A Festive Social at LIV by Au Lit

Wednesday night I had the pleasure of attending an intimate event for members of the online fashion and shopping community courtesy of Danielle Meder. You can read all about it on her blog, finalfashion and LIV by Au Lit’s blog too. If you have a chance today, check out their Holiday Shopping Party.

Everyone I spoke to was blown away by LIV by Au Lit. Most of the women were surprised to find such a great find north of Queen Street. No me. It was spacious and impeccably laid out, thanks to owner/creative director/author, the lovely Joanna Goodman.

Merchandise ranged from clothing and accessories, including jewellery from the new design duo Edmoure Ralph (thanks for the amazing brass bow earrings), to baby clothes, books (Joanna gave me a copy of You Made Me Love You and has another novel in the works, home décor and linens – perhaps you’re familiar with her other store, Au Lit Fine Linens.) Prices were very reasonable. For example, they range from about $60-$300 for sweaters with most at the lower end and jeans start at about $100.

I’m thrilled LIV by Au Lit also supports Canadian designers (not exclusively). I’ll be back!

Guests included (thanks to Danielle for the list):

• Briony Smith and Danah Abdulla of blogTO
• Rea McNamara of EYE WEEKLY and Metro
• Emma Yardley of Canadian Living
• Johanne Durocher and Rachel of Fashion In Motion
• Jennifer Campbell of FASHION Magazine
• Gail McInnes
• Anita Clarke of I want – I got
• Jen Tse
• Linda Gaylard
• Nathalie Atkinson and Elyse of National Post
• Ashley Bartlett of She Does the City
• Afiya Francisco of The Style House
• Stefania Yarhi of Textstyles
• Tricia Campbell
• Renee Williams of Yahoo Canada Life
• Kimberly Lyn of The Souls of my Shoes

Updated - Lida Baday sample sale October 23

What?
Lida Baday’s semi-annual sample sale...

Her collection is available in only the finest department stores.

It’s one great sale you won’t want to miss! Whether you’re looking for something sophisticated for a day at the office, a night out on the town or that special something for an upcoming party, this Canadian designer is not to be missed.

Update:
• Approx. 80% of items are under $100 and most range from $20-$60!
• Sizes range from 2-14. Most items will be in sizes 6, 8 & 10. There are few items in sizes 2, 4, 12 & 14.

When?
Friday, October 23, 2009
8:30 a.m.-7 p.m.

Where?
70 Claremont St. (see map.)
Toronto
416-603-7661

Let us know what you get if you go.

Connie Crosby's quest for an HP Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam Edition digital clutch

I wrote the OneDegree Week in Review (WIR) post last week and you know what they say, timing is everything.

On the heels of co-presenting at PodCamp Halifax with my speaking and podcasting partner, Connie Crosby, and the other camps that took place that weekend, WIR focused on the camp movement. So, when I received a social media news release (SMR) announcing the new HP Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam Edition digital clutch was now available in Canada at BestBuy, I included a link to the SMR in my post.

Connie was in the market for a PC. She read my post, watched the video about the new digital clutch netbook and she ended up with an interesting story to tell. Here’s our interview…

Connie, I think it’s fair to say you’re a bit of an Apple fan girl. Why were you looking at PCs?
One of the things I do as an information consultant is conduct online product reviews for clients, primarily in the legal industry. Because the legal market primarily uses Windows and Internet Explorer, I need to be using that environment also for my reviews. I could have set myself up with Windows for Mac but it is helpful when working to either have the online product running on one machine, and be writing the review on another, or at least having two screens for more working space. I figured that some of the notebooks and even laptops are fairly inexpensive so wanted to check those out. I was looking for something with Windows already included (I didn’t really care which version), wireless capability, and an Intel chip. I wasn’t fussy about battery life or whether it had MS Office or a webcam included.

Which computers were you considering and why?
I originally saw a basic Acer laptop at The Source for only $450 just after New Year’s. That is the price I had stuck in my head. But then last week I saw the Mini HP Vivienne Tam edition mentioned on the web. They were advertising it as a “technology clutch purse” although it is actually a netbook. I am probably the perfect demographic for this netbook – a woman who loves technology and tries to be fashionable. From the photos, it looked stylistically like quite a nice machine. And being a netbook, I thought I could justify the extra cost – it was going for about $800 – since it would be good for travel to conferences when I didn’t want to carry my full Macbook Pro. But really, it was the style of it that attracted me. And Best Buy Canada, who was selling it, was including a special cover for it and matching wireless mouse, so that sweetened the deal.

The HP Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam Edition digital clutch looks great in the photos and video I received as part of a social media news release. How does it compare in real life?
When I first saw it I was disappointed. It did not bode well that, even though this was the big “launch” of this supposedly unique machine, it was plunked in amongst all the other netbooks and notebooks on the store display without anything identifying it as special. When I found it, I discovered the look and feel of the machine was not as special as some of the photos led me to believe. A lot of the HP machines have a sleek, pearlized or metallic finish. Instead, this was plastic with what seemed like a flower decal on it. It seemed more like a child’s toy than a fashion accessory to me.

I hunted around to see the special cover and mouse that was part of the deal, but couldn’t see them on display. The store was quite busy (this was a Saturday afternoon) with a number of people looking at this and other machines, but there were not a lot of sales clerks around. I finally found someone and asked about the special offer. He didn't know anything about it, but went to the back to ask. He came back with a typical gray neoprene laptop cover and told me it would like like that in red. I was doubtful and so asked to see the case and mouse, but was told they were in the box and I would have to buy them before I could see them. He wouldn't open a box to show me. I was already disappointed, and this poor service sunk the deal for me. I had a friend with me, and she wasn't exactly impressed either. I left the store without considering any of their other machines.

I’m sure in the past, you didn't need to think much about where to buy a computer. How did you decide where to go and what was your experience like?
I knew that Best Buy had the exclusive rights to the Vivienne Tam special edition, but thought I would see what else I could find that suited my needs. I headed to Future Shop. They had an HP representative on hand who was quite helpful, who helped me find one of their machines for about $550 that he said was basic and was all I needed. But then he handed me to a Future Shop representative to close the deal, and that person pushed hard to up-sell me to a more expensive machine. I left that store unimpressed, and decided to go back to The Source to see if the Acer I had originally seen was there. It was, although the sale had ended.

What did you end up buying?
The Source had another end of the line Acer laptop they were clearing out for $500. I found a sales clerk, and she was quite patient with me answering my questions. At this point, I decided the price was right and I liked the service I got, so that is what I purchased. So far I am happy with it, and glad I did not spend the extra money on the HP netbook.

What about YOU?
Does this video inspire you to check out the HP Mini Vivienne Tam Edition? Have you seen it yet? If so, what did you think? Would you consider buying a fashionable laptop or netbook? Leave a comment.

This store doesn’t really want to sell me that dress and other annoyances in customer service

I want need to buy a new dress.

I’m hosting a party in a few weeks and I’ve left it to the last minute. With my recent weight loss, I have a lot more options than I did a couple months ago so I have a valid reason for procrastinating.

Unfortunately, several stores are putting obstacles in my way.

I found what potentially could be a great dress at Femme de Carrière last week. It’s actually a near copy of an amazing Lida Baday dress for 1/3 the price! It needs work but I’m not sure my ever-so-talented (and affordable) dressmaker can do what needs to be done.

The dress is perfect except for the pointy, Gauthier-inspired boobs. So, what’s the big deal? It costs a pretty penny and the store has a “no refund” policy. It’s a chain store so I don’t understand the reasoning behind such an inflexible return policy.

Next, I went to Want. It’s not really my thing and to be honest, I think a lot of the dresses look like high-end skank. The dress is for my son’s party and let’s face it, teenage boys don’t want their mothers looking like Madonna or a whore.

I bumped into a friend who convinced me to give Want another try. So I entered into the Saturday pre-prom craziness. Under strict instructions, I asked “Mimi” to help me. She did a great job of bringing me dresses I’d never choose for myself. To be honest, each one looked better than the next. The winner was a Nicole Miller creation. It was sexy, sophisticated and maybe a bit too much of both for this party. I’m still trying to decide. It was almost double the price of the dress I had liked at that first store.

Mimi shared a few interesting lines (paraphrased below):
If I didn’t want anyone else to show up in the same dress, I’d have to spend at least $400. There was only one dress in my size and she wouldn’t hold it for me (I asked her to hold it for a couple hours as I was leaving for an appointment.) Not only that, she asked if I was going to buy it NOW and if not, she had another customer in the store waiting to try it on. And… you guessed it, no refunds.

Next, I went downtown with a friend. She was on self-designated “dress duty”. BCBG had several fabulous looking dresses. They also had a special promotion. Spend $300 or more and save $100. I heard them calling my name.

I tried several dresses. They were all okay. One looked great but it wasn’t right for the occasion. Connie (who has the patience of a saint) found another that fit perfectly and looked pretty darn good. I couldn’t decide if it was special enough. There were lots of sales staff around but none seemed to offer much by way of service. I asked them to hold it for an hour or two. No can do and of course, they don’t offer refunds. BTW, they wouldn’t let us take a picture either!

Looks like three strikes and I’m out. Stay tuned for further adventures in dress shopping. Trip #3 this weekend!

Weekly Wish - Women who rock!

This was a big week for After a Fashion. While having a virtual meet-up on Monday, we decided to have a real-life dinner gabfest at Fire on the East Side Wednesday night, along with the divine Jen Evans (centre).

As we shared insightful conversation and lots of laughs over good eats and pretty martinis, there was a lot of discussion about why women in the social media space aren’t getting as much recognition as they should.

From my Bargainista perspective, most of the people pitching me are either women with little blogger-relations know-how or straight men who just don’t have the requisite passion for products or services targeted to women.

I interviewed some young PRs on twitter (note: predominantly male) and asked them where the females were. They said there are just as many Canadian women PR students and/or recent grads embracing social media but the males are far more active and vocal.

PodCamp Toronto 2008 was an unconference for podcasters and social media enthusiasts held in February. I was a member of the organizing team. We had 7 members (3 women; 4 men). We treated each other respectfully every step of the way. When it came to the actual sessions and attendees however, women were definitely in the minority. What was even more disconcerting was the lack of young girls. There were a handful of teens in attendance: all male.

Taking stock of the marketing/PR/corporate communications professionals who blog and podcast (I belong to that community too), the content creators are predominantly male.

Although based in Connecticut, Joseph Jaffe who wields a pretty big stick in the social media community, put out a call for requests to join his blogroll. At last count, 33 men and only 3 women responded.

The men in this community are a tight-knit group and share a lot of link love, not that I’m saying that’s a bad thing. On a one-to-one basis, they seem to have a lot of respect for their female peers but many only shower their love on a couple. When it comes to blogrolls and conference speakers, women are also noticeably absent. Why?

Women who are active in the digital and social media space can’t blame it all on the men. We can and should do a far better job of promoting ourselves and sharing the love. It’s up to us to make our voices heard and get more involved in the community.

As a start, I’ve added a new blogroll - Women who rock! - it lists my female friends and those I admire in this space (with the exception of those on the original Bargainista blogroll). Stay tuned for more real-life initiatives supporting women from the After a Fashion gals this spring.

So this week, if you haven’t already figured it out, I’m wishing us gals will stand up and be counted. Have your voices heard and share the love!

Pictured (l-to-r) Michelle Tampoya, Connie Crosby, Kate Trgovac, Jen Evans, me, Kathryn Lagden and Jenny Bullough.

After a Fashion meets PodCamp Toronto

You didn’t think I’d spend a whole weekend at PodCamp without sharing, did you?

If you’ve been following the adventures of After a Fashion, you’ll be pleased to know Jenny Bullough aka Chloe Barbosa and Paradise Wunderland (that’s me) gave a presentation: “Everything You Need To Know About Second Life”.

Of course we talked about shopping. ;) Jenny also shared her wonderful case study about eHarlequin’s book launches in Second Life. I’m leaving a copy of the slides here so you can have a look:

| View | Upload your own

There were many fascinating sessions at PodCamp. Check out the media archive you can catch up on the latest in social media and podcasting. See, sometimes the best things in life are free! Thanks to all our sponsors.

Personal note: You may know I was on the PodCamp Toronto 2008 organizing team. I want to give a big shout out the other team members: Connie Crosby, Dave Fleet, Rob Lee, Katherine Matthews, Sean McGaughey, Jay Moonah, and Tommy Vallier. You’re amazing!

Weekly Wish ....

After a Fashion - second season premiere

Okay, so maybe I'm a bit underwhelmed by Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice and my other guilty TV pleasures this season but an evening with some of my gal pals in Second Life never disappoints.

Last night, I went kimono shopping in Japan, hung out with friends, picked up a new outfit, got a new hairdo including colour and highlights for only a loonie (or about $250 Linden dollars, the Second Life currency). Hmm, I meant my avatar, Paradise Wunderland, did. When was the last time a night out with your friends cost only a dollar?

I’m curious to see how tonight’s episode of Law & Order: SVU, titled “Avatar” pans out. I suspect it will depict the shady side of virtual worlds, which is quite different from my experience.

If you’re smart, you’ll try out Second Life (or another virtual world) for yourself before passing judgement.

Have you spent any time shopping in Second Life yet? What did ya think? Leave a comment

Technorati tags: online shopping, Second Life, virtual worlds

After a Fashion: third time lucky

Our third After a Fashion excursion in Second Life (SL) was on Monday, April 9.

There were 11 of us: Catherine, Connie, Jenny, Joy, June L., Kate, Kathryn, Mish, Sonja, Tamara and me.

We have a great new meeting place we can almost call our own: Katicus Sparrow’s Hideaway. Us gals had such a good time chatting, we almost forgot about our shopping trip. NOT!

Luxury items were on the jam-packed agenda.

First stop: House of Nyla. Nyla is a real life Canadian fashion designer based in Vancouver. Her shop in SL is incredible. She offers everything from a host of uniquely designed accessories including footwear (personally, I’m loving the thigh-high black boots in the entrance way), masks and hats to spectacular evening gowns.

Mish bought an awesome mask - it included a beautiful shopping bag, tissue paper and all!

Nyla’s signature is her wonderful use of bright colours, quality and richness of her work. Real photographers have a hand in her displays. Outstanding!

Next we ventured to RICX Fine Jewelry - the SL version of Tiffany’s. I bought my gold and diamond necklace there a couple weeks ago. In addition to the regular collection, RICX offers custom work and a limited edition boutique - Chloe and Paradise had a great time uncovering rare gems there.

Designer Lucas Lamath’s EARTHTONES boutique is another jewelry store not to be missed. Organic shapes and colours make their way into the designs. I bought the dangling earrings in the “bandana” head shot below. EARTHTONES offers lots of demos and prices are lower than RICX. Several of us wanted to buy a couple of the dresses worn by the models too.

Our final stop was Hair Fair ’07 (a Locks of Love fundraiser). It was so busy that many of our computers crashed and members had to leave without saying proper good-byes. For those of us who persevered, there were lots of freebies and L$1 gift packs to be had. Paradise can’t wait to try on all her new goodies.

I scored a ton of stuff so next time you see Paradise, she'll probably be wearing one of her a new doos. Doesn’t she look devine sporting “Casual” in chestnut from Elika Tiramisu Designs (ETD)? (It’s the one she’s sporting in the picture.)

Note: April 14 is Bandana Day for Locks of Love in SL. If you’re visiting, buy your Bandana at the Hair Fair and be sure to put it on.

See you soon at our next “After a Fashion” event. Stay tuned!

photo credit of Katicus’ Hideaway: Kathryn Lagden

Technorati tags: After a Fashion, Catherine Winters, Connie Crosby, Eden Spodek, Jenny Bullough, Joy Boyson, June Li, Kate Trgovac, Katicus Sparrow, Kathryn Lagden, Locks of Love, Michelle Tampoya, Paradise Wunderland, Second Life, shopping, Tamara Paton

After a Fashion, second excursion: the metamorphosis

Our second After a Fashion excursion in Second Life (SL) was on Monday, March 12.

There were 9 of us: Catherine, Connie, Joy, June L., June M., Kate, Kathryn, Monique and me.

As usual, we met at Crayon’s SL headquarters. We had a rough start because there were technical problems in SL. A couple of us had to log out and back in again. Some our avatars had trouble moving but all-in-all, we had another successful event. It's wonderful seeing the progress our avatars have made since the first event two weeks earlier.

When you join SL and start creating your avatar, you do have the basics but they have a very “GNubie” look and if you don’t do something about it, you’ll really stand out in the crowd (and not in a good way.) Poor Paradise, she was so homely in the beginning.

It was time for the GNubies to shed their newbie looks. Fortunately, we had the more experienced girls to mentor us and experiment with some new looks in between. It was time to shop for the essentials: shapes, skins and hair.

Full disclosure time...
With help from Katicus, I bought a couple new skins on an earlier trip (they were on sale - cheap! - and went back for a new hairdo.) I also caved and spent some Linden dollars. I’ve included my “before” and “after” pictures.

First stop, Colette’s Body Shop. We saw several groupings on sale (I think they were 11 for L$1,000). I have to admit, I didn’t get the whole shape thing until I read Kate's So-Called Second Life. Katicus and Catherine explained how out-of-the-box avatars are naturally tall and often out of proportion.

Catherine taught us how to measure our avatars. Paradise has a great body. I only wish I had one like her in real life! At 6'2", she was one of the shortest in the group. Art imitating life or what? Some people don’t want take the time figuring out how to give their avatars proper shapes. Others don’t want avatars too tall or human-like. There’s a shape for everyone.

Next stop, Panache Island. We went to Skins by Hose & Queen for skins first. We found free packs of skins high up on the wall. Some of us also practiced our flying - it was a great way to show some of the girls where the freebies were hiding.

Panache Hair was our next stop. It was also the shopping highlight of the evening. (Unfortunately, that was also the time SL crashed on my computer so I missed half the trip.) It’s a large colourful store with all kinds of great hair to choose from. I learned that some hair demos are strange colours like lavender and mauve with orange streaks. (Hair demos I tried elsewhere had funny markings across them.) While Joy had trouble keeping her hair on, Trixie and Satu had a great time finding groovy new doos.

We closed the evening with a trip to the trvia lounge at AOL Pointe Island. It was Catherine’s night - she won two rounds while I was there. Way to go!

On a related note...
I discovered a great podcast today, The Traveling Avatar’s Quick & Dirty Tips (of the Quick & Dirty Tips series). A must-listen for the SL gnubie. Short, sweet and to the point.

Plans for our next “After a Fashion” event are already underway. Stay tuned!

Technorati tags: After a Fashion, Catherine Winters, Connie Crosby, Eden Spodek, Joy Boyson, June Li, June Macdonald, Kate Trgovac, Katicus Sparrow, Kathryn Lagden, Paradise Wunderland, podcasts, Quick & Dirty Tips, Second Life, shopping, So Misguided

“After a Fashion” a “Canadian girls’ night out” in Second Life 1

Monday, Feb. 26 marked the first “After a Fashion” excursion in Second Life (SL).

Joining hosts Kate Trgovac (Katicus Sparrow) and me (Paradise Wunderland), were:
• Catherine Winters
• Joy Boyson
• June Li
• June Macdonald
• Kathryn Lagden
• Sonja Andic
• Michelle Tampoya and Tamera Kremer were missed

We started with a meet and greet at Crayon's SL headquarters. Then we got down to some serious (and some not-so-serious) business - shopping business that is.

Our first stop was Free Dove - a huge clothing store (more like a SL big-box store) where most of the goodies were free for the taking - the glitch was we didn't know exactly what we were getting until we unpacked. (In SL, just like real life, it's gauche to unpack your stuff in busy public places.)

Our last stop was the gazebo at Garden of Hope, a perfect place for unpacking and checking out our new finds. Kate and Catherine taught us how to unpack. What a blast! Everyone tried on their new clothing (my pics are on the right.) It was like playing 3-D Barbie for grown-ups. What fun!

Unfortunately, most of my new outfits were more skanky than fashion-forward. On the bright side, I didn't spend a penny (oops! I meant Linden dollar). I guess even in SL you get what you pay for. ; )

Thanks everyone for joining us on our first “After a Fashion” adventure. Special shout out to Kate and Catherine for guiding us newbies along. We became more confident and knowledgeable about SL after just one group visit.

Stay tuned for details of our next “After a Fashion” event. We have a couple new members and a few spots left. If you're interested in joining the group, send me an email!

Technorati tags: After a Fashion, Catherine Winters, Eden Spodek, Joy Boyson, June Li, June Macdonald, Kate Trgovac, Katicus Sparrow, Kathryn Lagden, Michelle Tampoya, Paradise Wunderland, Second Life, shopping, Tamera Kremer

Announcing “After a Fashion”... a Canadian “Girl’s Night Out” in Second Life

You may remember my recent shopping trip with Kathryn Lagden in Second Life. I asked if anyone was interested in joining me on my next shopping visit. I thought a night out with the girls would be much more fun than venturing out on my own in this strange but enchanting new world.

Read more...


Technorati tags: After a Fashion, Kate Trgovac, Katicus Sparrow, Kathryn Lagden, Paradise Wunderland, Second Life, shopping