 2010, and trends in 2010 that will emerge.
This list is a combination of streetstyle I find in blogs, looks from the runway, and celebrity style.
1. The Bold Shoulder
Designer Christophe Decarnin of Balmain brought the bold shoulder back. This body part seems to be featured about every forty years from on and before the 1890s, 1930s & 40s with Joan Crawford, and the 1980s with the power suit and are back with a vengeance. Although many people compare the modern shoulder movement to the 80s, the more streamlined version is more reminiscent of the 1940’s suits. The bold shoulder from Balmain became so popular celebrities like Rihanna and Beyonce and even the late Michael Jackson immediately got their hands on it, making it the ultimate “diva” symbol. Predictably, mainstream stores such as Zara and H&M quickly made their own versions so the masses could be a part of the trend. The bold shoulder is a fun and powerful trend which can easily be found at your local thrift and vintage store, the question is, are you bold enough?
(No Ratings Yet) Loading ...There’s nothing like finding the perfect basic piece at a thrift store. Especially when they are black boots that cost $4. The ladies at the cash register agreed that these black beauties were a steal and eyed them up in a way that made me feel like a jealous girlfriend – keep your hands where I can see them girls and nobody gets hurt.
These Bandolino boots were rescued from Double Take Thrift Store on Gerrard and Parliament, Toronto.
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5) Loading ...
Loading ...
To summarize it: you’re so creative and orginal!!!...