Retrospectives: A Montreal Textile Treasure, Maria Svatina

The art of the weaver has perhaps lost it's due respect in this age of mass produced textile products. Woven garments have become a tourist commodity, a novelty. Never was this more apparent than when I lived and worked in a rural village in Guatemala; the tourists (I at times among them) would swarm, snapping up intricate weavings for a fraction of what should be paid. Because I was so lucky to live next door to a weaver, for 5 months, I had a chance to witness the patient process of weaving on a back strap loom. In Guatemala women will spend weeks and months on individual pieces, working a few hours everyday when not attending to their other many household chores. Young girls start learning to weave from their mothers, grandmothers and aunts. Even so, the traditionally woven 'huipil' is becoming rarer. Some of my friends there were opting to buy a machine produced garment in order to save time and expense. Nothing can compare, of course, to the garment made by hand. For example, this stunning huipil from Santiago.

Currently we have a rare blouse in stock by the renowned Quebec artisan Maria Svatina. It warmly reminds me of the traditional huipiles worn by my Guatemalan friends. Born in Slovenia in 1934, Maria Svatina lives in Montreal where her tapestries have been displayed in many group exhibitions in Canada and the US. One-woman shows have been hosted by the Canadian Guild of Crafts (Quebec), the Canadian Gallery, Edmonton, and at the University of Sherbrooke, Quebec. Svatina is a recipient of many awards. One of her better known tapestries is a hommage to Montreal's 'Main,' Rue St. Laurent.

Blouse detail

Montreal’s Main Street, Technique: Weaving and knotting, Material: Wool, cotton and chenille, Size: Height 11 ft. Width 5 ft. (courtesy http://www.velvethighway.com)

As for the blouse I am sure I have never felt a handwoven item as soft as this. In a cream hue, with red and blue detail and fine lace bordering, it's sure to flatter almost anyone. A piece like this just does not go out of style because it can be worn with so many different outfits. Belt it! Pair this blouse with a skirt; it can be short or long. It'll look great paired with some fitted jeans, a pair of pretty flats or your favorite cowboys. You could also wear this blouse with a pair of jean short cutoffs (of which we have a fine selection in stock!). What's best of all is that with this blouse you will be a walking display of the rare weaving work of a celebrated Montreal artisan. So scurry in, snap it up, and be the envy of all vintage lovers!

Maria Svatina Blouse (silk and cotton) $40 in store

- Your vintage history buff, Meaghan

Vintage Pop: interview with Caesar Pony

We are forever fielding questions from shoppers looking for new places to satisfy their vintage cravings. This week, we will certainly know where to send them! Pop Montreal is back with the second edition of their hugely successful Vintage Pop pop-up sale. It will again bring together some of the cities finest vintage hunter/gatherers, all under one roof at 5143 St-Laurent blvd from April 2nd-9th.

We asked our friend Emily aka Caesar Pony, who will be among the vendors at Vintage Pop, to answer a few questions and give us a preview of what she will be bringing to this year's sale:

Who is Caesar Pony:

I worked in the fashion industry for years and found it very unfulfilling. So I started an Etsy shop on the side for fun. I’ve always loved to buy vintage clothing but didn’t realized it could be a career. When I finally quit my 9-5 I focused on vintage buying and selling fulltime. Caesar Pony recently moved into a studio in Mile-end making it possible to offer friends and customers the option to make an appointment for personal shopping.

What finds send your heart racing:

Spotting an amazing 60’s patterned fabric nestled between racks of new clothing. I also get a little weak in the knees when I discover an untouched thrift store in a small town miles from big city shoppers.

What recent trends do you find especially loathsome:

Most of my hatred revolves around leggings. The most obvious is leggings as pants, I don’t want to see anything above your thighs. Followed closely by Jeggings and wet-look leggings.

What’s the stupidest thing you've ever done in the name of vintage?

Once I put my sweater in the cart while shopping and realize when I get home that I re-bought it.

Tell us about some of your favourite things that will be at the sale this year:

1. A great black suede shoe and purse combo

I found them in the same store but they had been separated. I picked up the purse first then as I was walking out I did a double take on the shoe rack, a set! Yahoo. Shoes are $25 purse is $25

2. A sweet gold and brown jumper

It has pockets and a great collar for pop’n in the summer time. I found this last year at the end of the season and saved it for this spring. $31

3. A maxi raincoat tan

It’s a great piece on its own but then I realized it had a little pocked on the lining that you can fold the coat into and then simply carry as a bag. $ 28

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For more information on Vintage Pop visit Pop Montreal

Vist Caesar Pony on Etsy

Retrospectives: Full Skirts for Spring!

When working at the store, it's not unusual for me to fall in love with articles of clothing we have in stock; however, it's always fun to happen upon an unexpected favorite. This beautiful denim skirt by the notorious knockoff-designer Jack Mulqueen made me swoon! In the 1980s Mulqueen was infamous for his uncanny ability to copy designs by Ungaro, Yves Saint Laurent, Claude Montana, Valentino and Giorgio Armani - for a fraction of the price of course! During his heyday, stores like Bloomingdales would carry both Mulqueen's knockoffs and the real thing. He was one of the best (and most detested) copy artists of the design world, prompting Armani himself to grumble that, "He's a high-class thief—he knows just what to steal." Steal someone's heart in this glorious piece of design-knockoff history!

Jack Mulqueen Vintage Denim Skirt (size 8) $25 in store

If it's the real thing you're after, we have a lovely raspberry cordial coloured skirt by Laura Ashley. Working-class-woman-made-household-designer, Ashley was a secretary in the 1950s while raising her first two children, eventually starting quilt work, a craft she had learnt from her grandmother. She then began designing napkins, table mats and tea-towels in an attic flat in Pimilco, a small area of central London. Inspired by a display of traditional handicrafts at the Victoria & Albert Museum, and following the trend ignited by Audrey Hepburn, Ashley began designing headscarves using the Victorian patterns of which she was so fond; her classic feminine styles would become her company’s trademark. This vintage gem is made of cotton and is just perfect for sweltering summer days!

Laura Ashley vintage skirt $21 (size 6)

Last but not the least lovely, we have a vintage linen skirt by Georges Rech. Rech first emerged in the 1960s as one of the pioneers of Parisian ready-to-wear for women. "I don't like to shut a woman up in fabric," Rech mused (heavens no!) Thus his fame grew as a master designer of simple, relaxed, well-made, and affordable coats, suits, dresses, and separates. His clothing were destined for 'the contemporary French woman. ' I imagine picnicking with baguettes, wine and fine french cheeses while sporting this Rech beauty. I love the black and white checkered pattern, the roomy pockets, the side-detail of silver buttons and the breathable linen.

Vintage linen Georges Rech skirt (size 6) $24

To read more about Rech, visit: http://www.fashionencyclopedia.com/Fr-Gu/Georges-Rech.html

Until next time! Yours in vintage history,
Meaghan

Find "Found" at Annex Vintage

We now have all seven issues of Found Magazine in the store.

We are huge fans (being "finders" ourselves) of this yearly or so publication which collects together some of the weirder things you might find on a side-walk such as lost diaries entries, embarasing photographs, inexplicable art, and post-it threats.

We also recommend a visit to the very excellent Found website for the Found "Find of the Day". - Gen

Retrospectives: WilliWear

At Annex Vintage, spring fever has arrived. New stock is appearing on the racks all the time, and there were plenty of 'oohs and ahhs' when we brought out an eye-catching skirt by the vanguard designer Willi Smith. In true Smith style it features a loud jade-green pattern (below). The incredible flamencoesque derriere is a flattering touch. Willi Smith was one of the most famous designers of American style in the 1980s. The look he created anticipated the casual styles and attitudes of that decade and the one to follow: baggy trousers and shorts, slouchy sweaters and generously proportioned shirts.

"ooh-la-la!"

Smith's designs were known for being in touch with his times. It's mythologized that that when he was a child he often missed family curfews because of lingering too long at the Philadelphia Museum of Art or for spending untold hours sketching. As a young designer he often walked up and down New York City streets, his eye picking up strange color mixes or "attitudes" that people conveyed through what they wore and how they moved. He was quoted in Essence as saying that, "What is happening on the streets of New York is happening to me, so I put it right in the collection." The style that made Williwear famous - fatigue pants with an adjustable wrap waist (you know the ones!)- established him as one of the industry's most successful young black designers of the time.

The sportswear he created for WilliWear Ltd. in the 1970s and early 1980s was characterized by the relaxed and often over-sized look that defined his aesthetic of the era. Youthful and unfitted, his clothes featured unusual color combinations, and sometimes Smith took to matching plaids, stripes, and colors in single articles of clothing. He always wanted his clothes to utilize natural fibers and he was opposed to using expensive fabrics. He wanted to make clothing that was affordable, fun and functional- a true street-stylist!

By the mid-1980s Smith's clothes were hanging in over one thousand stores in the United States, as well as stores in London. By that time the company's designs were taking on a more traditional, tailored appearance as Smith decided to "mature" the look of his collections. In 1987 he designed the clothes worn at the wedding of Caroline Kennedy, President Kennedy's daughter.

Smith's friend and design partner, Laurie Mallet, continued in this trend after Smith's tragic death due to complications from AIDS in 1987 at the young age of 39. In his honor we thought we'd take this opportunity to show some love to the WilliWear of the eighties. Hurry in to nab this skirt and other vintage gems!

Thanks to Claudia, our fab shop-assistant and model.

Willi Smith Skirt $32 in store

until next week....
-Meaghan

Retrospectives: On Cacharel

Salut! Your vintage history 'post-mistress' (en français, une factrice) here. Each week I'll be telling the story of a vintage label in stock at the store for those of you interested in fashion history, or in snapping up unique designer labels. Today I'm taking a look at the French ready-to-wear label Cacharel, named for a small bird found in the in the Camargue region of France.

The story of Cacharel's coveted blouses began in 1958 when the son of a sewing machine salesman, Jean Bousquet, originally from Nîmes and fresh out of technical college with a tailoring qualification, established himself in the Paris fashion world working as a stylist. In 1957 he moved into a 6th floor apartment in a Haussmann designed building where he began a small-scale tailoring business designing women’s trousers.

His first collection in Paris debuted in 1962. Entitled "Blouse" it was applauded for its youthful, lightweight and colorful designs, discrete patterns and romantic styling. In November of 1963 a Cacharel seersucker blouse was featured on the cover of ELLE, projecting Bousquet's modern vision for women's wear to an international audience. The Cacharel label is generally accredited for introducing the seersucker blouse, a shirt for women that is easy and comfortable to wear, and the turtleneck to closets around the world.

Above: Jean Bousquet and model wearing his early designs, courtesy Cacharel

Presently at the Annex we have a charming, silk, vintage Cacharel blouse. True to Cacharel's aesthetic it is light, feminine, with delicate detailing. Pair it with a pair of skinny jeans or a tailored skirt. It's absolutely beguiling, don't you think? All of our items are one-of-a-kind and this is a rare find. Hurry in! And until next week, adieu. -La Factrice, a.k.a Meaghan

Vintage Cacharel Blouse (silk) $30 in store
Vintage skirt with belt $26 in store

backpack fever

Now that spring may finally (sort-of-kind-of) be here, people have been coming in looking for backpacks that have something more going for them, than the ability to hold books! Here are of some of the more special ones we've added to the store this week:

Thanks to lovely shop-assistant Sarah for being our backpack model and standing still so very well!

Pocket Finds: Special Values Flyer

This is the first entry in our "Pocket Finds" series! We often find truly wonderful, and occasionally horrifying stuff in the many pockets and nooks and crannies we end up going through. Someone taped this flyer to the sorting room wall some time ago. We're not exactly sure what pocket it came from but I like to envision a mad men type dress or a printed 60's luggage set. I looked up Richard Hudnut just out of curiosity, and it turns out he was some kind of turn-of-the-centry cosmetics magnate whose name came to be attached to a line early department store beauty products. The "fluid cloudsilk makeup" sounds a bit scary, but I'm definitely intrigued with the "flatter box" package and "egg cream shampoo". Delicious!

Go Stripes!

While the weather might remain stubbornly sub-zero, we have decked the store out in a nautical theme with loads of stripes!

We've been finding quite a few striped cotton tops and sweatshirts with Quebec themes, like this shirt from Perce (the town/park where the big rock with the hole in it is!)

very cute buttons on the shoulder!

or this lovely Quebec crested sweatshirt

this is a guys jacket but also very nice on kerry with the sleeves rolled up

Vintage Ralph Lauren jacket. Cotton, Men's size Medium.

Thanks to Kerry for being our lovely model!