Cover image — Image source: Lavender May (attribution inferred from the post).
20 years of Fashion, Beautiful Chaos and One Martini Glass
This Thanksgiving Sunday, October 11, Lavender May’s Archive Sale Vol. 03 takes over Studio Phénix with vintage fashion, Closet DJ sets, circus performances, rare stage costumes and one rather famous Martini Glass. Best of all? It’s free.
I thought I’d retired from throwing events sometime in the 2010s. Then Lavender May came along and apparently decided retirement was negotiable.
This will be the 3rd Closet DJ I’ve had the chance to be part of with Lavender, and with every edition, I’ve gotten a little closer to her wonderfully unconventional universe and the vision behind what she creates. I’m not behind the decks. I’m the guy who keeps showing up to support the madness, help bring the vision to life and somehow ends up a little more involved every time.
When Lavender pitched Archive Sale Vol. 03, happening this Thanksgiving Sunday at Studio Phénix, she didn’t exactly have to twist my arm.
Twenty years of fashion archives. Vintage treasures. Music. Circus performers. A meaningful auction. And the infamous Martini Glass.
Yeah… retirement can wait.
Inside Lavender May’s archives, where browsing is half shopping, half treasure hunt.
Image source: Lavender May (attribution inferred from the post).
From the Spotlight to Your Closet: Treasures with a Story
This time, Lavender isn’t simply opening her closet. She’s opening 20 years of her life, told through clothing, jewellery, accessories, handmade creations, stage costumes and wonderfully unusual objects collected through performances, travels and different chapters of her career.
Some pieces have lived under the spotlights. Others were handmade specifically for performances. Some are vintage discoveries carefully preserved for years, while others have never been offered to the public.
The idea behind Lavender May’s Archive Sale is beautifully simple: why leave all that history sleeping in storage? These pieces have already lived one life. Now somebody else gets to write the next chapter.
Costumes, textures and unexpected finds waiting inside the archives.
Image source: Lavender May (attribution inferred from the post).
And if you’re imagining a quiet vintage sale where everyone politely browses a few racks and leaves 20 minutes later, you clearly haven’t met Lavender yet.
The Closet Gets a Lot Bigger
For Archive Sale Vol. 03, Lavender is moving the experience into Studio Phénix, where the Closet DJ sets will soundtrack the afternoon while acrobatic performers bring the space to life.
Studio Phénix brings the circus into Archive Sale Vol. 03.
Image source: Lavender May (attribution inferred from the post).
That combination is what makes this edition interesting. The clothing isn’t separated from the music, the performers aren’t hidden backstage and the audience isn’t expected to stand politely on the sidelines.
You browse. You listen. You discover. You watch. You meet people. You probably try on something you would never normally wear.
And somewhere along the way, you may find yourself climbing into a giant Martini Glass. Because of course there’s a giant Martini Glass.
Lavender’s iconic performance prop will be opened to the public for an immersive 10-minute photo experience for $25. For one afternoon, you can stop watching the show and become part of it. Your Instagram will survive Thanksgiving just fine.
Closet DJ energy, surrounded by the wonderfully colourful world behind Archive Sale.
Image source: Lavender May (attribution inferred from the post).
When an Archive Becomes Something More
Behind all the fun, this edition also introduces something much more personal. Lavender is beginning an initiative using meaningful pieces from her archives to support a project intended to help children affected by human trafficking.
The first piece is the costume from her very first show, Le Carrousel, created nearly 20 years ago around themes of childhood innocence and exploitation. On October 11, that costume will be auctioned to raise funds for the project.
There’s something powerful about the circle closing: a costume originally created to tell a story about lost innocence now has an opportunity to contribute to protecting it.
Studio Phénix, the new playground for Archive Sale Vol. 03.
Image source: Lavender May (attribution inferred from the post).
Thanksgiving Sunday, We’re Going Into the Closet
So forget the usual Sunday routine. Come dig through 20 years of Lavender’s archives. Find something beautiful. Find something bizarre. Find something you absolutely do not need and somehow leave wearing it anyway.
Catch the performances. Follow the music. Meet some interesting humans. Get inside the Martini Glass. Stay for 45 minutes or accidentally stay until closing. No judgment from us.
That unpredictability is exactly why I keep saying yes to these collaborations. With every edition, I understand Lavender’s creative universe a little better, we get a little closer, and Best Kept MTL gets to help bring another piece of her vision to life. Apparently, retirement from the event world isn’t going particularly well. I’m okay with that.
Lavender May: headphones on, archives open. See you Sunday.
Image source: Lavender May (attribution inferred from the post).
Archive Sale Vol. 03 takes place Sunday, October 11, 2026, from 1 PM to 7 PM at Studio Phénix, 1431 Saint-André Street, 1st floor, with entrance via Nautilus. Admission is FREE. The Martini Glass experience is $25 for 10 minutes, and raffle tickets are $5. RSVP to Lavender May x Studio Phénix: Archive Sale Vol. 03
Save the date. The archives are coming back to life. See you inside. And if you’ve got a beautifully unconventional idea of your own, Best Kept MTL might just be your partner in crime.
