I’m excited about Philip Sparks’s new lines of accessories for men and women for Spring Summer 2013. Right now I have my eye on this leather and canvas mens Accordion Briefcase. I love the colour combination. It’s available for pre-order right now at philipsparks.com or at the Ossington Shop until Sunday. It retails for $395.00 and will ship on March 15, 2013s ship March 15, 2013, images: philipsparks.com
Toronto based shoe designer, Abel Munoz has just launched online shopping at abelmunozshop.com. He has the Spring Summer 2013 collection in the shop now and he offers free shipping to customer in Canada and the US. Torontonians can see Abel’s shoes in person at George C. I’m pretty fond of these strappy plum suede sandals called Justice. They would be perfect day to night shoe. I’d wear these to the office all summer. Everyone is gotten used to my crazy footwear. Abel has his shoes produced in Italy and they are leather lined and soled. The heel on these are 3.75 inches. The Justice sandal retails for $575.00. image: abelmunozshop.com
Toronto based designer, Dennis Merotto’s Spring Summer 2013 collection is perfect for office dwellers like me. It’s beautiful, simple and professional but doesn’t skip out on the playful side by utilizing prints and colour blocking. The collection is combines silk, cotton, linen, leather, modal and polyester into wide legged pantsuits or easy wearing colour blocked tent dresses. Nathalie Atkinson wrote a great piece on Dennis at the National Post. He’s an industry heavyweight who worked behind the scenes for a long time whose now striving for his own spotlight. images: courtesy of Dennis Merotto
Sneaky emails and reminder tweets enter my social space once the major discounts start hitting The Room at the Hudson’s Bay. It’s a good time to be hunting for bargains. It’s during these sales periods that I get strategic about things. It’s about desirability of the brand and price. During this magical time that ownership of the brands I lust for becomes attainable. The Room blessed me with an amazing Christopher Kane skirt. The Room has a great selection of shoes and the pickings are getting pretty slim by the time it’s 60% off plus an extra 40%. This shoe shopping experience was extra fun because I coerced my friend, Natalie into coming. There were a few choices of from my watch list of designers: Kirkwood, Sanderson, Olympia, Alaia, Atwood, Margiela. I tried on a few and stared wistfully at some wishing I had the same size feet as Stefania from Textstyles.ca. I wandered the racks several times with a pair of pretty loud Erdem x Nicholas Kirkwood ankle boots. They were a thick tweed …
I attended the launch of the Porsche Design’s latest product, The TwinBag. This is the company’s first handbag and Thomas Steinbruck, Creative Director was on hand. Thomas is the Porsche Design’s first creative director joined the company in 2012. He has an extensive background in fashion industry as well as a bachelor’s from Studio Bercot and a Masters from the Ecole de la Chambre Syndicale de la Couture Parisienne in Paris. When I first received the invitation I was a bit sceptical of the handbag. I’m not honestly sure why since Porsche Design already has some classic luggage and briefcase designs. I was pleasantly surprised after some Internet investigation. Porsche Design managed to create a classic looking satchel handbag that converts to a shoulder bag when the clasps on the handles are released. I wanted to check the handbag out in person so I decided I would attend the launch. The Porsche Design TwinBag is beautiful. It’s a great size and well constructed. It sits perfectly on the shoulder when converted. The Italian manufactured handbag …
The Jeremy Laing Spring Summer 2023 runway video is now out. I love this video because it’s incorporate detail shots in addition to your typical runway video fare. And I love that damn Jaime Woon song. Photo: Melonie De Guzman for OPIQUE / Top of the Runway
Silly me mixed up my dates and I missed the launch for the newest fragrance in the Les Exclusifs de Chanel collection. I was really excited about it because it would mean playtime at the beautiful Chanel fragrance bar in the Holt Renfrew Bloor Street store. Les Exclusifs de CHANEL collection is a modern take on the fragrances created by Ernest Beaux, Chanel’s original nose and Coco Chanel in the 20s and 30s. Chanel’s current nose, Jacques Polge launched the collection 2007 and has released more fragrances over the year. These fragrances all take inspiration from the history of the house and each one explores a singular theme. 1932 is the year that Chanel launched her first designer jewellery collection in her home. The Bijoux de Diamants collection had stars, comets, crescent moons and suns; all inspiration from the lights and signs that shine at night on the Champs-Élysées. In 2012, Jacques Polge creates the Bijoux de Diamants Collection inspired fragrance. 1932 includes top notes of Aldehydes, Bergamot, Neroli, middle notes of Carnation, Jasmine, Lilac, …
Chinedesign presents Masquerade – February 15, 2013 Chinedesign cordially invites you to “Masqueradeâ€, A multimedia fashion presentation and masked ball party celebrating the spirit of Carnival and the mystique of the African mask. Date: Friday February 15th Time: Doors/ Reception at 9pm Fashion Show at 10pm followed by the Party! Venue: Daniels Spectrum 585 Dundas Street East, Toronto Style code: Formal or African Traditional Color Theme: Black/ Gold / Red Important: Venetian-style masks must be worn at all times until midnight. Please visit chinedesign.com/masquerade to purchase your tickets and peruse our selection of suggested masks “Masquerade” is a part of the TD Then and Now Series for 2013. Daniels Spectrum 585 Dundas Street East, Toronto, Ontario M4M 2B8
BIG Dream: How a Dior Dress Came to the ROM – February 9, 2013 Dr. Alexandra Palmer delivers the inside scoop on the ROM’s commission of the House of Dior’s design and creation of the breathtaking haute couture dress now taking centre stage in BIG. Includes the world premiere of the full version of the film Dior about the making of the dress. Saturday, February 9, 2013 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm Royal Ontario Museum Signy and Cléophée Eaton Theatre President’s Choice School Entrance Public: $20 RPC, YRC Members: $15 Members: $15
Everyone has been buzzing about the new Miu Miu mini boutique that opened up in Holt Renfrew’s Bloor Street location. This is Miu Miu’s first Canadian point of sale. Architect Roberto Baciocchi designed space that is dedicated to Miu Miu handbags and accessories collections. No clothing folks and shoes are still available in shoe department. The space is very Miu Miu with damask finish covered in crystal and studs, small display windows and polished brass backlit logos. Miu Miu can be found on the first floor of Holts in the handbag section. It occupies the space where all the Balenciaga bags were hanging about. It’s like walking into a gold box. I stopped by today. It’s not very big and I didn’t see much jewellery but there were a ton of handbags though. It was super busy too. The space looks pretty slick and makes the product so desirable looking. Miu Miu Toronto, Holt Renfrew 50 Bloor Street West Toronto images: courtesy of Prada
Last week, Holt Renfrew invited me to private lunch for Emily Weiss and Nick Axelrod from the amazing beauty site, Into The Gloss. Emily is the Founder and Creative Director and Nick is the Editorial Director. I’m a fashion blogger that doesn’t really read fashion blogs but Into The Gloss is amazing. It’s full of great, well researched features on the beauty routines of industry players in the fashion scene. You can find profiles on people like Iman or Liya Kebede or even a random scientist. I love features on science nerds. We are out there! Emily and Alex were in town to host the Holt Renfrew Powder Puff Party. Emily also curated a Skincare Renewal Guide for Holts showcasing her top choices of skincare products available at Holts. It’s really high/low with heavy hitters like La Prairie and La Mer. It was very informative because I never seen face cream for $475. However, It’s not all crazy, prices start at $20. There is something for different budgets. And because people want to know, Emily …
I went to the opening of the SORRY, I’M NOT SORRY, I’M NOT A JEWELLER by Dina González Mascaró show held at the Ossington Philip Sparks shop. Dina is an Argentinian, born Vancouver based artist visiting the city for the Interior Design Show and the Toronto Design Offsite Festival. She has a Master’s degree in Fine Arts with a specialization in sculpture but she is a self-taught jewellery artist. Dina’s jewellery is very much and extension of her artwork. I really love what she does as it’s so unique. She is really pushing design in a different direction. The jewellery has added dimension and structure not normally seen. Strong women wear these pieces otherwise they end up wearing you. I’m not a cyclist but her bike series is amazing. The wheels move on the mini bikes and the wheel pendant is just perfect. If you are in Vancouver you can visit Dina’s shop/studio, JewellerBau. She does custom work as well. At the opening Dina described a set of wedding bands she created for an artist …
I loved the Lucian Matis Fall 2012 ad campaign and Lucian has just released a video documenting that process. image: courtesy of Lucian Matis
Come Up To My Room, The Alternative Design Show starts this week. I’ve always really liked the event and covered it extensively for blogTO in 2007 and 2008. Come Up To My Room (CUTMR) is the Gladstone Hotel’s annual alternative design event. CUTMR invites artists and designers to show us what goes on inside their heads. Coming together in dialogue and collaboration, participants are limited only by their imaginations, making CUTMR one of the most exciting shows in Toronto. As this is an important anniversary for this ever-expanding show, the tenth installment will emphasize the idea that formed the basis for the very first CUTMR – occupying and altering a space in a dramatic, conceptual, or experimental way. So, CUTMR is 10 years old and now you can view all of the past events thanks to the Come Up To My Room 10 Year Archive Project. Attend the event at The Gladstone Hotel this week and see what you missed over the years online.
I’m on the hunt for a great all around bag. Ideally it would have a messenger strap but I think I can overlook that it’s missing from the Marni Flap Bag. It’s a great size and comes in colours to match many outfits. The form is reduced to its pure essence, laid bare to expose the precision of the cut and beauty of the leather. The material used is fine calf leather on a monocolour or bicolour panel. Studs decorate the bag leaving its shape clean and graphic.(Source: press release) The photos show styles from the Resort 2013 collection and the Spring Summer 2013 Marni fashion show. images: eastnews.ru, tooklookbook.com
Come Up To My Room – January 24 – 27, 2013 Exhibition Hours: Thurs 6-8pm, Fri 11am-8pm, Sat 11am-10pm, Sun 11am-5pm | Exterior, Café, Ballroom + 2nd Floor Gallery Opening Reception: Sat Jan 26, 2013 | 7-11pm | 2nd Floor Love Design Party: Sat Jan 26, 2013 | 10pm-2:30am | FREE | (this is the official closing party for the Toronto Design Offsite Festival) Panel Discussion: Evolution – Designers Conversations in a Collaborative City: Sun Jan 27, 2013 | 1pm-3pm | Gladstone Ballroom This year CUTMR welcomes 25 individuals and collectives drawn from the worlds of architecture, industrial design, fashion, and contemporary art to transform the Gladstone Hotel both inside and out with site-specific and immersive installations. For the first time, CUTMR will break through the walls of this historic venue, adding design installations to the hotel’s exterior and surroundings. Site-specific furniture, lighting, and art will push the boundaries of design throughout the Romanesque red brick of the hotel’s gallery rooms, public spaces, and beyond. The exterior installations will be created primarily by CUTMR alumni, …
I like bold jewellery and there are time when the simplest designs have the most impact. I would say Melanie Georgacopoulos jewellery falls into the latter category. I love the simplicity of the design and that it’s not conventional. The Half gold covered ring peacock and Half gold covered pearl ring white both contain natural pearls and 18K solid yellow gold. Simplicity from this London based designer comes at a price of $1,095.00 CAD. You can find these rings and more from Melanie Georgacopoulos on the Toronto based website Kavut.com which also carries some other great jewellery brands.
Swimwear rarely grabs me but I gasped when I opened the Eres Swimwear Spring Summer 2013 lookbook. I don’t wear tiny bikinis so I loved all the one piece and high waisted options Eres presented. I like the limited use of prints in the collection and the abundance of colour options. Eres swimwear is simple in design but so luxurious looking. Eres is a Parisian brand that began in 1968. Designer, Irène Leroux grew up in the swimwear business and opened a boutique the same year and revolutionized the swimwear industry by selling all year round. Eres is also responsible for changing the shape and design of swimwear resulting in better fitting and looking swimsuits. During that time, swimwear was exclusively a summer product. In 1996, Chanel purchased Eres. In 1998, Eres debuted the lingerie line. As you can imagine a brand owned by Chanel is going to be expensive. Eres is just that. You’re looking a prices ranging from $300 – $700. Le sigh, always the way. Eres has a store in Toronto! I …
I’m a sucker for anything Art Deco related so I was very interested in the Woudenberg Spring Summer 2013 jewellery collection. Toronto based, Emily Woudenberg is a self-taught fashion and jewellery designer with an educational background in Fine Arts and Graphic Design. The spring summer 2013 season marks her fourth collection under the her namesake label, Woudenberg. The collection titled “Paragon†is inspired by the most eclectic and luxurious qualities of the Art Deco movement. A paragon, defined as “an immaculate diamondâ€, symbolized the frivolity that followed World War I. After the Great Depression and World War II, the opulence of the Art Deco era was out of place and a stark contrast to the sombre reality of the late 1930s. The 12-piece collection incorporates rose gold, opalite, copper industrial materials, rope and hand-sculpted pendants. Staying true to the Woudenberg aesthetic, Paragon is avant-garde and androgynous with each piece as experimental and effortlessly sophisticated as the next. “I wanted to capture the essence of the contrast between extreme frivolity and sombre frugality that was seen …
The Label Finder is one of my must have fashion references. This International Fashion Store Locator allows you to search by designer and find the retailer that carries them. It works worldwide so it could be used for vacation shopping preparation. Stores and Labels can sign up to the site and either modify their existing profiles or create new ones. image: thelabelfinder.com
I love these D’Orsay stilettos by Monika Chiang that are available at Intermix. I’ve recently come to realize the value of the simple stiletto as a complement to an outfit. Crazy fun shoes are important and necessary but I’d always find myself in a situation where the outfit is perfect and my shoe collection just doesn’t fit. Zinc D’Orsay in cobalt and Metal Heel Mirrored Pointed Toe Pump are available online at the Toronto Intermix store. images: intermixonline.com
It’s hard to get me to smile at something these day but man Phil Villeneuve gets me every time. Phil’s public dances are well know and this little one to Solange at Bay and Bloor is so fun. Be sure to check out Phil dancing to Robyn in the Eaton Centre. So Good.
I’m more of a statement earring type of girl but I love this Lulu Frost necklace. It reminds me of the Klingon inspired stuff Lanvin put out a few seasons ago. You can pick this necklace up at Intermix Bloor Street or online for $545. image: courtesy of Intermix
Shine On! Holiday Soiree – December 3, 2012 Monday, December 3, 2012Â Â Â Â Â 5:00pm until 9:00pm A special holiday fashion and design showcase featuring collections from Toronto’s young designer community, including: LABEL Clothing | by Natalie Sydoruk & Shawna Robinson VALENTINE K Cashmere Sweaters | by Lauren McLachlan BEL AMI Hair Accessories | by Erin Fitzpatrick TOVEREN Jewelry | by Carleton Eckhardt ONE OFF Vintage | by Laure Mitchell WHITE FEATHER Jewelry | by Breanne Morrow CARTE BLANCHE Coasters | by Alessandra Cardarelli FRIDAYSOFF | by Alanna Banks KEATON & CO. Monogrammed Napkins | by Jennifer Martinez HOLIDAY CONFECTIONS | by Gabriella Caruso and HILDEGARD Gourmet Teas | by Parul Sanduja Start your holiday shopping in style while enjoying drinks and appetizers with friends. Proceeds from the Shine On! Holiday Soiree will benefit Project Sunshine Canada, which provides free programming to children and families living with medical challenges in ten medical facilities across the GTA. Bring your friends and colleagues, and join us in celebrating Toronto’s young designers this holiday season. The Spoke Club 600 King …
So, part 1, part 2 and part 3 of the I want – I got Gift Guide Series are complete now it’s for the final installment, Part four. This is the part four of four in the I want – I got Gift Guide series. I have so many favourite things I wanted to include. This gift guide is very much I want – I got. You’ll see things I want, things I got and other obsessions. Some things are affordable and some aren’t but I’ve tried to mix it up. The list covers fashion, beauty, electronics, art, toys and booze. Basically, all the items on the gift guide are I want – I got approved. So, here is the last part of this exploration of things I would love to see under my tree at Christmas. I hope you had as much fun as I did exploring my Christmas wants. Acne Velocite Shearling Jacket ($1,749.99) – gravitypope.com, Acnestudios.com – Acne makes my dream shearlings Eighty Seventh St. Fashion Inspired Greeting Cards ($7 – $30) …