Vintage Dresses in Toronto

VintageBride.ca is a tiny boutique tucked into Mirvish Village - an antique, artists and vintage shopping area in Toronto. Vintage is run by the theRefinery.com, a retro and vintage store across the street.

You can make an appointment to view their vintage dresses at vintagebride, or go chat with the lovely person who curates the collection over at The Refinery (where you can enjoy some of the fun things she brought back from Paris).
Be sure to browse bridesmaid dresses and accessories at Refinery - and also bring along your beau for vintage clothes for men - why limit yourself to the save old boring wedding + funeral suits! Linen jackets are so much classier :-)

Here's a post I wrote about Men and Wedding suits after a hot summer of red-faced grooms in black suits .

Etsy - vintage wedding dress and 'not so vintage'

As a granny, I have a little trouble with dresses from the '80s listed as "vintage" - (heck, I have difficulty with my own wardrobe from the 60s listed as vintage :-) But Etsy vintage sellers are a great resource for wedding accessories, not to mention spectacular finds that surprise you. Here's a lace blouse with rhinestones from the '30s - which, as the seller Posies for Lulu suggests - "would look gorgeous with a full or slinky cream skirt for a wedding ensemble!". Very reasonable at $38!

Vintage clothing treasures

Many brides we meet are looking for vintage clothing from the 50s for a stylish wedding. I sometimes find great sites with clothing from earlier times and simply enjoy window-shopping. Here is an Edwardian lace dress from a great Vintage Textiles, in NH. This site also has men's embroidered shoes, Victorian wedding dresses, 18th century shoes, and wonderful embroidered purses, shawls, and accessories.

Beautiful Recycled Lace Dresses

JanaStarr makes dresses (and headpieces) out of antique lace. Here is a dress made of Belgian lace from the 20s.
"These magnificent, one-of-a-kind wedding dresses have been redesigned from one hundred year-old, handmade European lace from Victorian and Edwardian periods. They are the perfect choice for the discriminating bride. Most of the laces and embroideries had been created by women and children a hundred years ago. Jana Starr considers it a privilege to give this remarkable craft another “go around” as the centerpiece of a woman’s most special day. Her creations are unique and deserve to be passed on to future generations". Location: New York City, by appointment.

Recycle a wedding gown - buy and sell

Here are places to find a recycled gown, and where to recycle your own (I've now separated out the specialized vintage retail sites). Don't forget EBay, the Salvation Army, Goodwill, ValueVillage and your local thrift-shop-for-charity. We have also listed a Quebec company, Ouijelevoeux, that combines multiple gowns to sew new ones.

If you're in the UK (or visiting), you can shop the great OxfamBridal shops.

Bridesagainstbreastcancer
bridgalgown.org NY, NY (samples/overstocks)
Recycleagown List your gown online, registration fee (New Brunswick, CA) [seems to be defunct at present]
Ouijelevoeux Buys your gown and recrafts it (Quebec)
Pre-owned wedding dresses, from $250 specials to Vera Wang. US and Canada (and "other"). You can sell here, too.
VintageIndie A shop on Etsy

A new idea (which came to us in the comments):
WeddingRecycling.com, started by Kyle. Her slogan is "Pass it Forward". They've just started, so jump in and post a few things and get them off the ground.

Vintage Wedding Gown Retail Sources

It became obvious that I'd need to separate the specialist Vintage Gown suppliers from the general clothing recyclers and the specialist designers who recreate (and rework) vintage dresses.

So this will be a list of Vintage Gown Retail sources, and see the other lists on this site for more ideas about indie designs, recycling, etc.

This is a very localized, specific industry, as items are one-of-a-kind. There seem to be more vintage bridal stores in the UK, and only a few ship internationally, but I'll post some retailers as they are always good for ideas. The US sites (many of which seem to be in Texas) also have 'vintage' reproductions of historical styles, called "neo-victorian", "neo-edwardian", etc., so watch the real date of the dress.

FYI, this is my Irish great grandmother, Alice, on her wedding day. Remember: until the 20s (dropped waist) most vintage gowns had 22 inch waists. So here is a link to organic corsets!

Some places to check:

VintageWeddingGowns Victorian, Edwardian and 20th century (FL)
VintageVixen Online only, have some nice satin selections.
PoshGirlVintage S.California, but sell online only. Lots of 50s-60s
WoodlandFarms Very nice collection, reasonable. TX
DavenportandCo A nice site, reasonable prices, Springfield MA
StitchesinTime OH. Some nice pieces, reasonable, but seem to be squished in a closet together?
TheFrock Vintage Designer - Dior, not your grandmother. Expensive, but fun to browse. They've got Xena's corset.
BobbyDene Whoever Bobby is, he's got a nice collection of vintage satin, (though he seems to photograph the dresses by the recliner in his living room in Texas...) Have fun.
DandelionVintage NJ (online only). Small selection, accessories
Gulden and Brown A 'megastore' for Vintage gowns, in HAWAII - but they ship UPS to US. Funny tacky website - look around.
CherishedBride They spell Jane Austen with an I (like Texas) and some of their stock is quite funny- I can't actually tell where they are located, though - odd site.
Antiquedress another funny site, but they seem to get museum de-acquisitions (and celebrity clothing). Fun for a look, and some ideas
A Very Merry Seamstress A historical gown maker in NY, this company also makes historical undergarments, including boned stays. Nice company, nice family blog, too.
Vintage Textiles, NH. Early 18th through Edwardian pieces, very lovely.