if there's anything better in this world who cares

Here is a little sneak peak of the official Spring/Summer 2010 sneak peak we will be having this Monday for some of our favourite Canadian lines! These are all from Dace and I totally freaked when I opened the box; it's like she is in my head and making everything that I dream about wearing but can't conceptualize because i'm like 1/10 as creative as her. Also I felt sad that it's not summer anymore. Enjoy!









And don't forget to come to the official sneak peak on Monday to see everthing from Dace, as well as Valerie Dumaine, Anastasia Lomonova, Birds of North America and Rachel Sin. Rachel Sin has just given us word too that she wants to offer 20% off on her current collection this night as well as on all pre-orders! Wowya, thanks Rachel! Party starts at 6! More info here.

An Education

This time of year is so great because just as the weather starts turning cooler and we all want to snuggle in, all the great movies start hitting the cineplex. For all you who haven't seen Whip it, get off the computer and go now! For all of us who saw (and loved) Whip It, here is the next movie to whisk us away.


An Education is a love story about a young british girl in the 1960's who falls for an older guy. SOrta like Manhatten but told from the gals point of view. But really who cares what the storie line is, look how great the 'look' is!

Trouble been doggin' my soul since the day I was born

Let's start off with the legitimate stuff: here are the new Dace and Nokomis dresses. They are 100 million times better in person. I just couldn't do them justice! The are totally the type of dresses you can wear to a million occasions, which is always great 'cause who knows when you will need the perfect dress to wear to a World of Warcraft wedding or a birthday party on Second Life.


Nokomis, $218


Dace, $210

Now for the sneaky stuff. I know I am not supposed to do this, but I am really bad at keeping secrets, especially when I am really excited about them. Monday's pre-sale party is gonna be so great, you all are gonna freak over next Spring's collections. Here is a glimpse at Valerie Dumaine's Spring 2010 collection.


Oh lord i love this dress, you all are gonna die for the back detail!


These shorts are gonna be a summer must, and she did them in a great denim option.


This dress you will die over.

See you all on Monday!

MINKPINK

Just got some new pieces from Australian lable MINKPINK which, by the way, we ADORE! Always so easy to wear, and cool and super resaonably priced. These are just my favourites but we got loads of styles that aren't shown here as well. And as usual, these babies sell fast so don't wait too long if you have your eye on one.


Zipper skirt for $69, and tee my own by MINKPINK but sadly sold out.


Two-toned cotton dress available in dark and light grey on black for $65


Destroyed striped sweater for $95


Destroyed grey knit for $110


And studded (those arent polkadots but mini gold studs!) bodycon dress with scoop back for $100

Also new styles by Nokomis, Dace and Lustre; soooo many lust worthy things in the store right now!

Shop the Collections like a true fashion insider!

(No pictures for this post cause it is top secret until Monday's party)

Gals, another Victoire party is right around the corner! And this one is specifically designed for all you super fans of Valérie Dumaine, Dace, Anastasia Lomonova , Birds of North America and Rachel Sin.

You guys are always telling us that doing the store buying and seeing all the collections months ahead of time is the best perk of our job. Well, here's your chance to do it for yourself!

As part of Fashion CURES: À la Mode, we want to offer you guys this privileged insider access normally reserved for buyers, stylists and magazine editors. On Monday November 2nd from 6:00-9:00 p.m. Victoire will be hosting a Spring 2010 trunk show for Valérie Dumaine, Dace, Birds of North America, Anastasia Lomonova and Rachel Sin where you'll be able to place orders on your most coveted styles. That’s right – you'll get to see each designer’s Spring 2010 collection in its entirety, up close and personal, and place orders on styles before they are available to anyone else! As the final cherry on top, we'll be donating 10% of all pre-orders that night to Ovarian Cancer Canada.

What does this all mean for the fashion fanatic (a.ka. every single one of you guys!)?

- Pre-ordering ensures you’ll be the first to get it, before it sells out
- Have you ever wondered “Love that dress, does it come in another colour?” Now you won’t be restricted to the colour choices we make for the shop, and can choose from all available colourways in each style!
- Ever wish Victoire would carry more of your favourite designer? Now you don’t have to be restricted by the buying choices we make, shop the collections in their entirety!
- 10% of all pre-orders will be donated to Ovarian Cancer Canada, so you’ll be getting the pieces you want – and donating to a great cause at the same time!

As a proud sponsor of Fashion CURES: À la Mode, Victoire will also be presenting the Thursday, November 5th runway collections of Anatasia Lomonova, Josiane Perron, Valérie Dumaine, Birds of North America and Dace. So after you make your selections at the pre-sale event you can see the models wearing your favourite new spring dress down the runway! Tickets for all Fashion CURES nights are currently on sale at the shop.

Seeing the Spring collections will be extra special with an Auntie Loo cupcake in one hand and a glass of wine in the other. Take the night off and spend the night delighting in fashion! And shop hard gals with no remorse, it is for charity after all!

Spread the word to all your fashion obsessed friends, this is gonna be a really special night!

thank you, thank youvery much

Ladies! (and gents) As you know last night was our To The Nines party with La Chatte Bottee and it was a WONDERFUL, AMAZING, GLAMOROUS, FANTASTIC night! The anticipation leading up the the dig was killer and we didn't know what to expect, but with blackberry spirtzers, halloween candy, beautiful dresses and shoes that deserve to have spots in a museum it was no wonder the lineup to get into the store went all the way around the corner (thanks many bunches to those of you who patiently waited). We've got a few dresses left over that will be on sale and display for a limited time only so if you couldn't make it out last night then please stop by and take in all the beauty there is left over to see. Unfortunately this morning the Chatte Bottee ladies had to head back to Montreal, but the collection of shoes and boots they brought over last night was to die for, we love you girls and we can't wait for your next event! On behalf of all of us ladies here at Victoire, thank you for making the party what it was, we love you!

Keep an eye out for party pictures coming soon!

Today was also Ottawa's Annual Zombie Walk and the undead marched right on by the store. The customers and I locked ourselves inside in fear of being eaten. Eek!

Puss'n' boots

With all this talk of vintage dresses, have we made you all forget that La Chatte Bottee will also be coming to town with their 100+ vintage boot and shoe collection. One more thing to get you excited about!

But remember the boot/shoe portion of this night is cash only, so hit up the ATM. Buying recycling is very environmental sound, so please think of mother nature and buy 5 or 6 pairs!!


TGIF

True Patriot Love

So we have a sneak peak for you all of our amazing shoot on Sunday for the webstore. Arden truly out did herself. These pictures are unbelievable. It makes me love Canada so much. I mean hot damn, we sure do live in the most beautiful place on the planet! (Remind me of this when I am complaining in February when it's -40 degrees.)







Sage & Erin, all our love always. xoxo

Saints and Sinners

It's obvious to anyone who's ever come into Victoire or read this blog that Katie and I are nutso for vintage. We often find ourselves saying to some confused passersby that no, in fact, the clothing on the racks is not vintage, it's all new Canadian designers, but considering all the antique knick knacks that decorate the store I can see how some may be confused. But to us, the link between vintage and new designers is obvious. We often say that we like to think that we're buying the vintage of tomorrow, pieces that will stand the test of time, that our grand-daughters will be thrilled to inherit. What we love about vintage is the workmanship and care that was poured into every single garment. They just FEEL so well-made, like you are holding something substantial. So we try to carry lines that seem to continue that tradition. And new Ottawa-based designer Rachel Sin would fall perfectly into that category. Just feeling her dresses on the hanger, you get an immediate sense of how well-made they are. Then step into the change room, and you won't be disappointed.


Trained architect turned fashion designer Rachel Sin says ‘having a sense of style is a lifestyle.’ You have to surround yourself in beautiful things to develop a keen eye for good design. While fashion and architecture often inspire one another, Rachel began developing a passion for all things well designed in her studies, earning a Masters degree in architecture. If “God is in the details”, then let the folds of the fabric create these details. Demanding perfection is no easy task in architecture; you must be meticulous and always demand quality. Lucky for us, Rachel applies this same meticulousness to her designs. I'd venture that it's her background in architecture that drives her to create pieces that will last for more than a season, coming as she does from an industry that is the antithesis of disposable consumption.


If architecture must always be functional, then fashion should always be wearable. Rachel creates a ready-to-wear line that is the always-appropriate outfit which makes going to work a little more fun and makes a bigger impression at that special occasion. A luxurious collection that has seen each dress re-worked and perfected to become that must-have item in your closet. Refined and sculpted to the form of the female body, with architectural lines that are strong yet feminine and always at ease with effortless function.


Compare one of Rachel's dresses to the vintage ones we'll have in the shop on Saturday, and you'll see like we do how Rachel is continuing the tradition of masterful construction. And just like you'll be happy to inherit someone else's grand-mother's dress, your grand-daughters would be so pleased to unearth a Rachel Sin dress years from now.

The world is a cute cute place!

Souvenirs blog will make the hours waste away.


I am so excited to take my little nieces and nephew to this movie. Adorable!


And here is Rocco, the newest arrival to the Victoire family. He likes sleeping in our arms, eating all the food and loves the new Chanel spring collection, because it reminds him of where he was born.

Back With A Vengence

We were running a little low on our Broundoor bags this month. Thank goodness Marc Simard sent us a bunch more in many colours, sizes, and styles!!! Now I can't decide which one I want. :(

Messenger Bags $140-$165

Book Bags $110

Saddle Bags $110

Beatles back, mob rule takes over!

We are re-decorating for the vintage dress sale on Saturday. Oh man it is soooo fun! We also had vintage celebrity visitors today: Doris from the Ottawa Antique market and Penelope from the Chateau Laurier clothing sale. It was inspiring to speak with them. We really want to make women like them proud!


When we were in Upstate New York we bought this bundle of Beatles press clippings from what was surely a super fan. She kept everything, and now we get to have it forever and ever.




This is a list of words that you can spell using only letters from the word Beatles; yeah SUPER fan!


Two more sneak peak dresses to get your blood racing. Five sleeps before the big day!

Hip hip hourray YANA!

We love Supayana as much as you all do, so we were so happy when she had a bundle of her shirts for us when we arrived in Montreal. Even though she had just gotten back from Paris and was jet lagged, she found time to do her miracle work with vintage men's shirts. At only $60 her shirts are both saving the environment and our budget!

Here are a few examples of what we got. Act fast though, her pieces never last long.

The whirl wind of Victoire!

Regine and I have had a whirl wind of a week: it started in Montreal for four days with our true love Jessica from Nokomis. Enjoying Fashion Week, seeing all our rad Montreal designers and dreaming of moving into our spectacular hotel room (Hotel Place d'Armes for life). Then it was getting lost in lace and tulle to get ready for the party next Saturday (we can't stop talking about it because the dresses are blowing our minds). Then today, we went out to our slice of heaven in the country with Sage, Erin and Arden. It was the perfect day to take pictures for the webstore. So magical and inspiring. I am so excited for you to see them!

All that to say, thank you all so much for all your support and good vibes. We love our job so much and it's thanks to you we have it. Hopefully our hard work will do you proud and keep us worthy of your support. One million kisses and hugs forever!

To The Nines

We have been furiously collecting beautiful party-worthy vintage dresses for our shopping party next Saturday (thats one week from today folks!) So don't foget that it's from 6-9pm and there will be a selection of vintage dresses as well as LOADS AND LOADS of pretty vintage shoes from la Chatte Bottee and of course, snacks and drinks to keep you fortified for some serious shopping. Here is another sneak peek of some of the dresses that we are selling:



Lace and tulle party dress in pale pink.


Fine detailing on the bodice.


Drop waist flapper-y dress but in 50's print.


And ruffle at bottom hem!


Purple satin cocktail dress with beading at neck.


And the most wonderufl turquoize cocktail dress with netting at neckline.


And a big ole' bow in the back makes it so much more special!!


Detailing at the neckline.

Help us gals out by telling all your pals about the party; we promise it will not dissapoint!