Summer 2011: Epilogue

I'm not going to comment on how long it's been since my last post.  It's extremely evident.  Moving forward, what an amazing summer that was!  Yes it went by quickly and yes I spent a lot of time indoors, hunched over my desk/my friend's dining room table working on what needed to be done, but wow...I seriously have a lot to show for it!

In the perfect culmination of everything I have been working toward, I had organized an amazing creative collaboration:  Grunge & Glamour at the Gladstone, held in Toronto at the Gladstone Hotel.  The event started with hip hop DJ Marko, followed by TO rock band The One-Look Donnybrook and ended with my swimwear runway show (accompanied by The OLD).  Visual artist Nick Sweetman covered the walls of the venue in his artwork.  It was so satisfying to see it finally come together...often we make plans or think of great ideas and they don't always materialize.  This is one of those ideas that not only came to be, but turned out even better than the original seed of thought.  The venue was perfect for the feel we were going for and the Gladstone staff were unbelievably amazing to work with the entire time.  We sold out the tickets and received so much positive feedback.  In the process, I was able to work with old friends, make new ones, and close a chapter on a part of my fashion design.  Also, the collection that I showed for the G & G event will be my last one that I made on my old sewing machine and likely will not be shown again.  The morning before the show, I drove to Newmarket to pick up my fresh new collection, which will be debuted at Ottawa Fashion Week at the end of this month!  So begins the next chapter...

Here's a shot of me with my models after the show.  I was lucky again to work with an amazing team.  The girls were so fun and had such great attitudes...the Green Room was a total party.  Hair was styled by the talented Kyle Hannaford from Head Candy Salon in Toronto.

Photo credit:  Santiago Ortega

For more photos from the runway show, click here or here.

Cheers to a new season!

xo Amber

Grunge and Glamour at the Gladstone

Consider this your official invite to the latest and greatest event I am very happy to be a part of!

A bit of history:

A few months ago I was speaking with my friend who lives in Toronto on Facebook chat (we were both slacking at our desk jobs, what can I say?).  We were both talking about our side projects-my fashion design, his rock band called The One-Look Donnybrook.  I mentioned I wanted to do another show in Toronto this summer, and he suggested I have The O.L.D. play for the show.  Over the course of several weeks, we had put together a pretty solid vision and had also included his friend Nick Sweetman, a Toronto visual artist, to the lineup.  Finally, as of a few weeks ago, Nick brought in his friend Marko Orlic to DJ as well.  And so the event was complete...an incredible collaboration that will showcase each of our talents with absolutely no room for boredom and only the opportunity for one amazing time!

So...come!  I can't wait to see it all come together :)

xo Amber

Expecting the unexpected

Taking a mini-break for some brain babble in the form of a blog post:

Starting this fashion line is the closest I have ever been to having a child, or I suppose what I imagine it to be like:  In the first stages, it's just so exciting!  I announce the news to everyone who will listen and want to shout it from the rooftops how happy I am and how great I feel about it!  Then, the full weight of the situation starts to sink in.  My entire life needs to change to fit this into my plans: My apartment isn't big enough, I don't have enough time, I have to prioritize everything, not least my finances.  Meanwhile, back hurts, I'm constantly wearing "comfy pants", and using my situation as an excuse to eat junk food.  I can't sleep and I'm always anxious about how it will all turn out.  What should be the name be?  Will I be good at this?  When will I see my friends?  So many open-ended questions with no absolute answers.   But....all those scary points aside, it doesn't dispel how freaking excited I am about it all, and somewhere deep down I know it will all turn out OK.  At least this is where I am at in this entire process.  Sitting here, surrounded in patterns, with a path to the fridge and one out the front door.  An empty bag of chocolate covered raisins somewhere in there too.  (I wanted to buy Crispers, but the crumbs would have been everywhere and somehow I doubt my manufacturer wants to receive these patterns with salt and vinegar finger smudges everywhere.  Gross.)

Embarrassed to admit this was not just my night snack while tracing patterns, but also (looking down in shame) my breakfast the next day.  Judge away. 

My new pet!

Do not be fooled, this is actually a sofa.

***Allow me to take a pregnant pause to mention in passing that I am not, in this stage of my life, interested in having a child, nor do I think I actually know what it would be like.  So much respect to the mamas reading this, because I know it's probably 100 times harder than what I'm trying to do right now.

I leave for Toronto Tuesday morning and can't wait to get out of Ottawa for a couple of days and once and for all hand over this work to the professional who will then somehow turn a pile of paper cutouts and fabric into a complete sample swimwear line.  INcredible.

Until then, I still have a lot to do if I want this kid to be healthy.

xo Amber

I am Woman

Happy 100th Anniversary of International Women's Day to all my ladies!!

Some things you can do today to celebrate:

1. Buy yourself a gift that makes you feel amazing, or do something nice for a special girl in your life.
2. Blast "I'm Just A Girl" by No Doubt, because it's still so damn good.  (PS have you seen Gwen Stefani in the new L'Oreal Superior Preference ad?  I saw it last night, looked at my bf and announced "I need to go blonder".  She is amazing and gorgeous.  She is and always will be my favourite person I will never know).
3. Sign up to volunteer for a women's advocacy group or donate to one!  Today I made a donation to the Because I'm A Girl Fund, which helps girls and women around the world, and specifically to honour single mothers like mine.
4. Make your Facebook or Twitter status something to honour women-it can be as simple as "I love being a girl!"
5. Get informed:  Read about about the status of women in your country and around the world.  It's always smart to know where you stand.
6. Hug your grandmother.  She is a bridge between the past and present and has helped, in her way, shape the modern world and the women who live in it.

It is fitting that today I write about where I am in my business plan, since I have been working really hard with Marie on the part (and potentially the most vital section of all) where we define WHO our target consumer is.  Without going into too much detail, because it remains a work in progress and we still need to register our name and such (and WE HAVE A NAME NOW PEOPLE YESSS!), we have gotten really close to adequately and accurately identifying our customer.  It is important to Marie and I that we get this part of the plan completely right.  As two women, each unique in personality, background, physique and style, it is imperative that we create something that make sense for us and the other unique women we know.  Personally, it essential to me as the designer and creative director of this project that I produce items that I would wear myself and that my girlfriends would wear as well.  It is becoming apparent that it is really tough to design and produce the first collection, taking into account wearability, uniqueness and quality-three characteristics that represent our goals in this endeavour.  The initial collection requires that I focus on a small number of colours and styles, with the goal to expand and reinvent the brand as time goes on and more collections are created.  This means there is a lot of pressure to select the "right" styles among all my designs, ensuring these choices work both together and yet separately still reflecting what our brand stands for.  With that said, it is so much fun as well.  I feel like *knock on wood* things are really coming together for this project and as much as I am anxious to get it out there, taking our time has proven to be a far better and more successful route.

I think it's also important to mention that as female entrepreneurs, Marie and I strive to work with and represent women in our lives.  I am interested in knowing what other female customers look for when they go shopping for themselves, and we have begun to work on a survey to examine the multiple factors involved when women purchase items for their wardrobes.  Look out for this survey in a Bias Cut post near you!

Here are some fun quotes to celebrate the day of the Girl:

Despite my thirty years of research into the feminine soul, I have not yet been able to answer the great question that has never been answered:

What does a woman want?

-Sigmund Freud

I have an idea that the phrase "weaker sex" was coined by some woman to disarm some man she was preparing to overwhelm.

-Ogden Nash

The fastest way to change society is to mobilize the women of the world.

-Charles Malik

Remember, Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels.

-Faith Whittlesey

I conclude this post with a shout out to all my beautiful girls and women in my life!  Love you!

xo Amber

Huge hair and high waists

Sometimes I feel like I was meant to be alive during a previous era.  I prefer to dress up rather than dress down, I am attracted to "big" hair and hourglass silhouettes, I like real fur over faux, I am admittedly technologically dysfunctional (it's truly a miracle that this blog even came to be), and I feel like vintage clothing actually fits me better...like literally my body likes it more. 

I remember as a young girl in elementary school, I couldn't figure out why clothing never seemed to look right on my body.  I'm a natural pear shape with a long torso, and at that time the "rage" was those ridiculous "mini tees" (who really knows if they were "in", but when the only stores available are Suzy Shier and Le Chateau...) and they looked absolutely TERRIBLE on my body.  Low-rise jeans only made it worse.  How do you explain to your teachers that you don't want to be showing an inch of skin at the age of 12, so if you could please tell Le Shiteau for me that they are ruining my life, that would be great.  The day that longer shirts magically appeared in stores, I rejoiced...but with the blessed arrival of high waisted pants and skirts, it was like the fashion gods had finally answered my prayers.  I would like to see a graph showing the timeline of when my joie de vie markedly improved upon the introduction of high waists to my body.  I would have made the graph myself, but I believe I already mentioned my tech deficiency. 

I also like to get ideas for hair, makeup and ensembles by looking at some of the past screen sirens and fashion icons.  I used classic photos of Brigitte Bardot signature headband/sex hair look for my shows this summer.  I also asked the makeup artist for a big cat eye with smudged, smoky lids and full, nude lips.  The effect was stunning with all the girls in their undone bouffants, glam eyes and glowing skin.   Couldn't have been happier with the end result.

A young Bardot

Because of my body type, I find the best cuts are those from the 40s/50s and from the 70s/early 80s.  I also tend to design swimwear similar to those that were popular during those times.  I remember seeing this photo of Carly Simon wearing this amazing swimsuit and was instantly inspired: 

Carly Simon...she was such a hottie in her time.  Still is, really.

I like to look at old photos of Studio 54 too, and wish I had been in my 20s during those years.  There were just so many gorgeous women in fantastic clothing.

Diane von Fürstenberg.  I want those shoes.

The seductive Jerry Hall.

Look at those stems on DVF, what a rocket!  I want to know that woman...like be her friend.  She seems to be so grounded considering her wealth and previous royal status.  Love her.

In the end, I suppose there are positives to living in the present rather than in the past: advancements in womens' rights, internet, recycling, blackberry messenger, etc.  Plus, when I find a vintage gem it's all the more special and satisfying when I bring it home to live in my cramped closet with its new extended (and kind of pushy) adoptive family.

xo Amber

Tales from the crypt

I woke up feeling like the undead...honestly this weekend cranked me out in shreds like a meat processor…but in a good way? No but seriously, I had an amazing three days. Ottawa Fashion Week was like chocolate fondue-I just wanted to have it all to myself in the corner of a fancy party. Friday night I met up with my girlfriend Erica for a martini at Social and then we headed to the gallery to take in all the shows. A few of our other girlfriends met us there and we took over a table with glasses of white wine and attacked the poor servers handing out hors d’oeuvres like a (classy and stylish) bunch of vultures. I made it a point to only wear what I already had in my wardrobe because I have a horrible tendency to psych myself out and, in a blind panic, run around the mall armed with my credit card and a total disregard for my current bank account balance…which at this moment is extremely pathetic. However, in my defense I did just book a trip on my Visa and spent a LOT of money on stuff for the Art of Fashion competition at the beginning of the month. I didn’t get a photo of what I ended up wearing, but it was a blush coloured vintage bustier and a floral skirt with nude heels and my favourite vintage pearl clutch that can’t fit anything but I love it regardless. I kind of felt like I was showing too much skin for Fashion Week, and regretted not finding tights, but as previously mentioned in my last entry, trying to figure out what you are going to wear at 7:30am for something literally 12 hours later that day is nearly impossible to pull off with 100% accuracy.

Moving on to the shows, I was personally really into the menswear line, Trive by Modasuite. I think because I design exclusively for women, and have yet to master the art of designing unique yet wearable apparel for men, I really appreciate designers who do. I wanted to buy the clothing for men that I know…that’s how much I liked it. Which is rare, because usually I’m selfish and only think about myself and whether I would wear it or not.  GoldenFish Swimwear ended the night with a Brazilian jungle feel to the show, from the accessories to the music. Models walked down the runway looking like gorgeous Amazon women with textured updos ending in long braids trailing down their backs. If you know me, you KNOW I love a good theme and I’m totally in love with swimwear, so there’s my biased perspective of the day.

****Side note: Can I say how BRAVE models have to be? This isn’t the first time I’ve thought this, but never was it more apparent to me than at Friday night’s shows. Aside from strutting in front of hundreds of people, dozens of photos taken of them at all angles, sometimes with VERY little clothing on, these young men and women have to look COMFORTABLE doing it. Which brings me to my rant: A few female models, some whom I know and have modeled for me, had some close calls out on the runway in their insanely high heels. I’m not clear on whether it was the height or the fit, but those things were the very definition of killer shoes. As a designer, and an amateur one at that, I realize that maybe I’m not one to start criticizing other designers on this topic, but I’m going to anyway. I personally do not see how it is ok to ask 16 year old girls to go out there in front of everyone wearing shoes that can't be comfortable and are quite possibly going to break their ankles. I know that happens for models everywhere around the world, but puh-lease give me a break here…this is not NYC and you are not Dolce NOR Gabbana and these girls are NOT getting paid!   Why should they also be expected to risk injury and humiliation for the sake of a couple extra inches of height?  For the number of girls who were able to get up and down the runway, a large portion of them still looked so petrified that again I felt myself getting distracted and honestly really stressed for them. Frankly, I wouldn't want people to remember my line by the girls teetering around or worse-going down on stage rather than by the designs themselves. To all the models in those insane heels who managed to make them look effortless, kudos. I couldn’t do it.

Saturday I celebrated Halloween…I have to say, my costume SERIOUSLY came through in the clutch. I was so unlike myself and was really poorly planned for this year. Originally, I was making mermaid/merman costumes for myself and my bf but I just really let it slide. So I made do with what I had “lying around”…ie “what can I do with a fur vest?” So, I went as a she-wolf. I could not have been happier with the outcome…although again, with better planning I could have done well with a pair of canines.

Sunday, I honestly felt like the only thing I could do that day was sit around in my own filth and eat Halloween candy, but I really wanted to make it to the last OFW show since I had to miss it on Saturday night. So, I cleaned myself up (maaaaybe ate a Denny's Grand Slam), even managing to make my outfit Halloween-themed and made it to the gallery only partially late. As for the shows, I absolutely loved the Adrian Wu collection. I really thought that despite him not headlining the evening, he was able to create a mood with the video intro and the dimmed lighting (I know the photographers were not happy with that last aspect, but it really did set a tone). His collection was at once high fashion AND wearable, which is not easy and I loved his choice in fabrics and silhouettes. At the end, Wu came out wearing the most fabulous pair of shoes that I immediately if not sooner wanted on my feet and if the designer can sell what he’s wearing just as well as the models, that is seriously talent (must make note).

Thus ends my Massive Monday entry (yessss, alliteration – now have excellent Monday theme title….must think of more for other week days.) I survived the weekend…bring on the next!


xo Amber