The Ottawa Vintage Clothing Show took over the Shaw Centre on Nov. 6. The show had a variety of displays, featuring everything from delicate dresses to fur coats and exquisite jewelry.
The show has roots that date back to the days when some of the vintage garments were first worn. The show has been running for 35 years, but Knoll said she has been organizing the event since 2012.
“We have Chanel purses here for a couple of thousand dollars. So it runs the whole gamut,” said Catherine Knoll, an event organizer.
The one-day event draws in shoppers and vendors year after year. Many, like Sheila Gregory, a vendor from Brockville, come dressed in the clothes from decades past.
“It is all I wear. It is what I love,” Gregory said.
Vendors aren’t just local. Many vendors, like Iman Nakhala and Ian Drummond, travel from Montreal, Toronto or even farther to attend.
Vendors found their love for vintage from different places. Nakhala said she loves vintage fashion because every piece tells a story.
For Madison Kelly, co-owner of local vintage store Bellwethers, her love of vintage fashion developed early. She said she would spend her weekends going to local thrift shops and trying to buy as much as possible with $20.
“I just got into thrift shopping at a really young age and of course that developed into vintage,” Kelly said.
But not all vendors are thrifters from a young age. Knoll said some vintage lovers grow into loving old styles.
“You learn more and more as you do it. I was mainly kinda on the management side. But then you learn to appreciate the quality, especially in vintage clothing,” Knoll said.
According to Knoll, the turn-out at the festival has been positive thus far.
“We had a pretty crazy opening here today. There is usually a lineup and a big group that goes in right at opening. So from 9:30 until probably 1:30, it is pretty chaotic,” Knoll said.
Gregory said the vintage show is special because of how it brings people together.
“It is nice to have so many [people] that really enjoy it and appreciate it,” she said.
