Merry Christmas and/or Happy Holidays

To all of our customers and friends who celebrate Christmas....we wish you a blessed and peaceful Christmas with enough love to get you through anything.

With love and gratitude,
Tattered Rose

P.S. To those who celebrate something else or nothing at all at this time of year, we wish you too a wonderful year to come. Peace and love.
♥

Stripes Forever♥

Pinstripes, chalk stripes, stripes.......we love 'em all at TR!

P.S. All 3 jackets available at Tattered Rose....one only of each style.

Holiday Hours 2019

Thank you!

We wanted to take this time to express our gratitude for all of our customers and friends who braved the cold evening to attend our event on Thursday, December 12th.

It was a lot of work (for me) but so worth it to have like-minded women in the shop, admiring the clothing and sitting around chatting....listening to non-Christmas music and just enjoying the atmosphere.

I'm thinking our next event should be in the summer, under the stars.
♥
♥

Friday the 13th...Closing at 3:00 pm

We are closing one hour earlier today (3:00 pm)
This has nothing to do with black cats or the fact that it is Friday, the 13th.

P.S. We'll be open Saturday our usual time 11 am to 3 pm.

A (More) Meaningful Life

I really hope that this doesn't sound too preachy or self serving....the intention was to write about life and my shop, and how much I miss the way life was before the smart phone.....and the Internet, for that matter.

I, and many others lived during the time of no computers, when friendships were formed based on face to face meetings and real conversations and time spent together (with family or friends) meant just that.....time spent together. We didn't have our eyes and fingers glued to a 3" X 6" rectangle that is called a smart phone. This phone is ubiquitous.....and it has damaged some aspects of how we relate to each other. It has taken away the simple enjoyment of seeing the world around us...noticing a mother bird feed her young, or the way a flower has grown in the oddest of places, a cat wondering around outside or an unexpected smile from a stranger.

But even more disturbing than that is the way some people cannot be without a phone for a second of their day, even while driving or meeting friends for lunch or coffee. A husband and wife out for dinner is more often than not, seen looking at their phones, hoping to connect with someone or something that is invisible to them while their significant other is sitting right across from them, lost in THEIR phone because what else are they going to do...just sit there and be ignored? 

There was a time when if you wanted to buy something new to wear, the only way was you had to walk into a store and talk to an actual live person and try things on to see what looked best on you. You could touch the fabrics, and see how something looked in real time....right there in the store. Then, you would pay for and have your items wrapped and placed into a bag and you would carry that bag out of the store and feel elated...you couldn't wait to get home to try it on again. That experience is something I hold near to my heart and one that still exists, thankfully.

I wish there were a way to get this message to the generation who only knows this way of being in the modern world. They may never know what it is like to talk to a stranger while waiting in line at the post office, or the simple pleasure of gazing at the beautiful world around them, or being in a shop and being able to see what they were buying right in front of their eyes. I feel sad for them but at the same time, grateful for having known the other side.....B.S. (before smart phones)

We can choose to enjoy both sides of the world.....using our phones when necessary but also engaging in life. The part of life where you connect with other human beings and animals and the world around you. 

This same philosophy carries through to how I operate my business. It was never my main purpose...to have a store that merely exists to make money, no matter what. I wanted to share my love of beautiful clothing, etc. with the world and to connect with my customers in a personal way...to laugh with them (and sometimes cry) and to help them find their best look. Maybe that makes me a bad businesswoman. 
(That part was supposed to be a joke)

Tattered Rose is a place for friends to gather who share in their love of beautiful things. Much of the clothing we sell is one-of-a-kind. It's not throwaway fashion....it is more meaningful than that. Shopping online will never make your local community better or help to keep the local economy from disappearing into thin air. Which leads me to the whole point of this blog post....

For those of us who know the other side, let's try to encourage the younger generation to put down their phones for as much of the day as they can so that they too will know what it means to live with purpose and with the simple experience of connecting with other human beings....face to face, with meaning. Encourage them to shop in real bricks and mortar stores that will be able to stay open and help keep the economy going around them. Let's help everyone live a more meaningful life. 

Living a (more) meaningful life is what makes it all worthwhile, even in times of hardships. The people you love can never be replaced by what you might find online. 

♥

Thank you to All

We, at Tattered Rose, would like to take this time to thank all of our loyal customers who have supported us all these years.

We sincerely hope that you will continue to support local small businesses like ours. When we all put $$ into the local economy, it makes so many small business owners happy and able, in turn, to support other local businesses.
That makes for a thriving, diverse and meaningful city.

So thank you from the bottom of our hearts. If we're in this together, well get through it❤

The Tattered Rose Bride...

The ALTERNATIVE BRIDE.....she is creative, perhaps a dreamer who sees the world in a romantic way. She is without question, an individual woman with a unique perspective on all aspects of her life, so why would her wedding day be any different?

The bride who buys her wedding dress at Tattered Rose doesn't want mass produced...she prefers an artisan style...something that looks like it could have lived in a different era or at the very least, an outfit that has been lovingly made in small quantities.

Tattered Rose has a concise collection of mostly one-of-a-kind dresses, skirts, tops and wedding duster coats for your special day.

♥

An Evening with Tattered Rose....Thursday, December 12th

Stardust Movie Costume.....

This authentic movie costume is being sold at Tattered Rose, as well as on ebay:

Buy costume here

A Parallel Life

In a world full of mass-produced, throwaway clothing, 
Tattered Rose strives to carry clothing that has been sewn by someone's hands...made in small quantities. It's almost like living a parallel life.....a meaningful, beautiful, quiet life right alongside the hustle-bustle of the rest of the world.

We want you to love each piece you buy from us. We hope that you can wear your clothing forever, knowing it will never go out of style...unless the whole world decides to don silver space suits all at the same time.

Sure, we do have some clothing that is mass produced but even then, the styles and colours we choose for the shop blend in with all the hand made, artisan clothing.....complimentary aesthetic.

That's all we wanted to say today....thank you.
♥

A Customer's Question...

Someone walked into the shop a few days ago for the first time. She was very surprised (pleasantly, I think) that such a store existed and it was in Edmonton, of all places.
She looked around for half a minute, trying to soak in the visual effect of Tattered Rose and asked me "How would you describe your store?

For the first time ever (giving this answer) I replied without hesitation "Somewhere between 'Gone With the Wind'' and 'Chanel'...."

It may not make a lot of sense but she seemed to get what I meant. And for a top of my head explanation, I thought it was OK.

The clothing and accessories we sell are inspired by the past but also the present. Some things have ruffles and lace while other items have clean lines that evoke minimalism with a twist....there should always be a twist.

Everything is urban romantic in some way. We don't ever want our customers to feel like they are walking around in a costume. That just wouldn't be fittin'♥

Hanging Out at Tattered Rose

"We" like to think that our shop is unlike any other...not only in what we are selling, but also in the way we present the store and "ourselves".

We strive for having a warm and relaxing atmosphere for you, our customers once they enter the store. Then we want your eyes to light up as you look around at a myriad of vignettes and racks of beautiful clothing. If you are in the mood for trying some things on, we want you to have fun and be daring....like you are playing dress-up in your fashionista-Auntie's closet.

The creation of our conversation pit, right in the centre of the shop, has been extremely gratifying, as we can sit and chat with our dear customers and friends. We talk of the clothing, certainly, but there is usually the personal side of our conversations that I find most special. To share your thoughts with another person in a safe and beautiful environment is really a gift and one that "we" do not take from granted.

Yesterday, on the Saturday before Thanksgiving weekend, two of my favourite and long-time customers/friends, were in simultaneously. They tried on some of the new Magnolia Pearl clothing....and the Grizas as well as some of our other lines. It was so much fun to share this time with these two special women...to express what we liked and what was going home with each of them. I just love days like that.

Now, if only we had a cappuccino machine.......♥

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing all of our customers and friends (who celebrate) a Happy Thanksgiving.

Be safe and happy.

♥

Tales from the Attic and Real Life

Fall 2019 at Tattered Rose is one of the best we have ever had!

An abundance of beautiful clothing, from the very wearable to the the stuff dreams are made of.

It is a pleasure to bring all of this to you, our wonderful customers.

Stop by for a chat in our new conversation pit, peruse the beautiful clothing we have on display around the store.....and if you find something you love, you can take it home with you.

Wearable, Practical, Beautiful Clothing for Fall 2019

Tattered Rose is truly eclectic, which is why the store appeals to such a wide customer base....from teenagers to adults of any age....from business women to urban romantics.

This Fall, along with our more dramatic, ultra feminine, vintage inspired, Gothic, Steampunk and Victorian style clothing (that we are known for) we have some of the most wearable clothing we have ever had.

From beautiful sweaters to a varied collection of t-shirts to leather jackets and blazers. Something for everyone. Totally wearable and practical but still beautiful and romantic.

Our Fall stock is almost complete...still waiting on some new Magnolia Pearl coming next week and velvets soon! Can hardly wait.

You're welcome.

♥

Let's Fix Retail....

After reading the blog of another retailer, I was inspired to write today about bricks and mortar stores and the effect online shopping has had on them.

The blog of C.C. on Whyte

If you get a chance, please read her post. It is most thoughtfully written.

This is the comment I left on her post about retail shopping:

Judy, you are such a caring person to write this blog post with us small retailers in mind. It is SO true that online shopping has forever changed retail. It would be such a shame if all of the individual boutiques closed for they add to the charm and aesthetic of a town or city. They are places like minded people can meet and chat. They are where you can be inspired to find something that evokes your true self….where you get to meet the person behind the curtain, so to speak. The person who put all their eggs in one basket to bring their customers a place to dream and to shop…to touch and feel the fabrics/surfaces and to see the inspired displays that hopefully, inspire their customers. Many of my customers have become my friends….including you! You can’t do that behind closed doors on a computer. Where’s the fun/adventure in THAT?

What's it all about? It's about disappearing retail stores, some that have been here since forever. Not the big chain stores....the smaller bricks and mortar shops that were lovingly created by individuals who had a vision that they brought to reality through a lot of hard work and long hours.

If we want our city to maintain a certain aesthetic and charm and beauty, part of that should always include the retail shops that line the streets in different areas.

When you  buy from a local entrepreneur's shop, you are helping to support them and their family and thereby keeping the local economy alive and vibrant. We are helping each other that way and not putting money in the hands of some unknown entity across the ocean that mass produces merchandise at an alarming pace. When you shop online, you are putting money in their pockets and economy while ours dries up...leading to fewer jobs, closed businesses and a depressed economy where WE live.

As one after the other stores are closing in Edmonton, we are losing something great. But if we all start shopping in our own communities and city, it could lead to a much improved local economy, a more interesting city and good things for everyone, like friendships. That's always a good thing.

Colour is the New Black......oh oh.

Spring 2020 is shaping up to be a season of colours.....in particular,  mustard, chartreuse, gold, saffron, and shades of yellow that only look good on a small segment of the female population.

From a personal standpoint and as the curator of everything that is in Tattered Rose, it has been a rare occasion to find yellow garments in the shop. I think we brought in a few pieces of sunray (yellow) in the Sympli the Best line back a few years....before yellow was ubiquitous. Only a handful of our customers were interested in and/or able to wear it.

So we nixed that idea outright. After all, most women like and wear black and darker colours. Black goes anywhere and is so easy to wear and co-ordinate with accessories and other items.

We do offer many colours in the shop which are subtle shades of pink, turquoise, cream, green, blue, teal, burgundy, etc. but yellow has never been a mainstay for our shop. Our apologies to those who love yellow and wear it...nothing personal.

The only yellow dress I have ever personally loved was the one Cameron Diaz wore in that movie with Tom Cruise....."Knight and Day". It was so pretty on her but for me, it was what she wore with it (black biker boots and shoulder ) and all the action adventure she had while wearing it more than the actual colour of the dress.

So...what can our customers expect for Spring 2020? Probably some pretty colours like deep pink, light army green and blue. But we will still carry an array of black and grey clothing.....the owner has a fondness for black and grey. //(~_*)\\