MacNeil curates the stock by combing the Eastern Seaboard

Tag : Print Pillowcase

The price range is friendly; for $15 to $200, a shopper can score acanary-coloured Cecil Chapman cocktail jacket of the heavy Asiansilk the French designer was famous for introducing, a 1970sT-shirt from a U.S. Midwestern softball league or a pair ofnever-worn wedge-heeled sandals appliquéd with suns andflowers.
"Hopefully what people will feel in the store is, 'I can't believewhat I found and no one else has it!' " owner Chelsey MacNeil says.Such finds could include a Lanvin sleeveless, collared go-go dressin a big, bold orange, lime and white retro floral ($70) or a pairof stiletto heels in camouflage/paisley with zippered sides. Theshop also carries Coach and Gucci bags ($60 to $100) and itsbusiness-casual selection includes Valentino and Escada.
Male clients, meanwhile, can snap up the wacky, embroidered cowboyshirts, high-end ties (a favourite of the local legal community) orpieces from California-based Particle, which reworks vests, shirtsand coats with screen prints and cutouts.
MacNeil curates the stock by combing the Eastern Seaboard; thestore also has suppliers on mainland Canada and in the U.S., allcognizant of her commitment to using every scrap of fabric in everypossible way.
The store's line of aprons, for instance, features combos such as aNew Kids on the Block pillowcase with a salvaged Pierre Cardin wrapdress ($24).
Sech Designs, a featured line by St. John's-based Sara Hodder, isalso composed of found and rescued fabric, including a pink tankwith black detailing, a reversible black shift and a structured topwith elaborate Japanese-style ties, along with bracelets made ofcloth scraps.
The inventory is constantly replenished, and the mannequins aredressed twice a day, partly because the wares they sport sell sofast and partly because the staff enjoys playing with differentperiods of fashion. (One recent example paired a brown, pleated,leopard-print-trimmed 1940s skirt with a sexy corset Madonna wouldbe happy to don while cavorting in her next video.)
MacNeil and company created the space from scratch, doing their owncarpentry, placing the track lighting and installing the displayinfrastructure.
Big colour photographs by local artists highlight significantpieces modelled by staff. A back wall is painted with a mural ofwhite dandelion fluff arcing across a field of cool blue.
The decor includes a 1970s black-and-white modular chair thatMacNeil found in a Habitat Restore and a mix of vintage lamps withsuch period icons as a 1950s coffee percolator.
Two big, green curtained dressing rooms open into an area whereshoppers can vogue their selections and discuss them withcompanions.
"I don't like feeling like I'm changing in a bathroom stall,"MacNeil says. "And feeling comfortable is key to vintage."