Practically Magic

Every so often a film comes along that feels less like a movie and more like a place you want to live. The characters in it could be friends. With the movie "Practical Magic 2" just around the corner, I've been thinking about that wonderfully romantic 90's era...the velvet and lace trimmed jackets and dresses, long skirts that brush against distressed leather boots and clothing that looks like it has lived a beautiful life.

This week, I opened a long-forgotten box of such clothing--most likely from one of my many moves. In it, I found some gorgeous pieces, like the thick grey velvet bias cut dress with a ruffle at the hem....several vintage slips that can be worn a dozen ways...little black knitted cardigans to layer over a simple outfit...a beautiful rayon bias cut long black skirt trimmed with lace...etc. 

Too many pieces to talk about....better to be seen in person. Some are one-of-a-kind, some are old-stock from Tattered Rose and a few are my own pre-loved pieces. All have been laundered and/or freshened up.

Seeing them again reminded me why I started my shop in 1999. Perhaps the real magic of beautiful clothing is that it never really goes out of style and maybe one of these items has been waiting for you.....

Tattered Rose is open Wed to Sat 11 am - 3 pm (or by appointment)

Tattered Rose Magazine~Summer 2026

It is officially summer, although by the weather you might think it was still April. We seem to have had a lion's share of rain in Alberta recently. I LOVE a rainy day now and then--that is when I allow myself to dream, to create, to rest without guilt. But I have to admit--this is too much rain, even for me.

That being said, we are not going to let the rain dampen our spirits. There is still beauty in the world, including inside our shop, Tattered Rose, where no rain ever falls.

For years, I have alluded to and outright talked about the idea of an how old attic is a place of inspiration for my shop. This is where you may find old dress forms, tables and a cat or two. And it is where old cedar-lined trunks rest upon wood plank flooring, filled with beautiful clothing from the past, carefully folded in tissue so as to preserve the fabrics.

And while we do carry some vintage clothing in the shop, our items are mostly new, with a nod to the past. This allows our clothing to be beautifully inspired by vintage clothing and yet wearable today. You may have an occasion to wear a soft tulle petticoat skirt that calls for a corset but the following week, you can wear that same petticoat skirt with a pair of distressed brown leather boots and a knitted sweater or boyfriend shirt.

This is where the heart is....this is Tattered Rose♥

My Tattered Life

 

It was 1998 and I was right in the middle of running my 3 year old (romantic) Western store (Way Out West), where there was men's and women's clothing that leaned heavily on the western vibe: Beaded leather jackets with fringe, long skirts that flared out at the hemline, fitted wool jackets and coats, military inspired jackets, broomstick skirts, frock coats for both men and women, suspenders and old west shirts for the men, etc. 

Even though there was a lot of western, country girl in me, my taste in clothing was more closely aligned with the romance of the past. The 1910's to 1930's in particular, held a large part of my interest in clothing from the past.

Other factors at the time also contributed to my desire to have a shop that was more in tune with who I was as a woman who loved clothing since childhood. I didn't really dress "western", except for certain days that were aimed at promoting my western shop (Way Out West)

No, my taste in clothing was more aligned with the Victorian, Edwardian, and 1930's. I was also intrigued with antique clothing that was perhaps once grand and opulent but now had developed some tatters and fading. These clothes made me swoon!

And so, in 1999, the first Tattered Rose store opened it's doors in the same building as my western store, namely the Johnston Terminal in Winnipeg, Manitoba.  I loved having both stores because they each provided different outlets for the eclectic styles I wanted to offer.

Anyway, all of this preamble was to say that since 1999, the name "Tattered Rose" has stood the test of time. To this day, we offer a very eclectic selection of women's clothing, which always includes a lot of tattered, urban romantic styles. I have always said that the name I chose for my store was directly influenced by both of my parents: "Rose" for my Mom who loved roses and "Tattered" for my Dad, who had grown up during the Depression and was used to wearing old, mended, sometimes tattered clothing. He didn't believe in throwing away clothing that had holes, when they could easily be mended.

I closed my Way Out West store in 2001. Life had changed but Tattered Rose remained with me. If you look closely, though, you can still see ghosts of the western shop where all this began.

♥

The Fate of Ophelia...a story about our window display.

 

Stuff like this blows my mind, and it happens to me quite often.

Yesterday, I wanted to do a window display at my store that was inspired by Taylor Swift's song "The Fate of Ophelia". I had only learned of this song's existence the day before because 4 of the actresses from The Young & the Restless put out a short video of them dancing to "The Fate of Ophelia".

Until then, I had never even heard the song at all. I was so intrigued by it, I had to search for the the origin of this song. It was by Taylor Swift! What?! I always thought of her of as the bubble gum princess of pop but I couldn't be any more wrong. She is one very talented lady and she has gained a new fan (me)

Back to the story of my window display....

I placed a long narrow table in the window display. Then I dressed one of the mannequins that has a head and arms and legs, in a vintage style lacey frock. Placed a blonde wig on her head as she lay their on the table (in honour of Ms. Swift) and a bouquet of white silk flowers upon her chest.

I went outside to check on it and realized that it looked like she was dead, laying their straight on the table with flowers on her chest. Yikes!

I removed the flowers and then proceeded to look around my store for a book to place on her chest instead, so that it would like like she had fallen asleep reading. Found one, placed it on her chest, open to about the middle of the book. 

Yes, that was better. To some it might still evoke the initial impression that this person had left this earth, but surely with the book there, it could be that she was just lying their still, listening to the sounds of nature. 

It wasn't until I did the video for my Instagram reel that I saw the page of the book was open to a chapter titled "Elizabeth Taylor" as I zoomed in on the book in the video (to make it last longer so that I could use Taylor's song about Ophelia as the background music)

OK. Here is the creepy part: I watched Taylor Swift's music video of "The Fate of Ophelia" on YouTube again this morning because it is my latest obsession. You know how when the one song is ending, they show the next video to play? The next video to play was a song by Taylor Swift called "Elizabeth Taylor"!!!!!! 

I had absolutely no idea she had a song out by that name. And yesterday, the book I had chosen had opened to the chapter called "Elizabeth Taylor"!! What the heck kind of coincidence is that.....or is it a coincidence?

I know this was a long-winded story but I had to share with y'all and maybe get your thoughts on it.

P.S. If you want to check out the Ophelia video I did yesterday, here is the link to my Instagram:

www.instagram.com/tattered_rose/

Tattered Rose

Oh my goodness!

It must be the shabby princess in me.....influenced forever by my Dad, who grew up during the depression.

He had mended work clothes instead of buying new. He always bought used vehicles. He was frugal and careful with his money all his life.

He taught us to not buy anything we didn't need or have the cash for (that one I only learned later in life, after I was done rebelling this way of living)

For the longest time, he didn't allow store bought baked goods or other junk food in the house.

All of that about him sunk into my heart and mind.

So, if I show pictures of shabby, tattered things, this is where it comes from.

And now that I think of it, even the name of my shop, Tattered Rose, is a combination of my Dad (tattered) and my Mom (rose).  

Isn't it Romantic?

 

Spring 2025 promises to be another one steeped in romance. There will be soft fabrics and colours alongside the darker romantic colours (like black) that many of us like to wear.

It is nice to have something to look forward to when the world around us seems to be so chaotic. We can control our own little corner of the world and that can include bringing beauty into it.

New items and new ways of putting outfits together will be evident at Tattered Rose soon.........stay tuned.

♥

Welcome 2025

 

Welcome 2025. 

I personally do not believe in making "resolutions", as such because they are too easily broken.

This new year, I decided to quietly, without announcing anything, make a few casual promises to myself. These promises are at the forefront of my mind and are easy to remember because they are simple and flexible. In other words, if I don't manage to keep them 100% I will just quietly keep trying to abide by the changes I wish to see for myself and for Tattered Rose.

It is a new year, full of promise and possibilities. I intend to make the most of it and I invite you to do the same.....if you wish. You might have your own ideas and that is OK too.

Happy New Year to all of my customers and friends. It's going to be a great year!