My walk home, last night. And other things.

i'm horrible at keeping surprises. somehow, yesterday, when my daughter's aunt texted me to say that she was in town and invited us to have dinner at her hotel, mum was the word. i even made up some story just in case the attendants in the lobby asked me who i wanted to see. the covert ops mission was a success and, when the suite door opened, my kids stood there in stunned silence for a full three seconds before bursting into a staccato of happy, high-pitched and incoherent syllables. it's important to have a "cool" aunt when we're growing up and i'm glad my daughter has this one, from her dad's side given that all of my sisters are fourteen and younger. (my favourite aunt and i are still super close and i think about her almost every day).

after our take-out dinner and brief catch-up session, i decided to stroll through downtown with the kids for a bit. i tend to avoid ste-catherine street this time of year, even if the holiday lights are so pretty, but it was passed nine and i was confidant that most shoppers had retired for the night. 

i was right. :-)

we went to chapters so that i could grab a decaf coffee and break a twenty for bus change. i couldn't possible walk by the discount book section without perusing... after ten minutes i was content with a book on the victorian tailor and another one on the battle at waterloo. i was about to turn around and go home when i figured the kids were being quiet enough. i rounded the corner and bam! i found an amazing book on marlene dietrich that is normally sold for close to one hundred dollars and it was priced at a wonderful $19.99 CAD. i was happy with this when my daughter, knowing what inspires her mom, pulled out another hardcover book on all things art deco, also priced at $19.99 CAD and normally priced at about $15.00 more. 

i'm so thrilled!

the marlene dietrich book is still in it's plastic and i'll have a lovely date with it and a few glasses of wine, sometime in the next few weeks. despite how her daughter's biography permanently skewed the way i view marlene, this book is one of my prized possessions for sure, now. someone had unraveled another copy and i got to peak inside and the glimpses i got were, of course, breathtaking. 

i'll have another date with the art deco book soon, too. i'd been planning on taking out pretty much anything related to this from my local library, next month, for design inspiration. 

we passed by many shops on our way to the bus stop and two windows, in particular, caught my eye and i was a bit shocked, given their source.

years ago, in my early twenties, i worked at mexx, on ste-catherine west. there are two on that street and i worked at the one that is not connected to the mall chain. i needed a job, any job, and so i walked in one day, was interviewed and hired on the spot. dear god, am i not built to work at the bottom of the retail chain. also, that particular mexx was a cesspool for frustrated people who needed to take their shit out on people below them in the chain of command. 

for starters, there was this crazy bonus system and, as soon as i figured it out and started to make sales, i was sent do to work in the stock room (with down-to-earth people i preferred) but those hours still counted as sales hours because of my official title and so my sales average lowered and i would always make a fraction of what i should have, given my sales. and i had two toddlers to feed. when i called them on this, i was told to find another job if i wasn't happy. 

in addition to this, i had one visible tattoo at the time. one. when our roof was being redone and our air conditioning was out for a week, in the middle of a particularly muggy summer (they're all like that now, it seems), i figured i could walk around in a sleeveless top because my assistant manager had a huge tramp stamp and did everything she could so that her shirt would lift and everybody could see how cool she was. i was reprimanded and told to wear my blazer, even though i would sweat.

my biggest pet peeve was that i was made to, for all intents and purposes, harass customers until they  were ready to tell me off. it was too bad because, when left to my own devices, i was an excellent seller. i still am. i've sold everything from wallets to leather jackets to mexx' generally sub-standard clothing to real estate because i'm honest. i will tell you if that pair of pants doesn't work and i will glow and grin and share my happiness with you, if you look amazing in them. that's it, that's all.

there was this one customer. i thought she was beautiful, in an offbeat way, with her dark hair, cat-like eyes, wide mouth and generous curves, so it was my pleasure to offer her my assistance. she shrugged me off so i went to pretend to rearrange a table of tank tops for the seventieth time that day. my manager came over and asked me to go and ask the customer if i could help her. i told her i already had and she glared at me, "encore" she said, in french. one word was all she cared to dispense. i returned and the customer asked me to kindly leave her alone. can you believe that my manager sent me in for a third round, in which i tried to buy time by telling the woman that she looked like janeane garofalo. then she yelled at me. it was at that moment that i remember thinking, i am so going to rise above this and this moment, the months i spend at this job, will be one blip in my past. it would be another couple of years before i decided to study fashion design and start actually getting my act together but this moment, and a slew of other ones slammed into me, yesterday, when i stopped in front of this window. 

many people had to return their clothing when i worked at mexx. tears, loose buttons, broken zippers after a few days, etc. but i've never hated the overall style of the place. yesterday, when i walked passed this 1920's-inspired dress, i did a double-take and then raised an eyebrow when i saw the name on the hanger. i even looked up at the store sign to confirm. how gorgeous is this dress?

then, a few steps away, this dress in a dynamite (?!?) window:

(please excuse the reflection. iphone + night lights)

i love both of these dresses and will be heading back downtown, this week-end to investigate and properly photograph more windows. i can help but feel apprehensive, though. will these designs be ruined the same way the pinup was ruined by the modern incarnation of the ideal? will these be styled with the flapper in mind (or at least her spirit) or am i going to see new year's eve party photos, cringe and let my forehead meet my desk? i think i might already know the answer to that. 

Posted in: 1920s,art deco,chapters,downtown,dynamite,fashion,flapper,growing up,hindsight,holiday style,marlene dietrich,mexx,montreal,new year's eve,retail work,style