FASHION Magazine

Part café, part clothing store, Ottawa’s Aunt Olive’s (209 Gilmour St., 613-565-0564) allows customers to shop for eclectic and kitschy vintage finds while grabbing a bite to eat.

This Sunday, vintage lovers will be treasure hunting through the 25^th annual Ottawa Vintage Clothing Sale at the Fairmont Château Laurier. It’s just one example of how Ottawa’s fashion scene is more than its image of politicos in boring black suits.

Vintage mavens and do-it-yourself designers should head down to the Textile Museum of Canada (55 Centre Avenue, Toronto, 416-599-5321, textilemuseum.ca) tomorrow night for panel discussion on upcycling (i.e. making old stuff new). Preloved’s Julia Grieve (an expert in this area) will join vintage costume jewellery maven Carole Tanenbaum for the talk, titled Fashion Forum: Style […]

The post Event: Preloved’s Julia Grieve and vintage jewellery queen Carole Tanebaum talk upcycling tomorrow appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

From trendy-again treasures to impeccable vintage couture, we’ve narrowed down top spots in Toronto for a little (pre-loved) wardrobe pick-me-up. Click here to see our top VINTAGE STORES. Read about more of our favourite Toronto shops in Shop Like a FASHION Editor.

The post Our favourite vintage shops in Toronto appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Toronto Trisha Ewanika’s eponymous boutique is moving house at the end of the summer. Until the location at 490 College St. (416-927-9699, ewanika.ca) closes this Saturday, July 25, sale items will be up to 70% off and you’ll also find samples and one-of-a-kind pieces. Vancouver A group of Vancouver fashion bloggers, including Terri Potratz (theconveyorbelt.com) […]

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Lovely in…A blast from the past

Spotted: In our inbox for the FASHION Lovelies/Holt Renfrew contest.

Wearing: A vintage dress and purse with an H&M belt and Aldo shoes. (The earrings were a gift from her grandmother.)

Why: By pairing her vintage polka dot throwback frock with modern, hard-edged accessories, this Lovely shows us she knows how to mix the old and new like a fashion pro.

Check out the full look after the jump.

Lovely in…Nautical notes

Spotted: A submission from Edmonton in our FASHION Lovelies/Holt Renfrew giveaway!

Wearing: A vintage jumper dress from Dear Golden Vintage, an Old Navy T-shirt, H&M pumps and a thrifted and reworked necklace.

Why: It’s tough to wear a jumper well, but by pairing the piece with classic marine accents, this FASHION Lovely pulls off the look in high seas style.

See the full look after the jump.

With an impressive vault of fine vintage couture, Divine Decadence Originals (128 Cumberland St., 416-324-9759) is a frequent destination for stylists, designers and celebrities from around the globe–the shop has counted Marisa Tomei, Milla Jovovich and Zac Posen among its visitors.

There are certain events that mark the beginning of summer in Guelph: the first time you can sit on the Cornerstone patio without a sweater, the day Hillside Festival tickets go on sale, and shortly thereafter sell out, and for some, the opening of the Aberfoyle Antique Market (61 Brock Rd. S., 519-763-1077, aberfoyle-antiques.com).

Apt. 909 (909 Dundas St. W., 416-916-7599, apt909.blogspot.com), coincidentally also my apartment number, is a cozy vintage stop with an extensive archive of designer vintage that ranges from Louboutin, Valentino, Jean Paul Gaultier and YSL to the more eclectic gems from Comme des Garçons and Yohji Yamamoto. With ephemera casually scattered about in shop amidst antique decor, each piece is tagged like an artifact with handwritten descriptions by owners Elizabeth Gondek and Ria Jones.

To me, the recession and climate change are the best excuses to convince you all to start shopping for vintage (hence recycled) clothes. Whatever your budget and however you like to shop, these are both good reasons to join in. First of all, don’t be afraid! The secret on how to wear old stuff is pretty simple: don’t wear it from head to toe. Mixing up designer labels, vintage clothes and low-cost goods not only to makes for an original outfit, but also helps you create your own fashion identity.

After 30 years of collecting vintage clothing from all across Canada and storing it in what little space they had, Doug Shand and wife Lana decided they needed to open a store.

“The clothes were starting to take over our bedroom,” exclaimed Doug while explaining that their whole home had become overrun with fine vintage finds.