Toronto shop notes: V is for Victorinox
Girls Recap: Hannah heads home to Michigan to ditch her parents, date a pharmacist and blame everyone else for her boredom
Daily steal: Striped straw tote, $29
They said/We said: How will Facebook’s going public affect the fashion industry?
Kate does pastel-pink and Prada while having lunch with (no big deal) two dozen international kings and queens
Archive for Patricia Gajo
By Patricia Gajo | February 1st, 2012 | 3:00 pm
Norwegian Wood top $95 and bottom $65. Photography by Carlo Mendoza.
Artsy underground designer Angie Johnson of Norwegian Wood (norwegianwoodonline.com) recently added lingerie to her clothing and accessories mix. This limited-edition collection maximizes glamour while keeping prices under $100. Read more »
By Patricia Gajo | January 25th, 2012 | 3:00 pm
Photography: store by Jane Heller, pendant by Carlo Mendoza.
Skaters–turned–design aficionados Oli and Mer Van Roost, who are also twin brothers, bring their laid-back street sensibility to their store, Magasin Général Bruxe (5662 Sherbrooke St. W., 514-932-9802, bruxedesign.com). The boutique, in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (a quiet ’hood slowly rising in its hip factor), features a mix of urban clothes, their popular Bruxe bags and their new line of handmade pendants, Tiny Little Chairs (from $90). The mini collection pays homage to mid-century modern designs, such as the silver Zig Zag chair (shown, $95) by Dutch architect Gerrit T. Rietveld, the Nelson bench and the Eames lounger-plus-ottoman. Read more »
By Patricia Gajo | January 25th, 2012 | 9:00 am
Photography: Tait by David Yeo; runway by Jenna Marie Wakani.
Before completing a Master of Arts in womenswear at the prestigious Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, this Canadian-born U.K. expat cut his design chops at Montreal’s LaSalle College. Now Thomas Tait (thomastait.com) is a ready-to-wear whiz kid on the international fashion scene, churning out strong, tailored pieces in mostly soft silhouettes.
What was the most valuable thing you learned at LaSalle?
“How to make clothes. I had no idea how technical the course would be. I was literally scared of the sewing machine for quite a while.”
Your graduate project was a beautiful exploration of human angles: collarbones, hip bones, shoulders.
“There was definitely an elaboration on silhouette in my Fall 2011 collection. It was insanely hard to do, but I loved it in the end.” Read more »
By Patricia Gajo | December 21st, 2011 | 3:00 pm
Photography; left, Marie Saint Pierre for Reitmans, $85 by Carlo Mendoza (styling by Breanna Gow for judyinc.com); right, Marie Saint Pierre by Jane Heller.
Montreal’s Queen of Fashion has a one-of-a-kind style that’s recognizable from coast to coast. Since starting her eponymous collection nearly 25 years ago, Marie Saint Pierre (mariesaintpierre.com) has opened two boutiques and caught the attention of countless fashion lovers. Here, she talks about her latest project: a holiday capsule collection for Reitmans, the tried-and-true Canadian retailer. Read more »
By Patricia Gajo | December 14th, 2011 | 3:00 pm
Carlo Mendoza (styling by Breanna Gow for judyinc.com)
The holistic Gold Leaf Luxurious Treatment facial ($270) at Montreal’s Dr. Hauschka Spa (1444 Sherbrooke St. W., 514-286-1444, spadrhauschka.com) is a blissful two-hour escape. The 24-karat nutrients in the treatment’s Gold Cosmetica leaves (sourced from Germany) are now available for home use. Prices are determined according to market value; currently, a package of 12 is $75. Read more »
By Patricia Gajo | December 7th, 2011 | 3:00 pm
Rudsak, $275
Staying warm during winter without sacrificing style is a veritable art for cold-weather warriors in Montreal. What’s on my outerwear radar this month? Local lines Mackage, Soïa & Kyo, Moose Knuckles (think chic puffers) and Rud, the new collection by Rudsak (rudbyrudsak.com). Read more »
By Patricia Gajo | November 9th, 2011 | 9:00 am
Rad Hourani was recently home in Montreal between jaunts to Paris and New York City to shoot his Spring 2012 look book and video. I popped by his all-white Mile End atelier to find him perched in all black behind two tripods—both focused on the iconic model Kirsten Owen, who drove in from Toronto that morning.
Alternating between Ice Queen and Alien, Owen quietly unravelled before the lens, each flash igniting a fierce thunder in her eyes. Between takes, Hourani and I chatted about his personal inspiration. I discovered his name Rad means “thunder” in Arabic and “clothing” (how serendipitous) in an African language. The designer also added, “Le Rad in Paris is the last bar of the night that is open—a cool bar. It’s not trendy.” If you know anything about Hourani’s avant-garde philosophy, you know it’s not a stretch to make the connection. And, well, I don’t think I have to tell you what “rad” means in English. Here are more snapshots of our conversation.
By Patricia Gajo | November 2nd, 2011 | 9:00 am
Ottawa-born, Montreal-based designer Clayton Evans is the creative mind behind Complexgeometries (complexgeometries.com). When he presented his playful, gender-bending Fall 2011 collection in a gentlemen’s club, it was obvious that Evans’ talent knows no bounds.
A POOL WE LOVE: A gorgeous natural granite swimming pool in a backyard setting
Film noir: Osez le noir et blanc avec les robes et accessoires du moment
