LAB takes great strides to insure that no counterfeit items hit the shelves, and if someone attempts to consign a counterfeit item they are made aware of the repercussions of buying and selling fakes.
It’s not cool. It’s lame.
By encouraging shoppers to both repurpose their clothing and make a little extra money from its resale, consignment clothing stores have become increasingly popular in times of environmental and economic uncertainty. However, there are a lot of misconceptions about the word “consignment,” a term that is often (incorrectly) used synonymously with descriptors like “vintage,” “second-hand,” “retro” and “deadstock.”
If you’re interested in becoming a consignor, there are several tips you can follow to maximize your clothes’ resale value — more on that later. But before you haul a garment bag full of clothes to the local consignment shop, it’s best to brush up on the following terminology to better determine what the store does and does not carry.
Vintage: An original period garment that is at least 20 years old.
Second-hand: Any garment — whether it’s one month old or 100 years old — that has been worn before and is now being resold or swapped.
Retro: A new, contemporary garment that looks like a vintage item.
Deadstock: A past-season clothing item that still has the original tags and has never been worn.
Consignment: The act of selling an item on behalf of another person; in the event of a sale, the profit is split between the consignor and the consignee at a mutually agreed-upon percentage. (My store offers a 50/50 split.) Consignment thus refers to the mode of inventory acquisition, not a specific type or age of clothing. For instance, my consignment store stocks both vintage garments and contemporary designer labels; some of the inventory is brand new or recent deadstock, some of it is second-hand.
So what makes for a successful consignor?
1. Leave original store tags on your garments until you decide to leave your home wearing that item. Original tags give greater value to a consigned item and make it more attractive to a prospective buyer.
2. Treat your clothes with respect. Read the laundering directions on the label and abide by them. If you’re not into that, washing in cold water and hanging to dry is always a safe bet. Use stain-removal products that are safe for both the environment and your clothes. Avoid bleach as it breaks down fibres.
3. Clean and polish your shoes regularly — this helps the leather last longer and keeps your shoes looking cleaner. Keep original box and dust bag that come with the shoes, and use them for storage. Not only will this extend the life of the shoe significantly, the inclusion of the dust bag and/or shoe box will increase their resale value considerably when consigning.
4. On a related note: repair footwear before it’s too late. Leather-soled shoes and boots demand high-quality care. Have a cobbler apply a thin rubber sole to the bottom to help the sole last a lot longer. Replace heel caps before they get to the metal nub and before you ruin the fabric on the back of your heel. A shoe with scuffed leather at the heel is not suitable for resale, unfortunately.
5. Be kind to the interior of your purses. If you carry make-up in your purse, put it in in a Ziploc or a make-up bag. (I’ve seen some amazing bags come into the store that I’ve had to reject due to a concealer explosion that totally ruined the interior liner of the purse.) Keep the dust bag for your purses also; when the purse isn’t in use it should be stored in the dust bag and stuffed with tissue paper to keep its shape intact.
6. Mend holes and rips, and replace buttons.
7. Finally, empty your pockets and purses. Used Kleenex = gross.
By Lauren Baker for The Huffington Post Canada
For many ladies, a change in season means a change in wardrobe — and, inevitably, an upward change in your credit card balance. But stacking your drawers with classic, well-made pieces is a great way to save money and look amazing for any occasion. We all have varied budgets, so the following list of fall wardrobe staples includes quality items in different price ranges. However, a word of warning: you will not find cheap deals in this article, as true quality rarely comes cheap (unless you buy on consignment!).
Long or short sleeve white cotton blouse: This works great with jeans, skirts, shorts or dress pants. Invest in a high-quality item (with a bit of stretch in it, if you can find it) from Theory, Club Monaco, Banana Republic or the like and you’ll get some mileage out of your garment. Wash cold and hang to dry and then steam or iron. (Dryer heat is damaging to fibres and can cut the longevity of your piece in half or more.) Avoid bleaching — it also breaks down the fibres.
Black leather pumps: Preferably not overly pointed, round-toed or square-toed — you’ll want something you feel you can wear with many outfits. However, you must take care of them properly. Take the pumps into your shoe-repair person affix a rubber sole to the bottom of the leather sole to ensure they’ll last longer; regular resoling, cleaning and polishing will extend their life further. Quality brands for a basic black pump include Amalfi, Donald J Pliner, Brown’s and Salvatore Ferragamo.
Casual boots: Whether brown or black is your shade of choice, a casual boot in which you can comfortably walk all day, and in any kind of weather, is essential. Blundstone’s are very well built and have soles that seem to last forever. Alternately, Frye boots and shoes come in so many styles now that they suit any wardrobe. (They too will also last forever, literally.)
Denim jacket: a stylish woman of any age should own a denim jacket. It’s a great, casual piece that will last for years, provided you purchase a well-made version. Denim jackets also come in several different silhouettes — blazer, western, bomber, trench — that can work with any wardrobe. Trusted denim brands include Levi’s, Wrangler and Gap.
Black pants: A narrow or straight-legged pant offers a great shape that can carry you for years style-wise. Theory makes a great black pant in various shapes.
V-neck tees: These are great basics to have for layering, wearing as undershirts or as part of a casual outfit. Invest in good quality bamboo, organic cotton or 100 per cent cotton, preferably from brands like Ultra, American Apparel and Alternative Apparel.
Little black dress: Every woman needs one (or five) — it’s as simple as that. They work for any occasion, in any season.
Bonus tip: Highlight your wardrobe with seasonal colors, patterns and on-trend silhouettes.
As published by Lauren Baker on The Huffington Post Canada
For the past six years, I have taken an active interest in the natural-health movement (though, admittedly, I’m not a portrait of perfect health… yet). Through reading magazines such as Alive, Whole Living, and Best Health, and having lengthy discussions with my naturopath, I have become much more conscious of what goes into everyday body-care products, and which ones contain agents that may potentially do more harm than good.
Lately, I’ve noticed a word that pops up in a lot of articles and discussions about body-care products: parabens. Alive Magazine‘s Allison Tannis provides this succinct explanation:
“Used primarily as a preservative, parabens can be found in make-up, moisturizers, hair-care products, deodorants, shaving products, and other cosmetics. Some companies and government organizations, including the US Food and Drug Administration, assure us that exposure to these chemicals is not harmful to our health. However, research continues to cast doubt on this assertion. Parabens are easily absorbed through the skin. They have lipophilic properties, which means they can accumulate in fatty tissue such as that found in the breast. This makes the use of parabens in underarm deodorants, skin creams and sunscreens a concern if they are found to be harmful to our health.”
As Tannis suggests, no direct causal link between parabens and cancer has been established. However, there is speculation around it. Given the history of breast cancer in my family, I recently went through my drawers and cupboards and chucked all my body- and skin-care products that contained parabens. This was very hard, as I do like my products — but I value my health more, obviously.
Fortunately, there are many excellent options — whether store-bought or homemade — available for those seeking paraben-free body-care. I recommend swapping out your paraben-based products for these effective alternatives:
Body Exfoliator:
Body Blitz Eucalyptus Mineral Body Scrub $32
Homemade sugar body-scrub recipe:
Roughly $16 for a large batch
1/2 C turbinado sugar
1/2 cup honey (local if possible)
1 tbsp water
4 drops lavender (or your favourite essential oil)
Body Wash:
Yes To Carrots Hydrating Body Wash, $10.99 at Shoppers Drug Mart
Alba Coconut Cream Body Wash, $8.99
Shampoo and Conditioner:
Kevin Murphy Hydrate-Me Wash and Hydrate-Me Rinse hair products. From $6 at your local salon.
Facial Cleanser:
Formulab soap-free mildly-foaming cleanser, $30.97
Nature’s Gate In the Beginning gentle cleansing lotion, $19.99
Facial Moisturizer:
Burt’s Bees carrot nutritive day crème, $19.99
Elmwood Spa Elm Line Sensitive Day Protection Cream for face (also protects from UVA/UVB damage), $41
Body Lotion:
Yes to Carrots Daily Moisture body lotion, $7.99 at Shoppers Drug Mart
Jason Naturals Cocoa Butter Hand and Body Lotion, $6.49
Pain remedies:
Zax’s original Bruise Cream, $18.99
Weleda Arnica Ointment, $12.99
Deodorant:
Tom’s of Maine Natural Deodorant, $7.99. I buy mine from well.ca, a Guelph, Ontario-based online drug and health-food store. (They even sell toys!) I can’t say enough great things about this site.
Green Beaver citrus sport deodorant, $6.49
Fragrance
Clean 1fl oz $38 (various scents)
Aura Cacia essential Oils from $4.69 to $59.99
Hair anti frizz
Moroccan Oil $41
LaCoupe orgnx Moringa Oil Complex $12.99 Drugstores
Lip balm
Kiss My Face SPF 15 Vanilla Honey $3.49
C.O. Bigelow Mentha Lip Shine $7.50 Bath and Body Works
.
The next time you go to buy your favorite beauty product, read the label as some things label themselves as ‘green’ or ‘natural’ and aren’t. You’d be surprised.
My bestie Nicole Dagenais and I were in Chicago over the weekend in the sweltering 43 degree heat (thank god it’s the windy city) to attend Pitchfork Music Festival. We snapped some cute ladies for fashionmagazine.com who were enjoying the tunes of Odd Future, Deerhunter, Fleet Foxes, Superchunk, TV On The Radio and more. It was a great weekend, all things considered. I spent my time in a wheelchair as you can see below…
Me and Tyler from Odd Future.
Lucky Magazine’s August issue features a Toronto shopping guide in which LAB is listed! We are super excited about this!
See the article below:
Lucky Magazine City Guide Toronto August 2011 - PDF
That’s pretty nice eh! LAB as one of Toronto’s top 10 consignment boutiques. Read all about it here
This holiday season, LAB, Silver Falls Vintage, CHOSEN, and Hunter & Cook are having a food drive at 15 Ossington.
For each donated item you will get a chance to win the following prizes!
$75 Gift Certificate to Silver Falls Vintage
$75 Gift Certificate to CHOSEN
$75 Gift Certificate to LAB Consignment
2 Subscriptions to Hunter & Cook are up for grabs!
Most needed items for donation:
- Baby formula & food
- Beans & lentils
- Canned fruits &
vegetables - Canned fish & meat
- Cans of soup or hearty stew
- Dried pasta & tomato sauce
- Macaroni & cheese
- Peanut butter
- Rice
- Tetra Pak, canned or powdered milk
*5 prizes to be won. They will be drawn at random on Dec 31st at 6 pm est. WInner to be notified by email, prizes available by pick up. Prizes cannot be exchanged for cash.
Starting today, shoppers in Yorkville’s rac boutique can peruse a rack of LAB Consignment’s wares chosen by owners Faith Orfus and Glenna Weddle.
Stop in and see their collection which includes Mara Hoffman, Vivienne Westwood Anglomania, Ksubi, and Greta Constantine.
rac boutique
124 Cumberland Street, Toronto M5S 1M8
647 352 4433| info@racboutique.com
MON-SAT 11AM-7PM |SUN 12PM-5PM
SERVICES: Private Shopping Appointments (on or off-site), Layaway Payments, Fashion Stylist Service
RAC BOUTIQUE|is a creative forum that offers cutting edge fashion and lifestyle accessories in the heart of Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood. Proprietors Glenna Weddle and Faith Orfus curate a roster of international, emerging and undiscovered designers bringing together unique women’s ready-to-wear as well as accessories, specialty gifts, books and magazines. The result is unparalleled shopping and a modern boutique experience.