Month: September 2013

Hermès Festival des Métiers at The Design Exchange - October 2 - 6, 2013

Hermes Festival des Metiers at The Design Exchange – October 2 – 6, 2013

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Hermès Festival des Métiers at The Design Exchange – October 2 – 6, 2013 Hermès proudly celebrates both the passion and perfection of the work of its artisans with the Festival des Métiers in Toronto from October 2 – October 6, 2013 at the Design Exchange. This engaging cultural exhibition provides a fascinating insight into the longstanding traditions and values of Hermès in the crafting of fine objects defined by an uncompromising commitment to the highest standards of quality. The exhibition features intimate behind-the-scenes demonstrations by masterful craftspeople from the renowned Hermès workshops in France, illustrating the methods in which products are painstakingly made-by-hand using techniques passed from generation to generation. Admission to Festival des Métiers is free. October 2 – 6, 2013, 11am – 7pm Daily. Location: Design Exchange — 234 Bay Street Website: www.dx.org

Fashion & Textiles Trivia Night – September 25, 2013

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Fashion & Textiles Trivia Night – September 25, 2013 Venue: Fox’s Den, 1075 Bay St. Time: 7 PM What is Batik? What is Diane Von Furstenberg best known for? Which British inventor patented the first workable sewing machine? Silk comes from worms, but which part of the worm produces the silk threads? Who is credited with inventing the Little Black Dress? Strut your stuff and show off your fashion and textiles know how. Hosted by Curator Sarah Fee No pressure, it’s all fun. Questions range from easy to challenging with teams competing for bragging rights. You could achieve the status of student all the way up to curator! So grab a beer, join a team and prepare for a good time. Contact 416-586-5797 programs@rom.on.ca

I’m in the Toronto Life Stylebook Fall 2013 Edition

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I have a little feature in the Fall 2013 Toronto Life Stylebook. They approached me to discuss my beauty routine and what new products I’m looking forward to this fall. I give shout outs to some of my favourite beauty brands and retailers: Lancome, Chanel, Essie, Givenchy, Marni, Balenciaga, Philosophy, Concepts Salon & Spa and the Miraj Hammam Spa at The Shangri-La Hotel. The most surprising thing about the feature was this illustration of me. I was completely stunned. If you remember, I hated the last illustration Toronto Life commissioned of me. Judit García-Talavera is an illustrator based in Barcelona, Spain. She is absolutely incredible and I’m not just saying that because she created a kick ass illustration of me. She’s worked with clients such as Marie Claire Spain, Telegraph’s Stella magazine, Bloomingdales, ELLE China, Teen Vogue, Gilt Group, ELLE Girl Japan, Harper’s Bazaar Spain, Stylesight, Rolling Stone Spain, Hennessy Cognac and Piaget. You can see all the rest of Judit’s work for the Fall 2013 Toronto Life Stylebook on her blog. The Toronto Life …

Hudson’s Bay Company x Converse Jack Purcell – Fall 2013

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Converse is killing it for Fall 2013. There is the Maison Martin Margiela collaboration and one featuring an iconic Canadian institution, Hudson’s Bay Company. Those of you that covet Hudson’s Bay Company stripes, these are the sneaker for you. Available in the unisex Converse Jack Purcell, Duck Boot and women’s only Helen silhouettes, each style embodies the Hudson’s Bay Company wool point blanket stripes, with features such as threaded stitching and antique brass eyelets, and the Jack Purcell and Hudson’s Bay logos on the foot bed. These silhouettes also carry an official “Seal of Quality” maintaining the authenticity of Hudson’s Bay Company. Additionally, the Jack Purcell Duck features a leather collar and heel stay, as well as embroidery on the tongue of the shoe, creating an elevated style that merges these two iconic brands. (source: Press Release) The Converse x Hudson’s Bay Company Jack Purcell collection is available exclusively at Hudson’s Bay Stores and will retail for $120-140.

Honeymania by The Body Shop

Honeymania Collection by The Body Shop

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It’s been over a decade since I’ve shopped at The Body Shop. In university, I was obsessed with their fragrances and the colourful glycerin soaps. Other brands caught my eyes over the years and I moved away from The Body Shop. Fast forward to now and a package from The Body Shop arrives at my door. They are launching a new product line called Honeymania. They have partnered with Beza Mar beekeepers in the remote Sheva rainforest in Ethiopian highlands to bring community fair trade honey to incorporate into the Honeymania product line. The beekeepers work with the bee’s natural cycle and use traditional techniques so that their use of the bees and the rainforest is sustainable. The hand harvested honey is food grade and it’s sold by luxury brands as table honey. Launching in stores on October 7, 2013, Honeymania will feature Lip Balm, Soap, Shower Gel, Body Butter, Bubble Bath Melt, Body Scrub and Eau de Toilette. Each product has a delicate scent with notes of floral honey blossoms and sweet honey. The …

Converse x Maison Martin Margiela – Fall 2013

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I talked about changing up my shoe game but Converse keeps calling me back. This collaboration with Maison Martin Margiela is pretty awesome. “Converse is thrilled to partner with Maison Martin Margiela. The collection perfectly embodies each brand’s spirit of individuality and self-expression unifying Converse and Margiela’s conviction of unleashing creativity,” says Matt Sleep, Converse Senior First String Designer.(source: Press Release) The first-time Converse Maison Martin Margiela collaboration features the Chuck Taylor All Star and the Jack Purcell sneakers, each completely hand-painted in Maison Martin Margiela’s iconic white paint. Covering all canvas, eyelets, laces and soles, they naturally crack and shed their outer coat of paint to reveal the original colors beneath.(source: Press Release) “The Maison has always been obsessed with white; it is used as a layer to give an incognito feeling. A sort of poetry, with the passage of time, the shoe asserts itself,” says Maison Martin Margiela.(source: Press Release) There are four colour ways available: red, black, navy and Margiela-exclusive vintage yellow. This limited edition collection are availalbe at Margiela stores and …

Changing Up My Sneaker Game with New Balance and Palladium

Changing Up My Sneaker Game with New Balance and Palladium

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Fall weather means parting with my sandals and covering up with closed toe shoes. My sneaker collection loves fall because I forget about them in the summer and they sit unused. Normally my sneaker game consists of Tretorns and Chucks of various styles. I have a thing for high tops and I have my Vegas Adidas and a great pair of Alexander McQueen for Puma kicking around too. This fall I wanted to change the silhouette up in my shoe game and that came in Palladium and New Balance form. Palladium is a French company started in 1920. Their famous Pampa boot was born in 1947 and the French Legion adapted them for their use. I’ve been receiving their press releases for a few years now but never saw the shoes in person. That changed this summer when I went to a Fall Winter 2013 preview. I really like the shape of the shoes and the different treatments they came in. Palladium loves colour and you can find the perfect colour for you in canvas …

VAWK x Shangri-La Hotel Toronto

VAWK x Shangri-La Hotel Toronto

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The Shangri-La Hotel in Toronto is celebrating it’s first anniversary. Together with Sunny Fong of VAWK they unveiled new Lobby Lounge attire for the female staff that he designed. “I wanted the design to truly reflect a hybrid of my brand and what I feel Shangri-La Hotel, Toronto represents. I was inspired by the art work in the lobby, the Ming vase tea library and the ornithological theme that is prevalent in the hotel and the Zhang Huan ‘Rising’ sculpture,” said Fong of his inspiration. “When I met with Richard Cooke, we wanted something that seemed almost theatrical, so naturally I knew the silhouette had to be both sophisticated and sexy. I felt my desire to custom create a bold graphic print inspired by the Ming vase would absolutely make a dramatic statement.”(source:Press Release) The design is inspired by architecture and design of Asia. The dress is a take on the tradition gipao. The print reminds me of blue and white porcelain that began development in 14th century China. I really like the design of …