PROM: Vintage Shops for Dresses (Toronto)

These images, taken from our 2006 Prom shoot, feature the gals in 69 Vintage dresses - still completely fashionable for 2009!

If you want an original-looking, usually well-made and special dress for prom that doesn't cost hundreds of dollars, consider going vintage.

Vintage shops take the pain out of 'thrifting' and pickers are well-seasoned at choosing top items to sell in their shops. It can be the difference of hitting up every store in the mall, or simply picking a dress off a rack!

I tried asking my pro-vintage friends about their 'favorite' shops in the city, but I should've know - that's like asking people to divulge their most private secrets. And I have to agree - SO, instead of taking the fun out of discovering your own favorite vintage shops by listing them, I'll instead just lead the way:

Kensington Market
Kensington Market, a few blocks slightly north of the Spadina/Dundas area is probably the area with the most concentrated number of vintage shops in the city. That's not to say they're all top quality, however, you can hit them all in a few hours without stepping foot indoors at a mall! And the prices are great.

Fav's for dresses include Flashback, 33 Kensington Avenue and Dancing Days, 17 Kensington Avenue.
Then stop in Courage My Love, 14 Kensington Avenue or a number of other shops on the street to find some great accessories.

Ossington Avenue
Over the past few years a short strip in the Ossington/Dundas area has been struggling to snazz up its artsy turf with quaint shops opening and closing. However, a few great finds do remain among cafes and galleries including Silver Falls, 15 Ossington and I Miss You, 63 Ossington (at Queen).

Queen Street West
Undisputably Toronto's best/easiest 'shopping' street that runs from west of University Avenue all the way to WEST Queen West beyond Ossington. Furthest west, we like 69 Vintage, 1100 Queen St., then east of Bathurst there are many higher-end shops like Cabaret, 672 Queen St., Brava, 553 Queen St., and House of Vintage, 571 Queen St. Really there are too many for me to mention - but if you start your search at Spadina Avenue and walk west, I would think you'd be sure to find a great dress!


Toronto Midtown - High End
Head north of Bloor to find high-end designer focused vintage shops like Act 2, 596 Mount Pleasant Road, The Cat's Meow, 180 Avenue Road and The Paper Bag Princess, 287 Davenport Road.


Other
There are vintage dress shops throughout the entire city - on Roncesvalles Avenue, Queen Street East, Dundas Street and Bloor Street (visit Irene at 69 Buy the Pound, 1234 Bloor Street) - even in Yorkville.

If you do consider buying a fabulous vintage dress for prom (or any occassion), take out the frustration of thrifting and go to a specialized vintage shop, where staff can truly help make it a great experience!