This Thursday at preloved Montreal!

If I were getting hitched....

rings by Tiffany Elton featuring Iosselliani rings

Items in this set:
Iosselliani ring, 308 EUR
Iosselliani ring, 215 GBP

Where the Wild Things Are

where the wild things are by Tiffany Elton featuring Christian Louboutin shoes

Items in this set:
Opening Ceremony dress, 460 EUR
Christian Louboutin boots, $1,075

Christmas at preloved!

The Christmas season is here and preloved is having a food drive!

You can save 15% on everything in store with a donation of a non-perishable food item through all of December!

Sewing Lessons in Montreal

Here is a note from Nicole Picard, She is now offering sewing lessons! Here is your chance to learn to rework some of your oldies or design something totally new!

"Hello everyone!

I am offering Private sewing lessons (basic & project-based). All levels welcome! I tailor the lessons according to your ideas and needs! Included in the lessons is access to patterns, sewing machine, trims, fabrics and more. All you need to do is show up with your ideas!

My experience ranges from : sewing for 20 years plus working & designing in the fashion industry for 12 years. In the past number of years, I was the owner and designer of the Local designer label "Fairyesque" now I am taking a moment to educate others about basic tailoring skills : sewing & patterns.

Please contact me for further info./rates and to set up an initial appointment at 514-716-4213 or nicolepicardfairyesque@gmail.com

Much thanks! Nicole Picard"

Lady Like Featured in UsTrendy

"A Classic: The Pencil Skirt
September 22, 2009 at 12:07 PM

The pencil skirt was brought into the fashion world in the 50's. The tight and fitting silhouette of this skirt gives the woman a chic and flattering figure. The pencil skirt has been around for many years and unlike many other fashions that are altered, this classic will always remain the same. =) On the left is Marilyn Monroe in the 50's, in the middle is Lady Gaga in our present day, and on the right is a pencil skirt by, Lady Like; Tiffany Elton, a designer here on UsTrendy. "

preloved and la Chatte Bottee

We're doing it again!!! So much fun! I am ready!

preloved and La Chatte Bottee have teamed up again to throw a vintage shoe and vintage recycled clothing party, this is the most fun shopping party!

Come by and make some outfits!

4832 Boulevard St.Laurent on Friday, December 4th

Save your patterns!

I like!

like by Tiffany Elton featuring Alexander McQueen bags

Items in this set:
Alexander McQueen clutch, $1,575
Alexander McQueen clutch, $405

Victoria Andre: Noir de Mars

I just met designer Victoria Andre, she just started working at the store but I realized quickly what a talented designer and creative soul she is.

She is from France and living in Montreal now studying textiles and interning at Norwegian Wood and working at preloved. She designs handbags and dabbles in jewlery as well.

You can see for yourself on her Noir de Mars website.

You can also check out her Noir de Mars blog for some fashion fun in French.

There is a whole subject tab on hangbags for you fiends.

A Perfect Spread

Here's something about food but kind of still about fashion.

Breakfast is my favorite food and my favorite meal to go out for...Well Tessa started a breakfast blog called A Perfect Spread and I couldn't be anymore excited!

AND she was wearing a BREAKFAST NECKLACE when she told me!!

This girl knows fashion but she also knows food,

Go drool over her blog and see some perfect spreads.

La Fete

One of my lastest favorite designers, Emilie Brunet. I knew Tessa was modelling for her stint in this year's Pop Montreal Emerging Designer's fashion show but I hadn't seen any photos until just that second. I love it! It is so cute and fun! And to my surprise some of my friends were modeling her 2010 shots, ( marilis and vincent.... you guys are super cute)

I chatted with Emilie at a fete over the summer and she explained her idea for a differnt shape jean that intrigued my fashion senses and it is way cooler than I pictured in my head. I love it!

I love seeing new collections, I love young designers doing it and making their ideas happen and love the concept and style!

La fete is carried all over town at the main spots for your local fashion fixes, HQ GALERIE & BOUTIQUE , DELANO , PERFIDE, ARTERIE BOUTIQUE , MOLY KULTE and VICTOIRE in Ottawa and at Twisted Sister in my home town in St. John's, Newfoundland.

I suggest checking out the La fete blog and joining the La Fete facebook group too.

*MeMe: preloved's kids line

MeMe is preloved's kids line also made from vintage recycled fabrics:

Now in store at the montreal location the heart vest, the mini coco, the bijou cardie

and the now featured item on the preloved website boutique, the melody dress and more!

Such cute eco options for your kiddies!

preloved montreal house wares launch party!

THERE’S NO PLACE LIKE (A GREEN) HOME
Eco-conscious preloved Montreal launches their first ever housewares collection, preloved at home

Eco-friendly fashionistas have been flocking to preloved for over 14 years, now the Canadian clothing label is launching preloved at home, their first ever housewares collection with a bash.

In keeping with preloved’s green philosophy, preloved at home is manufactured exclusively in Canada from reclaimed material. They’re taking the remnants of recycled fabric from their timeless clothing line and designing beautiful pieces like patchwork quilts, decorative pillows, throws, placemats, and charming aprons for both children and adults.

“I’m absolutely thrilled for the chance to expand the preloved concept even further. I think our customers will enjoy outfitting their homes in chic, unique pieces from preloved as much as they do themselves.” -Julia Grieve

Preloved at home’s launch party is being held on:
Thursday, November 19th, between 4:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. at the Montreal store,
4832 Boulevard St.Laurent.

Everyone is welcome to attend and party-goers can expect yummy treats, cocktails, great sales and loot bags. Guests will also receive a free gift from the preloved at home collection with purchase, while quantities last.

If you would like more information about this event or would like to schedule an interview with owner Julia Grieve, please contact Charlene Quan at 416.703.1936 or charlene@preloved.ca .

Go to the preloved at home launch party facebook event, By clicking here!

preloved teams up with Donate to Save

preloved is taking part in the DONATE TO SAVE CLOTHING DRIVE

November 1st-November 15th

at 4832 Boulevard St.Laurent

A sustainable solution to your old clothes
An initiative of the "Taking Action" project for Social Context of Business

Get rid of your old clothes, and get discounts off your new ones. because really, you're going to buy new ones anyways.

All clothing brought in will go to local charities such as The Welcome Hall Mission and Chez Doris.

Bring in a moderately used jacket or sweatshirt and get 15% off on a
purchase of a new jacket or sweater!

What is Donate to Save?
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=164489424861

Allison's Picks!

Said very certainly, here are Allison's Picks;

Matte Grey Nail Polish and gold bow rings

Dace's New Fall Collection is out!

It's Here!

Dace Moore of BC had unleashed her new Fall collection....

In order of appearance....Here are my favorites...
-The Annabelle Dress

-Dace's one piece
-The Wild Card Dress

Eco-Fashion Options!

In this day and age, knowing how our carbon imprint can affect our futures and the future of the earth, we all need to adopt Eco-conscious and responsible practices to preserve and protect our home and our quality of life. Our damage to the planet is often not reversible.

There is a global change happening, a global consciousness....
More and more people are using their privilege of luxury and our array of choices more responsibly and more ethically.

We are all re-accessing our consumer tendencies and using our consumer power to purchase local fair trade products, reading the backs of labels and making sure our morning cereal is healthy, with organic ingredients and contains all our necessary daily nutrients.

We are also reading the tags on the clothing we purchase to make sure our clothing is locally made, supporting local industry and fair business practices and are made in an Eco-conscious manner.
I manage the Montreal location of preloved. It is a Canadian designer line that creates one-of-a-kind clothing from reclaimed vintage garments.

I have realized through preloved, we do not have to sacrifice remarkable fashion sense to save the environment and to be ecologically responsible.

You can save the environment through fashion!

Small changes in your practices can help make a huge difference:
1) Reduce or stop buying brand new chain store clothing
What I call disposal clothing; clothing that is mass produced, falls apart in a short while and ends up in a land fill. You end up buying more which piles up in land fills also.
These types of clothing tend to also be made overseas, where sometimes wages and working conditions are less ethical.
2) Buy local
I prefer to buy locally, supporting my local economy, supporting the people I see around. Yes, it costs more money but I will buy one item that will last longer, supporting an ethical and Eco-conscious principle, empowering my concept of a perfect world, creating less waste and keeping someone in my neighborhood in business. Plus you get more personal customer service...
3) Buying Vintage and buying second hand
Anything made before the invention of “mass production and chain stores” is usually better quality.
They would have been hand made with more attention to detail when companies made things to last. They will be more unique and you can have it tailored by a seamstress to suit your needs. Donating your oldies to second hand stores supports this cycle.
4) Purchase clothing from designers that make eco practices a priority
preloved has been rescuing clothing from ending up in landfills for over 14 years. They have saved over 80, 00 wool sweaters, 50,000 wool trousers, 10,000 dress shirts and over 7, 000 trench coats so far... Their clothing is everything I am proud to support, locally made, eco-conscious, recycled vintage and unique designer fashionable clothing! There are now more companies opening with their own swing on things; recycling fabrics. As a clothing store we partake in community events that promote eco-fashion initiatives, such as eco-fashion shows. Coming soon a clothing drive...keep posted by joining our mailing list. You can send an email to join to montreal@preloved.ca
5) Have your oldies, revamped

Have a long dress turned into a mini, have some old flared jeans turned into skinnies, bring your boots to a cobbler and have them dyed, use your neighborhood cobblers and seamstresses to maintain or change what you already have into something new.

If you have a creative flair take a sewing class and revamp your oldies yourself!

My grandmother made all her own clothing from the age of 10 often using her sisters older dresses and still makes her own clothes! Teach your children to sew and the ethics and skills to be eco-conscious and self sustainable. Sewing, even gardening and growing their own produce, they are great skills to have and teach them to appreciate and take pride in these things and fun to do together!
6) Swap with your friends:
This is a concept women have been doing with their friends and sisters for some time now, upscale New York socialites are doing it too, swapping Prada for Dolce and Gabbana. This is a great way to reuse and re enthuse yourself and pep up your wardrobe. Something from someone else's closet could be your new found treasure and vice-versa.
preloved recently teamed up with the S.W.A.P. team, donating some clothing for one of their giant clothing swaps. The S.W.A.P. Team organizes North America’s largest clothing swap, people donate their old wares and get a tickets to replace them with a new treasures. All the remaining clothing after the event is donated to the Salvation Army to be re-distributed. They cater to Toronto and Montreal but are expanding into other areas and looking for volunteers to bring one to your town!

I love fashion, designer clothing makes me feel good, the thrill of finding that one perfect luxury piece, the social and community participation that can come from being responsible and using my purchasing power to make a change, makes me feel even better!!

My pick's from preloved's Fall Sale!

Here are my picks from preloved's Fall sale!

1)The Starla skirt! It is made from vintage men's wool pants and uses vintage leather, it is the sweetest 60s mini and looks hot with some colorful tights and boots!

2)I love love the Tuesday jacket, also made from men's wool pants.... It is at 70% off until Sunday!
3)The Brissa cropped jacket, made from vintage curtains is the cutest!

FALL IN LOVE!!! preloved's Fall Sale is HERE!

Everything is 30-70% Friday, October 23rd to Sunday, October 25th
4832 Blvd St.Laurent
Click here to see what is in store!!!

Puces Pop Fashion Show

The Puces Pop Fashion Show and Emerging Designers Award!

Last year I took part for my line Lady Like and showed 6 looks...it was a fun fun fashion filled night. Marilis of the extreme fashion makeover blog post was the organiser and preloved's own and our model for the extreme photoshoot http://tiffanyelton.blogspot.com/2009/06/playing-dress-up-photoshoot-and-make.html will be walking the runway this year.

This year's emerging designers are Emilie Brunet (La Fête), Rachel Chan (Contradict), Charlotte Eedson (girlfriend material), Marie-Eve Emond (Betina Lou), Angie Johnson (Norwegian Wood), Flavie Lechat (Le Chat Clothing)

It's a fun fashion event to open up the Pop Montreal Music Festival festivities happening here in Montreal starting tomorrow night!!!!

" this juried show will feature the work of 6 hand-picked up-and-coming fashion designers, each presenting a 6 look mini-collection to a panel of judges working in the industry. The winner will receive a prize of $1000 as well as a $500 gift certificate from Le Chateau and a feature in Worn Fashion Journal. All attendees will be entered in a raffle for 2 gift certificates of $250 courtesy of Le Chateau as well as 2 subscriptions to Worn Fashion Journal. This event will serve double duty as the launch party for this year's Puces POP!Peter Radomski, voted Best Comedian by the Montreal Mirror Polls for the 3rd consecutive year, will be our host. Sweet music by SHAYdakiss (Peer Pressure/TEENWOLF!, MTL)"

Wednesday, September 30, 2009
7:00pm - 9:00pm
Espace Reunion (6600, Hutchinson Street)
puces.pop@gmail.com

The Puces Pop Craft Fair

The Puces Pop Fair is here! It's time to get some handmade arts and crafts!

Saturday, October 3, 2009 at 11:00am
Sunday, October 4, 2009 at 6:00pm
St. Michel Church Hall (105 St-Viateur O.)
puces.pop@gmail.com

"Discover over 100 artists and craftspeople ranging from art collectives, jewelers, fashion designers, screen printers, indie record labels, cake makers, toy creators, puppeteers, fanzine editors, soap makers, stationary designers, knitters, bookmakers, home accessory designers, and so much more. A number of independent artists and musicians will also be holding workshops for kids throughout both days of the fair!"

There's a lot of kitch, cute, fun things to buy, even things you didn't even know you needed that will make your life more complete!

Pop Montreal Show chez Preloved

Free Show, Free Drinks and Fun times...

We're having a Pop Montreal Show at preloved during the Pop Montreal music Festival starting next week.

The show starts at 6pm and ends at 9pm on October 1st!

We have Rakam, Vertual Vertigo and The Silly Kissers playing.

4832 Boulevard St.Laurent

Holt Renfrew

So I was just scanning through la web and was informed from the Scope in St. John's, Newfoundland, a paper from my home town, that Holt Renfrew, (one of Canada's leading department stores of up scale fashion) did a photo shoot in my home town for their latest catalogue... it's exciting for me.

I did a fashion project in fashion school linking my native Newfoundland'd scenery and culture to high fashion with some story boards... This is kind of what I pictured....mine had more cable knit and tartan and some ginger haired vikingesque models with giant celtic bling but this will give you a non drawing idea of the concept. I love the blend of high fashion and rustic scenery.

The Holly Skirt- Preloved's featured item of the week!

"Va-va-voom! Expect to turn heads while wearing this fitted pencil skirt
with exposed metal zipper detailing down centre back, made from
two pairs of trousers and our new favourite fabric to add
beyond compare flare: vintage curtains!" -Preloved

The Montreal Burlesque Festival

Tonight the Montreal Burlesque Festival begins!

Tonight's acts include Scarlett James, Lou Lou, Miss sugarpuss, L. Diablo, Marianne Cheesecake, Seska Lee, Philly Caramel, Starla Haze and Rockalily....Miss Betty Wilde, Miss sarah Diva and sucre a la creme.

Tomorrow night more from tonight plus Kalani Kokonuts, Miss Dirty Maritini, Michelle L'amour, Roxi Dlite, Coco Framboise, Diamond Minx, Amber Ray and Skin Tight Outta Sight and more variety acts like Mysterion.

Saturday night more from the previous days plus Anna Coquette, The Harlettes, Bon Bon Bombay, Sasha Darling, Kellita, Miss Mitzy Cream, Honey Touche, Fannie Spakings and Cherry Typhoon and lots more variety acts including Lyse and the Hot Kitchen...

It's the creme de la creme from all over the world for Montreal's First Burlesque Festival!!!!

Go to the Montreal Burlesque Festival website for more info.....

It has all been organised and founded by Lady Like's model Scarlett James!!!

The Terra Top

I loved wearing flannel shirts during the Kurt Cobain grunge era!

I was a teenager and even rocked wool cardigans with the worn out elbows over my flannel tops to be MORE grunge fashiony.

Well, Preloved just made me a happy, nostalgic and very chic camper by making the Terra Top.

It is made from plaid flannel tops but has a great feminine shape and a cowl neck!

I want to put a high waisted belt on it and tuck it into high waisted skirts and wear it with skinny jeans with boots and under my new fitted blazer and wear it ALL the time!

You can't get it online so you will have to come visit me at the store to try one!

Fall in Love at Preloved!

Fall has come to Preloved. The new collection I am told is inspired by 60s Optimism.

I love vintage inspired clothing, we all know this by now.

Not only does the Fall collection include classic, vintage inspired, flattering and inspiring shapes and styles it is made from vintage, recycled clothing. I am in love which is dangerous because I am constantly tempted to buy new clothes all day long at work. My closet is pushing out everything non-Preloved!

Some of my favorites;

-The Quinn skirt in the first photo with the cute bow at the high waist

-The Serena dress in the second photo is made from men's wool pants, I have one!!

-The harmony Tunic with Preloved signature heart shape worked in,

There are also sweaters and Men's tops with this detail.

-The Gia cardigan made from vintage, recycled sweaters

-The Astrid dress made from men's wool pants and wool sweaters

-The Holly skirt, which I love, I am all over pencil skirts anyways, but THIS one has vintage curtain fabric AND an exposed metal zipper down center back, love, love, love.

Preloved Montreal Spring/Summer Sale

Only a few days left to take advantage of Preloved Montreal's Spring/Summer Sale items

and Fall takes over!!! There's still lots of great styles left at 4832 Boulevard St.Laurent.

You can now follow Preloved Montreal on Twitter for first hand news of sales and instore happenings! Happy shopping!

The big SWAP

The SWAP team just finished sorting through clothing donations for the Montreal swap;
Chanel, Cavalli, Preloved, Anastasia Lomonova, Dries van Noten, Ralph Lauren, D&G and many more fab items in the mix!

For North America's biggest clothing swap;
Saturday, September 5, 2009 at 2:00pm
Monday, September 7, 2009 at 8:00pm
Piknic Electronik
Jean-Drapeau Park / Parc Jean-Drapeau
Montreal, QC

Fall Is Coming!!!!

Fall is Coming!!! by Tiffany Elton featuring Burberry

Fall is Coming! I get excited for Fall Jackets... I think everyone needs a great black trench, a colorful jacket and this year a sequined number and a military style jacket...

Purple Frill Trim Pea Coat by Sonia by Sonia Rykiel from my-wardrobe
ALPHA INDUSTRIES Princess Pea Coat - Navy Jackets - 25Park.com from my-wardrobe
Multi New Propoganda Plaid Jacket by Vivienne Westwood Anglo from my-wardrobe
Red Princess Swing Coat by Vivienne Westwood Anglomania from my-wardrobe
Patent Trim Trench Coat from Topshop
Bird by Juicy Couture Wool-blend military jacket from net-a porter
Burberry Wool jersey trench coat NET-A-PORTER.COM
Antik Batik Walice Sequined Blazer by Antik Batik from my-wardrobe

Allison's Picks!!!

I am adding a new segment called "Allison's Picks".

Allison has been one of my closest girlfriends for a million years

and one of my fashion inspirations since we were preteens loading up garbage bags full of vintage finds. She lives in Toronto now... but we still get to swap ideas....

Recently on a visit and reunion in our hometown, I found out her wonderful nostalic perfume, which I love...

Stella by Tocca...

Tocca is a great line. They specialize in quality, heavenly scents. Perfumes, Candles, scents for your linens and have a clothing line for women and cute clothing for kids.

Ecclectic Cabaret Bordering on Brazen

One of my oh so Favorite burlesque troops, The Hot Club Cabaret invites you to

« Vice and Revice : an ecclectic cabaret bordering on the brazen… »

A silly, sensual and eclectic cabaret full of sequins!

MCs Coxxx and Rico will tell you their adventures in the country of Vice, the small ones (like chocolate) and the big ones (like chocolate…)

There'll be a bunch of fabulous performers friends Eva Sins, Patsy et Kathy, Mme et son chien Chopin, and one of my favorite ladies, Scarlett James, Les Moules à Bites, Damiana Dolce and many more!

THURSDAY OCTOBER 1ST 2009- Doors at 9PMCabaret MADO

1115 Ste-Catherine Est

qcmado.qc.ca

Door 15$

Pre-sale 10$ at :

*Boutique L’Arterie, 176 Bernard West, 514-273-3933

*Atomic Café, 3606 Ontario East, 514-525-9601

*Moulin Rose, 1119 Ste-Catherine Est

*Image In,34 Mont-Royal Est

Is that your purse???

Purses that don't really look like purses by Tiffany Elton featuring Leiber bags
Who says your purse has to look like a purse?
I am big on Judith Leiber who did this Crystal-embellished jaguar clutch ( the last purse)and the cupcake, the owl, the rose and the flowery cupcake looking purse, all available from judithleiber.com or net-a-porter.com
The Red heart bag and the key board bag are by Anthony David available from allthingstrendy.com
The black lips are by Lulu Guiness and available at my-wardrobe.com
The green purse is from topshop

I love Benefit!

Benefit by Tiffany Elton on Polyvore.com

For your pretty face!

When I was little!

While I was on vacation, I went through our family photographs at my mother's and found this one to share... I was always dressing up and into vintage finds!!!

On Vacation!!!

I won't be posting for a little while, I am on vaction in Newfoundland!!!

Allison Wonderland

Allison Wonderland is a Canadian line by designer Allison Smith from British Columbia.
She often goes by the idea of "How much food and drink you can consume without having your belly pop out", she designs cute clothing for living a full life essentially.

You can find her wares on her online store, or mudsharkstreetware online store or leelush's online boutique or in shops across Canada, the US and in Tokyo.

What do you do?
I design a line of clothing. Twice a year a new collection of about 15 pieces comes out.

What inspires you to do what you do?
Living life everyday and seeing stylish ladies around me. Daydreaming about sunny picnics, tipsy nights on the town and delicious lunches with friends

How did you get started?
I went to Kwantlen College in Richmond, BC. I worked in the rag trade in Montreal, travelled and then decided to start my own line.

What is your current vice or trend or obsession?
I just finished the spring/summer 2010 line, all my energy is spent and my obsessions have been channeled there. I cant remember what they were!! Right now my main vice is going to the beach as much as I can.

What advice would you give to someone else trying to make their ideas a reality?
Learn what you can working for other people! Dont rush into starting your own line.

Any sources of inspiration you want to recommend?

Trolling the internets, so many cute sites!! Old magazines from decades past

Norwegian Wood

Norwegian Wood is a line by Angie Johnson. She makes pieces using vintage materials.

I first saw her work on her etsy site and really love her creations. She also runs Head Quarters Boutique in Montreal so you can be sure to find some of her goodies there too.

She recently and you can more see in her head quarters blog made a beautiful cage skirt for Susie Bubble, ( one of my favorite fashion bloggers) it's the first photo.... I love it, it's functional, fashionable art!!!

Bad Taste Burlesque Presents....

Last year Bad Taste Burlesque presented Heavy Petting Zoo.
This years edition of Bad Taste Burlesque is....
"CYBERLESQUE: Close Encounters of a Dirty Mind"
The show features:
Starwhores, Sexbots, Space Divas, Alien Abductions, TRANSformers, Crotch Rockets, Phallic Phasers, Titty Tasers, and Post-Apocalyptic Sex-Crazed Zombies!

Two nights only: August 21 and 22
Cafe Cleopatra (1230 St Laurent)
Doors 9pm, Showtime 10pm
Tickets $10

There will be a costume contest with prizes for the best dressed of a sci-fi, post apocalyptic nature.

I will be doing a number too! Hope to see you at the show!

Contact badtasteburlesque@gmail.com for more info or join the facebook group

Canadian Boutiques!!!

Johnny Ruth, St.John's, NL


charlie boutique, Toronto


Here are some great boutiques across Canada selling a full selection of Canadian designers
Much much much MORE to come... I am doing my shopping research!

St. John's, Newfoundland

Johnny Ruth
166 Water Street

Twisted Sister
175 Water Street

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Biscuit General Store
1661 Argyle Street

Montreal

Headquarters
1649 rue Amherst

General 54
54 St.Viateur

Unicorn
5135 Boulevard St.Laurent


Ottawa

Victoire Boutique
246 Dalhousie Street

Workshop Boutique
242 Dalhousie Street

Toronto

Charlie Boutique
809 Queen Street West

Edmonton

Nokomis
10318 82 Ave.

Vancouver, British Columbia

Hum
3623 Main Street

Tenth and Proper
4483 West 10th Avenue

Shop Alert!

Nokomis are out of Edmonton, Alberta and sell exclusively Canadian independent designer clothing! Nokomis is Ojibwa for "grandmother". Their selection is a nice grouping of cute, elegant and playful clothing for girls who read books. Most tend to be organic and eco conscious lines,

which I am a big fan of.
They have a store in Edmonton and an online store.
They have their own private label as well. The Nokomis house line is designed by Elizabeth Hudson with accessories by Genevieve Savard.
Here are some of the designers they carry. Click on the designer you want to check out for a link to their website to check out more by these local Canadian talents!
Allison Wonderland
Bodybag

Carmencita Apparel
Cinder & Smoke
Complex Geometries
Cuché Bikinis
Dace
Dagg & Stacey
Elroy
Eve Gravel
Floating Gold Iceberg
Imaginary Friend Apparel
Jennifer Glasgow Design
League of Lovers
Lily & Jae
LNE
Majolie
Mono Clothing
Morena
Namoda
Nokomis Clothing
Norwegian Wood
Peel
Preloved
Serendipity
Sessa
Smoking Lily
Sunja Link
Thieves
We3

Lily and Jae

The Grand dress on sale for 88$


The Sunday Dress on sale for 39$

The Starlight skirt on sale 28$

The Rosedale Raincoat on sale for 144$

Lily and Jae have a lot of great basics and cute little jumpers. There are some great sales on their webstore right now... here are a few steals for you. I am in love with the Grand dress!

Victoire Boutique- Ottawa

Lustre Ballerina Skirt

Preloved Kalani Dress

Complex geometries onesie

Lily and Jae Date Dress

Carole of La Chatte Bottée turned me onto this boutique in Ottawa, Victoire Boutique.
She throws shoe parties there sometimes. I fell in love with their styling and immediately became a fan of their blog and their boutique. They have such a cute and clever eye for great clothing and great outfits! They carry Preloved, (where I work), Montreal designer Valerie Dumaine and Complex Geometries, my neighbour Lustre, Lily and Jae and more. You can buy online but popping into their boutique if you are in the Ottawa area will tickle your senses and charm you giddy.

I wanted to find out more about them and what they do and what inspires them!

What do you do?

We are two BFFs who own a shop called Victoire which is online and in Ottawa. We love supporting Canadian designers, eating pizza with pepper and gravy, making our line Steel Magnolias and dreaming of horseback ridding on a beach.

What inspires you to do what you do?

We are so furtunate to work with so many creative people that it feels like it is more a matter of finding time to actualize everything that inspires us. At this very moment we are inspired by biker babes, terrariums, giant eyeballs, lace collars and the eternal quest for the perfect vintage purse. We are always and forever refering back to Dolly Parton, Beyonce and Oprah for inspiration on beauty, power and generosity.

How did you get started?

We decided to jump right into pursuing our dream right out of University. We had a little bit of money saved up, the energy of youth and nothing to lose so we figured why not?! It was the best decision we've ever made and we would encourage everyone to do the same!

What is your current vice or trend or obsession?

Katie is totally into wearing socks with high heels, old-timey musical instruments and putting temporary tattoos on her cast. She is totally not into having a cast for the past 5 weeks :(

Regine is loving denim cut-offs, denim vests and showing a lace bra through a backless dress, see-through top or one with a deep scoop neck. She's also enjoying making fun of Katie's cast but misses her horse-back riding buddy.

What advice would you give to someone else trying to make their ideas a reality?

Start small so that you can grow over time and by listening to what your customers are looking for. But absolutly without a doubt do it, following you dreams will always work out! Remember: greatness is coming, greatness is you!

Any sources of inspiration you want to recommend?

Photography by Arden Wray
Neet magazine
Ottawa artist Marysol Foucault
Diana ross
Ottawa's rock'n' roll scene and cat sanctuary

Eau de...

eau de... by Tiffany Elton on Polyvore.com
Pretty little bottles of smell good for your vanity...
Gucci Flora by Gucci
Acqua di Parma Iris Nobile Eau de Toilet
The One, Dolce and Gabbana
Miss Dior Cherie, Dior
Night of Fancy, Anna Sui
Euphoria Spring Temptation, Calvin Klein
Coco Madamoiselle, Chanel
Geranium Bourbon, Miller Harris
Juicy Couture Fragrance
Agent Provocateur Eau de Parfum

Mary Mary

Cuuute by Tiffany Elton on Polyvore.com

This is what happens when historical costuming and contemporary fashion spoon!
This is Mary Magdalene, a clothing line out of Japan.

Alyson Pearson: Illustrator

I found Alyson Pearson's art when I googled vintage shoes and the search pulled up her shoe anatomy drawing, which I love. It led me to her Redbubble.com page, where you can see more of her delightful art. I thought I'd ask her what inspires her and share with you some of her art!

What do you do?
My day job is Art Director of a natural health, environmental magazine. My whenever-I-get-the-time job is illustration and handmade greeting cards/garments.

What inspires you to do what you do?
Mainly other illustrators and designers. I'm a big fan of contemporary Japanese street fashion and hand made creations.

How did you get started?
I always enjoyed Art in High School, then after a couple of years out of school I decided I wanted to do something with my life that was creative and used illustration it was then that I discovered Graphic Design and I studied it in Sydney. From there I worked as a designer at a textiles company and got in to creating my own pieces.

What is your current vice or trend or obsession?
I love beautiful illustration and unique hand made things.

What advice would you give to someone else trying to make their ideas a reality?
Stick to it. It takes time to develop a style that is your own and to get out there.

I'm still working on it!

Any inspiring sites you want to mention?
Bec Winnel is an amazing illustrator and Peppermint Magazine is a great new eco-fashion mag, Indie art and design always has unique and inspirational things going on

Do you love Vintage Shoes and cute Clothes??!!

If you love vintage shoes you should come to the next Preloved Party!

There will be shoes sourced by La Chatte Bottee and 20% off on the new Fall Preloved collection

Cute 60s inspired pieces made from sweaters, skirts made from vintage trench coats, cute dresses and jackets, I have seen them, it's an exciting collection!!!

AND you can pick up a pair of vintage shoes to match!!

There will be drinks and snacks and great finds!

Thursday July 30th 6pm-9pm

4832 Boulevard St.Laurent in Montreal

514-499-9898

Sad Clown

EDGY

edgy by Tiffany Elton featuring Alexander McQueen accessories

Items in this set:
Otteny.com necklace, $425
Farfetch.com bracelet, 259 GBP
Luisaviaroma.com ring, 250 EUR
By Malene Birger necklace, 130 GBP
Melissa brooch, 30 AUD

Des Souliers!!

Des souliers! by Tiffany Elton featuring Christian Louboutin shoes

These puppies are pricey little bitches... but soooo cute I just had a shoegasm!
They better be good for jumping up and down for joy in!

From Top left to bottom Right:
Fendi Elastic Platform Sandals from FarFetch
Lady Dragon Peep toe with a cute heart on top from Browns
Nicolas Kirkwood python web sandals Luisaviaroma.com
Prada Gold ballet slippys from Barneys
Christian Louboutin peep toe pumps from net-a-porter
Miu Miu gold glitter peep toe pumps from net-a-porter
Vivienne Westwood red shoes with bows from coggles
Black lace peep toe bow D&G shoes from my-wardrobe.com
Christian Louboutin sandals from net-a-porter
Alexander McQueen Pelle studded sandal booties from zappos
Miss Belair purple peep toe shoes from Peeptoeshoes
Badgley Mischka Nude shoes from Heels.com
Betsey Johnson red and black beauties from zappos

Kelly Smith: Illustrator

The glass is half full!

glasses! by Tiffany Elton featuring Chanel sunglasses

From top left to bottom right...

White cat eye glasses from Dowahdiddy.com

Dior 60s Panther Red glasses from sunglasses-shop.co.uk

Vintage Balenciaga glasses from love-worn.com

Vintage Lips Glasses from bleudame.com

Channelling Chamel glasses from girlprops.com

Neon Leopard print glasses from bluebanana.cchttp://www.bluebanana.cc

Blue Heart glasses from topshop.com

Cutesy polka dot heart glasses from monsoon.co.uk

Grape square glasses from my-wardrobe.com

Tortoise print glasses from rayban on my-wardrobe.com

AM eyewear cobra jamo glasses with gold chain from bunnyhug

Prada signature butterfly sunglasses

Pinch your Cheeks!!!

I love BeneFit! And I love these blushes from BeneFit!

You can use the Bene tint, a rose-tintied cheek stain

or the powder that comes in a few color ways, mine is "Dallas".

I want to make Wedding Dresses!!!

When the internal alarm clock starts going off and you start pressing snooze repeatedly and in the back of your head your subconsicous is thinking marriage and babies as a fashion designer

you start thinking of making wedding dresses and baby clothes!!!! Oh no! Here's some pretties that I am inspired by!

The S.W.A.P. Team Presents Take Off Your Clothes

The S.W.A.P. Team is bringing you " Take Off Your Clothes ", North America's Biggest Clothing SWAP!!!!

Clothing Swap parties have been popping up in living rooms and closets all over for some time now, getting together and trading clothing you no longer want for some new treasure to flaunt.

And NOW the biggest clothing swap is coming up thanks to founder Aleece Gernamo and vice prez Nicole Picard.

You can bring your clothing in to swap. You will get a ticket per item you bring in and can go search through and find a new piece to replace it.

You can also be apart of the express check-in by donating in advance, the SWAP team will come pick up your donations ahead of time.

You can get more information and details on the SWAP team website.

The BIG Days!

September 5, 6, 7

At Piknic Electronik in Montreal

2pm- 8pm

and also

September 12 and 13th

At the Raging Spoon Toronto

12pm-5pm

In adddition to great finds donated from other people's fabulous wardrobes there will be donations of new clothing from designers which makes the hunt that much more exciting!

With local Montreal designer friends like Anastasia Lomonova, Jennifer Glasgow, Mir Handbags, Preloved, Olga Tigirlas, Valerie Dumaine, You can only imagine the happy hunting that will be taking place!!

George Barbier: Illustrator

Kelly Tomson: Fashion Illustrator

Lili St Cyr

Marlene Dietrich

I just died and went to hat heaven!!

Topsy Turvy Hats

Topsy Turvy Hats

Topsy Turvy hats

Serena Lindeman Milinery

Lady Like Hats

Lady Like Hats

I am sitting down in a pile of ribbons and fabric and crinoline to make some vintage inspired head pieces!

I just went bananas looking at pictures of vintage hats.... and Dita Von Tesse in cute little hats, and nice jeweled hair pieces from Serena Lindeman Milinery and oh my god! Topsy Turvy hats! I am in love....What special creations and what a master!

I am all inspired again and ready to risk some glue gun burns for the swank and then I will prance around!!!

Wish me luck!

Playing Dress Up: A photoshoot and Make Over

Here's the story of our photo/make over shoot.
Tessa asked me one day for a hair cut, saying she wanted to go short from long. Liz and I had just done an updo/makeup photoshoot together for porfolio pictures, I thought Liz could get more make up shots, I could have more hair shots, Tessa could get to see a few different cuts on the way from long to short, and Marilis could take photos and what better way to spend a day then with a PHOTO SHOOT PARTY!

I love photoshoots and makeovers, it's like playing dress up when you are a kid only way better, because now I am an actual hairstylist and I won't get in trouble for cutting off my sisters bangs with a pair of plastic scissors. We broke some glasses, Marilis had a few hang over naps on the couch in between takes, ordered some general tao, live streamed the whole affair on the internet for a few viewers, broke my glass table my boyfriend warned me would be broken in no time when I brought it home from a thrift store. We made a made pile of clothing on the floor for outfit ideas, that Mazzy, my cat had some naps in. We got to the second last cut and then did a round two for the last cut a week or so later.

Some inspirations that arose were Edie Sedgwick, Twiggy, Complex Geometries, Lady Gaga, Agyness Dynn, Alice in Wonderland....

It was a fun time!

To get to know some more about the girls, check out my Who is Liz and Who is Tessa blogs and an earlier blog interview with Marilis from a few months back.

You can see a time lapse video of the affair on youtube as well.

You can also see Tessa's recap o nthe whole affair on Worn Fashion Journal's blog

Enjoy!

If you are interested in being our next extreme make over/photshoot victim send me a messsage!

Who is Liz?

Make up: Liz Furlong Hair: Tiffany Elton






So Who is Liz, the make up artist from our photo shoot/makeover party?
Liz Furlong is a make up artist and natural beauty specialist, who works with and helped start Bouquet Collective.

Bouquet Collective is a one stop wedding event service for brides to be who want to have a green wedding. Weddings create a lot of waste and often do not follow green practices,
so Bouquet are taking care of that for you, as well as almost every other detail.
This group is full of creative, enterprising women who have been making things happen on their own for sometime, so as this collective now formed, just imagine....
They have an event planner, Angela MacKenzie, owner of Honeyflower natural beauty products, a make up artist, Liz, a graphic designer, Farah Khan, creative director for house9 Design, a caterer, Binky Holleran, owner and the chef of the resturant Fuchsia Epicerie Fleur on Duluth, a custom tailor and dress maker, Adrienne Colby, and a photographer, Dallas Curow.
Forget searching for all these people yourself, all you have to do is sit back, relax and let it all happen for you and have the satifaction of knowing you will be blissfully and happily wed, while being a responsible protector of the environment.

Here's an interview with the lovely lady.

What do you do?

I do freelance makeup for film, events and photography and use as many body and planet friendly products as possible. No animal testing and the most natural ingredients that still give a great look while using as few disposable tools as I can. That means no throw away sponges, q-tips or anything else I can avoid throwing away. I also make a lot of my own products, like my brush cleaner and toner, so I know exactly what is in them. My goal for the future is to create my own natural makeup line.

What inspires you to do what you do?

I love to see people's reactions when they look in the mirror afterward and say "I can't believe that's me". You can really transform a person into a character or give someone confidence with just a bit of makeup. The whole green aspect has been inspired just by living in cities and growing up in the suburbs and seeing all the waste and excess all around us. I want to inspire people to live greener and to know it's not difficult or more expensive to choose a greener lifestyle.

How did you get started?



My mom was always a mascara-only kind of lady, so to teach myself I read every magazine I could and used myself, my mother, sister and every friend I could as test models for the pictures I wanted recreate with many disasters (something that looked like pink eye instead of pink shadow, eyelash glue... but there are more, the list is long) and finally much more successful makeup applications. Eventually I started working at a salon where I got the opportunity to train and then work with real clients.
The green part of makeup for me really came through when I started going to a women's business group. I'm twenty-one and I definitely wanted some guidance about running my own business. Everyone in the group realized we had a green side to our businesses and we decided that for the upcoming wedding season we were going to build a green event collective (www.bouquetcollective.ca). Now, brides or event planners in the Montreal area who are interested in hosting a green event have a directory of services to look through to make things easier for them. Through this group of women I really got the support I needed to transform my whole makeup kit into an eco-friendly kit.

What is your current vice or trend or obsession?

Aveda Inner Light Tinted Moisturizer: SPF 15, super light with amazing, dewy coverage, perfect for summer, and good for your skin... oil free and moisturizing for eight hours.
Rose water: I put it in a little spray bottle and keep it in my purse. It's refreshing, smells great and it tones skin cutting shine without moving your makeup.

What advice would you give to someone else trying to make their ideas a reality?

Tell everyone what you want to do. I really think just saying it outloud gives you just a bit more motivation to make it happen. Soon your friends will be checking up on you, asking about your project and you'll want to have results to tell them about. They will also network for you. They'll tell friends about you and help connect you to the right people.

Any inspiring sites you want to mention?

http://www.lookgoodfeelbetter.ca/ This is a volunteer program that I worked with for a long time. They run two hour programs for women with cancer and teach them how to use wigs and apply makeup with all the changes their treatment does to their body (loss of eyebrows and eyelashes, dry skin, for example). The women in the program also get an amazing gift of tons of makeup products donated by various companies to take home!
For more wild inspiration, MAC is a classic source.

Also what do you recommend for a more natural make up regime???


-Use brushes and wash clothes, not disposable cotton or sponges
-Avoid products with parabens phthalates, and talc in ingredient list
-Purchase 2 in 1 products. Aveda lip and cheek pencils for example can be used on lips and cheeks for a perfectly matched look. Use your mascara and an angle brush to create a liquid liner.
-Look for recyclable packaging or a recycling program for packaging
-Buy wooden eye/lip pencils instead of plastic

Who is Tiffany?

Here is an interview with myself....

What do I do?

I would say I am an entrepreneur foremost. I had been forced into business research and management as a means to be an artist and fashion designer and to keep being able to create.
Now I enjoy wearing all the hats and have started thinking of the business aspect as art too.
I design clothing for my label Lady Like of vintage inspired clothing and sell on Etsy.
I paint and do fashion illustrations. I am a trained hairstylist too. I work out of my apartment now. I sing and write lyrics for me and my boyfriend's band. I also write poetry and and dabble in burlesque.
Lately I am also spending a lot of time working on this blog and enjoying it, I want to keep doing extreme makeover photo shoot parties like the one we did with Tessa and writing about people.
I like to do a lot of things, learn new things and come up with ideas.

What inspires you to do what you do?

People around me. I ask questions all the time to people. Also people walking down the street, their outfits and music culture. I devour fashion magazines, fashion history books, fashion photography books, how to books, business blogs and fashion blogs, home decor magazines and sites and doodle squished together outfits and ideas all over pieces of paper, front and back to save paper.
People making things happen; I have gotten a lot more inspired by others since starting this blog and opening up a dialogue about what gets them going... I have realized there are so many more people than I thought out there paving their own way and inventing their own lives and molding it into whatever they want it to be, doing whatever it is they love to do, their tenacity and passion and their lessons... that inspires me.

How did you get started?

My grandmother had a sewing room and made her own clothing. She has a very lady like style and a lot of vintage patterns and fabrics, I loved to hang out in her sewing room.
I was a vintage fiend out of necessity as a teen when you could get a garbage bag full of clothes for a few dollars. I always drew outfits I wished I had and day dreamed about what I wanted. I always drew and wrote poetry and escaped into music and my own world. Later my parents did the "go to university or else" tactic. I chose hair school because it was the most creative career I could get educated in and still remain in my home town. I used to doodle designs in my hair chair waiting for customers. Some roommates were in Montreal for the summer and came back raving it was the place for me and convinced me and brought me the forms to apply for fashion school. I did. I moved all by my lonesome. I didn't even know how to take the metro! I went to fashion school did design, did the industry stints, went back and did courses in fashion marketing and sales representation and started partaking in grant programs to start building my business and developing the necessary skill sets, to take command of my life and path. I also worked for the fabulous Nicole Picard of Fairyesque as a design/production assistant and learned a lot through her and her team. She is still my mentor and I am still picking her brain.

What is your current vice or obsession?

My current obsessions are blogging, excel documenting retail business research and marketing strategies, decorating and tweeking things in my apartment, walking around town, thrift shopping and balcony gardening. My current vice is a cold cold beer and a grassy spot under a tree in the park people /dog watching.

What advice would you give to others who are trying to make their ideas or dreams a reality?

I liked Gregory Peter Ryan's advice a lot. It hit home for me. I have spent a lot of time dilly dallying in planning phases to acquire funding and skills saying soon as I get (....) I will go bigger and he is absolutely right, Just do it, Just do it NOW, whatever you can do now towards your ultimate goals however small, just do it now. Embrace the lessons. The mistakes may happen and there will be walls but it is your life and the freedom that comes from going after what you love is the best part! Having a mentor has been a huge help for me and a group of people to spring board ideas off of. I recommend any kind of job experience, or interning or anything that gets you around inspiring people and exposed to lots of lessons.

What else would you recommend for inspiration?

I included a big list of blogs and resources on this blog, I started it as a visual for me to link to all the things I like to read that have helped me, I want to share what I ahve learned with everyone.

NOTE:

If you are in the Montreal area and want to be our next extreme make over model send me a message at tiffanyelton@gmail.com

Who is Tessa?

Photo by Marilis Cardinal

Tessa was our guinea pig for our photo shoot party.
She does much more than look pretty for the camera.
She works with me at Preloved and has her own record label and plays in a band.

Tessa is also one of those people who's brain I like to pick. I ask her endless questions about endless things and she always has a ton of ideas.

Let's pick her brain some more.

Here is an interview with Tessa...

What do you do?

I run a cd-r and cassette label called Fixture Records with my boyfriend. I also play with my band, Brave Radar and pay the bills as a shopgirl.

What inspires you to do what you do?

Playing shows, trading records with other bands, discovering great music that I never knew about, trolling the internet...People's horror stories about working with bigger labels. The slow death of the record industry. Friendly international customers who order our entire back catalog. Coffee. Other local labels like Psychic Handshake, Arbutus, Campaign For Infinity, Constellation. Out of town labels like Divorce, Siltbreeze...

How did you get started?

The label basically started when my boyfriend and I finished recording our band's first album and wanted to do something with it. We were making cases and burning cds at our apartment and then we started obsessively researching different cd templates and thinking about how to get music into record stores and played on the radio and stuff like that. Around the same time, a few of our friends were finishing up their own albums so it made sense to go in together on the printing and manufacturing.

We organized a shared release party on Valentine's Day 2008 for Brave Radar's first cd, Distracting Strangers, Dirty Beaches' Old Blood, and Postcards' self-titled cassette. That was the first show we put on under the name Fixture Records and since then we've released 11 albums on different formats and we have another 5 or so coming out before the fall. We're booking a tour for Brave Radar, Dirty Beaches, and Cresting, as well as putting on a series of shows in Montreal and working on some other stuff: a zine, our 2nd compilation cd, a book-on-tape.

What advice would you give to someone else trying to make their ideas a reality?

Don't wait for anyone to give you the go-ahead. Do your research. Talk to the people you admire. Invest in equipment that'll make your work self-sustaining and useful to other people. Work to simplify things and don't be afraid if your ideas change in order to actually happen.

http://fixture-records.com/
http://fixturerecords.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/braveradar
http://tessagoldsmith.tumblr.com/

Out with the New, In with the Old

I am going to get all hairstylist on you right now.

I had a recent thought, I am a fan of the volumous vintage hair dos,

I wash my hair everyday, not a good thing for the health of your hair.

Follow me... I am getting to a point. "They" say once a week is a good amount of times to wash your hair a week to keep the natural oils doing their rightful job, so it got me thinking,

I should try an " Out with the New and In with the Old" tactic when it comes to my hair!

I am going to try going and getting a roller set, like the old days, a long volumous one,

and fluff it in the mornings and see how long it lasts me and use natural hair spray to keep it going.

This may be a new ritual I can get into once week, especially if a head massage at the shampoo sink is part of the process...Now if I can just get some girls my age in on it, we can gab at the hair dryers like the old times and start using that excuse " I can't (...), I am washing my hair today"and really mean it.

Colin Munro

Colin Munro Seymour is the first man I have interviewed.

He is a local fashion designer. He does t-shirts and tank tops that remind me of a futuristic 80s David Bowie if that makes sense, made from Jersey with precise shapes and details in PVC.

I would wear his tank tops with large exaggerated arm holes with a tube top underneath and lots of necklaces as a mini dress. I recommend checking out Colin's Etsy shop.

I took part in his Bad Taste Burlesque Troop show the Heavy Petting Zoo last year and plan on taking part in his upcoming show in August, more to come on that event later. He organized the whole affair calm as can be and put on a good show in his well thought out costumes and acts.

He is currently interning at Complex Geometries in Montreal and mastering in Karaoke and does an exceptional Love Shack by the B52s.

You can now purchase his wares, entitled Colin Munro at Boutique Victoire in Ottawa. Colin has a unique and great personal style and is a very talented smart cookie.

Colin is one of those people I ask random questions about all kinds of things while taking notes, trying to tap into his mountain of knowledge and endless supply of ideas and inspiration. I like to force him to brain storm out loud around me.

What do you do?

I have my own clothing line, organize burlesque shows for my troop, Bad Taste Burlesque and make costumes.

What inspires you?

I find inspiration in all sorts of things. Some constant sources of inspiration are comic books, glam rock ( and wonderful musicians of the era), theatrical designs and the ever vague concept of the "future". I also find fashion on the streets of Montreal very exciting-there are lots of people having fun with style here.

How did you get started?

I realized one day that there was no reason not to be doing what I loved. I'd been making clothes for myself and friends and costumes for shows and parties. It was kind of a natural progression, I guess, into doing in on a larger scale.

What advice do you have for people trying to make their dreams and ideas a reality?

Sometimes I think. I still need advice! I guess the best advice I have to give is to just go for it.

Take the plunge because what have you got to loose?!

Okay, that was cliche but it is true. More specifically, If you need the skills, go learn them!

If you've got the skills but not the experience try interning. And the internet is ALWAYS your friend.

Going out for Dinner

Going to Dinner by Tiffany Elton featuring A.P.C. dresses

-A.P.C. Madras Dotted Devore Dress found on Lagarconne.com

-Beaded multirow Necklace from Topshop

- Shoes from Kurt Geiger

-Estate Sale kisslock Purse from Modcloth

Gregory Peter Ryan: The Art of

Gregory Peter Ryan is a gifted artist with a quirky sense of style and personality.

He is somewhat of a nomad and is usually found in Newfoundland, Montreal or B.C. or somewhere in between. He is in Kelowna BC right now selling his artwork, I caught up with him on a recent pass through Montreal.

I wanted to take a moment to celebrate his art and tell you what he is into.

Greg has just finished painting the notorious outside of Chez Jose cafe on Duluth, see the photos above... and check out an interview with him below.

What do you do?

I make prints and pieces and different types of clothing; t-shirts, summer scarves, bandannas, that is kinda what I am into right now and whatever I can get my hands into. What inspires you to do what you do?My friends and life and old Japanese samurai movies and horror movies, city streets...and everything

How did you get started?

My parents did a lot of art with me as a kid and they were supportive of that so I guess that helped, my dad used to buy me comic books when I went to the dentist and Doctor because there was a drug store near there, so it was my reward for going to the doctor. I got out of comics for a few years. I visited a friend for the first time in a long time, he was living in Carbonear at the time, I go out there with all my GI Joes and comic books, I was thirteen I figured he'd still be into the same stuff.... went in, He wasn't, but we both got into comics again because of that. I wanted to be a comic artist for years, I got into design and art, I went to art school and that helped. I went to College of the North Atlantic and did a bit of design, then I went to Concordia for a few years and I did a year just helping in the screen printing studios just monitoring, I didn't really go to school, I was just finishing some incompletes and whatever but ya a few years at Concordia.... and now I just do it on my own.

What is your current vice or trend you are really into?

Montreal girls are a current vice and making lots of art, I'm really into that.. and helping people out. If someone is down on their luck and I can help them out I'll do it. If I can help someone get a really good roommate hook up or anything like that, I just try to do that as much as I can.

What advice would you give to someone just starting out and trying to make their dreams or ideas a reality?

Just do it. Don't think, just act. The only person stopping you from doing whatever you want, is yourself. Shoot for the stars, make mistakes, don't let anyone stop you, Don't get caught up in talking about your shit, doing too much research, finding equipment and not doing anything with it, just suck it up and do it, because until you do it, you talk talk talk, you have nothing, just do it, you will figure it out on your way and the more you do it, the easier it becomes. That kind of applies to everything in life but definitely for art and creating stuff.

Other things Greg suggests for inspiration:

If you have never been to St.John's Newfoundland, then you really have to go, or hiked Mount Royal Mountain and spent some time in the woods, not on the trails, you should totally do that, and the mountains in BC, and for websites find whatever you are into, I am into everything, fecalface.com is an art website based out of San Francisco and they cover all sorts of stuff from all around the world, that is a really good resource and good site for inspiration, woostercollective is a street art website with the best street art from all around the world, stencilrevolution.com is the ultimate website for stenciling, just check out the site, they have web forums, they will teach you how to do everything. And geekology.com, it 's a science and technology, weird stuff blog. It's really funny, there is lots of interesting stuff there. And failblog.org, because the most ultimate fails ever are caught on photo and video and put up on the website, you will be laughing.

Going to the Library

going to the library by Tiffany Elton featuring Prada bags

- McQ Bustier Dress from Lagarconne

- John Galliano Shoes from Styledrops

- Prada bag from Styledrops

- French Connection knit cardigan from Oli

- Vivienne Westwood sheck shirt with bow from Farfetch

- Vintage glasses from Eyeglassboy

Going Grocery shopping!

Going grocerie shopping! by Tiffany Elton featuring Stella McCartney bags

-Stella McCartney Patent Frame Clutch at Farfetch

-Boy by Band outsiders suspender strap skirt at lagarconne.com

-Sass & Bide black follow the line frill body suit at bunnyhug.co.uk

-Safari-vodoo inspired sandals at Topshop and who I still love,

-Vivienne Westwood Red Label wool blazer from net-a-porter

-Black diamond and crystal bangle set by Max and Chloe

Sandra Chirico

I worked with Sandra at Fairyesque a few years back. She is one smart cookie with a lot of ideas and an inspiration for me. She is one of the founders of Ritual Designs here in Montreal; Hand crafted, extremely technical corsets... not just for show, the real deal. I got to work with Sandra again when she did make up for the Lady Like photoshoot and again for the Lady Like Fashion Show and Burlesque show. She is a talented make up artist and a breeze to work with and an organizational genius. She is also an inspiring business lady and designer!

She's been working on her new project more recently Stitch Studio, you can check out Sandra's blog: Studio Stitch for more... and you can visit her on her Studio Stitch Etsy shop.

What do you do?

Many things! Mainly I offer Design services (fashion sketches and technical drawings) to the fashion industry with my company Stitch Studio. The other side of my life is that I am a fashion designer, I design and make corsets formerly under Ritual Designs. I put this aside for a few years but am starting up again here and there when time allows but it is my first love so I know this is something I will always keep doing. I call myself a “sewist” which I totally made up because lack of a better term. I am majoring in Fibers at Concordia University program at the moment and I do a lot of textile based work that involve screen printing and sewing. Oh and I am also a freelance make up artist mainly for photography and fashion shows.

What inspires you to do what you do?

Everything and anything! People, art, finding beauty in chaos, seeing things from a different angle…I was once inspired by a banana so it’s hard to say for sure.

How did you get started?

I’ve wanted to be a fashion designer since I was about 7. After I was done all my training and school I discovered corsetry and fell in love. That’s where Ritual Designs immerged. As for Stitch Studio is an umbrella with many possibilities just started it this year mainly design services but will also do sewing and printing projects. As for make up that was pure hobby, I used to go out dancing and get dressed up all crazy so I would also do crazy make up to accompany it. Then I thought- hey I really like doing this why don’t I just try it out.

What is your current vice or trend or obsession?

I have been obsessed with two things that people who know me well will agree with. Neck scarves; I have tons of them. My mother is a seamstress and when she would make herself an outfit she always made a neck scarf out of the fabric that was left over. I have a ton of scarves made of vintage fabrics that I will probably wear forever. I also love broaches especially ones shaped like fruit the only thing is I tend to loose them all the time.

What advice would you give to someone else trying to make their ideas a reality?

It’s simple really,
JUST DO IT!
No I’m not trying to sound like a nike add. If you have an idea don’t sit on it for years and never do it- Just DO IT!

Any inspiring sites or sources of inspiration you want to mention?

Music, old movies, museums, reference books, real people, all kinds of art.
Siouxie Soux, Nina Hagen and Betty Page have always been super inspirational to me in terms of style. Also a shout out to Jem and the Holograms as they are probably my very first source of inspiration.

Contact
sandrachirico@gmail.com

Eco Options for Pets in Montreal

I am making the switch for my cat, Mazzy from typical dry food to organic meat products without grain and ash fillers. In researching this switch I found these local options.

Brandy's Centre Holistic and Cafe Canin

They have human-grade food for cats and dogs and toys. They also have a cafe and pets are welcome to come and a cute puppy to entertain. I recently stopped by there and got lots of information and some great customer service and some good options for Mazzy.

469 Marie-Anne

Evive

They make fresh, wholesome foods for pets using local produce and make meals for your pets.

93 Rachel st. West

ECO Produce Shopping Guide: Montreal

Here's an Eco, Organic, Fair Trade, Local Produce Shopping Guide for Montreal.
I like to shop for local, organic produce and seasonally to keep things yummy and fresh!
Montreal and Quebec as a whole have so much to choose from.

NEW ! Farmer's Market
On Rue Marianne at Laval every Sunday you can get fresh produce from local farmers.

Bio Terre
A full on grocery store with local, fresh produce, organic alternatives, tisanes and beauty products.
201 St.Viateur

Les Delires du Terrroir
185 kinds of microbrewed beers, and all kinds of cheese and treats from all over Quebec.
On Saturday afternoon you can taste test!
6404 St.Hubert

Equi Monde Plateau Montreal
Locally farmed products to protect your local farmers and your budget.
5854 St.Hubert

Fous de la Gaspesie
They have fresh crab, cod, sea pies, salmon, cod balls, salt cod, cranberry tree jelly, currant and bourdages pies.
1253 Beaubien St. East

TAU Marches d'Ailements
A balanced grocery store with lots of flavor
4238 St.Denis

Passe L'Ananas
Local market of seasonal fruits and vegetables from Quebec, info on food trend and organic fair trade products.
6346 St.Hubert

Segal's on St.Laurent
They have a section of organic foods for cheaper

Mont Royal Market
Right next to Mont Royal metro station yo ucan get fresh farmer produce and they have tons of flowers for your garden and tomatoe plants and herbs to grow.

Preloved has Launched its online store!!!

About an hour ago Preloved launched its online store!!!!

You can now get your Preloved fix anywhere!

So if you don't live near the Montreal or Toronto stores you are in luck,

You're lucky day is here!!!

Montreal's First Burlesque Festival looking for talent!!!!

Guess what Scarlett James just told me!

There's something very exciting in the works....

Montreal's First Annual Burlesque Festival!

And there's a contest!

It's been a long time coming and it will soon be here!

September 18th, 19th and 20th

It will be at the Museum Just For Laughs,

They are now taking submissions for performers and vendors on

The Montreal Burlesque Festival website

An interview with Nataly D.Lovely of The Hot Club Cabaret

I found Nataly D. Lovely on her modelmayhem.com site and approached her about performing at our Spring/Summer 09 fashion and Burlesque show for Lady Like.

She agreed and when I saw her in action I was glad she did!

She did a balloon number, popping the balloons off herself until she revealed an amazing corseted outfit and taunted and teased the audience to their glee and wore saucy vintage glasses, in a playful sexy librarian gone wild kind of way.

She makes for an amazing act and is a delightful person.

She also did a number with her troop, The Hot Club Cabaret, a dream girls like choreographed dance number in sequined dresses with bee hives...the crowd went wild.

As with a lot of Burlesque performers, (they make their own costumes), She makes her own detailed, ornate pasties, you can find her hand made pasties around Montreal at L'Arterie in the Mile end at 176 Bernard West.

What do you do?

Nataly D. Lovely is the founder of the Hot Club Cabaret: THE cabaret/burlesque troop in Montreal since 2006!
The Hot Club Cabaret is a unique and entertaining troop, whose cabaret dancing and singing style is combined with the comedy, satire and glamour of burlesque.
The Hot Club Cabaret presents unique, quality and sensual numbers and integrates striptease into blowing, and conceptual performances. With artists coming from various artistic backgrounds in singing, dancing, circus and theater, the Hot Club Cabaret pushes the traditional burlesque boundaries to create entirely authentic and quality acts.

What inspires you to do what you do?

“Movies inspire us a lot. Some of our best performances have been created based on movies like Ed Wood, Young Frankenstein or Indiana Jones! In addition, cartoons, like Bugs Bunny (Chuck Jones era), music from Carl Stalling, nursery rhymes, Bob Fosse, musicals, weird music and videos, comic books, history, old Playboy, and our own lives are all great source of inspiration!”

How did you get started?

Nataly D. Lovely first got inspired when she saw two burlesque troops from Toronto at La Sala Rossa. “I knew about burlesque (Quebec’s style)…but not THAT type of burlesque!! It blew my mind! What a great and different form of performing art! And I laugh so much! I thought I wanna do that too; I CAN do that! It reunited all my interests in dance, costuming, retro music, theatre, comedy and that new ingredient striptease.”
“Later at the New York Burlesque Festival, I saw this spectacular performance by the Bombshell Girls called The Mirror. The story was that of a girl in an enchanted place who, when she found herself in front of a big mirror, got bewitch by her reflection and trapped for eternity behind the mirror. This performance was so different than anything I saw in burlesque before. Most of the time, a girl with whatever costume comes on stage and strip. But The Mirror was actually telling me a story and that is what I really like about it. Since then, for me the challenge in burlesque is to introduce the nudity aspect in a plausible story.”
Most of D. Lovely ideas involved group effect and dance: so she wanted to create a burlesque troop and not be a solo artist. Also, she wanted to find girls with a certain background in dance and theater. So she started auditions but it’s through words of mouth that she found her crew.

What advice would you give to someone else trying to make their ideas a reality?

“Life is too short to ask yourself: can I do this? Just do it and give it a try. Work hard, don’t get discouraged, don’t forget why you want to do it, have fun, be professional, be authentic!”

VINTAGE SHOPPING GUIDE: Montreal, Toronto and On-line

photo by Jaime Borja

Here's a some places you may want to check out next time you are vintage hunting!

Toronto Vintage Shopping

Toronto has the largest concentration of Rag houses, giant warehouses with bales of abandonned clothing and by default the largest concentration of well stocked vintage shopping boutiques, it's a cess pool of vintage and you can bet if you hit it up for a vintage spree you will definately get your fix and be revelling in the after math of that high for a long time after....
If you are reading this and know of any more shops, please tell me about them, I need to know !

Vintage Mix 1
186 Ossington Avenue
416-534-7767

Badlands Vintage
104 Ossington
416-553-5871

Foxy Boutique
251 Gerrard Street East
416-925-3252

Thrill of the Find
1172 Queen Street East
416-461-9313

Courage my Love
14 Kensington Avenue
416-979-1992

Bungalow
In Kensington Market
273 Augusta Avenue
416-598-0204

Cabaret
672 Queen Street West
416-504-7126

69 Vintage
1100 Queen street West
416-516-0669

Public Butter
1290 Queen Street West
416-535-4343

Gadabout
Maple Cottage, 62 Laing Street
416-463-1254

Stella Luna
1627 Queen Street West
416-536-7300

Montreal Vintage Shopping

E.R.A. Vinatge Wear
1800 Notre-Dame West

Boutique Retro Mania
820 Mount Royal Est
514-596-2618

Friperie Swing
151 Avenue des Pins East

Friperie St.Laurent
3976 Boulevard St.Laurent
514-842-8393

Eva B
2013 Bouleavrd St.Laurent
514-849-8246

Momento
3678 Rue St. Denis

La Gaillarde
In st-Henri
4019 Rue Notredame West

Arterie Boutique & Friperie
176 Rue Bernard West

Encore Boutique
2145 Crescent Street

On-Line Vintage Shopping

Modcloth
They have new clothing and a section for vinatge clothing

EBay
There's always ebay if you don't mind hunting online forever and ever and bidding

Etsy.com
Amazing amazing, lots of people selling vintage on there.
This is my favorite option, some sites tend to be very expensive,
In here you can browse more easily and hunt for deals.
Here are some of my favorites:
Cheesecake Vintage
The Vintage Closet

Chelsea Girl and Laurel Canyon Vintage
The site in currently under construction but hopefully it'll be back up soon.

Vintage Vixen
I had thought of this name a few years ago and never used it, hooray for the global consciousness, we are all reading each others minds, This site is great because it has everything !
Rusty Zipper
Your staples of vintage clothing, including items for men

Fashion Dig
You can shop by decade

Woo Vintage

Viva La Vintage
There's a whole section dedicated to leopard print!

Mystique Vintage Clothing
From the 40s to the 1970s, there are all kinds of dresses!

Happy Hunting!!!

I should be wearing this today

What I wish I was wearing right now !!!

Out with New, In with Old!

So I am very proud of myself today, instead of going and buying some new shoes for spring, I revamped some old ones I had and wasn't into wearing anoymore.
I would post the photos of them but I didn't take a before photo so the after would mean nothing to you.
( So I borrowed this photo I found online which is very fitting... Shoe Renewing)
I am very into shoe renewing now, why I hadn't thought of it before I do not know.
I had a pair of vintage tall leather boots from my grandmother that were forest green and knicked up and some brown 80s ballerina style ones and some brown and white cowboy boots my mom got in Texas...I got them all dyed black and heels redone... all for 100$.. way less then what I would have paid for new ones and they are super hot and feel even better than new ones and I am delighted with my new fashionably eco solution.. I plan on getting some more of my oldies revamped to suit my wardrobe needs.
Some old school traditions are very practical and eco conscious, It makes sense, instead of buying new disposable type fashion items, I can rely on good quality items that can be repaired and kept forever and fixed up to suit my needs and nothing ends up in a landfill and in the end, the once very expensive classics saved me some dimes.
Classics.

Gyspy Lee Rose

I just can't get enough!

I just can't get enough of this JR Watkins cream in Mango. I have some in my purse, in my vanity, in my bathroom cabinet and I reapply, reapply and reapply all day long. I love how it smells and the fact that it is free of everything I don't want and full of everything I do want! I'm addicted.

Lady Like clothing sale on etsy.com !!!

Sample Sale, Sample Sale !!!

I 'm a little tea pot

Cupcakes of any kind! Here's something tasty to look at!

Wonder Women

I had a great time mingling with the wonder women at this event to support to the Patricia Mackenzie Pavillion of the Old Mission Brewery. There will be another event coming soon and since I went home early from the last one tired from a long day at work, I will let you know in advance and show up with my party face on. A big thanks to Laura Nagy for organizing this affair and inviting Lady Like to come along.

Worn Fashion Journal

Worn Fashion Journal has its 7th issue out !
I first came this magazine in Lustre in Montreal and picked up all 5 of its first issues because of the cute artistically fashion cover art.
It is an unconventional independent fashion magazine with lots of goodies in it.
You can find them on Etsy too, one of my favorite sites for shopping all things lovely at thehouseofworn.etsy.com
I think most of us girls have had the thought to create our own fashion magazines but this young lady went out and did it!

I have a little interview with the creator of the mag to get her insights and to gather some inspiration for us all... ladies meet Serah-Marie Mcmahon

What inspires you?

Outfit bloggers, Harajuku Square, the Workroom, etsy, The Textile Museum, the Folk Art Museum, the Met, all public libraries, zine fairs, Anna Sui, Clayton Evans, Diane Arbus, Courtney Love, Wayne Coyne, Martha Stewart, Malcom Gladwell, Angela Chase, Joss Whedon, Paul Feig, John Waters, Spike, Mike, Slackers and Dykes by John Pierson, Thirty Watts from Nowhere by Sue Carpenter, Bitch Magazine, Gloria Steinham, Sassy magazine, Croq zine, fabric stores, The Gee's Bend Quilts, really sharp scissors.

How did you get started?

I put out a flyer at a few vintage clothing stores and around the Fibre Arts Department at Concordia. It said "For people who love fashion but are frustrated with fashion magazines" and some people showed up at my house for a meeting. I ran into a childhood friend on the metro who offered to lay it all out. And then my life changed forever.

What is your current obsession?
Tumblr. I spend waaaaay too much time on Tumblr.

What advice would give someone trying to make their own dreams a reality?

Read a lot. Do your reserch. Get an agenda and write everything down. Don't be late. Don't be afraid to ask for help, but be very very grateful and careful of other people's time. And, in the end, just jump in and do it already.

Some of her favorite sites to check out for more inspiration,
reprodepot.com, superbuzzy.com, wemakezines.ning.com, http://www.thefashionspot.com/, canadianmags.blogspot.com, magculture.com, makesomething.ca, breeapperley.blogspot.com, torontocraftalert.ca, style.com, http://www.purlbee.com/,

La Chatte Bottee

Here is an interview with Carole and Vee from La Chatte Bottee !

What inspires you?
Great styles of the past. Grace Kelly pointy princess pumps, Molly Ringwald lace up booties or shoes, zip up boots from the 70s, Dolly Parton cowboy boots. This winter we're into fur trimmed granny boots. We love heels but we also know that girls need to walk around in the city. So, we have a lot of 1 or 2" heels. Very important.

How did you get started?
One drunken night we were sitting around Vee's apartment and started looking at all the beautiful shoes on ebay and thought, we want all these shoes! But, reality is that they don't necessarily fit us. So we thought, why don't we buy them anyways and sell them to our friends.... and it went from there. We knew we couldn't afford a space so we came up with the tupperwear party concept. We're in, we're out. What's fun is that without even intending, we've forged great alliances with the owners of our favorite shops in Montreal and Ottawa. Who knew? It all kind of happened naturally.

What is your current vice or trend or obsession ? Montreal designers: Lustre, Valerie Dumaine, Anastasia Lomonova, Preloved, Norwegian Wood, etc...We have so much talent here. Oh and vices forget it.... Sushi pizza, Tampopo noodles, Casa lattes, Cider, evenings on the WI...

What advice would you give to someone else trying to make their ideas a reality?
Here come the cliches. But they are all true. Do it like you really believe it's going to happen. Fake it till you make it. If you build it they will come. Don't let anyone tell you it can't be done. And so what if it doesn't work? At least you did it. If you do nothing, nothing will happen. Wouldn't that be a boring life. Stop talking about it. Just do it!

La Chatte Bottee's next shoe party will be at Preloved Februray 26th !

Fashion Illustrator Ella Tjader

Mr.Pearl

Mr.Pearl specializes in corsets. Real Corsets. The kind that hold you in and prop you up, the kind with hand sewn beading and bone caging and laces lacing. He makes corsets for Dita Von Tesse among others who can afford his fitted crafting.
His work is precise and maticulous and very special and will run you a pretty penny as attention to detail and worship of the vintage art are fit for a queen.

Jayne Mansfeild

Louise Brooks

Marianne Faithful

Vintage Fashion Ads

Christina Ricci

La Chatte Bottee

If you live in Montreal and you love vintage shoes you have probably met Carole from La Chatte Bottee.

Carole and her business partner have been throwing vintage shoe parties around town at local boutiques for a while now, making things happen and selling shoes.

Thursday January 29th, you can stop by Scarlett on St.Laurent, 6-9pm for one such event.

If you can't make it on Thursday check out La Chatte Bottee's myspace for more events coming up.

Fairyesque by Nicole Picard

I had the opportunity to work at Fairyesque in Montreal as a design and production assistant and to learn from fashion designer Nicole Picard.

Not only did she teach me the inner workings and allow me hands on experience she later became my mentor and provided me so much more valuable knowledge and emotional support when I was creating my own company and first collections.

I have been inspired by her work and talent and her openess to mentoring and supporting new talent. She is a self made, independent woman.

She has run her own boutique and done many collections, she is still a huge support to me.

She made it all happen herself and is now helping others with their own visions.

Her clothing is very fairy like, and has been on Ugly Betty and part of Montreal Fashion Weeks and sold in lots and lots of stores. Check out her collections on her website !

Antonio Lopez: Fashion Illustrator

Richard Gray: Fashion Illustrator

A tribute to Op Art

Pregnant Goldfishes: An interview with Marilis Cardinal

The Pregnant Goldfish aka Shut Up You Twit is a local Montreal fashionesque, lifestyle blog.

It is also good link to a lot of street style fashion sites and blogs.... (Check the list to the left of this blog) I use it as a quick link to all kinds of fashion inspiration.

This blog won # 2 Best Blog in Montreal 2008 by the Montreal Mirror and has lots of cute outfits and blurbs and I think writer Marilis Cardinal is the cutest little muffin.

Marilis is a little go getter, she not only puts her two cents in on The pregnant goldfish blog but is an intern at Night Life magazine and contributes her quirkiness.

She did photography for my clothing line and does lots of other projects all over Montreal and Internationally contributing for Cracker your Wardrobe out of Tokyo. She went to fashion school at La Salle, has a unique personal style. She has done costumes for Theatre, fashion styling and organises events around town, music shows, fashion shows and works with indyish.com, a local Montreal network of artists to do their thing.

She is still a youngin but if she keeps going at this pace, she may take over the world.

What inspires you ?

I've got a really weird and dark side to what inspires me that has nothing to do with my personality. I tend to really enjoy stark, dark and absurd art and fashion when in every day life, I'm far more colorful and dark is probably the last word you could ever use to inspire me. I'm inspired by anything from geometric shapes to GIF animations. I'm inspired by people with projects, friendly and outgoing daydreamers, and people who keep their emotions close to the surface.

How did you get started?

Like most things I do, I put very little thought into starting the blog and just kind of figured it out along the way. My friend Dane and I were sitting in a park one night and decided we would start the blog, we came up with a name and enlisted another friend of ours to join in on the fun and Bam! We had ourselves a fun little project that we've been working on for almost 2 years now.

What is your current vice or trend or obsession ?

I'm currently obsessed with jersey, fleece and black tights. I've also just recently rediscovered pants and started wearing them for the first time in about 3-4 years, men's pleated pants with a vintage t-shirt or a dress-shirt+bow-tie combo with some black heals.

What advice would you give to someone else trying to make their ideas a reality?

Just do it! You're the one in charge of setting and achieving your own goals. I'm all about trial and error and learning as you go, so I believe that if you fail, the worst thing you can do it give up.

An interview with Scarlett James

I worked with Scarlett James for a photo shoot, a fashion show and she performed for our Spring/Summer 2009 Fashion Show. Scarlett is a burlesque performer here in Montreal, she does shows all over town. She is a very sweet, classy and enterprising woman, very ladylike.
Not only is she a performer but she also creates all of her costumes herself.
She started Bombshell Couture, which shows her lingerie, mini top hats and designs she uses in her shows. She is an inspiration to see as a designer, not only because of her performance but the costumes and accessories she uses in her shows.

What inspires you ,How did you get started?

Scarlett spent her childhood in beautiful France with her Mother, by the ocean of Brittany. She studied Ballet classic and modern Jazz as a teenager, admiring Dalida and her very dazzling outfits, Bigitte Bardot, May West, Sally Rand ,the American silver screen sirens on TV, movies with bombshell and Pin ups, Marilyn. Dreaming that one day she would have the chance to perform on stage in costumes as extravagant as these ones, create vintage styles and dazzle an audience. All that while working in a jewelry store in a small city near by... This is fine job but very quiet! At 20, she wanted adventures, action, and above all Glamor! So she left France for new horizons, Montreal.
She went to college in fine arts, she is a painter 3rd generation after her mother and grand father. But painting is not all she wanted to do. It was not enough. So she learned English, Spanish, took theâtre classes, acting classes, belly dancing , She travelled a lot, met new friends, made a new life and still looking for that ''je ne sais quoi''.
One day, good friends brought her to see a Burlesque show downtown and there it was, she had an epiphany ! That is it! All that she loved is packaged in it! Acting, dancing, amazing costumes, performances, travel, photography!
She did her first show, the public opened their arms warmly, she fell in love, she was hooked!
Ladies and Gentlemen, that's how was born Scarlett James!

What is your current vice or trend or obsession ?

"Right now, It is Making costumes. Everything is inspiring, every song is an opportunity to create a new show, every movie is a trigger to the imagination! Of course, everything must be feathered and bedazzled!" That is Scarlett's trend.

What advice would you give to someone else trying to make their ideas a reality?

"There is no secret to success. There is only one way to get there. HARD WORK and dedication with a twist of perseverance. So it all depends on yourself, how bad you want it and how smart you are about it."

Love Tallulah

So I met a girl named Tallulah when I was throwing some fashion events, she donated a gift certificate to give away at one of our shows. She collects vintage hand bags from the 1900s to the 1980s. She has a fabulous selection for resale. I love vintage hand bags, and she has a great philosophy, " because having one hand bag is like having one shoe, it's just silly ! "

The 48th parallel project

This is a network website for feminists, whatever that word means to you.
For me its about strong women teaming together to support each other in becoming stronger in whatever ways, artistically, emotionally and intellectually... which is what this site does.
Most of the men and women on there are interested in political and world issues, are artists, writers and are sharing their art, ideas and laughs.
Instead of being bombarded by ads about random shit like other networking sites, diet pills and what not, the ads are about art shows or independent albums, bands and films or funny videos the members have created.
I was first introduced by a good friend who's mother created it. She is a film maker and from my eyes growing up around her in my formative years, I saw her to be a powerful and artistic women with a circle of supportive and equally artistic friends who supported each others artistic endeavors... I admire her work and her so I joined. I think those ideals are something women should keep important to them....
Some groups are Artists supporting other artists, Extremely opinionated women and Media for change.... I like it, a lot. Check it out.

A dress I am excited to buy !

I have been working part time as a shop girl at Preloved for over a year now to help fund my own fashion design ventures...
they make clothing out of fabrics from recycled clothing... they have rescued over 60, 000 sweaters from ending up in land fills.
I love seeing the new seasons and what original details from the original garment they will keep in the new designs and what they will come next. My closet is slowly getting taken over by pieces from their lines... but I fell in love for real real yesterday when we got in a new sneak peak item for Spring 2009 ! Kiki is a princess dress as far as I am concerned, made from vintage curtains and men's wool pants ! I am in love with Kiki.

My favorite soaps

Tval Skincare is a bath and beauty company was started in my native home Newfoundland.
Now being sold all over and to celebrities, it was recently featured on E Canada.
They have a cute little boutique on Water Street. I first heard about their online store through a friend, and later found out another one of my friends from home works there.
Lucky! They have soaps like cupcakes and body scrubs you want to eat.. though I am not sure I would recommend it even if the ingredients are natural.
The pink one is made from is partridge berry, which is a sweet and tart berry native to Newfoundland... Yummy!

Fashion Illustrator David Downton

Vintage Patterns

I was lucky enough to get a box of hundreds of vintage patterns from my grandmother.
I love to use them to help me design clothing inspired by vintage clothing.
I found a site for vintage patterns online where you can buy vintage patterns, what once was about 2 $ to buy are now being resold on line for 20- 30$... but totally worth it, like finding a vintage item of clothing, patterns are great too for vintage lovers because you can make your own vintage finds over and over and over !

Agent Provacateur Lingerie

Agent Provocateur is a line of lingerie I love ! They have used Maggie Gyllenhal and Lilly Allen for some of their ad campaigns. With any clothing line I fall in love with it depends a lot on their marketing and their visual ad campaigns not just the quality or how pretty the garment is.
I really like the vintage aspect of their ad campaigns and how they always seem like a story....
For me every lady needs to have something pretty on under her clothes too even if no one sees it, its for her to know and to feel secretly sexy underneath.

Viva Van story.... Pin Up Photographer

Madonna

Dita Von Tesse

A classy lady, always dolled up all ladylike !

Burlesque Performer Tempest Storm

Betty Page

</