happy first birthday Rent frock Repeat

They grow up so fast don’t they? Already a year old, Rent frock Repeat has been offering the ladies of the city a place to have the dress of their dreams, for only as long as their fleeting dreams last. Here today, gone tomorrow, with only a memory of the perfect dress to accompany the new #1 on speed dial.

After all, it takes a special kind of someone to give you the above photo along with the promise of commitment-free dressing. RfR > anything.

To celebrate, the ladies had cake.

This lady, however, will celebrate by posting photos taken in the greatest place on earth (tip: not Disney, but rather, RfR studio). Spring weddings in full effect? Check out the cute, colourful options below. Spring wedding attended by an ex in effect? Check out the hot, sequined options below.

All photo credits: Nicole R. Full set on Flickr.

And don’t forget to check out an interview with Lisa and Kristy, the talent ladies behind Rent frock Repeat, courtesy of Anthea over at Clothes Line Finds.

new season new bag

Spring brings with it a lot of things : flowers, rain, reminders about overdue blog posts, excuses for croissant park-dates, more reminders about overdue blog posts, and even stronger (and significantly more welcome) reminders that the closet needs an infusion of colour.

No matter how hard I try, it seems that over the course of every winter the wardrobe magically goths itself and nothing lighter than a medium-plus is within reach. Luckily I did manage to start a small stock pile of neon accessories which is making the springtime transition a wee less painful, but something bigger was definitely needed. And with that, I present to you my new love.

*cue angels singing*

Behold the Nella-Bella Hong Kong bag in a freakishly beautiful Turquoise. The brilliant colour instantly pumps up any outfit, but the simple briefcase-like design keeps it from overwhelming your other style efforts. With a removable shoulder strap, you can easily go from daytime hands-free carry all, to evening statement-making flat-shoe-hider. In other words, this thing was made for me.

As usual, the bag is 100% vegan, designed by one of the nicest guys you’ll ever have the pleasure of meeting, Tarek Al-Azbat. And it’s only one of the beautiful choices in the Nella-Bella Spring 2012 Collection. You’ve got the gamut covered with varying sizes, including perennial favourite the London and the NB Man bags that will leave the boys in your life wondering why they tried so hard to cram every single piece of their life into coat pockets (and give me even more things to steal from boyfriend *love you*). Colours are covered here too: blue, pink, turquoise and more for the bright light seekers, with black, grey, khaki and seriously delicious caramel for the basic needs.

So to recap:
1. Spring is here
2. You need a new bag
3. Look, I found you a new bag

(Uber-keener? Head to Chinatown to find a matching ring. Score!)

frank and oak is covering the basics

It wasn’t so long ago that Frank and Oak was just a dream waiting to be realized: stylish menswear for under $50. Too good to be true, what’s the deal?

No deal – just great clothes at an accessible price point, with new stock every month. For March, that stock is covering you for basics: button ups, jackets, ties, and solid accessories. Your spring wardrobe tune-up just got a lot easier.

So if you haven’t already, head on over and have a peak at the offering.

You could look as good as this boy, and who wouldn’t want that?

denis gagnon knows how to steal hearts

I’m going to go ahead and assume it’s common knowledge that Denis Gagnon is an amazing designer. With a flair for extremes, paired with a keen ability to tailor and edit, his pieces are wonderfully unique without being so flashy you’re hard pressed to wear them outside of fashion week tents.

The  French-Canadian enfant terrible of the industry is rapidly collecting the hearts of audiences and critics since returning to the fashion stage in 2009, and now with a stand alone boutique, it seems things are continuing to look up.

A recent trip to MTL brought me right to the gates of glory, a classic old building in Old Montreal, glass front, overlooking the basement level shop. A shaggy green chandelier, mannequins in short skirts and leather, a sculptural wood bench, the store is exactly what you’d picture for a designer who so eagerly throws caution to the wind when presented with the idea of standard practice.

Carrying both his signature line, and a few other designers for accessories, shoes and clothing, the store is small and welcoming. With huge change rooms, you feel at ease trying on the masterpieces Gagnon is known for.

How would I know about the change rooms?

Well, I may have gotten a little excited by my surroundings. There was a sale rack (!!) the contents of which made walking away empty handed damn-near impossible. So ladies and gentlemen, I present to you my new love: leather and knit jacket, so perfectly fitted, so comfy and so, so beautiful.

You like?

(photo cred)

Denis Gagnon Boutique | 170b rue Saint-Paul Ouest, Vieux-Montréal

first love or new love, just call it dr. martens

The long-loved Dr. Martens brand is doing one heck of a job of staying fresh and relevant, and this Wednesday’s SS12 FIRST LOVE Campaign Launch party certainly didn’t let that momentum go to waste.

As the second part of the #FIRSTANDFOREVER campaign, Dr. Marten asked bloggers nation-wide to submit images of the their first loves, which were all displayed in the Queen West store. The FIRST LOVE film starring everyone’s favourite Brit model Agyness Deyn played in the background.

Also on display was the new Dr. Martens collection which was really the star for me. You know why? This is why:

 

 

And with heels making a strong presence in the collection, the Dr. Martens store should definitely be on your list of stops for your next Queen Street stroll.

Check out some photos of the party below.
(photo cred photagonist.ca )

The Beckerman Sisters

Septembre, Bella, Sharad, Jen, Chantel

Chris | Truth of a Liar

The Airplane Boys

Little Fashionisto & Jay Strut

Marcus Troy & Shane Sterling

sneak peak :: all dressed up with rent frock repeat

Take a look at your closet. Right now. Ask yourself: when was the last time I wore that blue chiffony thing? Is it hanging between another dress you haven’t worn since cousin so-and-so got hitched, and another that hasn’t seen the light of day since your newly single girlfriend insisted you be her date to a prom-revival engagement party? It is. You know it. Your closet is bursting at the seams with dresses you’ll rarely have occasion to wear, and when you do have occasion, you’ll be tired of the ones staring back at you and drop cash on a new one.

It’s a vicious cycle. We’re pretty much all guilty.

But fear not, there is a saviour! *cue harp and cherub hums*

Introduce yourself to Rent frock Repeat, your new best friend. Offering the ingenious service of dress rentals, RfR gives you the chance to get that new dress you’ve been aching for at a price tag you can actually live with. And once you’re done, send it right back to keep your closet free for things you’ll actually wear.

The selection: amazing. So much so, that Anthea and I wanted to play dress up to show you some of the great pieces you can rent. A full(er) post will come with final photos, but until then, I couldn’t wait to tell you all about RfR AND show you a sneak peak. Take a look below and then head right on over to the website to start picking out your upcoming-weddings-wardrobe.

frank & oak wants you to look good.

Boys, boys, boys.

As of late, there’s been a lot of chatter about the male-gender needing to step up it’s dressing game. Sure we have some doing a spectacular job (a.k.a my bestie Sharad who always kills it, and that other boy of mine who dresses every day in hopes of impressing Sharad) – but there are still some slacking. Ill fitting jeans and worn out tees do not a wardrobe make. It’s comfy, sure, but better fitting jeans and a button-up are just as comfy. So listen up.

There’s a new player in town and you’ll want to lend an ear:

Frank & Oak is launching next month with the promise of well-priced gentlemanly clothes & accessories. And it gets better:

1. The selection will be limited edition, with new products each month. So your best-dressed efforts won’t be easily copied.

2. As an online retailer, you can kiss the mall goodbye.

So in summary: affordable, good looking clothes, with zero hassle.

Awesome right? Of course. Now get on the list and let them tell you when you can start digitally-swiping your way to your best-looking spring season.

Clicky, clicky.

it’s united nude time :: s/s 2012

Oh heck yes.

United Nude has launched its Spring/Summer 2012 line and now I’ve got more shoe porn to drool over until the next NYC visit when I’ll doubtlessly repeat my ritual of:

1. Approach NoHo
2. Enter UN Flagship
3. Stare forever
4. Try on
5. Hold back tears while cursing my half-size feet

But until that trip, I can dream about these wonderous pieces of design and the day when they might accidentally make a too-big-7 or a too-small-8.

Check out the entire collection here, and my favourite picks below.

do you like stats? I like stats.

I’m a bit of a math nerd.

Ok fine, I’m a huge math nerd. I took as much math as I could in high school, acing every class, and even being a TA in school and a tutor outside of it, knowing full well I was going to study theatre after grad. (Yeah, smart. Shut it.)

So when I was sent uber-fun & interactive stats about Fashion Week, I was in geeky heaven. Now, with pre-fall collections underway, I’m hoping EDITD will have the same info to share.

EDITD connects fashion, luxury and apparel people with the data they need to make better decisions. […] Far beyond inspiration, EDITD is factual information; essential for how the fashion industry is evolving.

You can check out pages for each city’s fashion week and see what the key looks were, and which designers, styles and prints created the most buzz. Neat!

Collect ’em all: NYC, Paris, Milan, London & SS12 Colour Report part1.

Now, about these bright. I’m going to need more of them.

give your fingers some character

Hand talkers, pay attention. While your fingers flail about in the excitement of recounting last weekend’s debauchery, you might want to consider some proverbial bedazzling. Sure, you’ve got your standard metal clunkers and jeweled dazzlers, but maybe you need to consider a little more character.

Enter, Neivz.

An accessories line based out of Los Angeles, the brand creates standout pieces to hang around your neck, wrist and fingers. Though all are quite fun and worth a peak, the character rings offer an especially fun way to play up your feelings for the day. Flirty? Angry? Hungry? Covered.

            

Ranging from $35 to $49 a piece on the online shop, consider this a small investment in giving your fingers a voice of their own.