Friends of B: La Raffinerie Jewelry's Julia Vallelunga

When I showed Bijougraphie for the first time in Montreal at Pop Montreal's Puces Pop Fair (with thanks to Julie Deault of Hazel and Hunter), I had the good fortune of befriending tabling neighbour Julia Vallelunga of La Raffinerie. She might not remember this, but Julia basically quelled my slight (and typical-for-a-rookie) anxieties as a novice tabler with her two cents to every and any question I had about navigating my way through the independent designer circuit in Montreal.

Almost two years since the humble encounter (and subsequent ones in between like borrowing/lending ladders and pens with each other during set-up at events like Smart Design Mart and a doing a Q&A on her fashion site, À la mode Montreal),  news that Anthropologie picked up two styles of La Raffinerie's statement necklaces –currently available now (see it online here)–, is pretty rad representation for us small-time Montreal designers.  I catch up with Julia, fresh from participating in Festival Mode et Design Montreal and hosting Anthropologie's designers on a tour of Mile End and her studio, to share with you, dear reader, a few things more about this Montreal designer who's making us proud!

Mercedes: Who are you and what do you do?
Julia: I'm Julia Vallelunga, La Raffinerie Jewelry designer and fashion blogger for À la mode Montréal

Mercedes: When people see La Raffinerie jewelry, they should think...
Julia: Colorful and original.

Mercedes: So, the breaking news with La Raffinerie is that two of its statement pieces are being sold in Anthropologie. Congratulations, it's so exciting that a Montreal designer's made it to a great fashion staple!  How did this happen?
Julia: Thank you! It was a great experience that I hope will happen again next year. I just contacted them and sent some pictures. I thought my style matched well with their clothing.

[caption id="attachment_1082" align="aligncenter" width="550" caption="A La Raffinerie Necklace for Anthropologie"][/caption]

Mercedes: How did you react to discovering that Anthropologie wanted to carry La Raffinerie?
Julia: I was totally surprised they answered!  I got an answer an hour after I sent an email. Let say I wasn’t 100% ready, but you always need that big order to know what to improve.

Mercedes: Now that you've collaborated with Anthropologie, which designer/s or companies would you love to do collaborations with?
Julia: I hope to collaborate again with Anthropologie but I also love Madewell and JCrew clothing.

Mercedes: What's a La Raffinerie piece that you're proud of?
Julia: I like the new velvet ribbon I’ve been using for my Fall collection.

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Mercedes: What kind of designs (or designers) inspire your work?
Julia: Designers like Tory Burch and Isabel Marant inspire me a lot.

Mercedes: What are a few of the trends / things / events / people that interest you right now?
Julia: I’m a big fan of statement necklaces. I hope they stay in fashion for a long time! I also like the ethnic trend and the 70s.

Mercedes: What's your favourite colour combination?
Julia: Presently, I’m a big fan of blue and black. I also love yellow this season. I’ve been mixing yellow with darker colors.

Mercedes: So you're not only a jewelry designer, you're also the founder of a Montreal online style resource, Á la Mode Montreal.  What made you decide to start a Montreal fashion site?
Julia: I founded À la mode Montréal two years ago. At that time, there wasn’t any big blog on fashion in Montreal. I was inspired by Refinery29 and DailyCandy.

Mercedes: What are the top five posts people should be looking at on À la Mode Montreal right now?
Julia:
Anthropologie + Montreal
Guide deco vintage
Leçons de coiffure > A cup of Jo
Dolbeau Canada
Qu’est-ce que le deadstock?

Mercedes: What are the top 5 (or more) blogs that you visit without fail?
Julia: Garance Doré, Refinery29 (it’s not exactly a blog but kind of), The Sartorialist, Lake Jane and Camp Comfort.

Mercedes: What are the top 5 magazines you love to read?
Julia: Vogue, Harpers Bazaar, Elle, Lucky, Monocle.

-Fin.

Patterns from Peers at FMDM 2011

I should mention that one of the really neat things about being a part of Festival Mode et Design's La Boutique is that I get to present work alongside the ones of Montreal fashion designers like Barilà, Valérie Dumaine, Duy, Juma, Eve Gravel, Supayana, Atelier B. Judy and Cherry Bobbin –all of whom notably used some patterns for their current collections. Here's a little compedium of neat ones from them from the store:
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Fin.

A Bijougraphie runway moment, among other things...

...like another few reasons why Montreal is just the swellest!

Awhile back, I was invited to participate in an event in Montreal that just happens to be fashion and design related. It's called Festival du Mode et Design. It's the kind of event where the city of Montreal closes a notable street downtown and notable buildings on it (for example, Place Ville Marie by I.M. Pei and Henry N. Cobb) host its ongoing events on two runways for four days.

Bijougraphie had the good fortune of being featured on the runway at Place Ville Marie. The idea that Bijougraphie was being featured on a runway on an I.M Pei and Henry N. Cobb designed building floored me (in a good way). Here's my amateur clip of it (feel free to see it on full screen!):

Bijougraphie at Festival Mode et Design Montreal 2011's La Boutique Fashion Show from bijougraphie on Vimeo.

I crossed paths with a budding event photographer, Tanya A. Hall, who was able to capture great stills of this very brief moment, which by the way, debuts one of my latest pieces, The Polynecklace (more to come of that in the next few weeks):
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Adding to this, Bijougraphie was invited to be a part of a group of Montreal designers featuring their latest collections at the festival's pop-up shop, La Boutique, something that's also sponsored by fashion mag Loulou, which happened to select the drop chain earrings as a special pick at the event, to my surprise!
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Giddyness continued as I watched the Jean Paul Gaultier show. I thought I could resist prendres des photos, but I caved in. So here you go. Here's the show in a nutshell: Gaultier. Dichotomies. Juxtapositions. Raw. Edge. Rock. Punk. Pirates. Sailors. Wenches. Sex. Patterns. "Real" people. Man corsets. Amy Winehouse tribute. Madonna Like a Virgin reference. All of which make up aspects of timeless bourgeoisie-ness perhaps? I wouldn't know, I'm just a plebe that was lucky to see this from row one-ish. Keep up the good work Montreal and bring in more of these things!
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Being in a sea of wow and even the idea of people working at Sensation Mode thinking that Bijougraphie could be a great part of this is flattering. They even feature it quite prominently on their website here, here and here! In return, I hope the Bijougraphie collection at La Boutique, presence on the runway and prizes for their two big contests fare well for the festival.

Yep, it's a big week for Bijougraphie.

Friends of B: Mitz Takahashi

When I moved back to Montreal, Mitz constantly popped up in conversations in various occasions and circles. Every response I got to my interjected inquiries about him was a glowing review that pretty much went like this: "Oh man, Mitz is like, just the coolest."

While cool, vague of a term that it is, assumes different values in individuals, the unanimous acknowledgement of Mitz using that very word was intriguing. I soon found out how when I eventually crossed paths with him at Casa. In a matter of minutes, he elicited howls of laughter in our table starting with playful puns to timely light, self-deprecating quips, like he was a natural born comedian.

Except he wasn't. He was just in cabinetry school at the time, a band called Mavo and DJ'd some good rock every once in awhile. Ever since that Casa night, I've been looking forward to the time he'd be ready to show work, along with about 99.98% of the creative Mile-End community.  So, with the arrival of an array of work which truly is an extension of him –modern, insightful, respectful, environmentally concerned, timeless, playfully wry and a little scifi–  also comes that of a Q&A, an opportunity for you, dear reader, to get to know Mitz Takahashi in earnest.

Mercedes: Who are you and what do you do?
Mitz: My name is Mitz. I'm a furniture designer/maker. I also do random other things like djing, play music and make guitar pedals/amp and eat free samples at Jean Talon market on my free time.

Mercedes: When I first met you a couple of years ago, you mentioned you were in cabinetry school. I forget the answer now, because what I remember more is of you making me cry of laughter, but refresh my memory: what made you decide to get into it?
Mitz: I always loved furniture designs and making stuff. One day I was cooking unagi (eel) and it was actually an electric one and I was electrocuted and next thing I know, I was in school. It was kinda like Mel Gibson in What Women Want, when he slips into bathtub with hair dryer and gets shocked.

http://youtu.be/99-8-9az2To?t=13s

Mercedes: When people see work by Mitz Takahashi, they should think...
Mitz: It would be a real honor to inspire other artists to create more. I mean, I'm just starting up, so I'm not really someone big to say that kind of stuff but that would be my goal eventually to inspire others who inspired me to do things

Mercedes: Lewd-sounding questions but: what are the aspects you like best about working with wood? Is there a particular kind of wood you prefer working with?
Mitz: Wood grains remind me of a galaxy, and each wood is different from another, each wood species are different from another, its almost like humans, each country/culture is different from another and each person is different from another, everyone is beautiful and we are the world, we are the children

Mercedes: What's life like for a wood worker like yourself? What are the biggest challenges you face as a wood worker now?
Mitz: I work seven days a week most of the time, but i love it. Sometimes, I just eat soft serve ice cream for dinner because I don't have time for cooking. One time, I ate four servings of ice cream as well as two hot dogs and fries for $3.75 at Elegant Hot Dog at Beaubien. I didn't feel good...wait, what am i talking about?

Oh ya, Ikea and its 2-years lifespan furniture is tough to compete with, as well as its meatballs at its food court.

Another thing is I easily get bored doing one thing, I love making furniture, but I need to take a break and make some other things like podcasts or music, etc., I guess I'm an art slut. Oh I love sports too! And I even love sleeping too! Oh man, I wish there was more time in the world.

Mercedes: Any upcoming cabinetry projects you're working on now?
Mitz: I'm building bookcase, guitar amp cabinet, picture frames and a wall mounted shelving unit right now. I'm also planning to make more of sculptures. I want to make this Montreal city landscape made by offcuts and I'm working on some small planetarium lamp.

Mercedes: What are the top 5 pieces that you're proud of?
Mitz: Not sure, i just started so hopefully more in future. They are like my children, I'm proud of all the stuff I've made. But secretly, it's usually the latest piece is that I'm proud of, but I tell other pieces, I love them equally. I'm sure your parents told you and your siblings that they love the same but they usually baby the youngest, it's like that...

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Mercedes: What kind of designs (or designers) inspire your work?
Mitz: Usually mid century modern from 1940s to late 60s, Scandinavian as well as Japanese and I like most things simple and clean and often round edge. My favorite furniture designers are Finn Juhl, Hans Wegner and Isamu Noguchi.

Also, I get inspiration from other art forms/movements/music etc., Bauhaus, Dadaism, Outsider artists, some writers like Ryunosuke Akutagawa, Yukio Mishima, even Jurassic Park and Twin Peaks, and X-Files theme songs. These are not direct inspirations but they make me want create stuff.
http://youtu.be/DPAZQ6mhRcU

Mercedes: What are a few (like 3 to 5 or more if you like) of the trends / things / events / people that interest you right now?
Mitz: Modern eco/recycling. I'd like to recycle as much as I can. I use mostly recycled materials and reclaimed wood.

(See a clip of Mitz in the news talking about it here.)

Mercedes: Which designer/s or companies would you love to do collaborations with?
Mitz: I would be so nervous to work and collaborate with them, so I just wanna have a tea with Henry Darger and talk about random stuff sitting in this huge UFO looking tree house I'm going to build in the forest.

http://youtu.be/MSzzirIP0No

Mercedes: What's your favourite colour combination?
Mitz: Tough question. I don't really have preference in colour but I tend to wear clothes that are navy, black, white.

Fin.

See Mitz' work at www.mitztakahashi.com

To get more Mitz in your life, follow him at: www.twitter.com/mitztakahashi

Seen! Bijougraphie in South America

It's been brought to my attention that Bijougraphie is being worn in points of the world outside North America on different occasions and I'm just thrilled at the idea of this.  Here are some photos of a lovely lady named Poppy with her Bijougraphie drop earrings touring South America.

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Bijougraphie in a video again!

Wow.  Bijougraphie looks so pretty when it's matched up with wardrobe from Odin NYC and its sister store Pas de Deux, and then worn by a DBG model! Come see for yourself:

Roxy, by the way, is wearing a bundled chain necklace. See more here.

I must thank Liz Furlong (amazing hair and make-up artist who was responsible for the Bijougraphie shoot) for making this all happen.  You should see her work: http://www.lizlipstick.com

I'm so very grateful! What a day!

Friends of B: Reanna Evoy.

At one point in time, I was the Fringe Arts editor of a Montreal university weekly in the mid-2000's called The Link. I got to meet and become fond friends or acquaintances with a lot of neat people, shoot the shit with them and share it through print.

Since I decided to pursue design over editorship after I graduated, use of my Q&A skill is limited to the private sphere and I've been wanting to put it out again. Now that I'm blogging, I'd like to bring that back loosely. I figured getting in touch with old and present friends and acquaintances would be a nice starting point. So, without further ado, my first guest (yeah, I'm trying fill the void Oprah left for inquisitives since her last show ever) is Reanna Evoy:

Reanna and I are neighbours and share a pet-friendly stairwell where a pug (hers) and a cat (mine) tread. If you've shopped at fashionable Canadian independent establishments and picked up a Butter Magazine, you've seen her work. If enRoute Magazine caught your attention circa the later half of the '00s because you'd never seen a travel magazine as visually engaging and current in design, she was responsible for that.  These days, Reanna's busy as Art Director for Canadian shoe company Aldo, working on "the mothership" and its latest brands Locale, Feetfirst and Call it Spring. When there's time, she posts what I consider online visual musings on her blog, Reannatime.   I check in-with her with a couple questions lightly touching on her blog, work and little things that make this lady rad. So, onward to this blog's first foray into the Q&A...

Mercedes: Who are you and what do you do?
Reanna: Hi! My name is Reanna. I'm an art director which simply translates to: I make things pretty.

Mercedes: What kind of design are you pre-disposed to?
Reanna: I'm nostalgic for eras I never lived through. Turns out I'm sucker for anything vintage. They [designers] took more risks back in the day. And I adore all things minimal and Swiss. I love understated and smart design – nothing ostentatious.

Mercedes: Any interesting developments since you started blogging? (eg. someone who saw your blog landed you a really awesome gig/ a bunch of stalkers/ exclusive membership to an online pug-owning society)
Reanna: I wish I belonged to an online pug-owning society! Mick (my pug) has gotten me some attention. I posted this cute photo of him looking at a chocolate pastry. He was nearly drooling but still cute as a button. I don't really know how, but Elle Korea asked if they could publish it. I said yes but have no idea if it really got in the magazine. How crazy is that? That same photo somehow made its way on Frankie Magazine's blog, which was totally cool since I am a giant fan. Sadly no one stalks me. I think my mom reads my blog the most. Thank goodness!

Mercedes: You take pretty neat photos, what do you use?
Reanna: I use a Canon EOS 4D. And sometimes my little Panasonic point and shoot or even my phone camera!

Mercedes: What are a few things/events/trends/memes/people/places that you're fancying at the moment?
Reanna: I love trends. I'm totally not a trendy person but I find them fascinating. I look for patterns in blogs, magazines and fashion all the time. This might sound crazy but I'm into all things classic like Greek marble busts and statues. I'm also thinking Rockabilly is going to be cool for fall (think the new Cry Baby) and teenage witchery.

I'm also listening to a lot of new music. Right now I have Metronomy on repeat. I love their song, The Look. Oh and this new guy called Zoo Kid kinda blows my mind because he's some London teenager who recorded some beautiful songs in his bedroom. I love that shit.

Mercedes: How often does what you post on your blog affect your work (if it does)? Is your blog like a brainstorm activity for potential professional projects? Or do you separate it from work?
Reanna: My blog is like a giant bookmark of all the things I love. Turns out I mostly like photography, illustration and fashion which touches my work everyday. So it's not unusual for me to reference my blog when I'm researching ideas or talent. But I try not to post too much inspiration related to work until after my ideas has come to fruition... I like to make my blog a little creative space beyond what I do everyday at the office – it's more of a true reflection of my personal aesthetic stripped from commercial realities.

Mercedes: What are the top 2-3 projects that you've worked on that you're proud of?
Reanna: I would have to say my top 3 are...
Butter Magazine. Dude, my friends and I made a fashion magazine for 5 years out of my bedroom! That's nuts!
enRoute Magazine... all 44 issues! Wow, that feels like a lifetime of magazines. Oh and working on celebrity photo shoots were always neat. William Shatner was probably the most interesting. He liked my dimples.
Locale Magazine. It's something new I'm working on twice a year at my current job. I love it to bits because it's authentic. What I mean by that is I feel like I have full creative freedom to produce a magazine from scratch. And it really comes from the heart. I hope it shows! (M's note: You can download the latest issue here.)

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Mercedes: Have you worked with notable people on the abovementioned projects?
Reanna: Oh man, I've worked with some seriously talented people. From checking out Terry Richardson on set, working with the make-up artist from Lady Gaga's Born This Way, to chilling with the production team behind the amazing Dior Homme photo shoots (not that I was involved in any Dior Homming!). It's kind of out of control because everyone is so humble and talented and I am just some girl in Montreal! It's like, Whaaa? Really? Me?

Mercedes: Favourite colour combination?
Reanna: Anything with mint green.

Mercedes: 3 blogs you go to the most/without fail?
Reanna: I have a million I read. I guess these are my faves!
www.manrepeller.com
www.fieldguided.blogspot.com
www.whatkatieate.blogspot.com
www.rulesformyunbornson.tumblr.com
www.refinery29.com

Mercedes: Your top 5 magazines?
Reanna: How about top 7! I love magazines. And I have to say I mostly like men's magazines.
Self Service
Interview
T Magazine
Lula
GQ
The Gentlewoman
Monocle

Fin.

Orange you glad the sun's out?

At a time when preferences for pink and purple, basically, the Lisa Frank colour scheme, dictated my (as well as my classmates') colour preferences and desicion-making process (a pink birthday cake, purple jackstones, pink headbands, purple scrunchies), I felt quite distinguished when I became partial to the colour orange. It's nice to see it vibrantly applied to clothing, as you'll see below:

[portfolio_slideshow exclude="795, 796, 797, 798, 799, 800, 801"]

It happened when I was about ten. It was a rainy day at a cementary and while adults were mourning, I took a good look around the premises and was instantly transfixed by a bouquet of orange coloured gladiolas in a cementary.  I suppose I really liked how lively, bright, strong, warm and whimsical the colour was in light of a pretty cold, sombre day.  I still feel this way about the colour and it's one of the reasons why I wanted to include it in this collection.

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So, in light of this, dear reader, I thought it would be interesting to know:

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New collection. New website.

The internet's been good to Bijougraphie and so, a year and a half into it, I think it's time to restart paying my dues online.  To start, I've been working hard the past few months on revamping the website and working on a new collection.  You may have noticed this if you've come to this post, so, welcome to Bijougraphie online.

To get my toes wet again, here are a few outtakes taken from the Bijougraphie photoshoot for the second collection spearheaded by the incredibly talented Raji Sohal of Fashion Minute, photographed by Tyson Parks (aka Bearmod), made-up by Liz Furlong of Lizlipstick and modelled by Karine (at Dulcedo) and Zoe!

[portfolio_slideshow include="620, 623, 624, 625, 621, 622"]

When Raji approached me about doing the photoshoot, she suggested a shift in how the campaign should be shot. With the first collection, I went for a very mild, Juergen Teller-esque-meets-Terry-Richardson-minus-controversy-taken-by-an-amateur-photographer-only-armed-with-a-Canon-Rebel approach. At that point in time, I thought it was the most resourceful and effective way to display the jewelry. The hint of overexposure would mute skin tone so that it would work perfectly as canvasses displaying color-popping Bijougraphie earrings and necklaces. So I went ahead and shot the prettiest, most interesting, creative and culturally apt friends I had in Vancouver and Montreal. It was also my way to celebrate and represent the truly cool girls in my books.

[portfolio_slideshow include="639, 640, 641, 642, 643, 644, 645, 646, 647, 648,"]

This time around, we stepped away from the severe pragmatism and added some panache to capture glimpses of ethereality. Raji was really drawn to the idea of seeing Bijougraphie jewelry floating to show just how light and buoyant the pieces are and seen congruously with feathers and flowers would definitely show this. I couldn't agree more and kept on envisioning a great one-liner for the jewelry: Bijougraphie: light as floating feathers and flowers. So researching ensued and I found a perfect point of reference thanks to googling and co-incedentally, one of my favourite models to date was involved, Coco Rocha (or does she go by Conran now?) in a particularly memorable and visually engaging shoot for Numero (Issue 94) entitled Agua Caliente.

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Toned down a bit and tweaking the idea of Numero's photos to fit better with the jewelry, I was really liking the idea of how strong colour floating on water looked and how accents of it could add vibrance in each photo's composition and complement the jewelry. Very apropos for this upcoming spring and summer. I couldn't be happier with the results and with how much I enjoyed Bijougraphie's first creative collaboration and production. Here's hoping for more.

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Nota bene: I've decided that I'll be making a more committed effort to sharing about Bijougraphie and the things, ideas, events, places and people who contribute to the enrichment of my life to make it so. So stay tuned for upcoming posts!  In the meantime, it would be nice to get a little feedback on the site so far and I made a little poll for it. So, :

[poll id="1"]

Summer's Startin' to Happen

Yes!

Bijougraphie in video

Not just any video, but one directed by notable Montreal photographer Richmond Lam and up-and-comer Patrick Boivin for the notable Elephant Stone (who I hear are touring with Brian Jonestown Massacre this summer).

How rad is that? Scroll to 2:26 to see Bijougraphie in action here or here:

March to SS10

Spring-like.  That's what it's been like here in Montreal these past two weeks and in that span of time, I've been gearing up with a collection that would be great for the next two pleasant seasons ahead of us. Allow me to indulge you in some of the pictures from the photo shoot with hands down, the raddest girls in Montreal. I kid you not, I would know:

[caption id="attachment_458" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="This one does sound editing for a major broadcasting company. We also happened to make some pretty rad first-year noise/sound related video together at school."][/caption]

Spectacle holders. Check.  Hand-braided lucky charm necklace (seen below as well). Check.

[caption id="attachment_459" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="This one designs the interiors and windows of a pretty known shopping destination. "][/caption]

You can actually wear this in more than one way.

[caption id="attachment_461" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="This one's styled for lots of rad mags like Nylon. She actually beat me to posting the whole shoot at www.fashionminute.blogspot.com"][/caption]

Hand bundled drop earrings. Check.

[caption id="attachment_462" align="aligncenter" width="600" caption="Also a stylist and my upstairs neighbour. Has a really amazing collection of spectacle frames from vintage Oliver Peoples ones to some unknown ones she found...you can see her wearing it on the website."][/caption]

Want to see more? Head on over to Raji's site to get access to the look book. Head on over here if you want Bijougraphie in your life right this second.

Now that I've got this out, I'll get back to doing the "match!" segment of this blog. It's been too long.

Finally, February

All may have been quiet on the Bijougraphie online front between Christmas and now, but rest-assured it's been pretty busy ex-internet-wise. This will thusly manifest itself online in due time. However, now is the time for past notables .

Here's what's happened since the middle of a hectic November:

I. Smart Design Mart: I'm definitely glad that Bijougraphie participated in an event that showcased some other really great design- oriented products being made in Montreal. A belated thank you to Angie Johnson (Norwegian Wood) and Tyson Bornardchuck (HQ Galerie + Boutique) for the invite.  Here's booth neighbour Angie being interviewed by a fashion-forwardinista:

[caption id="attachment_444" align="alignnone" width="600" caption="Fact #1: Angie was approached by Top Shop Oxford Circus to be a part of their EDIT program, which features mini collections by 25 up and coming international designers.  Fact#2: A rising medialite is babysitting the Bijougraphie booth."][/caption]

Fact #3: The City of Montreal has an official fashion bureau: Bureau de la mode de Montréal. Bijougraphie made it to its Facebook page:

[caption id="attachment_446" align="aligncenter" width="404" caption="Thanks to Maison 217 for contributing to making Bijougraphie "uniquely you.""][/caption]

Budding friendships were revived/established as well with neat ones like La Raffinerie, CatchFrames, Roadkillroadkill, Broundoor, Supayana Clothing, Noemiah, Furni, General 54, Red Sofa and This Ilk.

II. A couple of neat things, more like, mentions of Bijougraphie online have popped up during the hiatus and they ought to be acknowledged as kind gestures should:

Thanks to Amelie at Boutique Unicorn, Bijougraphie's a favoured gift idea. Proof?  More stock for Boutique Unicorn in the new year, of course! Observe:

[caption id="attachment_433" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="via boutiqueunicorn.blogspot.com"][/caption]

Adding to this, the purple Laureates Only made it into the print version of This Little City's December Gift Issue. Observe:

And kind words for the new year from Rania, the Wardrobe Stylist.

III. The Bijougraphie Bauble Contest. There is not one, but two winners who guessed the same amount rather accurately submitting 112 baubles as their answer. So, for those of you who are curious, this is how many there were:

Congratualations to Karen and Maha. Accurate indeed!

And so goes the trifecta of Bijougraphie updates these past few months. 2010 is indeed a new year (a new track, if you will), so you best keep an ear and eye out for the things I've got up Bijougraphie's sleeve.  Next week may be rad.

November notables pt. 3

We haven't even gotten to ten days yet and it's already time to disclose some news...a day like to day calls for this, because it practically feels like summer when I kinda liked this song (so press play while perusing):

3 big things today:

1) A super group of pretty notable Montreal-based designers have joined forces to put up a curated, 2-day event showcasing works of the city's pool of other young up-and-coming designers called Smart Design Mart and Bijougraphie's been selected to participate. Here's proof! Stoked indeed! More to come of this soon!

2)Got some fashionista blog love from Farah over at Degraine...check ca out!

3) Sets of the collection are available online for $75.*  Definitely the raddest holiday gift idea for girlfriends, crushes, lovers, sisters, cousins, moms and aunts. They're gonna love them, I'm sure of it. Click on a thumb and shop now to take a load of your Christmas shopping list! Or click here.

*Regular shipping is free and pretty quick...when it's within the US and Canada.

3 November Notables so far...

It's kinda great how every 10 days or so, lovely developments at Bijougraphie worth noting occur:

1) You can Bijougraphie necklaces from the website now! For only $35 and free regular shipping, you'd be crazy not to stock up on them for yourself and Christmas presents!  Don't believe me?  Click here or each image below to see a bigger image.

From Laureates Only.

From Dearest Algy

From Neuromantics

From Nixnay

2) Another rad notch under the belt...with photos (!!!): Bijougraphie earrings and necklaces are now available at Lola & Emily in Montreal. Here are some cute shots of the earrings from the Neuromantics and Nixnay line from Amanda at Lola and Emily:

3)Spotted! A Bijougraphie fan sent this to me. It's Bijougraphie on the window of Two of a Few in Gastown. Points for whoever can tell me the shirt they're being paired with.

And in another 10 days, new developments! For real! Stay tuned and sign up to the newsletter by going here.

Montreal Fall Notables

I don't know what's going to trump these latest developments, but I'm tickled pink by them, much like ->

Two and a half weeks into Montreal and Bijougraphie is now available at these really rad boutiques

Boutique Unicorn :: Mile-End :: 5135 St-Laurent :: Montreal :: earrings + necklaces*

General 54 :: Mile-End :: 54 St-Viateur Ouest :: Montreal :: earrings + necklaces

Headquarters Galerie + Boutique :: Plateau :: 1649 rue Amherst :: Montreal :: earrings + necklaces

*Amelie was super cute...as soon as I took inventory of what I was dropping off at Unicorn, she was like, "I just finished making a post about bijougraphie on our blog!"  Flattered, indeed! See it here.

Of equal note: how often does anyone ever get a haiku written about their design work?  From Hour's V for Vixen and friend, Laura Roberts:

bijougraphie, c'est

trés jolie! Neuromantics

swaying on my lobes

Tickled pink, I tell you!

And now you want a pair or two to call your own. So if you don't live in Vancouver and Montreal, you best click here for earrings or get the necklace on special order here.

bijous+bisous: Leighton Meester

So a range of influences from a Glasgow80s  post-punk song, 90s cyberpunk literary term, Pantone, cycling to a couple of literary tropes and puns (among a plethora of other things that have yet to be mentioned) all contributed to the manifestation of bijougraphie's current collection. "Ok," you say, "but what now?" Well, why not look to the future and disclose to you more extensively, dear reader, of these other things now that may or will affect the creative welfare of bijougraphie? Amusings, devoid of the analytic if you will (because, like, since when was "inspiration" ever analytical?)

A new blog segment indeed! Much like "snaps," bijous + bisous' purpose (for now) is to bring to light what bijougraphie finds notable (inexplicably, the words read as amusings in my head). Today, it's Leighton Meester, rather, the latest song she's released...thanks youtube!

I'm a sucker for any song or sound arrangements that resemble Blue Monday. Who isn't?!?!?! A universal indeed! Here are two others to prove this:

You'll have to click here for the next one. Curses on disablings by request. This totally calls for these:

After some trifling thought, I might just play all this when I dj tonight. Dancerrific!  XOXO

boyfriends + bijougraphie = best combo ever

This weekend at Puces Pop was amazing. Thanks to everyone who came out to get something from the collection or dropped by to say hi, that was really great of you, really!

As it goes with doing things, you learn a thing or two from them. This weekend, I realized that boyfriends really dig the earrings and necklaces for their girlfriends and buy fast.  Yes, boyfriends can know what girls like, just like The Waitresses know what boys like:

These were their purchases/ the big hits:

So boyfriends of the world, here you are. Great gifts your girlfriends' gonna love. Get them brownie points, so click here or here.

Mad poppin'

Whilst packing my last box, oh, a few minutes ago, it occurred to me that some styles from this collection share similar colour schemes to Pop Montreal's look. Coincidence indeed!

So, to celebrate Bijougraphie arriving out east and highlight this timely observation, I've decided to have a Pop special where the following styles will be sold at a super special price at Puces Pop this Saturday and Sunday (105 St-Viateur O.).

Two days only and only during Pop and only because they've got Pop colours!

And if we're friends, I'd give you the special friend price. So get in touch with me (info at bijougraphie dot com) or drop by my table and say hi so I can put you order aside for you.

Rad Vancouver and Montreal News!!!

Newsflash! Things are progressing at an alarmingly pleasing rate for Bijougraphie:

1) Necklaces! Yes! Bijougraphie's collection now also consists of necklaces. Read further down to see a good chunk of them.

2) Montreal! I'll be selling the collection at the annual Puces Pop Marketplace, come by get some earrings and necklaces for yourself or as Christmas presents and say hi! This year, it's being held at: St. Michel Church Hall (105 St-Viateur O.), which looks like this (if you haven't already seen it)

3) Vancouver! Three  boutiques in notably neat places in the city have opened their loving arms to carry some Bijougraphie stock, in no particular order (as they're really all amazing in their own way):

Two of A Few :: Gastown:: 356 Water Street :: necklaces (pedant + 28 in. brass chain)

(side 01, side 02)

Dream+Little Dream :: Gastown + Granville Island :: 311 West Cordova St. +130 – 1666 Johnston Street :: earrings

U the Life Accessory Store :: Kits: Vine X 4th:: earrings

If  you're neither in Vancouver or Montreal, you can always go online to purchase the lovelies (regular shipping's free). So, click here.