My Vintage Secret » Toronto Vintage

My Vintage Alteration: Rip Off Those Sleeves

kaitlin — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 05:42:35 +0000

Altering clothing is always a bit tricky. There’s a 50/50 chance your final result can end up looking like a five-year-old got scissor happy, or with some little planning and a little luck, end up with something you will actually wear, like my floral dress. When I found this dress/wrap/thing at Value Village I loved the body of the dress but the sleeves and shoulder pads made me look voluminous so they had to go. After wrestling with the idea of alteration and visualizing my ideal end result, I decided to go for it. Hopefully I could resurrect this weird/cool garment with a few minor changes.

I took off the sleeves with a stitch ripper at the seams, and used a zig-zag stitch on the edge to prevent the woven fabric from fraying. I then turned the edge of the armhole under and sewed a 1/4 seam allowance. This is the end result and I’m really happy with it! The weather just needs to cooperate so I can take this dress/wrap/thing out into daylight.

Before

After

Thanks Mom and Dad for the Value Village gift certificates! They’re the perfect birthday gift… even though I know you secretly think I’m weird for requesting them.

I would love to hear what you think or if you would’ve altered it differently. Let’s hear your thoughts!

Latest Find: Wild Ride

kaitlin — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 17:18:01 +0000

I hate backpacks. I always (somehow) offend people when I say this but it’s how I feel. I think they are ugly, bulky and make people look like turtles. My bitterness for backpacks comes from being squished by the accessory on the subway. Why do you have so many things on you? Do you really need all those textbooks? This is very poor commuting etiquette.

The problem? I need one. I bike a lot when the weather permits and as lovely as it looks to wear a purse it’s not very practical and dangerous if it slips off. So when I found this lovely and weird vintage-y option I scooped it right up. If I’m going to wear this weird contraption it may as well have majestic animals on it.

Found at: Value Village, $5

Ossington Vintage Street Map: Toronto

kaitlin — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 16:48:57 +0000

Shopping is the only way I’m going to get out on a day like this so I thought I would share this map to let you know about this great area for vintage clothing. The amazing map was made by artist Keith Jones and can be found at any of the locations. (Thanks Silver Falls for the artist info!) It’s a great way to show the vintage shops in the area as I’m sure some of them get missed (like Penny Arcade – had no idea it was there, and it’s definitely worth visiting!) I rediscovered this map again in my messy room and wanted to scan it in for you guys. Just click each picture to make it bigger.

A tidbit about each store:

I Miss You Vintage

|63 Ossington Avenue

A wonderful blend of high-end vintage and affordable unique pieces. They have an amazing accessory section. Read my full review here.

Silver Falls

|15 Ossington Avenue

This store combines vintage and art! A store in the front and a gallery in the art it’s a perfect place to spend an entire day. They have great trendy pieces, classics, some affordable designer garments and they always have a great selection of boots. Check out their blog to see what’s in store!

Badlands Vintage

|104 Ossington Avenue

This is such a fun store! I love when vintage owners add their own personality to the clothing by writing fun facts or tidbits on clothing tags. At Badlands her tags reference “vintage” tv shows like “You’ll be a Fresh Prince” and “Donna from 9021o was my favourite character”. Go for the all around vintage experience and take your man friends because there is stuff for them too!

Print Fine Vintage

|834-A College Street

If you blink you’ll miss this store, which is what I did the first time I visited. Although it’s small, Shelley has a great selection of designer garments that will fit into anyone’s budget. Print Fine has carries designers like Pucci, and Yves St. Laurent, the great vintage basics like cashmere sweaters and wool coats and finally, the a student’s best friend, accessories, which start from $10.

Vintage Mix 1

|186 Ossington Avenue

The great shoes in the window always draw me into this store. Vintage Mix has a lot of cool accessories and make their store fun with vintage toys like the California Raisins (I do hope you remember these). I noticed that they carried a lot of small sizes including shoes so if you’re one of those thin people who can “never find anything that fits” (stop complaining would ya!) this is your place. Also they have an awesome mens section which takes up the entire back room – great denim, boots, vintage bags and fun graphic tees can be found here.

Apartment 909

|909 Dundas Street West

Vivienne Westwood, Helmut Lang, and Yohi Yamamoto are just some of the amazing designer pieces to be found here. The store layout is beautiful as well, as though you have stepped into an art gallery. There’s also a great men’s section with trendy and classic pieces! Get to know the owners a bit better with their blog here.

69 Vintage

|1100 Queen Street West

I love when vintage stores pay attention to trends. I think there’s a lot of people out there who love to follow current trends in fashion but don’t want to rely on H&M to fill that need. 69 vintage is a great place to get affordable and unique items that are young and modern. They have an amazing denim selection and then depending on whatever is “in” – fur, sequins, etc. They also have a great mens section right in the front of the store so you’ll lose your guy friends right away.

Penny Arcade

|1177 Dundas Street West

Rachel is one of my favourite store owners. When I first walked into Penny Arcade (cute name!) she appeared out of nowhere and scared the crap out of me. We laughed it off and soon started chatting about everything including the great music she was playing. Again this is another store with both mens and ladies wear and Rachel has it fully stocked with vintage versions of popular trends. Go for the great clothes and awesome service.

The End!

This area has a lot of great vintage and seems to be attracting more and more vintage owners. Spend a day here with a friend and take a shopping break in one of the many great pubs and cafes in the area!

For other vintage, consignment and thrift stores in Toronto visit my Vintage Map!

Toronto Store Review: 69 Vintage Collective

kaitlin — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 22:02:58 +0000

Vintage Shopping!

If you want to spend an entire day sifting through great vintage clothing at great prices, 69 Vintage Collective is the place to go. Gloria, blogger for Urbanebloc, and I stepped into this seemingly small shop to find that the vintage never ended! Along with the main floor and back room, 69 Vintage collective has three vintage boutiques upstairs! Lost & Found, Stacked, and Rozaneh are located in what were bedrooms full of great clothing, shoes, and friendly employees playing oldies on their laptops. Bring a friend, snacks and many reusable bags (you’ll need them!).

69 Vintage Main Floor

Merchandised into categories, the sequin addict, fur fanatic, and fisherman sweater lover (this is a type of person right?) can find their section easily and well-stocked. The back room is Buy The Pound where 1lb of items costs $15. With the cute dresses, scarves and huge collection of shoes, you’ll find yourself recruiting your strongest friends to help carry all your finds. January 21st is the official launch of 69 Vintage Collective so make sure to attend!

Auburn by Rachel Etigson

69 Vintage is full of surprises. The sales associate working at the time just happened to be a talented young entrepreneur and fellow Ryerson fashion student. I couldn’t help but take a picture of her amazing handmade necklace made of the crazy combo of feathers and fringe. Check out her blog for more jewelry and her musings on fashion.

Lost & Found

A title after my own heart, Lost & Found has very carefully selected their unique items and merchandised their space in a clean and sophisticated way giving it a feeling of a high-end boutique. Thankfully their items are affordable. I couldn’t help but fall in love with a $20 denim tunic with pockets that I cannot wait to wear and wear often.

Stacked

Enticed with oldies music, Gloria and I flew into this lovely store specializing in accessorizing you with the perfect vintage item. And perfect vintage items they had! With a great selection of shoes, purses and belts we both walked away with treasures, Gloria with belts and me with my new favourite pair of boots.

Rozaneh

Through the kitchen we go! Magical and fun, Rozaneh had an Alice in Wonderland feel with many treasures including amazing jewelry, designer clothing and antique rugs. Gloria and I received a wonderful fashion lesson as we perused through Lanvin, Simpson, and Valentino. As well as knowledgeable, the owner had her own line of beautiful knit scarves and accessories. Visit Rozaneh if you want true vintage that will make a statement.

Address and Hours

1207 Bloor Street West (between Landsdowne and Dufferin stations)

Open from 12-8 everyday

www.69vintage.com

Method of Payment

All methods accepted but cash is preferred for the independent boutiques.

What else is in the area? Vintage Depot. Salvation Army, and Value Village are just down the road making Landsdowne a great bargain-hunting area.

Toronto Store Review: Double Take Thrift Store

kaitlin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 05:03:47 +0000

Double Take is a thrift store I visit often and encourage you to!
It’s downtown, students receive a 50% off discount, and it is
one the cleanest thrift stores in Toronto. Unlike regular second-
hand shops, Double Take occasionally has sales, so you can walk in and skirts are 30% and jackets could be 50% the next week. This is also my go-to place for belts which are $1, unless behind the counter like the few featured, but as you can see the prices are not much higher.

The store supports Yonge Street Mission, founded in 1896, whose “…diverse programs make a positive difference in the lives of families, seniors, socially isolated adults, homeless street youth, and the many children growing up in our low-income community.” So go shopping! It’s for a good cause.

Location: 310 Gerrard St. E (Gerrard and Parliament)

Keep on Reading to see items I’ve purchased from Double Take!

Items they carry:

Belts

Ladieswear

Menswear

Children’s Clothing

Housewares and Books

Furniture

Shoes

Designer items (behind the counter)

Store Review: I Miss You Vintage

kaitlin — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 02:56:10 +0000

Shopping at I Miss You vintage is like sneaking into a party at fashion week, brushing shoulders with the Carine Roitfeld and and stealing dieting tips from Daria Werbowy. I had a heart attack when I saw YSL and Missoni, then again when I saw Chloe and McQueen, and I finally died when I discovered Chanel.

At this point I started treating every piece with extreme care, breathing in their magnificence and wishing we were alone so I could caress them. These pieces are worth a lot and they’re for serious vintage buyers with serious money but don’t be discouraged if you’re on a tight budget like me! I Miss You has pieces for everyone. I got this sequin blouse for $30 and there are many amazing accessories -tons of great belts and purses for around $30+. They also have amazing prices at their vintage shows, I got this awesome/weird/rad notebook purse for only $8. If you’re seriously into fashion go see these designer pieces, marked with a red tag to indicate “STOP and stare at me”. The construction and the fabric of these designer pieces are worth studying. Join the I Miss You facebook page to learn more!

Go for: everything, ambience, merchandising, accessories, designer pieces
Price range: Accessories $25+ Designer pieces: $100+
Store website: facebook page

Address:

63 Ossington Avenue
Toronto, Ontario
M6J 2Z2 Canada
416-916-7021

Spring/Summer Hours: Monday closed, Tuesday, Wednesday, Sunday 12-6, Thursday, Friday, Saturday 12-7.