Wednesday, January 20, 2010

All hail the sale: Preloved!

It's preloved's Annual Warehouse Sale! Preloved makes stylish new duds from recycled and used garments.

10$, 20$, 30$, 40$ Maximum price 50$!

4 Days Only:

Thursday January 21st 12-9pm
Friday January 22nd 12-9pm
Saturday January 23rd 11-6pm
Sunday January 24th 12-6pm

Monday, January 18, 2010

Bodacious Bras

I recently visited Secrets from your Sister, a bra-fitting boutique in Toronto, Ontario. There I learned the truth behind a well-fitting bra (see bottom of post for a summary of what I learned!) and that we can apply conscious consumption to what's underneath our clothes.



I asked the very helpful staff about Made-in-Canada lingerie, and they showed me Grenier, pride of our own belle ville de Montreal since 1860! The collection covers all the bases - from plus sizes to wireless to teddies to control tops and bottoms - all reasonably priced and proudly made in Canada.



I also picked up a couple bottles of Soak, the Made-in-Canada no-rinse handwashing soap for your delicates (as seen on Dragon's Den!). I've been using it for 3 weeks - so far, so good!



Bra-fitting tips!

1. Cup sizes are relative to the rib size. So a 32 D is not the same cup size as a 38 D (it's smaller).
2. If your bra rides up in the back, it's not the straps, it's the rib size - it's too large.
3. When trying bras on, try it on the loosest hook so that over the years you can tighten it.
4. Handwash your bras, don't throw 'em in the machine! They will last many years this way.
5. Wash them every 1 - 3 wears.
6. Most of us'll "pudge" out of any bra - don't judge the fitting by it.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Support Haiti

Come join me this Tuesday to raise funds for Haiti. Brazen Design will be donating a pair of leaf vein earrings. Other prizes include Lucky Jeans gift certificates, make-up, cosmetics, books and a plane ride over Montreal!
Events

Monday, January 11, 2010

All hail the online sales!

A follow-up of the last post regarding in-store sales on Canadian-made designs this month.

Buying Online is another great way to get Canadian designs. There are sales right now on just about every Canadian designer's online store as well at Chiccane.com and Mudshark.

Check out the sale pages at:

Birds of North America
Jennifer Glasgow
Valerie Dumaine
Dace


And check out these vegan, ethically-made winter coats, on sale, from Vaute Couture! Not a Canadian company, but rigorously conscientious in the creation of their coats.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

All hail the sales!

January is a great time to get some good deals. It's rare that boutiques carrying a lot of Made-In-Canada designs have major sales, but there are some jems this month.

I'd highly recommend popping by Jeans Jeans Jeans - I was in there helping a friend pick out a pair of made-in-Montreal Second Yoga Skinny jeans, and found a rack of Guido & Mary, Lois and Seconds at half-price. Plus, the second pair is seventy-five perfect off! And that's off Jeans Jeans Jeans' regular prices, which are below suggested retail.

Another great sale is going down at La Gaillarde in St Henri. It's on until the 24th of this month.


I've had my eye on a young designer, THIRD EYE by Dessaivre, whose eco up-cycled creations are carried there. Her work is romantic with an edge of dark, using lots of creams and black and lace.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

S.W.A.P.'s 2010 Challenge

By know you've probably heard about H&M slashing & dumping new clothes instead of donating them to charity.

There have been some interesting reactions, such as H&M and Wal-Mart saying they will ensure it will never happen again.

Another is The S.W.A.P. Team's 2010 challenge to swap instead of shop, shop local when buying clothes, and downsizing, amongst other things. Read the full challenge here and sign up in the comments!

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Oh snap! Moi sur Clin D'oeil!

I forgot that I stumbed across this during the holidays - I got snapped at the Billie Boutique blogger's night but thought nothing of it until this came up in my google alerts.
Check it out - I'm on the Clin D'oeil Street Stylin' blog!


The entry doesn't tell you about all the made-in-Canada goodness I'm wearing so allow me:

Fringe Top by Pretty Raccoon Clothing
Simone Cardigan by Valerie Dumaine
Amour skirt by Simone's Rose
Yoga jeans by Second
Recycled leather Evelyn bag by Deborah Adams
Leather belt made in Canada for Bedo
And the bling, of course, is mine.

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Happy New Year!


Dear readers,

I hope 2010 brings you goodness, grace and style galore.

I am making a resolution to only make vintage, second-hand or Made-In-Canada fashion purchases this year, in addition to clothes swapping. Wanna join me?


A new initiative from the city of Montreal will make it easier to buy local fashion while supporting local retailers. Montrealfashionmap.com is an interactive map that encourages supporting the local fashion scene. There's still a bunch missing, but designers can send their info to the Ville de Montreal to be added.

[Not convinced that second hand shopping is worth the work? Here's a glance at my New Year's Eve dress - I've worn it ever New Year's eve since 2005. It's a hand-sequined haute couture body-hugging mini, complete with snaps to hold in your bra straps (!)... I got for $5 at Value Village.]

Happy New Year,

Rachel