FASHION Reporters

Montreal: Original bargains

6 comments

Arterie Boutique and Friperie

Arterie Boutique and Friperie, Montreal

To me, the recession and climate change are the best excuses to convince you all to start shopping for vintage (hence recycled) clothes. Whatever your budget and however you like to shop, these are both good reasons to join in. First of all, don’t be afraid! The secret on how to wear old stuff is pretty simple: don’t wear it from head to toe. Mixing up designer labels, vintage clothes and low-cost goods not only to makes for an original outfit, but also helps you create your own fashion identity.

If you’ve got the courage and creativity, thrift stores are a good place to start–vintage boutiques will often find pieces at Value Village or The Salvation Army to put in their shops (at a higher price, of course). I can spend hours in those stores but, I know that requires a great deal of patience. If that’s not your forte, then vintage stores are a good solution since great looks have been pre-selected. Places like La Gaillarde (4019 Notre-Dame St. W., 514-989-5134, lagaillarde.blogspot.com) and Arterie Boutique & Friperie (176 Bernard W., 514-273-3933, arterieboutique.blogspot.com) always have great pieces in stock, as well as new clothing for some of that mixing and matching.

Even if you can afford not to buy used clothes, I suggest you still think about it since vintage designer looks are so in vogue and original patterns from previous eras make a chic statement. Think about places like Memento (3678 Saint-Denis St., 514-843-8391) a store full of old costumes from the Centre National de Costume or Boutique Encore (2145 Crescent St., 514-849-0092). Finally, don’t forget about jewellery, hats, bags and belts, they’re the little things that make an outfit edgy Have fun saving a buck and Mother Nature!

Join the discussion

  • http://www.somelikeitvintage.com Some Like it Vintage.com

    Yay for vintage! It never goes out of style!

  • http://www.mishcollection.com Misha

    I agree

  • http://hazelandhunter.etsy.com hazel and hunter

    Yay for supporting vintage and recycled pieces!

  • marc

    I just went to Memento , the old man that works there is crazy , he kicked me and a friend out of the store for looking through the racks!!!! i couldnt believe it !! like really screaming get out ,what do u do when you go to a vintage shop ? you look through the racks , aparently not in this store , it gets -5 stars , im still in shock

  • Amanda

    Marc- OMG, I just had the same experience. I went home and started crying he was so mean to me ! (Ps-Im not a crier, my fiancee was spooked:)

    It also gets -5 stars in my book. The inventory (what I was permitted to see of it) was amazing, but that old dude was totally insane. I said to him “Are you actually saying I cannot look at the dresses?” and he said “No” followed by telling me not to look at the dresses. Mega Insane. I hope they read this because I was looking for my wedding dress and had serious $$ to spend. Crazy old man.

  • Faye

    I had the exact same experience today. I lifted a coat from the rack, which somehow lead to him yelling in my face, and pointing his finger right at me. He then told me to go to Winners. He was incredibly rude and aggressive. I was ready to spend lots of cash and will now never return to his store. I’ll be sure to tell my friends the same.

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