Month: October 2009

TEFW – Greta Constantine Spring 2010

Published by

The clothing was one part of the huge fashion event put on by Greta Constantine and their slew of sponsors. The backdrop was the Audi Dealership on Bayview. That should have tipped me off to the scale of the event to come but I really didn’t think twice about it. It wasn’t until I stepped outside the cab. I arrived a little early and walked through the back entrance to the main floor of the dealership. It was full of an excited energy. people were running around everywhere getting everything set up. I looked to the right and there was a huge wall of Greta. Huge images of Kirk and Stephen, Coco Rocha for Greta Constantine and Erza Constantine alternated with the Greta Constantine logo. I’ve gotten to know Kirk and Stephen over the years and it was a little emotional to see this display. I looked around at this massive production they have taken upon themselves and I was in awe. I was so proud and very excited to see how it played out …

What the Footwear Buyers are saying about Paris Fashion Week Spring 2010

Published by

I was reading the Retailers React to Paris Collections on wwd.com. It talked to some buyers about footwear trends for Spring 2010. Bridget Cosgrave, Fashion & Buying Director, Matches, London Strongest Trends: Refined ethnic influences Mixes of color such as red and gold with leopard print or beading Lots of metallics Directional Styles: “The new tribute from YSL with a triangular piece across the heel.” Ones to Watch: Mechante Pan e Tulipani for handmade beaten-up boots Tracy Margolies, VP & DMM of women’s footwear, Saks Fifth Avenue Strongest Trends: pring boots Wedges Mid-heels Clogs Sandal booties Novelty materials in shoes (for instance, stretch jersey, mesh, lace, PVC and lucite heels) Directional Styles: “McQueen’s runway ‘armadillo’ shoes and the Jimmy Choo sandals that light up.” “Must-Carry” Styles from Paris: Givenchy’s stretch jersey sandals Camilla Skovgaard’s booties with tread bottom Christian Louboutin peep toe mesh pumps

So, I’m some sort of Toronto Fashion Hero

Published by

I was honoured to be part of this season’s Toronto Fashion Heroes by Andrew Sardone in NOW Magazine. Prior to the piece coming out I had lunch with Andrew and we conducted a little interview. The next day at lunch I was standing at King and Bay with Michael Watier the photographer doing the photoshoot. That was a lot of fun. People stopped to gawk and little kids waved at me, like I was a famous person. A friend of mine, Jason Howlett, happened to be walking by at this point and snapped this behind the scenes shot. It was pretty emotional to read Andrew’s words when the piece came out. The support on twitter was amazing. I want to thank all my readers and everyone who has supported me with my little blog. It’s been a hell of a year, both good and bad, with the good outweighing the bad. I have no idea how I’m gonna top 2009. Check out the full story at NOW Magazine – Toronto Fashion Heroes – Anita Clarke.

Holt Renfrew Style Rules with David Donohue

Published by

After the Philip Sparks Spring 2010 show, I headed over to Holt Renfrew for their Style Rules event. The guest speaker was David Donohue, a professional car racer. We were also introduced to the new four door Porsche sedan, the Panamera. I’m a huge Porsche fan. My dream car is a Porsche 911 Targa. It’s been my dream car for more than 20 years. Unfortunately, I’m not an owner yet. When I heard the Panamera was a four door, I was a little skeptical. However, after listening to David and Porsche Canada’s president talk about the car I began to change. The unveiling sold me, it’s not too bad. It’s larger than the two door models but smaller than the Cayenne. It has all the bells and whistles anyone with money could wish for. They opened the car up and let the guests take a look inside. It was drool worthy. In the end, my favourite car is still the 911 Targa. The Panamera is nice, but not the kind of car I would buy …

TEFW – Philip Sparks Spring 2010

Published by

Philip Sparks was the unofficial start to what I’m calling Toronto Extended Fashion Week. TEFW for short. The venue was in the usual haunts of the Burroughs Building. This season they used the bigger section of the 6th floor. They also had a great setup for the lounge area, complete with cheese plates and a DJ. I had a preview of the collection when I got to sit in on the Lookbook photoshoot. The collection included some pieces that I hadn’t seen which was a great surprise. The inspiration this season was cottage life and 1950s Canadian Pacific Railways gatewya ads. The collection featured fabrics like seersucker, cotton voile and ramie. Philip worked with textile designer Kerry Croghan to create his Gone Fishing print. It’s inspired from Thor Hansen fabrics and Canadian souvenir imagaery. These prints were used in shirts and ties. I love the fact that Philip doesn’t shy away from his Canadian roots. He embraces them fully and I really appreciate that love for our history and culture. I’m a born and raised …

LG Fashion Week Beauty by L’Oréal Paris is Coming

Published by

It’s that time of year again. Extended fashion week in Toronto. I will be attending Philip Sparks, Greta Constantine and a number of shows during LG Fashion Week Beauty by L’Oréal Paris (beware loud obnoxious music autoplays) . I’m just finalizing my schedule with LGFW and will post it on the blog. I’m having a real hard time with the name. LG Fashion Week Beauty by L’Oréal Paris is much, much too long. I wonder how this name came to fruition?

Ask a Geek: Confused by perfume terms. Here are some references to check out.

Published by

Okay, this isn’t a true Ask a Geek post but I thought it could be helpful. I couldn’t find the words to describe Flora by Gucci for my last geekiviews post. I didn’t know the language of perfumes and needed to find out. I found a few links and thought I would share. Basenotes – independent online guide to fragrances, with news and reviews PerfumeCritic – online magazine dedicated to fragrances Perfume Glossary from Now Smell This – glossary of terms. Check out the other pages on this site also. Glossary of Perfume Terms from Go Go Perfume – glossary of terms. General info on hard to grasp perfume terms and other trivia from perfumeshrine.fortunecity.com If you any readers have your own great perfume website, please leave a comment.

Holt Renfrew’s Northern Soul Windows, October 2009

Published by

The Holt Renfrew Bloggers Windows may live on in Google Street View but that is not the case in real life. Currently, the windows are taking on a Canadiana feel, which I very much enjoy.  I walked out of the main doors and hear birds chirping.  At first I thought maybe some birds were holed up somewhere in the rafters.  Then I remembered that the only birds I see around Holts are pigeons.  I realized it was a tape at that point and chuckled to myself. There is a darkness and moodiness  in the windows attracts me.  The I like way it’s used in the colour palette of the clothing and through the richness of the trees and greenery. They evoke the spirit of fall for me.  I want to wear all my fall gear.  Looks like I’ll get that chance from the way the weather it taking a downturn quickly. Set to a soundtrack of birds and woodland sounds, the windows incorporate a mixture of two and three dimensional mediums. Natural settings are created …

Ask A Geek: What events are available for selling clothing in the GTA?

Published by

Sometimes readers ask me questions. If they are of value to all my readers I post them online. If you have a question, please feel free to submit it using the contact form. I’ll definitely do my best to answer it. I want – I got reader Cody wrote: Hey there, I wanted to show u my list of selling events where I could sell my clothing to the general public for cheap prices, like besides what I have listed here, can u think of anything else year round? I love events that are cheap, or free (usually none are free, right?) There’s always booths on young street, I wanna look into that! What do u think of these, know anymore?…. -The Clothing Show (twice a year) -Portobello and I’m not sure what is sold at Nuit Blanche? Comments on where to go from here? thanks Hi Cody, There are some free events for the general public but a majority of them charge an admission fee. There aren’t many shows dedicated to clothing in the …

geekiviews: Flora by Gucci

Published by

I received the Flora by Gucci Eau du Toilette in a swag bag from an event. I can’t remember which one (If any friends out there remember what event, please comment!). I like floral based perfumes, so I thought I would give it a shot. Turns out I like it. It’s sweet smelling; a mixture of fruit and flowers at first. It finishes with a heavy base. I don’t normally like patchouli but it works for me in this combination. It’s a girl’s fragrance and nowhere near the androgynous zone. It’s very strong and you have to remember that when applying. I do find myself reaching for this perfume a lot in the morning. Flora’s olfactory pyramid is composed around the floral theme, with top notes of citrus and peony, a heart of rose and osmanthus — a Chinese flower with a distinct floral fruit and leather aroma — and sandalwood and patchouli on the base. Giannini and the P&G fragrance team developed the scent with Firmenich. This is Gucci’s second perfume geared to the …

i got: The Sartorialist by Scott Schuman

Published by

When I saw a quick preview of Scott’s book at his Holt Renfrew Party, I knew I had to own it. Well, a few weeks ago back I found it at Chapters and picked it up. There is not much to say about the book except that it is full of interesting people (some of which I actually know!) in beautiful clothing. Scott also talks about some of his subjects and the circumstances behind the shots. It gets my thumbs up. You can order The Sartorialist by Scott Schuman on Amazon or grab it in your local bookstore.

The Holt Renfrew Bloggers Windows lives on in Google Street View

Published by

View Larger Map I found out that the Holt Renfrew Bloggers Windows are on Google Street View. It was such fun to have the window for the month of July and I was a little sad when it came down. Then I went to India and the window seemed like such a lifetime ago. The trip changed me a little. All the feeling from July have rushed back with this Google Street View discovery and it’s like experiencing it all over again.

Peter Kent Handbags

Published by

I went to the Canadian launch of Peter Kent Handbags at the Hazelton Hotel this week. Peter Kent is a leather accessories line out of Buenos Aires, Argentina.  Hector Neer founded the company in 1972 and it continues to this day as a family run business. His three children joined him in the business using their skills in different areas of the company.  Hector still is the head designer. Hector and his son Alejandro made their way from Argentina to Toronto for the launch. They had a hell of a trip up here; missed connection flight due to customs in Washington and lost luggage. This resulted in a 25 hour trip, much longer than normal. Despite this Hector and Alejandro were so incredibly nice and personable when I got a chance to meet and chat with them about their business. They are so passionate about the business and their enthusiasm really shows in the handbags. Peter Kent Handbags doesn’t produce in large volumes and the result is well crafted merchandise. They use local craftsmen who …

Shared now has a Storefront

Published by

Shared is a Toronto based fashion company that makes incredible locally made basics. They decided to open their first storefront and I went to the opening launch. All their clothing produced in Toronto and is made from organic cotton. I learned that they weave their own fabric in Toronto. The yarn is sourced from many different places but basically the shirts are made from scratch in Toronto. To top this off, they donate 50% of their profits to charity. The store is one of the cutest I’ve seen in Toronto. The designers are big collectors of antiques and they have cleverly decorated the space with their finds. The store isn’t big, only 350 sq ft but the layout is very well done. I’m a fan of Shared. I own a black cardigan that I got at The Drake Hotel General Store. I really am enamored with these two tshirts though. They both have a story. I suggest you goto the store and find out about it. The running shoes are very cute and affordable ($99). …

Alexander McQueen Ready to Wear – Spring 2010

Published by

The Alexander McQueen Ready to Wear Spring 2010 collection was an alien spectacle. A snake and Geiger influenced fashion moment of the finest degree. The show was the fashion jolt I needed. Yes, there is creativity still kicking around this season. McQueen delivered it and then some. I’m still in awe over this out of this world collection. What do you say but wow, wow, wow! I missed seeing the video live, but I wasn’t the only. It seems they didn’t anticipate the demand for the live stream and servers went down. I send my friend, who was sitting in 3rd row at the show, a message asking how the show was. He replied back with “STUNNING”. I knew he was serious because he doesn’t throw those words around much. The shoes were like nothing I’ve seen a fashion show but had a fetish feel to them. I thought they were great for the runway presentation but I really can’t see these shoes going into production. You must, must see the Alexander McQueen Ready to …

Magnolia

Published by

I finally visited Magnolia store at Avenue and Eglinton. The store itself is beautiful. Super high ceilings, great window, large mirrors, eye catching store displays and the best changerooms in the city. Magnolia carries Izzy Camilleri, Lucian Matis, Hoss Intropia, Designers Remix Collection, Love Moschino handbags and Tara Jarmon. Owner Juan Carlos does a wonderful job of curating the clothing in the store. Magnolia 333 Eglinton Ave W, Unit 2B info@magnoliaonline.ca 416-488-9893

Balenciaga Ready to Wear – Spring 2010

Published by

Balenciaga went sporty this season, with a touch of futurism. I was talking to a friend who mentioned that Nicholas Ghesquiere tends to work in cycles and we are back on the futurism loop. I don’t mind I have to admit, as long as Nicholas keep turning out collections like this. Be sure to look at the high resolution images on Nytimes.com to see the incredible detail that has gone into this collection. There is an interview with Nicolas Ghesquiere with Cathy Horn talking about the collection. You get some more information on the fabrics that are incorporated in the clothing, it’s pretty amazing. You can also check out this video by style.com images: style.com and coutorture.com