stuck in the middle

After years (6 to be exact) of sporting the side bang, last October I finally grew out my fringe in exchange for a part, right down the middle. Lately, I've been craving a change in the way of blunt bangs, but these ladies are reminding me: middle part, amazing. Also: R. Bilson's hair, perfection.

From the Grocery Aisle to Queen West

You can always bet that even the most stylish of girls have at least one item from Joe Fresh in their wardrobe. Sure it's not high fashion but the clothes are wearable and (most importantly) affordable for downtown girls who have to sacrifice a little bit of wardrobe budget to pay the rent every now and then. And sure enough those folks at Joe must be doing something right because yesterday Loblaws announced that they're taking the cheap chic clothing line to the mainstream retail world and planning to open a 8, 000 ft Joe Fresh retail location right smack dab in the middle of Queen Street West. While the Queen West area used to be a haven for independent boutique owners and artist types (the real type not the pseudo hipster type) the retail strip has transformed over the past decade into something of an Eaton Centre al-fresco. The new Joe store will be sharing the retail 'hood with some pretty high profile neighbours - including H&M, American Apparel, Club Monaco and Urban Outfitters all within a couple blocks.

Blame it on the recession and the tempting lure of a good bargain but looks like this this former grocery store brand is making all the right moves to become a real home grown success story in the world of Canadian fashion. From debuting the Spring Collection at L'Oreal Fashion Week, introducing a cosmetics line, and now the move to one of the city's most coveted high-street retail spots. But while Joe Fresh will be occupying the street level space it seems that the clothing line is not quite ready to cut ties with its grocery store roots. The retail project will also include a 45,000-square-foot Loblaws supermarket on the second floor and a 29,000-square-foot Winners on the third floor.

But don't get too excited - while urban dwellers are sure to love the retail bargains and convenience factor of this monolithic downtown shopping complex, they'll have to wait 'til 2011 for the stores to open. To get your Joe fix now be sure to check out the new fall line next time you head out for milk and cereal - you just might be tempted pick up some cozy sweaters and frilly autumny blouses to keep your groceries company in those reusable bags.

better than anything else

This latest post from Le Love perfectly sums up how I feel about today and the special person I will be seeing (finally).

grande sugar-free hazelnut americano, please

"I need a coffee the size of my head."
-Carrie Bradshaw, They Shoot Single People Don't They

Me too, Carrie. Me too. Coffee: the smooth, nutty, chocolatey aroma, the variety, the need for it first thing in the morning, the fun of meeting a friend at the local independent coffee shop (bah... who am i kidding - most of the time it's Starbucks), and the little pick-me-up it gives in the afternoon...how you treat me so right.
I can't remember exactly when I developed such a love for coffee. Perhaps it was around the same time I began my obligatory high school job at a Second Cup and my friend Lauren and I developed the phrase 'Coretto Time' (which is when we would ditch first period in favour of a cup of the caramel-vanilla-espresso goodness.. irresponsible, yes, but that's besides the point).
My affinity towards coffee only continued to grow when I restarted my coffee career at yet another Second Cup, this time during university, which is where Jessica (who also had the 'pleasure' of working at a mall Second Cup during her high school days) and I met. We became fast friends over steaming milk and indie music (microfoam and Stars, anyone?).
While living in Korea has many wonderful things to offer, a cup of strong coffee isn't one of them. Here, finding a cup of correctly brewed coffee is about as hard as finding an episode of Gossip Girl where Blaire isn't donning a headband or a paparazzi shot of an Olsen twin sans paper cup. As a result, I've resorted to filling my morning caffeine void with...duh duh dun...instant coffee - the horror. It's not half bad, but it just doesn't compare and I'd trade it for a little Coretto Time any day.
xo

“A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.”
Wise words from a beautiful mademoiselle celebrating her 126th birthday today.

I consider myself quite lucky to share my own birthday week with my personal favourite leading lady in the world of fashion. My love affair with all things Chanel began with a grade ten fashion class assignment. Now while my own fourteen year old wardrobe choices often involved wide leg denim and crop-top graphic tees I still had the good sense to select Chanel as my designer of choice for our in class designer profile. After an extensive period of research (remember this was pre-wikipedia days) I managed to stumble over my ten minute presentation on the life and achievements of Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel. And while my delivery was marred by the usual indicators high school awkwardness (nervous laughter, rosy cheeks etc) by the end of the class I had convinced myself, and hopefully some of my teenage classmates, that one day we too could embody the elegant beauty of this iconic designer.

Ever since then I have looked to the past and present designs of Chanel as inspiration for a style of dress that is timeless in its classic simplicity. And while i've moved on from my sparkly doubled C's china town earrings and i'm only 6 months into my five year piggy bank savings plan for this bag, I still believe that regardless of income we can all take on some Chanel inspired pieces in our own wardrobes. So spritz yourself with some No. 5 and throw on your favourite black and white ensemble (with matching pearls of course) to celebrate the legacy of Ms. Coco and how far we've all come from our fashion challenged high school days.

Too pretty to eat

I have hungry eyes for Pretty Foods, a blog based on tasty images that are, as their tagline reads, too pretty to eat. Damn, I want to be a food stylist.

Happy birthday, dear Jessica...

I know this post is a little early, but I'm 13 hours ahead over here in SoKo - which means it's already a special someone's birthday! So without further ado...here are 10 reasons why I am celebrating the birth of Miss. Napier:

10. She's a brunch enthusiast. And who doesn't love someone that appreciates a good brunch.

9. Not only is she a blossoming fashion photographer and blog writer, Humanitarian Napes is on the planning committee for The Amazing Race Against Time, in support of the Stephen Lewis Foundation.

8. She knows that goat cheese, roasted red pepper, pesto, and sundried tomatoes are what really constitute a good meal (not to mention she can whip up an impromptu breakfast like a pro when her guest is feeling a little... under the weather).

7. She is an incredible party planner: from a nautical themed birthday bash to rainbow bright pride soirees, this girl really knows how to throw it down.


6. She's somewhat of a globe trotter. Luckily Jessica takes some pretty fantastic photos, which make it easier to live vicariously through her many travels.

5. She can dress with the best of them - and doesn't mind spending the day scouring vintage shops in T.O to find some hidden gems.

4. She is absolutely hilarious and can come up with a quick pop cultural reference faster than you can say Chuck Bass wears purple suits.


3. She's an avid reader - and I've got love for anyone who shares my interest in reading the satirical memoirs of gay men.

2. She loves white wine and multi-grain tostitos more than I do... or maybe the same as I do... or maybe almost as much as I do.

1. She knows that: La minita, cinnamon buns, mixed cds, the Koreans, pastel man, glasses to-town, team (not so) hella-tight, snooty combo platters, long beads, Locke Street, quotable cards, the bean eater, second floor mills, bean bar pesto, orders to comply....are the foundations of a beautiful friendship.

Happy Birthday, Napes!!! Love, Katers xoxoxo

And even if he wakes you up everyday by sneezing right in your face...

...Well, you love his sneezes more than anyone else's kisses.

I love Two Days in Paris and Julie Delpy....(and a certain someone's sneezes).

Dear New York,

I love you! And I am just dying to see you. October can't come soon enough.

Big Apple kisses xxx,
Katie

P.S. I hear Natalie Portman is directing one of your vignettes - weeeeeeeeee!

This week in unimpressed

So Perez Hilton seems to have taken time out of his busy schedule of drawing cartoon penises and other defamatory doodles on Lindsay Lohan to launch a new website this week entitled CocoPerez. Now, while I am a relatively casual reader of Perez's snarky entertainment blog I am definitely unimpressed with his attempted foray into the world of high fashion. Attaching his psydonym to the name of one of fashion's most iconic female designers might be a bit presumptuous on his part. Especially since he has been photographed looking like this and this in the past. I'm not the most haute-coture creature out there but i'm pretty sure if you've ever considered wearing a shower cap on the red carpet you are NOT entitled to start your own fashion blog. Hilton told the Washingon Post that the site will appeal to "women and gays, maybe straight men. But it should definitely keep the ladies happy." Rather than keeping me happy this site kind of has me wondering how this makes any sense and why on earth the entire site is sponsored by the GAP? And so, while the so called "Queen of all media" continues to expand his empire this latest project has me hoping that he finds himself brushing up against a member of the BEP's entourage again very soon.