Holt Renfrew goes 2.0

The new window displays outside Montreal's Holt Renfrew on Sherbrooke between Drummond and De la Montagne stopped me in my tracks the other day.

We love Bryan Boy? We love Garance Dore, Tommy Ton and Jane Aldridge? Wait a second... Those aren't designer names... those are all high profile fashion photog/bloggers!

So Holt Renfrew has gone Web 2.0 and each of their windows this season (across the country, I believe) is dedicated to 6 influential fashion bloggers, two of them being Canada's own Anita Clarke of I want I got (iwantigot.geekigirl.com) and Tommy Ton of Jak and Jil blog (jakandjil.com). Others are Bryan Boy (bryanboy.com); Scott Schuman of The Sartorialist (thesartorialist.blogspot.com); Jane Aldridge of Sea of Shoes -who happens to be 17! (seaofshoes.typepad.com); and my personal favourite - humble and well-written french fashion photographer Garance Dore (garancedore.fr/en).


Go by and see them for yourselves! I was so mesmerized by the literal sea of shoes that I forgot to photograph them! The Sartorialist and I want I got windows weren't finished so I'll see if I can capture them later this week.

You can read the press release here.


Ooh, just go this great panoramic photo of I want I got from T.O's Holt's, courtesy of @photojunkie on twitter.

Happy St Jean Baptiste!

The Etsy blog "Storque" asked Angie (of iheartnorwegianwood and Headquarters Boutique) to write an article about Quebec artists in honour of St Jean Baptiste which was published today on Etsy.com.

I am honoured that Brazen Design was featured! Check out all the other amazing talent and remember: shop local!

Conscious Consumption Catwalk

The ladies and I had an awesome time at the opening Fashion show of Festival Mode & Design. 50 local brands showed off three fall outfits a piece while Beast of Sound made the most gorgeous live beats I've seen in a decade.

Highlights: (sorry, can't get images yet!)

Andy The Anh's billowing red silk dress (ah if only!)
Eve Gravel's Melting Dress (which I already have?! Wow, I'm ahead of the curve!;)
Valerie Dumaine's fall cocktail dresses. (ALL OF THEM. Must choose one only - gonna be a tough call!)

Go check the amazing stuff happening down on McGill College! You still have today and tomorrow!

Festival Mode & Design

Starting today and running until Saturday, Montreal's Fashion and Design Festival will take over McGill College and there's gonna be a lot of cool stuff to check out. There's music shows, fashion shows, shopping, live creations and on and on... all featuring local brands and bands.

Amongst other things, I am gonna check out MIR-handbags live moulding at 7pm on Friday - on my way to birthday dinner.

And if you've missed other spring opportunities to buy local, don't miss the outdoor La Boutique, featuring dozens of local brands.

Check it out at Festival Mode & Design.

Diva-fy

I am completely anti-over-consumption - but sometimes you just wanna accessorize to an extreme. Music vids are the new catwalk and I have been drooling over the bling in Beyonce's Diva video and Lady Gaga's Paparazzi. I want B's sunglasses and Lady G's Dior rings. To the studio at once!

Nothin' to hide...

I am just bushed these days: I have a mouse in the house, a bird or very mean person has eaten all my morning glory seedlings, my cabinetmaker man is working double-time and consuming absurd amounts of food that I am supposed to somehow make appear all while working part-time and running my business...Ok, enough whining from me.

Saw a store on my way home up St Denis: "Rien a Cacher - chic et ethique". Found one review. Apparently carries some locally produced lines such as Oom Ethikwear. Will go in one of these days and give you a more energetic review.

Tailor Made: Shoes

Image by urbanmakr at flickr.com/photos/urbanmkr/471915540/
I got lucky while breezing through Zara with a friend recently, and found the last of a pair of leather sandals that had arrived and sold out that day. They were made in Spain, mostly leather and really affordable; but the sole was one very thin piece of leather that just wasn't enough padding between me and the sidewalk.

I took them to Imperial boots on Bleury, just south of Sherbrooke. It's the third shoe repair I've taken to them: they re-soled my cowboy boots (doing a far superior job than the original manufacturer, I might add) and replaced a long side zipper on a pair of riding boots from Paris.

I have been super happy with every repair and this time was no exception: he added a rubber tread to the ball of the sole and thick piece of rubber matching the leather under the heel. I walked out of the store wearing them and walked from Bleury to Guy and back with no issues.


The real beauty of Imperial Boots is their old-world customer service and quality. They actually make shoes from scratch (all those boots you see hanging in the window when you walk by? Handmade in Montreal. And they do custom work. I have heard many a testimonial to the awesomeness of custom Imperial winter boots. I swear you're gonna see me in The Winter Boots of My Dreams this year.

Imperial Boots
2117 rue de Bleury
Montréal, QC H3A 2K2

(514) 844-5611‎
(map)

Featured Purchase: The "Loni" from Jennifer Glasgow

I have found the perfect clothing item for this 7-degrees-below-average-weather that we have been having: Jennifer Glagow's "Loni" High Waisted Pant from the Spring/Summer 09 collection.
They are beautifully tailored trousers made with a soft lightweight cotton denim. With an invisible side zip instead of a fly, these pants cover your legs in the chilly mornings while keeping you breezy when summer peeks its head out of the clouds in the afternoons.

I love the retro aesthetic of these pants - the not-that-high waistline is reminiscent of your mom's trousers (which were a really flattering height and it's a shame we don't see more of it), the shape of the pockets and belt loops, the wooden buttons, and the colours in the stitching and lining are all vintage-inspired classic.

They are perfectly paired with spring blouses, and they work great with a belt. I wore them to Puces Pop day #1 and got tons of compliments: proof that they work on short curvy girls like me and not just the tall & lanky set!

Locally designed and made (of course!). Get 'em while you can at General 54 or at Jennifer Glasgow's online store.

(Hint: They are more affordable at the store.)