FASHION Magazine

Sure, we’ve been rocking vintage band tees since the ‘70s, but that doesn’t mean we plan on stopping anytime soon. No matter the decade, arguably nothing looks cooler than an old concert tee: a relic of great music, wild parties and fond memories (even if they’re someone else’s). Thus, it should come as no surprise […]

The post A 5 Step Guide to Buying Vintage Band Tees appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Like most of you, I’ve been enthused about shopping since as far back as I can remember. Whether it was Claire’s Accessories back in the early days or pre-spandex vintage bathers in my Little Edie phase, the thrill of find has been all consuming. Recently, I’ve added selling to the list of in-store (and online) […]

The post The editor’s guide to buying, selling and swapping vintage clothing appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Depending on your relationship with your mom, Mother’s Day has many different connotations. For me, it’s great. My mom is one of my favourite people on earth, so a Hallmark-approved day of celebration is just another reason to bow down. For many of our editors, the bond is strong too—especially where style is concerned. Here, […]

The post Here’s what our editors’ moms looked like in their heydays appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

I’d been wearing my new dress for about ten minutes when I remembered to text my Uncle Bill. I didn’t necessarily owe him a text, nor do we text regularly. But my dress smelled just like he and my aunt’s old house did back in the nineties—think: perfume and tobacco—which made me realize he and […]

The post Why I don’t wash my vintage clothes appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

I never got a chance to meet my husband’s grandmother, but her reputation is alive and well. Known for her formidable hosting skills, her show on CBC Television, and the immaculate way she took care of her clothes, the late Pearl Langer also became my style guardian when her mink coat was bestowed upon me […]

The post How I transformed a family heirloom and made an old fur coat cool again appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Forget about flowers, the ultimate Mother’s Day gift might just be bringing back her glory days. From mod minis to bold colour block hues, our Style Panel members are kicking it old school by channeling their mothers’ best looks. Conveniently, the 1970s rocked the runways this season, giving us a two-pronged reason for busting out […]

The post Is mom the new style icon? These Style Panel members think so appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

See the Betsey Johnson Urban Outfitters collection »

For those who revel in the recurrence of nineties fashion, get ready to yelp like your kiddie self. Betsey Johnson a.k.a. mistress of the floral slipdress, has launched a capsule collection for Urban Outfitters which features retakes on her classic ‘90s pieces. Ranging from $89 to $350 for a pooftastic pepto prom dress, the collection is Courtney Love-meets-Kelly Taylor, which is basically our most comfortable state as of late.

See our 7 to look expensive, on the cheap »

As any budget-shopper with high-end tastes would know, it can feel impossible to look like a million without spending it. We are flooded with runway images of designer looks we love, yet can rarely match that adulation with the IRL amounts in our bank accounts. Since waiting for the good ole’ trickle down can be painful (and sometimes produce less than thrilling results), we thought we’d share a few ways to always look expensive, while shopping on a budget. Avoiding flash-in-the-pan trends, we’ve selected seven timeless ways to look expensive, without anyone knowing how cheap it ways to do it.

Check out our top picks from Violet Crown Vintage »

The low down: After living the life of a freelance writer (and awesome street style photographer for us) in her hometown of Toronto, Lia Parsley and her husband moved down to Austin, Texas where she began her Etsy shop, Violet Crown Vintage in August of this year. Parsley’s interest in fashion, styling and vintage treasure hunting made her realize that she had a perfect opportunity to find and share some great pieces from a city that is known for having some of the best vintage clothing in the world.

Parsley did her research before they made the big move and found out that in the 1800s the city became known as the “City of the Violet Crown” because of the purple glow that appears over the hills and horizon after sunset during winter. “Twilight being my favorite time of day, I knew in the name ‘Violet Crown’ that I had a particular feeling I wanted to capture for the brand,” she says. And thus, a store that provides unique and timeless vintage pieces—that are still contemporary—was conceived.

Take your style notes from Prada this season and pair a sweet summer dress with bold, antique-style earrings. Edmonton’s Rachel Bingham lovingly handcrafts one-of-a-kind jewellery from antique and discarded materials sourced throughout the world for her line BangBang Bijoux (bangbangbijoux.com). Mixing vintage brass, Lucite and resin with re-polished beads, crystals and appliqués, these on-trend treasures tell a sparkly story (from $35).

Despite how widely worn and loved vintage clothes are, some of us still get that familiar icky feeling when entering a second hand shop. The racks seem endless (and not in a good way), the air seems stuffy and the amazing finds are not a sure thing. Nonetheless, vintage shopping is still one of the cheapest, most eco-friendly and fun ways to get in on the trends you love. Moreover, it will ensure that you wont see your outfit doppelganger around every corner. To ease you into the treasure hunt, we asked our Style Panel, now including Vancouver’s Alicia Quan of Alicia Fashionista how to wear vintage.

Question 5: How can you break into vintage if it’s not your thing? Read the answers now! »

Or jump to: ALEX GRANT, TORONTO | ALICIA QUAN, VANCOUVER | ALYSSA LAU EDMONTON | AMY NELSON, CALGARY | GRACIE CARROLL, TORONTO | KASSANDRA CAMPONI, EDMONTON | KRISTIN MACDONALD, FREDERICTON | LOLITTA DANDOY, MONTREAL | MO HANDAHU, HALIFAX | VICKIE LALIOTIS, EDMONTON

Jump to: RACHEL ROY, DESIGNER | AMY VERNER, WRITER | ESSIE WEINGARTEN, ESSIE FOUNDER | ELAINE LUI, LAINEY GOSSIP | LEANDRA MEDINE, MAN REPELLER

For our final vintage Mother’s Day tribute, we reached out to Man Repeller‘s Leandra Medine, who passed on this delightful photo of her mother back in the day. We may never know what mama Medine was pondering in said photo, but what we do know is that whatever patent top action she’s got going on right there is seriously amazing. Happy Mother’s Day!