New Spring 09 Colours of Vintage Inspired Designs
A few weeks ago we introduced you to our new line of Vintage Inspired Designs first in Antique Ivory, then in Onyx and. For Spring 09, these two additional hues inspired by the energy and joy of spring.
Bust 38 Waist 28 (Shown, other sizes and custom sizing available)
Cabaret presents the first of our new line of vintage inspired designs
For those of you who are regulars to our site, you may have seen this blue dress before. Since it arrived this winter many people have fallen in love with it from our window display and inside the store. However, it still hasn’t found the perfect home. We’ve had so many comments that maybe the fit or the colour isn’t a match – but that the style is a dream. So we decided to make the perfect dress for you – all to order.
This dress is the first of many of our all time favorite pieces that can be custom ordered in your preferred colour and fabric custom fitted to your body. We have two samples in store in ivory, the bow detail on this particular piece is available but not shown. We’ve altered the tailoring slightly to reflect the changes in bodyshape.
So if its for a very special evening, or a wedding we can make it perfect for your needs. Contact us for details.
Queen of Hearts
Queen of Hearts – A Romance with Queen West
Nine special boutiques in West Queen West hosted a fanciful evening of drinks, gifts and plenty of fun for a pre-Valentines celebration. This wonderful event was the creation of Victoria McPhedran, one of the owners of the incredibly stylish GreenShag. The Night far exceeded any of our expectations. At one point I went to check on things at Heel Boy and it looked more like a packed nightclub than a store in the dead of winter. This was the scene at each of the boutiques that participated in this first annual event, which included, Heel Boy, Neat, GreenShag, Cabaret, Spice Trader, Zilliotto, Come As You Are, Simon Carter, and The Olive Pit.
The evening was essentially a simple tour of each of the shops where you could have a drink, some munchies and get the event pass stamped. Once you got all nine stamps, you received a gift package from all the shops worth over $300. Happy shoppers could hardly believe it. It was amazing to see the reactions and hear the feedback. One client emailed, “What a great event! Fun was had by all…hope that it was worth all the work that you put into it!” and another wrote, “I attended the Queen of Hearts Event and I want to express how impressed I was with the idea. I had an amazing time…”
The event was by invitation only through the mailing lists of all the stores, but it seemed like everyone brought friends. This was really about fun and friends and is what Victoria’s brilliant idea captured. Bringing this event together with these wonderful shop owners for our clients – many our friends – sparked a renaissance for me and, I believe, all of West Queen West. My Dad use to visit the new shops in the area and welcome them, keep in touch with everyone with words of encouragement, and make it feel like a neighbourhood. I miss this, and many of the owners on Queen tell me the same. Queen West is home to great shops and restaurants, because it is home to great people. I am so grateful to reconnect with everyone on this project and look forward to the fun we will continue to create together. To stay in touch with us, check out our websites or join our mailing lists.
See you soon,
Tao
Happy New Year! Previews and Thank yous
Previews and Thank yous
An exciting year is ahead of us, around the world and right here at home. There is a lot to look forward to and lots to look back on. This year was a full one for Cabaret. We were involved with more charities, parties, proms, weddings, and festivals than ever, while providing more high fashion vintage for our dear clients, designers, and collectors and launching our new website. We had our first ever Foreplay @ Cabaret party for the Sex and the City movie and our first Nuit Blanche party, both were fun and fabulous. We also provided wardrobe for theatre, including Soul Pepper productions and the hit musical Dirty Dancing, and Film and TV, including the upcoming feature Amelia, starring Hillary Swank. We will be growing even more this year! Looking ahead, we will be helping the growing number of girls and women looking for semi-formal and formal dresses for proms, galas, and weddings as well as the increasing requests of brides looking for a beautiful vintage wedding gown. These clients are all seeking the uniqueness, quality, and high fashion style that our vintage collection offers. We cannot forget our men though. Our large selection of vintage suits is always extremely popular for the guys, and this year we will be focusing on all the details for our men of style. The new Custom Biltmore Hats, our vintage, shirts, jackets, ties, ascots, and cufflinks all add that undeniable and enviable element of attraction.
Here are some other highlights for 2009. We have been collaborating with the fantastic photoghrapher, Sara Angelucci, for her upcoming exhibit in Contact, the largest photography festival in the world, in May. We will also be working with the Drake Hotel and the Gladstone Hotel on several packages to look out for. Cabaret will have events again for Mother’s Day, The Film Festival (TIFF), Nuit Blanche, and a Foreplay Party. If you would like more information on our upcoming events please join our guest list and watch out for our great vintage treasures available directly from our website to shop online soon!
The New Year always signals reflection to me so, to close last year and this letter I would like to thank my family, my friends, the Queen West neighbours, Labl, Lorenzo, Harley, Bernard, France, Sarah and Michelle. And special thanks to Elizabeth, Jason, Rose, Matt, and Natasha for your help and support in Cabaret. And Finally, you, our dear clients!
May 2009 be your best year ever!
Sincerely,
Tao
Happy Holidays
A Gift of Love
At the risk of sounding extremely sappy, the holidays, to me, are about family and friends, giving and gratitude, and ultimately Love. Hopefully everyone is touched by the undeniable, unsurpassed feeling of love often in their lives, but the Holidays seem to open our hearts even a little wider than usual. It’s so uplifting to get caught up in the spirit of this time of year, with family get-togethers and visits with old friends or a cozy night in watching a Christmas Classic. I think that is one of the appeals of Cabaret during the holidays. When you step through the door, it can be like stepping through the Silver Screen into “A Miracle on 34th Street” or “It’s a Wonderful Life”.
People are engulfed by the nostalgia, the mood, and start to smile as they are filled with the warmth of their own fond memories. I love watching it happen. Sometimes it is as if they are in another world, completely enchanted by the vintage party dresses and gowns; the men’s robes, smoking jackets and scarves; items of such elegance and style that the imagination is immediately inspired.From here the magic begins, the discovery of the perfect gift. Cabaret carries nothing solely practical.
Cabaret is about the special, the unique, and the treasured! I look forward to seeing this happen over and over again: the girlfriend sneaking back without her boyfriend to grab the cufflinks, the husband slipping us his credit card and saying “quick, quick, please before she sees!” and the mother proudly smiling as she pictures her daughter’s expression when she opens the gift. Every year we get to see incredibly thoughtful givers, whole-hearted givers, and great surprises- in-the-making! We love this time to celebrate the magic of Family, the one we have and the one we make, the close of one year and the beginning of a new one.We cherish the chance to be a part of your giving and getting this year and every year. Thank you!
Our Holiday hours are a little different this year. We will be closed Dec. 24th, 25th, 26th, Jan. 1. We will be open 11am – 4pm on Dec. 31st in case you need that last-minute New Year’s sizzle.
If you need to shop beyond our regular hours, please call us at 416.504.7126 so we can accommodate you, by appointment.
Best of the Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!
Love,
Tao
Cabaret