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Almost four years ago now, I opened my door on 4th Ave West in Kitsilano. That door was closed a week ago today. And on Friday, we opened our new door on 2843 Granville Street.

Being the sap that I am, I want to take a moment to thank Kitsilano. The people I met, the experiences we shared, the outfits we created, the puppy treats we handed out, I will be forever grateful for your warm welcome and personality. I will miss my wonderful neighbours and wish them all the best in their relocations.

We hope to see you soon at the new location. It has a completely different feeling, a little more French Contemporary, thanks to Ally Spino Designs. Fresh paint, floors, sconces etc. Not to mention all the new clothes that we put out over the last few days.

Frank from L’Atelier Patisserie made us some welcome chocolates. I hope you can stop by to say hello very soon and have a little bonbon. Don’t make me miss you for too long.

A votre service,

Kathryn

Double thumbs up endorsement go to Pantone for picking two colours;  colours that go together and; two colours that are make a bold statement in spite of their low saturation. That’s a big order for any colour!

Ethereal, quietly joyful, sunny, sweet, feminine, flowy. Just some of the adjectives I think of when I see that image

I have always, always, always loved faded denim with baby pink tops. So this is an easy first outfit. Next, I keep seeing a minimalist coat in Rose Quartz with some Serentiy colour blocked sleeves, with a matching Serenity pencil skirt. Blue tapered dress pants with a ….

‘kay, gotta go now… i have to draw …

k : )

The Fall 2015 Matt and Nat collection is now available at the store. I love this line for many reasons:

1. The design. modern, sleek, minimalist, with a twist
2. Clean conscience. Vegan leather.
3. Quality. I have seen 10 year old bags waltz in with their owner and they are still in great shape.
4. Canadian. ‘nuff said.

Come in and tell me what you think of the line. It’s always nice to get feedback from you.

Happy Long Weekend!

I had lost touch with drawing over the last few years. So it was pretty nice to sit down at the drawing table, with fabric swatches and actually draw with a line in mind. Three and a half years of retail in Kitsilano has given me some insight into your fashion requirements. Together we have discussed the hits and the misses, the holes and floods, the fits and the misfits. Thank you for taking the time to discuss what you like and dislike, it helps immensely.

So this is just a little glimpse of what I have been working on. Stay tuned for more updates.

Happy August 2015.

It was my birthday this weekend and I am reflecting on my birthstone, the Topaz. Some topaz fun facts:

• it’s available in almost every colour although the warm tones (yellow-red) are most common
• the purest form is clear
• scores .8 on the Moh’s scale of hardness (that means it’s quite hard)
• may have been first discovered on St. John’s island in the Red Sea
• can be found as large as boulders
• commonly found near granite
• facilitates the balance of emotions and provides protection from greed

The other gemstone for November is the Citrine and offers the following healing powers:

• supports vitality and health
• encourages guiding hope, energy and warmth within the wearer

Thank you American Gem Society! And happy birthday to all the November babies out there!

If you haven’t updated your wardrobe in a few years, it may be time to look critically at your wardrobe and see if it needs an update. (I’ll give you one hint, if you are still wearing boot cuts … ). I recommend you start with one entire outfit. One new outfit will do a lot to make the most of what you currently have more trendy.

1. Buy a new pair of every day shoes. Something that you can wear with a skirt, jeans and dress pants. My favourite is the Miista ankle booty that should arrive this week. A pull-on with a nice modest almond toe, good quality leather and flat (no heel) should work with most of the bottoms you throw at it.
2. Move on up to the bottoms. Right now we’re on pencil midi skirts, below the knee and high-waisted. Or skinny jeans with a little ankle roll (optional on the roll). If you don’t want to spend money on new jeans, have your bootcuts tailored. Office-bound? Think tapered dress pant, not straight leg, again, back away from the boot cuts.
3. Get a blouse. Not a tee-shirt. A nice georgette crepe would be great. I prefer a boxy button up with a stand up collar that I can layer with sweaters but a simple crew neck that supports a necklace is equally good. Your new blouse will work the same way, bringing some of your other bottoms into the trend zone.
4. Hair: short-mid length hair for fall 2014 is all about the bob. And it looks consistently like a reverse cut (shorter in the back). Long still seems like a flowy easy curl or a loose bun on top. Sheryll at Opus in Yaletown is amazing for new styles and really reasonable. Tell her Kathryn sent you, to get $20 off your first cut.

As budget allows, you can layer in accessories and more options in each category. Let me know how that extra bounce in your step works out for you!

We’ve all been there. That sinking feeling. That moment when you look in your closet, see it packed from one end to the other but you can’t find anything to wear? Let’s add on the dynamic of having to leave the house in 5 minutes!

let. us. help. you.

What we love, love, love to do is help your girls find something to get out of bed for. The feeling you get when you put on a trendy outfit head to toe and you feel like a rock star…. that’s what we like to create for you. Our favourite experiences are when you come in and let us dress you a new style – something you haven’t tried before.

Right now we’re outfitting clients in skinny bottoms (Lysse luxury leggings or JUST USA skinny high rise jeans), a modern flat (Chinese Laundry’s Easy Does It is perfect) and large unstructured blouses. We top it off with a statement necklace. It replaces the low rise denim and long fitted tees topped off with hoodies.

So the next time you have that sinking feeling, come and see us, we will be so happy to help you find something that puts a little extra swagger in your step.

Happy Spring!

I recently did a buying trip for Spring 2014. Buying trips grow my perspective on micro trends that last a season or two, and macro trends that can last years, possibly decades. Right now we’re in a skinny bottom macro era, likely combined with a high rise macro era. I first noticed it in LA, 2010. American Apparel took out huge billboards for the high rise skinny jean. It’s starting to pick up steam and will likely stick with us for a good decade. I think back to Toronto, 2006 when flare pants came back. I would say they were still available until last year at many major retailers. Let’s call that a 15 year stretch.

What I like about the high rise skinny is what it does to the create vertical line. When the legs look thin, we look taller. The top can be full and straight without darting or belting and the line will be uninterrupted from head to toe. If you stack that with a bun, toque, a choker necklace or a long strand, it would be an enhanced vertical line. The low rise cuts us horizontally at the wider part of our body. That creates horizontal line, not the most flattering for 90% of us.

I don’t like new cars. It takes me a long time to warm up to the design. But once I do, I can appreciate the elements of design involved. I suspect that it will take some of us time to warm up to the concept of the high rise skinny. But we’ll likely have a decade to do so. Next up, shoulder pads.

p.s. you can always come in and play with our skinnies. We love to help find what works for you. If the Mink Pink floral denim skinny (left) is too patterned, we have all the solids covered for you too.

• design school: check
• inspiration: check
• Alva dress form: check
• Bernina sewing machine: check
• jet-threading auto tension Babylock serger: check
• pattern-paper: __________
• work table: ____________
• coverstitch machine: ________
• sell blind-hemmer in back of shop to buy coverstitch:_______
• renovate back are to accomodate work table: _______
• sketches: _______________
• production business case: ____________
• labels: draft miter edge, 2 colour print draft completed

Lots to do but I started to tackle them one by one. I am making progress inch by inch so that someday I will have something in the store with my own label on it. Speaking of labels, I drafted a version and while it is in my nature to procrastinate a final decision I am trying to live by the edict that the best idea is an executed idea.

If I decide to change the brand identity later, it’s only a question of money.
For now, I just need to inch it forward.