just a kid from canada

Irina Lazareanu in Another Magazine.

Just a kid from Canada... with really good hair.

Perhaps it's time for a (much needed) chop.

team macho

Team Macho is a (super-rad) Toronto-based collaborative illustration and fine art effort. You can check out their playful pieces on their site's gallery and at Magic Pony. My boyfriend (who notified me of their collective awesomeness) wants their book - along with one of those 'staches.

canadiana

Hudson's Bay classic point blanket reworked by Smythe. I want I want.

when Tommy met Tavi

Mr Jak and Jil shot little miss fashion blogger of the moment for Paris Vogue this month.

Would anyone who parlez francais like to translate this for me?

lullabies for little criminals

"Alphonse wore expensive outfits and a white angora baseball hat. He had a pair of gold pants and a shirt with goldfish that matched the pants exactly. Once I saw him out on the street corner...wearing a burgundy overcoat over some green silk pajamas with blue leather slippers and drinking out of a plastic milk container. It was then that I realized that he could never look anything but spectacular."

Have you read this yet? If not you should, I know you'd like it. I'm only half way through but so far it gets an enthusiastic thumbs up for being funny, heart-wrenching, and Canadian all in one.

TO Fashion Week: Joe Fresh

Joe Mimran just might be the best thing to happen to grocery stores since, well sliced bread...okay make that bulk candy. His eponymous Joe Fresh line consistently turns out cheap and cheerful (although ill fitting at times - but we'll forgive you) designs that are astoundingly on-trend, especially for a label sold alongside cereal and toothpaste. His runway show was probably the hottest ticket of the week because, well lets face it, these are desirable pieces that us normal folk can actually afford. So if you love head to toe beige on beige and country clogs (if Joe Fresh AND Chanel say so - I guess I'll have to give in) then get excited for Spring 2010. For a much more competent review of the show and photos of the entire collection peep Toronto Life's style blog.

spoiler alert: there are a lot of body suits happening and i'm kind of into it

TO Fashion Week: Jason Meyers

"An elegant take on what the reluctantly growing-up girly-girl wants to wear now"
SNP for Eye Weekly

Looks like Toronto fashion's not so weak at Fashion Week. Now considering i'm such a reality show junkie its pretty shocking to note that I actually have never seen an episode of Project Runway. With that in mind, I had no idea who Jason Meyers was or why I should care - well, until now. Living vicariously through much more VIP style bloggers I took a peak at Meyers' Spring 2010 collection and I think we can all agree...swoon. Bubblegum pink and dove gray ruffles paired with black leather gloves and lace up heels made for an impressive debut post reality tv land. And thank goodness, the strong shoulder is here to stay.

Sidenote: these photos are phenom and are graciously stolen from Miss Jenna Marie Wakani (via Toronto Life) who is not only a fabulous toronto based shutterbug but also one of my only office friends and a fellow OTHS classmate, alongside Mr. Jak and Jil of course ....no big deal.

1,000 Awesome Things

Everyone (especially Katie and I) loves a good blogging turned book deal success story. That’s why I was super pleased to learn that one of my favourite blogs, 1000 Awesome Things (my go to pick me up out of my weekly I’m unpaid & living in my parents’ house pity party) has recently been blessed by the publishing gods. Following in the footsteps of fellow Toronto blogger Christian Lander (of Stuff White People Like fame) Neil Pasricha’s unapologetically optimistic countdown of all of life’s mundane wonders will be printed, bound and probably on my coffee table within the coming months.

1,000 Awesome Things, which Pasricha started in June 2008, has been counting down silly and smile inducing things every day for over a year now. The blog has only reached #650 so far – meaning that there are still hundreds of everyday bits of happiness to celebrate.

Here are some of my personal favourites…

#670 When a stranger walks by and offers to take a photo of you and the person you’re with

#717 Sleeping with one leg under the covers and one leg out

#720 The final seconds of untangling a really big knot

#756 Getting the booth side of a restaurant table

#858 The other side of the pillow

Fall Faves.

I know Aritzia doesn't exactly count as high fashion but I still manage to get all haute and bothered every time I see a new style selection on the racks. The fall collection from Aritzia's in house Wilfred label is covet-worthy with cozy knits and silky tops in deep fall colours like maroon and forest green. There are baggy sweaters aplenty (check out number 7 and number 10 on the collections page) and the photos have a definite Felicity circa freshman year feel to them, which means Katie will love them even more.

News that'll get your panties in a twist

In just a few months time Victoria is finally going to share her sexy secrets with us lingerie lovers this side of the border.

Victoria's Secret, the much coveted destination for cross-border shoppers, is finally making its way to Canada with four PINK stores opening in Ontario in the coming months and flagship VS stores opening in Spring 2010. I think women (and men) all over the country will be pleased with Victoria's arrival, except maybe those working for La Senza.

And it certainly is about time, according to this article from the Globe and Mail the current Top Five lingerie retailers for women in this country include dowdy granny panty purveying Sears and bargain big box stores Zellers and Walmart - how un-sexy are we Canada?

If you needed further proof that Canadian women need to seriously spice up their underwear drawer then check out the rest of the list which includes Cost-co at number nine and Mark's Work Wearhouse coming in at number ten - bleuugh.

Thank those heavenly Victoria Secret angels for finally blessing us Canadians with some sexy long-lasting underwire and racy nighttime outfits!

This week in unimpressed

Today I'm blogging on behalf of some very disgruntled coffee (and tea) lovers close to my heart. I think anyone who knows me knows I'm a little bit of a coffee snob, okay maybe a BIG coffee snob. Needless to say my experience with Canada's ubiquitous blue-collar coffee and donut chain has been limited to an occasional French 'this is the only possible option' Vanilla in cottage country. Even though I don't frequent the country's beloved Timmies its been hard to ignore the buzz (get it? coffee..buzz) this week over the increased prices on everything from tea to timbits. And even though 5 cents here and 10 cents there might not seem like a big deal, for those who love their caffeine routine the extra pennies are sure to add up. And in a year when Starbucks, every yuppie's favourite overpriced coffee mecca, has actually been lowering prices its hard to believe that their not so snobby competitor needs to fall back on the 'harsh economic times' excuse for their price jacking.

While some may try and start their own personal boycott over a 7 cent difference, I'm sure many customers will simply grumble and get over it, with the excuse that 'they'd rather support a homegrown company.' Now, people claiming that they are being 'patriot' by going to Tim Hortons is a personal pet peeve of mine, so indulge my ranting here for a bit. While advertisements featuring ice skating kids and phrases like 'double double' and 'roll up the rim' seem like such an integral part of Canadian identity, the coffee shop was actually bought by an American company in 1995. So why not take your precious toonies and wander over to the 100% Canadian Second Cup, where the coffee is ten times more flavourful and there have never been any of those scary nicotine rumours.

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.

Style Stalker: The Bachelorette

The re-run wasteland that is May-September provides an excellent excuse to become (casually) addicted to really really bad summer reality television. Whether they're dancing, modeling, singing or just looking for love the crazy characters of reality tv provide enough drama to get me through those long summer nights.

This year's resident Bachelorette is Vancouver native and Bachelor reject (ouch) Jillian Harris. Dubbed by CityTV as "Canada's Sweetheart" (not to be confused with this obscure CBC docudrama from 1985) Jillian is faced with the incredibly difficult task of making out with lots of different suitors while working on her tan and jet-setting around the world. And while the men have been rather dull (with the exception of Wes the evil country singing cowboy and Tanner the awkward foot festish guy) it's been Jillian's wardrobe that has kept me tuning in for two hours every monday night (yes i need to get a life).

I've been coveting (and copying) Jillian's cute and casual clothing throughout the series. From her many TNA hoodies, silky wilfred tops and variety of plaid ensembles its no secret that she's a fan of can-con in her wardrobe. Also not so secret...the tons of free swag she was given by Aritzia before going on the show. And while we might not all be lucky enough to have wardobe makeover funded by ABC, at least many of her clothing options are affordable and accessible (ie: Aritzia, XXI and French Connection) for us non reality tv stars.

And so, even if you're not a fan of scripted reality showmance Jillian's wardrobe might be enough of a reason to tune in to the Bachelorette this season. If you don't have time to stalk her style these helpful blogs here and here have tracked down many items already...which makes me feel a lot less creepy about obessing over her outfits.