Style and Fashion

The pinks and pastels of an antique china tea cup, bien sur.

And what if it’s a virtual tea party like the one Dream Sequins hosted for her birthday? Well, I’d still wear the same thing. Follow this link to find out what other blogettes would sport.  Thanks so much for inviting me, D! And happy birthday!

I had to post it twice.

Do yourself a favour and click through the tintype photographs by David Sokosh showcasing the new old style on The New York Times. The 90s are back. The 1890s, that is.

He’s British I think. Judging by all the plaid and tweed. Or he could be Irish.

Either way, with the hunter rain boots and the men’s plaid shirt, my inner old man would be well dressed for the foggy countryside.

I sewed on the elbow patches myself. How shocked are you that I’m actually doing my own DIYing?

And then there’s my hat. Which is from an old man hat shop. In Dublin. Obviously.

Remember Jenny, the lovely Anthology reader who went to Istanbul?  Well she’s back. And she, like those who visited that beautiful city before her, looted the Grand Bazaar.

“It’s really an overwhelming labyrinth of shops,” she says. “I got two beautiful necklaces of turquoise and amber (similar to the one that you recently blogged about). I loved how Istanbul was such an eclectic and diverse mix of the old and the new.”

Man, I miss that city. How gorgeous would her two pendants look worn together on two chains of different lengths?

Thanks, Jenny, for sending in the shots.

My penchant for vintage clothing has been called everything from crazy (good) to crazy (crazy). Herewith, my top ten tips for making vintage shopping crazy (good).

10. Be happy. If you’re not, it’s probably not the best time to wade through the rough in search of a vintage diamond.

9. Be elitist. Thrift stores in the ritzier parts of town get donations from the ritzier parts of town (which means you’re more likely to find an Yves Saint Laurent scarf or, for that matter, an Yves Saint Larent belt).

8. Seek perfection. If it’s not in pristine, like-it-was-only-worn-once condition, put it back on the rack.

7. Short on time? Head for the accessories — you don’t have to hit the change room to figure out if a belt, scarf or handbag is perfect for you.

6. Think outside the thrift store. You can’t even imagine the gems I’ve found at antique fairs, church thrift sales and private school fairs (like Saint George’s and York House, to name a few).

5. Shop where the collectors shop — in Vancouver I like Deluxe Junk in Gastown, F as in Frank on Main Street and Burcu’s Angels on 16th.

4. Take your new skirt/dress/jacket/whatever to a tailor to get it shortened/fitted/reconstructed (in Vancouver, I’d recommend Oakridge Tailors) but don’t forget that can add anywhere from $20 to $120 to the price of the piece.

3. Take your new skirt/dress/jacket/whatever to the dry cleaner. But again, that can add big bucks ($50 for a leather skirt, $150 for a leather jacket).

2. Bring a friend. I would have never found this red leather skirt if my girlfriend Laura hadn’t spotted it.

1. If you’re not into hunting for vintage treasure, head straight to online supershop Shrimpton Couture. They’ve done the work for you.

Many of you are vintage connoisseurs — have anything you’d add to my list? Leave a comment. Want to delve into another Anthology guide? Read up on Istanbul.

Unlike the time I hemmed a dress so short I had no choice but to turn it into a shirt, this time “short over long” refers to my sleeves.

Which are short over long. Aha!

I’m all over vintage jackets like this one. Especially since big shoulders mean big fun (thank you, Eighties!).

And then there’s my jeans, which can be short or long depending on how I cuff them. Speaking of, how do you keep your cuffs from un-cuffing? Double-sided tape? Iron? Staples? Please share!

The sweater coat. So comfy. So cozy.

This particular one I initially left the store without.

But then it haunted me. So I returned to Ralph Lauren and made it mine.

The dress, by the way, is the one I reinvented (hemmed) for my guest post on DreamSequins. The world’s other most beautiful invention? A good tailor.