It was a terrible day. The only thing that didn’t suck was the weather (which just keeps getting nicer). I found myself walking home through downtown Toronto carrying the jacket and scarf and hat I had needed in the chilly morning. It was nice to think that soon I wouldn’t have anything but my purse and pockets. It put me in the mood for summer dresses…

I almost walked past CTS Vintage, but then I thought, what the hell?

I try not to recommend stores. I think we can all find enough crap to buy without outside encouragement. But I have to say, my last three experiences at CTS (394 Queen St W*) have been delightful.

Nestled into an unexpectedly large space at Queen and Spadina, it’s a shop with loads of thrift stock (at thrift prices) and a vintage section. Justus, the guy responsible for picking the vintage gold at their downtown location, has a stylist’s eye and sense of humour, and he’s not shy with his opinions or recommendations. It’s a nice break from the bored disengagement of most boutique staff (even if it does make it harder to leave without buying).

And that is how, in the middle of my lousy, beautiful afternoon, I found myself trying on an uncharacteristically biblical looking white dress (it didn’t fit the girl in the next change room over and Justus thought it might be just the thing for me) and falling in love. I took it home for 15 bucks.

It won’t save your life, but it might make your day.

- g.

*Check the CTS website for other locations in the GTA. I can’t guarantee the staff will be as awesome.

I always wear white after Labour Day, my shoes rarely match my bag, and I’ll throw on some “plastic shizzz” whenever the mood strikes. Fashion rules are boring. What gives someone the authority to tell a girl what should or shouldn’t be in her closet? Winona Dimeo-Ediger understands this. In Closet Confidential, she gives practical, down-to-earth fashion advice but never deigns to tell readers what they should or shouldn’t be wearing. She discusses general rules and shares her personal likes and dislikes, but throughout, she encourages readers to break these rules and forge a style of their own.

Closet Confidential is essentially my friend Kristen in book form. In high school, I would never shop without her. She had an eclectic yet classy style, and a knack for seeing what would look good on others. Whether we were at Value Village or the mall, Kristen would shove me into change rooms with piles of clothes I wouldn’t even consider on my own.

To this day, if I’m torn about dropping the cash on a piece of clothing, I’ll snap a picture and send it to Kristen for her opinion. We don’t always agree, and I would never decide not to buy something just because she didn’t like it, but I trust her taste, and know I can always count on her for an honest opinion. Dimeo-Ediger writes in the same way: this is what I like, but it doesn’t mean you have to like it too. As she says in the introduction, “learn from my fashion mistakes, but don’t be afraid to make your own.”

Dimeo-Ediger writes the blog Daddy Likey, and her book is written in a similar tongue-in-cheek, funny style. You might not be interested in her “style lessons,” but anyone can appreciate her self-deprecating personal stories, cute illustrations, charts (”Maslow’s Hierarchy of Jeans,” anyone?) and healthy advice we can all use (like “Just Say No to $1000 shoes” or “If you don’t wear your leopard-print trench coat here, you will not wear it in Europe.”)

If someone were looking for fashion advice, I’d recommend Closet Confidential over the clichéd advice offered in most mainstream fashion magazines. We should all gift it to our little sisters and cousins.

Closet Confidential (Style Secrets Learned the Hard Way) by Winona Dimeo-Ediger, Sasquatch Books, 2009.
reviewed by Jaclyn Irvine.

Leslieville has a great sense of cammaderie between all the independent stores that pretty exclusivly line this area of Queen East. So much that 23 shops, galleries, and restaurants are having an open house on Thursday, November 27th from 6pm-10pm. This is not just your everyday street party either: Winkel is going to have egg nog and Santa photos, Doll Factory by Damzels are having their 2nd anniversary party with cocktails and gifts-with-purchase, and they’re all offering deals for one night only. You can even get a ‘passport’ stamped at every location to enter a raffle. I love activities. And discounts.

xoxo, Serah-Marie

More info on their website, East End Noise.