Melissa McClelland at Lilith Fair in her 1950s Cabaret Vintage Dress

Melissa McClelland at Lilith Fair in her 1950s Cabaret Vintage Dress

“I have a brand new floral 1950’s dress to add to my Cabaret collection. It was the perfect, summery choice for my Lilith shows across North America.  For every comment I got on my lovely dress (& I got many!) I was sure to sing the praises of my favorite Toronto vintage shop – Cabaret Vintage in Toronto.  The folks at Cabaret dressed me for my wedding & they have dressed me for the stage & now my closet is oh so pretty.”

Cabaret Vintage Streetstyle: Melinda

Melinda chooses to look fabulous to pick up her Scott Pilgrim tickets

Melinda is one of our winners for the Scott Pilgrim screening tickets we had for giveaway.  When she came in the store with her perfect haircut and fantastic outfit just had to add her to the Streetstyle Section.

The cutest fabric pin that works so well with this sweater

Top off head to toe chic with chic little slippers as well.

Scott Pilgrim vs The World: Vintage/Retro Style Inspired Looks

We love the vintage retro style in Scott Pilgrim vs The World

I think its an understatement to say, that we really enjoyed Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s character Ramona Flowers in her new movie Scott Pilgrim vs The World.  It was fantastic to see a film that not only used authentic Toronto locales but also had a hint of authentic Toronto street-style as well.  We’ve picked out a few pieces from our racks that wouldn’t be out of place in the closets of either Scott or Ramona.

5 Do’s and Don’ts for packing your bridal purse

Cabaret Vintage Beaded Original 1960's Evening Purse

1 – Handkerchief (Sadly no – paper tissues cannot be substituted) The reason for this will be seen in final photographs when little bits of white paper maybe stuck to your forehead.  It has happened before to many a bride’s dismay.  Vintage handkerchiefs also give the opportunity to add something old on the walk down the aisle in a discrete way as well as make a fantastic keepsake for generations to come.  One of our Cabaret Brides had the fantastic idea of finding a variety of handkerchief in different styles with vintage monograms of the initials of her bridal party.  They make a great last minute favor to the others who are part of the day.

2- Tinted Lip gloss (Not lipstick)  Its tempting to reapply colour throughout the day however, unless you are applying complete face throughout the day, while your cheek and eye clour fade with wear, the tone of your lips will outshine the rest of your face.  So if you only intend to touch up your lips throughout the day just keep it to a tinted lip gloss that coordinates with your base colour – with all the kissing and smiling your lips will thank you for the extra moisture.  To keep your colour throughout the day try a lipstain colour as the base instead.

3 – 3 feet of Dental floss (But not the whole package)  Why dental floss you may ask?  Because your wedding day unfortunately is usually the one day of your life that you will somehow get something stuck in your teeth sadly and usually your venue will not be conveniently located next to a drug store.  One customer told us of her attending a wedding of a co-worker where she got a piece of salmon sashimi stuck in her teeth early in the cocktail reception.  This lead to desperately looking for loose threads on her outfit  in a washroom stall to remedy the situation.  Best way to travel with it: wrap a length around a couple of hair pins instead of caring the whole package and taking up precious purse space.

4. Hairpins (Not multicoloured or metallic)  Just 4 or 5 will do in a colour that compliments your hair – so no metallics.  Even the most coiffed of hairstyles sometimes flop under the pressure of having to stay perfect for an entire day under lights, humidity, sitting in gazebos in the park, and dancing with uncles.  Just a few hairpins will ensure that your veil or headpiece stays in place along with any stray hairs.

5. A happy memory (This can be anything)  We’ve heard of ticket stubs from a first date, a friendship bracelet from a best friend, or a piece of fabric from something you both have shared.  When all is said and done, even an event with 5 or 500 people really just comes down to 2.  Take something down the aisle that always reminds you of this and really it will help with keeping everything in perceptive if the car arrives late, the cake is tilted, or your hair goes flat.  It always just comes down to 2.

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*Have any of your own must haves?  Comment below and let us know.

Wedding Purses – Something old or something gold

A selection of vintage purses from the 1950s to 70s

On the bride’s special day there are many final touches that come to mind that should be addressed such as “What shoes to wear? ”  ”What kind of veil?” but one that is frequently forgotten is – “Where do I put the tissues that I most likely will need?”  An impromptu survey of some of our former brides says usually it ends up in the cleavage.  Not the classiest start to one of the most fabulous events of your life.

While some dresses, including our Cabaret Collection Grace Kelly Dress have pockets – some don’t, and often its the bridesmaid’s duty to hold the collection of must haves as the bride walks down the aisle.

For purses, there are a quite a few choices that are available for both the bride and bridal party.  There are clutches, which frequently have a concealed shoulder strap that can be used if both hands are needed for a task; such as welcoming your guests.  Delicate wrist straps are also a good choice as your purse will always be handy and can accentuate your outfit.

When it comes to colour or fabrication there are a variety of ways to go.  In most boutiques these days it seems to be en vogue to go for satin or silk covered purses that blend into the dress to become discrete.  We however think that adding a bit of vintage distinction is a great way to go.  A white beaded bag adds shine to look and can be a good size to hold all the neciessites.

Cabaret Vintage Bride's Purse in Beads and Sequin

The advantage of also going with a shimmering white that is of varied construction (beads and or sequin) is that there is a spectrum of colours reflected in the overall purse making it easy to coordinate with a variety of dresses in case the bride is wearing white, winter white, antique white, ivory, taupe or darker.

Cabaret Vintage Gold Purse

Within our Queen Street store we’ve found a lot of cocktail brides leaning towards metallics as their fabric of choice for their wedding purse.  In particular, our selection of gold purses are very popular.   We are very lucky to have in store a variety of styles from the 1940’s to the 1970’s such as the purse shown above.  Many brides seem to love the fact that they are investing in a vintage piece that is not only a fabulous accent for the wedding day, but a great evening piece that can be worn for years to come at a variety of events.

Bonus, with a vintage purse you’ve already crossed one item off a wedding to do list:  Something old and something fabu.