Who cares what I think about fashion: A series introduction.

Today’s blog starts with a question: Does my opinion really matter when it comes to the fashion world? The answer is probably not...though maybe a few friends or Windsor admirers might come to my humble defence.

For the next eight weeks I’ll be doing a synopsis and review of eight of my favourite collections at the Spring 2011 fashion weeks all over the world. Agree or disagree, but I’ll give you my honest thoughts about the most interesting, up in coming and legendary garments being produced by the most talented designers in the world.

My credentials? For what reason should I be upheld as an authority on clothing?

When I was eleven years old I discovered fashion. I watched Fashion Television with my idol Jeanne Beker every day and drooled over the luxurious fabrics and dramatic presentations of unforgettable collections. Fall/Winter 2007 featuring Coco Rocha Irish dancing down the runway for Jean Paul Gautier actually had me crying. (I say that as if I don’t break into tears every time I see something beautiful on the runway.) I recall Tom Ford’s final show for Givenchy; walking out in his gorgeously tailored black tuxedo – a symbol of elegance and luxury in fashion. One show I remember particularly was an early John Galliano for Christian Dior collection featuring Egyptian motifs and skirts that just layered and layered and layered. Or when Stella was just getting started and was hailed for her accomplishments at the forefront of the French house Chloe...

I’m rambling...

As the iconic Carrie Bradshaw once stated, every season the women of the world leave the foolish choices of their pasts behind and look forward to the future. This is known as Fashion Week. When done well, there is nothing as moving and beautiful as a fashion show when it comes to artistic expression. Obviously I view clothing as art, not just a venue of utility. Clothing is everything. It’s the way we express ourselves as individuals. Even the person with the least imposing sense of style still chooses their clothing for one reason or another. Fashion is life. It represents the economic, social and cultural state of the world as we know it.

I might start tomorrow. Yes. I’ll start tomorrow with the first of eight solid reviews on the following collections:

Alexander McQueen

Chanel

Talbot Runhof

Burberry Prorsum

Marc Jacobs

Dsquared

John Galliano

Vivienne Westwood

So stay tuned and see what I have to say about this stuff. I will not disappoint. ;)

Confessions of a Fashion Dreamer

I’ve been staying up way past my usual bed times over the past few weeks ago. It’s a bad pattern to get into, I think, because I always equate staying up late with no purpose as a negative thing. Not to mention that I do like getting up early and being in the quiet of the morning, free to do my work and drink my coffee. For some reason I’ve gotten into the pattern of staying up until 3 or 4 and waking up at noon for no particular reason. Maybe I should take up running.

I’m in the process of working on a list of Halloween costumes for many different clients. This week, the week before the week before Halloween is my go time. I’ve got a strict schedule that I make for myself that I must follow if I want to have time to make my own costume for heaven’s sake. It’s always the way, I end up making my own would-be-fabulous costume on Devil’s Night and it ends up second rate. I’ll keep you posted on that one.

So I’ve been buying a lot of fabric and clothing for the purpose of creating my Halloween costumes and I visit fabric and thrift stores regularly. I do this a ot when working on a collection for Petey the Troll Apparel too. My major confession is the amount of clothing I’ve acquired as a result of this affliction. I noticed a couple of weeks ago when I looked at my closet that the majority of my existing fall wardrobe consisted of black and gray. Me, Vanessa Petey, just black and gray. It had to be remedied immediately, of course. Since then I’ve become my own personal stylist, creating new outfits every time I visit a Value Village or Salvation Army.

I’ve got a new found appreciation for dress pants too. I’ve been getting brand name dress pants second hand then altering them to be skinny and wearing them. It’s a phenomenon in my personal style. Tomorrow I’m going to work at St. Clair College to finish up my work on Girls in the Gang, and I’m going to be wearing a mustard seed yellow, high wasted pencil skirt with a gray vintage men’s Pink Floyd t-shirt. Oooooooh yes. And the green heels I think. I’m in a good mood.

Until next,

VPH

Thoughts on Working in Windsor's Fashion Industry

Sometimes I think I might talk about my job too much. I do this full time – this crazy fashion stuff, and it’s taken over my life. If, in order to have a design label all you had to do was make clothes, we’d be set. Other jobs included in the life of the owner of a small fashion label include:

Marketing Specialist: Absolutely any business requires marketing to be successful. Yes, it’s capitalist and heathen to make such a statement, but it’s a fact of our classist, money ruled lives. At Petey the Troll we’ve always designed our own posters and ads, we’ve also tried to use every venue the internet has to offer including Facebook and Twitter in addition to our Etsy store, our own website www.peteythetrollapparel.com and of course this very blog you read today!

Personal Stylist: Believe it or not, Meaghan and I spend a lot of time on accessorizing. I know I spend a good amount of time in the morning looking in the mirror matching belts, scarves and jewellery to whatever outfit I happen to be wearing. We’re in fashion. Who are we as designers if we can’t even appropriately dress ourselves with style and class? Do we care too much about the way we look? I guess you could say that... but I’d rather see myself as a blank canvas. I like dressing up!

Financial Advisor: Taking care of the finances for any business is a huge job in itself. At first we just let the sales and revenues go unrecorded which we now find isn’t possible if we want to legitimize ourselves in any way. So now it’s saving receipts, keeping inventory and putting every dollar of Petey money we make back into the business. Is it easy? Absolutely nothing about it is easy!

The list goes on.....

October 8^th, 2010 was the Fashion Show portion of the Harvesting the FAM Festival. I can’t express how amazing this event was and can’t thank the organizers enough for their work! I wish I was one of those people who carried a camera around (not that I really wish I was one of those people...) because last night it would have been useful!

It was wonderful to be surrounded by such influential and unique people in the community last night. The Windsor eccentrics were out, the musicians, djs and artists too. And the models, my goodness, they blow me away every time! What fantastic people to work with! It was really a great way for Petey to wrap up the season and move on to the next project.

Speaking of the next project...

We’ve just shot the Fall 2010 Collection and the photographs should be out in a week or two! During that time, we’ll be making Halloween costumes, mainly, and also working on expanding the number of personal clients we have. The number is growing everyday!

So before November when we start working on Petey Couture and our next submission for Toronto Alternative Fashion Week again, get your orders in and let us know what you’d like! Also stay tuned for some awesome colabs we’ve got on our plates in the next couple of months!

There’s nothing in the world I love more than dressing people up to look distinctive, stylish and beautiful.

HARVESTING THE FAM, Womenswear Photoshoot and HALLOWEEN!!!

Petey People!!

Would you believe me if I told you October was going to be just as busy or MORE busy than September? It's hard to believe, I know. After last week's Toronto introduction to Petey the Troll Apparel, we've gotten right to work on our next three upcoming projects!


If you thought the womens line was good on stage in TDOT (photos coming soon beeteedub) wait until you see in in pictures!! Early next week we're scheduling our LAST ever photoshoot here in Windsor-town and we're using all new models (except one or two fav's who are coming back for an ENCORE (see gorgeous model in above photograph - Charlie Brown!!)) We're having our staple business parters and great friends WetFresco Photography take the pictures of course, and why wouldn't we??? Aside from the fact that every other shoot we've done has featured their talented eyes, the work they produce for us and for others continues to get more impressive everytime I look at it. Take a look at this!!!

And that's them on like, an average, boring day. They seriously blow me away everytime. ~

Moving right along....
Anyone excited for Harvesting the FAM??? I know everyone in Windsor's art scene is. Their facebook page has like... 900 guests now? Yeah, we're Windsor, and we're ballin'.
This is one festival I'm seriously going to miss when we relocate. It's the brain child of the fabulous Murad Erzinclioglu and it's become a gathering of all Windsor artists for a massive interdisciplinary arts festival. If you live in Windsor and haven't checked this shit out yet, I suggest you get on it. You're missing out. ~


I'll have more on the FASHION SHOW at FAM this year next week!!~~



FINALLY, Halloween's a comin'!! Have a fabulous idea for a costume, but have little sewing ability AND want something really pimped out?? Give us a shout!! My list of commissions is getting long quick though so get your ideas in FAST!! I have a feeling I'll be working right up to Devil's night, so don't miss out on this once a year oppertunity to have something really unique made for you for Halloween!! :D

That's all for now! See you all at FAM Fest and keep an eye out for the new Petey the Troll Apparel WOMENS LINE FALL 2010!!! ~

Petey fans and interested fashion parties!

I got into Toronto yesterday and have spent my time scoping out the best spots to advertise and deciding which marketing methods I should use for the promotion of our upcoming fashion show next Sunday, September 26 at The Velvet Underground!!
I`ve had the privilege of crashing with a friend in the Bloor and Spadina area right in The Annex so naturally that`s where I hit first. I had sandwiches at Sky Blue Sky which was totally amazing and stopped in at Honest Ed`s to buy clear tape (I brought ducked tape. BIG mistake.)
After I finish this post I`m going over to Chinatown and then to make my way through the U of T campus.

I started putting up posters in strategic locations earlier today but I`m finding that despite the fact that there are THOUSANDS of posters all over everything, that Torontonians stare at you like you`re committing an act of vandalism when you wrap clear tape around a street pole. Thus out I go under the cover of darkness in jeans and a sweat shirt as opposed to my perfectly put together skirt/blouse combo for day-wear.

Is it bad that I brought one suitcase entirely for accessories? Hmm.

Between meetings over the next two or three days I'm going to make time to hang out in Kensington Market, talking to local Clothing Collectives about (possibly?) selling our tickets for us and having some fliers in their stores. I might stop some people in the street in the Queen West area to spread the Petey word and maybe make some new friends!!

See you all at the show on Sunday or back in W-Town next week!
-VPH

Petey the Troll Apparel's Toronto Debut!

Hello Toronto!!
Petey the Troll Apparel needs your support!!
We at Petey the Troll are embarking on a project like none we've tried before. Next week (September 19th-27th) we're leaving Windsor for Toronto-land to celebrate our new Fall 2010 clothing lines for men and women AND to promote our new line of accessories - including hand made umbrellas!!! But our foremost goal in our favorite city in the world is to introduce Toronto to Petey the Troll Apparel.

How are we planning on doing this??
With a fashion show!!

The weekend of the Clothing Show in Toronto is September 24th-26th, in which Petey the Troll will be exhibiting and selling our clothing and accessories! In honour of this fabulous event and in an effort to set ourselves apart from the rest, we're having a show on the night of Sunday, September 26th!

So we need you to come out to the show! Tickets will be either $7 in advance or $10 at the door and we'll be selling our wares after the show!!

Help us expand to Toronto and beyond by coming to witness this monumental event! Petey the Troll Apparel's Independent Toronto Debut!!

Impromptu End of Summer Fashion Show!!

Petey the Troll Apparel is inviting everyone out to the new White Star Club in downtown Windsor this Thursday the 9th of Septemeber for an exclusive End of Summer Fashion Show!!! Petey the Troll Apparel will be teaming up with NeverHopeless by Rachel Gray for this special event!
It should be super fun because this club is brand new (where the old Dean Martinis was!) and there's not going to be any cover that night. After the show we'll be selling those dresses so come get one for super cheap! We'll not be charging more than $29.99 for any of our dresses that night so this is a great way to snag some Petey merchandise for cheap and also helping fund the creation of our next collection this FALL!

We're still taking orders for Halloween costumes too with prices as low as $24.99!! Email us at vanessapetey@gmail.com.

Thanks and talk to you soon!