Environmentally Friendly Ef

Ottawa is not well known for its fashion but local initiatives like Ef magazine  are helping to change this perception.  Ef is an online magazine dedicated to sustainable and ethical fashion.  I recently attended Ef's stylish launch party, attended by the fabulous Ottawa fashion bloggers Love K, Pop Champagne and Chichichic.  I contacted the editor of the magazine to see if there was a way I could contribute to Ef.  Due to my volunteer work with Dress for Success, she asked for my help in styling a photoshoot at the high-end consignment shop Hush .  Of course I said yes, I could now put all my hours spent watching Rachel Zoe to practice!  When I arrived, she informed me that the model couldn't come so the photographer and I would have to take turns modelling! I was a little apprehensive because at 5'3" I'm definitely not a glamazon but who wouldn't want to get in front of the camera? I had so much fun styling and modelling in Ef's first colour me green photoshoot.  Check out the photos here (I can't believe I'm on the front page!) and here and a special behind the scenes video here!

My friends and I at the Ef Launch party. Dress- F21 (gifted from my sister); Purple heels- Pour la Victoire; Necklace & Beaded Clutch- Vintage; Fedora- Alfred Sung for Zellers.

Colour me Green photoshoot.  Copying street style images using second hand clothing and jewelry made by local designers.

Hush's affordable designer footwear.

Giggling 'model' (I love saying that!)

As Malorie said, even the photographer is photogenic! Statement jacket.

The editor is too! Wearing a sexy work outfit.

Consignment clutch and local jewelry.

Sporty look (I don't miss those roots!)

Ef's beautiful editor Malorie explaining her photoshoot ideas to me

If you think sustainable and eco-friendly fashion is too expensive or difficult to come by-think again! By shopping at your local second hand thrift or consignment store you are being a sustainable shopper!

If you want to be unique, go vintage

I stumbled across this video while perusing fashion sites for inspiration and I fell in love.  I was recently introduced to the world of vintage when the boy took me to the Ottawa Antique Market.  I knew instantly that I had found a new passion.  I bought a cream beaded dress from the 60s; a vintage beaded vest (seen here); a fabulous white beaded purse and of course plenty of costume jewelry.  I am a thrift shopper connoisseur and my next challenge will be to find great quality vintage pieces during my thrifting.  After work I will be hitting up the St. Vincent de Paul thift stop in Ottawa to do just that.  For those of you who are local and have never been I highly recommend it.  It's located in Wellington Village (my hood) and if you dig deep enough, treasures of all shapes and sizes await you!

{Don't you just love the first girl's manicure in the video!? And the way the blonde woman calls herself vintage! As soon as I hit 40, I'm not going to refer to myself as over the hill (although why would you do that anyways!) but I will say that I'm vintage! Much more chic don't you agree?}

What about you? Do you prefer new clothing or vintage and thrifted pieces?

Artistically Fashionable

While in London, my Mum and I attended the Aware: Art Fashion Identity exhibit at the Royal Academy of Arts.  It was a wonderful show that explored how fashion designers and artists use clothing as a tool to communicate components of our personal identities.  The exhibit made you ponder- is it fashion, art or both? Here are some pictures that I took of the show when hidden from the eagle eye of the guard!

This was one of my favourite pieces of the exhibit.  Created by Hussein Chalayan it depicts Japanese puppeteers (Bunraku) manipulating the clothing of the model.  It begs the question- who pulls the strings in the fashion industry? How many people have manipulated the image that you see strutting down the catwalk? The model's eyes blinked in response to the strobe lights providing an eerie composition of shadows and shapes.

This theatrical outfit was created by the one and only Alexander McQueen for his 1998 Autumn/Winter Collection.  It is entitled "Joan" after the brave fashionista Joan of Arc.

This is a special commissioned piece created by Yinka Shonabare called "Little Rich Girls." The artist incorporates the cultural traditions of African style clothing with the Victorian style of dress.  The social commentary explores the influential European legacy on various cultures.

These dresses are fiber form uniforms made by Andrea Zittel.  She uses the labour intensive process of hand felting wool into different garments.  Each uniform is made from a single piece of felt with no seams, resulting in a clean line and flawless appearance.

This dress is made from a material that disintegrates over time when exposed to water.  It raises the question- is clothing timeless or simply disposable?

These funny looking headpieces are created from African wigs in architectural forms.  The piece is called "Perruques Architecture" and is designed by Parisian artist Meschac Gaba.  The forms represent famous monuments in Paris.

The Royal College of Arts

Speaking of art I happen to be an artist's daughter and these are two of my favourite pieces that my Mum painted (and the two that she refuses to sell!) I am begging my Mum to re-create the quilt painting for me as I think it would look divine in my living room- don't you agree?

Have a great weekend everyone and stay warm!

Ice Queen

Thank you everyone who provided me with tech help on how to upload pictures when your storage is full- I will leave that for another day! For now I am off to London, UK to spend the Holidays with my Mum, Step-Dad and British cousins.  It will be the boy's first time in the UK so he will be initiated into the culture by drinking real ale and saying "Cheers" a lot! We are then taking the Eurostar train to Paris for New Year's Eve.  I'm really excited to see my family, do some European shopping and mostly to relax and unwind.  My posts will be limited while I'm away and I just wanted to wish you and yours a safe, relaxing and joyous Holiday season and a Happy New Year!  Ho Ho Ho!

Ice Queen photos taken from This London

Noir Collection from Connie Lim

Definitely not Dietetic But Fabulous

Isn't Michael Kors just fabulous?! We share the same favourite Christmas movie- oh Chevy Chase! I was in the Gap the other day and the guy beside me was talking about how he buys his Mom nice Christmas gifts because she was so supportive when he was coming out. This year she is getting a Michael Kors purse and a Pandora bracelet (I am great at eavesdropping when necessary!)

Author's Note: Sorry Mum, since you instigated a $20 shopping limit no MK handbags for you!

Demure in Demu

The other week when we had our first Ottawa fashion blogger get-together, I had the pleasure of meeting Angie Fisher, the young designer for Demu Label.  What I found so inspiring was that herself (a Carleton Architecture student) and her partner (a Carleton Business student) have made a name for themselves before turning thirty.  I checked out their website and was instantly impressed by the professionalism and creativity their collection exudes.  I decided to order a Christmas gift for the boy and a little something for myself (I couldn't resist the Marie Antoinette inspired cupcake tee!) 

Demu comes from the German word 'Demutig' which means humble.  I am always searching to attain a state of tranquility and modesty so the collection spoke to me.  When I received the pieces in the mail (nice and speedy as Demu is local) I fell in love with the attention to detail, the quality of the material and the fact that the garments were made in Canada! I couldn't wait until Christmas, so I gave the boy his sweatshirt and it was the first time I saw him get excited about an article of clothing!

The boy and I modelled our new Canadian clothes for you (maybe Demu will want us to model in their next show- ha!) If you like what you see, check out their website or follow them on Blogspot or Twitter @Demulabel!



Cold as Ice Cream but Still as Sweet

I love Nina Ricci's sweet and girly perfumes and what better way to advertise L'Elixir than with a beautiful girl** singing Blondie and traipsing through a whimsical wonderland. Advertising like this inspires me and makes me want to incorporate more ethereal and fantastical pieces into my wardrobe (and buy her new perfume!)



**The girl singing her own remix of Blondie's Sunday Girl is a British pop singer named Florrie. She is giving away free MP3 downloads on her website here. Check it out- you might just find a new fav!

I know a girl from a lonely street
Cold as ice cream but still as sweet
Dry your eyes Sunday girl
Hey, I saw your guy with a different girl
Looks like he's in another world
Run and hide Sunday girl

Happy Holidays!

The first day of December fills me with excitement of what's to come in the following weeks as holiday preparations begin.  My family celebrates Christmas but some of my friends are Jewish so this year I have the opportunity to attend Hanukkah parties; Christmas get-togethers and even Ugly Holiday Sweater parties! I'm hosting my own intimate soiree on Saturday night, complete with festive cookies, holiday martinis and Christmas costumes! This is the first Christmas that I will not be spending with my Dad and sister back home in Nova Scotia which is bitter sweet because I will miss them like crazy but the boy and I are flying over to England to spend the holidays with my Mum and Step-Dad.

The other night, my Ottawa family (me, the boy and our two cats) took some festive photos to send to our loved ones in Christmas cards.  The cats were not impressed in being dressed up (Marley wore elf ears and Mamma Sita wore a beard) so we took what we could get (plus 10 second self timers rarely produce good shots!)

Happy Holidays from my family to yours!

Poor Marley- so unimpressed!

Mamma Sita with her beard

The final product

What's your favourite part of the holiday season?

"You know where nice people end up? On welfare."

...Just one of the controversial remarks that Public Relations and Fashion guru Kelly Cutrone has been quoted as saying.  I just finished watching her reality tv show Kell on Earth (as recommended by my younger fashionista sister) and I now have great respect for her as a power woman, entrepreneur and human being.  She doesn't take b.s. from anyone but she also has a very sensitive and nurturing side to her, proving to be a great mother to young Ava and a caring boss to her faithful staff.  I just ran out (on my short lived lunch break) and bought her survival guide "If You Have to Cry Go Outside: and other things your mother never told you" and I can't wait to sink my teeth into it and gain some great business tips from Ms. Cutrone.

Kelly and her beautiful daughter Ava with her New York Times Bestseller book

If you haven't heard of Kelly Cutrone then you are must likely living under a fashion-less rock as she is a god(dess) in this industry.  Have you seen the short video she directed for DKNY's Cozy Sweater? Pure genius.  If you are looking for a new reality show to become obsessed over- than Kell on Earth is it- I just wish it was more than one season long!  After watching all eight episodes over the weekend (while the boy was flying a remote controlled helicopter around our living room!) I have mixed feelings about a Fashion/PR career- yes you get to work with amazing designers and icons but Kelly's skeleton staff basically has to give up any notion of a social life.  I mean these kids are working an average of 16 hour days and as much as I love fashion, I love my evenings and weekends a little more.  Now working with Rachel Zoe on the other hand...bananas!

That jacket=made to work in fashion!

 "I think the best thing to do is just know that there’s a big difference between style and fashion, and that one doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the other. I think people should stop and get off the train. I think they should look at things, and they should sit like a king on a throne and let everything pass by them. They should practice the art of discernment, and they should do that with their dollar, and they should do it with their eye, and they should do it with their ear, and do it with their mouth, and they should do it with every one of their senses. And they should really sit there, and they should make up their own fucking minds. They should do it about government, and they should do it about their art, and they should it about their clothes, and about their music, about their foods. You decide. If you dig it, dig it. If it’s fashionable to you, then love it and celebrate it."