What draws you to shop for Vintage?

Growing up in southern Manitoba, shopping vintage was a necessity, not a hobby. It was either the MCC thrift shop across from the grocery store, or the Gap. Back then we still called clothing “used”, thinking vintage was a word our parents used to describe wine. Years later sifting through second hand shops is still cheaper, easier, and more fun than boutiques or the mall. You never end up in that same sweater everyone has from H&M.

When did you first shop in a vintage store? Do you remember your first buy?

See above. Don’t remember the first—something in grade school my mom picked up at Value Village for me, I’m sure.

What is your best Vintage find?

A 1980s Harley Davidson motorcycle jacket (pictured above), which I wear through warm weather, rain or shine. Leather jackets are easy to find at thrift shops, but to find a biker jacket in my small size you usually have to look at vintage boutiques. I found this one at Hooper’s in Winnipeg while I was home for Christmas vacation last year. It fits like a glove when I wear it I can’t help feeling a bit like a Ramone.

Everyone seems to be addicted to certain vintage accessories or garments? What vintage items are you obsessed with?

High-waisted men’s trousers. These are easy to find and simple to work into a wardrobe—I have a pair in almost every colour. My standard uniform right now is a pair of vintage trousers matched with a fast-fashion printed dress shirt, buttoned to the neck.

Right now, what era does your style fit into? What are your favourite trends from this time?

Last autumn I joked my style for the season was 1950s academia, which meant lots of sweater-vests and an occasional argyle or houndstooth print. Lately I’d say I look like the only gay banker in small-town-somewhere, circa 1963.

Is there a vintage accessory or garment that you crave/are looking for?

Right now I have my eye out for the perfect pair of sweats. Usually I steal the ones my dad buys out of the Sears catalogue, but after seeing so many sweats on the runway this season, I’m looking for a pair made of an interesting, comfortable material I can have a friend re-work to a more tightly tailored harem. Too much?

When you go vintage shopping do you have a vintage buddy or prefer shopping alone? What is your vintage shopping process?

The cardinal rule is: go together, shop alone. Two sets of eyes are better than one, but hit the racks alone so you never have to argue over an item. I have a set of vintage buddies and we all are always on the hunt for stuff in each other’s style. The best vintage pieces I own weren’t my own finding, they all come from friends who saw the clothes and thought of me.

If you could steal anyone’s style from the past whose would it be?

Chloe Sevigny back before Kids in the early nineties, when she was a Sassy intern and the coolest girl in the rave scene in Manhattan. For years now I’ve been trying to convince my friends to let me wear overalls, just like Chloe did.

Was there a tv show or celebrity/musician from your childhood who influenced your early style?

When I was a teenager I fell hard for Conor Oberst and wore striped sweaters for an entire year.

Do you own anything that you want to pass down?

Not yet—but I did recently rescue a pair of my mum’s tights from the eighties from my parents’ house. They are loud, bright, and busy, kind of like a print by Jeremy Scott.

Is there anything that you have inherited from a family member?

My grandfather—Russel Morden—passed a whole pile of clothes to me (along with a name). Luckily we’re almost the same size, so I’ve got some great suits along with my favourite pair of well-worn Wranglers, which I’m told qualify as “boyfriend jeans”.

Do you have a favourite vintage store? If you shop online where do shop for vintage?

Hands down Double Take. I’m convinced there is someone who lives in Cabbagetown who shares my size and style. I’ve found racks full of similarly sized and styled garments all in a single run. It’s my dream to catch him as he’s dropping off a bag and offer cash for everything he tosses out—if all those size 28” pants do belong to him, I want each and every pair.

What is your most memorable vintage item/story?

In my senior year of high school I worked at Value Village. We had a handful of regulars who would wait for the doors to open each morning and spend the day making the rounds. But my favourite was a silver-haired elderly woman we called Armani Lady. She’s the best vintage shopper I’ve ever met and would comb through every item in the store repeatedly until she found some sort of designer good.

Thanks Russ!

Do you know someone else that has great vintage stories and would like to be featured? Email me at kaitlin@myvintagesecret.com

Independent

Spanish Moss Vintage

Pure Awesomeness. Spanish Moss has much to offer from vintage to new items and their super cool blog. This classic Rolling Stones Tee is just a sample of their hot collection of vintage.

Rolling Stone Tee

Shop

Bleubird Vintage

Bleubird Vintage is fun for the whole family! This shop carries clothing and accessories for “Lady Bird”, “Mister Bird” and “Little Bird” like the adorable skates below!

Skates

Shop

Etsy

James Rowland

Best vintage shoes ever. That’s all you need to know.

Shoes 

Shop

The House of Hearts

If you want classic and beautiful vintage look no further. Everyone will find something they want from House of Hearts

Bag

Shop

The Fancy Lamb

Clothing Break! The Fancy Lamb sells beautiful reinvented vintage goods. From Repurposed books turned into journals to fun knick-knacks you’ll want to fill your house up with Fancy Lamb finds.

Journal

Shop

Ebay

Laced With Romance

You will want everything from this store! Bid well and wisely friends.

Dress

Shop

Time’s Up

Guys I’m not ignoring you! Time’s Up has great items for guys and gals!

Jacket

Shop

That’s all for now. Believe me, I have many more shops to share! I hope you found something you loved!

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.

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

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… has a hidden knife in the buckle. Yes, it’s true! I got it when Wes and I were at a festival where they sold vintage clothing. We were looking through a western-themed booth and the owner, asked us, “do you wanna see a  really cool belt” and we were like, “YA!” and she brings out this boring brown belt. We were clearly unimpressed but then she looked around slowly (and suspiciously) then revealed the knife buckle! Wes and I reacted like two five year-olds, “coooooooooooooooool” and sold! Apparently it’s illegal to sell this belt because it’s a weapon which is why she looked around. I’ve never worn it, (wouldn’t be good to have on me if something ever “went down”) but next to my teapot lamp, it’s the coolest thing I own.

The Belt I Wear the Most:

This is hard to admit, and it’s not pictured (as I’m wearing it) but the belt I wear the most is… from Tim Hortons! Yes, I’m weird! Wes used to work there and I adopted this belt after he grew out of it. It’s black leather, fits perfectly and is the perfect basic belt. I have to be careful though because my nosy/detail-oriented friends tend to notice the, “Tim Hortons” embossed on the end. But hey, it’s perfect.

My Favourite Belt:

I have three:

1) I really love my long fringed belt although I can’t find too much to wear with it. I got it from my friend Tara (who is a very talented illustrator) along with a skirt at a vintage show back in September.

2) I found my silver metal/gem/Jem and the Holograms belt at a vintage show. It is from I Miss You Vintage, and I was actually with Tara at the time of this purchase. She came up with the great idea to also wear it as a necklace. I love versatility!

3) Finally, my other favourite is my thin gold belt. I got it at a garage sale last summer and I’m surprised with how well it goes with everything. It’s a great basic.
That’s it! I hope you liked my post, and I would love to hear the stories behind your favourite accessories!
Check out my new poll about which decade your style belongs in!

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! But, they reminded my of my friend’s pair. I sat reasoning with myself – they are vintage so they’re not exactly the same, but if I were her I would think I was a bit creepy for buying something so similar (and maybe more creepy for writing about it). In the end I decided that they were classics and many people had this style of boot. I didn’t think that she wouldn’t mind (hoping her pair are actually more different then I remember). Plus I could just stop hanging out with her. (Joking!) Luckily the boots fit so I quickly took them into my arms and purchased them for $35.

Horror (and Quick cleaning tip)

Last night, under the influence of alcohol, I decided it was a good idea to take these boots out on the town. Two days after I got them I spilled drinks all over them! After searching for tips, ehow pointed me in the right direction. One of the suggestions was to use an eraser on the stain. I thought this was a bit crazy but I was willing to try it before doing something more risky. I’m happy to say that it worked really well! It didn’t get the stain completely out but if you have a small stain it would work perfectly. I must point out that if you “erase” too hard it wears away at the fabric.

To finish cleaning my boots I used ehow’s last resort for a home remedy – vinegar.

Apply a small amount of white vinegar to a lightly dampened cloth as a last resort for cleaning suede shoes.

It worked! Again be careful, you should always test home remedies first to see what effect they will have on your items.

Make a Day of it:

Here are a few other thrift/vintage shops down Queen East. There are some great cafes and restaurants too – you can easily spend an entire day in that area!

Common Sort – 804 Queen St. E – 416.463.7678

Value Village - 924 Queen St. E – 416.778.4818

Mira’s Boutique - 2238 Queen St. E – 416.669.4005

Check out my map for vintage shops in other parts of Toronto.

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.

The Test

Miss Rochelle shared this conflict of smelly vintage items on twitter and I quickly found myself in a discussion with her about possible solutions. We came to the conclusion that orange peels and baking soda may work. Yes, orange peels. This fruit is very “right now”  within cleaning products so I was willing to give it a go. Baking soda is the traditional deodorizer so I was hoping it would work with clothing as well.

The Process

• I bought large oranges and a box of generic baking soda (454g) saving $.40 (I’m quite thrifty).
• I chopped up two oranges (yum) and placed the peels in the bottom of a garbage bag. With the garment on a hanger I place the bag around the item and tied it at the top so it’s a bag on a hanger.
• I did the same with the baking soda but poured some freely into the bag and left the box open.
• I put the orange peel bag around the lace cardigan and the baking soda around the leather jacket

24 hours later

I opened up the lace cardigan bag and the orange peels mixed with the smell that the lace cardigan already had! Bah! Please imagine this deadly combo of mothballs AND orange. Not good!

The leather jacket was more of a success. I opened the bag and noticed the bottom half of the garment had lost most of its odour but the shoulders and collar remained smelly.

Next Step

I’m going to give them one more day! I replaced the orange peels with baking soda and tied the bags tighter at the top to close in the deodorizer.

I’ll post the results tomorrow! Keep your fingers crossed!

Do you have tried and tested solutions? Share with us and post them below!

Check out Part Two: Results and links to other solutions!

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.

My Favourite Vintage Moment

My boyfriend Wes and I are the ultimate garage-salers (if that’s a word). In the summer we bike to them each weekend and this past summer we hit the jackpot when we went to the Beaches. Among the many Buns of Steele videos (so weird – EVERYONE had them), I found some really cute shoes. I asked the seller how much they were but she had to go in the house to ask her mother who was the original owner. While she was gone Wes, the ultimate haggler, was pumping me up to make the ultimate deal. Ready to do my best bargaining, a lady at least eighty years old comes out, and says to me, “$1 each?” I completely melted, and paid this adorable woman who shared the same taste in shoes as me.

Least Favourite Vintage Moment

On the topic of garage sales… Wes and I were finished visiting an area and started to bike away when I realized I lost him. I pulled over to the side to wait and when he finally caught up to me he said I left my water bottle at one of the houses. The owner had called him over to retrieve it, shook his head and in his thick accent said, “STUPID GIRL”. Yes, how rude!

My Favourite Accessory

Belts! I have over 50 of them. I really don’t know how it happened… I will have to devote a blog post to them.

Favourite Designer Find

At Double Take I found an Aquascutum sweater for $3 and Wes found a Pringle of Scotland cardigan for $4.

Favourite place to shop for vintage

Garage sales! It’s more time-consuming but being able to meet the original owners and hear stories about their items is a great experience (aahh I want summer back!)

The Find that no one liked

I have a few. First are these great pants that are green with a subtle floral pattern and almost a brocade texture. They have the same style as harem pants so I was pretty excited about them. I wore them to work once and I got, “What are those? Pyjamas?” to “You look like a couch”.

Second are woven winklepicker shoes that I got from a garage sale. I loved them but I couldn’t figure out if they were mens or womens. I like masculine pieces so I didn’t really care, but everyone confirmed that they were mens and I sensed a disgusted tone in their voices. Also, my friend told me that she saw a homeless man wearing the same shoes and thought he had mugged me for them (she was actually genuinely concerned). However, I am happy to say that I just found them on a great Etsy shoe shop listed as women’s! ha!

My Favourite place to shop outside of TO

The Reuse Centre in Burlington. Wes’s family is from here so whenever we go back to visit we always hit up this magical place. The Reuse Centre is a huge warehouse where garage sale items go to die and it’s amazing! They don’t have a large selection of clothes but I always find something amazing when I go. Amongst my many finds my favourites are a vintage luggage hat case, and a fur collar that I used in one of my DIYs. The Reuse Centre carries everything from records, to doors, to luggage, books, furniture and have great prices. If you’re ever in the BDot area you have to go.

My Favourite Non-Fashion Find

Mirrors and my teapot lamp! I started collecting old mirrors in the summer and have accumulated about six of them so far. The Teapot Lamp is from Wes’s mother who wanted to give it away to one of her three children but no one wanted it (weird right?)! It’s probably the coolest thing I own.

My Favourite Vintage Buddy

Wes’s Mom! Marg finds the best deals. When we go garage saling we are both out of the vehicle before it stops running and can hunt for hours. Whenever I visit we always share our latest finds!

The End

That’s it! Those are my favourite things about vintage. I would love to hear your stories and items you have found from visiting vintage and thrift stores, and garage sales! Tell me your vintage stories!

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.

ellen claesson: Knightcat

2. Learn more about altering clothing…

and show you guys!  I know hemming and altering is time consuming but you shouldn’t consider clothing trash if there is a hole in a seam. And you should try not to donate it unaltered. Altering is a good skill that everyone should know, and you should not view your clothing as disposable – Love your clothes! I also want to find top places to get things hemmed and where to fix your shoes in Toronto.

A Jewel Divinely Rare

3. Wear heels more.

I’m short. Plus I’m scared of heels because I’m clumsy and don’t want to say I broke or sprained a body part because of my footwear. A happy medium like wedges or a small heel would work.

Acne Wedge

4. Stop consuming as much fast fashion

I go to school right next to H&M, Forever 21, and Zara. Very tempting and very cheap but I find the quality of a lot of their items is not the best. From personal experience, their clothing wears out quickly and therefore become disposable. Again you should love your clothes not be forced to throw them out. This is going to be a tough one because I am on a limited budget and I walk by everyday but I’ll stay strong!

Daria: H&M

5. Find new uses, revamp, and embellish

I’m referring to generic and boring pieces like sweatshirts and dress shirts. The  sweatshirts from my Cool Couture book is a good guide on providing alternate uses for sweatshirts and men’s shirts. I also want to do more projects showing the potential of thrifted and vintage items and how to incorporate them into your modern wardrobe.

my own pics

That’s it! Wish me luck!

Do you have any fashion-related resolutions?

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%.

Sources from Clockwise: lookbook.nu, liv: tumblr, Dwight! The Office, Three Wolf Moon Shirt: Ebay, Lookbook.nu, tumblr

A special thank-you to my friend Kevin who showed me the way of the wolf. A trend setter, Kevin first wore a wolf shirt three years ago and despite the harassment from me and others he stuck by this ugly shirt and made us all fall in love with the “power animal”.

A Special treat from CollegeHumor:

7. Ripped and Torn

There is a resurgence of the Grunge trend, florals, leather, plaid, sloppy styling and most importantly destroyed clothing. As an eight year old, I wasn’t a participant. When I think of the 90s I recall Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, my neon fanny pack, Blossom (WHOA!) and a side ponytail with bangs… curly bangs. I think grunge will grow in 2010 and I look forward to participating this time around. Tip: Listen to Nirvana while ripping through your clothes for the full effect.

Sources from Clockwise: CheapMonday Shirt, AWang F/W 08, AFashionTale, lookbook.nu, LoveMore Blog

8. Over-the-knee Boots

Can’t find your pants? Who cares? Just pop on some thigh-high boots and head out the door. Ok, this isn’t something I would actually encourage but I’m assuming that a similar situation happened to Lady Gaga and she just went with it. A trend for the confident and leggy… or pants-less.

Sources from Clockwise: The Sartorialist, Andy:Lookbook.nu, Fashionising.com, Stella McArtney F/W 09, I Dream of Skinny Blog

9. Sheer

This is a trend I’m always looking for in thrift and vintage stores because of it’s styling potential. Wearing something sheer adds dimension, sexiness, and interest to your outfit. This is truly a trend for the talented layer-er or the very bold.

Sources from Clockwise: AWang F/W 09, , Hanneli Blog, Rosenmunns, Yes Please Madamoiselle

10. Fur

Fur, whether you are for or against it, is a major trend. I first fell in love with fur when watching an old movie featuring Marilyn Monroe. She wore a white stole, looked over her shoulder in her ultra-glamourous way and all of a sudden “glowed”. I love the textural quality of this trend (texture is often ignored as an element of your everyday outfit) and you can easily participate by visiting a thrift store which are littered with recycled versions.

Sources from Clockwise: Raquel, Ashley: ExtraSpicy, Daria, ILoveWildfox, Naadnaadnaad, LeFashion via StockholmStreetstyle

Runners Up

Floral – 90s! Think Blossom

Fringe - I want to make this!

Vintage Leather Backpacks

Bucket Bags

Mickey Mouse

Acid Wash Jeans

Final Thoughts

Which trend is your favourite?  Can you think of anything that I missed? I love to hear your thoughts!