> Photo by Titus Chan Photography

Part three – the bustier dress. It’s the summer staple (though it’s been a go-to style for awhile). This jersey grey bustier is a part of a light denim dress that brings casual character to a sweet summer day. Functional (pockets, oh, those pockets), yet with the right tinge of flare. A favourite.

Aritzia‘s highly anticipated New York flagship store in Soho finally opened its doors over the weekend to the delight of eager fashionistas around the city. I’ve always wondered if those in the States and other countries got as excited about getting some Canadian Fashion as we did about getting stores from abroad (remember the crazyness that was Abercrombie or H&M opening at the Eaton Centre?!)… Well, from the reviews online, it seems like the Canadian brand has won over NY’s fashion-centric crowd, with tons of excitement surrounding the grand opening.

The two-story flagship store has a familiar resemblance to the Artizias here at home that we’ve come to know and love, but with a few added extras, like an old bank vault that was preserved and repurposed as a fitting room, and an intimate studio shopping space on the second floor (swanky right?). So, note to Canadians who may find themselves shopping in New York and feeling a little overwhelmed by the fashion scene - you now have a refuge.

Showing some love for sir Big Jacks – I’m obscenely late to the party, but man is this good. Replay city.

JOYRIDIN’ By Big Jacks by Aritzia

Spring is here (indulge me, will you?) and so is Aritzia’s 2010 spring/summer collection. The usual suspects (read: Wilfred, Talula Babaton and TNA) have packed their collections with patterns (stripes, spots, florals!), edgy knit sweaters and, of course, the classic trench.

Above? Some of my fave picks for sunshine season.

Matte matte matte – it’s literally everywhere, lending itself to so many different types of make up. Knock Out cosmetics produces a line of matte nail polishes that are available at point of purchase in a certain Canadian retailer. I admittedly let my impulsive tendency to buy useless things get the best of me (ack, hey, first step is to address it) and I went home with this as an add on to grabbing a slopping slouchy crop shirt (side note…sorry, I digress). The concept behind these matte polishes is that they’re brush and go – no top coat or anything else necessary. While the packaging is slick (well, matte and perfect to be specific), the product itself isn’t strong. Let’s say it’s…”chipper”. It chips. Easily, and a lot. And it makes me think my nails have become a chalkboard (forget nails on a chalkboard, this is more agitating).

Also a bad time for their website to go down (www.koknockout.com). It’s got some great promise, just didn’t quite deliver at over $20+ a bottle.

> images from koknockout.com