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

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