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2015-12-26

Moving Over, Moving Up and Moving On?


                                 

And there it is...
I'm closing the shop on Ottawa Street and moving to a studio space to focus my vintage business in a more online direction.
Matt, the perpeptually positive, says that I am just redirecting my business to follow consumer demand and lowering my overhead. He is not wrong, for a while now I have noticed that a high percentage of my sales are either online or are directly originated from online; where people come into the shop not to browse but to purchase 'that thing' they saw on the shop's Etsy or Instagram.
And I'm half business savvy enough to know that this is 100% the way I am supposed to spin it. I just need to say that The Edit is just taking the next step in being able to efficiently provide quality vintage to its loyal clientele by opening a studio space. And that is the truth and I am super excited about how cool my studio space is but it does kinda feel like I am leaving out part of the story...
I didn't excitedly sign a new lease on a bigger space last January and rope my friends into painting every single fixture in the shop with layers and layers of primer and white paint in order for me to leave it all behind one short year later. And as much as I know, for my sanity and for the bottom line, that moving into a studio is the right choice for me, closing down the shop is still something that makes me really sad.
Some might even say that having a bricks and mortar shop turned out to be a failure. 
I said it. The 'f' word. I'm pretty sure I'm not allowed to say that word and I'm going to get lots of texts from my friends (and my mom,thanks boo) telling me I am not a failure. And it's not totally a failure per se, I think The Edit vintage has a bright future but the street front location part of the equation did not really work out quite as planned...

So what happened?
I'm sure I don't need to write a post breaking it all down but I honestly think these are things in small business that we don't talk about. Small business owners start with a dream and stars in their eyes and probably a couple Pinterest quotes about how if you follow your passion, you will never work a day in your life. And there is nothing wrong with some stars and some Pinterest quotes but it's also nice when the grind happens to know you are not the only one feeling the pain or that sometimes all the passion and heart and good intention is not enough. We don't share enough about the journey (well, maybe that is because as a small business owner you maybe don't have the time or energy to share...) so when something happens, a small business just disappears and we all kinda draw our own educated or uneducated conclusions.

I think we can sum up exactly my experience with running a bricks and mortar by saying it is really hard...
Retail is hard. I've said it before and I will say it again. Retail is so hard. Despite that, having your own retail space is probably one of the top 'dreams' that people romanticize about. Setting up a shop and putting it all together is so so fun. And standing behind your counter for the first time and making a sale to a stranger who loves your stuff is this incredible high... But the day to day is tough. The needle that flicks from making a sale to not making the sale is set so delicately... A cold day, a hot day, a too nice day, a lazy day, a bloated day, a cranky infant day; there are so many factors involved in getting store traffic and making a sale. And retail is not just hard for me. It's a struggle for everyone. So if you have a favourite shop in the city that you have not been to in a while, go and visit and make a little purchase and give them a hug (if they are into it). I suspect it's been a generally tough year for retail across the board.
Shopping at small independent shops is not always the easiest. The hours are not like Walmart and it takes a little bit more effort but it is the small stores that give a city or community their shape. I know the city of Hamilton is on a bit of a high right now; after years of being 'the armpit of Ontario', we're apparently cool... And that's cool. But let's be real, it's still a struggle. If you love this city, don't just pay lip service to it. If you want your neighbourhood to be interesting and walkable and varied, remember the little and the medium guys. Your dollars have the power to shape your city.

Also, as it turns out, selling vintage is really hard. Besides the amount of work it takes to source abd clean it, it's also a lot of work to sell each individual piece. The best thing about vintage is that it is so unique but the worse thing is also that it is so unique. I know it sometimes looks like things sell out so quick at the shop because the shop generally gets a really good response on Instagram (and I am so grateful for that online support, thank you, thank you...) but the problem is that I can only sell one of each item. Even if 5 people are dying to own that one piece, I can only sell it once and then I have to get to work and hustle to sell my next item. Every single item in the store is unique and has to speak for itself in order to sell. So if I sell the three things I posted on Instagram that day, it's great, but they are still likely only a drop in the bucket of the amount of overhead it takes to run a bricks and mortar. 
I also think The Edit departs a little from what a traditional vintage shop is and that may have hurt me because I almost needed to explain the concept to the consumer... The way I see vintage is that it can be worn in a very modern way; mixed and matched with what you already have in your closet. To me vintage is just better quality and more unique than what you can get at the mall and I just love getting someone into their first vintage piece and opening their eyes to the fact that vintage does not have to be costumey or scary... It translates well online because that's how I have always dressed for the blog and because people can see the outfits put together. But people who don't follow me online and see a  vintage shop, they imagine it being more costumey. So no, I don't have a wacky 60's polyester suit for you to wear to Aunt Betty's costume birthday party but I do have a 60's blouse you could wear with jeans. If I could turn back time (sorry, if I get that song in your head now...), I would not go back and start by being more 'vintagey'; it's all part of the process and it's just a lesson I learned over the last two years...

Finally, having a store front on Ottawa street is really hard. And to be the honest, this is the one that really did me in and that frustrates me the most. I cannot continue to keep a clean, well-stocked, pretty physical store and then also keep a well-stocked and pretty online store simultaneously. I would bring in new stuff to the shop daily and list as much as I could online and I'm just tired. I can't just keep killing myself over both and with the in store traffic slowing and online picking up as long as I had the time to put effort into it, the decision had to be made.  
That's mystery of my life right now; what happened to the foot traffic on Ottawa St? I would never, ever have taken on a bigger shop and an overhead that was 2 and a half times the original overhead if I didn't have the numbers in the old shop to sustain the new shop. And then yes, hopefully having a bigger space would bring more revenue because I was able to offer a wider selection of merchandise. The spring was good and summer started fine and then the traffic just kinda died. I don't know what happened. And it is so frustrating because I love this scrappy street and to see it slide backwards in the time that I have been here breaks my heart. In the last month a few other businesses in the block have shut their doors or moved. I feel so sad for these sweet individuals who put it all on the line and are now packing up shops with lumps in their throats. 
I honestly do not know what happened on Ottawa Street to cause it to slow down so much. I mean, we've been the next 'up and coming' street for years now and I know growth is slow and there will growing pains but I did not expect this slump. And we do have our stars on the street that can pull enough traffic on their own but there are a lot of shops that have suffered a lot from this slow down. 
I'm leary to talk about this but most people know there was some drama with our business association this summer on Ottawa Street. I generally stayed out of it because I want to Switzerland it all the way and stay neutral but I will say this... When I started The Edit in November 2013, I felt like the paid staff at the business association really cared and did the best they could to help. The BIA has since had some changes in staffing and has not felt the same since. I am not saying it is the BIA's fault that the street is slow. However, I think the street (and the city, as I am assuming city tax money also pays into the salaries...) deserves a BIA that knows how to properly manage and work social media to the benefit of street, an updated website and someone on the BIA who actually walks the street and visits the businesses. I hate writing this last paragraph because the last thing this street needs is more negativity but I really hope this street gets more involvement out of the BIA. And out of us. I'm sad to be gone but you can bet I'll be back often, especially for Dora's spicy gumbo. You should go too;)

And so that's that.
This last month was not so fun. It's hard to sit in a shop and look around and think 'you are so cute, and I'm trying so hard but it's just not enough and I know what I have to do.' I took my time making the decision, then made up my mind, lost some sleep and definitely went through the emotions of sadness, anger, frustration and bitterness. Thankfully, those feelings do ease up (which is good because bitter Yen is not that awesome) and I know that this is the right decision. Signing a new lease on a cool space helped too because it gave me a real plan and direction.
I am definitely moving inventory to the new space but I do hope to liquidate quite a bit so I can start fairly fresh. Online everything is 30% off until the end of the year, at which point I will shutter the Etsy shop for 6 weeks and come roaring;) What I'll be selling when I re-open will be an even tighter edit of The Edit; clothes I love and housewares that'll impress your guests. The last day the shop on Ottawa will be open is Jan. 15th and I hope to be ready in the new space mid to end February... I'll give more details on Instagram of the new space when I can but it's an old factory in a pretty convenient location with brick walls, concrete floors, natural light and free parking ten steps from the front door;) So I'll be much more active on Etsy but I'll keep some kind of studio hours so all my favourite local people can pop in before or after work to pick up or try on 'that thing' they saw online.
And to all the people who have supported the shop these last two years, thank you. I hope you will follow me as I move and continue to let me be a part of your closet and home. Also a giant teary thanks to Matt, who always has my back and who has known that this was the right move for a while, but wisely let me come to the conclusion myself... 

This year has been a doozy. For reasons shared and unshared (sorry, everyone hates a vague blogger...) 2015 feels mostly like a hazy mess. However, it's a true blessing to say that even when so many things are upside down, the important things in my life are perfectly in place. 



*I miss writing! Not enough to get back to blogging yet but it's totally how I process things. Considering my last two posts have not been the most happy posts, I feel like I owe the blog at least another happy post;) I'll do that in the new year...;)





2015-10-06

Summertime Sadness

This summer I got sad.
I've been sad before; unfortunately it is really just a part of life. I think especially as you get older, the awareness of all the things that are worth being sad over can weigh you down. Maybe you thought growing up just meant no set bed time and Passion Flakies for breakfast (and lunch! and dinner!) but sometimes a lot of being grown up is hurting for the world, friends and family and also sadly, being hurt by the world, family and friends. 
But this summer I was sad for no real reason. 
I'm feeling much better now but the best way I can describe it is that on ok days I could paste a smile on my face to cover the fact that I literally felt empty from top to bottom, and on bad days it felt like I was not worthy of this life or that there was nothing in life worthy of being lived for. I don't know what was worse...
I know that sounds dramatic and when I write those words I cringe a little... But I. Just. Felt. So. Awful.
I told Matt, a best friend and my mom and we went to the doctor and we changed some things in my life to get things back on track. At first it was a relief to go through a day without feeling the deep sadness and over time, two good days in a row was reason to be thankful. Last week for the first time in three months I felt like myself again. I had been getting better for a while before that but for the first time in a while I finally felt like Jentine. Something went wrong (because yes, in addition to feeling like crap, this summer has been... um, very trying?) and I actually felt like I could handle it instead of wanting to disappear. 
I'm pretty sure it all started by just being burnt out. It's like Biggie Smalls said 'mo' money, mo' problems' except with a bigger shop, it's less money and mo' problems... Having the bigger shop is great in many ways but it is a beast behind the scenes trying to keep it filled with clean, wearable, fresh vintage constantly. The bills are higher, the stress is higher and honestly, sometimes it's not fun. And even though I've been honest about the struggle from the beginning, it is exhausting that so many people think you are living the dream when really you are just tired and broke and pissed. 
But tired and pissed off are feelings every person and/or entrepreneur feels; it was the anxiety that just crushed me. Suddenly I could not handle anything. I would stay up all night kicking my feet over issues that were either non issues, small issues or not even issues that were applicable to my life. I just wanted to hide in a hole and be alone for a year. I think if Breakfast Television had asked me to be on their show to promote my shop, I would have declined because the thought of doing anything public made me feel sick...
This is the part of the post where I start to sound like your grandmother but I also think a huge issue for me was feeling over-exposed. I remember when I started blogging people would just leave comments on your post and that was how communication was done in the blog world. And then one day I became a big girl and added a blog email address and that felt like such a big deal. 5 years later we're pretty much exposing every part of our lives and people are making good money off it so the temptation to share, share, share just becomes bigger and bigger. I counted the ways to get a hold of me this summer and it's a shocking thing to see it listed out in front of you. I have a personal email, a blog email, a shop email, a personal FB, a blog FB page, a shop FB page, a blog twitter, a shop twitter, a blog/personal Instagram, a shop Instagram, a shop flash sale Instagram, an etsy account where you can message me, my blog comment section and of course, I'm in the shop. And this is without adding those new fangled things like Periscope and Snapchat... I'm not super active on all those accounts but what I am active on, I give them my heart. I mean, even my stupid Etsy descriptions, if you are bored and need reading material, they are so Yen. So by the time I've updated my blog, posted on my Instagrams, written something stupid on Twitter, added a few things to Etsy and made conversation in the shop, I am just tired and done with sharing. I think social media has also given us a chance to get a glimpse into everyone else's life, which is a wonderful thing in many ways but this summer I just felt dizzy over all the voices and opinions that were clogging up my social media. And I want to be careful when I talk about this because if it had not been for my blog and for my social media I would never had had the chance to open a shop and I am the only one who controls the content I put out, but at one point I just felt so exhausted by it all. The old adage 'it's not you, it's me' rings true. It was all just too much and in my burn out, I just could not handle it at all. Currently all my Facebook and Twitter accounts sit inactive and ignored (well, I kept the Facebook messenger app for you alone Maria). It feels pretty good to be out of the loop;) I stalled on personal Insta all summer too because I just wanted to feel better without putting up some internet front and honestly, that felt good too. I'm still solidly superficial so I still want to share some outfits on Instagram but it's a good feeling to know I'm ok not sharing.
And so here we are. It's still a hard year and time in our lives in many ways but thankfully feeling much, much better. Drinking less caffeine. Going to bed on time. Having a much more strict weekly schedule. Saying 'no' a lot. Thanking God for His presence in my life. Grateful to Matt who was a superstar when I felt awful because it has not been an easy summer when your wife just wants to cry and do nothing every day. And yes, lastly, blogging a lot less.
The irony of course is me saying that I want to draw back from sharing my life so much and then I go and write one of my most personal posts yet. I mostly just want to say thank you. For reading all those years, for caring, for encouraging... I'm not saying I'm done blogging because I still feel like there are some serious posts in my heart and if I feel like I want to share them, it is nice to have a space but I do think my days as an outfit blogger are done. I'll still be sharing some outfits and little life snippets on my Instagram but right now I just need to focus on my faith, family, friends and fashion business. I know for some people blogs have become hostile places or a chore but I have always felt safe in this space and I have always enjoyed writing and posing in fun/chic/ridiculous outfits with wistful side glances. So, thank you, really, for caring...
Lastly... It's super awkward to write about feeling awful. Even now as I write about it, it feels so distant, like I am writing about someone else who had a rough summer. And I would love to just get past it and move on. But I think it's important to share about this kind of stuff. I never, ever thought I would ever, ever feel so low; especially for no 'real' reason. Sure, I have a small business that can sometimes be a thorn in my side but even Jay Z has 99 problems and I probably only have 67 and honestly, I have a very good life. In many ways I would even say that I 'have it all'. And yet, this summer, I felt like having it all was not enough of a reason to exist. And it took a while to get my feet back under me, but that very first tiny step to getting my life back was talking to Matt about how I felt...

If you ever feel like you lost yourself or can't find the joy anymore, please, talk to someone. People are listening...



2015-06-02

Break

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Dress? Vintage (from my own shop, oops) Shoes? Aldo (old) Clutch? Vintage Pics? ADarlingandADear

I think not posting in three weeks is called Slacker Blogging. I prefer to call it Blogging When You Feel Like It because after you've been blogging for many years the idea that you can just blog when you want to is quite novel and freeing.
To be honest, I've had some busy and stressful weeks and my writing really suffers when I'm stressed. Not like I'm writing high brow literature here but I like to write something a little more compelling than 'this is my new dress'.

Anyways, this is my new dress.

Yeah, I went there...

I stole the dress from the shop for a wedding we had a few weekends ago. I'm surprised it even made it into the shop; sequins, long sleeves... it's kinda my thing. No one bought it in two months it was hanging up and so, predictably, I just took it home with me where it belonged all along.
This 70's dress was originally a maxi dress but I thought hemming it to just below the knee would add some elegance. Because sometimes I need that little bit of elegance to hide the hot mess I am (I feel like I am?) inside...

2015-05-14

Sunny Day Shopping

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Dress? h&m (here) Bag? Longchamp (thrifted, look up the Roseau bag on Ebay if you are looking for one) 
Shoes? Coach Belt? Thrifted

Last weekend I met up with a friend in Toronto for a girlzzzz night out (I hate that expression, ha... and yet I use it) and on the following day, after my friend left, I was planning on walking around the city alone and entertaining myself in Toronto just like I used to do in University. Honestly, it was the most glorious day, the sun was shining, I'm pretty sure some birds were chirping and I don't think I could see a single grumpy person. I wandered into H&M convinced that I was just killing time and 17 minutes later I walked out with this dress which I had bought full price. 
That's when I decided to head straight to the station to catch a bus home. I just bought a dress from the mall for full price; I was clearly in too good of a mood to waste time in Toronto. Back home I spent the rest of the day relaxing in our back yard... safely away from any retail spaces that could take advantage of my good mood:)

2015-05-06

Pink Slips

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Purse? Longchamp (thrifted*, some on Ebay here) Pants? Vintage Wrap top? American Apparel (here)
 Pumps? Zara Jacket? Old Navy (so old but I can never seem to donate it...)

I wore this out with Julie and she told me I looked like a 'boss lady' and like 'someone who is going to fire people'. I assume people who fire people work in human resources and I'm not sure crop tops are part of the HR dress code but it doesn't matter anyway because no one was fired in the making of this post. 
What did go down is that Julie and I went out for tacos and margaritas and this is what I wore. It's important one looks professional when eating 4 tacos in under 6 minutes. Keeping things classy...



*seriously, I thrifted this for $20 I think? Perfect condition. And it's so lovely I feel like I am too much of a slob for this kind of quality...

2015-04-22

Flare

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Dress? Vintage via A Darling and A Dear (she sells at my shop and has a blog too!) Shoes? Guess, thrifted 
Mesh clutch? Vintage Cuff? Vintage (very similar one on my Etsy) Sunglasses? Tom's

I'm always excited to find a new colourful good wall to use for my professional modelling career. Matt's always excited for good walls too because they enhance his professional iPhone photography career. We're just a bunch of professionals over here...
Joking aside, we all know I love a good wall. It adds something fun as a background but mostly it keeps picture taking super efficient. And efficiency is the most important part to maintaining a happy marriage and a blog that has gone on for too many years. When I have a good wall in full shade, I know how the pictures are going to turn out and Matt can do pictures in 3 minutes. When you've been asking a guy who has no inclination towards photography or artistry to take your picture for over 6 years, you make the process as painless as possible. 
So yay for conveniently located lime green walls. And yay for Matt, who caught some accidental sun flares across the pictures, which give the illusion of effort...

2015-04-14

Keeper

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Dress? Vintage Shoes? Coach Cuff? Unikati (here) Bangles? Clyde's ReBirth (here, wear them all the time...) Clutch? Vintage

There are four ways vintage makes its way from the shop into my closet*.

First of all, there are the things that I see and know immediately will never even make it on to the shop floor. When I do a big buy off an individual I try to limit it to one piece in the entire haul but vintage can be like Lays chips; 'bet you can't have (eat) just one'. This dress for example, was never really up for debate. I saw it, I loved it, I wore it. And I will keep it.

Another way things end up in my closet is if something is damaged and is not worth the fix or not able to be fixed. Vintage clothing has a few years under its belt and flaws come with the territory but some things I can't sell, even at a reduced price with the flaw obviously pointed out. I notice that if there is something I really like but feel guilty about keeping, I try to drink very full glasses of staining red wine in the general vicinity... By the time I spent the money to make this dress a skirt because of the huge holes in the top, I figured I would not get a return on my investment and happily just kept it...
Sometimes if the store is dead or if I am taking pictures for the shop Instagram, I end up trying things on and styling them up and an occasional piece slips its way into the warm embrace of my closet. It doesn't help when I send a text to a friend with the question 'what do you think?'. The answer is almost always 'keep it' because I have a good group of supportive friends;) I fought keeping this jacket for so long (like a month!) but I eventually gave in, like the weak fashion lover that I am.

Finally, there are the pieces that don't sell in the shop. And I get so frustrated because how can anything that I lovingly hand-picked not make get snapped up in a jiffy? What is wrong with you people? Do you not understand my vision? Ha. Sometimes having a shop is super humbling. 
This dress for instance never sold. It is super soft, has fringe, a full skirt and deep pockets. What more could you want? I mean, I know it has a touch of sister-wiveliness to it but nothing super high heels and a well-placed belt can't remedy...



*Don't worry, I leave lots of good stuff and also take stuff from my own collection to put in the shop when the time is right. Having a retail shop is not always fun and games but getting first pick is an undoubted perk. 

2015-04-02

Camp

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Top? Jen's Pirate Booty Jean via consignment (as top here or maxi here) Shorts? Vintage 
Boots? Steve Madden (similar here) Purse? Vintage Earrings? Bebe Sunglasses? The Edit (re-stocking soon!)

Sometimes I repeat my jokes. Yes, it happens, even to good people... 
One of my oft repeated jokes is when I say that the best reward of blogging all these years has been great friends... and my clipless hair curler*. I know, not my best material, but we can't set our standards high every day. 
The great friends part is the biggest reason I decided to go down to Austin for TXSC a few weekends back. I was on the fence about going but when the organizers said it was the last conference they were doing, I thought it would be cool to be there when they close a chapter of what has been a great part of many bloggers' story. 
I don't do a lot of conferences because the whole lack of money and time thing and the fact that I have just recently learned the art of handing out business cards without breaking into hives but I think it terms of conferences, TXSC has always been fairly laid back. This year they made it even more laid back by hosting the conference at a remote Girl Scouts Camp... 
I shall be honest, at my advanced age of 31, I have discovered I can be a little high maintenance and I am a big fan of big fluffy hotel beds and giant bathroom counters to spread my arsenal of products on but it was kinda a hoot to kick it low-key and share a bunk room with Merl, Andrea and Jessie. I got the top bunk and it was the squeakiest thing of life and I would be dying to go to the bathroom in the morning but I knew that getting off the bunk would wake up everyone in the room and well, you are welcome Merl, I did what I could to ensure you got your beauty sleep...;)

The conference itself was well organized and beautifully set up. I felt so bad that it rained at first though because so many awesome activities had to be pared down or cancelled (ropes courses, archery, horseback riding...). But at the end of the day, the conference was about creating a meaningful presence and I think the laid back camaraderie of the weekend was a testament to the success of its theme (Julie's picture round-up and post gives a good idea of the time at camp). 
Merl, Andrea and I did a work shop on taking your blog into the local world or 'turning your online life into your offline career' was the tagline a glass of champagne and I decided on. I think sometimes people think that having your blog become your full time job is the only measure of success for your blog but that might not be for everyone. It's funny how having a 'silly fashion blog' has shaped so much of my life in ways I never expected.
It was just nice to see so many friends and meet new lovely ladies. Everyone group hug now... And props to Indiana for taking on way too much and organizing these things...  Thinking about how much work it must have been makes me want to break into hives for the second time in one post...

And these glowy pics are all Andrea. My drapey sheer top and some sunshine must have inspired her because she was sure yelling 'ethereal nature princess' at me a lot... Thanks lady, I love them!



*This clipless curling iron. If I hadn't accepted it back the day, I would probably still be fighting my waves into submission with a straightener... 

2015-03-30

Dresses Over Pants and Other Good Things

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Dress? Vintage 60's Trench? Thrifted, vintage Etienne Aigner (exact on Etsy hereLeather pants? Vince 
Shoes? Young and Tae (here! Love them!) Earrings? Vintage Sunglasses? Toms Clutch? h&m

I have been consistent in posting on the blog rather inconsistently. My apologies. A quick review of my Instagram will reveal I have been away with Matt's family and then with TXSC and now I'm just trying to get everything in order before my spring (and Matt's...) gets super crazy. I'm a little nervous about the to-do list this spring but I figure I work well under pressure. I'm no fun but things get done.

Another thing I have been consistent about is wearing dresses over my pants. Until the weather gets genuinely warm it's a good solution. Nice and toasty and I only have to shave my ankles...

I just talked about the weather, I think that makes this post complete... See you later this week though because it is my goal to post twice this week. For real;)


2015-03-12

Miss (Mis)Match

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Dress and jacket? Vintage Pants? Mother (here) Bag? Thrifted Boots? Franco Sarto, thrifted

Not going to lie, I was pretty proud of this outfit. The boots are a new thrift store find and though I got them for $13, the original Winner's tag for $130 was still stuck to the sole. And speaking of Winner's, I found these Mother denim jeans there for a steal of a deal and they are black, snug, comfy and wonderful and I wear them very, very often. I've worn the ballerina-esque dress before in one of my favourite outfit posts and I was pretty pleased to pair it with this super worn army jacket that is tagged as being from 1954. I have tried to sell this jacket in the store a few times, but I always take it back home because I can not bear to put a tag on it and actually sell it. 
This is what I love about getting dressed; ripped jeans, boots, a leopard bag, a dance costume (?) and an army jacket should not work together but somehow they all just do... And maybe they actually don't work together and in 2037, I will look back at this and laugh but I'm willing to take the risk;)

2015-03-04

It's My Party and I'll Overdress if I Want to!

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Dress? Vintage (On Etsy look at this crazier one) Shoes? Nine West
Clutch? DSW (I justed listed a pretty sweet hard shell bag here!!!) Lipstick? Rimmel, Bordeaux (here)

I got this dress last year when I had a chance to pick through a Korean singer's massive collection of clothing. It has a drapey top, a fit bottom, a thigh high slit and best of all, some amazing sequin business happening. It's hard to describe exactly but the sequins are more of a flat shape than most sequins are and so the pattern has a luxe look to it...? Or maybe I just wanted to call my dress luxe.

It's taken me a year to find an occasion to wear this but I figure what better occasion than the opening of the bigger The Edit. If you are going to be over dressed, it might as well be to your own party, or whatever... be overdressed anytime...
The grand re-opening of The Edit was last week Thursday. I was not as nervous as when I first opened a shop in 2013  (whoa, just re-read that post and cried all over the keyboard...) because it's all a bit more familiar now, but I still had some butterflies in my stomach ripping the paper off the shop windows at 6:59 p.m...
And then from 7 p.m. until 10 p.m. on Thursday the shop was packed. I honestly was not expecting such a great turn-out. I mean, my mom wasn't even around, so I could not even count on her to buy a brooch and help me make my sales goals... But so many people came out to check out the place and support both myself and Beka (a local gem of a lady friend who is also selling through the shop now!) and I  (we) are super freaking grateful.
After the opening party, we went next door with a few friends for a drink (yeah, The Edit is right beside the super cool Black Sheep which is both good and bad...) and then back home. I was so very tired but yet so completely wired and overwhelmed that I could not sleep. I tossed and turned until 4 a.m., then I got up and did the only quiet chore I could think of; I folded the laundry. At 5:45 a.m. I figured the buses were running along the main roads and it was late enough to walk to the shop and clean up after a good party. I just needed a good brisk walk and some time to process it all. To be honest, what I really wanted was my mom and a good cry in her arms but scrubbing the shop floors had to do instead. And when I say that I wanted to cry, I mean it like a good cry, a grateful cry.
I say it all the time, and I hope I never lose this feeling, even when it all gets 'old' but it is so humbling when people care to support your endeavour.
Grateful. Humbled. Tired.
All the feelings over here...