How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Vintage Shoes

For years, despite my love of vintage clothing, I always steered clear of the shoe section when vintage shopping. The idea of wearing someone else's shoes, and not knowing how to sufficiently clean them seemed, for lack of a better word… icky. A few years ago I was thrifting, and came across a pair of black slouchy leather boots that I LOVED. Yes, they had belonged to someone else, but suddenly I was able to justify trying them on. They fit perfectly, and looked great. Squeamishness be damned - I had to have them! 

I have since amassed a sizeable collection of second-hand footwear, and because I'm such a cheap-o, my vintage and thrifted shoes and boots are among my most prized, and best quality footwear. A few things to keep in mind if you're thinking about perusing the shoe racks at the next swap you attend:

1. Check for wear. 
Shoes conform to the feet of the wearer, so shoes that are misshapen or whose soles have uneven wear and tear can be bad for your feet. I always check the upper, inside the shoe, and the soles, as well. If you are a bit squeamish about wearing someone's old shoes, confirming there's no wear to the soles can also be reassuring.

2. Ignore sizing. 
Just eyeball it. When buying/swapping vintage, you often don't know where the shoes came from - country, era, even gender sometimes. I recently picked up an awesome pair of grey ankle boots in a size 6. UK size 6, men's 6 - who knows? I was just pleased to find that they comfortably fit my size 8 1/2 feet.

3. Clean 'em. 
As well as the usual weatherproofing and polishing, I like to spray some deodorizer inside the shoes for good measure. Baking soda works as well. Just remove it with a damp cloth before putting them on. I also like to get shoes that are teensy bit too big when possible, so I can stick some insoles in, to soothe my neurotic germaphobe soul.

4. Get creative. 
Not really shoe specific - this is something advisable for swap finds in general. When you get something for free, trying a DIY re-do is a pretty low-risk proposition. The idea of re-vamping shoes is less likely to occur to people, though. Although re-styling possibilities are limited compared to what's possible with clothing (unless you've got some cobbling experience), it's amazing what can be done with a bit of paint, fabric, and sequins. Check out our Footwear DIY Pinterest board for inspiration.

Are there any great second-hand shoe tips I've missed? If so, please share in the comments!

Tweet

Swap Events This Week: April 1-7, 2013

Saturday, April 6
Really Really Free Market Toronto 
10am-6pm
Campbell Park (near Lansdowne Station)
Not exactly a swap, as there's no obligation to bring anything, but definitely an event that should appeal to swap fans. People bring what they have to give, take what they need, and leave the rest. It’s kind of like a potluck, but for goods and services! 


Sunday, April 7 
Clothing Swap/Wardrobe Refresh
2:30pm-5pm
Dovercourt House (north of Bloor)
Clothes, shoes, accessories, books, jewelry, etc. are welcome. 
Admission: $5 (goes to C4P animal rescue)

Check out our Events page for more upcoming Toronto swap events. 

Tweet

Oh, Cotton!

While scavenging through piles of clothing at a rummage sale recently, I came across a fun graphic 80’s style t-shirt, that was way too big for me, but had some DIY boxy cropped-tee potential. When I got it home, I was amused to see the label – Cotton Ginny! As a child of the 80s, I fondly remember the over-sized logo-ed sweatshirts and hot pink leggings of my youth. I wondered – whatever happened to Cotton Ginny? Do they still exist? Have they thought to capitalize on the 80s/90s revival? This, of course, led me down a Canadian 80s retailer Internet rabbit hole. 

Pricey Cotton Ginny Look-alikes by Splendid, MSGM and Alice + Olivia

Yes, it turns out, Cotton Ginny does in fact still exist. No, they are not capitalizing on the resurgence of ‘fashion’ sweatshirts and leggings as pants. Why? God knows. They should be in the midst of a grand resurgance. Instead, they’re half-assing it as on online retailer, all of their brick and mortar locations having closed ages ago due to bankruptcy (damn those fickle customers! Stirrup pants 4evr!).  Their site looks so sad and abandoned – prominently advertising their fall 2012 collection, with an About Us section that says ‘Coming soon…’. Really? How is it possible that a company who have existed for 34 years can't come up with anything to say about their business? They carry a small selection of mumsy clothing in drab colours, with nary an 3X in sight. I remember Cotton Ginny Plus flourishing for a while, even as their original line lost popularity over the years, but their current line maxes out at XL. 

Even boring Beaver Canoe has made a comeback

Sadly, I wasn’t able to find any Cotton Ginny ads from their heyday, but my exercise in procrastination research, did lead me to Au Coton. I had always considered them to be Cotton Ginny’s slightly lamer counterpart, but they seem to have a much bigger online presence.  They even have a Facebook group for former employees. Their site advertises a new collection coming this Spring (although I’m guessing ‘this Spring’ isn’t actually this Spring), with non-functioning twitter, facebook and RSS links. It’s too bad, because the vintage 80s pic on their site definitely suggests their trying to use nostalgia to their advantage. If only they would follow through…

The 80's: So much colour! So much fun! So much fabric!

It’s particularly unfortunate that Cotton Ginny isn’t seizing this opportunity. They have the retro nostalgia /much neglected plus-sized market double-whammy going for them. Ignoring this seems like such a missed opportunity to be seen as relevant again.

Oh well, there's always Etsy

Fashion revivals only last so long – grunge is already back, and soon enough the runways will be teeming with phat pants and neon fun fur everything. In the meantime, maybe their new Islamabad location will be a success…?

Tweet

Refresh Your Spring Wardrobe with some DIYs

Spring is almost here, so it's the perfect time to start thinking about what to do with the winter clothes that (as-is) aren't worth storing for next year. Here's some DIY inspiration:

Boot Cuffs from a Sweater (Petit Elefant)
A great idea for sweaters that are pilling or moth hole-y, but still have useable cuffs. Sure, you won't really need boot cuffs for much longer, but they take up so little space, packing them up for the fall is no biggie.

Tassel Boot (P.S. I made this)
Booties will still be in season for a while, so why not update yours with some cute fringe?

Floral Painted Purse (studs and pearls)
A little floral enhancement is a great way to amp up a cute purse for Spring. I'm excited to try this in with a less high-contrast combo than the tutorial. Black and lavender is a good look, but I think the subtlety of tone-on-tone paint job would work well too.

Crop Top (Melissa Esplin)
Short shirts are in for Spring, so if you have the confidence, take a pair of scissors to some of your long tops.

Colour-blocked Trousers (Adventures in Dressmaking)
...and while you're at it, why not revamp your boring old khakis?

Sweatshirt Dress (Prudent Baby)
This is probably more of an early Spring/Fall dress, but check out So, 'Zo... What Do You Know? for ideas on Spring-ifying it.

Tweet

Review: N/A Collective Co-ed Clothing Swap

Last weekend I checked out  the Co-ed Clothing Swap, organized by N/A collective and Shop My Clothes. The rules were a bit different from any other swap I’ve been to before – it was free to attend, but the clothing on offer was for sale. Swappers were asked to bring a bag of clothing, which they could exchange for 2 tickets to use towards new swap finds. Any additional items found were $5 each (or a bit less for the items in bins). I was initially a little put off by the idea of having to pay for each item of clothing donated to the swap (and the idea of the organizers profiting from the individual items of clothing I brought), but I was won over by the possibility of some cool vintage finds.

Down a little alleyway at Brock and Dundas, the studio was a bit hard to find (for less observant types such as myself, who missed the sandwich board on Dundas advertising the event - oops), but upon entering was met with a very well merchandised space, that had the feel of a tiny cute vintage boutique. There were a few tables and baskets, flanked by clothing racks on either side of the room. Men’s clothing was on one side of the narrow studio, women’s on the other. I was initially a bit disappointed by the selection, although that was mostly due to being an unlucky size at this particular event. There were some great pieces (both older vintage items and newer mall-store labels) in the 8-12 size range, and a few really great XS finds. Unfortunately the 4-6 range it was mostly H&M and Forever 21 cast-offs, none very appealing. I did manage to find a great shoulder bag, and sheer black 1980s secretary blouse with some cool asymmetrical detailing. Despite my initial curmudgeonliness about the cost, I ended up feeling guilty about leaving without spending any money, so I also picked up a cream-coloured mini with metal studs on the shoulders (which is cute, if a little too small).

In the end the concept actually did kind of grown on me. I was forced to be a bit pickier than usual, so a few items I was considering, but was a bit iffy on (and probably would have taken if it had been a straight item for item swap) ended up, thankfully, back on the racks. I’m also very excited about the two items I settled on (the third, not so much, but you can’t win ‘em all). It's also a good option for people who have nothing to swap, but are hoping to find some cheap wardrobe additions. The atmosphere was nice and relaxed; there was a makeshift changing area in the back, and some snacks for sale, as well. It was an all-day affair (11am-6pm), with people trickling in and out, so it seemed like the kind of swap that would merit a few visits throughout the day. Also worth noting was the men’s selection – it was pretty sizable, and better than what’s on offer at most swaps I’ve attended.

All-in-all, I was a pretty happy swapper. I entered with slight trepidation, but left with a smile (and an awesome new bag!). Definitely a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Check out their site (or our Events page) for info on upcoming N/A swaps.

Tweet

February is for Lovers... Fashion Lovers!

The post-valentine's edition of Swap - Don't Shop! is just around the corner! 

Show up with $8 and the clothes you no longer want, and you'll get a ticket for each good quality item you bring (max. 30 tickets). Each ticket can then be redeemed for a new swap find.

The swap starts at noon, but feel free to arrive any time after 11am to drop off your clothes.

As usual, there will also be snacks, diy tips and on-site alterations.

All clothing, shoes, and other accessories (with the exception of socks & undies) that are clean and in good condition are welcome.

Swap - Don't Shop Clothing Swap Party
12pm - 4pm
Beaver Hall Gallery
29 McCaul St.
Admission: $8

At the end of the day, all of the clothing that is left will be donated to local charities.

Tweet

H&M Launches Clothing Recycling Program

Good news for eco-conscious fast fashion fans - clothing chain H&M is getting into the recycling game. Starting February 13, the clothing giant will be implementing a recycling program in select stores across all of its 48 markets. People will be able to bring in their unwanted clothing (any item, any condition - they don't even need to be h&m brand), receiving a $5 voucher towards new purchases.

According to H&M "Every year, tons of textiles are thrown out with domestic waste and end up in landfill. As much as 95% of these clothes could be used again; re-worn, reused or recycled — depending on the state of the garment. Long-term, H&M wants to reduce the environmental impact of garments throughout the lifecycle and create a closed loop for textile fibers." It's great that they are concerned about recycling existing clothes, but this concern is contradicted by their clothing production practices. They sell over 550 million garments every year, with a weekly to bi-weekly turnover of stock. Recycling is important, but continually producing new garments, often designed not to last more than a season or two is more than a little environmentally irresponsible (even if they do increase the number of garments made from recycled materials).

Clothing collected will be processed by I:Collect, a partner of H&M. Although the environmental benefits of recycling clothing are clear, I can't help but wonder if clothing that otherwise would have been donated to charities, will end up in the h&m bins instead. Hopefully will think to donate to those in need first, but the program is still a good option though for items that aren't in good enough condition to be worth donating to a local charity.

H&M is the first clothing retailer to launch a worldwide recycling program, but recycling is already pretty prevalent in certain types of retail - electronics and cosmetics in particular. Here's a selection of independent and chain retailers with recycling initiatives:

Clothing:
Secrets from your Sister
Each February, the Toronto bra boutique has a 'Dead Bra Day' sale, where shoppers can bring in their old gently used bras for a 25% discount on a new bra. The collected bras are then donated to charity.

A.P.C.
Available in the US, Europe, and Japan, the Butler Worn Out series, allows customers to return their old A.P.C. jeans for a 50% discount on new jeans. The old jeans are then washed, repaired if necessary, marked with the initials of the previous owner, and re-sold at A.P.C.  stores under the Butler moniker.

Patagonia
The American retailer encourages customers to return any Patagonia clothing that is no longer wearable for recycling.

NewlyMaid
When a little black dress is purchased from the American online dress shop, a prepaid mailer is sent to the customer, allowing them to  donate their of old bridesmaid (or other formal) dress. Donated dresses are donated to charity or upcycled.

Shoes:
Nike / Converse (reuse a shoe)
Many Nike and Converse stores accept donations of worn-out athletic shoes, which are then recycled. The recycled materials are used for Nike products and creating athletic and playground surfaces.

Naya
The shoe company has partnered with soles4souls with their Renew Your Soles program. Customers who donate a pair of gently worn shoes receive $20 off an $80 purchase at shoes.com.

Cosmetics:
Khiel's
They have a Recycle and be Rewarded program, where customers get a stamp for every full sized Khiel's container they return. 3 stamps gets you a new lip balm, 5 yields a travel collection product, for 10 stamps you get a full sized product, and with 10 empties you get all 3.

M.A.C.
With their Back to M.A.C. program, customers receive a free lipstick for every 6 M.A.C. containers they return.

London Drugs
The Western Canadian drug stores have bins allowing people to recycle beauty product boxes. The materials are processed by TerraCycle and then used towards items such as park benches and garbage bins.

Origins
This company accepts any brand of cosmetics containers for recycling.

Electronics:
Many Electronics retailers offer discounts to people who donate their old devices. A few examples:

Apple

The Source

Best Buy

Other:
Mountain Equipment Co-op
The Canadian camping and outdoors equipment store doesn't have a recycling program per se, but they do have an online gear swap, where people can buy, sell or trade in old equipment.

Tweet