Turquoise......why not?

A silk scarf to go with this stunning pair of turquoise & crystal earrings. Be still, my heart♥

In Full Bloom

Tattered Rose is in full boom....and yes, we know this is not a rose♥

It's not (just) business...it's personal.

Had I been born with fine bones and near a city that had a ballet troupe, I might have been a ballerina. However, that wasn't ever meant to be MY story.

Mine was a sometimes sad but nevertheless mostly happy childhood. I was creative from the start....my teachers knew that about me, at least. Oh, and my older sister...she could see that I had a natural talent to sew and create things with my hands. Thank God for her being in my life because who knows where I would be if she hadn't encouraged me to pursue my dreams.

I own a clothing boutique, yes. But it is not like any other clothing shop that I have ever seen and I say that as an objective observer, not as a bragging thing. Maybe if my store was more "normal" and not so "personal" I could sell it and do something else for a while that I love doing, like styling for magazines, photo shoots or other such things.

But it is too much a part of me to ever be sold to any one person who may or may not know how to take care of it that way I do. It is me. So, everything about Tattered Rose is personal and eclectic & different because that is what I am. Good or bad, it is the way things are.

So these Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas starting in October continual sale tactics do not sit well with me, personally. Why? It is too much. Too much selling. Too much pressure for people to buy now! It is impersonal and greed-oriented. I am a retailer, of course, so if I don't sell stuff, I don't stay in business and I really LOVE having my store and bringing in wonderful things for my customers to add to their wardrobes. But I do not wish to wave the message around annoyingly intruding on anyone's life that they must buy now, everything is on sale, buy buy buy! It seems wrong to me, somehow.

I never want my customers to feel uncomfortable but at the same time, I have things to sell. Still it is more than just about selling stuff. It really is personal for me. It is sharing a part of my self and my taste with my customers and letting them see the way they could dress and how they can incorporate this romantic clothing and jewellery into the lives they already have. 

Please don't ever think for one moment that I am apathetic about selling because there would be no point in me having a shop if I never wanted to sell anything that's in it. I simply don't want to do it by jumping on the guerrilla selling bandwagon...like the Black Fridays of the retail world. 

On that note....I personally invite you, customers of old and of recent times, to come in. Explore. Try on. Fall in love with something you know will make you feel wonderful every time you wear it. Then buy it because you are supporting a small local business and are part of the Tattered Rose world....and this is a way of taking a little piece of us home with you.

We're a little bit different and it IS personal for us.

With love & affection.

Carol
Tattered Rose 
♥

Edmonton's Best Kept Shopping Secret!

Tattered Rose™

We don't sell pets or Christmas decorations.
We don't carry candy or chocolate because we would eat all of it.
We don't sell men's clothing.
We don't sell automobiles or snow blowers.
We do not sell lumber, paint or door hinges.

But......

We DO have the most eclectic, romantic, vintage-inspired, unique, divine women's clothing & jewellery around!
With everything from hand-made, home-grown, hand-dyed clothing to the best casual wear we could find (and lots of stuff in between).....we really have something for every woman, no matter what age or lifestyle.

We have to be good at something, don't we?

Some have said we are an Edmonton treasure. Thank you for that.
♥

Can winter be far away now?

There's a light dusting of snow on the ground that may or may not stay this time. For some, that signals the beginning of winter sports like skiing and skating and snowmobiles and making snowmen and snow forts with your children.

For the rest of us, it can be a dreaded time of year because we are NOT snow bunnies nor do we LIKE outdoor winter sports.
What's a girl to do?

Try to be inspired. Stay warm. Shop at an eclectic local boutique (like Tattered Rose) for cozy clothing to wear at home. Wait for something special to happen. Watch old movies with your cats. Drink coffee....

....and maybe, just maybe go for a walk when the snow is falling and the air is not too unbearably cold. Enjoy the prettiness of the snow falling and frost that covers each branch of every tree.
Then, before you know it.......Spring will be here.

Well, that's what I'm gonna do, anyway.

Have we outgrown our blog?

Tattered Rose has had a blog for over 10 years now.......but it seems like we hardly ever post anymore.

Some time ago, we started our monthly-ish newsletter for customers who signed up for it in the store. This is where they can get the inside scoop on what's happening and new at Tattered Rose.

Then came our Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/tatteredrose/

And then Instagram, because everyone told us we really SHOULD be there:

https://www.instagram.com/tatteredrosecanada/?hl=en

And now, we are om Twitter:

https://twitter.com/TatteredRoseAB

So, as you can see.....we are spread quite thin in the "time" department and so our little blog sometimes suffers from a bit of neglect. 

But if you are ever curious as to what new things we have in the shop or what we are up to, you can always check one or more of those other places, besides this blog.

Better yet....come into the store in person. It is bursting with lovely things....literally. Some really cool & different clothing we never had before. New displays and things to inspire you.

Bye for now, my lovelies....and no, we haven't outgrown our blog. We'll try to be here as often as possible.
♥

Friendships

Friendships are complicated because people are complicated. We all have different friendship styles and different ideas about friendships...some of us like to keep in touch on a regular basis while others could go years not making contact with a particular friend. We have different friends who fill different "needs" in our life.....some friends are for shopping & coffee but not much more. Others are for having a good laugh and fun. And then you have that one friend that you can confide in about anything and know they won't judge you.

But what happens when you lose touch with one or more of your friends and it bothers you? What if YOU seem to be the only one who initiates contact? Should you take it personally or be sad about it? Well, that's complicated too but ultimately, it depends on how much you want to continue to be the only one making the effort to keep the friendship going.

Having moved MANY times in my life, I have made many friends, from all walks of life. Through having my shop, I have met more people than I can remember and some of those customers have become friends. 

But even with all of these friendships, there have been times in my life that I felt alone....maybe it felt like that because a friend didn't seem to call me as often (or at all) as I called. Or maybe I felt like it wouldn't be fair to anyone to dump my problems on them and so I remained quietly to myself, dealing with my own hardships or sadness.

If you are lucky enough to still live where you went to school and have friends who still live where you live, I am a little bit envious but realize that I wasn't mean to remain in one place forever. I have experienced a certain amount of travelling and living in different places, being in different marriages and relationships and I kinda like that about me. It has been interesting so far, I must say.

But that can make it difficult to stay in touch with a friend you made in high school or collage or even a workplace. Like you, they are busy with their own lives and hardships. They have made new friends where they are so the need to reach out to you may be diminished or even completely gone.

Being sensitive doesn't make it easy to deal with "lost" friendships, especially when you are going through something where you really could use a pal to help you get through the hard times what ever they may be.

If you are a loner, and are comfortable with your own company, you may not feel the need to have a lot of friends but it is always nice to have at least one true and fulfilling friendship, aside from your spouse. Your spouse won't always understand your dilemma, being from a different species and all. 

I sometimes feel like I am the one who reaches out to friends more. But that is the way I am. I think a lot and act on my thoughts. For example....if I am thinking about a particular friend and some fun times we had, I will often be prompted to email or pick up the phone to make contact with that person, only to realize that they are not in the same place or thinking the same thing at that moment. And I must accept that because to be hurt by another person's behaviour is a no-win situation. You cannot control what another person does, only how you act.

Some friends you don't see for a long time but when you do reconnect, you can just pick up where you left off, as if no time has passed. Perhaps these friends are not meant to be in your daily life or even that often but remain in your heart forever.

So, if you ever feel like you have no friends.....you do. It's just that they are temporally disconnected, to quote Bill Murray in "What About Bob". Try not to feel bad about it.....and just get busy doing the things you love to do or need to do. Hug your spouse or play with your cats. Create something, bake something or watch a movie you love. Go for a walk. Practice your photography. Tend to your garden. Read a book. Go shopping. Clean your oven.....anything that gets your mind off the feeling of loss. Before you know it, you will be so fulfilled and busy, you won't have time to feel sad about that elusive friend. And maybe you will make a new friend.....you just never know what is around the corner. Isn't that exciting?

Tattered Rose on Film

A long time ago, when the shop was located in Winnipeg, MB we were frequently sought out and/or discovered by wardrobe people who were working on films & TV shows that were being filmed locally.
That was a very interesting time.....and I will never forget 2 things:

1. The time a wardrobe person chose several of my own designs for a movie starring Ann-Margret and Penelope Ann Miller.

2. The day Robin Williams walked into the store and I got to joke around with him like he was just a regular guy. 

That kind of thing doesn't seem to happen so much here in Edmonton.....I am hoping it will again one of these days! 

Tattered Rose is waiting for you, all you wardrobe people and movie stars!
♥

Follow Your True Heart

(Photograph by Breanne Marie; Makeup by Chelsea; Hair by Dani; clothing by Carol Simon)

Have you ever wondered how or why Tattered Rose got it's name? I've been asked many times so here is a short version of my story.

I grew up on a small farm in northern Ontario with 3 brothers and two parents (my much older sister was off doing her own thing already)

Being a middle child, I didn't get that much attention except for the attention I could grab by being a silly, funny girl.  My Dad used to call me his "funny one" and that made me feel loved. To me, he was a pillar of strength and honesty.

I observed the way he lived his life. Worked very hard, never complaining about how much he had to work to keep his family going. He came from a long line of farmers and so he always had a garden planted where we could eat raw veggies from the ground topped of with a serving of fresh raspberries for dessert if we were hungry.

My Mom was a fixture in the home...she cooked and cleaned and worked very hard too but my Dad was less accessible and therefore more of a mystery to me. The clothes he wore were functional and never new, it seemed. He would wear shirts with patched and mended holes because he didn't believe in buying new things just because the old ones were a bit worn.

I would often "borrow" my Dad's work shirts and work boots to wear, even though they were way too big for me. I loved the feel of them but it wouldn't be until much later that I would realize it was the humble nature of these mended clothes with years of patina that would be forever in my heart and soul.

Throughout the years, I have worn new clothing and in the past 21 years, most of the clothing I purchased for the shop has been new. But I have always known that tattered, ripped, frayed, lovingly worn clothing is where my true heart lies.

And so it is with great enthusiasm and pleasure that I let you in on my plans for the future of Tattered Rose. Even though it has been stated before, it has become more clear than ever that Tattered Rose must once again live up to it's name.

So we will have LESS mass produced & new and WAY more vintage, one-of-a-kind, pre-loved, faded grandeur in our humble little shop. But don't worry....it will be unlike anything you may have ever thought you always wanted but didn't know until you saw it....in Tattered Rose.

We are SO very pleased with this detour from the norm that will lead us right back to our humble beginnings. Consider it a restoration of design....and there will be something for just about everyone (including new)

We hope you will come along as we explore this facet of our design aesthetic which has recently been a little bit under-explored.

With love,

Tattered Rose
♥