Sunday 23 September 2012

Labels


Labels matter to me. Yes, I partly mean labels like Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent, à la that awful Sex and the City movie theme song. I do care about finding vintage designer stuff, because it's fun, interesting, and exciting. Same with heritage labels like Great Northern Knitters, a now-defunct heritage knitwear company from the Island, or Hudson Bay Company. 

I also take care in reading and learning about the actual, physical labels on my clothing and accessories. Where was it made? Are there hints about when it was made? Who made it? Was it union-made? Why did the textile industry in Canada have to disappear? Lots of questions can (and, I think, should) be asked about the provenance of things that you buy.

Which brings me to the vintage designer ties I have for sale on my Etsy shop. Many of them were made in Canada, and it makes me happy to think huge labels like Oscar de la Renta and Christian Dior outsourced their labour here, where clothing manufacturers aplenty made super-high-quality garments. If only that were still the case! 

Check out some of the labels on the ties on Milk & Amber:



Here's another Oscar de la Renta (above).

Or this red striped vintage Christian Dior tie.

A good label makes a good garment even better. If you have vintage clothing, try looking up the CA identfication number here so you can find more out about the things you own. It's a fun to try to know the history behind what you wear!

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