An influencer in Toronto’s vintage scene, Melissa Ball wants vintage clothing to be sewn into today’s contemporary culture. She’s all for educating her customers and converting them into vintage lovers, one garment at a time.
Her clothing shop, Chosen Vintage on Dundas West, carries a collection of over 500 handpicked, curated vintage pieces from the ’60s, ’70s, ’80s and ’90s. It’s important to Melissa that her pieces scream originality, but also have modern appeal so that they can be incorporated with today’s fashion trends – trends that ultimately derive inspiration from other eras. The cliché expression “what goes around, comes around” is exceptionally true with vintage.
Melissa is just as original and influential as the vintage pieces in her shop. Her love for vintage is in her DNA. From playing dress-up as a kid to working in vintage clothing stores as a young adult, she rebelled against societal norms with her fashion choices and instead, steered towards creating her own style identity, courtesy of the local thrift stores around town.
