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Holidays 2012: Canadian Fashion Insiders’ Gift Guide Part Two

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Welcome to part two of our Canadian Fashion Insiders’ Gift Guide! If you are still on the hunt for that perfect gift this holiday season, make sure to check out our experts’ picks for some fun and fresh gift ideas. Whether you are looking for something stylish, practical, or simply adorable, we’ve got you covered!

1. Ryan Michael Cheung, Online Editor, FLARE Magazine

This dapper FLARE editor sure knows what he wants. Ryan’s simple and classic wishlist items are just as understated and cool as the man himself. So if you are shopping for Mr. Cheung this holiday season, grab him a Casio-inspired Neuvo watch in bronze, a Tivoli Audio Model One Radio, or some letter-pressed stationery from Terrapin Stationers, and watch his face light up.

In turn, Ryan will be giving some pretty kick-ass gifts of his own! “I had my jet-set friend Andrew in mind when creating this bag for the December issue gift guide. I upgraded the classic Banff style with a can’t-miss-hit of oxblood (easy to spot at baggage claim) and preppy monogram to make it personal,” – shared Ryan. And who wouldn’t love a personalized Roots bag?! I know I would! He’ll also be taking a friend to see the Christmas classic The Nutcracker, as well as gifting a copy of Vogue’s latest book – The Editor’s Eye to a “fashion addict” friend.

As for Ryan’s top three places to shop for gifts, he counts Drake General Store, Restoration Hardware, and Club Monaco among his favourites, so take note.

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2. Talia Brown, Stylist

“Growing up in the North, Holiday spirt was sprung with the dusting of the snow, the smell of the fire and the taste of good old fashioned cocoa. Here in Toronto you, can feel and see the joy in the streets, the eye candy of the window displays and of course the music that just becomes part of the movement. The hustle and bustle,the busyness of the shoppers, all in good spirit, of course.”

When I first met Talia, I was smitten with her sweet and bubbly personality, and her talent for styling. This holiday season, Talia is wishing for a perfect pair of rag & bone ankle booties, a Chibi Lady purse by ela in rose gold, and a gorgeous lace dress from LOVER. Ever the stylist, the three pieces go really well together and make for an amazing holiday outfit. Here’s hoping she gets it all!

On Talia’s shopping list this season are adorable (and yummy) gifts that she’ll be sharing with her loved ones, like the Peppermint Bark from Williams-Sonoma, the limited edition Missoni x Holt Renfrew stuffed animals (they are the cutest!), and luxurious lipstick from YSL, perfectly matched to her girlfriends’ personalities.

Talia will be doing some holiday shopping at MoRoCo Chocolat, The Cashmere Shop, and Bicyclette this holiday season.

More after the jump!

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Style Blog, December 13th 2012 | Tags: Anita Clarke, Beauty, Benefit, Canadian, Casio, Clarisonic Mia, DAVIDs TEA, Ela Handbags, Gadgets, Gap, Gift Guide, Gifts, Holidays, Holidays 2012, Indigo, iPhone, Laura Kell, Missoni, Missoni Stuffed Toys, Rag and Bone, Roots, Ryan Michael Cheung, Shopping, Talia Brown, Vogue, Williams Sonoma, Wishlist, YSL
Posted in Beauty, Fashion, Gadgets, Shopping

Toronto Fashion Week: Canadian Essentials from eLUXE

Toronto Fashion Week is here, and our city is buzzing with excitement of SS13 collections, street style photographers on the prowl, and media, bloggers, and industry folks flooding the tents on King Street. And since I wasn’t able to hit the shops last weekend to pick up a few things to wear this week, I checked out eLUXE’s wide assortment of Canadian-designed pieces instead!

From a roomy bag, to a statement blazer, to oh-so-necessary eye cream, it has never been easier to add a few Canadian pieces to your wardrobe (and beauty cabinet too!). And with special MasterCard Stylicity eLUXE deal ($25 credit when you spend $75 or more, $25 off purchase of $75 or more), the timing couldn’t be more perfect. So take advantage while you can!

To see the rest of the post, please click here to visit the official Stylicity Blog!

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Style Blog, October 22nd 2012 | Tags: Beauty, Canadian, Consonant Skincare, Fashion Week, Jenny Bird, MasterCard, MasterCard Stylicity, Pink Tartan, Rebekah Price, Roots, Shopping, Smythe, Toronto Fashion Week
Posted in Beauty, Fashion, Fashion Week, Shopping

Four Girls, Three Blogs, and Three Years of Style!

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Last week, a group of incredibly stylish Toronto lovelies took the Thompson Hotel Rooftop by a storm! Yes, I am talking about the Three Years of Style attendees…otherwise known as the readers and supporters of Style Blog, The Backseat Stylers, and The Souls of My Shoes – the three little fashion blogs that could.

Kim, Sharon, Tara, and I greeted our guests with fun swag bags, filled to the brim with goodies like Ardell eyelashes, eLUXE discount cards, essence cosmetics make-up, FLARE Magazine‘s August 2012 issue, Goody Double Wear elastics, John Frieda hair products, Nella Bella handbag hooks, Roots iTunes playlist redemption codes, Tweezerman tweezers, and Vitamin Water Zero. Pretty awesome, if I may say so myself.

Three Years of Style Swag Bag

Our guests came dressed to the nines, ready to face off for those coveted “Most Stylish” prizes. But even knowing the number of people that have RSVP’d for our little soiree ahead of time could not prepare us for the maelstorm of stylishness and beautimosity that ensued…even Thomspon Hotel’s rooftop management noted that they haven’t seen a group this stylish in a while! You all looked so good, that it was a really tough call to make. But after some deliberating, we chose our 4 most stylish.

Aya McMillan took home the grand prize consisting of a $250 gift card from eLUXE and a Nella Bella bag, while runners up Jessica Chiu, Liane Fong and Diego R each walked away with $100 from Danier Leather, Roots, and Yorkdale Shopping Centre.

Our last prize of the night – a coveted $550 LINE Knitwear leather jacket, generously gifted to us by designers John Muscat and Jennifer Wells, was a ballot draw, won by the luckiest girl in the world – Wendy Leung, who dashed other hopeful attendees’ dreams of winning that perfect fall piece.

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The rest of the night was a blur. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of ~~bloggers~~ friends to ring in another year of blogging with. Kim, Sharon, and Tara have been amazing blogger-buds and event wing-women to me over the years, and it felt awesome being able to celebrate our success together.

Additionally, seeing so many of you at our party, taking the time to support our blogs felt surreal, humbling, and just really incredible. I got to meet some of my lovely readers, hang out with bloggers and industry insiders that never fail to inspire me, and spend some time reflecting on the three amazing years, doing what I love, and sharing my passion with all of you. Whether you were at our party in person, or in spirit, thank you from the bottom of my heart! Thank you for making our blog birthday party fun and exciting, thank you for tuning in week after week, and thank you for supporting our blogs and our dreams! I hope to see you again next year!

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More photos after the jump!

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Style Blog, August 13th 2012 | Tags: Anita Clarke, Ardell, birthday, Danier, eLUXE, essence cosmetics, Events, Flare, Goody, John Frieda, Line Knitwear, Nella Bella, Organic Style, Roots, Three Years of Style, Tweezerman, Vitamin Water, What I Wore, Yorkdale, You Just Got Spotted
Posted in Events, Fashion, Organic Style, What I Wore

Roots Spring 2012 Preview

Last week, a few of my blogger friends and I hit up the Bloor Street Roots store to check out their Spring 2012 goodies. And as you see, we all found something to love. Though I’ve always been a fan of Roots’ leather accessories, the preview made me reconsider the brand’s seriously stylish outerwear options.

First thing that caught my eye, and one that I seriously did not want to take off, was a cognac leather moto vest. How lovely is it? With a modern cut, and supple leather, it’s a perfect layering piece for any outfit this spring. And there was so much more! Varsity jackets, making a huge comeback, are available in a variety of fabrics and colors, without too many logos and adornments. Some of my favorites included a nylon jacket with leather sleeves – perfect in its simplicity, and a perforated leather vest – another item I wouldn’t mind adding to my (tiny) closet.

As expected, the collection featured a lot of bright colors, and I loved the addition of summer sandals to the shoe lineup. Not sure if Roots carried sandals before…but this year’s styles looked cute and comfy.

What do you think of Roots’ Spring 2012 Collection? Share in the comments.

More photos after the jump!

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Style Blog, February 2nd 2012 | Tags: Canadian, Events, Roots, Shopping, Spring 2012
Posted in Events, Fashion, Shopping

Roots Spring 2011 Collection

Is there a brand more Canadian than Roots? With the exception of the signature HBC stripes, Roots is a company I think of, when I think of Canadiana. But looking at their Spring 2011 collection – no maple leafs in sight, all I could think of was…STYLISH!

Roots shoes and bags have become increasingly popular in the last few years - mainly because of the quality (which is superb), and the variety of styles available. Admittedly, though I don’t own any Roots leather pieces of my own, I was really impressed with the company’s Spring 2011 collection – supple leathers in colors ranging from sandy brown to hot pink, comfy-looking (and yet still stylin’) boots, leather vests, sophisticated shapes, and clothes that are perfect for layering. Impressive, indeed.

My favorite pieces were definitely the ones made with colorful leathers…yellow, orange, pink, and camel - amazing for those sunny days ahead! The below two-tone messenger bag was one of my faves – a perfect blast of color for practically any outfit, no?

So if you haven’t checked out Roots Spring 2011offerings yet, make sure to stop by a store near you, because beyond the usual medley of hoodies and athletic pants, their leather goods might just make you rethink your next designer bag purchase – the quality of leather is that good.