Weddings are a happy time celebrating the union between two people who love each other, but the dirty little secret is weddings are met with mixed emotions; a little fear, joy and frustration. You have to buy multiple gifts, attend multiple events or if you’re a bridesmaid be forced to wear a god awful, butt ugly dress for the ceremony – trust me, I know from firsthand experience.

However, these things get interesting when you attend a non-Western wedding. In a few weeks I’ll be going to my first Indian wedding ceremony, my good friend Sabrina is getting married and I get to wear a sari to the event. I’m extremely excited at the opportunity to go – we went to university together, swapped relationship advice and skipped philosophy lectures for extended lunches at Mr. Greeks.

I’ll be writing a series of blog entries about my sari experience; shopping for it, the fitting and finally the wedding. Now, let it be known I am (by no means) an expert on saris or choosing one, but I hope my blog posts will shed a little light, expand your fashion knowledge and serve as a reference in case you have to shop for a sari in the near future. So to start things off below are a few images previewing what’s to come.

         

A few weeks ago I got word that Canadian handbag designer, Jessica Jensen, was having a sale on Gilt Groupe. I was excited at having the chance to purchase a piece from her spring/summer 2010 collection only to then remember Gilt doesn’t ship to Canada. I tweeted about my disappointment and within a few minutes, unexpectedly, Jessica personally reached out and offered to help. Less than five days later my envelope clutch arrived at my house enclosed in a white gift box.

The envelop clutch comes in a multitude of colours, such as blush (the one I purchased), earth, grape, storm and seafoam. The design is simple, classic, goes with everything and retails for $198.

I was very touched at the personalized service Jessica gave to me and I’m totally in love with my clutch - thank you Jessica for the thoughtful generosity.

You can purchase Jessica Jensen handbags online or check out the store locations listing on her website.

Envelop clutch product details:

• Italian glazed kidskin
• Classic envelope clutch with slim design and a magnetic snap closure
• Natural silken linen lining with an interior zipper pocket

     

         

Top: Hoss Istocia from Magnolia

Skirt: Arthur Mendonça, spring/summer 2008 from Magnolia

Shoes: Josita by Sacha London from Balisi

Book: Danielle Meder’s fall 2010 paper doll book

Every now and again I’ll come across clothing finds which seem to be preordained by a higher power – sounds cheesy, but you can’t help wonder when certain things/events just aren’t coincidences anymore.

Recently I was at Magnolia, a boutique owned and operated by my friend Juan Carlos. I was looking for a few pieces of clothing to add to my work wardrobe and knew I could trust and rely on his sense of style to help me out.

Juan Carlos pulled many pieces for me such as black dress pants, dresses and blouses. Going through the pile of clothing everything came to a standstill when I laid my eyes on the most stunning skirt; high waisted, pencil style, draped and slightly gathered in the front with a metal zipper closure in the back. The fabric used for this piece reminds me of liquid metal and when the light hits it, it creates a hypnotizing effect.

I immediately looked at the label and was stupefied to find out it was by Canadian designer, Arthur Mendonça. Mendonça was a highly sought after designer who shot to success in early 2000s and developed a strong following; his creations were frequently worn by celebrities such as singer, Nelly Furtado.

However, due to economic reasons he was forced to close eight years later much to everyone’s surprise and chagrin. Mendonça is a designer I highly admire and upon hearing he was no longer in operation I thought there went my chances to own a piece of his clothing. I never shared these thoughts with anyone, so you can image when Juan Carlos pulled this skirt for me I had to have it.

The skirt was a size bigger than what I normally wear, but having a really good seamstress helped solve that problem. It now fits perfectly and hangs in a special place in my closet – right by my shoes.

As you get older you may find that you can’t do as many things as you would like to. For me, sleep rates high on the list of things to do and I can’t dance until 3 a.m. wearing four inch stilettos as I used to in my twenties.

A few weeks ago, I was celebrating a friend’s birthday and a handful of us ladies wore some very high heeled shoes. We looked great but after the dancing was done we painfully limped back to our cars – it was a sorry sight to see.

I haven’t invested much time or money into purchasing inner soles to ease the pain some shoes can bring, such as soreness on the balls of the feet and blistered heels. However, recently the team at Airplus Footcare sent me several types gel inner soles to try and review: Gel Steppies, Gel Ball-of-Foot Cushion, Gel Hug My Heels, Gel Ultra Arch and the Coolmax^® Everyday Performance Insole.

Immediately, I enjoyed that Airplus Footcare’s packaging is easy to get into. The clear gel inner soles allow you to insert it unnoticeably into any style of shoe (casual or formal) and the feel of the product is soft and smooth. I tried the gel inner soles in several pairs of shoes (high heels and flats), wore them out on various occasions and noticed a difference in how my feet felt before and after using the product – my feet and shoes definitely felt more comfortable. Each item has a good thickness which tells of its shock absorbent ability targeting various part of foot for relief.

           

       

One of my favourite things to do is take impromptu trips to my local HomeSense store and see what interior furnishings and knick-knacks they have in stock.

This trip I ran into a series of illustrated stiletto shoes reprinted on canvas which cost $14.99 compared to $23.

On the same trip, I ran into the most amazing novelty piece ever seen in HomeSense, a Tiki bar for $249, regular retail price $600. I couldn’t resist taking a picture and sharing this with you. This thing is awesome! Backyard luau anyone?

Shopping, it’s a competitive sport where only the strong and well experienced survive. I for one can spend hours on end visiting my favourite online stores and explore pages and pages of products. Online shopping is easy, convenient and doesn’t require you to fight or pay for a parking spot at your local shopping centre.

Just in time for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Visa Canada released a recent survey conducted by Ipsos Reid that found approximately six in ten (57 per cent) Canadians have shopped online at a Canadian or American website within the past year. Visa Canada also hosted an intimate dinner at Terroni and invited me and a handful of local bloggers to discuss social media and shopping.

Conversation topics ranged from our careers to cooking, there were lots of shared experiences and laughs. The VISA Canada team were eager to expand their knowledge of social media and were interested in learning why we blog. They told us about their Borderlinx program which allows Canadian online shoppers to make purchases from U.S. shopping sites by assigning you U.S. addresses. Secondly, they have a Visa Debit card in the pipeline for 2010 which will allow people to shop and buy online directly from their bank accounts. Let the spending begin!

I thought about our dinner conversation all night and into the following morning reflecting about our individual insights, experiences and opinions. Bringing us together was a great idea and I hope we do it again soon.

Thank you Visa Canada for the lovely meal, thoughtful and engaging dinner conversation.

Bloggers present:

Ali de Bold of Chick Advisor

Anita Clarke of I Want – I Got

Caroline Fernandez of Parent Club

Eden Spodek of Bargainista

Merlene Paynter

Pegah Aarabi of Scarlett Red Flag Deals

And me.

Information provided by Visa Canada

                                                                     

“Would you like some champagne or a bottle or Perrier?” This was the greeting I received when I stepped into BALISI Thursday evening. Happily, I decided to sip on a bottle of Perrier and then proceeded to begin my Halloween shopping experience.

Rehlee Balisi and Cory Kierstead (the owners of BALISI), Toronto’s hottest shoe store to appear on the scene within the last few years, held a private VIP event at their Queen Street West location to celebrate Halloween and say thank you to their loyal customers – yours truly was invited to attend.

BALISI has three locations strategically placed throughout Toronto’s trendiest neighbourhoods; Queen Street West, College Street and Danforth Ave. Having shopped at all three stores I can tell you there are two things setting them apart from other retailers.

The first is product. I’ve discovered many new brands while perusing the shelves of BALISI, such as United Nude or Eject. I’m always impressed at the variety of footwear, clothing and accessories they carry for both men and women. Balisi and Kierstead address important questions when choosing products for their store. Do other retailers in the Toronto area carry these brands and will they stand out on the shelves and get our customers’ attention?

It’s always a treat to enter the store and discover something new and exciting upon each visit. From experience, seeing footwear that makes my eyes light up and heart rate increase is always a good sign, and BALISI has a knack for making me feel this way every time indicating that pieces are chosen with great care and consideration.

Secondly, BALISI has great customer service. Having worked in retail and being a shopaholic (shopping is a competitive sport by the way), I know what consists of good and bad customer service. The staff at BALISI is very personable, knowledgeable and passionate about their love of fashion and sharing it with their customers.

The Halloween party on Thursday proved to me that it’s a family affair at BALISI. Everyone is treated warmly bringing the theme song from the television show Cheers to mind, it’s a place where everyone knows your name and they’re always glad you came.

P.S.: check The Souls of My Shoes this Friday to see my newest find for this week’s Shoe of the Moment from BALISI.

Pictures taken by Kimberly Lyn

                                                               

For all of you treasure hunters, lovers of vintage clothing and bargain shoppers, the CAFTCAD Movie Wardrobe Sale is a hidden gem of fabulous finds.

CAFTCAD is a non-profit and non-partisan organization that provides its members (costume designers and artisans) with discussion forums, education and professional networking opportunities. The Movie Wardrobe Sale is held twice a year (fall and summer) allowing shoppers the opportunity to purchase high quality and unique fashion items used in Toronto-based film and television shoots.

I spent a good two hours at the Movie Wardrobe Sale last Saturday wandering the aisles, snapping pictures, sorting through clothing racks and trying on vintage garments; some for fun because Halloween was several days away, and some for making serious additions to my closet.

There were over 30 vendors at the Movie Wardrobe Sale, all were very friendly and the prices for their clothing negotiable.

The one that got away: a dark brown, bolero style, mink jacket found at Eve English’s Vintage booth. I didn’t buy it. Yes, I can hear the fashion gods chastising me from above and I’m sure for punishment another more expensive fur jacket will present itself (le sigh).

Pictures taken by Kimberly Lyn

A friend sent over this invite to attend the Canadian Alliance of Film & Television Costume Arts & Design (CAFTCAD) Movie Wardrobe Sale. I always wanted to attend an event like this, but never know when or where it takes place. Therefore, when this invite landed in my inbox I immediately inked it into my calendar – there must be some divine intervention with this sale timed with LG Fashion Week.

Event description: the CAFTCAD is giving shoppers the opportunity to purchase a wide range of high quality and unique fashion items used in several Toronto-based film and television shoots. This biannual sale will give shoppers the chance to buy items made by costume designers for several productions, including Resident Evil: Afterlife, Survival of the Dead, Kids in the Hall: Death Comes to Town and Ginger Snaps III: The Beginning.

Last year more than 1,400 people flocked to the CAFTCAD’s Movie Wardrobe Sales during both the summer and fall events. It’s highly advised shoppers line up early, as eager bargain hunters work quickly to grab the most sought after treasures this event has to offer.

Date: Saturday, October 24, 2009

Time: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Fee: $3.00 entry fee to support CAFTCAD initiatives (members, children and seniors enter free)

Location: Pinewood Toronto Studios, 225 Commisioners Street, Toronto

     

Never judge a shoe until you’ve put it on your foot especially if it’s made of rubber.

Continuing my fascination with the use of unconventional material for creating footwear, I came across the Melissa Ashanti boot by Melissa Plastics while shopping with several friends at Balisi’s flagship shoe store on Queen Street West.

Shoe specifications:

• Material, rubber
• Available colours - black, blue, brown and red
• Interior scented
• Sweat factor, minimal
• Heel height, 7.6 cm (3 inches)

Why I chose this shoe: the boot instantly moulds to its wearer’s foot and it is very comfortable. The deep V in the front gives it a fashion forward look for this year’s fall/winter season and it is waterproof!