Yo guy, fashion fans. This is MoVernie! How’s it going yo? Did you enjoy my first ever fashion video blog with designer Meghan Erin? If you like what you are seeing, keep on following. This week, we are showcasing our second episode of our fashion video blog with designer/singer-songwriter, Jay Manara and along with his crew at the Ryerson Fashion Show.

During the show, Jay got to get up the stage to share his stories to his success as a designer/singer, sharing his experiences with other up and coming designers who are chasing their dreams and goals. It was a very inspirational and motivational speech. He placed emphasis on being creative, continue to believe and chasing the dreams but at the same time, being able and willing to listen to feedback and constructive criticism to get better with the work and be able to listen and improve on the collection. Being able to balance the financial budget while carrying the passion for designing clothes are key. Designing is an important element but also being able to run the business with profit and being able to bring food to the table are also important in a day-to-day operation.

During the show, Jay also showcased his collection. In his collection, you will see a heavy influence of tattoo art and rock music culture. The brand is owned, operated and run by people who have lived and breathed the tattoo and rock music lifestyle for many years.
Rock Parlor believes in the individuality of people and design, and strives to deliver unique pieces that will make you want to rock (and I truly believe his collection is definitely make you rock!)

Until next time, MoVernie is outta here! Stay tuned for more fashion video blogs and be sure to check out FashionStyleBlog.com often.

Downtown Toronto is rich in street-wear boutiques, but with so many, how do you pick the best ones?

In my small school located miles away from the city, people dressed the exact same way. My fellow school mates would buy clothes for the same brand names, expecting themselves to be unique even though everyone else had the same clothes on. Hollister, Aeropostale, Abercombie and H&M. The four apocalyptic disasters that were sent down to this earth to prevent people from having a unique and personal style. I always thought the people with the most up-to-date styles and the newest clothes were always the coolest people.  I wanted to be apart of that group, one of the cool kids who were known for their sense of style and trend-setting abilities. The one trip to downtown Toronto’s fashion district changed my life, every store there was so unique, so fresh and so hip. If I could name all of the stores I would, but out of all of them, five stores stick out:

Over The Rainbow:

Opened in 1975 as a premium denim retailer, Over the Rainbow sold jeans and apparel  from many different countries. As time passed,  Over The Rainbow increased it’s reputation and by 2007, the store was known as one of the go-to denim stores of the Country.

Over The Rainbow now sells over 250 styles of denim (largest selection in Canada) and carries over 100 different brands like 1921 and PRPS.

http://rainbowjeans.com/home.htm

Due West/Next Door:

Roughed up and edgy are the thoughts that come to my mind when I think of the ambiance of the store. Established in 1973, Due West is a mid-end retailer that has a very relaxed and chilled out vibe. When I first entered this store, I saw brands like Dom Rebel and G-Star, (which I personally don’t wear) and a lot of more street-ish and more urban styles of clothing. I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is into the more graphic aspect of design.

www.duewestclothing.com

Next Door:

Next Door is probably my favourite stores out of the five. Located right beside Due West, Next Door sells higher end brands such as D&G, McQ by Alexander McQueen, DSquared and J.Lindeberg. You definitely get a more up-scale feel when entering this retail store, along with the simple and straight forward design of the interior. There is also a great contrast between the exposed plywood walls and the simple yet noticeable clothing showcase.

http://nextdoorclothing.posterous.com/

Show Room:

The first time I went into Show Room was during the 2009 boxing day sale. At first I thought it was going to be impossible to find something that I would actually like but I was surprised to see such a wide variety of clothes to choose from. After 20 minutes in the store, I had over $350 worth of clothes in my arms and I was walking towards the cash register. This two-floor store is filled with higher priced garments on the second floor and plenty of hip and up and coming brands on the first floor. From brands and labels that would get anyone spending every penny they have, including: Diesel, Cheap Monday, Miss Sixty,  Naked and Famous, Levis, True Religion and Lucky 7.

http://www.theshow-room.com/

Got Style Menswear:

Voted as the top menswear store by in Toronto by Now Magazine, Got Style is the leading menswear store when it comes to casual or business attire. The aesthetics of the store is what every man would want to see while shopping; flat-screen TVs, comfortable furnishings and a sleek interior. Got Style also has it’s very own male only spa which provides haircuts and hot-towel shaves.

http://www.gsmen.com/

The reality is many people don’t know how to wash their clothes properly. Most of us spend a considerable amount on clothing, so it’s only natural to maintain our clothes looking new for as long as possible.

Below you will find tips and tricks to keep your Juzd clothes looking new from the day you bought them. These tips can also be applied to all your other clothes as well.

1. When possible wash your clothing in cold water with the washing machine set to gentle. Washing your clothes in cold water minimizes shrinkage and loss of colour. In the event you have stubborn stains that needs to be removed, then you can proceed to lukewarm water.

2. Wash your clothes inside out, it will lengthen the life of the print of the shirt since it reduces the amount of agitation from the spin cycle.

3. Use laundry detergent that is friendly to the colour of the fabric. Since I own mostly dark clothing, I recommend ZERO® by Woolite® For All Darks Detergent which can be found at your local supermarket. It is also the detergent of choice when washing your raw denim to minimize indigo loss. They also make a detergent specifically for light colours as well.

4. It is best to always to air dry your clothing. The drying machine will cause significant shrinkage, fades the print, and unnecessary wrinkles. Ideally you would like to lay the garment flat to prevent stretching around the neck and shoulders from using a hanger. However, if you must use a hanger you should use a smooth wooden hanger or a satin padded hanger. Or if you’re eco-friendly like Jing, you will have your own custom bamboo hangers. Metal and plastic hangers typically leave an indent at the shoulder which will deform your clothing around the neck and causes the sleeves to stretch.

If you follow these simple tips, you will be able to protect your investment and keep your clothes looking new for a long time to come.