Thursday 28 June 2018

Inspired by Love & Roses


I am often asked by customers where the name of my store came from (Tattered Rose) So here is the short answer: My Mom.


As a young girl, I became aware of my Mother's affinity for roses, and in particular, rose printed fabrics.

She had sheer white with faded pink rose printed curtains on the windows of our house. In trade for vegetables (I think) she had acquired several yards of rose printed cotton fabrics in colours of yellow, pink and blue, which she later had made into clothing for me by the mother of a childhood friend.....skirt, top and a dress with a low slung hip sash. I wore them proudly but wish I had thought to keep them.

And then there was this oddball heavy cotton rose printed bed sheet (shown in picture) I don't know where it came from but when I left home as a young married woman, I asked if I could have that sheet. I told her I would treasure it and take care of it forever. As you can see, some 30-something years later, I still have it. To me, it will always be part of my Mother that I can love and cherish for the rest of my life.

Fast forward to 1999, when I had to come up with a name for my Way Out West spin-off store. It was going to be a very romantic, feminine version of my western store and I knew that the word "rose" had to be in the name. 

I racked my brain for days, searching for the perfect prefix to the word rose. And then, one day during the wee hours of the morning when you are not quite awake, it came to me: tattered! Tattered Rose. To me, it was the perfect blend of nonchalant beauty & imperfection.

This would evoke the charm & beauty of time-worn clothing that I preferred over brand spanking new commercially made clothing.

And that is how Tattered Rose was born. My love of roses was taken directly from the love of my Mother and her love of roses.

Friday 15 June 2018

Tattered Rose: The Urban Romantic Bride

Brides and weddings....

Brides are a unique group of women and each one is her own brand of individualism.
Some are getting married in a few weeks and come in to our shop to find a dress that will do nicely....and they are usually successful in their mission.

Other brides are getting married in a year and are looking for that perfect dress that screams "this is the one!" They will be doing the rounds of every bridal shop in the city and come into Tattered Rose to see if they fit into that "unconventional bride" category. Sometimes they do (find their dress) but more often than not, they will opt for a more mainstream kind of dress from a bridal shop because that is what they really want....and that's OK.

Then there are the unconventional brides. They are the women who know from the very start that they will NEVER find their dress in a bridal shop. So they come into Tattered Rose.....either because they were told about the store by a friend or they remember us as being different from the rest. Surely, they will find that perfect dress or outfit in TR. More often than not, they do find the one dress that speaks to their own brand of unique urban romance.

Tattered Rose doesn't have a warehouse full of plastic covered commercially made wedding dresses...but we DO have a small collection of one-of-a-kind, hand-made or hand-picked dresses and separates that will work beautifully for that beach, park, garden or mountain-top wedding.

P.S. The outfit in the photo is not an actual dress...just a mock-up for our window display.

Wednesday 13 June 2018

Urban Romantic Clothing

Urban Romantic clothing......a one-of-a-kind mixed lace corseted top for the feminine warrior in you.

Available exclusively at Tattered Rose

Friday 8 June 2018

Friday, June 8th

Tattered Rose will close at 1:00 pm today.
Why?
The owner sprained her ankle this week and stupidly thought she could work with a painful ankle/foot.
But she is wrong.
So if you can get in before 1:00 pm today, we would greatly appreciate it.

Otherwise, we will be open Saturday 11-3.....