Cozette

Ruins opened on Thursday night to a swarming crowd of shoppers and music lovers, Little Girls having played a set in the dimly lit backyard.

Owned by Mikey Apples and Josh Reichmann, the shop (960 Queen West) offers unisex clothing – both vintage and new – as well as accessories, music, literature, and art.  Opening Ceremony, Assembly New York, and Patrik Ervell are but a few of the lines that will be carried in the black roofed boutique.

Having survived the uneven garden terrain in five-inch swede stilettos, a few of us headed to OddFellows for drinks with Briony and her dad from Vancouver.

I’ve been collecting vintage sewing patterns for years and recently started the hunt for corresponding vintage fabrics. It was fate that I found Stella Dallas Living in Williamsburg.

Having opened next to their main clothing boutique, the shop has more vintage fabric than I’ve ever seen. There are three main sections – curtains, bedding, and yardage – each of which is organized according to fabric type. It was so fun to sift through the shelves and daydream about my projects. I could have spent the whole day there, sketchbook in one hand and tape measure in the other.

I can’t believe it took me so long to discover Junk in Williamsburg. The space is enormous and yet overcrowded with clothing, furnishings, and home accessories from all eras at great prices.

I unearthed some real gems, including a bronze birdcage and carved wood doll house, which made it so hard to exercise restraint. I guess I’ll just have to move to New York.

Weekends in New york are all about fresh croissants and flea markets, like the weekly sale at One Hanson in Williamsburg.

I was so happy to find this vintage red lace dress.

Heading back to Bedford, we stumbled across a great pop-up sale on 6th.

My best discovery was a whimsical line of jewelry by Georgia Varidakis. She does beautiful work with cross-cut crystals as well as cast objects, like broken wishbones and coral clusters.

Thursday evening got off to a great start, thanks to House of Vintage’s Dennis Adamidis. A selection of friends and clients were invited to peruse his Parkdale shop over drinks, a full bar having been set up along the front counters.

No better way to survive the humidity than with a glass of chilled blueberry sangria!

Last Saturday was spent lounging around Loft 404 while my sister, Jordana, did a creative photo shoot. I was brought along as the stylist, but I spent most of the afternoon riffling through this visual feast of a space.

Genna (pictured below) used to share the studio with an artist, who continues to exhibit his work throughout the house. Rather than taking on a new roommate, however, Genna decided to transform her home into a venue/studio space for photographers, artists, event planners etc. Check out her site, because she’s always planning something new and innovative.

Jordana and I had so much fun putting together her looks. I love combining different wardrobes, because the visual conversation that emerges is often unexpected.

Here, Jordana wore her own dress, my 1970s necklace from The Stella Antiques Show in NYC as well as a Cozette hat and shoes.

1960s Italian lambs wool hat and vintage white fur jacket with pink silk lining

On Saturday night, I hosted a massive Cozette sale at my loft on Lansdowne. I love having parties, because it’s rare to have all my friends in one place.

Brett and Emilia

This is one of several dresses I altered for the event. I brought the hemline up by 8″ and then used some of the extra fabric to make a hair bow. So adorable! It’s amazing how small alterations can totally change a piece.

Aria scored this amazing tropical dress from my collection. We accessorized her find with a hair piece from my Poppy collection and a vintage necklace I purchased in Barcelona a couple summers ago.

Emma in one of my faux fur coats.

Jose of Funktion Gallery and his lovely girlfriend, new dress in tote

Kealan was so happy with her purchases, all of which are accompanying her to Paris this month.