Item of the Week: Club Monaco 'Jen' Beaded Clutch

Every girl needs an eye-popping clutch for that special occasion. I love this beaded version of the classic Club Monaco fold-over clutch. It longs to be in my hands.

Available in silver, gold, and charcoal for $80 CAD at Club Monaco.

Shop Vancouver: I Found Gallery

Meet my new favourite store: I Found Gallery - a haven for vintage accessory lovers.

vintage keys and tags

a wonderful array of brooches and pendants

Recently opened by vintage aficionado Robert Haddad (also of True Value Vintage), I Found Gallery carries an incredible collection of vintage jewelry, buttons, textiles, and home accessories ranging from 1930s antique gems to 1980s retro styles. I could spend hours and hours browsing through all the jewelry cases and drawers. Because of his great eye for detail, Haddad also supplies vintage buttons and cuff links to New York-based Steven Alan.

vintage buttons

But wait, it gets even better: Haddad is also a co-owner of New York City's cult favourite vintage shopping stop Zachary's Smile. Zachary's Smile White Label uses recycled textiles to create gorgeous contemporary pieces that are sold at Barneys COOP and Anthropologie. Excited yet? Zachary's Smile is now sold at the I Found Gallery!

Zachary's Smile

I picked up a gorgeous navy boyfriend blazer made from recycled wool textiles.

Zachary's Smile Boyfriend Blazer

Visit I Found Gallery - it's going to be your favourite store too.

I Found Gallery
4578 Main Street
Vancouver, BC V5V 3R5
604 876 2218

www.ifoundgallery.com

For those elsewhere, head over to I Found Gallery Etsy store.

Beauty Fridays: Love + Toast

Honey Coconut Little Luxe Eau de Parfum ($10 CAD)

Love + Toast arrived to our world just in time for the holidays. Tokyo Milk's little sister company, Love + Toast is a line of lip balms, hand creams and fragrances with whimsical flavours and packaging created to appeal to a young fun-loving customer.

Sugar Grapefruit Little Luxe Eau de Parfum ($10 CAD)

Mandarin Tea Hand Cream ($10 CAD)

The company's philosophy is:

"Pretty is as Pretty Does."

At the heart of Love + Toast is the simple philosophy: it is just as important to do good as it is to look good. So it's good to know that with every Love + Toast purchase you are doing both. A portion of every Love + Toast sale goes directly to Regional Affiliates of Girls Inc. Love + Toast encourages girls everywhere to be "strong, smart, and bold".

Honey Coconut Hand Cream ($10 CAD)

Star Anise Lip Balm ($10 CAD)

Cherry Lemonade Lip Balm ($10 CAD)

Aren't they lovely? Perfect stocking stuffers.

Available at BeautyMark in Vancouver.

Shop Hong Kong: On Pedder

On Pedder is a shopping dream that I will be living out in real life pretty soon! Known for their unique window designs and Pedderzine, On Pedder is, perhaps, one of the coolest retailers in the world.

Pedderzine

Along with usual suspects like Dolce & Gabbana, Chloé, Christian Louboutin, YSL, Philip Lim, and Marc Jacobs, On Pedder also carries harder-to-find labels like Ann Demeulemeester, Balmain, Comme des Garcons, Alaïa (drool), Rodarte, Thomas Wylde AND Nicholas Kirkwood (whose shoes I have only seen in person once, and they were magical).

Lanvin in Pedderzine

Nicholas Kirkwood in Pedderzine

Comme des Garcons window display

There is also Pedder Red, On Pedder's little sister boutique. Pedder Red carries a wide range of accessories and shoes from Converse to Christian Louboutin.

I hope there are good sales!

www.onpedder.com
http://www.pedderred.com/

Update: On Pedder stand-alone store has closed down and teamed up with Joyce department store which is kind of like Barneys. With a store-within-a-store concept, On Pedder focuses less on visual display making the shopping experience not as exciting. They do have stunning shoes! Nicholas Kirkwood's shoes are to die for!

Shoe Wednesdays: Georgina Goodman "Rebecca" Pump

Goodbye, Louboutin's red sole (I'm sorry: J.LO is ruining you for me right now. I'm sure we can be friends again, hopefully soon).

Hello, Georgina Goodman's stripey sole!

If you haven't heard of her before, you are going to love me for introducing you to the shoe goddess that Manolo Blahnik calls ‘future of footwear’, Georgina Goodman.

After years of working for magazines such as i-D and Elle, Georgina's love for fashion escalated to the point of wanting to become a designer herself. In 2001, Georgina completed her MA in Footwear at the Royal College of Art in London and started her own line shortly after. She opened her flagship store in 2002 in London. From the get-go, Georgina took the world of shoes and accessories by storm by winning numerous design awards, including a nomination for an Accessory Designer of the Year by the British Fashion Council.

Very impressive.

Further reading:

A Day in a Life of Georgina Goodman.
Fashion archivists: Georgina Goodman and Silva Cunningham.

On sale for $514.99 CAD (originally $825 CAD) at Gravity Pope.

www.georginagoodman.com

P.S. Yes, they all have the stripey sole.

Santa baby,

Just slip an Hermès scarf under the tree,
for me.
Been an awful good girl,
Santa baby so hurry down the chimney tonight.

Santa baby, a Marc Jacobs quilted bag too,
any colour.
I'll wait up for you dear,
Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight.

Think of all the fun I've missed,
think of all the great sales I've missed.
Next year I could be just as good,
if you check off my Christmas list.

Santa baby, I want a Dior book,
and really that's not a lot.
Been an angel all year,
Santa baby, so hurry down the chimney tonight...

Santa cutie, and fill my stocking with Alexis Bittar,
sign your 'x' on the line.
Santa cutie, and hurry down the chimney tonight.

Come and trim my Christmas tree,
with pendants bought at Tiffany's.
I really do believe in you,
let's see if you believe in me.

Santa baby, forgot to mention one little thing,
a Marc bow ring.

Hurry down the chimney tonight.

Marc Jacobs Quilted Leather Shoulder Bag, $662 CAD at Saks Fifth Avenue
(also available at Holt Renfrew)

Hermès Silk Scarf (any style!), $375 US for 90" at Hermes

Dior by Farid Chenoune, $200 CAD at Chapters


Swatch 'Full-Blooded' Watch, $159 CAD at Nordstrom

Tiffany & Co. Key Pendant, $150 CAD at Tiffany & Co.

Alexis Bittar Dew Drop Earring, approx $100 CAD at Holt Renfrew

Marc by Marc Jacobs Bow Ring, $76 CAD at Zappos

Cacharel Anais Anais Eau De Toilette Spray, $70 CAD for 50ml

Marc Jacobs Heart Compact Mirror, $30 CAD at Brag Garden

H&M Faux Fur Scarf, $30 CAD

H&M Bow Gloves, $20 CAD

Valentino: The Last Emperor DVD, $14.99 CAD

Hurry, tonight.

Karl Poetry: It's Been a While

On being labelled a squanderer: "If you throw money out of the window throw it out with joy. Don’t say 'one shouldn’t do that' - that is bourgeois."

Item of the Week: Anthropologie Fluttering Pencil Skirt

This is a perfect pencil skirt that can take you from day into evening during holiday party season. I love it because it's both sexy and cozy at the same time. I love the stripey wool fabric, the giant ruffle and the bit of draping to balance out the silhouette. The little button detailing is adorable. Wear with a dress shirt or a turtleneck during the day, and a silk blouse for the evening.

$175.39 CAD at Anthropologie (it runs big so get a size smaller).

P.S. Rumor has it that Anthropologie will be opening a store in Vancouver in the early 2010!

Weekend Candy: Design + Conquer Jewelry

Neon Nebula Earrings, rigid plastic w/sterling silver hooks, $94 USD

It was happenstance. One Twitter follower, one click away from discovering Design + Conquer. So I fell in love with Design + Conquer on that first click. How could I not? Little pops of bright colour with boldly aggressive shapes are a sure way into my heart.

Stun Earrings, flexible plastic polymer + surgical steel studs, $117 USD

Calgary-based Morgan Malett, the designer behind Design + Conquer, was trained in both Fine Arts and Graphic Design, gaining a specific set of graphic skills that makes her jewelry unique. Morgan's sophomore collection for Spring/Summer 2010 is sure to make a splash in the fashion world, already appearing in the pages of Fashion and Elle Canada.

Big Bang Earrings, flexible plastic polymer w/ sterling silver hooks, $267 USD

Communicator Earrings, flexible plastic polymer w/ sterling silver hooks, $257 USD

Assimilate Cuff, flexible plastic polymer, $275 USD

Zenith Necklace, flexible plastic polymer, $1,398 USD

Are you in love yet?

Shop the Design + Conquer's store on Etsy, head to Shop Girls and Corktown Designs in Toronto, or if you happen to be vacationing, or wine tasting, in Osoyoos, check out Propeller Clothing.

www.designandconquerjewellery.com

Beauty Fridays: Colour Me Nude

Karlie Kloss at Louis Vuitton RTW Fall 2009

My personal make-up rule: strong eyes or strong lips, never both. Make-up artists behind the Louis Vuitton and Marc Jacobs' Ready-to-Wear Fall 2009 shows seem to agree with me. Both shows featured extremely nude lips with strong eyes. Same theory, different execution: the Louis Vuitton girl is a fresh minimalist beauty while the Marc Jacobs girl is glam and little bit 80s retro. I love them both.

Maryna Linchuk at Marc Jacobs RTW Fall 2009

Whether with a hint of pink or a hint of tan, shimmery or matte, here are some lovely nude lipsticks to consider.

NARS Promiscuous (shimmering creamy tan), $30 CAD

NARS Honolulu Honey (satin flesh toned beige), $30 CAD

Shu Uemura BG 907 (pink nude), $27 CAD

M.A.C High Tea, $16 CAD

M.A.C Tanarama, $16 CAD

Revlon Nude Attitude, $8.99 CAD

I think I'll go for M.A.C's High Tea.