Monday, August 23, 2010

STORE: Boutique George & Jane

Its all in the family at this beautiful new store in Montreal's Mile End neighbourhood.  Boutique owner Nicole coins it as "a shop for boys and girls, inspired by my grandparents- George & Jane."  Colourful images of George and Jane in their stylish, young days decorate the walls of this modern, spacious store.  The high ceilings boast beautiful lighting, designed by Nicole's fiance's brother (Thout).  The wood floors and dark cabinets add warmth to this grand space, making it comfortable and approachable... and the clothing, oh the clothing!  Each and every piece, hand-picked by Nicole and her right-hand-gal Yvette, exemplifies character, quality, and effortless, innate style.  Presented beautifully on suspended racks, these pieces are a pleasure to sift through.  Brands carried include Acne, Filippa K, Religion, Lily & Jae, Gestuz, and Helmut Lang to name a few.  I am also proud to announce that BIKO is now being carried at Boutique George & Jane.

Join Boutique George and Jane's Facebook Fan Page and visit the shop at 5364 Blvd. Saint Laurent. 
All images via this page.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

The World That Summer

One of my favourite things to do is scour old photos and study images of curious lives past.  This blog has a great collection, which I pulled from to share with you.  These are just a few of the many..


Images via The World That Summer.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Travels to Far Away Places

Whoa, I've been away a lot lately.  My apologies for being MIA... a good blog is one that keeps you in the loop, and I've been doing just the opposite.  I do have grand plans brewing, and so much to share with you.  Sometimes I wish there were more than 24 hours in a day, then you would really get to see the madness in my head.  Well, working with what we DO have, I think the only solution is to jump right in and tell you what's been going on.


Poland & Prague:  I love Europe.  I was gone for just over two weeks in June and July, and found so much inspiration in the littlest things: fresh air in the mountains, fields of flowers, contrasting eras of architecture (Renaissance vs. Gothic vs. Art Deco vs. Art Nouveau, etc), large public squares of gathered people (world cup fever), babushka dolls, funny money, cobblestone roads, creepy marionettes... oh the list goes on and on.


I also came across these awesome miniature helmets, which are replicas of the real deal, dating back to the 12th-16th centuries. 
Note to self: Must find a way to make them a part of the Spring 2011 Collection.


Montreal:  A 10 day getaway in July, including a cottage weekend in the Laurentians.  Good company + delicious food + funny farm animals + sun + biking + heat = best time ever.  I am super impressed with Montreal's dedicated bike paths that wind throughout the city, getting you where you need to be safely and faster than ever before.  If a city with so many cold and snowy months can fix the bike vs. car dilemma, Toronto can too.  Get it together Toronto!


Also, while in Montreal, I came across a beautiful new store named George and Jane, which I will do a feature on soon.  They placed an order for Biko, which I think will go really well with their modern, clean, and edgy aesthetic.


Also in news:  Biko is in the midst of a complete re-branding.  This includes a new logo, business cards, labels, website (design and domain), catalogues, linesheet layouts, etc.  This new look is slowly being perfected, and I cannot wait to show you!  The completed project should be ready by the winter, but you'll see bits and pieces throughout the following months.  Oh the excitement!