Posting Forecast?

It took exactly one week for my prediction to come true. Perez posted about my new fave Swedish pop tart Lykke Li today with her new vid for I'm Good, I'm Gone. It was only a matter of time... I'm good!

HBC's Olympic Gear Goes East

I'm really impressed with the design of HBC's collection for the Beijing Olympics. The designer Tu Ly put a lot of thought into it combining western athletic gear with Asian symbols. I love the graphics incorporating the Canadian maple leaf with the five Chinese elements: water, fire, earth, metal, and wood; and the number 8 - which is a lucky number in China. With the Olympics beginning on the 8th day of the 8th month, at 8 minutes past the 8th hour in '08 it seems fitting the Olympics are being held in China. (Let's not get political here - let's focus on the athletes...)

Of course some of these items should not be worn together unless you like that old-school rapper look, but it's better than Team US's boring "tennis anyone" Ralph Lauren designs.

View the bamboo and organic cotton collection and photo shoot here - you'll see some incredible moves by the models.

There has been some flak given to the fact that they were produced in China, but to give them credit, I don't think there is a manufacturing plant in Canada that has the man power to produce such a large order and to maintain the current prices. Am I wrong?

Check out the entire line here.

Go Team Canada!

Don't Miss This Show: Lykke Li

I really love my Swedish pop. Next up is Lykke Li (pronounced kinda like Loiykee - erm, kinda...) Her debut album Youth Novels was released in February in her homeland, was released in North America today, but won't be released in the UK until June 9th.

I am in love with this song Little Bit. Fave line "And for you I keep my legs apart." Oh those pop tarts! Glorious sugary goodness!



She's playing Mod Club with El Perro Del Mar on Sunday, May 11.

This is one girl I am surprised Perez hasn't posted about - yet.

Get Thee to Gsus

I'm not one to often post about samples sales, (Geekigirl does that best) however, today we ventured to gsus sindustries for their bi-annual massive showroom sale to grab some steals before it opens to the public tomorrow- and let me tell you - there are lots of steals to be had!

T-shirts $10
Jackets from $30
Blouses $25
Dresses $20
Jeans $50 for one, $100 for three

The sale runs from Wednesday, May 7 through Friday, May 9, from 10 am to 6 pm at 543 Richmond Street West at Portland. Get there before the crowds get crazy!

As the cashier said, "it's better than shopping at Winners" - Amen!

Sneakers and Snapshots

Adidas had their launch party for their new store at Dundas Square last night. The crowd was less fashion and more corporate - which is a nice break from most of the events I end up at. Aside from a bottomless wine glass and nibbles, the funnest part of the evening was the photo booth set up for guests to take their own photos which were then displayed on a massive screen inside the store for all the party-goers to catch brief glimpses of themselves. Of course, we instantly set-up camp and had our own mini-photo shoot.

Meaghan of the 'Deadly Nightshades"

After the fashion show filled with hot bods from NAM Models, we collected our $100 gift certificates and hopped in a cab to check out the opening of Spice Route - INK and the Liberty Group's new bistro/bar. The place was packed full of posers and tossers, but who were we to say no to some more free drinks and silliness? Overall a great night! Thanks Norwayne, Shane and the ever-deadly and always fantastic Meaghan!

Don't Miss This Show: Robyn

Oh, I remember Robyn when she released her first single, Show Me Love.

Over a decade later - the hair hasn't changed much, but her music has. Her new album is filled with cheekier lyrics with some fantastic and imaginative videos.

Get your tickets - she plays at the Phoenix on Monday. See you there.

iYawn

Rogers announced that finally the iPhone will come to Canada by the end of 2008.
Took them long enough. The only good thing about it according to the techies is that it will make Canada's wireless services more competitive and affordable - so thank you Mr. Ted for that.

And The Winner is...

Eugenia Designs won the TFI New Labels Competition last night at the opening of the ELLE Show. Congratulations!

Eugenia (centre) with models in her designs.

Italian Vogue Goes All Black

The industry is all a-buzz about Vogue Italia's upcoming issue featuring all black models photographer by Steven Meisel. With the industry being blasted for the lack of non-white models on the runways and advertising campaigns of late I'm so interested how this will be played in the media. Living in such a wonderfully diverse city such as Toronto, I would have preferred there to have been an "all ethnics" issue to truly drive the issue forward, rather than focusing on one ethnicity, but this is one giant, bold step and for that I hope this opens the industry's eyes to include all the beautiful people in this world of ours.

Beverley Johnson: The first African-American on the cover of US Vogue in 1974

Ur So Gay

I can't stop loving this song:

Thanks to Madonna and Perez Hilton - this girl's gonna be big!

I'm slotting her in my Cute and Sassy Girls with Cheeky Lyrics folder with Kate Nash, Lily Allen, The Pipettes and Lykke Li.

Don't Miss This Show: Yelle

Wednesday, Apr 30 at The Great Hall, 1087 Queen Street West, Toronto. Get your tickets while you still can.

Don't Miss This Event: Buy Design

Dust off those platform shoes and bring out the glitter eyeshadow!

BuyDesign for Windfall is going disco this year for their 5th annual charity gala on Saturday, April 26th. (I thank them for holding an event on a Saturday rather than a "school" night.)

Fashion File's Adrian Mainella, who seems to be everywhere these days, will be our host for the evening - which includes a silent auction, a fashion gallery, a shop and - of course - food, drinks and disco dancing!

Tickets are $75 - a great deal for a great night of cocktail drinking, people watching, swag bag toting, and doing the hustle. Of course, it's all for a good cause: the Windfall Clothing Service, Canada’s only new clothing bank. See you under the disco ball!

We're gonna party like it's 1978!

Shameless Promotion: TFI News

The non-profit organization for fashion entrepreneurs, Toronto Fashion Incubator (TFI) has a great industry newsletter, TFI News, which is now in it's 16th year. I've contributed in the past, but this issue was my first as Managing Editor. (Subscribe and get all the insider info, fashion show reviews and upcoming events directly in your inbox.)

In case you haven't noticed, I do mention the TFI quite a bit in here. (I'm a huge supporter.) I took a course at the TFI with one of their resident members when they were located on Adelaide Street West - that was in the mid-nineties. Then I worked there full-time for a year in the early naughties and have been involved with them ever since.

Don't forget the TFI New Labels Gala is coming up April 24th! Get tickets here. (Shameless, aren't I?)

How to Get a Job in Fashion

All I can say is if you want to truly break into this industry: Network! Network! Network!

Volunteer everywhere and anywhere you can. (The TFI is looking for volunteers for their upcoming New Labels show.) Talk to the people you meet in the industry - find out what they do - get their business cards. Print your own business cards and keep them handy at all times. (A customized fashion figure by Danielle Meder on Moo cards would be perfect! See mine on the left.) Make a list of the careers you are interested in and contact those people - ask if you can job shadow them for a day or have a ten-minute information interview.

You may also want to pick up Jeanne Beker's new book Passion for Fashion. (Yes, it is the most over-used term out there, but it gets the point across.)

As noted on Amazon.ca: The dynamic author-illustrator team of Jeanne Beker and Nathalie Dion again work their magic in this comprehensive career guide, with a detailed resource section at the back, for those who dream of working in fashion. The famous Coco Chanel said that fashion “is something in the air … you feel it coming,” and this book captures the excitement, inspiration, and passion of the whole industry. From agent to designer, model, photographer, stylist, makeup artist, retail fashion director, publicist, journalist, fashion illustrator, creative director, editor-in-chief, trend forecaster, fashion show producer, color specialist, and personal shopper to all the people behind the scenes, Jeanne Beker informs, entertains, and inspires. Discover the ins and outs of fashion production, the players, and who deciphers what’s hot. In this common-sense career guide, Jeanne Beker’s down-to-earth approach, peppered with quotes and mini profiles of successful fashion people, lets us explore what we love about fashion while receiving practical advice on how to break into this diverse and creative industry.

Happy fashion networking!

Don't Miss This Show: Satan's Candy

With songs entitled Six Packs and a Blowjob, Fashion Up Your Ass, Cougs Rule, Botox Boutique and Ode to Jager you know you're in for something different when you plan see Toronto-based Satan's Candy. These girls are far from the mainstream - think Josie and the Pussycats meets the Ramones after a few shots of Jager.

Photo: Caitlin Cronenberg

Check them out live on Friday, April 11 at the Distillery District's Fermenting Cellar, 55 Mill Street, Building 6 at 8pm as part of Alternative Fashion Week. $15 advance tickets get you entrance to full schedule of events. See http://www.getfat.ca for full fashion week information.

Or if you can't make it that night, they have a matinee performance the following day on Saturday, April 12 at the Trash Palace, 89-B Niagra Street. Doors: 3pm. Satan's Candy: 4pm Sharp. The Weirdies: 5 pm Sharp. http://www.myspace.com/theweirdies. $3 at the door.

Devilishly sweet!