Thursday, December 6, 2012

Gift Ideas from Kathryn Rebecca

For the last month I have been scooping out special items to pick up for the lovely ladies
in my life at Freedom Clothing Collective

Today I decided to start working on my gift idea and to start things off I chose one of the Freedom Reconstructed patterned pouches ($14). Then came the fun task of what to put in the pouch!

A fun collection of magnets made up of beautiful vintage buttons by Rae ($12).

Sweet little rose bobby pins by Larque. ($20)

Botanical Blends complete lipgloss, moistures without too much shine! ($5)

Carnivale handmade soap by Utopia, smells divine ($5)

Blooming branches wrap in gray with a gold plated clasp from my own brand Kathryn Rebecca ($45)
There is a a pouch with a different arrangement of treats for all of the ladies I love and I am SO looking forward to seeing them crack them open! :)

What is especially thrilling is to know that everything I am giving is Canadian made and that I am supporting a local entrepreneur. :)

Hope my own shopping experience might help give you some ideas for your own list of ladies.

Happy Holidays!
*Katie

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Pop Up Shop with Vaute Couture

Freedom is pleased to announce we are hosting our first ever pop up shop. On Dec 8th and 9th join us in welcoming the ever so stylish and sustainably concious Leanne Mai-Ly Hilgart and her Vaute Couture line. As the weather gets chillier, this is the perfect time to get a personalized, close-up look at Vaute's line of style focused, weather prepared winter coats, which are not only stunning but made to last with sustainable fabrics and environmentally concious materials and methods. 

We admire Vaute's dedication to sustainable, ethical and compassionate practices, especially their personal commitment to producing their products locally. This is a wonderful opportunity for a cross-border sharing of knowledge and best practices on building and sustaining local brands. 
To see the collection, and have time with Leanne to purchase your own, please schedule an appointment by email at KristinaVaute@gmail.com

All the info you'll need:
//THE TORONTO VAUTE COUTURE POP UP SHOP//
WHEN: Saturday December 8th Noon-6pm + Sunday December 9th 11am-4pm
WHEREthe Freedom Clothing Collective:: 939 Bloor Street  West Toronto, ON M6H 1L5  (416) 530-9946
RSVP Pretty Please: Email KristinaVaute@gmail.com to make your appointment with Leanne!
What’s a Vaute Couture POP UP SHOP appointment?
Just to be sure you have lots of time one on one with me, I take appointments! I used to do an open event, but this works out much better. It’s about 20 minutes per, and you can bring up to 4 friends with you for your slot.  Just be sure to RSVP with however many you plan to bring! Check out what time and date I’ll be in your city, and email Kristina at KristinaVaute@gmail.com ASAP to let her know what general time is best for you- i.e. “Before 4pm” or “Between 1-2pm is ideal” and she’ll get back to you with your slot. And then take a look at the website to see some of what we have, but get ready because I’ll be bringing lots of new stuff too.
What will we do during the appointment?
There’s NO pressure to buy, it’s a great way to try on coats, see and feel them in person so you know what you plan to order in the future or just to check out what I’ve been working on developing! I can tell you all about the fabrics, the story behind styles, or we can just chat about vegan fashion/life/cupcakes. Or, if you want to come in and find the perfect coat or accessory- I can figure that out for you and show you everything! Totally whatever you’d like to do with our 20 minutes is up to you.

Monday, November 26, 2012

One of a Kind Show Toronto Holiday Season

a grouping of fantastic vendors are not only to be found at the One of a Kind show but at Freedom Clothing Collective! And we are all year round :)

Friday, November 9, 2012

... more Fall Winter 2012

Blank cowl, Atelier b wool lyocell top and organic cotton skirt

KooCoo Carrillo crepe wool dress and Rae Designs necklace

KooCoo Carrillo wool dress, Little Projectiles scrap leather necklace and Slo upcycled mittens

Noujica bamboo cotton hat and Betina Lou dress
Twiss & Weber linen top, Torched Studio necklace and Noujica vegetable leather belt

Scarffaces headband and muff with Voyou jacket

Friday, October 26, 2012

A glimpse into Toronto Fashion Week 2012


Model on the on the runway and audience at Melissa Nepton.
Last night I was given the opportunity to attend a showing of Melissa Nepton's Spring 2013 collection of womenswear at Toronto Fashion Week. Although I found myself in awe of the utter coolness of the event, both on and off the runway, I was of course most taken with Nepton's collection. In its innovation and beauty, Nepton impressively encapsulates the season of "Spring," while also embodying the perfect balance between elegance, comfort, and cool.
Photograph by: Nathan Denette, The Canadian Press
Montreal designer Melissa Nepton's collection is incredibly inspired by movement and fluidity which compliments her target audience, the urban career women, perfectly. The presence of horizontal stripes and ultra cool, sheer, breezy pant suits reflects upscale, seaside comfort. Nepton's ultra chic, ready to wear creations move down the runway with ease and comfort, while maintaining intense levels of luxury and sophistication.
Nepton kept accessorizing her collection to a minimum, and the collection was mostly black and white, with accenting beachy tones like blue and orange hues. This worked well, since the design of Nepton's pieces were incredibly loud and outspoken on their own.
This black mini and this white and black pant suit are both perfect go to outfits for any bold, edgy fashionista attending a black tie event. Both photographs from worldmastercardfashionweek.com/melissanepton.
For day wear, Nepton included to die for textured 
separates such as this dominating sweater paired with a sheer black skirt. This was one of my favorite looks of the night.
Photograph from lia-glassoffashion.blogspot.ca

Inside David Pecaut Square. From left to right: event guests, wall mural, and the DJ booth.

Another notable designer that debuted her Spring 2013 collection yesterday at Toronto Fashion Week is Paidemoyo Chideya of DeMOYO. Paidemoyo was born in Zimbabwe, raised in Sweden, London, and a bit of Paris- giving her credit to an understanding of various cultures and countries, two of which are recognized internationally as fashion capitals. Just this slight knowledge into Paidemoyo's upbringing allows one to assume that Paidemoyo is probably a super talented, creative individual... and one would definitely not be wrong in assuming this!

Here are some of DeMOYO's looks from Toronto Fashion Week yesterday: 


All photographs are from worldmastercardfashionweek.com/demoyo
Paidemoyo clearly has a nuanced undestanding and appreciation for vintage fashion, evident in the vintage elements she infused with innovative and contemporary design in her Spring 2013 collection. What I love most about Paidemoyo is that not only is she an incredibly talented designer, but she is also ecoconscious: "This designer not only has a vision, but genuinely works on infusing help into the infrastructures of suffering economies. Being ecoconscious, she has also created jobs where they are needed right in the heart of the problem, sourcing locally in Africa" (http://worldmastercardfashionweek.com/demoyo/).

- Chloe Stelmanis

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

The Junction Flea!

A few examples of Junction Fall Flea vendor and Toronto based
writer and artist Rhonda Riche's (graciousgoods.wordpress.com)
 vintage jewlery. Photo from graciousgoods.wordpress.com.
Toronto's west end was buzzing on Sunday, October 14th as Torontonians travelled from near and far to check out the last outdoor Junction Flea market of the year. The trip to the Junction triangle for the flea is well worth it. Boasting an array of vendors specializing in anything from hand made jewelry, antiques, vintage clothing, and print making to delicious tiny donuts, scrumptious dumplings, and even fortune telling!- you'd be hard pressed to find a disappointed flea market-goer amidst the bustling crowd.
The most recent Junction flea (aka the "Fall Flea") included gems and treasures both new and old- incredible local talent showing off hand made arts and crafts mixed with antique booths that make you feel as if you've just stepped into the past. Here are a few examples of the type of pieces some of the Junction Flea vendors have to offer:
Hand made textile's from Flea vendors John Booth and Arounna Khounnoraj of Bookhou (bookhouathome.blogspot.com). Photos from www.bookhou.com.
Local artist/Flea vendor Breanne Morrow of White Feather Designs creates hand crafted jewelry from scratch.
Photos from junctionflea.blogspot.com.
Some of my own treasure hunting at the flea market lead me to this glorious vintage leather shoulder bag (thanks, Emporium!) and this enamel on steel kettle from Le Creuset.
The Junction Flea Market is presented by SMASH and Russet&Empire and took place every second sunday of the month from June until last Sunday at Dundas West and Indian Grove. The Flea will continue indoors in future months at the Great Hall so stay tuned at junctionflea.blogspot.com for the next flea market date... it's not to be missed!