Biko is a Toronto-based jewellery line designed and made in Toronto by Ryerson Image Arts grad Corrine Anestopoulos. I love her take on the ‘modern friendship bracelet’ (shown above) made of heavy chain intertwined with colourful silk and embroidery threads ($85 each or $150 for 2). For Fall 2011, there is also fish scale chain necklaces ($155), and a braided lambskin necklace.

Check out the Biko website for more chains, earrings and bracelets made of hand-crafted metals, natural stones, hardware nuts and braided leathers and silks >>

Here are some pix from the Fall 2011 Campaign, Golden Haze

You can find Biko in several stores in Toronto including Body Blue and Over the Rainbow (see web for more) and in shops across the country – or shop online.

2nd annual Parkdale Then & Now Festival
Saturday, July 23, 2011

There are a handful of great boutiques and artists in Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood (way out on Queen West past Dufferin) – but I’m featuring Common Sort, a funky little second-hand/vintage shop and Wolfie Clothing, a line of hand-drawn prints on tees and stuff by artist Nicole Brayshaw Bond because they both e-mailed me!

Photos of hand-picked, recycled fashions @ Common Sort, 1414 Queen Street West

I love these Wolfie prints by Wolfie Clothing: Boyfriend Material Tee and Larry David pillow

Both vendors and a ton more will be at the 2nd annual Parkdale Then & Now Festival this Saturday July 23, 2011 – a giant celebration of everything Parkdale!

What’s Going On:
-HUGE Sidewalk Sale (200 businesses)
-Classic Car Show
-Buskers
-Community Performance Stages
-Triller Avenue BBQ Zone
-Skateboard Installation @ Dowling Avenue
-Fuller Avenue Kid’s Zone
-O’Hara Street Party
-Elm Grove Summer Market
-1303 Parkdale Bazaar
-Dufferin Amphitheatre Performance Zone

Headmistress is turbans, head wraps and feathery hippie-style hair accessories. Love these beautiful photos – makes me almost think I can pull off a turban…I did receive a beautiful Hippie Stretch Band and hope to wear it as elegantly as these gals!

Headmistress will be at the Clothing Show this weekend – May 27-29, 2011 or SHOP ONLINE

The Spring 2011 Clothing Show is coming up – May 27-29, 2011 – and is the greatest spot to spend your cash on discounted designer clothing, heaps of vintage finds, unique jewellery and accessories and even sell-off, sample sale items.

There are hundreds of vendors, mostly local Toronto fashion designers and craftspeople, who are selling their hand-made merchandise at amazing prices!

There are dozens of awesome designers and shops – this is a minuscule percent of some of the things I am coveting – all available at the Clothing Show this weekend!

Lipgloss and Black is an independent online shop established in 2004 by Canadian sisters Sylvia and Samantha. Specializing in clothing reconstruction – the gals take gently used vintage or deadstock items that are unloved and creatively transform them into fashionable, wearable pieces that can be loved again.

Le Grana designer Grana Khan grew up in Dubai but received her fashion design education in Toronto at both Ryerson University and the International Academy of Design and Technology. She has interned for Romona Keveza and Maison/ Beatrice Holloway; volunteered with NADA and Greta Constantine during LG fashion week; and did a styling internship for Ahlan! magazine in Dubai. All of Le Grana garments are sourced and made locally in Grana’s Toronto studio.

More:
Ophelie Hats
Foxy Orginals Jewellery

Surely we all remember prior Canadian fashion designer Arthur Mendonca – the young, handsome and talented designer (and Toronto Fashion Incubator alumni) that used to send out sexy and glamorous collections each season – and who became more popular when Canadian celebs – like Nelly Furtado – started steppin’ in his red carpet clothing!

Well, after a few years off, Mendonca has returned to the Canadian circuit with a killer collection of gorgeous dresses and outfits for women. Tailored and form-fitting, his Fall 2011 line is made up of luxe tuxedos, classy ‘disco glam’ hourglass skirts that all go below the knees and perfect pant suits that make the woman wearing them look feminine and beautifully confident!

Visit some our fellow Toronto bloggers to see coverage of the show:

1. Toronto is Fashion: full-size photos of each of the looks

2. The Globe & Mail: Arthur Mendonça’s fall 2011 collection marks a strong return to fashion

3.  Toronto Life – The Goods: Arthur Mendonça was broke, but he’s certainly not broken on the final day of Rogue Fashion Week

Spring Fever, a Pop-Up Shop

featuring clothing from d a g g and s t a c e y, snoflake by debbie sutton, and Futurstate.
Friday May 13, 2011 from 4-9pm, and Saturday May 14 10 – 5
1254 Dundas Street West, Toronto

Giveaway

Toronto designers d a g g and s t a c e y have launched their first online boutique and are sharing their excitement with a $250 gift card giveaway!

Rules:

1. You must love d a g g and s t a c e y clothing.
2. You must like their facebook page to be eligible.
3. You can only enter once.

Contest ends May 18, 2011 at 9 pm EST. Good luck!

Mitra Ghavamian’s Alternative Bridal Wear at [FAT]

The mayhem that is Alternative Fashion Week a.k.a. [FAT] landed on 99 Sudbury St. last week swirling together 4 days of music, film, fun and especially fashion. Each day featured a different theme including Fashion Narratives, which explored mythological and theatrical clothing; Natural Currencies featuring more ecofriendly and sustainable creations; Fashion/ Unfashion which juxtaposed commercial and nonconformist gear; and Dress Codes which had collections with subculture, political and cultural groups. In true Alternative Fashion style many of the models on the catwalk were not professionals and were various weights, cultural backgrounds and heights, adding a fierce dimension to the pieces and representing the diversity of our planet.

Needless to say, the fashion was furious! One of my favorite lines was a bridal collection titled Mitra by Mitra Ghavamian. Though the Royal Wedding did fall on the day of Mitra’s showing at [FAT], her dresses were a far cry from conservative, but still encapsulated the austere beauty of the infamous white dress. With a 20 year background in theatre and film costume design it is no wonder. Pieces mashed classic bridal wear with cultural detailing, from various different countries resulting in glamorously, stunning pieces that were like works of art.

While there are a bajillion wedding dresses on the market Mitra Ghavamian’s ethereal artistic creations definitely stand out from the norm offering something special and different for the bride who wants something different.

DAY 4 – DRESS CODES – FRI APRIL 29 / 11
“The theme explores work that is influenced by different cultural groups, subcultures, demographics,
politics, religion, sex and gender identities. The night will showcases designers and artists whose
work looks at the social significance of clothing and who we are, defined by what we wear.”

If you’ve ever wondered where wacky fashion rules come from, you’re not alone.  The last night of [FAT] is dedicated to dress codes – breaking them like a Hell’s Angels’ Harley in a china shop, of course!

Miller Monroe’s debut collection, entitled ‘WO*MAN’ is about being a sexy, confident MAN. “We’re one of the few cultures where men have not embraced sarongs, skirts, lungi, dhoti, lava lava, hakama or whatever you want to call them – men in other cultures have been able to maintain a connection to this comfortable and fashionable piece for centuries.”

Miller Monroe (Louie Manzo & Baby Steinberg) premiere their Orwellian film, which presents a full frontal attack on boredom, and turns fascist aesthetics on its’ head with a flick of the wrist.  The manifesto is clear – real men wear whatever the hell they want, and the ladies are more than pleased to see the WO*MAN army take to the runway.  The models are bare-chested, sporting skateboards, Chucks, and snug ankle length skirts – the testosterone is palpable and comes off the runway in waves.  For those with exceptional confidence, MM offers suits in pinstriped wool – code for “Do not f… with me.”  Kallvis Chen (Human Nature) also offers skirts for men in aubergine and wolf grey, the collection is restrained and mature, and accessorized with Kyle Osnack’s lovely Romanesque gold chains.

The much anticipated House of Gaudet is Shawn Venasse’s tragic narrative of silent, bone-crushing bleakness camouflaged by beauty and style.  In one astonishing scene the model’s naked body is painted in replica of the felted coat she slips on.  The film expertly captures the gorgeous textures and colours of Norm and Gio Gaudet’s coveted couture.

The evening closes with a spectacle by IMAGOZINE – think Alice in Acidland, mix in the royal wedding, and you’ve got the picture.  Red-coated Beefeaters are flanked by Anubi (the Egyptian god of the afterlife), and royal minions are dressed in Venetian masques.  [FAT]’s fashion crime spree closes with men silently wondering if they have the cojones to pull off a skirt, and women fantasizing about slipping into a Gaudet coat, (and men in skirts).  I end the night by slipping into a hot bath and dreaming of a fashion revolution.

PS: Billie Mintz has generously offered to share the link to his riveting video of fashion legend Pat McDonagh.  https://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fvimeo.com%2F22911629&h=a39e5Pv4CyhhAhdsxb6TnSun_CQ

Photography by Paul Sergent@ digitalfabrik.ca