Shopping in Las Vegas: Glam Factory Vintage

 It was a last-minute online search that lead me to Glam Factory's doorstep and, man, am I glad that it did. Even before setting out on my trip, I had planned on visiting The Gypsy Den and it was only when double-checking their address from my hotel room that I realized they had closed. Right below the link informing me of this was one displaying this name at 211 E. Colorado Street.          

  As soon as  my dad and I pulled up, I knew I had to go in and he knew he had to stay in the car and nap. The first thing I saw upon entering, before all the colours and textures drew me and even before the beautiful, tall redhead who was clearly into pinup culture flashed me a smile and ducked into the change room, was an adorable and inquisitive pug. All of this made for quite the first impression and I happily wandered in to look, and to pet (yes, the dog, too, but mostly the fabrics!).

  I veered off into the store's relatively new expansion and was greeted by Katie May, a pleasant and upbeat woman who loves to talk about fashion, clothing and vintage treasure hunting as much as I do, if not more. While chatting with her, I discovered that she had spent so much at Glam Factory as a customer that the only logical thing for her to do was to start working there in exchange for clothing. With a such regular rotation of beautiful garments from the 1920's to the 1990's coming in and out of there, it's no wonder she's thrilled to be among them on a regular basis!

  While Katie May and I discussed everything from the quality present in vintage clothing versus the lack thereof in fast fashion to finding clothing that fits to life in Arizona to fashion design and while my dad baked in the rental, the shop's owner ran around, assisting the aforementioned bomb shell and moving stock around. I caught up with Stephanie and her mother, who was behind the cash, for a few quick photos and anecdotes.

  Glam Factory Vintage is run by a warm, lively woman who is clearly in her element and loving what she does. She marveled at how small our world is, telling me that she knows Patrick, whose blog is Parka Avenue and who also lives in Montreal. He once posted about her shop, as he always drops by and scores mod gear when he's in Vegas, which prompted a couple in Belgium to check it out when they were on vacation.

  As it turns out, the little miss in Stephanie's arms had belonged to a local homeless couple and had been living in a shopping cart. When she saw the state of the pup, now named Miss Daisy, she couldn't help but take her in, have her illnesses looked after and give her a loving home.

  If you've got time when you're in Las Vegas, and you're looking for something to see that doesn't involve maneuvering your way through throngs of flip-flop wearing tourists slinging margarita bongs, bachelor party ensembles hooting and hollering at passersby and teenage girls in bedazzled spandex wearing heels so high they wobble like Bambi on ice, the art district is worth the detour from the Strip. If you want great quality vintage clothing and a shopping experience that will leave a smile lingering on your face even when it's over, Glam Factory Vintage is for you.

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Monochrome Madness: My Top Picks For Affordable Mod-Inspired Dresses

for the third and final installment of my series on mod culture, i'll point you to my top ten favourite, affordable dresses (in no particular order) that are either reminiscent of the original era, perfect for mod revivalists or simply pretty and wearable for anyone who loves the looks and wants to style themselves to fit it, without necessarily immersing themselves in any aspect of the overall lifestyle. 

the criteria i set for myself when looking these up were price, versatility (who doesn't love not having to change for dinner or drinks after work?) and silhouettes that could work on more than one body type. this latter point was a but more difficult to address, as the main mod icons were ultra-skinny for a reason: mini skirts and short a-line skirts usually tend to be less flattering on curvier women. and i say this not to discriminate. there exists clothing and styles to compliment every body type; i just don't feel that most of what mod fashion has to offer was made with anyone but the skinny girl in mind. that said, there are ways around this, with proper styling and always making sure that you're wearing clothing that fits. 

the back in london tunic dress from shopruche.com is only $39.99

the ponte colorblock dress by tibi is currently on sale at $120 at neimanmarcus.com. regular price: $345

bloomingdales.com is offering up the rory color block dress by cynthia steffe for $228.

i'm also digging the in de stijl of the night dress at modcloth.com. $79.99.

a personal favourite of mine is the hello collar dress from modcloth.com. bonus? it's only $49.99.

another color blocked shift dress is up for grabs at forever 21. $24.80.

 the asos swing dress with short sleeve and collar. $37.30. asos.com.

also from asos we have the sister jane geo embroidered dress for $115.29:

and the sister jane shift dress with holographic feather collar for $122.08:
(they really like directing this model to tilt her head to the side...)

and not versatile at all but still quite cute, if not hella bold is the asos petite exclusive mini dress in checkerboard:

addendum: i really underestimated a couple of things when i first set out to put this together. firstly, most mod-inspired dresses are not incredibly versatile. you can style them, yes, but i'm looking at the length of these dresses and i'm thinking there is a)no way i could wear this to the office and b)i have curves. this just doesn't work. the second thing i discovered was that it was way more difficult to dig up these dresses than i thought it would be, especially if you consider the fact that i really tried not to present you with monochromatic redundancy. 

all of these dresses are cute but will they work on just anyone? no. if you're looking to wear something mod-inspired and you're not quite sure where to look or you're a mod who wants to find a few non-vintage pieces, i hope this pointed you in a few interesting directions!

this concludes the three-part mod series. next up, i kick off montreal street style photos with a beautiful, classic, lolita, wrap up the roots series and profile a kick-ass shop in st-henri.

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Mods: Their Roots, The Revival and How Mainstream Fashion Has Borrowed From it Again

as thrilled as i've been to see ad campaigns featuring bold, geometric prints and a-line mini dresses, all topped with bouffants and beehives and multiple layers of lashes, i'm also, at times, annoyed at how other fashion writers are presenting these to the masses. titles and captions enticing people to be "go" or "become" mod are making me cringe, for reasons similar to the ones i've listed in a piece i wrote in november entitled no such thing as a punk fad: the effects of mainstream fashion borrowing from subculture style. in it, i briefly mention mod fashion and promise to write about it at a later date and so here we are.

firstly, let's look at an example of some of the recent designs i am referring to. the most notable collection, by a long shot, is marc jacobs' spring/summer 2013.

spring/summer 2013 louis vuitton by marc jacobs (courtesy of lifestyle.yahoo.nz):

and marc jacobs for his own brand, same season (courtesy of the marinrenaissance.com):

most designers included several mod-inspired designs and/or style elements in their spring/summer 2013 collection, even if nobody went quite as all out as marc jacobs. mini skirts, short, a-line dresses, trapeze coats, bouffants, twiggy-inspired eye make-up, etc., could be seen marching up and down runways last fall and have been making their way down the fashion food chain and onto the streets.

it's not because you wear a mod-inspired dress that you are a mod.

the mod movement started in england, in the late 1950's and peaked in the early-to-mid 1960's. the word mod derives from the word "modernist" (the current and prior mod revivals make that a tad ironic, given how wonderfully retro it now is) and it was, essentially, a rejection of the strict, british class system. it was born out of the 1950's jazz scene, where appreciators of the genre were usually split into two groups: those who liked traditional or "trad" jazz and those who preferred "mod" or "modern" jazz. it was also a counter to the rocker culture, deeming that the former were stuck in the 1950's and represented all that was dated and stubborn and boorish (and american).

over the years, there has been much debate over what subculture morphed into the mod one and it's somewhat clear to me that both the mods and rockers were influenced by both the teddys and the beatniks. the teddy boys and girls (known as judies) were the first teenagers and it's normal that, while england and america's youth all started to rebel and a market was created for and targeted at them for the first time ever, many changes occurred and subcultures rapidly gave birth to other subcultures, causing them to pop up every few years. 

mods first listened to modern '50's jazz and blues. in the 1960's, rhythm and blues came into play. they watched art films, rode around on vespa and lambretta scooters, read italian fashion magazine and lived a life based on frivolity, excess and fun. 

important fashion and cultural icons of the time were mary quant, thanks to her mini skirt design. i highly recommend the vidal sassoon documentary on netflix. it delves into the professional relationship between he and mary quant and how, together, along with twiggy and jean shrimpton, they drastically changed the fashion world.

mary quant. (courtesy of celestemkaufman.wordpress.com)

jean shrimpton. (courtesy of thefrenchsampler.blogspot.com)

twiggy. (thanks to twiggyapp.tumblr.com)

more images from this time:

(courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/brizzlebornandbred/5130733677/)

(courtesy of hrrypnn.wordpress.co

the who in 1962. (thanks to radioningunaparte.blogspot.com)

in 1966, the mod movement experienced a sharp decline due to the commercialization of their trends and mainstream designers adopting them. hippies came in and psychedelic rock took over the masses, taking a lot of the mods in with it. the rolling stones, the who and the beatles all changed their music to fit the changing times. mods were also growing up. the 'hard mods'  of the mid-to-late 60's became skinheads. the poorer ones lived in same areas as people from west indies so ska was discovered. soul, rock steady and raggae was the music of choice for early skinheads. they turned away from the hippie movement, which was more middle-class and drug-oriented. 


it is important to note and to repeat that only the aforementioned 'hard mods' became skinheads. steve sparks, an original mod says, "mod has been much misunderstood... as this working class, scooter-riding pre-cursor of skinheads". 

for woman, the mod movement represented independent female thought. short skirts, androgyny, partying it up with the opposite sex and taking the first steps toward breaking away from the excessively patriarchal  society that had, until that time, been the only way.

there was a mod revival in the uk, during the late 1970's. quadraphenia came out in 1979. the jam became the most popular current band for mods but a lot of the new wave bands from that time were appreciate by this latest wave of mods.

the revival hit the states in the early 80's and especially in california. these mods were greatly influenced by england's two-tone ska movement.

the 1990's saw another revival, thanks to bands like oasis, blur and the verve. i remember someone i once dated and i talking about how all of those bands were before their time but i believe they started out both after and before their time. as you may have noticed, two out of those three bands are currently touring, having caught the latest mod wave.

it's hard to tell how many more mods there are this time around, compared to the last two revivals, but the internet makes it possible for us to see that the numbers have been steadily increasing for the last few years. this wave has been big enough to prompt designers to create new, mod-inspired lines, for mod-revival bands to pop up all over the place and for staple brands such as fred perry to open more stores in large cities around the world. mod clubs surfaced in bars around the world a few years ago and have recently been seeing an increase in regular patrons. 

thousands of photo bloggers on tumblr are newly proclaimed mods. a lot of them have interesting things to say and lovely wardrobes to display but i can't help but wonder about the slew of fifteen-to-twenty-year-olds claiming to be mods. what does it mean to them? is it only a fashion statement? fair enough, if it is but are they aware of their roots? a lot has changed between the earl '60's and today. 

also, parkas were and are worn by mods to protect their suits from mud and dirt from scooter-riding and, although they (like the doc marten boot, which used to be working boots) have become more than that over time, it still makes me chuckle to see someone who doesn't have a scooter or isn't even of age to own one wear one because it defines them as being a mod. i guess the same could be said about non-bikers wearing biker boots, cyber goths wearing aviation goggles on terra firma and around and around i could go but i'd much rather stick to the point and bring this home:

as i had discussed in my piece about designers yoinking punk style elements for their mainstream collections, there are pros and cons to this phenomenon. in short, clothing becomes more accessible and eventually so at reduced prices, as they make their way down the chain, but your culture becomes a fad and, before you know it, what you're wearing is not just retro, it's passe... at least it is for the masses, for those who don't get where you're coming from and so this is why i've added this piece to a few others out there. hopefully a handful of people will have learned something and may even express appreciation for an important part of cultural and fashion history! there a many publications out there for you to peruse, if you're interested in learning more. for a nice, visual representation of the times, check out "mods and rockers" by gareth brown. 

next up in three-part series: my very first style profile, that of a montreal mod.

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Merci à Mme Arthur Bélair et à Saint-Phil! (Or, alternatively: "Vintage Pattern Score!")

when i had a car, i tried to visit the montreal mega reuse center as often as possible. over the course of one year, i found so many beautiful treasures and i'll be sharing images of them as they relate to my different posts. in a few months, i'll be purchasing another vehicle and the mmrc is pretty much the first place i'm going to drive to. one of my best girls, annie and i have taken to calling the gentleman who works there "saint phil" because of how he clearly guards a subdivision of heaven and because of how helpful and nice he is.

on one of my last visits, i acquired a clear, plastic bag containing several brown envelopes addressed to a mrs. arthur bélair, in laval, québec, in 1959, and three vintage patterns. the envelopes had been sent from pattern companies so i thought, yay! a bag of vintage patterns! and then promptly set them aside with all of the other patterns i wanted to "one day" sort through. at the time, i was working as a relocation consultant and the job occupied my mind from the time i woke up to the time i finally lay my head down and, even though a i often daydreamed about all of the wonderful things i wanted to sew, i rarely got the time to actually do so. when i did have free time, i threw an overnight bag, some water bottles and my kids (if it wasn't their fathers' week-end) in my car and left town in order to properly clear my head. 

in the last few months, i've had more time to dedicate to, well, everything and so i've been organizing my work space, sketching up a storm and finally starting put together a few plans of action. the plastic bag from the mmrc ended up in my hands for the first time in over a year. now, i'm not one to squeal but i must admit that such a sound did escape my lips upon opening the first envelope. 

what surprised me the most was the sizing. i'm a size 10 to 12 so, as far as pattern sizes go, this is something i can work with without having to spend too much time grading. 

behold the contents of pattern number two:

and:

all three of them will be used when i start putting my spring wardrobe together, next week.

i was also quite happy to discover this lovely apron pattern:

in what i presume is mrs. bélair's handwriting, the contents of the next envelope were described to me, "pattern for little girls coat":

and here it is, in need of much love but still relatively in tact:

and how cute is this?? it's from 1957:

for women (or, rather, for me), there was also this one:

this one was also in the bag but i have a feeling it came from elsewhere because i remember bringing it home alone, at one point:

so yes, all of this was discovered right in time for the creation/revamping of my spring wardrobe and i absolutely had to share it with you!

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