This week we take a journey back in time (sartorially speaking) to find out what some of Toronto’s vintage shop employees and/or owners wear to work… and a couple secrets about where they find the good stuff.
Victoria Dinnick was the VP of communications for IMAX until her dreams came true and she opened her own vintage shop, Gadabout, in 1997. She now runs one of the best shops in the East End, selling and renting out vintage props and clothes to the film industry (including some of the outfits in the 2009 HBO film Grey Gardens). Victoria has always been interested in clothes and grew up with old things around her. She travels to France once a year for a market at the L’ile de Chatou, and also visits markets in Montevideo, Beunos Aires, Mexico City, Spitalfields, and Covent Gardens in England to collect the best of the best. She mixes vintage and modern for her work uniform; it’s important for her to be able to move around at work and still look funky.
The pants Victoria wears are from the ’20s, and one of her bracelets is made with old saint medals and her father’s medals from the ’30s. Her playing card bracelet is hand carved and painted bone (1920). She made her necklace from a bunch of different Amber necklaces that she had at the shop. Her earrings and belt are from the late ’60s, and her glasses were made in Belgium by a company called “Theo B.” On October 20th, Victoria and some other vendors will be selling their oldest and best pieces at Maple Cottage— go check it out!
There’s also a sale happening this weekend in the West End at Penny Arcade Vintage shop where everything will be 15% off… and 100 homemade chocolate chip cookies will be distributed to the mouths of Toronto. 30-year-old Rachel Sheehan opened Penny Arcade four years ago, and has enjoyed every bit of it. She typically wears blouses and jeans to work, with a heeled lace-up boot. She loves silver jewelry, and is obsessed with her leather jacket. The jacket was traded with the Chief Salvage Co. down the street and it’s quite possibly her favorite thing on the planet.
Andrea has worked at Penny Arcade for one year now. She typically wears a nice blouse and work jeans with her lucky pink rubber glove. Andrea has a shop on Etsy that sells vintage pieces she modifies. Her shoes are from Penny Arcade.
Down south of Penny arcade is The House of Vintage (HOV). 30-year-old Sofia has worked here for just over two years. Her outfit depends on the day; Monday through Wednesday HOV tends to receive shipments, so Sofia will tend to wear leggings or jeans and a comfy tee or sweater (black always anchors her outfits). On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday she likes to dress it up a bit by wearing boots and heels. The most crucial part of her outfit is her army jacket, which she has with her everyday. In the photos, Sofia is sporting a ’60s Cabana Kids shirt and her army jacket on top. Her tank top is the work of Doug Brown (a local artist). For bottoms, she’s wearing some liquid leggings and Acne ‘rip-offs’ from Aldo. Her jewelry is mostly HOV, one ring being a Jaime Sin and HOV collaboration from 2010.
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Sarah Blais shoots Toronto Standard’s Uniform Project. Follow her on Twitter at @sarahblais_.
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