A local social enterprise is hoping to broaden its capacity while better serving the community through a brand new boutique. For twelve years, EcoEquitable has provided employment and skills training to immigrant and underemployed women through small-scale textile recycling. While participants develop valuable skills to achieve financial independence, a huge amount of what would have been waste gets repurposed through the program. Last Thursday, the organization opened the doors of its new space to show off a new boutique that will feature creations generated by the program. I had the... | Continue reading article

November’s Ottawa Vintage Clothing show brought a lot of style inspiration this year, with shoppers coming dressed for the occasion with outfits from the forties to the seventies. In preparing this article, I was fortunate to have guidance from Jaime McLeod of Housewife Vintage/Flowers and Vintage. She was Apartment 613′s charming guest style-spotter. She did indeed have a great eye, and whilst selling her own vintage wear in a booth she sent me chasing after some fancily dressed attendees. In this article, Jaime also tells us about her own style... | Continue reading article

Every woman knows that they are supposed to have “the feeling” when they find their dress. That Say Yes to the Dress heart dropping moment. The Handmade Bride seems to have that feeling flowing from their walls because the moment you step inside you just can’t stop smiling. This indie New Edinburgh wedding shop is on a mission to inspire you to customize your wedding. From corner to corner, the boutique is like no other wedding spot; boasting eclectic bright bow ties, highlighter crinoline skirts and bold graphic stationary squeezed... | Continue reading article

Ottawa’s Malorie Bertrand has a passion for eco fashion. Her friends at Second Grace Vintage  describe her as “gracious, articulate and cute as a button.” These things are all true and she has been a tireless advocate in promoting environmentally friendly and sustainable fashion through her blog EF Magazine, and through her company with partner Stephanie Major August/May Sustainable Styling. They offer a variety of personal and commercial styling services with a focus on sourcing from sustainable labels. EF Magazine, started in 2011, promotes sustainable fashion and beauty that is... | Continue reading article

All photos courtesy of Aisling McCaffrey In most of Canada, Labour Day weekend is a last ditch attempt to enjoy the frivolities of summer before adults and children alike are expected to buckle down and work through the winter. In Ottawa, however, we’ve managed to extend our fun by moving the last days of summer to the weekend after school starts, and incidentally, the best time of year in fashion. With my heart full of love for both festivals and street style, I spent three nights of folk fest checking... | Continue reading article

The annual Ottawa Fashion Week is back for its fifth year this weekend (Sept. 13-15) showcasing the top Canadian designers and their runway pieces for Spring and Summer 2014. Having first come onto the scene as a platform for Fall/Winter 2009 collections, Ottawa Fashion Week has established itself as a regular venue for designers to present their collections and bring fashion to the arts community. As the event grows stronger with each season, more designers Canada and beyond have signed up to make the trip to Ottawa – with a... | Continue reading article

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR. It’s time, once again, to picnic. This isn’t just any picnic, though – this is a classy, black tie affair, voted one of Ottawa’s sexiest parties in our racy survey from earlier this year. For the past two years, Harvest Noir has seen hundreds of brave Ottawans gather together in their finest threads. Why ‘brave’, you ask? The picnics have both fallen on unseasonably cold days, with a spot of rain or two. This year, the organizers are hoping to change all that by holding it... | Continue reading article

All photos by Adria May Bluesfest 2013 was an amazing venue for fashion inspiration in the city. It was scorching hot outside, with lots of scorching hot people. Better late than never, check out our belated Bluesfest Street Style File!   Occupation: Therapist and co-founder of Couch Assassin Outfit:  Shirt: Smoove (New Zealand) Skirt: Jacob Shoes: Clark’s (dancing and hooping all day require comfy shoes) Style inspiration: My style is dictated by cut and colour. Dresses are the easiest piece of clothing because they are most forgiving of fluctuating body shape... | Continue reading article

There’s something dream-like about a picnic where everyone is dressed in white, sitting under a summer sun. And it’s precisely this appeal that drew the organizers of Picnic En Blanc to bring this worldwide phenomenon to Ottawa – the idea of mixing food, fun and summer fashions was too good to pass up. So, on July 25, Ottawa will have its first Picnic En Blanc – location to be shared just hours before the event takes place. And it won’t just be about food and fashion – we’ve just heard... | Continue reading article

If you’ve seen our Style File posts, you’ll know Ottawa’s got swagger. Two of the lovely ladies we’ve got to thank for it are Katie Frappier and Regine Paquette: fashionistas, besties, and successful local business women. This delightfully dressed duo is responsible for the carefully curated and much loved Victoire Boutique. The girls clearly have great style, but what really sets Victoire apart is their philosophy. The pieces you find are timeless and well-made, because Frappier & Paquette are  “smitten with Canadian design.” Victoire features designers from all across the... | Continue reading article