Eco Fashion Week Edition 6 x The Pretty Secrets

photos by Peter Jensen

Last Monday I made my debut on the runway. As a long time thrifter my skills were finally challenged when Vancouver Eco Fashion Week invited me to take part in their Value Village Thrift Chic showcase. 

Three girls (Posing in Vintage, FATE Vintage, and The Pretty Secrets) were given $500 to come up with 15 looks from Value Village and not a lot of prep time. I was amazed with the other girls tenacity and creativity - even watching the video replay (watch in full on my facebook page) the show seems so long yet I remember backstage to be organized chaos and the show only lasting seconds.

My favourite look was the finale. It was painstakingly sewn together by hand with a plethora of doilies. The floral headpiece was also handcrafted by yours truly. I have discovered that I find great joy in creating garments from doilies and lace tablecloths, so much so that I believe I may even start selling them - watch for doily dreams on my Etsy store!

Has anyone ever been to Eco Fashion Week or plan on going next season?

x Miss Sandy

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A Pretty Prom Pop-Up!

Just a brief interlude from my vacation photos - I'm having another pop-up in Edmonton! This time The Pretty Secrets has joined forces with Heritage Baked Goods for a prom themed pop-up shop.

Join us this Saturday, April 13th from 12-5pm for dresses and doughnuts. Don't let the name fool you, the beginning of Spring/Summer '13 inventory will be coming out as well.  More details to be found on our Facebook Event Page.

Hope to see you tomorrow!

x Miss Sandy

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Moss & Sunset

wearing: dress - vintage // sunglasses - nordstrom // platforms - c/o Zara Canada // woven leather belt - vintage // jewelry - vintage // lipstick - MAC Diva

It seems to me that the desert may actually be the perfect backdrop to any photograph. The sunsets in AZ are something to write home about and fortunately for me, I'm able to call it home for a few weeks out of every year. 

I arrived with one tiny carry-on half empty, packed with toiletries, undies, and precious little else with the mission to find whatever else I needed. I succeeded - so much so that my darling parents carted the rest of my treasures back for me. This personal dare was sparked by a Ted Talk I had recently watched. Jessi Arrington presentation on 'Wearing Nothing New' made me feel as though I had met my kindred spirit via the internet. Though I didn't follow her lead exactly, I feel as though it's a concept worth looking into especially with the price of travel going up and extra checked baggage costing a small fortune these days. 

Would you ever try this on a vacation?

x Miss Sandy

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the sun was high

wearing: jean dress - 90s gap // shoes - c/o Zara Canada // straw clutch - the pretty secrets vintage // sunglasses - vintage // baby diana - c/o Lomography Canada

An unexpected hiatus is a result of my meanderings south. What originally was supposed to be my voyage to SXSW turned into a desert adventure of another kind. While I missed out on a road trip with my pals from Shout Out Out Out Out, I did get to see many weird road side attractions and find a plethora of treats for my vintage store! 

I suppose I should take this time to mention that I will be showing a collection at Vancouver's Eco Fashion Week on April 22nd and will be a vendor at the Royal Bison indie craft fair in Edmonton May  3-5th. More details on both of those later! For those of you who are not geographically close, not to worry, I still have an Etsy shop open and will be launching a site of my own in the near future. 

In my absence I also turned a year older and quit my day job to become a full blown bohemian vintage vendor and freelance writer; I couldn't be more thrilled despite the looming chaos this month will bring. My days will be a mixture of scouring vintage and planning my runway show with a touch of writing about heavy machinery for magazines such as Tracks & Treads. 

I think that about sums it up. 

x Miss Sandy

best coast - the sun was high 

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Get Ready For This

wearing: floral denim jacket - vintage // black zip jumper dress - vintage // knee highs - club monaco // chunky black heels - aerosoles // mini purse - liz claiborne // sunglasses - found in my dad's den... score!

So I'm big on the 90s and this week's FASHION Magazine's Style Panel was about just that. My biggest source of inspiration lately has been a plethora of music videos from that period of time. 'Get Ready For This' by 2Unlimited is such a hit - the door knocker earrings and PVC corset top are looking more current by the minute. 

I've been meaning to do another Wayback Wednesday on a truly stellar movie from that decade, perhaps I should get on that.

Check out the other bloggers take on the decade du jour. 

x Miss Sandy

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