Belt yer outfit!

Oh look, another belt-themed blog post! Oh belts... how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

#3882647: Belt That Outfit:

I have been admiring this trend from afar, skeptical about its practicality (I love the look of a winter coat belted with a wide belt not part of the coat... but when you wanna take it off or just zip it open on the metro?) but loving the silhouette it creates.

When Adrienne showed up at my door wearing this cute grey dress with studded belt, I had to try it out on her. She already looked awesome, having taken a shapeless girly dress with great pleating work, and deciding to belt it, not just with anything - some black studded leather to add some edge - and topping the outfit with a black cardigan. The cardigan was a perfect candidate, as it had no buttons or enclosure of any kind - it was actually built to just hang.

And so we belted it. I think it looks awesome and I can't wait to try this look out more often.

Wedding Weekend

My dear, dear friend Danielle is getting married this weekend and in between memorizing my reading during the ceremony and building up my alcohol tolerance, I have been putting together my outfit.

I am wearing Eve Gravel's Melting dress in grey with made-in-Italy peep toe heels in navy blue from Mila purchased at Cortina (7100 St Laurent).

For accessories, I have fashioned a belt from a strip of black satin and my man's grandmother's brooch, gifted to me by his aunt, along with the silver cuff. For my hair, I am wearing the Victoria black lace hairpiece from Montrealer aprilMayde.

To stay warm during the autumn nuptials, I have a beautiful embroidered shawl given to me by my family.

Street Stylin': Becca & Tali

A couple weeks ago, Nantali (aka IamBlackgirl of Nomadic Massive) stopped by for a jewellery cleaning and I just loved how her summer outfit matched my intern Rebecca's. I'm really enjoying the skirt worn high and belted with a slim fitting tank top.



I love Rebecca's Disney Snow White-esque layering of tank tops to look like a bodice. Nantali was blinged out in Brazen Design as usual, this time paired with this incredible ring from Dubai.

I know today feels far too cold for this outfit but I think this look will transition really well into fall with the simple addition of leggings, tall boots and long sleeved shirts.

Street Stylin': Gorgeous Jillian

I saw my gorgeous friend Jillian for coffee at Olympico on Sunday. As usual, Jill was decked out in head-to-toe made-in-montreal digs.

Her fantastic high-waisted pencil skirt is from HomeBaked, purchased from General 54.

Her adorable lace top with billowing cap sleeves is from none other than Lustre, purchased from Lustre Boutique.



Her earrings are none other than Brazen Design - the One Off collection. Purchased from Spring Puces Pop. The ring was picked up at the St Laurent Street Fair for 5$. The Oyster shell necklace is from Hilary Thomson.



Jillian's bright cuff is from Pupina, purchased at Katrin Leblond. The bra is Marlie Dekkers, purchased at the blow-out sale I blogged about in May.

Street Stylin' Style Tip: Accessorizing for weddings

Adrienne came by to borrow some accessories for a wedding. She had found a gorgeous vintage-styled dress (at Gap, believe it or not) with a beautiful tiger lily print in white on royal blue. I couldn't believe how perfectly the Brazen Design Tiger Lily Necklace went with the pattern. To suit the style of the dress, we strung it on a very long diamond-cut ball chain and then paired it with Adrienne's own pair of Brazen Design Small Leaf Vein Earrings.



The key with accessorizing for weddings it keep it simple: go with one or two larger items than you would normally wear, instead of lots of small. Unless, of course, the wedding is a very formal affair in which case you can wear a full earrings/necklace/bracelet/ring set.

Street Stylin' Style Tip: Belts! Perfect for weddings.

If, like me, you have multiple weddings to attend before the summer draws to a close, you may be feeling it in your wallet. Buying gifts, travelling and needing multiple outfits per wedding really add up. Borrowing is a great way of making a great-looking one-time outfit that doesn't break the bank.

Nancy was in the same situation and so we had an accessory date. Belts were the focus, as we were trying to give shape to a gorgeous but shapeless Banana Republic dress found on super sale. We finally located the perfect one: my wide black leather belt with snap and puckered front detail (handmade from second hand leather in Montreal by Deborah Adams, available at Lustre Boutique). It matched the other pleats in the dress and instantly gave Nancy a flattering hourglass silhouette.

We also had fun dressing Nancy up in a variety of other belts to match her fantastic black tube/black skirt outfit that day. She left wearing a faux leather green wraparound that I picked up in NYC as well as an extra-wide purple leather made-in-Canada corset belt from Bedo.

I heart Black n' White nailpolish.

Thanks to the combination of a friend throwing a nailpolish party, another friend showing up with a bottle of black nailpolish and other friends encouraging a move away from the classic red I usually sport on my nails (toes only unless I'm on vacation - the woes of a rough-handed bling maker), I have become obsessed with black nailpolish. And nothing is classier than black and white so when I spotted a bottle of white nailpolish on a toilet paper-run, I couldn't help myself.

I'm a changed woman. Now if only I had the skill to paint houndstooth on my nails!

P.S. Sorry, no photos of my chubby and painted fingers or toes allowed. But you can submit yours to me and I'll publish them!

P.P.S. Again, not a fan of posting photos of myself but here's the promised photo of the Valerie Dumaine Cardigan - I've barely taken it off; it's the perfect summer rain and chilly evening wear to throw over my dresses n' sandals uniform. The propane tank makes for a strange background...

Brazen Design: Beast of The East and Fresh Off The Press

Brazen Design has been itching to launch the brand-new pieces created in the last lagging days of winter. I will be at two fairs in Montreal in the next few weeks. New pieces will be available online as of May 1st. I will post images to the blog then as well!

Brazen Design has been invited to sell its wares this coming weekend at Beast Of The East.What's that, you say? Oh, only the second annual, two-day long, double-elimination Roller Derby tournament, and the grandest Eastern Canadian Roller Derby tournament. There will be 16 teams from Canada and the United States vying for the singular title of “Beast of the East 2009”! Tickets start at $15.

:: In honour of this awesome girls-kicking-ass event, Brazen Design has created a sterling silver winged rollerskate pendant ::

:: Beast of The East Deets ::

The tournament takes place at Arena St.Louis (y'know, the one btw Bernard and St Viateur, on St Dom)
April 25th, 9am - 10:30pm
April 26th, noon - 6pm
5633 Saint-Dominique
To purchase tickets: http://ca.brownpapertickets.com/event/60352
facebook event link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=72421694481&ref=ts

For those unable to checkout the finest in roller derby and apparel, Brazen Design will be at Fresh Off The Press throughout Mother's Day weekend.
Fresh Off The Press is a designer fair featuring 15 up-and-coming Montreal designers, conveniently located in the heart of the plateau.

:: In honour of Mother's Day and Mammas everywhere, Brazen Design has created two sterling silver blossoming branch necklaces ::

:: Fresh Off The Press Deets ::

The fair will take place at Salon Snap ( 2nd floor)
Saturday, May 9, 2009 at 12:00pm
Sunday, May 10, 2009 at 5:00pm
4064 St Laurent
facebook event link: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=67670239534&ref=ts

Faux Pas: Big Ol' Retro Spectacles

I shouldn't even have to say this. Those big ugly eyeglasses from the 80's that you hipsters are (still!) wearing? STOP. Dudes and Ladies: these suck...okay? There is a reason no one makes them anymore. If you want big, do the Buddy Holly look or something.

However, since this blog post isn't gonna make these go away, I wish I'd kept my ugly-ass glasses from when I was a kid so I could resell them.

pic from www.sleeknchic.com

Things That Go Bling: Big Pinky Ring

I have never seen as many big-ass pinky rings on men as I did this past week.... and I'm lovin' it.

The rings: silver, gold, set with stones... it's all good.

The dudes: young, old, thugged out, in a three piece suit... it's all good.

Let's see if we can start a big-ass lady pinky ring phenomenon.

(This is one of the rings that came out of the Luis Vuitton - Pharrell Williams collaboration)

Brooch Is Back

For the un-pierced, accessory-timid, or over-accessorizer, The Brooch can be the perfect way to cinch your look. The latest in brooches? The Chain Brooch. A Chain Brooch has two pins that can be clipped where you want, with chain connecting- and dangling between - the two. For dudes, the equivalent look is pinning a chain brooch or cloak clasp to your lapels over a tie.

The pictured brooch is Chanel, and like everything Chanel, over the top and yummy. Chain brooches aren't the easiest thing to find, especially vintage, but I did spot one recently at Local 23 for a mere $20. Or keep your eyes peeled for a Brazen Design Chain Brooch this spring!

Top 5: Jewellery Stores in Montreal

Here are my top 5 favourite jewellery stores in Montreal.

Technically they aren't all jewellery-only stores and sure, my line is carried at some - but they are still my favourite places to go for a kick ass piece of bling.

Totheme, 68 Fairmount West

Specialty: Custom orders, dirty-dirt cheap accessories, lots of it made by local artists.

Budget: Like I said....dirty-dirt cheap.


General 54, 54 St Viateur West


Specialty: Urban armour. Accessories for the discerning hipster.

Budget: Affordable to Pricey, but reasonably so.


Freitag, 3762 Boulevard St Laurent


Specialty: Variety of edgy sterling silver creations, lots of local stuff.

Budget: Affordable to Pricey, but reasonably so.


Argent Tonic, 138 Laurier West.

Specialty: BIG BLING. Amazing ring selection. Exclusivity.

Budget: On the higher end but not out of the budget.


Noel Guyomarc'h, 137 Laurier West

Specialty: This is the real deal. Noel carries only "Art Jewellery", meaning incredible wearable works of art.

Budget: Save up for a real special piece.

buttons: the overlooked accessory

I just lost a beautiful knotted leather button off a sweater that has 17 of those same buttons on it - well, now 16.
I am not usually one to replace lost buttons. I usually just safety pin it in a rush on my way out the door. A 1-inch diameter knotted brown leather button, however, can not simply be replaced by a safety pin; I don't even need the button to be functional down there on the bottom of my sweater, I just need it to be pretty. An accessory.

I do often use buttons: but only in my line of one-of-a-kind earrings and necklaces. Buttons make great beads. And in the years I've spent rummaging through sewing store button bins, I don't recall coming across many brown leather knotted ones. Maybe cause those are the ones on the full price shelf.

If you have any leads, let me know!

And the accessory-of-the-year award goes to...

For those of you who already own a really nice set, this will be like "duh!" but I have only just encountered this new item in my life in the last 48 hours, and I am already a new person.

So, I award "accessory of the year" to Nice Bed Sheets.

I'm talking 300/400/500/600 thread count, satiny smooth, not from Ikea or Sears, BEDSHEETS. I had no idea what I was missing! It was the most amazing feeling. I didn't sleep particularly well, but it was not for the sheets! I can't wait to get tired again tonight and jump back in between my new 360 count mocha brown sheets and matching pillowcases. Mmmm... maybe a quick nap is in order?

Happy New Year

So, in the debaucherous chaos of having three weeks off work, travelling, catching up on sleep, etc, I took a major break from Things that go Bling. But now I’m back! Welcome to 2008. I have a good feeling about this year. My resolution is to watch my finances, so I will have lots of frugal-minded accessorizing tips!

Accessorizing Tip of the Year: One Chunky Bracelet.

Something everyone needs in their accessory bowl (well, yours probably isn’t a bowl but mine is so let’s go with my frame of reference) is a big bracelet. I’m talking about a wide chunky bangle made of ceramic or wood or plastic, that slips easily over your wrist. Let me tell you why it’s the ultimate versatily accessory:

1. It can be worn year round and looks just as good over a long sleeved knit as it does on a bare wrist.

2. It can be worn around your wrist bone, just barely held on your arm by the width of your hand, or pushed up close to the elbow.

3. It dresses up any outfit. If you dislike wearing jewellery, a chunky bracelet is easy to wear and eye catching enough to allow you to bypass the traditional earrings/necklace/ring sets.

4. They can also be your most affordable and conscientious accessory purchase: second hand stores are practically littered with them, and usually in the 0.99$ bowl at that.

Recommendations: I think the classiest way to go is wood. it’s a harder thing to find, but the treasure hunt will be well worth it. For added drama, offset the large chunky bracelet on one hand with smaller similar colored ones on the other.

Downfall: Annoying if you work at a computer all day and the bracelet hits the edge over and over, driving you closer and closer to the edge of sanity. And in regards to wood = I have hypersensitive skin so maybe this is just me but I seem to be allergic to the dark waxy woods that wooden jewellery tends to be made from. I have to wear my wooden bangles over the sleeves of my shirts, which is totally fine in this season but not very summer-conducive.

Holiday Party Gear

No need to go buy a new outfit for the office holiday party: simply pull out that packed away bag of summer clothes, grab a sundress (something sleeveless, preferably satiny) and slip it on over a pair of slim pants or stockings. Cover up with a cardigan or shawl, and put on some high boots.
For accessorizing, combine a half dozen pairs of necklaces (of similar type; fake pearls, long with charms - not different kinds), a pair of big gold or silver hoops or dangly earrings, and a big belt. If you’re feeling brazen, stack bangles on both of your wrists and sport a chunky stone ring or two.
Need a present for the host? Fashion some simple wineglass charms with wire and beads (each charm should be different so you can tell wine glasses apart) and voila!

BIG BELTS

I have always been a big Big Belt fan, since way back. My love for them earned me the nickname “Champion” due to the similarities my belts shared with those of the Wrestling Championship variety.

I have these fabulously oversized vintage belts from the eighties - in the beginning of the millenium, I would pierce extra holes in them and wear them low-slung on my hips. Now that the cinched high waist is back, I can wear them as they were meant to be worn: at the waist over a sweater, long shirt or dress.

As much as I love my vintage belts, I have indulged in a couple of the new ones:

1) A long green leather sash-like one that goes twice around the waist and can be tied in a bow and
2) a rigid purple leather one that just barely overlaps and does up with two miniature belt buckles.

There are a couple of things I have found while experimenting with them.

1) Wear them now, while it’s cold. In the summer, I would end up with a wide sweaty unbreathable band around my mid-section. I do not subscribe to the pain = beauty philosophy, so No, it’s not worth the all-day under-boob moisture overload. Maybe if you had a light fabric one, such as silk, though I have found that if this type isn’t fortified and backed with a stronger fabric, they end up scrunching up and looking like a dinky sized belt anyway.

2) Don’t wear them on top of your high-waisted pants. It’s overkill. I felt like I was wearing a corset all night. And really - it’s redundant. If you want to wear a belt over your high-waisted pants or skirt, make it a dramatic skinny one.

3)I have noticed a new trend in wide belts: using them to cinch a pouffy down-filled winter coat. Aesthetically, I approve of this look but will not be sporting it for the impracticality feature - zippers are plenty good enough and you have to keep your jacket unzipped to achieve the full effect, letting in the cold winter air.