Recently my friend, Juan Carlos, held a cocktail party at his boutique Magnolia to celebrate the addition of BASCH’s fall 2010 collection – a clothing line by Canadian designer Brandon Dwyer – to his store’s shelves.

BASCH is Dwyer’s second label and is described as “sophisticated yet flirty... for a confident woman who wants to get noticed.” Focusing on attainable quality clothing, each piece in the collection is produced to a prearranged number ensuring its uniqueness so you won’t accidently run into a chick wearing your dress at the same party – an incident everyone fears and has experienced in some way, shape or form at one point in their life.  

At the cocktail party, I had the chance to catch up with a few friends and finally meet and chat with Brandon (the designer himself). He’s a really sweet person whose enthusiasm and love for fashion and his work shines through the moment you speak to him.

Below are a few pictures of the event and some of the BASCH pieces housed at Magnolia. Enjoy!

The last few years there has been a change in fashion; affordable clothing is the in-thing and when you pair it with a philosophy that’s stylishly chic you have a winning combination. Retailers such as H&M, Zara and Target are prime examples of this, particularly when they collaborate with designers like Matthew Williamson and Rodarte.

Bonnie Brooks, president and CEO of the Bay, took notice of this increasing demand from shoppers and approached Saul Mimran to commission a new clothing line called, Moon which is sold exclusively at the Bay.

You know the old saying, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”? Well the Mimran Group has the formula down pact when it comes to designing and producing stylish clothing at moderate prices. Saul and his younger brother, Joseph, entered the retail space back in the 1980s with Club Monaco. Afterward, Joseph moved on to be the Creative Director of Joe Fresh Style at Loblaws Co. and Saul, president of the Mimran Group Inc. whose company already makes home decor products for the Bay and its sister company Zellers.

On Thursday, the Bay and Mimran Group jointly launched Moon, presenting the clothing line to guests as a fashion installation accompanied by a private show by DJs, the Misshapes with special guest Leigh Lezark (model, muse and also a member of the DJ group).

Moon presents itself as a business basics line that career women will get a lot of wear out of with prices ranging from $30 to $99. The fall/winter 2010 collection consists of an array of separates which you can mix and match: black dress pants, a classic white shirt, turtle neck sweaters and suits. The colour scheme is black, grey and white pieces with small injections of colour (purple and silver). Items from the collection which stood out were a silver sequin bolero style jacket and a purple and lace dress.

The clothing  

The event

On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to attend an event called, Beefeater 24 Contemporary Tea Salon which celebrated the official launch of Beefeater 24 (a premium gin) in Canada.

It was a heavily themed event with a string quartet, fire eater, mentalist and mime onsite entertaining the crowd. Lots of people sampled the Beefeater gin and its custom made drinks throughout the evening to positive reviews.

For me, the most intriguing portion of the night was being greeted by this pretty young thing (PYT) on the red carpet (see image above). Upon closer inspection I realized her red dress was the red carpet people were walking on as they entered the venue; it extended approximately four to five metres out in front of her. The dress was a lovely piece but imagine if you had to go to the bathroom while in that thing. No can do!

Image courtesy of Tricia Campbell-Hall

This is my first time using Posterous' iPhone app and here is a quick picture from the Lingerie Francaise runway show I'm currently at. A full review of the show is to come...

Happy one year anniversary to The Souls of My Shoes!

Well... I’ve actually missed the “official” anniversary date by three days, however it’s been 368 days and 216 entries later, and I’m still blogging away about my love for fashion.

I’m not one to make a big deal out of special occasions pertaining to myself (see my un-birthday blog entry for details), but I’ve been on an extraordinary journey this past year and I couldn’t have done it without the support of my readers, family, friends and fellow bloggers. Thank you.

I’m not sure how I’ll mark this milestone but if you have any ideas feel free to share.

Here are too many more blog posts!

Kimberly

The other evening I arrived home to find a package with a cool graphic t-shirt enclosed. The t-shirt is created by designer, Tu Ly with the question printed on the front asking, “What your number? 3.3 Billion.”

Sent by the organizers of the first ever G(irls) 20 Summit (modelled after the G20), the G(irls) 20 Summit brings together one girl from each of the 20 countries to discuss how girls and women can help solve some of the world's greatest challenges through various workshops that address topics, such as financial literacy and how to utilize social media and technology to communicate globally.

The G(irls) 20 Summit’s international campaign, “3.3 Billion Ways” is based on the premise there are 3.3 billion girls and women in the world and therefore there are 3.3 billion ways to change the world.

I don’t wear t-shirts too often but the Tu Ly design looks great under my new leather jacket from Danier, as well as a stand-alone piece.

It’s an interesting and forward thinking approach to involving girls and women in a decision and solution focused effort. As the saying goes, if women ruled the world would be a better place. For more information on the G(irls) 20 Summit visit: www.facebook.com/Girls20Summit or http://twitter.com/Girls20Summit.

I’ve been too busy to blog as consistently as I normally do. Therefore, here is a roundup of notable fashion news and events in and around the city of Toronto.

White Cashmere collection reveals 2010 designers: the seventh annual White Cashmere Collection confirmed its designer line-up for 2010. This compilation of Canadian fashion talent includes Zoran Dobric, Ines Di Santo (bridal designer), RUDSAK, Renata Morales and jewellery designer Shay Lowe. All designers will craft clothing and accessories from Cashmere Bathroom Tissue for the September runway show being held at the Art Gallery of Ontario.

The theme for this year’s show is Fashion With Compassion. Fittingly so, as the collection is a fund and awareness-raiser for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, as well as heralds the return of limited-edition Pink Cashmere; with twenty-five cents from the sale of every package of Pink going directly to the Foundation.

The clothing designs developed from the bathroom tissue are absolutely mind blowing. Here are several images of the 2009 White Cashmere Collection that was on display in the Bay’s award-winning windows.

Swarovski’s “UndertheBlueCollection:” Swarovski recently previewed its latest fall/winter 2010 line, UndertheBlueCollection, at the Hazelton Hotel. Attendees had the opportunity to get an up-close look of the jewellery and to try it on. Avril Graham, executive fashion and beauty editor of Harper's Bazaar, was the host for the evening and charmingly provided tips on how to accessorize.

I own several Swarovski pieces and have an affinity for its statement rings. During this event I was drawn to the Milady Pendant Cameo ($175 CDN) and the brand’s exclusive designer collection, Atelier Swarovski. The turquoise and black bracelets, designed by Kirt Holmes, were my favourite pieces with its woven crystal beads that form lattice style shapes.

Plutino Group website relaunch party: on Tuesday night the Plutino Group celebrated its redesigned website with a party at Parts & Labour. Plutino’s new website is quite the visual and interactive online portfolio showing its roster of talent that includes some of Canada’s elite fashion stylists, hair and makeup artists, fashion directors and producers.

I was really hoping to catch the live fashion installation showcasing creative collaborations between Plutino’s artists and Canadian designers; Greta Constantine, Mark Fast, Mikhael Kale and Philip Sparks were advertised. However, this was not around to view by the time I arrived. The event pictures give you a bit of an idea of the creative partnership though.

Plutino images: Jeffrey Chan (from snap.CLICK*pixel)

There were a few events I couldn’t attend last week and LAB’s launch party was one of them. From the sounds of it LAB had a packed house with guests, such as Evan Biddell, Nadia Litz, k-os and Sarah Taylor in attendance to lend their support for the newest consignment store on the Queen Street West block. Included are a few photos of the night.

About LAB Consignment: founded by Lauren Baker in 2009, LAB Consignment is a new consignment service specializing in the resale of chic, gently used, designer and vintage ladies clothing, shoes and handbags. As a long-time Queen West denizen, Baker sources her exclusive inventory from the wardrobes of her many fashion-forward suppliers: actors, musicians, stylists and hipsters alike. LAB carries a mix of affordable vintage and contemporary wares, as well as designer-label pieces by such names as Yves St. Laurent, Dolce & Gabbana, A.P.C., Marc Jacobs and Diane Von Furstenberg.

After launching online (www.labconsignment.com) and hosting various pop-up sales, LAB Consignment now moves into the physical realm with a new retail space located in the rear studio area of Silver Falls Vintage (15 Ossington Ave). It will open to the public on May 20, 2010.

Hours: Tuesday - Friday 12pm-6pm, Saturday 12pm-7pm and Sunday 12pm-6pm.

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Photo credit: Ian Worang

On Wednesday, Eleven celebrated its one year anniversary. Eleven is a clothing boutique located in the upscale neighbourhood of Yorkville and stands out amongst its neighbours with a clean-cut black exterior. Inside it carries a range of designer items with a strong contingent of Canadian labels lining the racks, such as Joeffer Caoc, Lundström and Lucian Matis.

I really enjoyed the evening’s festivities – it was an easy going and mellow atmosphere that allowed attendees to peruse the clothing and mingle with one another without having to shout over blaring music – it’s just what the fashion doctors ordered for the night.

Highlights of the celebrations were having the pleasure of catching up with several Toronto bloggers and designers: Shay Lowe, whose jewellery was used for the spring/summer 2010 runway presentation by NADA, and Canadian designers David Dixon and Wesley Badanjak.

Of course, the night ended with Stylist and Fashion Editor of FILLERmagazine, Tricia Campbell-Hall showing me her signature model poses – fun times!