The time has come to say goodbye… I feel very privileged to have written several features for you on Holt Renfrew’s blog. I attended events, shopped and met several interesting people during my time as a Contemporary Correspondent for Holts. I can’t describe the joy I felt when they announced I won this contest. I’d like to thank you for reading me and for voting for me on Facebook. I love fashion and this will never change; this experience confirmed that it will always be in my heart. I’d also like to take the opportunity to thank all the Holt Renfrew employees for their assistance, their advice and so much more… I wish continued success to my correspondent colleagues, Mackenzie and Karolina, who both fulfilled their missions successfully.

I’ll leave you with a Holiday activity suggestion that I’ll do myself this evening. Since I’m not done with my gift-shopping, I’ll visit Holts with some of my girlfriends to complete it and then afterwards we’ll eat at the holts café. As simple as it sounds, savoring scrumptious food is very enjoyable! A few months back, I had the opportunity to visit the kitchen and meet the chef. I can tell you that this fabulous place seduced me big time. I invite you to discover it if you’ve never been or to re-discover it because everyone needs a little break from the crazy-busy Holiday season.

Finally, I want to wish you a very Happy New Year filled with joy, health and luxury, of course! See you when shopping at Holts dear fashionistas.

Thanks a million!
Julie xxx

Where did the couple past months go? Has 2009 flown by with a blink of an eye, or is it just me? It seems as though the second we put sunscreen away the Christmas decorations are pulled out, and so comes holiday season at Holt Renfrew. Seeing the artistry of the Holts window displays and enjoying the warm atmosphere that has been created inside really lifts my spirits this time of year.

I was on a little mission to build an elegant Christmas basket for one of my best friends (Hi Ellie!) that flew in from London to spend the holidays here. Holt Renfrew’s Christmas gift selection is always diverse and has something for everyone so I knew I’d find the ideal items there. Since her and I come from very traditional backgrounds, I wanted to almost create a feeling of nostalgia with this gift so I geared towards the Holt Renfrew Gourmet items. Jams, jellies, chutneys, mixed nuts, chocolates… all brought me back to my grandma’s magical cellar of home made foods. A lot of the special and delectable items are only imported for the holiday season so if you or someone you know is a culinary aficionado, it’s definitely worth checking out!

Besides these opulent gourmet items, you can also find a plethora of playful stocking fillers and unique gifts at any price level.

The old year is ending…what a perfect time to say goodbye since my run as the contemporary correspondent for Holt Renfrew has also ended… This blog has become a big part of my weekly routine and late night editing sessions, accompanied by my trusty cup of tea of course. I can’t deny that being at the store so often was a pleasure and I became a master of battling downtown traffic every time to get there. This is not the end however; I have built an amazing relationship with everyone here and will continue to work with them on various projects. A big thank you to Carla, Lenirose and Kim for making everything so easy and accessible for me at our Vancouver location, and Cheryl for the countless emails back and forth -you guys are amazing. Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year to everyone. Thanks for reading and being a part of this brilliant social media initiative!

2009 was a year of recession and I must say, I feared for our beloved fashion universe. Some believe the fashion industry is built on frivolity but I believe that it contributes to the joy of living with beauty in our day to day lives. We humans need a little beauty to survive in these times of turmoil. Fashion thrives on change, constantly searching for new innovations. The events of 2009 and the artist inspired ideas provided plenty of fresh takes on how to have fun with fashion.

On January 20^th Barack Obama was inaugurated as President of the United States and First Lady, Michelle Obama stepped out in an Isabel Toledo celadon coat and dress, and later a beautiful Jason Wu gown. It marked the start of a year of new beginnings in society and in fashion.

Experimentation seemed to be the theme in design and retail. In February Isaac Mizrahi turned fashion on its head when he sent his models out in New York wearing handbags as hats. These Schiaparelli inspired chapeaus weren’t the only place in fashion that surrealism showed its distorted face this year. Nina Ricci showed Heel-less shoes and Dolce & Gabanna sold accessories covered in eyes and lips.

The fashion world continued to swoon over fresh youthful designs by Rodarte and Alexander Wang. At the CFDA awards on June 16th the demure sisters, Kate and Laura Mulleavy, walked away with a Womenswear Designer of the Year award, while Wang won the Swarovski award for womenswear.

On June 25^th Michael Jackson died causing the whole world to go into mourning. You couldn’t turn on the radio without hearing Thriller and now 6 months later, you can’t walk into a store without seeing sequined jackets and skin tight pants inspired by the King of Pop himself.

By September it was New York fashion week again, this time held at the home of The Big Apple Circus, Damrosch Park in Lincoln Centre. The industry had a good laugh when Lindsay Lohan was appointed creative director of Emmanuel Ungaro. The collection seemed to oddly resemble the 80’s Barbie clothes I played with as a girl, complete with neon pink tube dresses, sequined heart bandeaus and white fur stoles. And the pasties? Even Barbie was too classy for that.

During these Spring 2010 shows the typical crowd of front row fashionistas was disrupted by a gaggle of young bloggers including Toronto’s own Tommy Ton, who typed and tweeted through the shows next to the likes of Anna Wintour and Hamish Bowles.

September 11^th was Fashion’s Night Out a shopping night experience that brought out shoppers and celebrities alike. Meanwhile temporary shops seemed to be popping up everywhere and Holt Renfrew opened one of the first major Pop-Up retail environments in Canada at the Beginning of December.

Holt Renfrew experimented not only with their retail pop-up but also with this blog. I never could have dreamed that I would have the chance to blog for my favourite store in a time when bloggers are running at the head of the pack of fashion. As the year has come to an end, this will be my last post. Thank you for supporting me by reading my entries and giving me your feedback.

Each of us has our own personal favourite fashion moment of 2009. For me, being the Holt Renfrew Contemporary Correspondent will be one of my favourite fashion moments for years to come.