'Kaffeslabberas': Handmade is Best

Photograph Mads Emil Hilmer, Courtesy Guardian.co.uk

I've never re-blogged an entire article, but this one about "Knitting Nanas" by Lars Eriksen of the Guardian, deserves it. A sweet story about how a contemporary fashion designer collaborates with local senior women in Denmark, it reminded me of how my own beloved grandmother (a superb knitter and crafty person herself) was commissioned by the Hudson's Bay Company to knit amazingly dense, and sturdy, comfortable, woolen jackets for them in the late-seventies. If on the market now, my guess is that these beauties would likely go for $700-900, but of course, I'm doubtful they fetched that much then.  My grandmother, who spoke all of two words in English, was a perfectionist when it came to anything she made by hand. From food, to clothing, to crafts, she had the midas touch. One of the coats which she made by hand remained (somewhat miraculously!) in circulation among my five siblings. What a far more important heirloom than something manufactured, or preciously ornate and sans character.

November Diaries - Ann Demeulemeester

Normally, this time of the year has our flat village of a city teeming with red leaves and thinning trees. But Montréal is surprisingly still green for November, and balmy-warm too! I'm still happily biking to work every day, my Dries Van Noten's sliding down my nose. I'm even able to dress in light layers for my ride back home after catching a yoga class (I'm doing the 30 Day Moksha Hot Yoga challenge for the second time this year!).

The warm temperature is finding its way conspicuously in my wardrobe choices too which synchs up conveniently with the fact that I'm still poring over images from the Spring/Summer 2012 collections.  I can't get the moody yet light Ann Demeulemeester SS12 looks out of my head! I find myself incorporating Indian sari-like draping and long and flowy dresses paired with tough footwear or a hat. Here are some of my favorite looks from Ann's SS12 collection...

Portishead, playing outside beneath a clear night sky on 7/10/11 @ Quai Jacques Quartier, Montreal 

While we're on the topic of devastatingly beautiful things that stay in your head... This year I experienced two concerts which have tattooed themselves on the inside of my head and heart: Portishead, and James Blake.  Portishead's lead singer, Beth Gibbons, made me rethink what an artist can be in the field of music. Seriously. And James Blake is the manifestation of the old adage that you have to know what you are doing before you know how to mess with it. He did his version of Joni Mitchell's "A Case Of You", which (I know, not even I can believe I'm saying this!), rivals the original. It's not even that these artists' music has dominated my iPod these days so much as moments from their concerts have been swishing around my mind when everything else is quiet. I'll find myself singing The Rip while I'm cooking or Glory Box while I'm biking.

These striking images and arresting sounds are with me this rollickingly delightful Fall.

O' Happy Fall. What an enchanting time of the year.

YARD666SALE - Picture Puke

It looks like someone ate glowsticks and projectile-vomited neon kitsch everywhere. It's YARD666SALE! Run by Montreéal designer (and kind man) Dane Richards and his boyfriend, this vintage Etsy Shop is filled with tacky, sporty, trashy, folky, hippie, 90's duds and is bleeding with color like psychedelic syrup. Get to it. 

Galerie Noel Guyomarc'h II - Artist Barb Smith

An installation of lockets by Amelia Toelke, on exhibit at Galerie Noel Guyomarc'h.

I've mentioned my favorite Montréal jewelry shop - Galerie Noel Guyomarc'h - before. Gallerist/owner, Noel, just recently invited Venetia Dale to the shop to put together an exhibition of jewelry and objets d'arts by other artists including the incredible work of New York-based metalsmith, Barb Smith.

An Alex Hibbs sculpture (it sold to an intelligent and striking woman during the opening).

Smith often works with the readymade or found object. From repurposing bobby pins to dryer lint, she creates whimsical reflections on how we interact with everyday items.

Smith's simple series on keys cleverly flips the ubiquitous item from its regular context. A key is altered; elongated, stretched, and morphed into a a kind of visual poem, drawing your attention to the very 'thingness' of the object itself.  You find yourself considering the intended use of a key and our gestures around it. Suddenly you can see how within a single object an entire set of social expectations are implied.

Special Delivery

I couldn't sleep last night because I was thinking about my gorgeous roses I had received. I crept out of bed at 4am to take photos of them! And now I've learned that another delivery is coming later today. A house filled with roses, yes!

Best bag dress - Genevieve Savard

I love this black silk, mullett dress (shorter up front, long at the back). It's by Montréal designer Genevieve Savard with whom I had a fun lil' city sojourn the other night. It's my absolute favorite piece in her collection because it's versatile, unique, and beyond comfy. My only other piece by this designer is my ADORED horse hair necklace.

Wearing Morales in FLARE Bloggers' Feature

Iconic Canadian fashion magazine, FLARE, hollered at me as one of their "Favourite Canadian Fashion Bloggers". I'm flattered to be featured on FLARE.com in one of my favorite Canadian-based designers, Morales.

Morales clothing is handmade in designer and artist Renata Morales' atelier, located amidst the inspiring architecture of Old Montréal. I'm pleased that she continues to gain international notoriety, including a recent glowing piece in the NYTimes T Magazine.

I asked Renata how her taste has changed over the course of her career and she said, "I think that I more than ever try to aim for lightness in my clothes, even when they are intense looking."

Detail on Morales dresses takes your breath away, including on this lightweight, ivory and gold sequin frock. 

UNTTLD

Latest editorial from my boys, Montréal-based label, UNTTLD. Photography by the incredible  LEDA and ST.JACQUES.

Steven Alan - Quality Control

The downfall of purchasing clothes online is that you can never be too sure of fit until your clothing arrives, and doing mail returns is as dreadful as asking for the bathroom key at a gas station. So when I finally visited the Steven Alan boutiques in New York and LA last year to see the clothes in-person and try them on for size and fit, I was pleased to see that their Made-in-America craftsmanship pays off. Steven Alan makes simple, quality Americana clothing with covetable details. SA is appropriate for 'office casual' but also rough-and-tumble enough for a day in the studio, a picnic in the park, a dance-off. And so a few months ago when several occasions arose including two outdoor summer weddings, I surfed the SA site and called the LA store for more product information and ended up buying an off-white, high-waist, cut-out, lined skirt with a matching crop top. I also ordered several Daisy Tops to wear underneath cardigans. But the clincher (and reason for writing this post!), is that my online and over-the-phone shopping experience with Steven Alan was made even better when the package arrived. All my items were neatly wrapped in a parcel containing a handwritten note from Andrew, the manager at the Los Feliz store. That little gesture guarantees that I will shop SA again for myself, and my styling clients. Quality and care should be present from the first point of exposure of a brand to the very last stage of possible contact. A good label does not take an adoring client for granted. 

Raji and the Dream of Horses

Since I was a young lass I've had one recurring theme in dreams at night: wild horses. I see black stallions with their majestic manes flying past me while racing through open fields.  But then they would pop up where they don't belong too, including, running out of elevators onto cubicle'd floors of high-rise buildings. Dream analysis anyone?? I wonder if my wild horse dreams may be what flying dreams are for others...

And yet, I've avoided the powerful imagery of horses in waking life because any obvious representation has seemed too cliché. But every cliché has a potent antidote, doesn't it?

Recently at Pop Montreal's PUCES Pop, I discovered the best incarnation of horsey symbolism that this fashionoid can handle: a long necklace of jet-black braided horse hair linked to vintage chain. I tried it on and was harkened back to my galloping dreams. After my heart found its beat again, I bought it.

The clothing and accessories designer behind my new coveted piece is the über talented, Genevieve Savard.  Yesterday I visited her studio to look at her handiwork more closely and to examine her silk, leather, and hand-dyed cotton garments and leather and horsehair accessories to pull for an upcoming shoot I will be styling.  When examining Savard's masterful work up close, it comes as no surprise that she's from a background in costume design. I can't wait to shoot pieces from her collection! And today, I'm wearing my new necklace for the first time; gonna take that horse hair to a press viewing, and to some styling meetings, including for an upcoming music video I will be working on (woot woot!).

P A R I S II

These beautiful photos are property of Raji Sohal and may not be reproduced without permission.

P A R I S - Part I

   Normally I don't dress so girly but I couldn't resist this handcrafted, millner-made fascinator hairband.

Grinning in Paris on the most beautiful day.

Every time I visit the Louvre I appreciate the glass pyramids... clear, jagged geometry: a running theme in my life.

Got up close and personal with many of Duchamp's works. 

The light at Centre Pompidou 

Resting at Palais Tokyo, watching skaters put the grounds to good use.

Meeting my giant friend.

Museum paparazzi shot. 

Je ne peux pas croire que j'ai presque oublié de partager ces photos de mon voyage a Paris! 

La Semaine de Mode - Montreal Fashion Week SS12 Looks

DENIS GAGNON

UNTTLD (design duo comprised by my chums Jose Manuel St. Jacques & Simon Belanger)

TRAVIS TADDEO

 Images source: Bureau de la mode de Montréal | Photographe : Vincenzo D'Alto

Radio One / SdM and Coffee to go Hand-in-Hand

Enjoying my Labour Day latté this morning. YUM.

This morning on CBC Radio One program, Daybreak, I got to talk about the upcoming Semaine de la Mode (Montreal Fashion Week). The mayhem kicks off tomorrow. Looks like I'll be needing a few more of these cup o' joes...

It being Labour Day, I also got to play a lot of music for Radio One listeners this morning, including bands that will be playing the upcoming Pop Montreal Festival (Tune Yards, Random Recipe among others), some PBJ, and some of my friend, Oscar's band, Holiday for Strings. 

Christian l'Enfant Roi - SS12 - Masculine Romanticism

Montreal Fashion Week kicks off next week but my boy, Christian l'Enfant Roi, presented his beautiful SS12 collection last night at a grand church in the Plateau. The opulent, pious backdrop was well served by DJ Dan LaFleche who layed tracks down while an opera chanteuse sang live during the show.

Click the image above for video.

The collection could be described as masculine romanticism. The pale, soft palette of colors of the clothes were apparently inspired by hues worn well by Christian's striking, lanky, pale-skinned, white-blonde partner (who also modeled in the show). Pajama-like pieces were an appreciated nod to the loungewear trend, but I could have done without the small-fitting (silk?) onesie that one of the models donned. My favorite pieces include gorgeous, hand-knit shoulder shrugs, bepoke button shirts, and luxe trousers. Everything looked comfortable to wear and charming without appearing too flowery. BRAVO to my chum Christian for another solid showing and an impressively original vision. 

Summer Abseentee'ism Explained!

I have been so absentee on my blog, I ought to pay it child support. My excuse is that I have very luckily been on the morning shift as Arts Reporter on the super-duper-awesome morning program on CBC Radio One in Montreal all summer. This means waking at the crack of summer's magic hour: 4:30am. It means stumbling through twilight-lit closets, groping in the depths of my wardrobe for the right texture, or color combination while my coffee machine brews the World's Strongest Espresso in the kitchen and BBC's World Report plays in the background. (That proper English accent delivering the news serves like an extra dose of caffeine!). While I hardly need to look a beauty queen in the studio (and who needs to when the mic doesn't come with a camera?), I still think a little bit of effort is important, especially at that hour - it wakes you up and is a sign to your colleagues that you respect what you do for a living, and that you respect the professionalism of the work environment. It doesn't hurt that I love visual ideas and composing an outfit is an expression of that fun, and ongoing experiment. Besides, if anyone doesn't have to dress drab for work - it's me! As a radio personality and arts/culture writer who runs her own personal stylist consulting business, I get to take a few sartorial liberties where I realize others may not... with one caveat, I need to be able to ride a bike in my outfits. 

My Summer days on-air, not blogging here: 

On my bike ride to work, there are very few cars on the road. I race the rising sun downhill to the Mothership, ahem, the Glorious CBC Headquarters. In my head, I am rifling through the top Arts and Culture stories in my head. I am going through the playlist of songs from bands that are playing in our city throughout the week, thinking about which ones I'll play for listeners. I am grinning and biking, and singing.

I love doing Arts on CBC Radio One in Montreal. I love interviewing local artists, musicians, film makers, authors and actors; uncovering their stories and sharing them with listeners. Every story I do is part of my ongoing loveletter to this wonderful city. And now, back to my other radio commitments, and writing deadlines and S T Y L I N G. Happy End O' Summer y'all & thanks for keeping up despite my infrequent posts!

Random photo of  me + sunset. Going to have to revel in these last days of Summer... feels like Fall's a heartbeat away!

Berlinde de Bruyckere Exhibition at Gallery DHC in Montreal

Judging by the GoogleStats on my art writing entries on this blog, seems like y'all are already hip to the fact that I am the Canadian Columnist for PBS' Art21 Blog. I cover contemporary art in Canada on the critical cultural site, exploring the face of art practice and process, curatorial mandate and audience reception. My latest piece is on Flemish sculptor Berlinde de Bruyckere's exhibit at Gallery DHC in Montreal. Read full article here.

Montreal vs. Toronto: StreetStyle Battle Royale

Oui, c'est moi! I was recently asked by the great people at Tourism Toronto to be their Stylist judge for a streetstyle contest -- Montrealers vs. Torontonians via a live web cam/screen downtown in each city -- at  "The Cheating Wall". 

From the photo above it's hard to tell that I'm melting (32degrees that day!) in my vintage cream, silk Lanvin blouse and lawn-green, high-waisted Prada skirt, but it was well worth the effort. Normally, I wear leave my crown of curls as-is in humid weather but I had a T.V. gig earlier that day and I would've barely fit in the frame with my usual wild mane!

I love Montréal and I visit Toronto often for clients. It's hard to 'judge' places held so close to heart, and yet... I did! Shoot, to be honest, for people that live in these cities, pegging TO against MTL is unavoidable. It runs deep in the DNA of our available conversation topics. After the contest, Tourism Montreal interviewed me about Montreal and Toronto style. The results are pretty funny. Peep it here (and sorry - you'll have to mind the writer's typos in the linked article!). 

Virtual Fitting Room

I buy clothes on the basis of FIT and FABRIC. But if those factors don't matter to you, I just learned (a little late!) that there's the Magic Mirror: a virtual way of trying on clothes without having to ever actually undress. Where laziness meets imagination! Pure genius... proving once again the prophecies of Alicia Silverston's character in Clueless.

How to wear a 'fashion turban'

Why am I sharing this photo of me giving the camera some sizzling eyes at awesome vegan, gluten-free resto, SAF, in London's Shoreditch neighborhood? Because this photo is the source of a triumphant sartorial revelation I just had: how I should rock a 'fashion turban'. I'm wearing one here designed by my pal, Montréal designer, Audrey Cantwell. I wear it knotted in the front, and with my curly hair poppin' out the bottom. This façon seems to make it clear that I'm not going for the whole fortune teller/tribal/healer/pious look. Thought I'd share that lil' fashion '"aha moment" (Oprah show RIP) with y'all.

But does it float? (Photoshoot I styled for Bijougraphie)

Bathtubs. Who knew I'd spend a day hovering over, and in one, breathing atop two dainty knock-your-aqua-socks-off models?

I styled some shots for a SS11 campaign for the jewelry line, Bijougraphie, designed by pal Mercedes LaRosa in Montréal. My job was easy. The photographer on the other hand, had to (hilariously) straddle the tub with a foot on either side of the tub for hours on end, in a steaming room, working beneath hot lights on a slippery surface for 7 hours. No biggie. Here are some extra images from the shoot styled by yours truly...

The Bijougraphie line is simple: wooden spheres, hand-painted and polished laquer that dangle from delicate chain as necklaces and earrings.  These lightweight balls of joy deserve to float from your loverly self too. Buy them online here.

Vintage Pop - Week Long Sale in Mile End

I've just gone through yet another Springtime closet cleanse in time for selling some vintage gems at le PopUp Shop week-long vintage sale in Mile End, put on by the good people of the Pop Montreal Festival (for whom I've organized a new designer's fashion show in the past and hosted last year). 

It's one thing to coordinate a huge sale like this, but one of the organizers, Ms. Marilis Cardinal , helps handle the shop with a smile. Drop by, say 'whaddup' to her.

I had a pre-sale in advance where I sold authentic men's vintage 50's 'aloha' shirts, and beautiful 60's and 70's maxi dresses for women that are particularly storied: handpicked from closets and tiny thrift shops across Canada and the States. At le PopUp Shop, I am selling platform wedges and sweet Spring dresses, perfect for bike riding and picnicking this Summer. 

I also urge you to check out the thrifted treasures of my dear friends from Caesar Pony and Tarantula Sisters (the latter of which is run by my girl, Audrey Cantwell, an amazing clothing designer whom my regular readers will recognize I have styled and modeled for). Check out the Etsy sites of these amazing ladies! 

Hope to see you at le PopUP Shop in the next few days.  

xo, 

Fashion Minute

Happy Birthday Times in NYC

I got treated to a fun birthday gift - a trip to New York City. 

Time spent laughing with my beautiful friends, catching live music, browsing/touching/trying on fashion, savoring coffee, and eating delicious meals throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan, as well as checking out gallery openings and parties were highlights. Visiting new'ish gallery, 319 Scholes, for its JstChilln/READ/WRITE exhibition was worth the trek to Bushwick which, I clearly seem to be enjoying in the photo below!

But my favorite part of the trip was time spent wandering with the best company, discovering the tiny pieces of magic the usual hustle often hides. My tender toes had their bootcamp back into Spring with the sheer volume of walking I did. 

In my Master's thesis published a few years ago, I wrote a lot about the act of walking, and what subconscious desires and deliberate intentions comprise the simply-perceived, though actually quite complex, activity. I was reminded of this in New York where I must have spent 12-14 hours each day walking, playing the role of the flaneuse. The staccato rhythm of the city; a conveyer belt of fast ideas, commercial cacophony, and grand dreams in constant cyclical motion. 

Walking The Highline on the radiantly sunny afternoon on my birthday ad me glistening, and content with a very full heart.

Doc Martens (London), full-length printed jumpsuit (Glasgow), Rick Owens leather jacket (Paris), fur & feathers (Montreal), worn in NYC whilst galavanting the Highline on a chilly and sunny bday afternoon

A quick meeting with a possible collaborator at NPR, an interview with an artist for my Art21 column, and a snappy consulting session with a styling client allowed me to squeeze a bit of very fun work in to my leisurely vacay too.

For my fashion fiends: 

1) I was birthday-gifted the Junya Watanabe piece of my daydreams. (!) A navy and white striped dress/shirt/lifeline. 

2) Too bad for my pocket book, I discovered that silk, floor-length, jewel-toned FENDI gowns are my JOINT!!

3) I found out that Steven Alan designs are something to behold when you actually try them on. The fit is impeccable. 

4) I should give royalties to my dear friend whose custom furs which I wore in NYC were traffic stoppers; I got asked about them everywhere I went.
5) I think Opening Ceremony has always had it going on, and their website these days is a slick combination of inspiration, and convenience. But their actual NY stores these days? Dismal windows, oppressively hot temperatures and cluttered 'merchandising' complete with decrepit displays falling apart with nary a person to reassemble them. FAIL. However, mega customer service points to everyone at the Jil Sander, Alexander Wang, Zero and Prada boutiques for all their enthusiasm and help when I visited. (I'm writing a piece for a publication right now on shopping high-end in NYC and so my radar for merchandising and customer service was particularly sensitive!)

6) I got picture taken by "Babes at the Museum" style blog! I lamented to the lovely photographer, Xavier, that I may not be 'babe enough' the day he asked to take my photo at PS1 but he reassured me with subtle flattery and you will find my awkwardness evidenced here in the result:

And in these two photos (above and below), I'm caught by my photographer friend, while I was playing with my necklace at brunch in Brooklyn. The light captured here was too beautiful not to include some evidence of it! 

SO much love. A perfect birthday. With every passing year, life keeps getting better and for this, I am truly thankful.

- - Et aussi un grand 'merçi' a tous mes amis a New York qui m'a montré des temps merveilleux. 

xo

Fashion Minute

Gentlemen, We Are Floating in Space - Online Retail for Men

Most of my personal styling efforts these days are aimed at gentlemen. My mission? (I won't bother feigning humility here)... I help men look their hottest. I make each man find and hone a personalized style that is super comfortable, unique, and authentic to whom the guy already is. I'm not transforming guys into trend hounds. Instead, it's critical to me that my client walks away confident, stylish, and skilled in how to shop and dress for himself with ease.

Shopping for dudes is another beast unto itself. It takes far more research and scouring than womenswear does. Of course as you know, shopping online has helped democratize fashion, making quality clothes more accessible despite geography. Gone are the days where 'shopping in London' (or New York, Paris, or Milan for that matter), is a privilege few are afforded. Now, the 'nets (and a willful credit card!), deliver the goods straight to your door.

And YET, shopping online for men has been somewhat 'meh' until recently. Of course there is the highly curated Opening Ceremony, and accessible UK-based ASOS but the former is specialized toward hardcore hipsters (in denial obvs), and ASOS is amazing but vast and thus requires a very good eye to find the right stuff. I lovelovelove the new'ish Dalston-based 'lifestyle project' LNCC for their unpretentious, holistic, and very fashion-forward aims but not many of my clients seek experimental clothing. And SSENSE.com has the potential be an amazing site for menswear but unfortunately the mens' buying utterly lacks vision, a fact which is evident in their inundation of 2001-esque graphic Tshirts, polo t-shirts (in 2011, really?!), and blah GStar jeans blocking sightlines for the good brands like Raf Simons and Acne that they carry. SSENSE purports to be edgy with their editorials but the menswear falls waaaaaay short. SSENSE missed an opportunity to be the "It" gentleman's store on the block: in trying to be 'everything to everyone' it thus fails to be anything to anyone.

Some of 'Mr. Porter's Style Icons' on mrporter.com

ENTER new kid in town: Mr. Porter, "the male counterpoint to Net-a-Porter, the high-end fashion e-tailer". People say it rips off brilliant menswear mag, Fantastic Man. I say, HALLELUJAH! Finally, an online retailer offering men uncompromisingly quality, flattering, designer clothing. Admittedly, some of the 'style advice' on the site is stodgy (in a charming kinda way), but the editorials and styling is tops and the selection/buying is perfection so as a consumer you can't go wrong. It would be amazing to be a part of this team as a buyer or stylist! In the meantime, I will be sending my gentlemen clients to Mr. Porter.