A 5x5er's Dilemma: Don't Flop, Crop Top!

5x5 Clothing

Margot

Belly buttons. Remember those? Haven't really seen 'em since fluorescent bike short and colour-blocked crop top combos circa 1996.

So let me get a little Seinfeld here for a moment (imagine the nasal voice)... What's the deal with crop tops?

It's awesome to track the way they have changed silhouettes over the last few seasons, and I adore them in theory, but every time I get ready to go out the door with a bit o' that stom showing I second guess myself.

Is it too much skin, even for summer? Wearing a crop top to the beach-- NO PROBLEM! But out to a bar? Still too risque? To work? Ain't gon' happen! (I work at a recycled clothing boutique and the dress code is totally relaxed, but even then...). Wear a tank top underneath? Lame! Even if it's the thinnest fabric I still feel like it adds bulk. 

5x5 Girls, I need your help! Seriously! Is it finally okay to lift the bare midriff ban pounded into our subconsciences since elementary school?

Oh yeah, rockin' our high-waisted Lolita shorts definitely helps.

P.S. If you are into this new fave necklace of mine, it's by The Wild Moon, f.y.i. Asia Clarke's mystically magical jewelry is available at Pretty Freedom, along with 5x5's exclusive line!

Who are you 5x5: Margot: Saucy Stories

5x5 Clothing
Margot 

An eager "Can I have 5 minutes of your time?" and a hand raised displaying five long hot-pink nails is what got me into this whole gig. Ra Ra approached us ladies at a party and pitched her idea for a clothing company with quick-turnaround limited-run pieces made in Thailand. I like what I hear... but the ultimate clincher was the stress on collaboration. Five ladies. Different styles, different influences, different contexts. Aren't 5 heads better than one?

Professionally, I'm fresh off the literary boat.  When it comes to fashion, this gives me a sense of the importance of narrative: please allow me this moment of cheese, but when I get dressed in the morning, I truly don't just put on an outfit, I put on a story. You know what I mean.

At this point, with all the goodness that the previous half-century has to offer, fashion is becoming more asynchronic than ever; I don't discriminate between old and new if it works with the theme I'm going for. One of my all-time favourites is what's known as "hey, d'you know you look like you're going on a safari?"-- cruising around town in a cream-coloured silk button-down with square breast pockets, a pair of high-waisted tan slacks (mom butt and all) held up by a square-buckled brown leather belt. Crude jewelry. Another fave is the haute crust look pictured here.

A dress made for a country singer
makes good in the country.

But is another clothing company really what this world needs right now? I admit I've wondered it, but I am proud to say that first and foremost we strive towards a sense of integrity as a collective, and that's what sets us apart. Ra Ra profiled the textile saleswomen she met at the fabric market, as well as the seamstresses who worked on our first run of pieces. How often have you really known who made your clothes, who measured out the fabric and who handled that chalk?

That's what I love about 5x5, and I really hope you'll love it too!

With love from

Margot

5x5 Loves Vintage Shopping

My favourite vintage scarves.

5x5 Clothing

Margot

The other 5x5 dames were outraged when they found out I had done a spot on my best vintage shopping tips for another online zine, so I immediately agreed to remedy the case and share them here (including some I did not get to mention!)

Doesn't it irk you when you see someone wearing the most fab 'fit and realize what wonders it would have worked in your own wardrobe? Here are some tips for snatching the most amazing finds for yourself:

1. Before you even start shopping, break into your parents' closet. Rummage through your grandma's jewelry. Seriously, some of the most amazing gems are lurking there, waiting to see daylight once more.

2. When you do go out, try to stay clear of trendy areas. But don't give them up altogether. These things happen in waves: once a relatively unknown thrift shop becomes popular, it gets picked over and you're likely to have less and less luck there (unless you know exactly when its new product arrives) until everyone catches on and abandons it. Then it's a safe bet once again. You just have to stay on top of it.

3. Check out an estate sale. Although you might have a few uncomfortable moments with a teary-eyed relative, estate sales are a great place to snag great pieces (it's kind of like the parents' closet theory) before the buyers from your favourite vintage shop do and mark them up. 

4. Make friends with employees. They are there to help you, promise. If you're looking for something in particular (maybe something outrageous)--a 90s done 60s-style snake print mini dress, for instance--buyers will often keep an eye out for you when they're out making their rounds. 

5. Be prepared to try clothes on! Even if you know your measurements to a T (which I suggest you do if you're a serious vintage shopper anyway), you still won't be able to get a good feel for the fit or flow of the fabric until you get it on your bod. I'd even say the same for accessories, be they belts or bags, brooches or bangles. It really helps to build an outfit around an item when you can visualize the proportions accurately. 

Finally, be patient and prepared to be thorough. Although vintage boutiques are so wonderful you probably wish you lived in one, take the plunge into a bigger thrift or second-hand store. Some of the best finds are hiding right at the end of the rack you were just about to give up on!

An array of my vintage favourites-- deadstock German shades, Ralph Lauren gloves, grandma's opera binoculars, grandpa's flask, and the recent addition of a beautiful quill from Paris (c/o a lovely friend).

5x5 Rocks Out With Destroylet, The Most Colourful Band Since Glam

5x5 Clothing 
Margot

This musical seed was first planted very very late on New Year's Eve--rather more like very very early in the morning of New Year's Day (2011)--when 5x5's Ra Ra played a wild impromptu gig with the always resplendently dressed Los Saicos in a delightfully seedy artist-run studio. They met over guitar amp, drum kit, and microphone, and it was magical. Seeing as Ra Ra promptly abandoned the snowy streets of Toronto for the sensuous heat of Thailand, Los Saicos turned to me (Margot, otherwise Monosodium Glutamate) for some guitarly gratification.

After one jam session, Los (henceforth known as Diatribe Tuberculosis) announced that we promptly need an official band name because he booked us a show. With two other bands. Uptown. In a Frozen Yogurt shop. 

Thus, Destroylet was conceived. With two other members in tow--dubbed Menacing Maple Syrup and Enlightened Child--we cruised on in to this brightly lit, family friendly establishment (which had been expecting an acoustic folk night) with stacks of amps and electric guitars aplenty, getting ready to play songs that were, let's just say, unfit for the sensitive ears of the gaggle of children waiting patiently with their yogurt while we set up. 

Destroylet did not hesitate to make an impact on the eyes, either. After a quick wardrobe change, Diatribe trooped out in my Gucci-esque zippered leather tights, a tassled tie-dye shirt, and the most amazing pentagram pendant that would have sent any goth rocker into transports of sinister delight. Enlightened Child sported the sweetest high-waisted polkadot shorts with a simple white tee (good thinking!), and that sheet black hoisery was the (yogurt) icing on the cake. I chose to go all out for this one with my 50s cherry dress, complete with tulle underskirt and all, but toned it down all modern-like with my mean shoulder-padded leather jacket. Taking it all the way to the next level was Menacing Maple Syrup, who came out in his favourite Beefheart t-shirt and reggae towel. Yep, a reggae towel.

Left to Right: Enlightened Child, Margot, Diatribe, MMS

 5x5 is not really sure how Destroylet will top this, but cannot wait to find out.

5x5 GRRL: Brigitte Bardot

5x5 Clothing
Margot

Quite a departure from our last loose and rawkin’ lady--Wendy O--our next installment of 5x5 GRRL spotlights the iconic French star Brigitte Bardot.

5x5 is smitten with this kitten, even though it may not be because of her career. We know she was in some movies, did some modelling, and that she dabbled in pop music. She began to gain popularity in America as early as the 1950s (!) and has since haunted our fashion subconscious.

 

Her legacy is nothing to be scoffed at. Ladies, you may not have been struttin’ your beach bods in bikinis if it weren’t for this gal. Or baring your shoulders in loosely draped tops. She had a hand in making gingham popular too-- she wore a pink gingham wedding dress for Pete’s sake!

I would also like to note some of her more daring fashion choices, like the cut-out chainmail minidress and matching headdress she rocks (or rather, chimes) in this video. Makes you think Kate Bush, doesn't it? Only this is from 1967!

But personally, my favourite thing about Bardot is her ability to make you salivate even in just a pair of corduroys and a rough-knit sweater. 

5x5 is on the lookout for a GRRL after every girl's heart.


Check out 5x5's Bardot Sweetheart Halter, available for summer 2012 at 5x5Clothing.com