Duchesse: vintage ventures in the making

Words and photos by Maria.
Anna is in the kitchen peeking into the oven. It smells like something is baking in there and that something is sweet. “I’m baking pies for everyone!” she exclaims. “Do you want to try some? They’re almost ready.” The smell is enticing, but what I’m more interested in is what’s a-bakin’ in the next two rooms, because it smells even sweeter. Anna’s friend, known as Skinny Pete, has let her and other vintage pickers like herself turn his home into a makeshift boutique, and their pickings look delectable.
A table set up in the corner of what might have been the dining room is filled with jewellery and accessories–one powder case still containing the fragile powder like a relic from a time long-forgotten. There are band t-shirts and coats next to the kitchen entrance, shoes on the adjoining wall, and dresses and bins with many, many accessories in the living room.
And Anna, is on a venture. She’s planning to start her own shop, to be named Duchesse, but having sporadic “guerilla” vintage sales is as good as it gets for now. “We’re looking to open something up by the summer” she explains. “Main Street does not need any more vintage stores so we’re looking to be somewhere completely different.” It’s fascinating to see the process of an idea in the making, and the next step is to have the sales be more known about and have them on a regular basis, making them, perhaps, less guerilla-like. But that’s not a bad thing, since the increased word-of-mouth action is likely to result in buzz for her business venture and the sales to come prior to its opening.
In the bins stacked in the living room I find a colourful scarf with an interesting flower motif in a style somewhere between Japonisme and the glory of the ’80s. I snatch it for a toonie and get on my merry way, but not before making sure I am kept up-to-date with the developments of Duchesse–because that’s a pie I will gladly sink my teeth into.
February 7th, 2010 | Leave a Comment






Trying to figure out what you thought of getting your loved ones for Christmas 6 months ago can be tough. You may have been shopping around one sunny Spring afternoon when you spotted the perfect gift for Sharon and made a mental note to buy her this perfect gift for Christmas. And now you can’t remember what it was… Local craft shows are the best way to jog your memory and if you still can’t remember what it was you wanted to get Sharon, then you’ll surely find her something just as great, if not better!







Report provided by the CNW Group and Cossette West.




Willow in The Salon was the last show of the week that I attended. I didn’t know anything about this designer and the rows were barely filled. The seats were lined with bright yellow bags and the only thing in them was a bottle of water that was given free to everyone in the tents anytime they needed. I rolled my eyes and thought this was going to be joke of a show. But then, the show started with Karlie Kloss in a faded black and white print day dress followed by an asymmetrical jumper. Every single garment and every single detail was perfect; I was speechless from the first look onward. The models were so in sync with the music, the clothes, and each other. This was by far the best show I have seen all week: the models, the music, the set, everything. Every piece played with a variety of textures that were perfectly draped–I didn’t think it was possible to reach perfection in fashion, but this is the closest I have ever seen. The show ended with Abbey Lee in a structured jacket covered in hundreds of buttons. Unbelievable. This show reminded me of what fashion is really about, living and feeling exactly what the designer had in her mind.

Her style, to me, is very European with an easy to wear feel. There were a few jaw propping pieces, the ones you want to jump onto the runway, take off the model, and run! But stay tuned, I am sure you will hear much more about this local designer.
