Year: 2012

To all my friends, family, colleagues, clients, vendors,

Peace be with you.

On Christmas Eve, a friend of the store was passing by as I was closing up (behind schedule of course with family awaiting). I stopped what I was doing, waved her in, unlocked the door so I could wish her a Merry Christmas. Her red, teary eyes gave way to the story of her first Christmas without her parents, because work is too sparse to fund the trip home. On my way home, I called one of my dearest, closest friends only to find she was in Toronto spending time with her dear friend who is fighting a brain tumour. Another friend and his family are facing their first Christmas without his father who passed in November. My uncle, the Vietnam Vet, also fighting cancer possibly due to Agent Orange or maybe the cigarettes they issued him while on duty.

My first friend was quick to recognize her ego’s role in the tears, wisely finding perspective. My second friend was quick to recognize reality while holding on to hope for all involved. My uncle, strong from all the challenges he has endured was grateful to be home for Christmas, surrounded by family.

They are all facing their fears with grace and dignity. They are finding peace. I think we are all finding peace, either in creating turmoil to learn about lack of peace or by creating peace where we can or some combination thereof.

I have peace the moment I unlock the door at the shop everyday. I have peace when I hug my daughter. I had peace when I accepted design school. I had peace when I heard Marcus Mosely sing Holy Night last night at St. Augustines. Wait, maybe that was bliss.

So tonight, Christmas night, when all is calm and bright, I wish for you …. peace.

I went to Magic (and all it’s compadres) last week in Vegas with Kathy (of the most excellent Modest Goddess). I don’t really know where to start. It was overwhelming.

Magic is the wholesale fashion tradeshow, possibly the largest in the world. Imagine football fields of clothing, shoes, accessories, spread over 3 convention sites (because 1 doesn’t even come close to big enough to hold all the samples). Then imagine hour long lineups at Starbucks in the morning just to get the coffee you so desperately need to counter the effects of the previous night (what happens in Vegas….). Then layer onto that 4 straight days of walking from 9am until 6pm or even later in our case. Last but not least, you need to layer in the most stylish people concentrated in one place at the same time. And it’s all in Vegas baby where the taxi cabs play Steve Winn’s video extolling the virtues of the Winn hotel (who is this guy??); where people smoke EVERYWHERE indoors and; casinos pump “perfumed” air into the buildings… so kind of them.

Enough digression. Here are my takeaways from the show:

• the assymetrical, aka the hi-low, aka the mullet hem is not going anywhere for a while. So invest now and a year from now you’ll remember you were an early adopter.
• wedges too are not going anywhere. The soles are getting more interesting (clear acrylic or textured soles for example)
• chiffon anything (silk, poly, you name it)
• plasticized, coloured and graphic denim. Ooh la la. Ours will be here soon so save some room in your fall shopping budget for this one. We found some amazing stretch ones.
• NEON. If you don’t love it, put a little neon green cami under a white shirt. You’ll be on trend without competing with the local neon billboards.
• Platform Oxfords. With rolled up, coloured, skinny jeans and button down collared shirts. 50s revival.
• digital print bottoms and dresses, ooh-la-la

The general look is anything long and skinny on the bottom and large oversized tops. Dresses are either 50s revival or feminine and flowy with the hi-low hems. Chunky heels a must to make it all look more like 2013 than 1983.

I can hardly wait for our orders to come in! It was so fun to buy for fall and spring and I hope you will enjoy some of the pieces we bought for you all. So, there you have it. Magic, Project, Pool, Platform, Vegas, Kathy and me. I want to thank Kathy for being such a great travel partner and a amazing person all around. (Oh and if you come to the store ask Kathy about our new pal Pamela).

She passed away a year ago. The first Mother’s Day without her…. I was pretty numb. So this one feels different.

Everything she did was perfect. La Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture would have appreciated her sewing. A clairvoyant once told me she sewed in previous lifetime for Louis XIV… which would explain more than just a few things. Her cooking was phenomenal, her petit-point and penmanship won contests, her book-keeping always reconciled to the penny and she always looked lovely.

She got distracted too, so I came by my distraction honestly. She wanted to be a nurse at a young age but it was not written in the cards. She lost more babies than she was able to keep, 5 out of 9 pregnancies. She adapted and built new dreams. She was incredibly strong and fought hard through her cancer. But her heart was tired from battle.

I know some of you know what it is like to lose your Mom. You think to call her and then remember she’s not there anymore. A smaller Sunday dinner table. And that void on Mother’s Day. I suppose we could be grateful we are not starving in some ravaged corner of the earth but it takes me a lot to get there. So this Mother’s Day, I will remember mine quietly, deeply and I will be ever grateful she was mine.

I spend the month of March in buying mode so we have a lot of new pieces in for the start of a new month …. and hopefully spring.

Covet – amazing dresses with assymetrical hems and beautiful waist fitting.

Religion – this line is on-trend with a British style. The dresses came in strong with a lot of intricate back cut outs.

Mink Pink – some beautiful prints combined with unique silhouettes, not to mention the famous jean shorts.

SkunkFunk – we are strong on dresses right now, some of the bold print and architecture that defines this line and some with basic lines but pops of colour. Oh, and the bags! This spring we have some interesting bags… you won’t find these anywhere else.

Looking forward to seeing you soon!