Let’s pick up where we left off last week and talk about some more of my favourite brands for vintage (80s, 90s, and Y2K) fashion. I’ve tried to organize these into (semi-arbitrary) categories to help jog my mental Rolodex — that’s a reference for my fellow Gen Xers — because there are a lot of them to remember. My advice is: if you come across a vintage-looking label, it’s worth a closer look. I always check the fabric composition, and the “made in” tag, along with the overall condition of the item and the quality of its finishings; and if it’s an unfamiliar brand, I do a quick look-up on Google to see what it resells for. I am generally not expecting non-designer vintage to resell at super high prices, but if I’m seeing listings in the $30-50 range (or higher), it’s likely to be a brand with decent quality.

Department store brands

Let’s start off with one of my absolute faves: Liz Claiborne, along with its offshoots LizWear and LizSport. I have SO many pieces, including pants (my fave white pair!), tops, sweaters and vests. So many good vests! Style-wise, this brand covers a lot of bases, from cottagecore to preppy, and from casual to dressy. Lots of natural fibers, especially cotton, which is always a bonus. Along very similar lines there is Jones New York and Talbots. As with Liz Claiborne, you can tell which pieces are vintage (versus current) from the brand logos and the “made in” tags. All of these brands are good across all categories of clothing, as well as accessories.

Slightly less common to find here is Anne Klein and Anne Klein II. I haven’t done much research into this brand, so I don’t precisely know its history, but I do know that the latter was advertised a lot in Vogue and similar magazines in the 80s and 90s, so it was a relatively upscale brand — with quality to match. I would put the English brand Jaeger in the same bucket; both of these have a more classic, elegant aesthetic. Ditto Ann Taylor. For something with a little more flash and 80s pizzazz, Carole Little is also worth keeping an eye out for.

Then we have what I think of as the “catalogue” brands, including J. Crew, Eddie Bauer, and Pendleton. (Most brands on this list did catalogues back in the day, but just go with it. This is what I meant when I said my categories were arbitrary ;)). I love EB for knitwear and outerwear. Ditto for Pendleton, who also did amazing wool blazers. Vintage J. Crew is super rare here, but I would die for some of their wool and cashmere sweaters — especially some of their original rollneck sweaters.

Canadian brands

Into this category, I’m putting a bunch of brands that are of a similar type to the above only, well, Canadian. It’s not merely patriotic pride that influenced that decision; depending on your location, these brands may be more or less accessible on account of being Canadian. As far as Ports International goes, I actually only found out recently that it is; for some reason, I previously thought it was a European brand. I find the quality to be slightly inconsistent, but for the most part it’s quite good — on par with some of the higher-end brands listed above. The aesthetic is generally on the classic/ladylike end of things; I’ve had especially good luck with jackets and skirts. Braemer and Alfred Sung are also worth keeping an eye on; lots of 80s “power” suiting and blazers. I always check to make sure the shoulder pads are removable (not sewn in) because, while I love a strong shoulder, too much of it makes me look like a linebacker.

On the designer end of things, Wayne Clark did a ton of fabulous stuff in the 80s, including evening wear. I recently thrifted a velvet jacket that is absolutely stunning, but I have also come across more casual/daytime pieces as well. And since I forgot to add these to my post last week, here is an honourable mention for a couple of European designer brands: Louis Ferraud and Sassoon. I’ve got a couple of amazing jackets from both of these brands — very “lady-who-lunches” in the best way.

I would be remiss not to include Danier in this list of Canadian brands, because it’s my top go-to for vintage leather clothing. Their jackets and blazers are the most common items to be found at the thrift stores — though prices have skyrocketed in recent years — but skirts, vests, and even pants are worth a look. My Danier suede maxi skirt is an absolute stunner, the kind of thing I could easily see on a Ralph Lauren runway; something of similar quality would cost upwards of $500 these days.

Cottagecore brands

If, like me, you’re into the cottagecore aesthetic, here are some of the brands that might deliver the vintage pieces your closet needs. Laura Ashley is, of course, a classic. I don’t come across it often here in Edmonton, but it never disappoints. Their floral prints are usually amazing. Speaking of amazing prints, I like to think of Suttles & Seawinds as the Canadian Laura Ashley. They also do a lot of patchwork-style pieces, including matching jacket/skirt and vest/skirt combos. Also similar, but with slightly more hit-and-miss quality, is April Cornell. I love their aesthetic, but I don’t always love the fabrics they use (viscose for summer dresses).

For fun knitwear, Tabi and Susan Bristol are usually good bets; the latter also for patchwork stuff. Christopher & Banks and Beechers Brook are two brands to which I’ve only recently started paying attention, but I think they would fit into this category as well (although I think BB had a broader range of styles, beyond the cottagecore stuff).

Youth/Mall brands

My favourite vintage ‘mall brand’ is, of course, the Gap but Mexx and Esprit are not too far behind. These are all relatively easy to find in my local thrift stores, along with Canadian staples like Le Chateau, Jacob and Tristan & Iseut. Less common is vintage Banana Republic, though I recently scored the perfect 90s velvet mini dress with an old school BR label. For some reason, vintage Club Monaco is also quite rare at my local thrifts, but maybe that’s because it’s considered highly desirable.

Slightly more youth-oriented, there is also Mariposa and SmartSet; both are 90s throwbacks that my teenage self would have loved to wear. Their specialty was trendy clothing, which means that vintage pieces that are still kicking around will definitely reflect what was “in” 20+ years ago. I would add Jessie to this list — not to be confused with Jessica, which also appears on a lot of vintage clothing, but which I believe was targeted at an older audience.

If you have other recommendations — the more obscure, the better! — please add them to the list in the comment section. Sharing (the knowledge) is caring!

Details: Eddie Bauer sweater, Liz Claiborne pants, Fossil belt, Alexander McQueen shoes (all thrifted)

Thoughts: Still rocking my white pants, still obsessed with them. The matchiness of this outfit pleased me a great deal, especially once I realized the shoes have red piping on them. Both sweater and pants are (good, vintage) cotton, so they’re perfect for early transitional weather — cool mornings, warm days. I’m really feeling this relaxed preppy vibe at the moment, and can’t wait to experiment with it going into fall.

Details: Re/Done tee, Judith & Charles jacket, Donna Karan belt (all thrifted), Ricki’s skirt (retail)

Thoughts: I’m not sure how I’ll feel about wearing this white skirt in the cooler months ahead (even at home), so I decided to take my chance while I still have it, and give it another wear. I’ve been growing bolder this year, doing head-to-toe white outfits despite my propensity to spill things on myself. Hope I haven’t just jinxed myself. Anyway, this is almost all white. Red is just a fantastic pairing for white, and I much prefer it to the standard red, white, and blue (with its patriotic connotations which I, as a Canadian, have no desire to promote ;)).

Details: Bozzolo top (retail), Beechers Brook dress, Babaton skirt, Napoleoni shoes (all thrifted), Marc Jacobs bag (eBay)

Thoughts: Let’s move on now to my 90s obsession. Baby tee, slim skirt, sheer dress overlay — need I say more? I’ve also decided that it’s time to bring back my old Marc Jacobs bags into rotation. They’re not precisely Y2K, but close. This was the era when MJ bags were made from the most incredible leather (on par with vintage Coach, imo) and lined with suede. Yes, suede! Usually in a fun, contrasting colour to the exterior leather. These bags are heeeavy to carry, but so fabulous. And so many to-die-for colours! I am so happy that I didn’t do another dumb thing and get rid of these years ago, like I did with my original vintage Coach bag collection. If anything is gonna make me start wearing shoulder bags again, it’s these babies.

Details: Bozzolo top (retail), Braemer vest, Apostrophe skirt, Aldo shoes (all thrifted), Rafael Alfandary necklace (eBay)

Thoughts: Speaking of the 90s … as soon as I saw this skirt at the thrift store, there was only one thing on my mind: 1999 Oscars red carpet. IYKYK. I have been obsessed with Gwyneth’s bubblegum pink gown for 25 years. Maybe it was an omen; after all, it was designed by Ralph Lauren and, well, here we are today. Anyway, this skirt was $3 so it was an instant “yes”. However, once I got it home, I realized that I had no idea how to style it. More than anything, I think it’s the pink that stumps me; it’s not a colour I wear a lot, and I’m finding it somewhat challenging to figure out what to pair it with, on top of also trying to match the vibe of the skirt. Anyway, my first attempt ended up with this outfit, which I didn’t mind at all. The vest gives me 90s Versace vibes, and paired with my trusty cropped tee, it felt like a cohesive idea come to life.

Details: Brooks Brothers shirt, J. Crew blazer & shoes, Tommy Hilfiger jeans, vintage belt, Coach bag (all secondhand)

Thoughts: It’s almost time to bust out my corduroy stuff in earnest, and I couldn’t be more excited. That’s all I got here — it’s a pretty basic outfit, but the colours make it fun.

Details: Wilfred sweater vest, Do+Be skirt, vintage bag & necklaces (all thrifted), Maguire shoes (retail)

Thoughts: I thrifted this skirt for my fall wishlist so I could experiment with the leopard print trend, and I’m actually having a lot of fun with it. This was my first styling attempt, and I went bolder than I originally planned for two reasons. One, I wanted to wear my red slides again, so I decided to pair the skirt with this cropped red sweater vest. Do the reds match perfectly? No, but there’s enough outfit in between to distract the eye (hopefully). Two, I found this really cute, (faux) tortoiseshell and mother-of-pearl vintage bag, and thought its dotty print would clash perfectly with the leopard print — that is to say, it would be a pattern mix made in heaven.

I have been talking a lot about vintage fashion lately, so I thought this would be a good time to give an update on my current favourite brands for vintage clothing. As you know, when I say “vintage”, I am talking primarily about the 80s, 90s and early 2000s. A lot of the clothing from those decades falls squarely within my style ‘wheelhouse’ and can be found relatively easily (for now) at the thrift stores, as well as online resale platforms like Poshmark. For the most part, these are not high-end designer brands, though the quality of their vintage clothing is often on par (or better) than many contemporary designers so, generally, you will not be paying a ‘brand name’ premium for these items while getting excellent value for your money.

Everyone knows how much I love Ralph Lauren, but there are a few other American designers popular during a similar time period whose design aesthetic makes them worth keeping an eye out for. For sportswear- and preppy-coded pieces, there is Tommy Hilfiger. I adore their classic striped men’s shirts from the late 90s; they’re made from a very nice, thick cotton fabric and the stripe patterns are always excellent. Vintage Calvin Klein jeans are bomb, and this was one of the brands that launched the 90s minimalism trend. I would love to find one of their slip dresses or skirts. Donna Karan also did minimalism really well, with an emphasis on draping and sculptural details, as well as amazing, tactile fabrics (cashmere, sequins). I have a few vintage leather belts from the brand, and they are incredible quality and still feel very modern. Perry Ellis is more overlooked these days, but it was a very influential brand in the 80s and 90s; Marc Jacobs got his start in the fashion industry there. Based on the stuff I’ve seen (mostly online), I would describe the vibe as a mix of Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein. Todd Oldham is probably more on the high-end compared with the others, but he had a ton of fun, bold, colourful designs that embodied the playful side of the 90s. Nicole Miller is underrated, in my opinion, compared to similar designers from the same era, like Betsey Johnson; I have found some amazing dresses that incorporate a more feminine/girly edge into the slinky minimalism vibe of the late 90s.

Now, when it comes to European brands, one of the go-tos is, of course, Escada. But I am not alone; everyone is on the Escada train these days, which means that the prices of their pieces are getting higher all the time. Fewer people are familiar with Laurel, which was one of its subsidiary brands, or BiBa. Their vintage pieces are slightly harder to find here in North America, but they tend to fly under the (pricing) radar, and the quality and design are similar to Escada. Another brand with a similar vibe is Mondi. I basically snap up every Mondi piece I come across that is my size and fits my aesthetic (most of them do), because the quality is impeccable. I love their jackets, skirts and vests in particular. I would also put Ungaro in this bucket. Agnes B was the ‘cool girl’ brand of the late 90s, a French take on minimalism. If you love the zany, maximalist aesthetic of Jean Paul Gaultier knitwear, keep an eye out for Fuzzi; it’s the company that owns the licensing rights to JPG knit- and beachwear, and they put out a lot of similarly-vibed pieces (think boldly patterned, bodycon mesh tops, dresses and skirts) under the Fuzzi label.

Come back next week to talk about more of my fave vintage brands to thrift!