YAY! Hudson's Bay is Bringing Saks to Canada

Saks Fifth Avenue (aka. shoe heaven) © BrokenSphere / Wikimedia Commons

The girly road trips were fun, I'll admit. And I did enjoy the adrenaline rush of bitchy border guard tête-à-têtes. But yesterday's retail announcement means that our frenzied cross-border shopping trips will be the things we only tell our grandkids about.

Me: "When Grandma was a girl, we would head to the States for something they called 'Black Fridaaay...'

Grandkids: "Ooooh! Tell us more, Grandma!"

Me: "I almost got trampled to death 5 times, just to save $5 on a pair of pumps. We would shop for back-to-school clothes all through the night when everyone else was sleeping. Once I almost lost a kidney when another woman and I duked it out over a Prada clutch. Luckily, I had the most vicious elbows in the place."

WWD reported yesterday that as suspected, Hudson's Bay has agreed to buy Saks Fifth Avenue for a whopping $2.9 billion. Saks could open up to seven full line stores and 25 Off-5th outlets in Canada, according to Richard Baker, CEO of Hudson’s Bay Company.

“We are going to move as quickly as we can,” Baker said in reference to bringing Saks to Canada. “There is a lot of opportunity to accomplish that rollout very quickly.” Read: Nordstrom is coming, so we've got to bust it.

Um, SO awesome, right? Are you as excited as I am? Anyone want to arrange a little shoe shopping trip when it opens? I'll be sure to keep you in the loop as I hear more Saks news!

xx

On the Catwalk

Choupette and Karl Lagerfeld pose for NET-A-PORTER TV.

I have a confession: I've never understood the whole cat thing. I mean, I totally get why people love cats; I've had 3 incredible cats of my own - from my first sweet Tabby cat, Romey (Romanov from the House of Doom), to Cali who lives with my mom (you'd think she'd be a Calico but she's a Tabby, too) to my current big boy, Chachi (my dog's name is Fonzie, so it only made sense). But it's the whole meme thing that confuses me; the OMG cats in space, and cats playing keyboards, the PURRsonals, and of course, the catbearding. Sure, they're super cute and I'll admit that cats that look like beards are pretty funny, but I guess I've just been too busy to pause (or should I say, paws) for a closer look.

Okay, and then as I was looking for the pic for this article just now, it hit me. I'm on the train, and people are starting to stare at me because I am laughing so hard. I mean, like that kind of laugh where I'm gasping for air and almost peeing my pants because Grumpy Cat is just staring at me over and over again and even if she wanted to, she just can't look happy. Hee :)

I finally get it. I've officially joined the cat caravan, especially when you mix cats with fashion, because let's face it: Kitty Couture rocks. Whether you like 'em jungle cat wild or sweet and domestic, check out these purr-fectly catwalk-ready feline finds...(and don't miss the new ad from Britain's O2 - hiLArious)

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Love Is All You Need

A model backstage at the Burberry Prorsum Fall '13 Show. Photo via Fairchild. 

Here's me, wearing the new jeans I just picked up at Hudson's Bay. Love! 

The heart - that universal symbol of everything L.O.V.E. - hasn't historically been all that trendy. Sure, we all love love, but the heart, well, it's gotten a bit of bad rap in the fashion world. While dots and stripes are always chic, hearts are sometimes met with a bit of condescension. Hearts? Oh, they're so obvious. They're so Valentine's. They're so heart-like. Really?

Well, love will prevail, as they say, and right now, the oft-maligned heart is proving itself to be pretty lovable after all. For Fall '13, Burberry's Christopher Bailey unabashedly covered his collection in hearts while Holly Fulton and Aquilano.Rimondi did the same, sending heart-printed tops and dresses down the runway, too. And while critics of the heart print often dismiss it for being cheesy, these designers show that when done up right, hearts can be sophisticated, luxe and totally grown-up...

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The Grown-Up Way to Wear a Romper

You don’t have to be twenty-something (or Prince George Alexander Louis) to look cute in a jumpsuit (really!) Check out these 3 grown-up ways to wear a romper in my article this week for iVillage.ca...

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Beat the Heat in Sweet Pastels

Pretty pastels at J.Crew Spring/Summer 2013. Love this pic! Photo via The Cut

Originally posted in The LOOK

I am sooo hot. I mean, literally. I'm overheated, frizzy-haired, and panting more than breathing at this point as I make my way from place to air-conditioned place. Forget looking polished, I'm a total hottie in the worst possible sense. I just took my dog to the groomer and the poor guy is now practically bald, hiding shamefully in the corner, and yet I can see the sweet relief on his little doggy face. Imagine walking around in a fur coat in this??

When the mercury soars, it's tempting to wear nothing at all but since that law has yet to pass in Canada and most of us still have to bring home a paycheque, it's all about choosing cooling, heatwave-friendly colours to avoid looking like a hot mess, even if you feel like one.  On days like today, white is always right, cobalt blue is cool, too but lately, I've been drawn to the softer side of the spectrum. Like a triple-scoop of gelato to quench your heatwave hunger, sweet pastel pinks, yellows, watery blues and minty greens work wonders at cooling off your summer wardrobe...

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