Half the fashion editors in this town possess at least one simply, sharply cut, and easily customizable sheath dress by local favourite Ashley Rowe; the bloggers, meanwhile, wear her oversized tie-dyed tees. As of yesterday, when I popped into her pop-up sample sale at V by 69 Vintage (198 Walnut Ave.), I’ve got both. Sale’s on for one more day (today, December 10, that is) and everything is mental-cheap. Go! But not before you read for Rowe’s pro advice on morning-after dressing, learning to wear colour, and trying on things you hate.
What’s the one item you’re relying on to get you through the holiday season, wardrobe-wise?
I got these really cool sequined long, like, baggy trousers from Bungalow in Kensington. I go, honestly, once a week and find something there that’s wicked. So I got them and tailored them so they’re really narrow at the bottom, like harem pants, but so over-the-top. I’m determined to wear them casually during the day, like with a white-shirt and a leather jacket, and then out at night.
That’s a very different kind of day-to-night dressing from the old “take off your suit jacket and add a necklace” thing. I prefer night-to-day dressing, really.
Yeah, like roll out of bed and wear your pajamas with some platforms. I totally would.
Say you didn’t sleep at home for whatever reasons. How do you make a party dress work for the morning after?
I think you borrow like a cool plaid shirt or overcoat and throw it over top, and maybe borrow some work boots. Then put on your sunglasses, which you should always have in your bag, and mosey on.
You do a lot of stuff in black and white, but then you’ll veer off and do a collection in nothing but brights, the opposite extreme. For someone who’s stuck on monochrome, how do you suggest they introduce colour?
Baby steps. I went to the fabric store four times and they probably thought I was crazy, but I had to keep pushing myself to try something new—and now I’m wearing pastel pink head to toe. I think you have to do that with everything. My friend Betsey is always making me try stuff on that I think I’ll hate, like a pair of wide-legged floral pants—but now I wear them all the time.
It’s like Kealan [Sullivan, owner of 69 Vintage] says: “To pull it off, you have to pull it on.” Are you seeing more party girls go for these wide-legged pants and long, loose looks you’ve been pushing lately?
Yeah, definitely, people are veering away from the typical 2000s skirt-suit work look, or the little black dress, and going for this easy, ’70s idea. You can wear a maxi with flats in the day and big heels at night. Or you can change the whole look with a jacket. I don’t mean a blazer, but like a great silk jacket, like a bed jacket.
What about jewellery? I never see you wearing it.
No, I think my aesthetic is more minimal. I wear a giant, almost sculptural scarf, and that’s my jewellery. I think hair is a good accessory. Personally, I like makeup. I like a fluorescent lip—this is MAC’s “Satin Pink.” If I wore this and earrings, it’d be…
Too Russian.
Yeah. I like there to be a contrast. I’m always on street style blogs: I love Elin Kling, Hanneli, I’m always on Jak & Jil and Style.com and the European blogs. I think what gets photographed is the unexpected, like when somebody pairs a tan short with a neon blue top, or neon blue head-to-toe with a floral bag. You wouldn’t ever think to do it, but it looks amazing.
Do you think style can be learned?
I think so. I mean, you have to have the passion to start with. But my style’s always evolving—at least, I hope it is!
Sarah Nicole Prickett is the Style Editor at Toronto Standard. Follow her on Twitter at @xoxSNP.
