i want: Jewellery by Harakiri

Ibis Bracelet by Harakiri

An Ibis Bracelet by Harakiri

Daikoku Pendant by Harakiri

Daikoku Pendant by Harakiri

Harakiri are a Montreal based company. I first heard of them because of their work with Denis Gagnon. They produced some absolutely stunning jewellery for his many of his runway shows including Spring 2009. The themes run a little dark in their jewellery as you can tell by the mouse skull.

Montreal 2008 – Yves Saint Laurent Love

There was no photography at the Yves Saint Laurent exhibit so I never felt that compelled to blog about it immediately.

I did purchase something hilarious though, a YSL paper doll book called Yves St. Laurent Fashion Reviewby Tom Tierney (I just discovered some of his other books, OMG!!!!!).

I really regret not buying 2 copies, just so I could cut up one.

images: scans by me and mmfa.qc.ca

Montreal 2008 – Me

On the train ride over I met a photographer named Jared. We were walking in the same direction when we got off the train and he snapped this photo of me.

Montreal 2008 – Reborn

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One of the coolest shops in Montreal is Reborn. Adrian from Fashion Verbatim recommended that I check it out. It’s in old Montreal and I visited it after my stop at the Notre-Dame Basilica. I had forgotten the address that Adrian had given me and I was wandering around looking and then I saw the window and I knew I found the place.

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Thomas (I think that is his name according to Adrian) was in the shop and he was so friendly and helpful. We talked fashion a bit and I mentioned that I was from T.O. and a blogger. Turns out he knows Tommy Ton from jakandjil.com. We are both eagerly awaiting Tommy’s photos from his travels during the fashion weeks. He’s even seen my blog before and that totally blew my mind. It still to this day surprises me when I meet people that have read this site.

He showed me a lot of the great pieces in the shop like the my new obsession, the Denis Gagnon leather hoodie; it’s absolutely to die for. (It’s also available at Holt’s in Montreal). There are mens and womens clothing in the shop but a lot of pieces are chosen for their unisex value. It’s rare that I walk into a shop and want almost everything they have to offer.

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The accessories perfectly complement the well edited selection of clothing. The deer’s head clutch by Natalia Brilli is amazing. Her jewelery is so unique as she takes objects and wraps them in leather.

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I didn’t buy anything because it would have totally blown my trip budget but I was really, really tempted. Brands available at Reborn: Acne Jeans, Alexander Wang, Arielle de Pinto, Borba Margo, Cavern, Chronicles of Never, Complex Geometries, drkshdw, Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair, Filippa K, Harakiri, Henrik Vibskov, Kenzo Minami, Lilies, Natalia Brilli, Oktober, Petar Petrov, Peter Pilotto, Pleasure Principle, Preen, Rad Hourani, Raf by Raf Simons, Raf Simons, Robert Geller, Sharon Wauchob, Surface to Air and Velour.

There is also an online shop for those who can’t make it to Montreal.

Montreal 2008 – Château Ramezay Museum

I did some touristy stuff and saw the Château Ramezay Museum in Old Montreal.
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At the heart of Montréal life for more than 300 years, the Château Ramezay has been conserving and presenting our heritage since 1895. Whether you are a Montrealer or a visitor passing through, whatever your age, the doors to history are open to you. Our Museum offers you the opportunity to relive history through its permanent exhibition and its garden, and it also organizes many educational and cultural activities linked to the life of our community.

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i want: Mackage Fall 2008 Jackets

Jackets from Mackage

I need another jacket like I need a hole in the head but these two from Mackage are pretty nice. The one with the architectural collar is wool. The other is nylon and packable. I like the idea of being able to pack up a jacket. I have a packable but it’s a lot more utilitarian and not very fashion.

Mackage has a brand new online store now too.

images: mackage.com

Montreal 2008 – Notre-Dame Basilica of Montréal

Notre-Dame Basilica of Montréal
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Toronto doesn’t have anything this awe-inspiring beautiful. It’s a shame. I’ve never seen anything so spectacular in my life. I cried, it was so moving. My pictures don’t do it justice and it’s something that everyone needs to see.

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When it was founded in 1642, the village, then known as Ville-Marie, had its first wooden chapel inside the palisade at Pointe-à-Callière, today the site of Montreal’s major archaeological museum.

Dedicated to Our Lady the Blessed Virgin – “Notre Dame” – the small original chapel was operated at first by the Jesuits. Then came the Sulpician Fathers, who in 1657 undertook construction of a larger church. The Sulpician François Dollier de Casson was its architect, and the present-day Notre-Dame Street served as the original site. Its construction, in Baroque style was completed between 1672 and 1683.

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By 1800, Dollier’s church had become too small, and the Fabrique decided to build the church we know today. To design the new church, the building council engaged the services of the New York architect James O’Donnell – himself an Irish Protestant by origin. O’Donnell and the Fabrique opted for the Gothic Revival style then in vogue in England and the United States. The main construction work took place between 1824 and 1829.

O’Donnell did not live to see his work completed. He died in Montreal in 1830. Just prior to his death, he had converted to Catholicism, and was buried in the new church’s crypt, where his grave is marked by a plaque.

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The old church set back from the road was demolished in the summer of 1830, except for its bell tower, which survived until 1843, when Notre-Dame Basilica’s twin towers were completed by the architect John Ostell. The western tower, nicknamed La Persévérance (Perseverance) and finished in 1841, houses the great bell christened “Jean-Baptiste,” weighing 11 tons (11,000 kilograms or 24,000 pounds). The eastern tower, nicknamed La Tempérance (Temperance), was completed in 1843 and houses a carillon of 10 bells.

In 1889, Curé Léon-Alfred Sentenne commissioned the architects Perreault and Mesnard to build a chapel that would accommodate ceremonies for smaller congregations, such as marriages and funerals. Named the Chapel of Notre-Dame du Sacré-Cœur (Our Lady of the Sacred Heart) and consecrated on December 8, 1891, the date of the feast of the Immaculate Conception, it was built in Gothic Revival style with a wealth of sculptural motifs.

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Unfortunately, a fire seriously damaged the chapel on December 7, 1978. Reconstruction was undertaken by the architectural firm of Jodin, Lamarre, Pratte and Associates, whose plan suggested rebuilding the first two levels to be identical to the original chapel, with skilled carpenters, sculptors and woodworkers using traditional methods. The vault was built in a modern style allowing for natural lighting. The new chapel was opened in 1982.

Stylistically, the church’s look indoors in its early years was very different from its present appearance. The wall at the end of the sanctuary lay flat and was lit by a large window, in the traditional manner of English Gothic churches. Six paintings taken from the old church were hung on this wall. For economy’s sake, the old church’s high altar was moved into the new sanctuary. This altar stands today on the west wall of the side chapel dedicated to Saint Marguerite d’Youville. In the nave, the columns were painted to give a realistic impression of veined marble. This work was executed by an Italian artist from New York, Angelo Pienovi.

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Between 1870 and 1900, the second phase of decoration of the church was the work of Curé Victor Rousselot and Victor Bourgeau, Quebec’s most active architect of that era. While travelling in France, Rousselot had been deeply impressed by the style and symbolism of the Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, which he proposed as a source of inspiration for Bourgeau. The blue and gold colours chosen, the gilded leaves in the vaulting and on the columns are especially reminiscent of the Sainte-Chapelle. This polychrome decoration consists entirely of sculpted wood.

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Going to Montreal for a few days

As you read this I’ll be writing away on Wifi on the train to Montreal. I’ll be connected and will probably post a bit about my mini vacation. I plan on checking out the vintage shops as I hear they are amazing. I also will be spending a lot of time walking around Old Montreal.

Of course, I real reason I’m heading down is to see the YSL exhibit at the Museum of Fine Art and hang out with Adrian from Fashion Verbatim.

Twitter will probably be the best way to get up to the minute ramblings about my Montreal trip. You can follow me here.

geekiviews: Second Clothing Yoga Jean

Yoga Jeans from Second Clothing.

They came out last year amid the yoga buzz but somehow I missed hearing about them. It’s only after I received an email from Jennifer from Mudsharkstreetwear.com that I became intrigued. I was looking for another pair of dark skinny denim for the fall to wear with boots. This is what the website says:

Jeans are not generally associated with perfect comfort. They tend to impede the large movements of the body and restrain and ususual stretching. But Second has changed all that!
Combing fashion and comfort, Second Yoga Jeans are perfect for any lifestyle with an emphasis on well-being, flexibility and relaxation.
Made of top-quality denim containing 97% brushed cotton and 3% elastane, Second Yoga Jeans hug the curves of the body in any position. They fit the ups and downs of a hectic day and metamorphose into laid-back fashion in the evening. Second uses denim with 92 percent shape memory, while the industry standard is only 64 percent. And thanks to their revolutionary treatment, the cuts and styles actually shape, hold, and lengthen the body and helps flaunt just the right areas. Multifunctional and perfectly malleable, Second Yoga Jeans are offered in mid and low rises, with the option of a boot cut, straight, flare, or skinny leg.
SECOND uses natural materials and organic fibres to protect the planet. ) Every Second Jeans is hand crafted on an individual basis to give them an authentic vintage look. With this unique attention no two Second Jeans are exactly alike.

Second Clothing is a Canadian company based out of Montreal. They produce the merchandise in Montreal which is a bonus. After trying on a pair in a different style, I was all prepared to purchase some when Second decided to send me some to try out. So are they worth the hype?


I’m always wary of anything that uses yoga in it’s marketing. I don’t practice yoga (I appreciate it’s benefits, but I’m just not interested) and don’t follow the whole lifestyle aspect of it either. Removing that aspect of the marketing I can say yes, the jeans live up to what they say. It also depends on the kind of denim wearer you are. I’m a huge fan of tight fitting denim much more so than relaxed and looser fits. You won’t see me sporting the boyfriend jean.

The skinny style Yoga Jean looks really tight in the photos but they are extremely comfortable. To the point where you forget you are wearing them. I’m reminded of shapewear, the denim version, as there is a lot of smoothing and shaping with the body happening. Great butt lift girls! When I first tried them on, I was surprised at how long my legs looked; it was that noticeable, and this was before I read the website and the claims to lengthen the body. They also fit a bit small. I’m usually a size 27 or 28 in denim, but with Second I’m a 26.

Can you workout in them? The denim is flexible enough that I could probably play squash or something in them, but I wouldn’t want to. Denim, no matter how light and flexible is still too heavy to be comfortable in prolonged activity where you are sweating like a dog. Cotton doesn’t wick water away to well.

Are they worth $110.00? I say yes for the following reasons:

  • They are Canadian and manufactured in Canada
  • The fit!
  • You can get Yoga Jeans in a variety of cuts online from Toronto based, Mudshark Streetwear.

    Edit: I changed the title from “i got..” and changes this to a geekiviews post. That’s the reviewing section of the site. Traditionally “i got…” posts are things that I’ve purchased. The post url will not change so any linking done will still be valid.

    Ask a Geek: Mackage Sample Sales

    askageeklogo.jpgSometimes 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 Cathy wrote:

    i just can’t get enough…of Mackage! all i want is Mackage, Mackage & more Mackage. not too much to ask for, right? so, where & when is the next sample sale in Toronto & how do i get on this list for invite????

    I’ve never gotten any Mackage sample sale invites for the Toronto area before. I can’t say I’ve hear of one happening in the GTA either.

    However, they do have sample sales in Montreal where they are based out of. Sign up to their mailing list and they will email you when it happens. This season’s sale happened in October. I’m not sure if it’s a yearly occurrence.

    Now is a good time to look at stores that sell Mackage for fall winter clearance sales.
    Try the following stores:
    Over The Rainbow
    Artizia
    Holt Renfrew
    Browns Shoes
    Body Blue
    Mendocino
    TNT