Calgary

Can’t wait for this album to drop!

 

Dieing to Dye

After reading all about Shabd on The Maker from this post I got all inspired.  I had a piece of pastel mint knit that has been sitting in my fabric box for ages and I thought I’ll experiment on that.  Sadly I am always too eager to do the thing to post making of pictures so you’ll just have to look at the end result which is super cool.  For instructions and techniques check over at honestly…wtf.  I chose a simple version of the piping one they showed.  Basically I decided which way I would want the stripes to go (across the body, since I was going to cut this into a dress) and rolled it up doubled it over and put a ton of rubber bands on it. I tried to be patient and read a book at the same time as I stirred, that lasted 15 minutes before my arm was going to fall off…but the results are great and I’ve totally planned a tie-dye party in the next of weeks.  Yeah for summer!

Happy Memorial Wkd!

Joan Jett thanks for reading my mind with this song:

New Summer Clutches

A couple of new colours up.  Stripy red/blue/green/yellow and emerald green croc printed.  Gorg-eous HERE

New Stockist

Hello Denver! I can’t help writing this without thinking of John Denver singing “Country Roads”….

Anyways, Pour Porter curates a sharp collection of interesting designers who are off the map and I am very excited to be amongst them.  Shop HERE

Studio Tours

I love a look behind the scenes – in a play, in a restaurant in a factory.  I want to know what makes something tick.  Cue my new favourite website The Makers  by Jennifer Causey that gives studio tours of Brooklyn bakers, designers, painters, artists. I’m loving Shabd’s studio, so much light.  And I want to go out and tie-dye everything now…

all photos from The Makers, Jennifer Causey

Check, Please!

I’ve had a few friends open restaurants in the past couple of years and having sewing skills I find myself doing related jobs. I made slip covers to keep dust off racks of polished wine glasses at The Monday Room.  I’ve re-covered vintage chair seat pads at Highlands Restaurant in tartan which nearly drove me crazy ensuring the stripes were straight and square, denim aprons at Mary Queen of Scots and most recently check presenters for Colonie.  They had some leather left over from their banquets and asked me to come up with a simple, classic design.  I based it off of a checkbook cover and then fashioned around 13 or so in similar tones from a big bag of scraps straight from the upholsterer.  As a side note, I also really enjoy making things from something that would otherwise be thrown away.

These restaurant side projects I do are not usually things you’d really pay attention to or notice but receiving the bill at the end of the meal (especially if you eat and drink like me and my friends) is hard to miss.  Cue Krista Garcia of Metromix,  who wrote an article on restaurants making that chunk of change disappearing all the sweeter with inventive and smart check presenters.  Cigar boxes, vintage books, fortune telling fish, family photos and me! Read the full article HERE

photo by Donny Tsang

Mini Mini Market – new Stockist

Do you live in Williamsburg? Lucky you!  Go get your vintage Schwinn and cycle over to Mini Mini Market  -  I just dropped off some of those glorious Summer Clutches I mentioned a few days ago.  I’ve long been a customer of theirs and Shoe Market, so I am very excited to be working with them with my new goods!

photo from mini mini market website

Hedi Slimane in B&W

I only recently discovered Hedi Slimane has a blog, gorgeous photos that make me want to shoot 100% in black and white, go on a road trip, get a new tattoo and go to a shooting range…

NEW – Summer Clutches

For collection I like to use shades that will carry through seasons and then mid-season I like to break that rule and throw some colour out there! So yesterday it was a beautiful day and I decided to ride my bike into the city and visit one of my guys to see what they had to quench this thirst.  Let me tell you it was soooo hard to choose!I basically bought as much as my bag would fit, which was about 20 pounds worth – the equivalent of 2 1/2 cows.

I was definitely more motivated to sew these up, I think just because they are so colourful and fun.  Though photographing them all together was a pain in the ass.  I remember Sergio telling me  on the shoot we did last Spring if we could avoid the models wearing white and black it would make his job easier.  And when Adrian did my head-shots he vetoed stripes until we decided to do them in black and white instead of colour.  I didn’t realize until now how difficult it is to get a true reading of those colours.  Buy ‘em HERE