E.R.A. Vintagewear a Hidden Gem
Being brainwashed for too long that vintage wear usually equals something pulled out of your grandmother’s closet, or sold in stuffy vintage boutiques, I was never keen on wearing “vintage” no matter the hype.
Then came along E.R.A, a store that specializes not only in fully restored vintage clothing but they are also handpicked to correspond to the latest trends in fashion. Owner Elaine Léveillé is a veteran fashion stylist who has worked with many people in the industry including Yves Jean Lacasse for ENVERS and worked during Toronto’s L’Oreal Fashion Week. I had met her a couple of times after reading about it in Elle Magazine and got to know a little more about how she came about opening her own boutique.
Fact being, this woman collects vintage wear and has a warehouse full of it. She restores not only clothes but also has an extensive collection of accessories from velvet belts, patent leather clutches and suede platform shoes from the 70s. One of the cool tactics she has is ripping pages from fashion magazines and sticks them on certain items that corresponds to today’s trends. A purse from the 1950′s made of gray crocodile-like skin with metal plated corners was strikingly similar to the shiny new red Prada purse which was worth thousands. Her vintage purse? $45.
Actually most of the stuff in her store are surprisingly cheap, on average about $45-50 a piece, the more expensive pieces are coats and vintage designer wear like Versace and Yves Saint-Laurent. Granted the clothes are not perfectly tailored as the clothes are today, but at the price you pay, tailoring it is worth the trouble.
Elaine also has a steady flow of her own clients, I’ve only been to the store twice and every time she’s had many of her clients gush at how fabulous some of her stuff was. I myself was fancying a shimmering chainmail dress and a gold crocheted vest, but I restrained to buy them just yet.
I say it’s totally worth the detour to the bubbling corner of “Antique Alley” on Notre-Dame.
E.R.A. Vintagewear
1800 Notre-Dame West (near Guy)
December 7th, 2007 at 3:07 am
I’m going to have to check this place out.
December 7th, 2007 at 9:19 am
From what I saw, I think it’s a women only store, lol. But you could ask her and see if she’s eventually going to sell menswear.
March 20th, 2011 at 6:53 pm
I’m being exposed to so much post-war material at school, I’m getting uber nostalgic and craving some vintage in my wardrobe. Good to know that this place is cheap, but is all of the clothing worn/used? I don’t mind buying used accessories (it would actually give the item more significance for me) but feel slightly squeamish about wearing some stranger’s hand-me-downs.
March 21st, 2011 at 10:51 am
Hi lilas,
To my recollection, the clothes may have been worn at a point, but compared to other vintage stores, these are in top notch (almost brand new) condition. The owner refurbishes all of her items, so whatever you’re getting (including the shoes) have very minimal scuff marks, definitely no lipstick or makeup marks. So you’re in good hands!
The store is quite tidy, it’s not cluttered and there’s no weird smell. It’s like walking into any other clothing store. It’s not a huge store, so the clothes you see are switched up according to trend and season. If you’re looking for anything specific, I’m sure she’ll be happy to find something for you.