Talented Canadian Designer Ladies!

In honor of the Olympics and Canada’s 145^th birthday earlier this month we're all feeling a little patriotic and I wanted to celebrate the amazing design being made here. More importantly, I wanted to create an homage to some talented women designers whom I’ve either been fortunate to work with in some capacity or would love to work with! These designers are young; some are more established and than others, and they are all extremely talented. I’m really drawn to their aesthetics, and their design process. These are just a select few; the list of talented women designers in Canada is long, which means there will be more posts in the near future, so stay tuned...

1. Jade Rude (http://jaderude.com/)

2. Loyal Loot Collective (http://www.loyalloot.com/)

3. Zoe Mowat (http://zoemowat.com/)

4. Michelle Ivankovic (http://www.michelleivankovic.com/)

5. Heyday Design (http://www.heydaydesign.ca/)

xo Ange

Fashion Icon: Katharine Hepburn

 To finish off our week of fashion icons I have the pleasure of talking about mine, the truly unparalleled, Katharine Hepburn.

 With her no-messing around attitude towards…well, everything, Ms. Hepburn embodied an easy and natural elegance with her sense of style.  Hepburn always looked ready to take action, to jump right into what was next; her style portrayed an unstoppable female energy that was at once both strong and beautiful.

 From flannel pants to men’s blazers and crisp white collared shirts mixed with the odd dropdead gorgeous silk gown she seemed comfortable in anything. I believe this was because she was first and foremost comfortable in her own skin. Style for me has always meant dressing as yourself not in a look or for a trend and if you own how you appear in a single stroke you don’t ask for anyone else’s opinion while making a statement about who you are.  Isn’t that what life is all about anyway?

Megan
All images courtesy of Pinterest

Fashion Icon: Stevie Nicks

Continuing with our week of Fashion Icons I have picked another songbird to add to the list, the one and only, Stevie Nicks.

Exceptionally talented, gorgeous, and possessing a truly unique fashion sense, Stevie Nicks is my style icon. She is a gypsy, witch, rock chick, poet priestess. From her perfect, long, blonde, rockstar hair to her velvet platforms, she has created an enviable style that has been often imitated but never truly duplicated.

Flowy chiffon and layers of fringe and lace should be making more appearances in all of our closets in honour of the white witch of rock! Please enjoy the playlist below while spinning around in your shawls and singing into a hairbrush!

xo Tara Lee
all images via pinterest

French Fashion Icons

Not only do I love French music, I also love French fashion! What do you get when some of my favorite French singers also have amazing style, MAGIQUE! This post features Brigitte Bardot, Francoise Hardy and Jane Birkin! Yes, Jane Birkin is English, however, all those years living in France makes her French enough for me. There's something classic, simple and elegant about these women, and they have definitely influenced my style over the years. Please check out the playlist below with some of my favourite songs by these talented and stylish women!

xo Ange

Double Vision: Moths, part two

I’ve been obsessed with moths recently. There’s a sense of mystery and a little darkness associated with them. When I come in contact with a moth I’m usually not a fan, especially when they put holes in my clothes; not that this has happened recently… However, when I see them in fashion, photography or old botanical books, I find them beautiful and dreamy. I’m drawn to their colors, patterns and shapes. As a creative I’m always looking for inspiration and I’ve found it in these little creatures.

xo
Ange

Double Vision: Moths

Ange and I were talking design a couple weeks ago and realized that we were both moth obsessed! We decided it would be fun if we each explored this in a duo of blog posts, and here is the first installment:

As a fibre gal I definitely have a love/hate relationship with moths. On the one hand they produce silk, but they also eat wool! Not to mention the whole 'flying insect' thing, which is a bit of a drag. However, their washed out colour, nocturnal ways, and suicidal attraction to light all prove there is something very magical and poetic about them. 

Stay tuned for Ange's post later this week!

Enjoy!

Tara Lee

 L to R: Top: 1. Alexander McQueen F/W 2006 2. Lady Grey Tim Walker for Vogue Italia, March 2010 3. jacket illustration by Coralie Bickford-Smith for Penguin

Second: 1. unknown 2. etsy 3. Ben Toms for Dazed & Confused, June 2012. Styling by Robbie Spencer

Third: 1. MothEaten Light by Eleanor-Jayne Browne 2. edited image of La Cigale by Jules Joseph Lefebvre 3. unknown  

Bottom: 1. While you were Sleeping Su Blackwell, 2004 2. The Moth Fairy Amelia Jane Murray, 1800s

This past Wednesday, July 11th, we joined the gals at Bicyclette Boutique  in Toronto for their Floral Crown workshop lead by Jordan de Ruiter. 

The final verdict on the evening… we had an absolute blast getting creative in the hot summer heat sipping on sangria and hoarding our piles of flowers. 

Who doesn’t love a floral crown these days? Really, they aren’t just for the bride to be anymore! All three of us made crowns and a few fun hair-pins that I’ve already worn in my bun several days in a row since. 

Please enjoy the following video put together by Ange showing us having blast getting our craft on!

 

Thanks to Bicyclette Boutique and Jordan de Ruiter for hosting a lovely evening, we felt very lucky to be in attendance.

Megan

all images: Megan Skyvington, video: Ange-line Tetrault

(please note that the opinions in this post were given voluntarily, Woman King Collective was not paid or reimbursed by any party mentioned)

Disco Divas

all via pinterest

As you may have noticed from some of our earlier posts, we ladies are big disco fans, with a love for all the dancing, big hair, and glitter that go along with it. Disco is fun and over the top and 'shaking your groove thing' is the perfect remedy for a frustrating day in the studio.

With that said, I'm sure most of you know that both the Queen of Disco, Donna Summers and Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees passed away in May. Thankfully, we still have their music and the memories of all fun times we have had. And the beat goes on... 

 

You should be dancing!

Tara Lee

xo

get to the point

Images: 1 Balmain Fall 2012, 2  Panier Perce porcelain needlepoint cup,
 3 painted needlepoint rose by Eline Pellinkhof, 4 Valentino Fall 2012, 5 Balmain Fall 2012,
6 reclaimed needlepoint taxidermy by Frederique Morel here  7 Dolce and Gabbana Fall 2012,

This ain't your grandma's needlepoint!! Needlepoint has been popping up everywhere lately and of course as the resident fibre nerd here at Woman King, I've taken notice.  I have pulled together some of my favourite twists on the trend and I hope you enjoy them! If you've spotted any interesting needlework pieces, let us know!

  1 needlepoint hot pants Dolce amd Gabbana Fall 2012, 2 Giovanna Battaglia in Dolce and Gabbana at 2012 Met Gala, 3 bunny loafers, by Paige, 
4 needlepoint pillow Anthropologie, 5 Dolce and Gabbana Fall 2012 Miss Sicily purse

Tara Lee

xo