Recessionista Snippets n' Stylings.

Bra Bling. I am going to admit this publicly for the first time. Until Saturday, I owned one bra. It's a LaSenza bra, forced upon me by a friend in 2002, and the bane of my existence. It is ill-fitting, the hooks poke into my back and it is now essentially a rag.

So when I heard that design & PR company 1milk2sugars was hosting a Marlies Dekkers liquidation sample sale, I set aside some funds. Some of you may remember the store in Les Cours Mont Royal, with it's crazy-ass thongs that are more metal than textile. Marlies Dekkers design some crazy-ass lingerie. Metal parts, lots of extra straps, crazy colours and prints. It has a very sexy bondage aesthetic that I never dreamed I would enjoy and feel comfortable wearing but man, was I mistaken! I tried on about a dozen bras and it was the first time I didn't cry in a lingerie changeroom! A lot of the crazier bras weren't in my size but I still ended up with some bra bling:

1 unpadded white bra, hummingbird detail on back, translucent sides, wide straps and two extra straps echoing the top edge of the cups.

1 padded black bra with a t-strap at the cleavage. Wore it out on Sunday and it got a lot of attention.

But the best part is that they are so comfortable! I have never been one to gladly sport a bra everyday but I think the tides are changing...

There were plenty left once I was done shopping and I was the last to leave. Uzma and Priya assured me that if anyone still wanted to go by they are welcome to drop by - so don't be shy! There are a wide variety of sizes - a lot of them are unlabelled samples so it's a matter of trying a whole bunch on and seeing what fits.

1milk2sugars
1117 ste.catherine st. w., #715
montreal, quebec
514.807.9578

Gladiators. Speaking of straps, I see that this shoe trend just isn't gonna go away. A small tip for those of you still in the market for a gladiator sandal: go for a covered heel. When faced with heel vs a-million-straps, go heel. It is the element that most cinches this style and without it all you'll have two years from now is an overwhelming amount of strappage with no clear structure to define your foot.

You can buy the pictured pair at: http://shoesandyourmom.blogspot.com/2009/05/cynthia-vincent-luella-gladiators-365.html

Recessionista. Thanks to my friend Tanya's blog, I heard about Sarah Slean's neat Recession-Ista Tour eco-wardrobe-initiative. Read about it at Tanya's blog here. Let's hope more celebs take a page from her book.

My job is to make your life easier.

Which is why I have put together a Google Map of Montreal boutiques to help you consume more consciously. The boutiques I have listed carry either some, mostly or all local fashions that are locally-designed, locally-made, Canadian-made or vintage & second hand. If I have left anything out, please let me know in the comments section!

Can't wait to use it? Why not start this weekend at Main Madness, where St Laurent Blvd is car-free and the stores and restaurants spill onto the street between Sherbrooke and Mt-Royal. I saw something about $25 ruffle mary janes at Lola & Emily during the street fair....?!

[I had to remove the embedded map as it took too long to load inside the post but here's the link!]

Saturday Sale-ing

Aw, I miss the weekend already.

I had an awesome local-consumption Saturday - on my bike ride to drop off supplies for the massive depaving and garden project for Greening Duluth, I had to stop at Jen Glasgow's impromptu studio-sample-street-sale along the bike path. I picked up a lace-back summer dress in shades of watermelon, a grey v-neck t-shirt with pouffy capped sleeves in dark denim and a smokey rose-coloured long-sleeved scoop neck shirt...all for 15$!

After watching the crazy greening on Duluth for awhile (check it out if you're around Duluth and Coloniale), I headed down to Les Ailes De La Mode to check out the Marche du LABcreatif.

I had a hard time finding it - tucked away in a vacant retail spot on the 2nd floor, it was sadly inconspicuous. Once there though, I gleefully loaded up my arms with a dozen items from a dozen designers. Not much was on sale or from previous collections, which I can understand - they're trying to market themselves as serious established designers and it wasn't a sample sale.

Nonetheless, I swore I'd only buy something on sale - which meant I went home with a grey Valerie Dumaine shorts jumper from the spring/summer collection of '08 at half price (pictured above in navy blue), and didn't go home with this beautiful cowl neck dress from Marie-Eve Gravel at Meg Couture. Now that I have been introduced to this incredibly well-made and classic line, I will definitely be keeping my eyes on her.

Check her out: http://www.megcouture.ca/

I wish I'd seen more people at the sale - the only other ladies in the changeroom were from Toronto and had just stumbled upon it - though they made a nice dent in the selection with their T-dot salaries!

I feel like a celebrity...

I am honored to say that I am the first "creatrice" to be interviewed for Creacamp.org's new "3 Questions for..." feature!


The questions are in French but my answers are in English. I can't decide if I sound like a dork or frighteningly anal retentive and boring... You tell me!

You can ready the interview here: www.creacamp.org/content/3-questions-rachel-dhawan

Fightin' Words: To my friends & foes on salary...

Dear friend with a regular paycheque,

I'm kind of upset with you and I don't know how to say this so I'll just say it like it is: Here I am, a self-employed broke-ass artiste with a part-time job in the non-profit sector that barely covers rent. I'm squirreling away tiny amounts of money here and there, abstaining from $3 lattes and bus tickets so I can buy locally designed and made clothing, jewellery and art. And there you are still spending your moderately cushy paycheques in The Mall.

The mall? Do you realize you live in the most creative and dynamic city in Canada? That you are surrounded by stores carrying emerging and established designers of every kind, making beautiful objects to fill your heart's desire? And yet you scorn the pricetags and opt for Made-In-China products that will end up on the Value Village shelf in a year, if you aren't too lazy to do a second hand store drop-off?

Sure, the prices are a wee bit higher. But not in the long-run. And the impact it will leave will be more than worth it. Still bitchin' about this abnormally cold spring? Welcome to the result of over-consumption that sails millions of tons of plastic mass-produced crap across the Pacific Ocean.

I can't do this alone: money is power, and you - my dear friend with power - are the key to ensuring that our dynamic fashion scene, the local economy & all of its budding talent survive.

And we'll all look the hotter for it.

Sincerely,

Rachel

P.S. Don't know where to start? LABcreatif is holding a sale of many of their designers' wares, at Les Ailes De La Mode - y'know The Mall you keep shoppin' at. More info here.

Puces Pop!

So. Tired. Must. Prepare. More. Things. For. Puces. Pop...

So y'all better come see me and the other 99 talented montrill designers who are bustin' our butts to provide you with hot-to-trot bleeding edge fashions and findings.

For those who've been coveting the cast spruce and pinecones, I got a fresh new batch! They're only $45, which is a crazy good deal cause they are retailing for $70!


And for those yearning for more silver-covered truffles, there's a batch of those on the way as well - if I don't fall asleep while melting chocolate.

The Deets:
Saturday My 16th - Sunday May 17th
11am - 6pm
Ukranian Federation (yo - don't show up at the St Michel Church - it's not there this time!)
Corner of Hutchison and Fairmount (map)

That's a wrap!

Shopping local and handmade has never been easier...

I had a blast at Fresh Off The Press this past weekend - there were so many juicy locally-made designs that I spent every cent I made.

I got:
a fantastic wide recycled leather belt with snaps and pleating from Deborah Adams (who also makes recycled leather bags - a great, affordable alternative to m0851! If you make one purchase at Puces Pop this weekend...make this it.)

a yellow feather hair clip from Lorianne Hawdur Design.

a red and black gingham blouse with ruched button-up from Shanah of Little Houses Clothing... and it's called The Rachel! Not named after me, though I'd like to think so.


a set of hand-stitched and silkscreened cushions from Shannon of coucou salut - I just love her industrial aesthetic.

A lot of these ladies will be at Puces Pop this coming weekend (Change of location! At the Ukrainian Federation instead of the St Michel Church) so don't miss your chance.

In other news, Brazen Design has been added to the roster at CanCon Fashion and to the Mudshark Streetwear Online Boutique. CanCon Fashion is "a showcase of Independent, socially responsible designers accessible to both retail clients and new boutiques" and Mudshark is like the Canadian Fashionista version of etsy. All of my favourite Montreal lines are there, including Eve Gravel, Valerie Dumaine and Anastasia Lomonova. Now there are no excuses not to purchase locally-, consciously- and well-made clothing that supports our incredible design talent.

Mother's Day = SALES

photo by Nancy Beaton, aka ncbeets, aka my favourite mtl photog
ncbeets.com

This rainy day has been a challenging one - trying to stay cool, focused and yogi-like.

There are some great events to take your mum to this weekend. There is the Fig Clothing sale, apparently Quebec-made yoga wear (I tried to fact check this but the Contact page on their site is blank. I'll keep you posted). Deets at bottom of post.

Osalon, my favourite hair salon in Montreal, is having 2 for 1 Mother Daughter haircuts on Saturday. 782 gilford ave, Montreal. Make an appointment: 514.523.7878

Sorry for the caps, I only have enough energy to copy/paste today.

LA GRANDE VENTE FIG @ STUDIOS LYNE ST-ROCH
4416, St-Laurent Studio 305 (entre Marie-Anne et Mt-Royal)
- VENDREDI 8 MAI / DE 12H À 21H
- SAMEDI 9 MAI / DE 12H À 18H
- DIMANCHE 10 MAI / DE 12H À 17H
WWW.FIGCLOTHING.COM

And of course, y'all can come visit me and 14 other lady designers all weekend at Fresh Off The Press. See previous post for all the pertinent details.

Brazen Design at Fresh Off The Press this weekend

Brazen Design will be launching two new pieces - the blossoming branches, pictured here - this coming weekend at Fresh Off The Press. Also, for those who haven't tasted them yet, Edible Bling (dark chocolate truffles coated in edible silver leaf) will also be available for purchase!

Fresh Off The Press brings 15 emerging Montreal designers together at Salon Snap, in the heart of the plateau on St Laurent Boulevard.
They will be offering their latest creations at discounted prices!

And don't forget that this Sunday is Mother's Day!

:: Fresh Off The Press Deets ::

The fair will take place at Salon Snap ( 2nd floor)
4064 St Laurent (map)

Saturday, May 9, 2009 at 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Sunday, May 10, 2009 at 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM

facebook event link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=67670239534&ref=ts


:: Participating Designers::

Amarille (www.amarille.ca)
Black Sheep Betty (www.blacksheepbetty.com)
Brazen (www.brazen-design.com)
Bread (bread.etsy.com)
Deborah Adams Design
Haramaki Love (www.haramakilove.com)
La Raffinerie (laraffinerie.wordpress.com)
Little Houses (www.littlehousesclothing.com)
Lorianne Hawdur Design
Mir Handbags (www.mir-handbags.com)
Miss Fragola (MissFragola.etsy.com)
Sheena Jewellery (sheenajewellery.etsy.com)
Shannylea (www.shannylea.com)
Urban pigeon (www.urbanpigeon.ca)

Use your shopping compulsion for good...

I forgot to mention in yesterday's blog that this Sunday May 3rd is Au Coeur De La Mode, a fashion fundraiser for AIDS organized by the Farha Foundation.

So many juicy Montreal designers will be there. Too many to mention but you can see the entire list here.

The Deets:

This Sunday May 3rd
Palais Des Congres de Montreal
10h - 17h
website: www.farha.qc.ca