Shine On! Holiday Soirée / Local Design + Local Support

I was recently invited to attend Project Sunshine Canada YPC's Shine On! Holiday Soirée in the city; an event that aims to tastefully combine local talent and Fashion with local issues and real support. As everyone is aware, I am a huge believer in supporting Toronto's local design market in any way that I can - but this goes much further than just that.

Chaired by Jennifer Kaiser, Shine On! will showcase young, local Fashion Designers and their seasonal collections to a fun and fabulous crowd of buyers! All proceeds will be benefiting Project Sunshine Canada; a non-profit organization that provides free, public programs to children who face medical challenges (along with their families) in ten medical facilities across the GTA. The YPC (Young Patrons Circle) consists of young professionals who are passionately devoted to the work of Project Sunshine Canada; developing events to help raise awareness for the organization and empower it's ongoing work.

Shine On! will allow consumers to get a fabulous kick-start to their holiday shopping - enjoying drinks, food, friends, and a wide variety of local creations to choose from. This year's event will feature a talented, young, and ambitious roster of Artisans (and their brands) that produce everything from house wares, to hand-made accessories, to entire clothing lines - LABEL (whom we all know and love!), Valentine K, Bel Ami Hair Accessories, Toveren Jewelry, One-Off Vintage, and White Feather are just some of the names showcasing their talent this year.

I am thrilled to be attending this year's showcase. Local Fashion with a local message, and it can't hurt that the holidays are just around the corner! Join us this year, and be inspired not only by local design, but by the community action it will be a part of. Shine On! will be taking place on Monday, December 3rd, 2012 (that's next week!) at The Spoke Club on King West from 5:00 pm - 9:00pm. See you there!

H&M + MMM / 27 Look Gallery! #MaisonMartinMargiela

Courtesy the iconic Toronto Life, I present to you, my FFF (Faithful Fashion Followers!) 27 exclusive looks from the highly-anticipated H&M with Maison Martin Margiela Fall 2012 Collection. Just in case, of course, you just happened to miss the November 15th Launch frenzy! Enjoy, salivate a little, and maybe go on a hunt through the city and see what scraps you can find!

Images by Paul Wetherell/H&M

We Are Metal Heads! / Fashion Series Magazine + Dylan Dias!

Our good friends over at Fashion Series Magazine continue to produce quality coverage and tasteful publications of rich, Canadian talent every month! Providing readers with an actual, true insight into the industry; Fashion Series is devoted to the bustling and vibrant growing community of Toronto-centric Fashion Talent - from models to moguls in almost every field. Real interviews, real words, and real representation; and not to mention some fabulous Fashion! I am an enormous believer in providing strong support for local talent - in other words, I love this magazine. What they stand for is what I stand for, and I hope together we can elevate the real, local talent that bubbles in this great city of ours.  

If you remember, we recently participated in an Editorial for Frugal Fashion Week this Summer (Le POP!) and were lucky enough to have our spread featured in Fashion Series Volume 3 / URBAN! An exciting treat for us as well as our entire team. And now, to take it just one step further, I was privileged enough to also be featured this month in Fashion Series Volume 6 / EDGE! I not only had my latest Editorial, Metal Head, featured in the iconic magazine, but I was also interviewed as their featured Hairstylist of the Month!

I put together a fantastic team of some of the best people I know. Young, fresh, and full of ideas; we collaborated to create a brooding and sophisticated approach to hair, metal, and darkness in our production, Metal Head. The spread was published in Fashion Series along with an in-depth conversation (with yours truly!) discussing the correlation of hair, beauty, fashion, and Toronto! Click Here to view the Magazine and read my interview online (and to also see some of the other amazing artist features) and view our spread, Metal Head, below!

Photography / Alyssa Wodabeck assisted by Paula Visco

Wardrobe / Michelle Baboolall of Homegrown Boutique

Makeup / Tiffany Encina

Hair / Dylan Dias

All Jewelry / M.Sexton by Myles Sexton

Featuring Charmaine San Pedro (Velocci) + Cy Speckeen

I am deeply appreciative and so privileged to be featured in Fashion Series. It was an honour not only to create a spread for them with some amazingly creative and wonderful people, but to simply be an active part of the creative fabric of Toronto. We have incredible people here, I am thrilled to be able to work with so many of them. Thank you Fashion Series, and everyone involved, thank you for all you've given me and Toronto.

The Yorkdale Expansion Preview! / In Retrospect

It came, it was glorious, it went, and we're thrilled! As we touted earlier, the Yorkdale Expansion Opening was sure to be something stellar; and it was! We were invited to the Media Preview and had an exceptional time; and all the events, giveaways, and prizes were just the cream of an already fantastic opening.

The 145,000 square feet of new, stunning space was declared officially open last Thursday night to a fun and bright fireworks display! A great DJ set, food from Yorkdale's new JOEY's, and complimentary champagne solidified the experience; followed by a fun night of touring the new space and seeing some of the amazing new stores we've been talking about all Summer.

As we talked about earlier, Yorkdale's new space features 27 brand new retail spaces and some first-time, flagship openings - Kate Spade New York, Ted Baker London, Papyrus, Club Monaco, Anthropologie, a Tesla Showroom, Diesel, and Ann Taylor - just name some fabulous notables. Armed with the best arm candy in the city, and some big bags, and I ventured into each store and had the opportunity to meet the bright, new faces of Yorkdale's future first hand! Here are some photos of these great spaces.

L'OCCITANE en Provence gifted us with lovely, aromatic body washes and complimentary creams. The entire store was a fragrant, rustic escape from the modernity of the mall - and offered everything from hand massages, to manicures, to gentlemen's shaves. We were greeted by some of the most passionate and knowledgeable representatives of the brand, proclaiming their love for the organic roots of this fantastic company.

Papyrus is a craft-enthusiast paradise! Materials and ribbons of all kinds, beautifully designed papers of varying patterns, weights, and textures, as well as personalized cards, adorable notebooks, and beautiful boxes. The potential for creation is enormous! Such a lovely treat to have a store like this in Yorkdale. We were gifted with a lovely collection of Papyrus cards and paper accessories.

Club Monaco was probably my favourite store of the release - and this isn't just because Club Monaco had some fantastic pieces - it's because of the design! So tastefully ornate. Gold, rustic gems, crown molding, and opalescent fur - a visual treat as much as anything else. We were gifted with adorable arm warmers courtesy of the company; my new Winter staple!

Ann Taylor stole my heart on this night. They have a beautiful, expansive store. Great clothing, stunning jewelry; a true, flagship space. However! The memorable part? The girls! What a fantastic team at Ann Taylor. They were welcoming, funny, charming, beautiful, and made sure we always had a glass of rose in our hands. I cherished this experience and can't wait to return to the store this Winter! We were gifted with an exclusive ceramic and gold bracelet courtesy Ann Taylor.

Diesel was a treat as well! We ran into the fabulous and fierce JayStrut on this night - he was participating in a blogger event where bloggers were chosen to design mannequins in-store with Diesel Merchandise! As participants to the event we were invited to vote for our favourite to be entered into a $1000 draw! Jay also hosted the evening and even DJ'd a set. The store had great energy, popcorn, cotton candy, and gifted us with exclusive Diesel Canada mugs and some Loverdose perfume!

Anthropologie was much the same as Club Monaco in terms of presentation! And by that I mean its power. It was stunning. So well composed, so meticulously detailed. The girls of Anthropologie were quick to explain that it was a labour of love. A true country-chic gem in a bustling city - I loved everything. The patterns, the knits, the stunning jewelry, the personalized mugs! It was charming and adorable - probably one of my favourite new stores to arrive. We were treated to champagne and cookies and gifted with beautiful wooden rings and a little message thanking us for participating in the celebration. Thank you Anthropologie!

Hugo Boss was also a visual treat! No surprise from the mogul retailer - stunning floors, beautiful shelving, and an open, walk-through design room that was a welcoming find. The clothing and the accessories were stunning in true BOSS fashion and the people were fabulous.

Ted Baker London was one of my favourite spots to visit! It had the most well-composed presentation by far. The jarred, complimentary cocktails, the light, British fair, and the photo booth to top it all off! It was charming and so, so great looking. I am so thankful to have a men's retailer that understands chic style in an interesting way - you simply must see their sport coats. Geometric mirrors graced the ceilings and the walls, opening up the space and reflect all the warm, wooden elements throughout. The men of men will go here - it was unforgettably fabulous. We were gifted with Ted Baker notepads! So cute, I love them.

We ended our night at Kate Spade New York! The bright colours were an instant hit! Playing on the neons of Spring, Kate is never short of visual inspiration. Beautiful, iconic jewelry, hilarious and flirty tote bags, and bright, glossy leathers filled the room with the spirit of whimsy. A wonderful store lead by a great group of girls.

I couldn't be more thrilled with everything Yorkdale has done and is doing. My favourite mall still holds itself as the premiere shopping destination in the city; and perhaps the most successful in the country. Keep being chic Yorkdale!

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