In The Closet ft. Melo Anfield

Welcome to "In the Closet", an intimate look into the wardrobes of stylish Vancouverites.

After a brief hiatus, In The Closet is back! Back with a bang! Meet Melo, the incredibly talented picker at a Vancouver favourite (and in my personal opinion, the best) vintage store, Used. Her confident sense of style is envious as she mixes outfits purchased for $4.50 a pound and a pair of Rag & Bone boots she's been eyeing at Holt Renfrew for months. Like her home, her wardrobe is a careful curation of lost treasures she discovers and investments that only get better with age. Melo's quiet confidence and grace are qualities all women aspire to have, and because of that, she's a timeless treasure herself.

Welcome to "In the Closet", an intimate look into the wardrobes of stylish Vancouverites.

Tell us a little about yourself...

Being a vintage picker has been a constant compulsion for well over thirty years. I work in an environment where clothes get processed to either to be sent to a third world country or thrown into the trash. Its basically clothing hell and I’m there to sift through mountains of material to extract the lost treasures. It's not a glamorous job [and] I see a lot of evidence of our physical humanity. It is exciting - the thrill of the hunt - you never know what you might find from one minute to another, but when you do there’s a rush knowing what you picked will have another life.

How would you describe your style?

Panhandler from another century, somewhere between Charlie Chaplin and Pippi Longstocking. Most of my clothes are tattered and fragile. I pick things for myself that most people wouldn’t want. I like to have contrast - male and female, shiny and matte, old with new, beautiful and ugly.

Best places to shop in Vancouver?

Used! Funny I pick for Used, but that’s because they are the best place to buy vintage in Vancouver. C’est La Vie, its got soul and attitude, with awesome vintage and reasonable prices. Front and Company, the best windows in the city, with an excellent helpful staff, great men’s shoe selection(which I like to wear). Holt Renfrew because they have excellent shoe sales and The Room at The Bay. I haven’t bought anything there yet but I’m courting a Maison Martin Margiela skirt.

What item from your wardrobe would you save if your house was on fire?

A 1940s Monkey fur coat. It's important to preserve our ancestor's skin.

What's the most sentimental piece you own?

A 1940s Monkey fur coat and a pair of Levis Big E’s that have been mended far too many times and haven’t been washed in six years although they have made trips to the freezer to kill germs.