Holt Renfrew Launches New H Project Shops in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver

The new H Project shop at Holt Renfrew Bloor St. launches today. Photos courtesy Holt Renfrew

We can always count on Holt Renfrew to keep things fresh, forward-thinking and fashionable. Case in point: Holts' brand new in-store shop, H Project, featuring a curated assortment of apparel, accessories, home décor items and beauty products with a focus on culture, craft, and global artisans, 

Leading the charge of H Project is the store's always-on-top-of-it Director of Brand Strategy, Alexandra Weston. “We are thrilled to partner with exciting international designers – some well-known and others just making their mark,” noted Weston. “H Project offers a stage to help tell their unique and compelling stories."

The shop will offer exclusive designer collabs, often with an element of sustainability or a charitable component. H Project shops will launch with over 30 covetable brands that have been scouted from around the globe including Acca Kappa, Cornelia Guest, FEED, Jenny Bird, Lemlem, Lizzie Fortunato, Me to We, Proof, Rodin, S’Well, The White Briefs, Virginia Johnson and WeWood. 

As for the shop's design, Holt Renfrew collaborated with Janson Goldstein to design a modern gallery-like space where customers can discover elements of theatre, art and culture. The open flow shops will inspire with artisanal installations, cultural music, and videos on a listening wall where customers can learn about the stories behind the products. So, it's kind of like a mash-up of MoMA and Ten Thousand Villages, then?

H Project pilot shops are open this week at Holt Renfrew Toronto (Bloor), Calgary, and Vancouver, with the first full concept H Project shop set to open at Holt Renfrew’s Yorkdale location in fall 2013. See you there - I'll be the one getting my Lemlem on. x

Summer Crush: Mirrored Sunglasses

Mirrored shades on the Burberry Prorsum Spring '13 runway. Photo via Fairchild Photo Services

I don't know about you but I had the best weekend; It was everything that a long weekend should be - hot & sunny, plenty of G&T's on deck, sparklers after dark, and not a single tent peg in sight. Trouble is, after four glorious days of ushering in summer, I now find it impossible to get back to work. I try to focus but it's like my internal clock has been reset to 'relax' mode and Bob Marley has set up camp in my brain. I wanna chill but I also wanna love you, I wanna love and treat you, love and treat you right.

And so, let me share my favourite sunnies of the moment with you.  I'm loving all of the mirrored shades out there right now, especially the top-of-my-list Ray-Ban 3025's. They're lighthearted and fun, like summer should be, and will help make any summer look just a little more cool, a little more playful. Scroll below to find your perfect pair. 

Is this love, is this love, is this love, is this love that I'm feelin'? x

Ray-Ban 3025 Aviator Sunglasses, $199.95, Sunglass Hut

SUPER Basic Wayfarers, $166, Revolve Clothing

Future Flavor Aviator Sunglasses, $14, Urban Outfitters

ASOS Mirrored Lens Wayfarer, $20.96, ASOS

Proof Ontario Bamboo Sunglasses, $135, Holt Renfrew

Neon Aviators, $6, Aeropostale

Cheers to the Freakin' Weekend

Yes to this. Photo courtesy thedecoratedcookie.com 

Originally posted in The Fashion Scoop

The only thing worse than a hungry mosquito stuck in your tent on a camping trip is a bad wardrobe. Forgive me for the following fashion rant but hear me out;  When it comes to our long weekend packing list, I just think we can do a little better. I mean, those ripped-up Coors Light-stained joggers you see oot and aboot every weekend on campgrounds across Canada just don't cut it, even around the campfire. Same goes for other weekend fashion offenders - grimy old flip-flops, matchy-matchy Adidas tracksuits (Ole, ole ole oleeee), cheek-exposing Daisy Dukes and white tube socks, awesome as they are.  Call in the trailer park police, arrest those bad boys, and throw away the key. Even though I wear heels 96% of the time, I am a surprisingly apt camper. You see, I spent every summer at a hardcore(ish) tripping camp, became a counsellor, navigated our glorious Ontario lakes, even learned how to portage (solo..BOOYAH!). So while I can totally appreciate gettin' dirty and roughing it with the best of 'em, there comes a time when you need to toss your old jogging suits and refine your look, if only for the Facebook tags you'll be getting next Tuesday. I'm not suggesting you bust out your falsies and stilettos just yet - this is May 24 after all - you can still wear your comfy shorts, your bear-ready runners and of course, your cozy hoodie, but it's all about how you wear your off-duty pieces that will help you look terrific, not tragic. I've put together 4 cute outfits to get you from Friday to Monday in style, whether you're heading to the campground, cottage or backyard BBQ this May 24. Click here for the looks.

Happy Long Weekend, y'all! Hope the weather's great, the beers icy cold and the marshmallows juuuust right x

Feeling Blue

Photo courtesy H&M

Originally posted in The CLOSET

What is it they say, 'If you think it, it will come,' or something like that...

Well, I don't know about you but I'm thinking about summer and I subscribe to the philosophy of dressing for the season, even if The Weather Network disagrees. Once I've put away my winter coats, they're away for the next 5 months. Once I've stopped wearing socks, it's pedicure time from here on out. People might stare at my bare legs and sandals in the middle of a mid-May hailstorm but you know what I say to them? Stare all you want, I am not, repeat NOT, going back to tights and winter boots. Fuhgeddaboudit, donezo, screw you winter, we've had our fun, but I am more than ready for patios, sunhats, heatwaves and blasting A/C. Though Mother Nature might be waffling, I, for one, am fully committed to the hotness ahead and when the pavement sizzles, nothing cools me down quite like blue. I've always loved the serene colour in all of its many hues, reminiscent of crystal clear lakes, cloudless skies and a bottle of Bombay Sapphire (well, maybe not the whole bottle...)

Are you feeling blue like I am? Read the full article here for my favourite blue finds, from breezy cobalt dresses to easy striped espadrilles, perfect for shuffling to the pool and back again. Sigh...doesn't it just make you want to dive right in? 

A Peek at Peter Som for Anthropologie

Photos via Style.com

'Tis the season where wedding invites make their way to our mailboxes and after the RSVP comes the inevitable hunt for the perfect dress.  Black is too funerial and white grounds for bridezilla backlash, and so we're left with colour and print. Enter the new Peter Som capsule collection for Anthropologie, full of punchy bright florals and other whimsical prints, guaranteed to help you stand out at any summer celebration.

“The collection has that off-kilter, patchwork, kind of magpie sensibility. It’s about a quirky elegance,” offers Som. As for the zebra print, already seen in his Spring 2012 collection, Som quips “I’m of the Diana Vreeland school of thought - Zebra is a neutral.”

Available online at anthropologie.com and in stores starting this Friday, the collection ranges from $128 to $360. Thoughts? Any pieces catching your eye? I'm ALL over that zebra dress, recycled print or not. Giddy-up.

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