SPOTLIGHT: BELLWETHERS VINTAGE

The Ottawa Vintage Clothing Show is right around the corner and today I'm going to be talking about one of their vendors - Bellwethers Vintage.

Bellwethers has been around for a while now but they opened up a physical location down on Florence Street (near Bank Street) back in May. The owner, Madison, is passionate about all things vintage and you can tell from the second you enter the store. Walking into the shop is like walking directly into the past - everything from the decor to the items for sale are perfectly curated and truly retro. The thought and the detail that went into merchandising this store is phenomenal - my favourite part is the raised black and white check tile platform in the middle of the room. My eyes were instantly drawn there and it is home to the most amazing vintage couch and coffee table. The atmosphere of the store makes you feel right at home and I absolutely love that about Bellwethers. 

I highly recommend checking out Bellwethers Vintage if you're a fashion lover. The pieces that Madison curates are spectacular and she sources pieces with the most beautiful colours and luxurious textures. She has a large collection of women's and menswear, shoes and accessories. My favourite piece that she has in stock is a gorgeous red wool coat with a leopard print collar; it would have came home with me in a heartbeat if it were my size. I swear it's going to haunt my dreams.

Bellwethers Vintage will be at the Ottawa Vintage Clothing Show this coming Sunday, November 12th at the Carleton University Fieldhouse. You can also find them on Facebook and Instagram.

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CONTEST: head over to my Instagram to enter to win a pair of tickets to the upcoming Ottawa Vintage Clothing Show! Find the Bellwethers picture and tag a friend that you'd like to take with you. Contest ends Thursday, November 9, at 6:00PM EST.  Winner will be selected using a random number generator. 

153/ WHAT I WORE TO THE OTTAWA VINTAGE SHOW

I attended the Ottawa Vintage Clothing Show last weekend with my best friend, Laura, and our good friend, Michael. Unfortunately I didn't come home with any goodies this time around, but we still had blast!

It took me forever to get dressed that day. I'm usually the kind of person to throw something on in a hurry so if you give me a little bit of wiggle room to try to put thought into an outfit, it's going to take a life time.

129/ 613 VINTAGE SHOW FALL 2015

I have been attending the Ottawa Vintage Show for years now and I can honestly say that the show gets bigger and better with each passing season. The turnout for this past show was phenomenal - there were people everywhere. If you're unfamiliar with the show (and you're from Ottawa), where have you been!? It's basically a giant market filled with shops from all over that specialize in selling vintage clothing and accessories.

Unfortunately I didn't come home with anything this time around but I had a great time browsing through the shops and talking to their owners. The one shop that I was completely enamored with was Luxe Touch. They specialize in vintage Chanel, but also have a few pieces from Gucci and Louis Vuitton. They have been at the Ottawa Vintage Show for the past couple of seasons and although I'm not currently in a position where I can actually buy anything from them, I always have to stop over so that I can cry over their selection. 

Truth be told, I don't currently have a lot of vintage pieces in my wardrobe. Usually when I dress for the vintage show I like to pull out my best loved throwback pieces but I was at a loss this season. After trying on what seemed like everything in my wardrobe, I went with a modern yet retro inspired look. I decided to make my Ralph Lauren crested blazer the focal point of my outfit, and I'm really glad that I did. This blazer has been one of my favourite pieces in my wardrobe for the past couple of years; I adore how timeless it is and how easy it is to wear. I paired it with a white t-shirt from H&M's plus size range, black skinny jeans (surprise, surprise) and a pair of sneakers. It was rather windy and chilly that day so I wore a big blanket scarf to keep warm.

I played it a bit more safe with my outfit this season then I have in the past (my first vintage show, my second show) but I absolutely loved how my outfit turned out. I felt comfortable and confident the entire time, and that's what truly matters the most to me.

SCARF/ Zara BLAZER/ Ralph Lauren T-SHIRT/ H&M+
JEANS/ Forever 21+ SHOES/ Adidas Supershell BAG/ 3.1 Phillip Lim

Photos by Laura Kidd

PS. Be sure to 'like' my new Facebook page to keep up with daily my shenanigans and adventures in plus size fashion.