These Are a Few of My Favourite (Canadian) Things

I am always surprised by which of my blog entries seem to attract the most readers. The ones I've posted about music I listen to have always seemed so absolutely self-indulgent, and yet get an incredible number of people reading them. You can only imagine my shock when I discovered that one of my most popular blog entries ever was the one about my favourite new things. It seems that I'm not the only one out there who appreciates fabulous shoes, bags, and jewelry. That entry was written shortly after my return from England and Ireland and as such focused exclusively on things I found there and loved. It seems only fair to give equal treatment to some of my Canadian favourites. Some of these you will already know if you are Canadian but I've attracted some international readers who haven't been introduced to these things yet, so it is my pleasure to do so!

Lululemon - Define jacket

Let's start with a Canadian standard of recent years - Lululemon. I was skeptical of Lululemon initially, but a couple of years ago they won me over completely. I bought some of their yoga-inspired crop pants and tops to wear to the gym and realized I'd never before worn something so comfortable and yet looked so good! Lululemon began in Vancouver but has become an international phenomenon. I was shocked when in London my daughter was wearing one of the ubiquitous Lulu hoodies but no one there recognized it. I think there will be some orders from London flying into Lululemon, though, as the personal shopper we used loved the hoodie and wanted to know where she could get one for her daughter. If you are Canadian, you know Lululemon, and I bet you own some. If you aren't Canadian, you'll learn about them soon enough - and trust me, you'll want some, too!

Suzy Shier- Halter Dress

Okay, moving on to another Canadian favourite. There is a clothing store and website that I suspect many people overlook, but their clothing is reasonably priced, decent quality, and pretty darn hip, too. That place is Suzy Shier. I know a lot of women will protest their clothing lines are too young - except that I've found things that would suit almost any age range. I happen to find some of their stuff pretty fab!

Plum - Dress

And now Plum - another clothing store, but this one doesn't sell much of their stuff online. You have to actually go into their store. I know, how old school, eh? But that kind of makes it cool since you can only find them in a few cities so it's something to look forward to if you head to those places. A little more expensive than Suzy Shier, but amazing clothes, and most are made and designed in Canada!

Second Yoga Jeans

And here we have Second Denim. This is a denim company out of Montreal, and I thank god for them daily. Well, not literally, I'm an atheist, but I thank whoever is the genius that invented yoga jeans. They fit like a glove, make me look skinny, and when I'm wearing them I've even had people comment on my long legs. I'm 5'3",  people, and long legs are not one of my physical attributes. It's all due to these amazing jeans, which are reasonably priced and the most wonderful denim I've ever purchased. You can even do yoga in them (well, not me, I don't do yoga, and never will, but I could). Don't ask how many pairs I own. I'm not telling you.

Fluevog - Wonders Kilimanjaro

Fluevog - Bellevues DeVere

Last, but most definitely not least, Fluevog Shoes. This is another company started in Vancouver, and it's been around for decades. Why two examples of their shoes? Because I own both of these, my friends, and just seeing pictures of them makes me feel a bit quivery all over. Imagine what wearing the actual shoes does to me. Not cheap but not as ridiculously expensive as some "designer" shoes, fabulous quality, attention to detail, and a website that a girl could drool over for days. What more could you want?!?

So, there you go. Once again I have shared my incredibly shallow love of clothing and shoes. I'm getting pretty shameless about it, though, since it seems many of you reading this blog share those feelings. Either I'm not as shallow as I thought, or we are all pretty darn shallow - you decide. Any way you look at it, you can find some pretty fabulous clothing in Canada - so get out there and get yourself some!