Thursday, September 30, 2010

I Want I Need I'm Buying

When it comes to shiny objects, I am somewhat of a moth to a flame. So, when felcity&fritz got in our newest shipment of fall jewelry, you can imagine that I instantly began to compile my list of "I want" pieces. Convincincing myself, however, that this seasons statement necklaces are in fact "I need" pieces really isn't that difficult (though I have had years of training in justifying almost any purchase!)

image from LOU LOU Magazine

While adding big beads or a long strand of chains somewhat neutralizes the concept of this seasons minimalist dressing, these pieces are just too necessary to finish an outfit! Word of caution, when going for an oversized necklace (or any piece of jewelry really) don't over do it with the rest of the option. Very quickly can one go from impossibly chic to convoluted fashion geek (yes, my rhyming is weak).

☮ peace and fashion

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

It's Here!

Tomorrow is today and today we officially open the second location of felicity&fritz!  It has been a long time coming. A full year (plus hours more) of planning to bring our fashion girls a bigger and better place for you to lose yourself in all that is the pretty of fashion.


I want to take this time to put attention on the woman behind it all. The Owner of felicity&fritz (first and foremost, this bloggers mother) is one of the hardest working women I have ever met. Five years ago, she took one of the greatest risks - getting into an industry she knew very little about - yet she took on every challenge with seemingly no fear and a level of confidence I hope to one day fully achieve myself. 




My mom, Bessie Nikolopoulos, Owner of felicity&fritz is an amazing woman who loves everyone of her clients. Though she may not always remember your name, I guarantee you she remembers that you told her you were going on vacation or that you had just received a promotion or that your kids just got their braces removed. Because that's the thing about my mom. She cares. She cares about the people around her and makes you feel like you have been friends for a lifetime even in your first meeting.


So I am somewhat selfishly using this post to ask however many fashion loving readers out there there are to comment on this post, leave a comment on our facebook wall (or even better come into our stores today!) and give my mom her well deserved shout out!


Congratulations mamacita!!


☮ peace and fashion

Monday, September 27, 2010

Get Excited

After months of construction, choosing the right colours (and then choosing them again) researching, traveling, attaining new brands and making it all come together with sparkle - it's here. Tomorrow, dear fashion girls, felicity&fritz is finally opening our second location!! As scary as it is for those of us who have invested so much into bringing our fellow fashion girls another amazing boutique, there is no word to describe how excited we are. So get excited with us (though how are you not already?!) and put it on your "Must Do" list - come tomorrow to our new location at 127 Princess Street!



☮ peace and fashion 
 

Friday, September 24, 2010

I Feel A KONEKTion

I recently picked up a copy of KONEKT Magazine and haven’t been able to put it down. Established in 2009, KONEKT is a Canadian inter-university magazine with content solely driven by original student writing ranging in topics from culture and society (who's running with heels?), opinion pieces, global issues (how green is recycling really?) and the arts. 




In the current issue, the letter from the publishers touched on the fact that when the magazine was in it’s beginning stages, many had doubts. “Did students really have that much to say?” and is what they have to say of “high enough quality to fill an entire magazine?” These questions can’t help but make me shake my head for the simple fact that no matter what the decade, the long-running question seems to be if students, in essence, have brains. 
As a student myself, I suppose I have an inevitable bias, but let’s get real. If students are the future of whatever world we will end up in, is it so absurd to give us some credit in the realm of intelligence? If it weren’t for the visionary (not to mention revolutionary) actions of students after all, we would never have seen a fruitful tech company or a cult-like social network or a fashion designer by the name of Jacobs.

peace and fashion 

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Just Fur You

When I was little I had a navy blue faux fur coat my fashion loving grandmother bought for me. With this seasons appropriate fixation with fur (real and faux) I can't help but think how wonderful it would be if I still had that coat hanging in my closet (because I'm sure from ten years ago it would still fit me!).


Handbag available @ felicity&fritz! 

From Chanel (full fur suit anyone?) to Joe Fresh, furs are a must have trend that have been made accessible to everyone with any wardrobe budget. Even better is the use of fur in accessories, allowing us to ease into the luxurious trend rather than falling in head first (though I mean really, would falling into fur be so bad?!)

☮ peace and fashion

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Dream On? Shop On!

Like any fashion girl, I know my fashion houses. I also know, however, that sometimes I don't want to save all my money to by the Balenciaga City Bag with rose gold hardware and unreal leather because I have other expenses that sadly come first (Food. Education. Blah. Blah. Blaaah.). 
Balenciaga Giant City Bag $1,551

As such, it really is a good feeling to know that I (and all you fashion girls out there) can get the look of Balenciaga without my wallet becoming as naked as Lady Gaga sporting one of her classic "I-don't-wear-pants" ensembles. 
High Fashion Handbag $155 

This High Fashion Handbag is a great alternative for those of us who want the look but don't want part with our hard earned money - no matter how gorgeous (and tempting) the Balenciaga may be.

☮ peace and fashion 

Monday, September 20, 2010

Hooked On Fall - Part 2

For those of you who fashion girls who are still in school or work in an office or are stay-at-home mama's it's well known that no matter how much work you may have, Mondays are Mondays and sometimes you need to veer off into your own world to get through the day. 


Case in point, I am currently in between classes (ahem...in class) and have taken a moment (10 minutes) to compile the photos from style.com taken by amazing photoblogger Tommy Ton during London Fashion Week.



Hopefully these images cure your case of the Mondays like they did mine!




 ☮ peace and fashion

Hooked On Fall

While I love the fall, with it comes going back to school - lots of reading, note taking, a mountain of term projects and (the absolute worst) late nights studying for finals. With all the work, I inevitably (as much as I hate to admit) do get into a fashion rut of wearing the same main pieces in order to get out of the house on time in the morning. These photos however, have definitely re-inspired me.  


The photos completely embody what I love about this season - gorgeous blue skies and crisp cool air that wakes you up the moment you walk into it. The beauty in these photos is not only in the pieces of clothing, but the juxtaposition created with the raw backdrop of Red Hook, Brooklyn.


The only downside to these photos really, is a) how much I long for these outfits to belong in my wardrobe and b) how out of place I would look among my class mates wearing Prada's wool and silk dress (though really if I were wearing Prada, the stares would be totally justified...it's Prada!!) 


☮ peace and fashion 

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Talk To The (Well Polished) Hand

I fondly remember spending lazy afternoons painting my grandmother's nails and then painting my own as we chatted about whatever gossip there was that week (her gossip about the church ladies, mine about the playground queen bees). While this nostalgia may be the underlying reason to my own love of nail polish, what anyone can appreciate about a good  polish is that it can transform even the most classic of wardrobes to have a certain air of edge and glamour. 



Just as with fashion, the colours of makeup change with the season, and this season is definitely making a statement with nail colour. Not only are the colours bold - navy blues, bright silvers and golds, deep reds the perfect greys - but polish is also now making way with texture - bring on the glitter, the matte and high gloss polishes! 

Note that when it comes to nail colour, the shorter the nail the more bold you can go with the polish (long talons and metallic polish can border on being costume-like). My personal preference is a short nail, filed to have rounded square tip. I am currently wearing "Glitzerland" by OPI (shown in the above bottle). 

☮ peace and fashion 

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Cutie Bootie

While the word itself sounds of something a newborn would fashion, over the past few seasons the bootie has been all for us fashion girls. It goes without saying, that this fashion bloggers love of shoes borders on obsession (but do you blame me really?!). This season, I have been particularly in love, (ahem, obsessed) with the bootie as I consider it to be one of the most versatile styles of footwear. Yes it comes in an autumn rainbow of colours, but the greatest feature of almost any bootie is that it transcends season. Meaning, while you may be wearing your pair of booties this season with a pair of ever chic tweed pencil skirt, come spring time you will wear them with your cropped straight legged trouser.


So get your booty in gear and buy yourself a pair of booties...the shoe I mean, not the body part. 

All booties shown are available at felicity&fritz!! 

☮ peace and fashion

Monday, September 13, 2010

What Came First? The Emu or The Ugg?

Come September in Kingston, there is the inevitable overflow of thousands of returning students eager to attack another school year. Also inevitable is the picture of what seems to be a sea of Ugg Australia boots. A few years ago, I too (unfortunately and regrettably) gave in to the Ugg Australia boot trend. Never again my fashion friends. Never. As the boot offer zero waterproof-ness (yep, just made up that word) my feet would always be wet and cold regardless of the shearling lining. 


Enter EMU. Established in 1994, EMU Australia is actually the original creator of the "Ugg Boot". (fun fact: "ugg" and "ugg boots" are generic terms in Australia describing a pull on sheepskin boot.) Only EMU has done it so much better. With premium embossed leather and suede, shearling lining, textural details and (most importantly) total water resistance! Therefore, during the wet Kingston autumn and the snowy winter, your feet will be dry and toasty warm...not to mention fashionable!




So, there you go fashion girls, the long running question has been answered. The EMU came before the Ugg. felicity&fritz is now carrying EMU Australia boots, and we gracefully accept the "thanks" from your feet. 


☮ peace and fashion

Friday, September 10, 2010

Super Chunky Knits

Whenever a trend comes along, that serves the purpose of function as well as fashion one can't help but get excited (and want to go shopping). This season, it seemed like almost every fashion house sent their take of chunky knits down the Fall 2010 Runways. While these knits from Prada, See by Chloe and Pringle of Scotland scream an inevitable chic-ness, I can't help but imagine how wonderful it would be to wear any of these pieces while drinking a big cup of hot chocolate (or in the case of this fashion blogger - a huge cup of coffee) after spending an afternoon walking along the countryside. Needless to say, super chunky knits are on my "must have" list for fall.

from top: Pringle of Scotland. See by Chloe sweater/D&G shorts.
Prada. Jean Paul Gautier.
all photos from W Magazine June 2010.
☮ peace and fashion

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Giving Back Is Always In Style

While I work with clients daily, as well as front as fashion blogger bringing fellow fashion girls the latest in style, I am also a student at St. Lawrence College. As today was the first day back after the long summer days, in true SLC fashion my classmates and I were challenged by our professor, Jim Hamilton (disclaimer: Professor Hamilton is one of the greatest profs I have ever had...and I'm not sucking up I swear).

And so, we were split into groups (three cheers for Team Four!) and were challenged to gather donations for the ever growing organization Kiva.  Kiva is an amazing organization, as it is funding the entrepreneurial endeavors of individuals in impoverished countries through microfinance.

 image retrieved from kiva.org

Pendo Luisi, for example, acquired a $175 loan November 2007 to sell merchandise door-to-door once her teacher's salary could no longer support her and her family. She sells new handbags, shoes, bed sheets, and fabrics, and makes about $10-$14 a day from this trade. From the profits, she opened a small snack shop 3 months ago and now hires a shop assistant so that she can continue selling door-to-door. The shop brings in a profit of around $3-$5 a day. With her savings and a new loan, Pendo hopes to open a new business, a cafĂ©. 

To help others like Pendo experience their own success, either hop on over to our page above felicity&fritz and St. Lawrence College or go to www.getyourhornson.ca and donate to TEAM FOUR!


☮ peace and fashion

Shearling

Growing up in Canada, you learn very quickly how to dress for the cold weather. Many times this means forgoing the stylish for a look that is comparable to that of Ralphie's brother Randy in the classic film A Christmas Story. However, with this season's modern take on shearling, the Canadian cold front just got a little (ahem...a lot) more fashionable. From coloured to classic ivories to just a trim, shearling was used all over the fall runways and is a definite must have this season. 

  Burberry and Adam Jackets. Matt Bernson boot (@felicity&fritz). Pajar boot (@felicity&fritz). 
Acne Shearling hat. Miu Miu gloves. Marc by Marc Jacobs handbag.
☮ peace and fashion 

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Bare Minimum

Bare bones. Very little. The least amount. Minimal. In seasons past, when it comes to fashion, the notion has often been that more is better - stack on the jewels, pile on the glitter, blind them with the brightly coloured and distract them with the overtly layered. Ironically, however, this fashion blogger has often been attracted to the beauty of minimalistic dressing. 


Do I love shoes and handbags and everything in between? Yes (my mother owns a fashion boutique for heaven's sake!). But there is something to be said about minimal dressing. When you strip yourself down to the few key, well structured, well tailored, pieces in your wardrobe something happens. You let yourself shine. Rather than hiding our bodies beneath the layers of whatever clothing and whatever accessories, modern minimalism essentially allows your own beauty to stand front and center. Quite honestly, it's empowering. 


So this Fall 2010, if you try no other trend, try modern minimalism. Forgo the statement necklace and the printed jeans and the massively oversized cardigans and the bejewelled hobo bags. Instead, reach for the pretty pendants and the well-tailored trouser and the perfect blazer and the structured handbag. Make you the statement piece rather than the glittery whatnots. 


Images retrieved from W Magazine online
☮ peace and fashion