My Love Affair with Mr. Dior

Dior - The Man

I recently found myself in a place that I vowed I would never, ever set foot in.  Las Vegas! I was sent to Vegas for 5 days of classes that I had been unable to attend for three years.  While the classes were important to me, the location certainly was not.  In order to avoid the smoke filled casinos and the hoards of drunk gamers every evening, I started to wander the halls of the high end shops on the strip. Hours and hours of walking always led me to the same place.  The House of Dior.  My love affair with Mr. Dior started many years ago and now it has become a very passionate pursuit.  The researching, reading and engrossed documentary watching has begun... full steam ahead!

Fashion design is something that has always intrigued me but has also alluded me due to different circumstances and choices that have been a part of my life.  I now sit and ponder...am I too old to go back to school?  Do I have the talent to design and create in a world so very different from the realm of costume design in film?  Maybe this is why I often go on the hunt for incredible vintage dresses instead of setting foot into a classroom full of twenty-somethings.  I think Mr. Dior is telling me that it's my job to help bring vintage fashion back to the mainstream by mixing it with the contemporary fashions of today.

La Maison Dior

 My hunt for vintage Dior has brought me moments of sheer exhilaration.  While digging in Winnipeg seemed an impossible task, I was able to score two incredible Dior pieces, one of which now lives with a renowned stylist to the stars in New York City. Part of my latest addiction in vintage exploration is to follow the estate auctions online. I am always enthralled with the auction of Dior's more famous pieces.  Elizabeth Taylor's Dior dress and matching handbag recently sold for seventy times the appraised value.  Oh to find a piece like that! The pursuit continues...

www.wildwoodrosevintage.com

While I continue my quest for vintage Dior I am also focusing on my education.  Today my classroom is Google and tomorrow may lead me in a different direction. In the meantime, I have started a new love affair with Raf Simons, Dior's latest designer.  Raf is bringing Mr. Christian's original designs back to life within his latest collections. I share with you now a few tantalizing treats by the House of Dior. 

Official Trailer ~ Full Documentary Available on Netflix

La Petit Théâtre Dior

Who's Who in the World of Winnipeg Vintage & Antique Shopping

My Pop-Up shop has been closed for a little over a month now.  I have received many wonderful emails and phone calls asking me when I will be opening up the next shop.  I can tell you that I am looking everyday for the perfect location.  The idea of the Pop-Up for me is to try different spaces in various parts of the city on a seasonal basis.  This allows me to bring you something new and fresh all the time.  When I find the next shop, you will definitely be the first to know!

In the meantime, I have been jonesing for eclectic shopping and have turned to some of the more well known Winnipeg shops to help me satisfy my antique/vintage addiction.  One of my favourite sellers is Pieter of PJ Vintage.  For the past three years I have been enjoying Pieter's annual "yard sales" that take place on the front porch of his West Broadway home.  These are not your typical yard sales that are full of kids'toys and basic "junk" worthy of thrift store donations.  Pieter is known for his expertise in hunting down amazing vintage clothing and home decor.  A couple of times a year Pieter has been sharing these finds with the rest of us vintage seekers that are fortunate enough to know about him.  Well low and behold, look what I found!  Who now has a space at Old House Revival Company??  None other than Pieter of PJ Vintage!

I spent last Sunday in Pieter's shop enthralled by the wonderful treasures that he has for us this time around.  Finding well preserved vintage menswear is something that seems to be getting more difficult to do.  PJ Vintage has a wide array of beautiful pieces at very reasonable prices.  From fedoras, ties and boots to tuxedos....he has a bit of everything.  Women's clothing and accessories too!

There was one piece in Pieter's shop that has me up at night wondering where I could put this beauty to work in my life.  It is a steamer trunk with a story!  This 1920s trunk was originally owned by Church Russell who played for the Winnipeg Rangers in the early 40's and then went on to play for the New York Rangers from '45 to '48.  This steam trunk travelled with him for 90 games.  A true hockey memorabilia SCORE!

So if you are getting the Winnipeg Winter Blues and antiquing is something that might just perk you up... make sure you visit PJ Vintage at The Old House Revival Company @ 324 Young Street.  Tell Pieter that Wildwoodrose says hello....

PJ Vintage

www.pjvintage.com

www.facebook/pjvintage

RAW:almond POPS UP AGAIN ON THE FROZEN RIVERS OF WINNIPEG

RAW:almond 2015

Tickets to this year's pop-up sold out in record time.  I was fortunate enough to have received these "golden" tickets for Christmas this year.  An experience that we have been counting down the days until our Sunday night seating.

This year Raw:almond brings us 31 incredibly talented Chefs from around the globe.  Our seven course feast was skillfully prepared for us by the Governor General's Award Winning local Chef, Matt Emch.  Matt has been honing his skills for the past three years at Winnipeg's famed foodie hangout, Deer + Almond under the tutelage of Master Chef, Mandel Hitzer.

Mandel Hitzer & Matt Emch

 There is so much to do and see in this wonderful winter city of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.  I highly recommend this event be added to your bucket list!

If you haven't had the opportunity to experience fine dining in an eclectic and very Canadian setting I suggest that you check for the Cocktail Bar Tickets daily @ www.raw-almond.com or join the folks from Tallest Poppy for a first come first served brunch on February 1st, 7th & 8th, first seating starting at 8:30 a.m.

Patti of Wildwoodrose Vintage & Eve of In Love With The Past