She Grew Up In Her Mom's Vintage Store. Now They Share The Ultimate Trove Of Dresses
Natasha Roberts sold her first piece of vintage when she was six years old. She made the sale at Space Vintage, owned by her mom, Ashlene Roberts. "I practically grew up in the store," says Natasha, who is now 26. Ashlene remembers her helping with labels and customers ever since she was a little girl. "Natasha would even promote the store by handing out flyers throughout Mirvish Village, our original neighbourhood, while wearing true vintage outfits," Ashlene says. "She was under 10 years old at the time, and had to identify who our client was and make a connection with them."
Today, Natasha and Ashlene co-own Space Vintage, which now has two locations, on Queen St. W. And in Kensington Market. "Natasha has unlimited potential to do great things in many fields, and for her to choose fashion and work alongside me is a great honour and has been very fulfilling," Ashlene says. Having her daughter as a business partner has been an asset, as it allows the pair to reach a wider range of customers, whom they refer to as "stars," and understand their fashion needs. "If I was operating Space Vintage alone then I may not be focusing on our stars who are 30 and under and vice versa," Ashlene says. "We complement each other."
Their work benefits from a sort of mother-daughter telepathy. "We fill in each other's blanks. Working together for so long has somehow conjoined our brains," Natasha says. When they're pulling looks for a client who has filled out a styling questionnaire (a free service that's in high demand for prom season), they'll often discover that they were thinking of the exact same piece. "This isn't very easy to do considering there's pounds and pounds of clothing to choose from, but somehow we are always on the same page."
Ashlene wears a Pucci nylon shirt dress sourced from a closet clean-out full of designer pieces, all in her size. Natasha wears a 1980s ruffle wrap dress that her mom also has in a black and white print. Photo: Richard Lautens for the Toronto Star.The pair are one of Toronto's most stylish mother-daughter duos, often drawing double-takes and compliments on the street for their eye-catching vintage ensembles. Ashlene provided Natasha with some of her first fashion inspiration — at school pick-up. "She'd arrive in amazing outfits. I remember this 1970s leather coat with a big fur collar that she'd always wear with big sunglasses, eclectic vintage jewellery, funky boots and box braids. It was fabulous!" Natasha says. "I was always stunned and thought, 'Wow, I want to look like that one day.'"
Even at a young age, Natasha impressed her mom with her fashion chops. Ashlene remembers her daughter's first school formal, when the 13-year-old insisted on getting her hair and makeup done professionally. "Her process was very organized. She booked an appointment at M.A.C, selected a hair stylist and I styled her look. It was a team effort," Ashlene says. "I recognized her professionalism and attention to detail from a young age. I thought to myself, 'I could learn something from this girl…'"
"We both wear unique pieces, but my mom is more willing to wear things that others may consider to be strange."
While they have similar fashion principles—they both fall into what Ashlene dubs the "unusual category"—their approach to getting dressed is different. Ashlene says she'll wear basic black pumps and let her outfit do the talking, while her daughter is more of "a head-to-toe type of girl." ("Natasha always wears heels unless she's working out. She doesn't own a pair of flats other than her gym shoes.")
"My mom is resourceful with fashion and gives Dresses that would most likely be dated a chance; she knows how to bring dresses to life and give them new meaning," Natasha says. "She is an artist first and foremost. She uses vintage as one of her creative mediums. So she's more likely than I am to wear a piece that is rare and unusual. We both wear unique pieces, but my mom is more willing to wear things that others may consider to be strange."
Ashlene is wild about vintage dresses, particularly gothic or Victorian tea-party dresses, 1970s prairie dresses, colourful 1960s print dresses and "even heavy polyester dresses that people tend to disregard: unusual, crazy, '80s dresses—I love them!" she says. "I try to wear clothing that makes people happy. I like pieces that evoke a good feeling or unusual pieces that people haven't seen before."
Natasha wears a rare 1970s Gunne Sax cotton prairie dress; Ashlene wears a 1960s print dress she sourced on a recent trip to Surry Hills in Sydney, Australia. Photo: Richard Lautens for the Toronto Star.Natasha shares her mom's love of dresses: she never, ever wears pants. "There's so much range with dresses, from the fabrics to the colours to the silhouettes. I can go from puffy '80s princess gowns to sleek '90s dresses to '40s workwear dresses depending on the day, the mission and my mood."
So, has she pilfered her mother's legendary closet? "Natasha has worn things that I was rocking at her age," Ashlene says. "It's great to see the longevity of vintage pieces and how clothing travels through time and reinvents itself."
One especially precious hand-me-down is the piece Natasha considers her coming-of-age dress. She always loved it when her mom would wear a 1970s orange-and-blue, patchwork-print maxi dress with a ruffle collar and ruffle trim, and dreamed of the day when she'd be able to wear it, too. When she turned 16, Ashlene finally let her take the dress for a spin. "I remember feeling very sophisticated in this dress. I also felt honoured that I had reached a level of style where I was trusted to wear the dress," Natasha says. "I felt liberated and this dress gave me more confidence during the awkward teenage phase of my style journey."
Now, the pair are coming up on 20 years of working together, side by side at Space Vintage, and Natasha is just as excited to connect with fellow vintage lovers as she was at age six. "I always wanted to be an asset to this business, but also make an impact on my community, my country and the world," Natasha says. "But working alongside my mom is the most special thing."
Makeup by Kiana Schaffer-Baker. Shot on location at The Well.
Worker Defies 'Unofficial' Dress Code By Wearing Pants To Work Instead Of A Long Skirt & Gets Called Into Boss's Office
In the 1950s and 1960s women were expected to wear knee-length skirts to work. But by the time the 1970s rolled around, the fight for equality at work and the liberation of women was in full swing and the power suit, complete with pants, a blouse, and a fitted blazer grew in popularity.
That's why it was so shocking when one woman took to Reddit's r/legaladvice subreddit to share her story about being forced to wear a skirt to work every day and shamed when she didn't.
RELATED: Woman Who Wore A 'Bra, Skirt & Stiletto Heels' To School As A Teen Reveals How She Avoided Getting Dress Coded
© Provided by YourTango Photo: Reddit
She started by explaining that the company she worked for was owned by Mennonites, members of the Protestant church. At work, she believes the norm of women wearing skirts and men wearing pants could be attributed to the conservative traditions of the religious group. Even so, there is no 'official' dress code, but the cultural norms are strictly enforced.
RELATED: Employee Says He Was Suddenly Fired After Being Told By HR That He Was 'Too Organized' For The Company
The lack of autonomy over what she wears had been bothering the woman lately and according to her, "I've worn mid-calf to floor length skirts (the dress code) the entirety of my time working there. I've had issues with them for a long time."
The skirts have gotten in the way, falling beneath her feet at times, creating a tripping hazard, and she is constantly squatting to pick up things at work. Every woman knows how awkward and uncomfortable bending or kneeling can get when you have a dress or skirt on. Not to mention, the Redditor believes she is much more productive at work when wearing pants.
Lately, she had noticed that seasonal employees were coming onto the team, but since they work in the back and are not customer-facing, are allowed to wear pants. That inspired her to build up the courage to show up at work wearing pants for the first time after a year of adhering to the unofficial dress code.
The day before sharing her story, she walked onto the job with a pair of pants on and things did not go well. She said, "Within the first 30 minutes of clocking in, I already got the talk of shame from my pants-wearing male manager. He told me that the business [is] going for a certain 'image' and that people (not customers, coworkers) are complaining about my pants."
RELATED: Boss Wears Crop Tops & Mini Skirts To Work But Claims Dressing 'Inappropriate' Is OK Because She's In Charge
She complied and changed into her customary workwear, a skirt, but felt like everyone was whispering about her for the rest of the day. She was embarrassed and ashamed of how she had been treated and turned to the subreddit to see if forcing women to wear dresses or skirts is legal. She feels singled out and though she enjoys her job, can't bear the tension in the air.
Dress codes are a complicated matter. One reader commented, "Dress codes that are different for men and women aren't inherently illegal unless they create a disproportionate burden on one gender over another. A dress code requiring men to wear suits and ties while women must wear formal dresses would be legal, while a dress code requiring women to wear makeup but not requiring men to do anything would be illegal."
That person is absolutely right. Dress codes that treat men and women disparately are prohibited by Title VII f the Civil Rights Act of 1964. As a matter of fact, any policies that discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin are out of the question for employers. With that said, employers do have the right to implement uniforms and dress codes as long as they don't infringe on the rights of or target a specific group.
RELATED: Schoolgirls Left In Tears By Dress Code That Requires Male Teachers To Inspect The Lengths Of Their Skirts
NyRee Ausler is a writer and author from Seattle. She covers issues navigating the workplace using the experience garnered over two decades of working in Human Resources & Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Groovy, Baby: 1960s 'Fashion Experiment' Takes Spotlight In New Allentown Art Museum Exhibit
The Allentown Art Museum is the place to be with its groovy new exhibition, "Fashion as Experiment: The '60s."
The exhibit, which opened Saturday and runs through Sunday, Sept. 24, explores clothing as a tool for change and focuses on the mid-1960s styles that offered young people of the era a laboratory for imagination and play as well as a growing sense of activism.
The new exhibition will be structured in two parts and will feature more than 100 garments and accessories from the museum's vast collection, some of which by iconic designers such as Geoffrey Beene, Emilio Pucci, Bonnie Cashin, and André Courrèges.
I recently spoke with museum curator Claire McRee about the upcoming exhibition and more in this exclusive new interview.
Q: What was the inspiration behind the new exhibition, "Fashion as Experiment: The '60s"?
Claire McRee: We have a strong 1960s area in our fashion collection with a lot of depth and interesting garments. That was really the inspiration. Then as we thought about the issues and conversations that were happening during the 60s we realized a lot of the ideas about things like gender, race and the environment still resonate today. It felt like a great moment to take a closer look at this important era in history.
Josefa (Mexican, 1919–2010), Dress, 1972, natural cotton and ribbons. Allentown Art Museum: transferred from American Textile History Museum, Gift of Ellen Pinzur, 2017.Q: What can visitors to the exhibition expect to see?
McRee: This exhibition is larger in scale than some of the other fashion exhibits we've done in the past and will take up the entire second floor of the museum. We'll have two main groups with the larger one fitting into the category of disruptive youth. It contains styles that are mod, streamlined, minimalist and Avant-garde. We'll have paper dresses and ones that reference pop art. There's also a lot of floral and psychedelic prints as well as some very flamboyant men's wear.
Another gallery will explore counter-cultural and how those styles worked outside the fashion system. Things like thrifting and mending that drew inspiration from global and historical styles and the eventual commercialization of those grassroots fashion trends. There are about 120 garments and accessories in the show and 46 mannequins in dress form.
Q: How did the museum acquire such a vast collection?
McRee: We received a significant gift from a local collector, Ellie Laubner, who gave us several thousand garments and accessories from her personal collection in 2009. That really established the fashion collection of the museum. Since then, we've also had other gifts build on areas in that collection. We're very fortunate that our community supports and enables us to do these projects.
Q: Why "Fashion as Experiment?"
McRee: As someone who specializes in fashion history, I think there's always a meaning behind clothes. It's an interesting lens into our culture. For instance, in the mid- to late-'60s there was a lot of emphasis on new things, novelty and being in the moment. Designers were looking for ways to speed up the timeline of production and consumption with the focus being on innovation and getting out new looks. It was something young people really responded to. The disruptive styles had a lot of fluorescent and brilliant color combinations where the focus was on the future, and was more youthful, exuberant, and carefree.
Another would be the counter-cultural styles which were more grassroots and experimenting with things like mended clothing, patching, and embroidering. It was something you saw go from a do-it-yourself trend to something you could buy. A shift in western history where styles from outside the design world had a huge influence on designers.
Q: Do you have a personal favorite piece in the collection?
McRee: That's always a hard question to answer. There are multiple pieces by Vera Neumann I like. She designed clothing but is also known for designing scarves and housewares linen. Her big thing was that she would hand paint designs that would then be printed on fabric. Her creative use of prints includes amazing floral dresses with vibrant colors that really embody the spirit of the 1960s.
Women's Boots, late 1960s/early 70s, vinyl with embroidery. Allentown Art Museum: Collection of Ellie Laubner, 2009.Q: Is there a message you'd like visitors to take with them after viewing the exhibition?
McRee: Part of it would be to have people think about the significance of clothing and the objects we surround ourselves with in our daily life. What do they say about us or about thesociety we live in and how does it express certain values or viewpoints?
It'll be wonderful for people to look back at an era that's still within living memory. I'm sure there will be a lot of people who will have nostalgia and be excited to recognize things that they remember wearing or maybe saw photos of their loved ones wearing. I also hope we surprise a few people about the era that they may not have known or thought about before.
Before the 1960s, fashion was about self-presentation and getting into the proper rules of dress. By the '60s there was more of an emphasis on rebelling against those trends and claiming clothing as a tool for self-expression. It's something that really holds true today.
James Wood is a freelancer for The Morning Call.
