Shine On

Dress? Lisa Baday, thrifted Shoes? Kenneth Cole Clutch? Vintage

It's been a while since I've blogged but things are pretty steady around here. I still love my studio and I still love sequins. Nothing new under the sun.
I spotted this dress at the thrifts this spring and thought to myself 'now that is some next level sequin'.  It's so unusual and the sparkle is so intense that I knew it had to be a good find. And it was a sweet find! Made in Canada and from Lida Baday... Thanks to thrifting, my closet is way more baller status than I actually am.

I wore this dress out with friends and when we were doing the typical 'what are you wearing tonight?' texting, I described this dress as a very shiny, structured, sexy garbage bag.
My friend summed it up more accurately though, and sent me a picture of a wet seal.

Spot on. And if possible, it makes me love the dress even more...

Eat Pray Love Dress Shop Blog

Everyone who has seen some sneak peeks of these photos done by Claire,  has commented that I look so happy. Part of it is that Claire and I are thick as thieves and she has a really natural way of capturing the moment (also, if you told me two years ago Claire would be taking pics in my studio (click to see more pics!), I would have said she is too cool for me... but here we are making margarita dates) and the other part is that I am, indeed, happy.

And that sounds wonderful but, it's not. It turns out I am an obnoxious happy blogger.
You see, for years now, I deal with anything in my life by writing about it. It does not even usually make it to the page and only about 4% really gets published on the blog or goes into an overly wordy Instagram caption but I have always handled things by 'writing' about the episode in my head. It gives me a chance to step outside of the situation, think over what happened slowly and helps me deal in a rational way. I suppose it is like therapy in a way. But cheaper, so I can use the money for more boxwoods for my garden.

But lately every time I start to 'write', it turns into some sappy Eat Pray Love blog post and future Yen is already rolling her eyes at past Yen. When I am happy, does my sarcasm leave the room?
And maybe happy is the wrong word. My happiness is not an everyday high, I still have to pay my taxes (never mind paying them, it's doing them that is currently killing me), I still have to hustle my butt off to be even slightly competitive in the vintage market and obviously, I can't just make everything with my dad ok but I have a general spirit of contentment. It might be from getting older, because in addition to those chin hairs, getting older has just brought some more quiet in my soul. I'm not so combative and argumentative. Maybe because arguing is great but just walking the walk is better. Be the change, you know?
See? This is dumb. In one blog post I wrote about 'a quiet in my soul' and about being the change. At this rate, I might as well quit selling very beautiful and interesting and wearable and unique vintage online and start on my self help book.
But really, it feels good to be settled and content. It won't always be like this, life is full of ups and downs (what an insightful sentence, eh...?) but I just want to enjoy what I have right now. And included in what I have right now is my sweet happy little studio and this rhinestone blazer that I thrifted for way too much money but it was for charity and it has the nicest drape, so it was worth it...

p.s. I wrote this blog post a few weeks ago, I let it marinate (I always do this with blog posts now...) and then I deleted it by accident (who does that...) and since I've had a few grumpier weeks so don't worry, Eat Pray Love Yen was temporary.

Chapter Three.

Dress? 1980's does 1930's, thrifted Shoes? Vince Camuto 1960's floral corsage? Vintage

I'm not back.
It's just that the other day my ankles were shaved, the sun was shining and I felt like my outfit was on point, so I suggested to Matt that maybe, for old times sake, we find a wall and take some outfit pictures.
He clapped his hands with glee because lately what he has been missing most in life is taking outfit pictures for me.
Or... in his typical laid-back way, he agreed, snapped my pictures in 3 minutes and we continued on our way. I cannot believe I used to post about 2-3 times a week and that Matt was such a good sport for yearssss about taking my pictures...

In my last post on the blog I wrote about shutting down the shop on Ottawa St... The month following that, I liquidated as much as I could (the shop was busy from the day the closure was announced until I shut the doors; there is irony there... turns out the key to success is failure), packed up the shop and said good bye. We went away down South with friends where we got a tan, burned our lungs at a foam party and survived getting stuck on a reef... The reef incident is a long story that will certainly get exaggerated every time we tell it, so in a decade this will be the tale of how we survived a week at sea with only rum to sustain us. When we got back from vacation the only thing we had left to do before we handed back the keys to the old store was to take down the sign on the front of the building. That night, as Matt passed the sign down to me off the ladder, I thought to myself that it felt like this should be 'a moment'... but it wasn't. It was just what needed to be done. I wasn't sad or bitter, I was just fine.

And here we are early April... Can I just say that it feels good to feel good? Moving primarily in an online direction (Etsy link here... shameless but necessary promotion) was 100% the right move for me. I love my new work space at the studio. It's so pretty that I kinda pinch myself that I get to work there... Once I get a new window for the space (this week! finally...) I will have natural light and I can work so much more efficiently at listing fabulous vintage. I'll also throw a party once that window gets here. Since I opened three locations in 2.5 years, I feel like I cannot throw another opening party, so we'll call it a window party; we'll hang up lights everywhere and pop that champagne. I'm open to the public on Tuesdays and by appointment and online 24/7 thanks to the wonders of the world wide web. Retail is never going to be easy, that is a lesson I have learned over the years over and over again. And there are always bins of vintage that need to be cleaned, bins of vintage that need to be mended and bins on bins on bins of vintage that need to be photographed but I feel like The Edit has a stronger and more united aesthetic now. I love helping old pieces find new potential and making vintage something that is about quality and fabulousness, it does not have to be something intimidating.

You know how a few years ago it was a thing in the blog world to write a letter of advice to your 17 year old self? There's not much I would tell younger Yen to change because it's all part of the journey I guess. I would tell myself that my hair and make up skills get better but that's just as future encouragement. I should maybe also tell myself to curb my sharp tongue a little because sometimes jokes cut a little deeper than they need to when sarcasm is your first language. I would remind myself to trust in God's plan a little more. That things don't always work out exactly as you thought and things get hard but there is beauty in lessons learned and new paths.
And that guy you start dating when you are 17 (eek! so young!), who you thought was maybe a bad boy, making baller status $14/hour and driving that amazing Tercel? He's not even close to a bad boy. He's totally low-key and solid and funny and will take outfit pictures for you for years and help you set up three shops and encourage you every day... He was a good decision.

I would also let myself know about chin hairs and how I have to pluck them every morning these days. Not that there is much 17 year old Yen could have done about that in advance, I just would have appreciated a heads up on that aspect of aging... Youthful, starry-eyed 20 year olds, consider yourself warned;)