My Honey Spots

The view from my beach towel on the Port Stanley Beach. Sigh... 

The love affair started long ago; I was hopelessly young, impossibly impressionable, and more than ready for freedom. And I found it at the beach. I learned a lot on those summer trips to the lake and while it may very well have been planned out, it always felt very fly-by-the-seat-of-our-swimsuits when my dad would shrug and say, ‘Why don’t we got to the beach today?’ Where most families would pack up hot dogs, chips and lawn chairs, my parents did things a little differently. Oh no, there were no Disney beach towels for us. It was a massive Marimekko umbrella that shaded us from the overhead sun, turning everything sparkly and multi-coloured underneath. It was bacon-wrapped filet mignon over the hot hibachi coals. And when the long day was finally done, Paul Simon or ABBA would carry us home.

Now that I have kids of my own and live a stone’s throw away from Port Stanley you’d think that the magic of the beach would have somehow lost its lustre. But that’s the thing about the beach. It never changes. It’s always just sand, and swimsuits (both good and bad), and people swimming or tanning or reading or kissing. It’s still kids splashing in the surf and parents yelling for them to come closer to shore. And while life goes so so fast everywhere else, time seems to stop when your feet are planted firmly in the sand.

Port Stanley is one of my all-time favourite honey spots where I go with my husband for long walks on the beach (for real), with our kids to build pretty sandcastles or even on my own, at 2 pm on a weekday when I need to regroup and just lose myself for a little. Where do you go to relax? What place makes you the happiest? If you could pick one honey spot, what would it be? Marc Jacobs has just launched MJ Honey Spots, listing Marc Jacobs’ personal favourite places around the world. Tell me your fave Honey Spot where you live, then be part of the buzz and share your Instagram pic with the world at http://www.marcjacobsfragrances.com/honey using the hashtag #MJHoneySpots. Can’t wait to see which Honey Spots you choose! 

xx

A trip to Port Stanley would not be complete without a pit-stop at Mackie’s for some legendary Orangeade. Yum!

That’s me, hiding out under my floppy hat, ready to hit the beach. #MJHoneySpots

HONEY Marc Jacobs is the bright, spirited and spontaneous new addition to the Marc Jacobs fragrance family. HONEY is a sunny delicious floral – happy and energetic, with notes of fresh green pear, orange blossom and warm honey. Playful and polished, the bottle is elegantly crafted with beautiful finishing touches that reveal the cheerful, bright and sophisticated fragrance. HONEY Marc Jacobs is available at retailers across Canada including Sephora, Hudson’s Bay, Holt Renfrew, Shoppers Drug Mart, Murale and Jean Coutu. For more information, visit: http://www.marcjacobsfragrances.com/honey 

 

Disclosure: This post was brought to you by Coty Prestige via Glam Media Canada.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Coty Prestige.

Toronto Premium Outlets: The Lowdown

7:55 a.m on opening day of the Toronto Premium Outlets. #keener

Here's something to ponder as you head into your Long Weekend: Canada's 1st ever Premium Outlets is now officially open at Halton Hills. I went early yesterday before the doors opened, before the ribbon had been cut, before all of the parking spots were taken. I checked out the outlet mall and as promised, it was really lovely and felt just like its American counterparts. As a member of the media (ooh la la), I got to check out a few stores before they opened to the public, from Tom's Place Outlet (first ever) to the chic new Danier outlet to Icebreaker from New Zealand (love!). Line-ups formed early at Restoration Hardware, Michael Kors, Coach and Nike, but nothing I couldn't handle. After the offical opening ceremony, I made a beeline for Hudson's Bay Outlet and much to my delight, I saw designer merch from The Room at 40% off regular price, plus an additional 25% off for Grand Opening Weekend. Deals are sweet if you have the money to spend. Over the next hour, the ambient buzz started to grow. And grow. And by 10 am when I had to leave to reunite with my kidlets back in the city, it was total mayhem. The in-store lineups were crazy, overflow parking lots were already practically full, and at 2:30 when I left the city, the 401 was moving at a crawl. To give you an idea, it took me 4 HOURS to get home from Toronto to London. Yup.

The upshot? If you have the time, the courage and the inclination to score super deals, a trek to Premium Outlets will totally pay off this weekend. (Visit torontopremiumoutlets.ca for the weekend's event schedule and a list of Grand Opening sales.) If you're claustrophic and/or hate long line-ups, I highly suggest waiting a few weeks for the frenzy to subside. I considered this my reconnaissance mission. Next time, I'm taking a day off for Kate Spade, Ted Baker, J.Crew, Restoration Hardware, Brooks Brothers, Banana Republic and another shot at Hudson's Bay. Oh Erdem, you will be mine...

Happy Long Weekend! Hope you enjoy every minute of it

My outlet outfit. No practical shopping footwear for this girl - an occasion like this calls for heels!

My license to shop. 

If you really love Coach, this weekend is the time to buy (if you don't mind long line-ups, that is)

Mugging for the camera with the legendary Tom of Tom's Place.

Oooh. LOVE this origami skirt from the Danier Outlet.

YESSS! Designer beauties from The Room at outlet prices? SO exciting!

J.Brand, Andrew Gn, Juicy, Erdem, Alice + Olivia, Armani Collezioni, Comme des Garçons...

Every shopper needs to recharge. Thank you Hudson's Bay Outlet for the sweet cupcakes.

Hello, Burberry. 'Til we meet again this Fall... 

A Short Story

Bright shorts + a distressed denim jacket = perfect Long Weekend cool. Photo courtesy H&M

Originally posted in The LOOK

Hard to believe, but it's August today. How? How did this happen? Where did July go and why can't time just slow down please, if only so we can enjoy the sun, the warmth, the lack of layers for just a little longer? This long weekend, I say Carpe Diem, darlings, and rock a pair of only-for-summer shorts. If you've got some shorties languishing in your closet, these 3 outfits might inspire you to wear them a little differently. And if not? Luckily, it's sale season and if you're going to pick up a new pair, now's the time to do just that. ..

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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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