Alexa Chung on vintage fashion

"Williamsburg is sort of like my lover, whereas London is more like my husband. I love my husband, and I'll always be with him, but Williamsburg is so exciting."

Boutique highlight: Preloved

Founded by Julia Grieve and located in the amazing shopping district of Queen Street West in Toronto, Preloved is a one-of-a-kind shopping experience.

The clothing sold at Preloved are all made from reclaimed vintage fabrics.

Preloved's website states, "our passion is design and our philosophy is sustainability. Attention to fit, comfort and style has been our driving force."

Check out the Preloved website and online boutique!


Also, check out one of their shows from a previous LG Fashion Week in Toronto.

Event: The Chosen Ones @ 107 Shaw "Rocktober"

This month's vendors are:

Curtis Santiago

Leilanni Land

Black Market // General

Bobby McGee

Pretty Freedom

Chosen (formerly Sunday Girl)

Lulu Again

Shoebox Vintage

Sarah McGivney

Stacked

Photography credits: Michelle shot exclusively for 107 Shaw Gallery by Savannah Allmin. All clothing selected from "The Chosen Ones" and styled by Savannah Allmin.

Check out the Facebook event page!  Chosen Ones "Rocktober"

What's so great about going vintage?

1. You can assemble a vast wardrobe

2. This mode of shopping can help determine your best style options

3. Experienced vintage clothes shoppers can assemble a complete outfit in one go

4. You'll get honest opinions from sales staff and other customers

5. It's a chance to use your wits: In a retail environment it takes no brains at all to assemble an outfit the magazines say is hot, plop it down at the till, and go. But at a vintage store, you must be on your toes.  At a very basic level, it's calling hunt-and-gather instincts into play.

6. You can get better long-term value for your money at vintage stores.

7. Vintage is good for the environment: By making the decision to purchase vintage clothing, you are helping to prolong the useful life of a garment, reducing waste and amortising the cost of its manufacture upon the environment.

8. Shopping vintage helps local business!

-Excerpt from "It's Vintage Darling! How to be a Clothes Connoisseur" by Christa Weil. 2007.

Fabulous tips from My Zero Waste blog

BUYING CLOTHES THE ZERO WASTE WAY

1- REDUCE. Buy fewer clothes of better quality. We’ve all bought cheap stuff that looks naff and most of us will have splashed out on a quality outfit that makes us feel, and look like a million dollars. We all know which gives us greater satisfaction and is the more eco-friendly choice don’t we!?

2- SUPPORT CHARITY. Gone are the days where charity shops are full of Granny’s cast offs. Now you can buy up to date, good quality and even vintage clothing from charity shops across the country.

3- SWISH. Swishing involves getting your friends together to swap gorgeous clothes and party at the same time. One girl’s rubbish becomes another’s treasure. Eat, drink and trade merrily whilst keeping clothes out of the landfill.

4- SWAP If you can’t get to a swishing party!

Visit My Zero Waste Blog! 

My personal favourite vintage stores in Toronto

House of Vintage !

Located at: 1239 Queen Street West

The Public Butter !

Located at: 1290 Queen Street West



69 Vintage & 69 Vintage Collective/Buy the Pound !

69 Vintage located at: 1100 Queen Street West

69 Vintage Collective/BTP located at : 1207 Bloor Street West

Courage My Love !

Located at: 14 Kensington Avenue

BlogTO lists the best vintage stores in Toronto

Live in Toronto, or at least somewhere nearby?
Then check out these amazing vintage stores. BlogTO has compiled a list of the top places for vintage finds in the city.

I've frequented many of these stores, and they have a great selection of vintage clothing from every era. A fan of the 40s? A fan of the 50s? 60s? 70s? 80s? Even 90s? (Good lord, now that early 90s is considered "vintage" it makes me feel old!) then visit these shops and you'll find the best of the best.

The Best Vintage Clothing Stores in Toronto

Photo taken from BlogTO

Video: How to recycle old clothes into new fashions: Tips for turning old clothes into new fashion

Want to learn more about vintage and eco-friendly attire?

Visit these amazing websites and blogs for more information!  You'll be visiting your nearest thrift and vintage stores in no time after being informed!

Earth Divas' Blog

Eco Empress

The Green Fashion Blog

Vintage Wear

Sustainable fashion, what is it?

Many of you may wonder what exactly "sustainable fashion" is, and what vintage has got to do with it.  Well, you have come to the right place, for you shall find out right here!

One definition of sustainable fashion is:

"Sustainable fashion, also called eco-fashion, is a part of the growing design philosophy and trend of sustainability, the goal of which is to create a system which can be supported indefinitely in terms of environmentalism and social responsibility. Sustainable fashion is part of the larger trend of sustainable design where a product is created and produced with consideration to the environmental and social impact it may have throughout its total life span, including its "carbon footprint."

Thank you to Wikipedia for that lovely definition, and check out the page for more information about sustainable fashion!

Although sustainable fashion really has to do with the PRODUCTION of NEW eco-friendly materials/clothing, I believe that it can also pertain to vintage.   I believe that vintage is sustainable because by reusing clothing, less resources are used to produce new clothing and it reduces our carbon footprint.

Many people do not realize just how many natural resources are used in the production of materials for clothing. Aside from that, many of us throw away clothing after a few years, or maybe after a few months depending on the quality of that t-shirt or pair of pants that you bought on sale at a discount store.  They just end up taking up space in a landfill, and according to My Zero Waste blog, "when you throw biodegradable material into the landfill (such as cotton and wool in the case of clothing), they cannot rot because there is not enough oxygen or light, so they sit there producing methane instead."

By reusing clothing, you are helping the environment a great deal and reducing your carbon footprint.  It helps you sleep better at night, trust me.  So why not go out to thrift and vintage stores?  Why not wear hand-me-downs? It's not a bad thing anymore!  I wear my mother's old clothing from the 80's and 90's.  What was once thought of as uncool is now all the rage and definitely in style again.   So go out and ask your mom, dad, grandparents, whoever, or go to your nearest vintage and thrift shops.   You'll be stylish and eco-friendly all at the same time!!