Cupid Pull Back Your Bow: SOOS Rocks Jewellery New L'Amour Collection

Believe it or not. St. Valentine's Day is a little over three weeks away and while you are contemplating what the perfect gift will be for the day of love, allow cupid to let his arrow direct you to the jewellery box.

Toronto-based accessory-line, SOOS Rocks Jewellery has recently launched their latest jewellery-collection for women entitled, L'Amour. The lovely line is hand-made, like all of their jewellery and includes gold necklaces, bracelets, earrings, lockets, heart-shaped gem stones and delicate chains to add a soft, romantic touch to your look. The line was inspired by timeless romance, lifelong friendship and the magical essence of fairytales, making it the perfect pieces to have for a lifetime.

I love the vintage feel of this necklace. With the hard lines of the skeleton key and the heart-shaped charm, it combines masculine and feminine elements that give the piece a classic romantic touch. They say diamonds are a girl's best friend but this necklace is the key to any girl's heart.

Lockets are one of my favourite jewellery pieces as it is a subtle and chic way to personalize your jewellery. This heart-shaped locket is ideal for fitting pictures of your sweetheart, pet or best friend. Use this piece to keep the one that you love close to your heart.

First love never looked as sweet as this vintage brass chain link bracelet. Adorned with a swarovski pink crystal and small golden heart, why not be your own Valentine and treat yourself to this delicate, precious piece you will be wearing for years to come. 

The L'Amour collection ranges from $22 to $45 CDN. It is available online at soosrocks.com and will hit jewellery counters on February 1, 2011.

What is the perfect fashion-infused Valentine's Day gift? Let me know in the comments, Facebook and Twitter!

Enjoy!

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

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