Yesterday was my favourite event of the year – the annual Vintage Clothing Sale at the Chateau Laurier. I lined up and felt my adrenaline building as 10:00 drew nearer, and then there was that delicious flood of endorphins as I burst through the doorway and began my search for something special for me or my mannequins.
This year I found something so special it fulfilled a lifelong dream. I blogged about this dream in 2005.
But first I’m going to show you everything I found, in the order I found it.
Moments after bursting through that doorway, my heart leapt as I saw this incredible wool sweater. It was funky and colourful and warm and comfortable and it had pockets and a zipper and it fit me perfectly. I didn’t even negotiate, I just happily bought it for $20. Here’s a picture of Genevieve wearing it. (But it’s not hers, it’s mine: I’m going to wear it every day for the rest of my life.)
GC bought a winter dress coat which looked really good on him. (But later, after the show, he tried it on again and discovered that it was a woman’s coat and it smelled a bit like perfume and cigarettes, and there was a tiny hole where the missing button should have been, and then he regretted buying it.)
Next, I found a Gnome. He was $35 and I wasn’t sure, but he winked at me. There was just something about his face that was so charmingly conspiratorial that I had to have him.
GC found a second winter dress coat at the same booth where I bought the funky sweater. This one was cashmere and wool and it was a little big for him but it looked good anyway. Everybody said so. A woman nearby said “If you don’t buy it, I’m buying it for my husband and he’s the same size as you and just as handsome.” And then she winked at me. He got all caught up in the spirit of the moment and bought it. It was marked $60, but they gave it to him for $50. Good score.
Well then I figured he’d be all dressed up to go out on the town but I wouldn’t be able to go with him because I don’t own a winter coat. I have jackets, but no coats, which means I can’t get dressed up in the wintertime, even if I want to.
We found me a winter coat at the very same booth. It’s black and kind of swingy and it has a hood and it suits me. It was marked $60 but they gave it to me for $45 because we were now their favourite customers and they were our favourite dealers.
I got two vintage baby clothes hangers for $30. I have a small collection of them. Aren’t they sweet?
By this time we’d been shopping for two hours and we were carrying three winter coats, a sweater, a gnome and the baby hangers. It was time to go. But first I wanted to take one last look around, just to make sure I hadn’t missed anything important.
And it’s a good thing I did, because this is when I found the item that fulfilled my lifelong dream.
[insert drum roll here]
Ta-da!
I have always wanted a Davy Crockett hat. And there it was, sitting on a mannequin head, way up high on a shelf. It even went a step beyond the classic Davy Crockett hat by having a face of its own! It was too small for me, but I still loved it.
A woman passing by looked at me holding it and I guess I had that look. You know that look that says “Oh I want it, but I don’t know if I should”?
This is one of the things I love about the Vintage Clothing Sale – complete strangers will give you a pep talk when they see that you need one.
“You must buy it,” she said, “You’ll never see another one like it. It’s fantastic. It’s in great condition. Even if you only wear it once a year at Christmas dinner, you’ll never regret it.”
I beamed my thanks at her and bought it. I even negotiated a deal: $25 instead of $35.
The Kid, who is my little boy mannequin, is wearing the Davy Crockett hat. Now all I need is a suede fringed jacket and all of my childhood wardrobe dreams will have come true.
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I’m scratching my head over “wear it at Christmas dinner” Is this something Canadian? Is it too cold to just wear regular clothes, you need a fur hat?
Congratulations on the great success at the sale!
Awesome hat! I have a weasel stole I feel the same way about!
Helen, your comment cracked me up! I think it was just her standard “You simply MUST buy it” speech. But you know, I might just wear it to Christmas dinner this year, in honour of her.
Valerie, does it have a face and paws? Do you feel at all conflicted about that? I was thinking today about the implications of my Davy Crockett hat, you know, from an ethical point of view. And I felt a bit conflicted. But really it was the seven year old in me who bought that hat, so maybe it’s okay.
I heart your little boy mannequin
Sounds like you had a blast.
I planned to go to this show, but like last year, stuff came up and I couldn’t. Next year I will go. I must. Damnit.
Thanks Nursemyra. I think he was my first mannequin. I remember really struggling with his clothes because I didn’t realize you had to take his limbs off to dress him. (I know of a biker who bought a really hot mannequin to ride on the back of his Hog. He didn’t realize that you can’t make a standing mannequin sit.)
Em, it was SUCH a blast. Next year you have to go -it’s like a giant treasure hunt. You’ll love it.
I modeled for the promotion pictures for the first Vintage Clothing Sale. I will show you the picture sometime. I look so young and Victorian in my vintage dress.
Woodsy: Must see.
Yes… my weasel stole does have a face and paws… and yes, sometimes I’m a little conflicted about it. I am an animal lover, heart and soul… but I also grew up in a family of hunters, and I am a total carnivore, so I’m a little desensitized to dead animals (unless they are cats, then I get a little hysterical) I console myself by reminding myself that the stole is at least 60 (or more) years old, and there is nothing I could do about its death becuase I wasn’t born yet… and it’s just really cool and evokes images of an era that is just so romanitc (fashionwise.) that I can’t help but love it! I also have a polar bear rug (and I LOVE live polar bears, I think they are the coolest bear going). It really bothers a lot of my friends and family, but when it was offered to me, I just couldn’t turn it down… it was just sooo cool!
Darkmirror now has a lifelong clothing dream….I always pictured him wanting a “catcher in the Rye” people hunting cap….but no, he wants a coonskin hat…and it must have a beady eyed racoon staring at passerbys too.
I want to see Woodsy’s promo picture too! C’mon Woodsy, post it on your blog!
Valerie, you don’t have to justify it to me – I totally understand. 😉
Mudmama – did i inspire Darkmirror’s lifelong clothing dream?? If so, I’ll help him find his coonskin hat! It’ll be my mission! I won’t rest until we have matching hats for Christmas dinner!