9.30.2010

Exciting developments! My new labels arrived in the mail yesterday and I've been busily sewing them into all my finished garments. What a difference this little loop of twill makes, elevating what was once just a bolt of fabric on my cutting table to a real honest-to-god piece of clothing. I now feel these garments ready to be seen and enjoyed by the world outside my studio.

My friend Jeff Kulak designed the URSA MINOR logotype for me earlier this year and I've been dying to mark my work with it ever since. I'm so glad to finally be able to make proper use of this perfect logo.

I also ordered URSA MINOR hangtags to attach to finished pieces - it's almost like I'm professional. Can't wait to send some garments out my door!

9.29.2010

Genevieve snagged us some free tickets to the Valerie Dumaine show at Montreal Fashion Week last night. We got dressed up (OK, we got dressed) and met outside the Marche Bonsecours in old Montreal before the show began.

We picked up our tickets inside and watched the city's fashion elite schmooze and glide by in a sea of black. Some very stunning people live here, a starkly different scene than fashion week back home.

The show itself was wonderful to see. It opened with a cover of 'Some Velvet Morning' (the same song I opened the Nokomis S/S 2009 fashion show with!) and a model in a beautiful, lightweight cream tunic with grey brushstroke detailing. There were a couple pieces we thought were obvious standouts: diaphanous, flowing mini dresses in navy and cream and a flouncy fantasy baby-doll dress that Genevieve said she was going to wear to her wedding. Can't wait. Also, oversized colour-blocked tops and little fitted dresses which I could see on any number of young Montreal beauties come next Spring. My favorites were definitely the loose, draped shifts, soft silk pants and easy blazers which would all blend seamlessly into my own wardrobe.

Afterward we walked towards home and stopped for a late sushi dinner.

I wore the leather leggings I made earlier that day (two pairs to be included in my Nokomis care package!)

And Geneveive wore her new Black Mold S/S 2011 purse. Who loves leather? We do!

Thanks for another great night Genevieve.

9.27.2010

The finished blazer. Just like I wanted, very simple and clean-lined with subtle details. The fabric is showing up a little green in these photos, in reality it's an olive with more natural/brown tones. I still need to fool around with my camera to get it to the place it was before I took it in for repair, it's been a rather frustrating photo morning in fact.

One of my favorite features of this piece is how the collar parts to reveal the little hollow at the base of one's neck, a perfect glimpse of skin.

Of course I'm biased, but I think it works pretty well layered over my wool tabard as well. Who's ready for Fall?

9.21.2010

I'm working on a super streamlined version of the olive wool and leather blazer I made last Fall. I've changed the lapel from a rolled collar to a flat front and added big rectangular pockets instead of the welts on the original which I find always pull in a funny way. There will be two size smalls and two mediums, all lined in black kasha so they're lovely and warm. I'll post more photos soon (I get to pick up my good camera from the shop today, yay!) and then they're off to the wilds of western Canada for you to enjoy.

9.20.2010

First, I can't believe it's already the 20th of September. As usual I have a million things I want to finish before the end of the month and I'm going to need to exhibit supreme discipline to accomplish anything. At least I have a deadline, right?

Second, Raymond, Geneveive, Jon and I spent a large portion of the weekend at Lil' Biz, a series of free seminars directed towards self-employed artists, designers and the like. The conference was organized by Puces Pop, the arts and crafts portion of Pop Montreal and included talks on publicity, taxes & accounting, design & brand identity and growth on a DIY scale. Being a wannabe numbers nerd, I loved the discussion led by Dan Lacroix on small-business accounting, that practical sort of information that one always seems to learn on a need-to-know basis and often does only when it's already too late. I've never really been an individual who fears business numbers, but it's a good reminder to simply take things seriously, organize & review methodically and, for god's sake, attempt to look at the big picture and make smart business decisions.

Peggy Burns' talk on DIY publicity reminded me again how important it is to know not only your audience, but your industry press. Also? Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up! - something I definitely need to work on. Janice Wong spoke on using design to develop a small business and to create an entire experience rather than just focusing on the aesthetics of a product. Always good advice and something that I've been working towards for years.

Angie Johnson, designer behind the label Norwegian Wood and co-owner of Headquarters Galerie and Boutique here in Montreal, spoke on growing your brand while keeping a DIY ethic. Though I'd previously had indirect contact with Angie through Nokomis, this was the first time I've had the pleasure to meet her in person and boy was it ever nice to to hear someone relate the exact same trials & tribulations, frustrations & distractions that I encounter in my everyday work life. Seriously. The exact same. It reminds me that, yes, we're all in this together and can (and should) offer one another our invaluable advice, support, criticism, tools, contacts etc etc while we're all here to share them. There's still a lot of room for individual productivity and success within a larger creative community. Which is basically the whole reason I wanted to move to Montreal in the first place.

So it was a good weekend, and everyday I feel a little more connected to both the private and business worlds of my newly adopted home. And simply being able to attend free seminars such as these on sunny Saturday and Sunday afternoons tells me that I am living in a very special place and time indeed.

Make sure you stop by Puces Pop at the Eglise St-Michel on October 2 & 3 to check out beautiful new pieces designed by Genevieve and a multitude of talented others.

9.15.2010

The first of the pieces I'm working on for consignment at Nokomis and Victoire.

I drafted this versatile little cardigan (my mother calls it a 'tabard') earlier this summer for my Spring 2011 collection. It works surprisingly well as a filmy winter shrug too, and I just happened to have some lovely soft grey wool that needed using so, I thought, why not?

This is a piece I've been wearing with everything. It's perfect thrown over jeans and a tee to add a little interest to an outfit, also as an afterthought with a favorite dress. It's ideal for layering as it easily goes over, or under, just about anything. You can wear it a multitude of ways so that it really suits your style and purpose. I dunno, I like it.

The following photos aren't the greatest (my good camera is in the shop) but they give you an idea of what I'm talking about.

The wool I've used is a very fine woven material with an almost springy texture. It's similar in colour to the soft grey patches behind my kitten's ears.

These pieces, along with four or five other styles, will be available in limited quantity in Edmonton and Ottawa by the beginning of October.

9.8.2010

Kid and kitten. We like the same things, Cleo and I. One of them being black shearling.

It's been a tough couple days and I am reminded of how precious love and family and friendship are. Of how quickly things can be taken from us. Of the beauty of youth and the certainty and circumstance of mortality. It makes my heart ache.

9.1.2010

Nothing fancy here, just a simple little dress to live in for days on end when the temperature + humidity registers around 40. I literally can't wear anything else right now.