The Locals: Community Thrift & Vintage.

This edition of The Locals features a place that is near and dear to me. After one my favorite local vintage shop was demolished (yay condos), I heard whisperings of a new vintage shoppe in Gastown. Community Thrift & Vintage is, hands down, my favourite place to shop in Vancouver. Inexpensive and expansive, the frock shoppe is an absolute dream! I've found many a silk blouse and vintage dress in it's walls, and for those of you who are less inclined to frills, there is the unisex/men's shoppe just down the block and around the corner. It's a great place to pick up a delectably worn vintage tee or softened denim jacket, for a song! Click through for more photos and an interview with Jenni Nelson, the owner!

The Locals: Wasted Effort.

For this month's edition of The Locals, I am featuring the exponentially talented Marie Foxall of Wasted Effort. Wasted Effort is a Vancouver based jewelery line, which features bold and geometric motifs. After first encountering her line at a local show about a year ago, I was very impressed by the visual impact of the line. Showcasing direct designs and signature pieces, I fell for the fact that each piece becomes an individual statement determined by the wearer. Nothing over the top or extravagant, just beautifully handmade jewelery that accentuates individual eccentricities.

Fast forward to working at Front & Company, and it turned out that the creator herself was friends with one of my co-workers. I'm happy that fate would have it that our paths would continue to cross, I always enjoy making new & creative friends.

I picked Marie's brain ( just a little, I promise) about her inspirations and orgins of the line, as well as what inspired her current collection. You can purchase a piece of the Elytra collection here. My personal favorite piece is the Aura Headpiece, so dreamy!

When did you begin your line? How does a mathematician become a jewellery maker?

I think I officially began the line (in a very small way) in August of 2011. I had made one necklace and gotten a lot of good feedback about it. My bestie was playing her first show with her new band Legs and the necklace really matched the esthetic the band was going for, so she suggested I make a few more and sell them at the show. I realized that this was something I could really get into!


Even though my brain is wired in a very logical, mathematical way, I’ve always had a strong creative streak. In high school, I chose art and drama instead of the science electives required for university; when my parents realized that, they made me take correspondence classes to catch up so I was still able to go get that Math degree! It’s always been a struggle between the two sides, but I think they come together nicely in Wasted Effort. There is a strong mathematical element in the jewelry since geometry comes heavily into play, and I try to achieve as much precision as I possibly can while still making everything entirely by hand. I have actually tried to design and create more organic, freeform pieces and I just can’t wrap my head around it!

Wasted Effort is described as "straight forward design"; did you base your esthetic on what you felt was lacking in jewellery at present?

Without really thinking about it, I guess I did. But I feel like that’s what spurs any designer… as a teen, I taught myself to sew and pattern draft because I couldn’t find any of the clothes I wanted in stores, so I think it was the same thing that happened here. As far as straight forward design goes, I like to think of Wasted Effort as a balance between strong, recognizable statement pieces and jewelry that is whittled down to its basic elements. There is beauty in simplicity.

Where/what inspired the current Wasted Effort collection?

It’s funny… the first collection I designed was just slight variations on the same theme and everything was triangular. At the time, I remember thinking, “Now you’ve done it. There’s nowhere to go from here, you’re just ‘that triangle girl’.” Then I took a trip to LA and came across an awesome taxidermy shop on Melrose. They had jars of crazy blue/green iridescent jewel beetle outer wings (called ‘elytra’ -aha!) and I bought a bunch, not knowing at all what I would do with them. When I got back to Vancouver, I actually had the experience of bolting out of bed in the middle of the night to start sketching and making notes because I had figured out how to start the collection. The ideas just started rolling from there.

What is your favourite piece from the Elytra collection?

I’m pretty fond of the blue/green Cassia necklace. I started incorporating new elements into this collection and with this necklace, I chose colours of rope that
mirrored the changing iridescent tones of beetle elytra. The fibre portion is all handwoven and I love how the colours complement each other. It also marks a fairly significant departure for me from ‘that triangle girl’.

To those of us who are wary of jewellery or ornamentation, how would you suggest one takes the leap into wearing more jewellery on a day to day basis?

I’m probably a bad person to ask, since I tend to either wear no jewelry at all or completely overdo it… but I would say that an excellent piece of jewelry can complement anything from a ratty old band tee to a beautiful dress. As far as Wasted Effort goes, people are most wary of the harnesses, because they seem too adventurous; but once you put one on, you realize that it truly does go with everything and isn’t that daunting at all. A lot of my friends who wear Wasted Effort jewelry have a certain piece that they wear constantly and it becomes sort of their signature. It’s really fun to have one awesome piece that you can wear with everything and that is a staple element in your style.

Although running a business and handcrafting beautiful pieces must be time consuming, a girl has got to take a break every now and then. What do you like to do to kick back and relax?

Jewelry used to be my hobby on the side until quite recently, so it doesn’t entirely feel like work yet! But when I’m not working on my business, I’m still usually making stuff – I always have multiple projects on the go. I also spend my time writing and playing ridiculous songs in a fun little two-piece band called Victories, going to shows, riding my bike around town and reading. This summer, I’m hoping to do a lot more camping and outdoor adventuring, so you may just find me sleeping in a field under the stars.


all photos from Wasted Effort.

The Locals: Bruce Eyewear

I'm elated to introduce a new feature to Style is Style: The Locals. I'm discovering more and more interesting retailers and creative people here in Vancouver, so I would like to showcase some of my favorites on a monthly basis.

This month I'm featuring a lovely eye wear boutique in Gastown, Bruce Eyewear. I had not had the pleasure of visiting this shop until about a month ago, since the few times I was previously in the area it was closed. When I finally stepped inside, I was wowed by the selection and quality of the frames they offer. Open since July 1st, 2000, Bruce Eyewear specializes in stylish, bold frames. Carrying lines such as Celine and Karen Walker, there is a uniquely singular approach to glasses at Bruce. As a person who requires vision assistance (I typically wear contacts), I'm on the hunt for new frames. It was pleasant to experience an optical boutique which felt cool instead of sterile, fun instead of necessary. The staff is warm and inviting, and one could spend hours (seriously) just trying on the myriad of sunnies and eyeglasses they have.

I've also found out a little about the hows and whys of Bruce Eyewear, if you are in Gastown you should really take a peek at this lovely shop!

Do you find it is mostly prescription lens or fashion (non-prescription) glasses that your customers purchase? We have a slight seasonal shift in business, so we do sell more non-Rx sunnies in the warmer months, but both "fashion" and Rx markets are strong for us year-round!
With such an eclectic and style conscious breadth of stock, do you base your buying on staying on trend? Or is Bruce Eyewear more conscious of what does well with your standing customer base? We base our buying on so many things - from technical innovation (i.e. new materials), to particular clients, to some trend-watching, to need, to instinct...and we always have to be mindful that frames house prescriptions so there are always special considerations. And no matter what the trends, there will always be people who need a small frame, a narrow bridge, a large frame, or nosepads, etc....
Out of curiosity, what is the age range of customers who visit the shopfront? Our demographic is not so much an age as a point of view - our clients range in age from their tweens to their 80's.
What would you say to someone who is looking to change to bolder eyeglasses, but is fearful of wearing something that makes such a statement? Someone who is looking to go bolder...well, you can dip in a toe or dive right in! We look at the type of work they do, the environments they spend time in, budget, overall lifestyle - then we find examples of frames that vary in the "degree" of boldness! We encourage but never push - and inevitably the compliments provide the validation
What are some of the staff favorite frames? Staff favorites vary weekly! We have a staff picks section that changes constantly - again, it is more about the frames themselves than any brand.

Here are my favorite Spring picks! I wish I could have taken those Anne et Valentins home with me, they are definitely on my optical wishlist now...

Left Column: (top) Barton Perreira 'Cha/vgn Nelson', (middle) Dita 'Bengal', (bottom) Anne et Valentine 'Scarlett'
Middle Column: (top) Harry Lary's 'Beauty 48', (middle) Celine 'cl 41300 3y7 140', (bottom) Anne et Valentin 'Can'
Right Column: (top) Karen Walker 'Intergalactic', (middle) Karen Walker 'Bunny', (bottom) Oliver Goldsmith 'Love Me'