the it lists – fashion & trend blog

Toronto sewing studio Sew Be It Studio has launched their first clothing label for teens – ‘Sew Be It Girl’ and they didn’t need to go far from home to find their first designer.  That designer is 15 year old, Toronto teen Emma Lewis.

“Emma was one of the reasons that kind of helped us to inspire the idea because every time Emma makes a dress, everybody wants to buy it,” said Dilys Tong, co-owner of Sew Be It Girl.

Emma Lewis  is one of those young ladies that you know is destined for greatness.   She started taking sewing classes at age 10 where she quickly learned to draft patterns from scratch!  5 years later she has her own line?!?  Super impressive.

‘Sew Be It Studio’ is far from just a label – it’s focused on providing mentorship and guidance to budding teen designers along with all the different components of putting together a collection.

Perfect match made in… Canada

I love Jessica Simpson…Shoes! Perhaps it’s the strong Christian Louboutin influence seen in most styles.  Or that her shoes look like high-end designer pieces, but at a price I can afford.  Undoubtedly the fact that they are hands down the most comfortable pair of heels I own; despite that they are the highest of any of my stilettos, yet never hurt my feet is a huge bonus.

You can imagine my excitement to find I no longer had to make the treck accross the border or shell out a good hundred dollars extra in markup for some Jessica’s when I stumbled across them at Le Chateau last week!  I have been sooo-o impressed with the improvement in Le Chateau’s Canada shoe game, hats off to them for picking up this line.  For spring the have open-toed and pumps in soft pastels to edgy neons.

Tip: I found this season fit a little large, so ask for your size and one size smaller when trying these babies on.

This service isn’t for everyone, but we thought it was kind of neat, and worthy of passing on to all the girls who might want to bypass the hassle of changing their name

Planning a wedding may be a time-consuming task, but any bride who decides to take her husband’s last name after getting married soon learns that the process of making that name change can cause you major headaches.

I’m a Mrs gives Canadian women an alternative to navigating the myriad forms, government requirements and notification letters themselves.

I’m a Mrs currently does name changes only for Canada, but plans are in the works to extend its service to the US as well.

Have you ever wanted to get professional spa advice and professional products from the comfort of your own home?  Today is your day, meet www.spaboutique.ca! 

Not only is w.spaboutique.ca making you more beautiful in Canada but they are doing it the way us gals like it.   The owner of w.spa boutique.ca Nancy Mudford, intends to become the Sephora of beauty products in Canada by getting to know one customer at a time. 

The interactive website not only shares who they are in the “meet the team” section, but also lets you chat online with a specialist. Or join the facebook group for that spa comfort feel!  Everything about w.spaboutique.ca says its friendly to get pretty at home! From specials to bargains, contest and tips galore w.spaboutique.ca staff is the best way to purchase your beauty care expert products with expert service and advice.  Meet the ladies online today, check out www.spaboutique.ca!
~ Nicole, guest "it" writer.

The design house that The Bay built is full of rare to find labels: Maison b.

At select HBC Bay stores they’ve created a new women’s fashion department that is to drool over. That is if you’re looking to spend $300 on a cashmere suit jacket with a satin bow woven thru each elbow. It’s adorable and tailored.

Maison b has both high-end and mid-range labels, so don’t be scared off by the cashmere  I’m coveting, it’s still worthwhile checking out fun lines like Paul & Joe Sister, Ca Va De Soi, Mint, and for sure check out Baia Blue. Baia is the Bay’s house label created by Crystal Seimens.

Every month new labels will be introduced in Canada at The Bay Bloor & Queen Street (Toronto); Downtown Vancouver; and Downtown Montreal.

I love it. I love it. I love it.   Joe Fresh continues to impress me with style so fresh that its hard to believe you can purchase it with your produce. 

If you think the Joe Fresh dresses are cute wait until you see the skirts.  If you like the skirts then you should see the shirts!  I really have fallen in love with the Joe Fresh brand not only for the price but because it feels and looks more expensive than it actually turns out to be!  

Check out the new collection online at www.joe.ca  or see how fresh this line really is at selected Canada Superstores. 

~ Nicole, guest "it" writer.

On my recent trip to Edmonton I was bummed to miss Nokomis’ housewarming party.  And no one even saved me a cupcake! Nokomis is Edmonton, AB’s answer to hip Canadian clothing.

It exclusively features Canadian clothing, over 50 brands, including Preloved, Dace ( a fav of ours) and Alison Wonderland. Local brands includes Nokomis’ own house line, Sabrina Butterfly and Maked.

Sabrina Butterfly consists of pretty frocks for girls who read books, because Nokomis girls are inspired by libraries, bicycle rides, kittens, and dance parties.

Nokomis is an ojibwa word meaning ‘grandmother’ – so it only makes sense that Nokomis pays respect to grandmothers by lining the walls with framed photos of customers’ grandmothers. A discount of 10% is offered for each photo brought in.

P.S. Just 4 1/2 blocks down the street is Plaid Giraffe which has great prices on jewelery (I stucked up on chunky lockets) and accessories (including Matt & Nat purses). 

I kept on noticing these gorgeous flashes of bright Chinese silk, framed in silver and dangling from the necks of fellow gals on the same Christmas social circuit. Not one to shy from gushing my praise and asking where something is from I received the same answer: Shi Studio.

Teal rectangles, royal blue dragons, red ovals. Oh my.

Shi (pronouced "she") , means poetic expression in Chinese and is a collaborative evolution of ideas and aesthetic. Shi Studio is the creation of glass artist, Cory Judge and accessories designer, Honor Cienska.

Shi Studio jewelry is of the many highlights of Fashion Forward Canada, an online fashion boutique dedicated to emerging indie fashion. A collective of indie designers passionate about and committed to creating global awareness of Canadian style and originality.  Also check out: Sans Soucie, Amber Jewellery, and Nicole Bridger.

One of the biggest shames of online shopping from Canada was that Forever 21 didn’t ship there. Since it hasn’t made it yet to the Canadian West coast the only option of getting a trendy, frugal fashion fix was a road trip. Not anymore!

To celebrate their Forever 21 Canada online grand opening you can save 20% (min $50 spend).

Do your math wisely if you’re just above the minimum, say $63 (and ground shipping will be around $12) = $75. Well, if you spend $75 pre-shipping, you get free shipping. Hm, an interesting dilemma. So if instead of $63 if you spend $12 more, it’s like getting 10 bucks of goodies free, rather than spending it on shipping.

Ha! I love fashion math.