Bling like candy - Rita Tesolin sampe sale

By now you know my addiction to bling, mostly vintage.

I also meet a lot of local artists in my line of work, and working in the design district and all, I know some of Toronto's best designers.

When I received an email yesterday that jewellery designer Rita Tesolin had extended her sample sale, I broke down and popped in.

Rita designs and handmakes uber wonderful statement piece necklaces. They're big, bold, and often heavy, and they're all over the fashion mags. Rita started designing when she was 12 and supplied Sears with her creations when she was a teen. After working as a lawyer for years she picked up the design trade again and now, seven years in, she supplies places like Holt Renfrew.

They're not Grunge Queen prices - $300-$500 or so regular price - so a sample sale was right up my alley. Many pieces have been 'slashed' and ones that were selling for several hundred bucks are marked down to as low as $95.

Some of the pieces, as you can see here, have a retro vibe to them.

Some are more classic in tone - like a multi-strand of pearls - but they all have a funk factor.





If you want to check it out the sale ends tomorrow, Friday.

Her studio is at

63 Wingold Ave., suite 110 on the main floor 416-784-1221 www.ritatesolin.com

I couldn't really afford even a $100 necklace, but I did see a piece for $50 that drew my eye ....







This gold chain is a vintage 1970s Nina Ricci chain, and Rita has fastened these darling stone hearts to it.

The chain is amazing. So heavy. I love the rock n' roll vibe the chain puts out combined with the sweetie-pie hearts. Cool paradox.

I was going to wear it to the LG Innovators' Ball tonight, but once I mentioned it to Rita she loaned me a gorgeous piece with matching ring from her Fall 2010 collection (not pictured here as it's not on sale)!

I feel like such a diva!


Maybe I'll try to snap of pic of me wearing it tonight - the one I'm wearing was apparently donned by artist Jully Black in a recent video!

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Curbside find I left there

Ever hesitated over something at the curb, then lost it as a result?

This gorgeous Ash wood buffet was at the end of my friend Brenda's driveway on Saturday. I was still in the afterglow of having found my wrought iron patio set (see yesterday's post), so my MUST HAVE IT junker's tenacity had mellowed somewhat.

Still, I had to stop and take a close gander. It was old. It was wood. It had good bones. And those floral carvings? I did a mini swoon over those.

Let's go in for a closer look.

Pretty wonderful eh?

The owner, Brenda's landlord, had had the piece in his back shed for eons and just wanted to get rid of it. She kept telling him he could probably get some decent coin for it, but he musta ignored here because there it was, at the end of the driveway.

I contemplated calling a cab and lugging the thing into my pad. It was a flash thought I quickly dismissed: Too much work. Leave it for the next person. Got my wrought iron. Pass the junking Karma along. Plus it had major mouse droppings in it, eep.

So we left it there and went to Brenda's place for a few minutes.

On our way out, the landlord was in the driveway talking with some passerbys, who told him the piece was worth something.

Before we knew it they were lugging it back onto the front porch!

Now he's going to try to sell it.

I wonder how things would have went down if I decided to take it and called a cab? I still would have been standing next to it when the landlord came back and changed his mind.

Would we have duked it out over the piece, mouse droppings and all?

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Garage Sale Score No. 1: Wrought Iron

Let the garage sales begin.

This is my pal Brenda on Saturday at a local garage sale.

Brenda, Matthew and I all got up early Saturday morning to go to this neighbourhood garage sale.

We had pretty high hopes as we all went last year and stayed for hours.

Alas the booty at this year's sale was a bit disappointing.


Here's a pic of us last year on the patio of the Second Cup, rejoicing over our booty.

But that's the thing with garage sales: they tend to breed and attract others.

Across the street from the disappointing sale was a small sale on a woman's lawn.

I saw the wrought iron fold-up chairs first. The table wasn't readily apparent.

Ask and ye shall receive. The matching table was for sale as a set with the chairs, only it was holding all her glassware that was part of the sale - a lucky thing pour moi as I'm sure the set would have gone long before I got there if it actually looked like a set.

So here I am on my balcony with my new wrought iron patio set.

Cost: 40 bucks.

Major score!

I just want to spend all my time on my balcony now.

At the disappointing garage sale, I did find these sage green cushions, two for $5, that fit on the chairs exactly!

The covers zip off so all I have to do is wash 'em.




I still need to spruce the table up with flowers and potted plants and all, but doesn't it look good out there?

I'm so pleased. After my patio makeover last summer, I was thinking that I really did need a decent wrought iron set ... but knew I'd have to have major junking Karma to get such a set for a decent price.

I'd like to think the Garage Sale Gods were watching over me Saturday when I found this.

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Toronto Vintage Costume Jewellery Club Show & Sale, Part deux

So the second semi-annual Toronto Vintage Costume Jewellery Club Show & Sale April 24 at Leaside Memorial Community Gardens was a resounding success; we must have had at least 600 people through the doors throughout the day.

Here's Olga, club member who also sells at Toronto's St. Lawrence Antiques Market on Sundays. She's holding a bracelet made of Lucite, an acrylic resin that was a popular vintage costume jewellery material in the 1920s to 50s. There are lots of different types of Lucite - Bakelite is a more rare form that is often carved.

Lucite vintage costume jewellery isn't uber rare, from what I can tell, but Bakelite - often called 'fakelite' because there are so many bracelets and such masquerading as Bakelite out there - is more rare, and heavier. It was developed in the early 1900s for industrial use but became popular during the war for jewellery makers as it was relatively inexpensive.

For some reason there are more Bakelite bangles out there than, say, pendants, and most are a butterscotch hue but that can also range to orange, red, and green. Bakelite, fyi, is technically a trade name as it was originally developed by the Bakelite Corporation, but now the term seems to be used to describe any vintage piece that has the same chemical composition.

Jewellery buffs have different ways of identifying the stuff. One way to determine if an item is real Bakelite is to rub the piece until it heats up, then take a whiff. If it smells like formaldehyde it's real. Another tip I've heard from the club is to run the piece under hot water to see if it smells.

Here's a truly lovely piece by Miriam Haskell, an American designer who had her own company that still exists today under the name Miriam Haskell, though the designer died in the early 1980s.

Vintage Miriam Haskell pieces are highly collectible and are known for their beautiful handcrafted details, like the tapestry beading technique you see here.

Dealer and Newmarket, Ontario retailer Karla Wilson specializes in Miriam Haskell pieces in her decor and furnishings shop, Haven Contemporary Decor.

I can't recall the price of this piece exactly but I think it was around $400-$500.

Pictured here: a collectible Sherman set for $395. Gustave Sherman was a Canadian costume jewellery designer who designed from 1947-81. His Swarovski crystal brooches, earrings and pendants were always prong-set and for that reason have stood the test of time.

Though some Sherman diehards say that all Sherman pieces are signed there is a debate raging in the bling universe over that statement. Truth is, the designer's pieces were never documented so it's hard to tell.

All I can say: bewareth the fakes. I was in Value Village a few weeks ago and was drawn to a set of clip-on earrings made in the bright hues Sherman was so well known for. They were indeed signed "Sherman" on the back in a signature I identify with Sherman, but they 'gems' were plastic beads, not Swarovski crystal, and they weren't set using a prong method but rather had what looked like along pin going through the beads. Never seen a Sherman like this so I left 'em there, even though they were only $9.99.

According to dealer Melanie this brooch is by Coro, a popular maker of vintage jewellery from the early part of the 20th century to the late 1970s - though the Canadian branch existed into the early 90s.

Coro made various levels of jewellery, Coro Craft being on the high-end. The Coro Craft and Vendome lines are most collectible.

Melanie told me this brooch wasn't signed but is still a rare and well-known Coro piece - that explains the $300 price tag.



I can't comment on the Coro signature piece as I'm still learning, but that's the thing that I've learned with collecting vintage costume bling: a signature is desirable but not not always an indicator of value, and unsigned pieces can be valuable too.

TVJC Club founder and president Patricia Gostick, pictured here with an amazing chunky Lucite necklace from the 1980s, would concur, I think. This piece isn't signed but is lovely and original.




I always heed the rule that if you love it and can see it fitting into your life (and you're not necessarily in the biz to sell), buy it.

I fell in love with this chain necklace, which is actually made of tiny tiny beads. The dealer was really eclectic and didn't have uber 'collectible' pieces per se, but she just had an eye. Everything on her table was different, and had a certain look to it, if you know what I mean.

It was only $45 and I really should have picked it up as I have never seen anything like it - and it totally suits my rocker-inspired look these days. But I left it there, sigh.

I opted for this signed bracelet and choker set from the same dealer for the same price, marked "Sperry."

Can't find a ton of info on it online, other than the maker was known as the Sperry Manufacturing Company of Providence, Rhode Island that started in 1947. No details on how long the company lasted nor how valuable its pieces are, but apparently it's hard to find a set such as this.

No matter: I love it so well I've worn it every day this week. The necklace really popped against this Kelly green turtleneck.


I couldn't resist this retro carpet bag - only $25! I have a thing about vintage carpet bags since buying one two years ago at Toronto shop The Bead Goes On (a fave shop for vintage bling and bags off Mount Pleasant Rd. in Toronto). At the November TVCJ Club sale I bought another one from Patricia Gostick. Now I have a nice little collection going. And I do use them.

It says "JR Florida" inside. I'm off to Florida for my best pal's wedding in a month so I'm taking it as a sign from the Shopping Gods that this bag was meant for me.

I'm showing my bag off with my new pal Genny Iannucci, whom I met the week previous to the sale at a media round table event for Linea Intima in Toronto. Genny's a fashion contributor and spokesperson and you can see her on the Steven and Chris show on the CBC.

As you can see, Genny found a fab 1970s leather bag at the show that was made in Vancouver, British Columbia. It's bootiful, and Genny, you look marvelous modeling it!




All in all, the Toronto Vintage Costume Jewellery Club Show & Sale April 24, 2010 at Leaside Memorial Community Gardens was a great success. We got shout-outs in the blog and online world from local journalist Nathalie Atkinson, style writer at the National Post; personal style coach and boutique shopping tour diva Wendy Woods of The Refinery in Toronto; Toronto fashion blogger extrodinaire Anita Clarke of I Want I Got; She does the City and Torontolife.com. Yay, thanks to every one for getting the word out!

One last look at my retro purple shades picked up at the sale for $5, and my signed Sperry set.

Last week I wrote about the Toronto Bottle Show
with Rob Campbell of Toronto's Dumpdiggers, and as you can see here Rob dropped by to check out the TVCJ Club Show & Sale. He's chatting here with club member Patricia Stark.

Rob's no stranger to vintage costume bling. In fact after I found those fake Sherman clip-ons at VV I Googled "How to spot a fake Sherman" and his Dumpdiggers site came up as he did a post on Sherman. Talk about blogging Karma! Looking forward to reading his take on the show soon.

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Kelly in shades

Eep. Busy week. I promise my post on the Toronto Vintage Costume Jewellery Show is coming soon.

In the meantime here I am wearing some authentic 1960s shades I picked up at the show - for a fiver! The vendor Anita told me they belonged to her aunt and she can remember her wearing them when she was a kid.

They are made in Italy, ahem.

I'm wearing them with a jewellery set I bought that day for $45, a signed necklace and bracelet ... more to come. Off to a garage sale with the buds now.

If you're in T.O there's a movie wardrobe sale TODAY 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. details here www.caftcad.com/mws

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Toronto Vintage Costume Jewellery Club Show & Sale, part one

These gals look pretty happy don' t they?

Anita, left, is with the Toronto Vintage Costume Jewellery Club and she's at the April 24, 2010 TVCJ Club Show & Sale at Leaside Memorial Community Gardens in Toronto.

With her is my new pal and fashion friend Genny, and both are wearing gloves bought at the sale - Anita was selling; Genny was buying.

This post is previewing some of the neat items available at the sale, and subsequent posts will be more informative and tell you a bit about some of the more collectible names. Natch, I'll also show you what I bought.


Love these retro straw purses in Spring-like hues. So chic!

Ditto for these necklaces - they're just like yummy little Popsicles lined up in a row.

I almost bought the orange multi-tiered choker in the far left corner, but what I did and didn't buy is a story for another post.

A very Spring-like shadow box type display full of floral pins and other baubles. Florals are very big this season, so why not spruce up last year's trench with a flower power pin like the one in the right corner here?



The great thing about the sale was that there was a real range of items, from the vanity items you see here to 1980s costume jewellery, highly collectible pieces, fun retro bling and inexpensive yet highly original pieces.



Prices varied too. Some tables had $5 bins - the deal hound in me appreciated that - and one woman admitted to finding some pieces in the thrift shops like me, meaning some weren't uber collectible nor were they expensive.

Others had highly collectible pieces for several hundred dollars.

Or if you were like me, you could take the middle road and spend under $100 and walk away with a few really neat pieces.

So stay tuned!

Oh, speaking of jewellery I received an email from someone at the Toronto Bead Society about a sale they group is having in Toronto this weekend. Check out the email below:

This weekend (May 1-2) at the CNIB building on Bayview just above Eglinton (Bayview #11 bus takes you right there from the Davisville subway station).

Details, including a $2 off admission coupon (makes admission $3) and listings for cheap classes, e.g. making earrings, are at:

Toronto Bead Society

Some expensive, some not so expensive finished pieces as well as gorgeous beads and components. Make sure to wear some spectacular piece of costume jewellery and everyone will stop you to talk.

You would love the vendors that sell vintage and vintage-style beads – look especially for Black Tulip Beads and Juicy Beads.

Love your blog!

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Vintage hat from Poland

My last name is Polish - did you know?

The editorial team at work had a 'field trip' last Friday on the rooftop of The Pilot in Yorkville last Friday - a fun morale-boosting event, let me tell you! - and our editor asked us to wear a 'crazy hat.'

Lacking a crazy hat I donned a glam one - a feathered felt hat I thrifted at Goodwill for $4.99 that says "Made in Poland" inside.

I wuv it. In between the beer and the laughs, my hat was unofficially voted most fashionable of the day.

Turns out the hats were a great idea as we were sitting and drinking in the sun for hours!

You can see my latest thrift acquisition on the lapel of my boyfriend jacket, a Pierre Bex Art Deco style pin picked up at Value Village for $2.99.

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