Today is a high/low two of a kind. See the similarities? Spot the differences? Can you decide which one is on the affordable end versus the luxe end?
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Top: low – polka dot dress, $69USD; Bottom: high –polka dot dress, $779CAD
An event that many in the Canadian design community look forward to every winter is the Interior Design Show (IDS) held each January in Toronto. I have a great time every year – learning about what’s new and upcoming in design; meeting talented artists, creators, and designers; and sharing ideas and commentary with friends.
IDS begins on Thursday, January 17th (first trade day) with some keynote speakers and the opening night party (open to the public). IDS is open to the public on Saturday and Sunday (with trade days on Thursday and Friday). It is sure to be inspiring! Have you seen the line-up of speakers? Canadian design favourites Lynda Reeves and Brian Gluckstein will be giving talks on Sunday, January 20th. Before then, talks by designers, writers, and architects will be shared. The schedule is jam-packed, and can certainly get overwhelming. My advice? Have a look at the schedule ahead of time to see what interests you, then take a day to stroll around the booths and interact with the exhibitors. You’ll learn so much through conversation! And the face-to-face interaction with experts will be a highlight of your experience, I’m sure!
There’s much to look forward to. Here are some of the booths that are on my must-see list.
Blanco. Well, we know I’ve been a fan of Blanco for quite some time, so I’m eager to see its exhibit and new product launches.
Haven by Tangible. I’m looking forward to seeing Haven’s whimsical cloud-like pop-up space.
Swiss watch company Rado‘s installation of objects will include a variety of materials, forms, and textures. The company is also showing off the results of the design competition where students from Vancouver’s LaSalle College designed the IDS information desk. I am expecting precision with Rado’s work!
Studio North & Prototype is always a popular destination of IDS. Over 65 Canadian and international designers will be presenting their limited-editions of furniture, lighting, glass, ceramics, textiles, and surface design. It is one of my favourite features of IDS, so you can bet I’ll be talking a walk through to see the presentation of so many talented creators!
Lyndon Neri and Rossana Hu of Shanghai-based Neri&Hu Design and Research Office will be giving a talk on Friday at 1pm. Their work is streamlined and dynamic, and I love the contrast of lines and light of their projects.
I’m also looking forward to seeing what Izen Architecture brings to IDS. They are collaborating with Ontario Wood, which is a government initiative to help us all identify and purchase locally made wood in a variety of species most suitable to our design projects.
These are just a few of the IDS exhibits and speakers that I’d like to see this weekend. And you? Have you bought your ticket? What are you looking forward to seeing or learning?
Over the holidays, I saw many real and Instagram friends share images of puzzles they were working on. I love that people do puzzles! As a kid, I loved them, but I don’t remember when I last did a puzzle. But what a great activity for cozy, snowy winter days.
phrenology puzzle, $15.76USD
pure white hell puzzle, $37.62CAD (this one has 1000 pieces; there’s a 2000-piece version, too)
monstera leaf puzzle, $14.87USD
gradient puzzle, $30.20USD
map puzzle, $49.95USD
Here’s a bit of a review of what’s been on my mind lately, including music, movie, and book recommendations.
1. THE Book. For so many months – and a couple of years, too – my friend/colleague/co-author/mentor and I have called it The Book. Now, The Book has been published, and I am so thrilled. So so so thrilled! Mastering Academic Writing has been one of my most fun and rewarding writing projects thus far, and to have had fun, shared laughs, brainstormed over so many meals with a good friend made the experience that much more positive and memorable. Copies of our book arrived from our publisher, Sage, over the holiday break, and it made for quite a happy mail day!
The book is intended for upper year undergraduate students, graduate students, and professors who are looking for a great writing resource and guide. Now, it’s not a boring academic textbook (if you ask me!); we took an informal, approachable tone as we offered instruction, examples, and notes about academic writing. It’s affordable, too! If you’d like to know more, let me know. The book is available at Sage and Amazon.
Don’t be surprised if you see it pop up again on White Cabana.
2. Music. For the last month or so, I’ve been listening to French radio (89.9 FM – CBC – Ici musique – in Waterloo) and French tunes on Spotify. It’s not only been a needed change from my usual pop/rap/top40 tunes, but also I can brush up on my French listening and comprehension skills (in preparation for my February vacance à Paris!). On Spotify, I’ve had Lisa LeBlanc (Dump the guy ASAP is a hit) and Mackjoffat (Music Face is my current fave, but it’s in English) on repeat.
3. Blogosphere. Remember the good ol’ days of blogging? When people read blogs daily? When bloggers wrote daily? Before Instagram took over everyone’s phones? Before bloggers applied rose-coloured tints over every darn photo? Yeah, me too. I had brunch with Melissa over the break, and we chatted about how things have changed and the approaches we observe from afar from influencers, vloggers, bloggers, and more.
I have barely changed my approach to blogging even though I know the blogging world around me has changed. I blog every day unless I’m on a break. I read blogs daily, too. I like to read about people’s real lives, their Pinterest and DIY fails and successes, and what they do in the spare time. I continuously learn from others, and I’m inspired by a lot of what I see on my daily blog visits. Who’s with me on this?
4. Movies and Netflix. Oh my goodness. I have watched so much Netflix. Too much, in my opinion, but such is life. I guess I’m in post-book, post-MBA relaxation mode. I don’t love being a couch potato, but I didn’t argue with myself about it over the holidays.
So what did I watch? Just about every cheesy Christmas movie set in Belgravia, Genovia, anyotherovia. I don’t recommend any of them unless you’re embracing a cheesy couch potato lifestyle.
I also watched Birdbox. I was scared at first, then I wasn’t. It was okay. I didn’t love it, but it is worth watching on Netflix. And I also watched Theory of Everything. I really enjoyed it.
And in the theatre, I opted to watch The Favorite. It was interesting. Funny but quirky but not too quirky. Great acting, costumes, and set design. Plus, if you’re a fan of Emma Stone, you’re going to enjoy her performance. The movie had the audience laughing. I recommend it.
I also went to see Mary Queen of Scots, and it was excellent. I learned a lot, really enjoyed the acting, and, of course, the costumes were amazing.
5. Books. I’m still listening to Haruki Murakami audiobooks. I love that they’re all set in Japan. I started a collection of his short stories. This is the first time I’ve read (or listened to) a collection of short stories. I like that they’re quick, but I don’t like that there’s no time to develop plot and characters. I also can barely remember any story that I’ve listened to. There was one set in a hotel, there was one about a teenage romance…see, the details escape me! There are too many stories to remember! But do I still enjoy his writing? Yes.
Reitmans. If you’re like me, you might be wondering, how have I just become an adult who shops at Reitmans? In all honesty, I rarely went into Reitmans. Often, I walked right past it in the malls unless something in the window caught my eye. The store was never on my must-go-in-and-shop list. But then Meghan Markle (pre-Duchess status) collaborated with the brand, and I started to take notice. I thought, hmm, that’s curious. What’s going on with Reitmans these days? And then I started getting press info in my inbox, and I continued to take notice. Some of the suiting pieces looked great, and the patterns and colours were modern. And then my friend raved about some of her activewear pieces from a brand called Hyba, which I later learned was part of Reitmans. I hadn’t expected it, but it was happening. I was paying way more attention to Reitmans than I had ever before. Can anyone relate?
I opted to learn more about the brand before I responded to any press emails. Reitmans Canada Ltd., I learned (or refreshed my memory), is a Canadian company that also includes Additional Elle, Penningtons, RW&Co., Thyme, and Hyba. The company was founded in 1926 by Herman and Sarah Reitman with one woman’s clothing store on Boulevard St. Laurent in Montreal, and it now operates 642 stores in addition to e-commerce channels. While it started off as a family-owned and operated company, it is now listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX: RET; RET-A). The grandchildren of the original owners are still involved in the company with Jeremy H. Reitman serving as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and Stephen F. Reitman serving as the President and Chief Operating Officer. An interesting history, eh? I like that there’s still a family connection within this long-running public company.
Under the direction of President Jacqueline Tardif, Reitmans seems to be on the right track by offering women a variety of options for work and leisure at affordable price points.
The goal of its current campaign is to celebrate real women and “relatable moments that occur in our regular lives.” (If you’d like, check out the behind the scenes of the Reitmans’ Really You campaign.) Reitmans was kind to send over a few pieces that I have already worn multiple times, washed, ironed, and packed up for my holiday trip to Toronto. So far, so good. The pieces fit well and definitely suit my lifestyle.
The Original Comfort Straight Leg Jean surprised me as they’re pull-jeans without a traditional zip fly. I thought they might be too “jegging” for me, but they’re not. They feel like a classic jeans because of their weight, so I have been happily wearing them. Comfort level is high with these ones!
When I pulled out this dress, I knew it was me. It’s definitely an easy-to-wear dress for work, which is what I have done multiple times already. I also wore it on Christmas Day for my family lunch. The dress is from Reitmans’ Willow & Thread line which is focused on work wear.
Here are a few of the items coming up for spring that caught my eye. If you pop into a Reitmans store or shop online, I hope you find something that is #ReallyYou! And, if you’re an influencer/blogger/Instagrammer, I encourage your to post photos that are #ReallyYou!
Many thanks to the Reitmans team for sending me a lovely package of goodies. All opinions are my own.