At the last minute I was able to catch the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit at the Musée des beaux-arts while it was still in Montreal.

Unlike any I’ve seen before, this show featured animated faces projected onto mannequins, including one of Gaultier himself (see top photo), as well as a runway with moving mannequins. He didn’t want the show to have a typical stuffy and static museum feel, and these were ways he could bring it to life.

I took a lot of close-up shots (big surprise, I know) – but the detail that goes into each piece is incredible. He is one of the select few members of the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, and you can see why.

Shortly before my visit, I had picked up an issue of the New Yorker. The article, Fantasyland, was a great supplement to viewing the exhibit. If you didn’t make it to the show (I think it’s in the States now, and then Europe), the article provides a great little glimpse into the life and work of Gaultier, and is worth a read, selon moi.

On Thursday I attended the opening celebration of a store built by Mercy (for whom I previously did some illustrations for a t-shirt line). It’s perfectly located between Clafouti and White Squirrel on Queen West, right across from Trinity Bellwoods.

I’m so excited their line will be available in Toronto again, and the other brands they carry are also terribly impressive, including Italian jewellery designers Iosselliani (I’m a huge fan), Les Prairies de Paris, La Botte Gardiane, and Ascher London – a scarf in the shop inspired my little sketch up top. It was a great night: seeing familiar faces and meeting new, very stylish, people. Congratulations to Jennifer and Richard on their new shop!

For the month of August, I’ve had two fashion illustrations up on the walls of Club Monaco on Queen St West. This is the last weekend they will be up, so if you’re in the neighbourhood, stop in for a look!

Post Toronto Fashion Week this Spring, Yorkville hosted a Fashion Week of it’s own, put on by the Italian Trade Commission along with Fashion Television. The week was highlighted by a fashion show dance performance at the Glass Factory in Liberty Village.

I was asked by the Yorkville News to create an illustration for their site in celebration of the event. After visiting Via Cavour, I decided to work with the idea of accessories, and the made in Italy stamp you see on the soles of some great shoes. So, the blue men’s shoe is one of my favorites at the shop, and the women’s shoes are Valentino studded ankle-wrap pumps from this season (which I have yet to come across in person). Though I do LOVE LOVE LOVE them. What a fun drawing to do!

An interview I did with Hardly magazine was posted on their website today. I’ve done two interviews recently and it’s a new experience – normally I’m reading interviews of other artists or I’m the one asking the questions.  Check out the Q&A here!

Michael from Naketano just sent me this amazing jacket from their Spring/Summer 2011 collection and I totally love it.

The colour is a dusty purple-grey (though it photographs differently in each picture!) The fabric feels like a matte microsuede almost – really soft! It has a removable hood, an internal pocket, and you can roll up the sleeves and snap them into place. I am going to get a lot of use out of it this!

The jacket is called the AMY and should be in their online store soon.

Aaron and I did a bit of an absurd photo shoot – complete with ninja moves, which you should check out over here on flickr.

I recently went to Shops at Don Mills for the first time, and had such an amazing time!

First I met up with Natalie at McEwan grocery, where we spent so long I don’t even want to acknowledge it – I’m pretty sure it was hours. They carry product I’ve only ever seen abroad, like Niederegger marzipan, and brands like Wilkin & Sons who make jams and marmalade (even lime marmalade!) which you can find around, but not easily. And while pasta is not something that is usually of much interest to me, they carry the most amazingly beautiful pastas – I had to pick up some of the rainbow bowtie pasta – they have stripes of 6 different colours. They even carry beautiful butterfly-shaped pasta!

Of course I had to try some chocolate, so I chose an organic mexican taza chocolate disc for drinking, and a small Simon Coll con leche chocolate bar from Barcelona.

Then, passing through by the condiments aisle, I could not leave without some Blackcurrant Tarragon mustard from France. It’s purple. Need I say more?

Lastly, while admiring the whimsical, fanciful pastries, a woman came out from behind the bakery counter to see if we needed anything. We spoke for some time about baking during the holidays, family traditions, and delicious memories. Finally, when it was time to move on, she gave us a little rocky road brownie for energy. It was so something my mother would do and say. Needless to say, I found it endearing.

Okay, so this has quickly turned into a post entirely about McEwan. I’ll post more about my visit to Shops at Don Mills soon. In the meantime, here are some highlights on my List of 10 reasons why you might want to visit McEwan:

1. Niederegger marzipan and drink mixes
2. Large selection of tea (including Kusmi) and drinking chocolate
3. Unsweetened matcha lattes
4. Marble slab ice cream
5. Variety of Honey, including chestnut honey
6. Impressive mustard selection
7. Kewpie mayonnaise from Japan (what?!)
8. Most colourful pasta selection I’ve ever seen
9. Bakery (would love a birthday cake from here!)
10. Customer service

Mara from Naketano sent over this blue grey sweatshirt from their FW 2010 collection.

Their pieces are surprisingly soft, and have some nice detailing: cowl neck on a sweatshirt, subtle ruching near the inside of the cuff – something I didn’t really notice until I was wearing it. The collection has lots of cozy, casual pieces (quite fond of these), great for weekends and post-yoga.

For more photos from the shoot with Aaron, visit here.

In the spring, my friend Sonya encouraged me to submit an illustration to 3×3 magazine’s seventh annual professional show. Here it appears in the new annual.

This  week I did  a drawing of Leith Clark for her Style Notebook interview. She is the founder Lula magazine, a superstar stylist (um, Chanel?) and overall seems way cool. Read the interview here!