Another One Bites the Dust...

I am a huge fan of consignment. As a student (with an extremely low budget!) I used to love paying monthly visits to my favorite consignment shops to check out the best deals. One of the best shops is HUSH. A chic boutique located on Wellington street (just a hop, skip and a bus ride away). I attended two fabulous parties at HUSH and could not believe the great selection that they had (my friend bought a Rachel Sin dress from there and I always drooled over the mint condition BCBG dress). I even convinced my roommate to give away some of her fabulous clothes to consignment. 

Only a week after she had dropped of her clothes, my roommate got an email from HUSH informing her that the store was closing and that she had to come by and pick up all her stuff.

HUSH....CLOSING?! Why is it always the good stores that bite the dust. One of the best consignment stores (with some fab parties) and now Ottawa would have to do without. Why is it that every time we get something cool and hip, it never stays around too long. GET WITH THE PROGRAM OTTAWA. Anyway, I wish the owners of HUSH all the best, and here's hoping that this is not the end of fabulous consignments shops.....just the beginning. 

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UPDATE! One of the owner's decided to stay on board and will be re-opening HUSH under a new name. Apparently the boutique will be bigger and better!!

You Are Invited: Rachel Sin Fashion Show

Simplified Elegance 

You are cordially invited to discover Rachel Sin's Fall/Winter 2011 Collection at Ottawa Fashion Week. I recently blogged about Rachel Sin after I was introduced to one of her fabulous dresses at HUSH and then got the pleasure to see her collection walk down the runway during Fashion for Funds. Although her dresses are gorgeous, I was especially drawn to the separate pieces that headlined her show. Leggings with leather cuts, faux fur coats, gold dinner jackets and edgy blazers = I fell in love. I love rocker/glam inspired pieces and these clothes had Yvonne written all over them. After the show I was overjoyed to hear that these pieces will be featured in Sin's new MODEL OFF DUTY Collection of separates.

What should we expect from Rachel Sin this Fall/Winter Collection? Pieces that are a little more subdued, with the feminine silhouette as the main feature, accented by sensual details. The MODEL OFF DUTY is so downtown cool, so rocker glam and so effortlessly stylish. Put me down for each piece (including those fabulous leggings!). Each item can transition from day to night, downtown to red carpet and right into the after party. It is the perfect melange of sophistication, fun and function. Double score: it is sublime for those of us that are trying to find a fashion niche and are transitioning from University students to hip and trendy professionals. 

The runway Show will take place THIS Saturday March 19th at 7PM at the National Gallery of Canada: 380 Sussex Drive, Ottawa. Tickets can be purchased online on the Ottawa Fashion Week website. If you feel like rocking a Rachel Sin dress for the event, all dresses are 50% off for a limited time at HUSH Clothes. 

Local Designer of the Week: Rachel Sin

I was at Colourbomb at HUSH tonight eating amazing cupcakes, drinking lemonade and sifting through racks of clothes searching for something that might catch my eye. My hunt was interrupted by a girlfriend who wanted me to pass judgment on the dress that she had found. As she stepped out of the change room, I was stunned. The perfect strapless LDB hugged her body perfectly while accentuating all her best assets. I instantly fell in love. 

At consignment stores, I often check the labels (yes, yes I admit! I am a little bit of a label whore!) and to my pleasant surprise I saw the words Rachel Sin stitched into the back.

I originally came across the talented designer when I was researching ideas for the Wig. I had pitched an idea to my editor at the time about covering the Ottawa fashion scene. He looked at me like I was crazy .... An Ottawa fashion scene? Yet, as I started to Google "Ottawa Fashion" I kept on finding pages upon pages of information. 

Designers, models and bloggers....oh my!

I finished my internships at the Wig and sadly my editor didn't seem to like the idea of publishing articles about Ottawa fashion. But when one door closes, another one opens and voila! Rachel Sin is my local designer of the week.

Here is just a little bit of information on a fabulously talented Ottawa (and Toronto) based designer:

How has your background in architecture helped you as a fashion designer?

Architecture is the basis of design.  I do not think I would have been as good of a fashion designer, if I did not study architecture.  Studying architecture helped me develop a keen eye for good design.  You study balance, proportion, symmetry, choosing the right material—all of which can be applied to fashion design. As an architect you are foremost a designer and you are passionate about good design.  You get excited when you see something well-made or elegantly designed.  When you see something beautiful, you can’t take your eyes off it and you can’t keep it out of your mind.  I hope to extend this feeling to my designs that catches the eye and becomes that must-have item in your closet. 

I really think of myself as an artist.  What inspires me is art, architecture and the everyday.  As an architect, you are typically the obsessive controlling type that has the need to shape your own environment.  You learn to open your eyes to the everyday.  Naturally after architecture, fashion design comes easily.   I think of a woman attending an event in a modern space, what would she wear that would complement modernist design and become as timeless as the building itself.

Why did you decide to become a fashion design?

I’m one of those want to do it all people.  I can’t let myself get bored or become unuseful, I’ll pick up a new interest and pursue it all the way.  Fashion design is another channel for creative release.  It something that I always wanted to do, but did not think I had to go to school to study.  Architecture and fashion design are very similar, but expressed at a different scale.  The smaller the scale the more design control you have.  Demanding perfection is no easy task in architecture; you must be meticulous and always demand quality. With my clothing line, I enjoy the fast pace release of each new season and the expression of creativity where I have full design control.

What was your inspiration for the Spring/Summer 2011 line?

The unexpected combination of feminine with an edge.  I love when studs or metallic details are added to very feminine piece like a blazer or leather accessories.  It’s a very rocker glam look, metallic details like sequins, shimmering fabrics or leather are added to a soft or sensual fabric to give a twist.

What sets your designs apart from everything else out there? 

What sets me apart from other Canadian designers is that each dress is impeccably tailored and exquisitely detailed—refined and sculpted to the form of the female body, with architectural lines that are strong, yet feminine and always at ease with effortless function.  You should never have to try too hard or look overdone, understated style is looking polished in a form fitting dress that combines precision in cut and demure sensuality. 

What advice would you give designers out there who are considering starting their own lines?

Work hard and you definitely have to be passionate about what you do.  Starting your business is hard, creating a successful clothing label is even harder.  No one becomes successful overnight.  By the time you hear about any new talented artist, they have been working hard and perfecting what they do for a very long time.

Where do you hope the Rachel Sin brand is headed in the future

Last year the Montreal label Mackage opened their Paris store on Boulevard St. Germain.  I can’t say that I wasn’t jealous and I can’t say that isn’t a dream of mine.  I always imagined designing my own store that housed my own collection, with a small studio loft above it.

Where can people buy your pieces?

Hush Clothes

All point of sale listed at online store www.rachelsin.com / www.ukamaku.com

Rachel recently presented her pieces as FASHION FOR FUNDS. Enjoy these drool worthy clothes:

I am GAGA over dresses with sexy backs

The designer herself! BRAVO