Ukamaku Has Some New Designs!

It is the new year and as you are working on bettering yourself and fulfilling all of New Year's resolutions, why not treat yourself to some online shopping at one of Toronto's hottest online fashion boutiques, Ukamaku?

If a tailored, sophisticated yet luxurious piece is what you are after I suggest you try the Bianca Dress by Rachel Sin ,which is colour blocking at its best. Featuring a raspberry coloured camisole-style top and a high-waist wool skirt for the bottom, this dress would look great for a day at the office with a blazer overtop and just as nice for drinks later in the evening. Get it while it's hot because this sexy, sophisticated piece is on sale!

Clean, modern and cool is the name of the game for The Paddock. Featuring easy to wear pieces to keep as staples in your wardrobe, this is the line to snatch up if you are looking to add some classics to the old wardrobe. I suggest    the English Riding Shirt which can be worn in a variety of ways with a belted waist, roll-up sleeves and loose collar. It will go perfectly with spring's highly anticipated high waist trousers, a leather woven belt, gold bangles, straw fedora and corkscrew wedges to achieve the casual cool look that we all love. 

Psalm 91:1 offers up hand made, organic jewellery that is intended to be a reflection of the soul. If you like jewellery with some meaning behind it, I suggest you try out some of these delicate pieces. My favourite are the Allure Gold earrings. With their filigree design, they are perfect for evoking that exotic feeling you get after spending the summer in the beach of luxury, St. Tropez. Gold exotic earrings are a staple in any jewellery collection, as they look good with pretty much everything and alleviate any simple look to true elegance.

What are your favourite pieces from Ukamaku? Let me know in the comments, Facebook and Twitter!

Enjoy!

Amanda
amandasfashionspot@gmail.com
https://twitter.com/AFSpot

So you want to work in fashion?

It's a new year with a whole new beginning. Amongst your New Year's Resolutions is surely to spruce the old the resume and get some fashion experience! I have talked extensively about pursuing an internships in New York City, (which if you have any interest in I highly suggest you go for it!) but what if you plan on staying in the true, north, strong and free land of Canada? Well lucky for you there are oodles and oodles of opportunities to dip your feet in the fashion pond! Read on my friend and feel inspired!

1) Volunteer!


The best way to gain some experience in the fashion industry is to volunteer and be prepared to work for free! Like or not, that is just the way it is. There are tons of fashion events and charities that occur in Toronto that are great way to get your hands wet, especially if you do not have a lot of fashion experience to begin with. Some places to try are the Toronto Fashion Incubator, who regularly look for volunteers, contacting LG Fashion Week and signing up for Magnet Creative's, a Toronto-based fashion marketing company's, intern newsletter.

2) Work in retail!


Many of you may already do this and if so I suggest you take full advantage of it. If you love the fashion industry, you would be surprised by how much you can learn working in retail. Use your part-time job as an opportunity to really get to the know the clothes by observing new trends, fit and quality. Ask your managers about events or new things happening with your company and grill your district managers whenever they make store visits.

3) Intern!

There are many fashion-based companies in Canada that offer fabulous internship programs with great, priceless opportunities that you will use for the rest of your fashion career! Places to contact are luxury department store, Holt Renfrew which offers corporate-based internships and Toronto-based fashion designers. If the magazine world is something you want to conquer, I highly suggest applying for an internship with FASHION, FLARE or ELLE Canada. These are each highly respected and highly fabulous magazines that would surely teach a lot to any editor-in-chief in training. And here's an insider tip if you want to intern at a magazine, apply EARLY, like yesterday. Magazine internships are highly competitive and fill up faster than you can say, Christian Louboutin.


4) Be Aggressive!


The fashion industry is competitive so if you really want to get your foot in the door you must be determined to never give up. If you want to learn more about a certain company and opportunities they have for you to partake in, I highly suggest calling or emailing them directly that way you will be able to hear right away what your options are and if the company is right for you. Also don't give up if you don't always get the response or the experience you were hoping for, remember when one door closes another doors opens!

5) Study!


Whoever said that fashion was for the absent minded was sadly mistakenly. Before applying for any job, it is important to know a thing or two about the company, that way you will know what you are getting into and you will be able expand your knowledge of the fashion world. It is also really important to keep up-to-date on what is happening in the fashion industry from trends to events to insider news as well. Fashion is constantly changing and it is important to keep up with it so you are not left in the dust. Some of my favourite sites to visit are, Style.com, Fashionista.com and Styleite.com. You can also sign up to some really great newsletters from, Flare.com, WhoWhatWear.com and the really fabu' Canadian job website, StyleNinetoFive.com. Or you can always visit www.AmandasFashionSpot.com! I am more than happy to fill you in on all the fashion information you need!

So now that you know how to conquer the Canadian fashion world (keep in mind these tips can be applied to wherever you live) get up and get out there! Time is not moving any slower! Good luck with your fashion endeavours and come back to let me know how everything goes in the comments, Facebook or Twitter!

Enjoy and happy new year!

Amanda
amandasfashionspot@gmail.com
https://twitter.com/AFSpot

Photo(s) of the Day: Time to Standout!

If you know me well, you know that I have a deep love of costume jewellery. I love the glitter, the sparkle, the drama and especially the way a single piece can make an outfit instantly unique and special. I recently discovered this Canadian jewellery line named Rocaille that specializes in ornate, delicate designs with a little vintage inspiration. These two pieces are my favourites, for they have the right amount of character to make any look a complete show stopper!

What are your favourite accessories? Let me know in the comments, Facebook and Twitter!

Enjoy! 

Amanda
amandasfashionspot@gmail.com
https://twitter.com/AFSpot

Ukamaku: A One Stop Canadian Fashion Shop

If you ever wondered where to conveniently find your beloved Canadian designers fashionable goodies, look no more! Ukamaku has arrived.

Launching just last week, the brand new online fashion store aims to promote and sell Canadian fashion designers to not only your fellow Canucks, but the whole world as well. The site currently carries your favourite designers such as Another Word For Pink, Bijouxbead, Emily Woudenberg, Heidi Ackerman, and Zoran Dobric with many more to come!

Featuring women's and men's clothing and accessories ranging from $100-$600, customers can register to create wish lists, read designer blogs and be the first to know about all the exciting things happening with these fabulous designers.


For your next online dilly dally venturing through all of your fashion sites, be sure to make Ukamaku your first stop!

Enjoy!

Amanda
amandasfashionspot@gmail.com
https://twitter.com/AFSpot


*Photo Courtesy of fashionmagnet.ca

A Career in the Canadian Fashion Industry From A Designers Perspective

As the Canadian readers will know (myself included) as much as us Canadian fashionistas love the fashion world, unfortunately it seems that the opportunities are few and far between. However no need to fly off to the streets of Paris just yet! 

TorontoStar.com recently posted this article about Canadian fashion designers and their reasoning for staying in the great North. Here are the highlights!

Jeremy Laing- "It's never been a question about if I should stay or go. I like living here. It's isolated from the fashion world."

Mikhael Kale- "This season I did market in Paris and Vogue's Fashion Night Out. It is expensive for a designer to partake in all this stuff....So what I can do is have a showroom in New York and Paris but live here, which allows me the finance to do these things."

Kimberly Newport-Mimran-"I absolutely grappled with that decision because I have a larger presence in the U.S. market. But I feel rooted here. New York is an international fashion city so it's nice to have a presence there but this is home."

Enjoy!

Amanda
amandasfashionspot@gmail.com
https://twitter.com/AFSpot

What's in a Name?: Vogue Threatens to Sue Canadian Fashion Event

Most recently the Victoria, British Columbia fashion industry had organized a fashion event celebrating the West Coast's talented designers. This fabulous evening was going to called, Victoria's Fashion Night Out in order to pay tribute to all of Victoria's fashionistas who had planned to take part in the event. Unfortunately, the name that the organizers had intended to call the event was a little similar to another well-known fashion event, Vogue's Fashion Night Out.

As soon as Vogue's legal team caught wind of the similarities between the names they contacted the organizers of Victoria's Fashion Night Out and demand that they change the name immediately change their name or legal action will be taken. Victoria's Fashion Night Out organizers had to scramble to change the name the night before the event to simply, Victoria's Fashion Night.

I guess when it comes to fashion the early bird gets the worm.

Amanda

A Little Fashion Treat

If you have been busy enjoying family time on this Good Friday, celebrating the warm weather or catching up on LG Fashion Week buzz and want a quick little treat, check out this video put together by The Advocates celebrating some of the prominent stylists in Canadian fashion.

The video celebrates LG Fashion Week and Women X Women, which is an annual fashion photography exhibition that features Canadian women fashion photographers.

All I can say is, you go girl!

Amanda

Canucks Doin' It Style: Coco, Denis and Dsquared take Canada by storm!

Ever stop and think about what is up and coming with your fellow fashionable Canucks? Read on my friend, read on:

Fall from Lace: Coco launches Rococo

As previously reported, Canadian supermodel Coco Rocha had been in a search for the perfect name for her upcoming fashion line and it appears that she has! With reference to the ornate artistic period and her namesake, Rocha has named her collection, Rococo. Clever and cute. She debuted the first piece from her line while co-hosting the Grammy red carpet with ET Canada. The sapphire blue and gold silk 18th century inspired dress had a peek-a-boo gold skirt and definitely stood out on the runway. Look forward to see what the dancing model has coming up next!

BEDO meet Denis

Montreal fashion designer, Denis Gagnon is set to launch an affordable clothing for BEDO. Known for his use of leather and monochromatic looks, it will be nice to know that more people will be able to get a hold of his designers. It's also very nice to see a Canadian designer gaining more support from retailers.

Brotherly Love: DSquared shows their Olympic Spirit

In honour of the Vancouver 2010 Olympics fashion's design duo, DSquared has designed the costumes for the opening and closing Olympic ceremonies. So those outfits you saw last night? All Dean and Dan. On top of that, they have created a limited edition edition Olympic hooded sweater at Holt Renfrew. Fashion meets the world of athletics, what better way to show support for your Canadian athletes this year?

Amanda

Models Hit the Catwalk in a Whole New Way

We are now in the age of the slashies, i.e. models turned actress, actress turned singers and now we have models turned fashion designers! Joining the likes of Kate Moss, Milla Jovovich and Erin Wasson, Canadian models Coco Rocha and Monica Schnarre now have their own respective clothing lines!

Miss Rocha's line is still in the process of being designed and developed, however she recently posted a naming challenge on her blog Oh So Coco, where fans can submit possible names for her upcoming fashion line. My favourite possibilities include, the very Canadian Chinook, the floral Oleander and the short and sweet, Rocha.

The youngest model ever to appear on the cover of American Vogue and 6ft tall, Monica Schnarre's clothing line, Tall by Monica Schnarrre is currently being sold on The Shopping Channel. Being designed with the help of Project Runway Canada alum, Lucian Matis the clothing line is made specifically for tall women.

Stay tuned to see what these Canadian gazelles have to offer in their fashion designs, they may be coming down a runway near you!

Amanda

Maybe by Sarah Catalfo is in the Top 10!

Congratulations to Toronto fashion designer, Sarah Catalfo for making it into the top ten of the Art of Fashion Design competition!

Among the other contestants, Maybe by Sarah Catalfo will be judged by Canadian heavy weights Brian Bailey, Shawn Hewson of Bustle Clothing and Project Runway Canada, David Dixon, Nicole Gouveia and Fashion Magazine's, Sarah Nicole Prickett.

I have no doubt that she will shine. If you are interested in attending the design competition taking place during Toronto's Nuit Blanche visit, www.artoffashion.org.

Amanda

Amanda's Fashion Spotting.......

On an afternoon stroll yesterday in Yorkville, I saw none other than the Canadian design duo, DSquared! 

Chatting and laughing, they walked down Yorkville Avenue looking chic as ever wearing rolled up jeans, loafers, a crisp white shirt and to-die-for blazers. Boy can these guys dress!

Dean and Dan are in town to accept their Canadian Walk of Fame honour, pay a visit to Ryerson's fashion program and am I sure catch a TIFF movie or two.

What fashionable sightings have you seen?

Amanda

Canada's Walk of Fame Honours the Fashionably Elite

                     This September 13th, 2009 Canada's Walk of Fame in partnership with CanWest, inducts Canadian twin fashion duo, Dean and Dan Caten of DSquared and Sex and the City sexpot Kim Cattrall.

Canada's Walk of Fame is a non-profit organization that strives to celebrate Canada's home grown talent, inspire new generations of Canadian talent and basically, as they like to say, "knock people's socks off". Previous inductees include, Flare Magazine cover girl Daria Werbowy, the fashionable chameleon and exotic beauty, Linda Evangelista and Keifer Sutherland. 

Tune to Global Television on September 13th, 2009 to watch the lovable fashion designer guys of DSquared and scantily-clad, Kim Cattrall get inducted. 

Amanda

The Style Box: All your Canadian fashion wrapped in a bow

The ultimate Canadian showroom has arrived and it is available right by here in the T.Dot.

The Style Box is a showroom providing a wide range of stylish garments and accessories, provided by Canadian talent. Ranging from ball gowns, couture shirts, handbags, jewellery and corsets, this innovative business provides a unique service by allowing actors, musicians, politicians and other public figures, the opportunity to choose from an array of Canadian designer goods for the use of the red carpet and public appearances.

Created by talented actress Amanda Brugel and fashion veteran Gail Mcinnes, The Style Box includes designs by Nadya Toto, Pam Chorley's, Fashion Crimes and Project Runway Canada's, Jason Meyers. For their prestigious clientele, The Style Box provides garment red carpet exclusivity, media promotion, private showroom booking and pre-selection. This showroom provides an exceptional opportunity for Canadian designers to gain recognition and many public figures the uh-mazing opportunity to showcase Canada's design talent. 

For all the actors, actresses and high-profile personalities out there, be sure to make an appointment with The Style Box, for the most fabulous red carpet outfit. For more information visit, www.thestylebox.ca. 

Amanda

Frugal Fashion Week!

Alright everyone, there is a recession, there is a garbage strike and unfortunately it has not been much of a summer weather-wise. Which is why that is the perfect reason to attend this month's first-ever Frugal Fashion Week!

Running July 23rd to July 26th events include, a launch event, a silent auction, brunch, shopping and of course fashion shows! Each event will be taking place along Queen Street West at locations such as, the hip, trendy Drake Hotel, The Social and Chasse Gardee.Proceeds for the event will benefit Canadian clothing bank, Windfall.

To RSVP for the exciting event and support Canadian fashion, visit: http://www.frugalfashionweek.com/ffwevents.htm and for more information about the entire fabulos event, visit: http://www.frugalfashionweek.com/ffwmain.htm.

And remember to always celebrate Canadian fashion in style!

Amanda

Canadian Designers now for sale on FashionCan.com

Have you ever wanted a convenient way to purchase the most fabulous pieces from your favourite Canadian designers? Well, now you can!

As reported by, Toronto Street Fashion, http://www.fashioncan.com/ is an affordable and reliable way for upcoming Canadian designers to launch an online boutique. For local Canadian designers that are looking for a new way to drive sales and recognition for their creations, http://www.fashioncan.com/, provides promotional services, custom web design and a fully functional shopping cart.

Now you have the opportunity to easily snatch up the lovely designs of Anastasia Lomonova, Birds of North America, House of Spy and more!

Amanda