Beaux Mondes

1. Bre of Scout & Catalogue just launched her beautiful spring 2012 collection. Not only do we adore the gorgeous lookbook shot by our friends Anabela and Geoff from Fieldguided, but we love the printed and hand dyed silk scarves that are new to the collection. Look closely and you'll find skulls, ferns, and butterflies throughout the ink blot illustrations.

2. Argan oil. The ultimate fix to all hair concerns. Olo, a tiny fragrance line based in Portland offers this amazing argan oil hair tonic infused with cedar and rose, It's the perfect solution to taming frizzy ends and giving your hair some shine. A couple drops is all it takes. 

3. We are willed by wanderlust, and this leather rucksack by Erin Templeton makes us want to go on an adventure. With reclaimed fur details and a 60s style braid, this bag also has soft straps that make it easy to sling over your shoulders or wear as a backpack.

4. Every Obakki collection impresses, but the spring/summer 2012 collection is especially lovely. Inspired by prisms and abstract design elements, designer Treana Peake created textural looks through origami-esque pleating, custom geometric prints and soft draping. Lightweight fabrics like sheer cashmere, linens and silk slub jersey compliment the feminine, airy styles. And punches of rich saffron and indigo brighten the natural colour palette. Check out Assembly of Origami, the behind-the-scenes video of the editorial shoot for this collection.

5. This notebook set by Antica Cartotecnica, a multi-generation stationary seller based in Rome is made with vintage paper that is over 50 years old. Three lined notebooks come in the set and are bound with rope twine. When we do visit Rome, we will most certainly stop in the shop to admire the antique pens, vintage pencils and stationary dating back to the 40s. But in the meantime they are available online at Vetted.

Handmade Edition

We have a great admiration for independent designers and artisans. And we always encourage you to shop local, wherever local may be for you. When you purchase a handcrafted item you know you are getting a quality piece made with love and care. For this edition of Things We Love, we found beautiful items right here in Hamilton, in our neighbouring city Toronto, and as far as Richmond and Portland.

1. Nicole Tarasick screenprints these Canadiana themed pillow covers out of her Toronto based studio. We first discovered her designs at the Interior Design Show last year and have adored them since. Among the cheeky prints you'll find grizzly bears, a map of Canada, the Great Lakes, and the YOW airport code. Visit her Etsy shop to purchase online -- you can also add a feather fill.

2. Annie Cunningham of thief & BANDIT, is an artist and designer originally from Canada, and now working out of Richmond, Virginia. She handprints turbans (!!, you know how we feel about them), tanks, scarves, braided bracelets and even leggings. We love the colour combinations and playful patterns of all her designs.

3. Corrine Anestopoulos, the designer behind Biko, handcrafts whimsical jewellery out of her attic-turned-studio in Toronto. She combines vintage elements with modern styles using metals, natural stones and even quirky brass pendants like telescopes, acorns, wishbones and fortune cookies.

4. Hetterson designer, Hannah Peterson, began by designing dresses, and has since expanded into clothing, knitwear and leathergoods. We love to follow the Hetterson Journal, for a behind the scenes look at what Hannah is working on. One of her recent creations is the satchlet (satchel + wallet combo). Cute or what? And how gorgeous is the toffee colour of the vegetable tanned leather she uses for these satchlets? She handpaints the stripes in different colours like rose gold, tangerine and lemon yellow.

5. Our friend and knitwear designer Tara-Lynn Morrison, handknits beautiful pieces right here in Hamilton under the label Good Night Day. We adored her recent collaboration with Audrey Cantwell of Ovate on slouchy knit touques with vintage fur pom poms, and loved the twist to her classic merino wool sweater by adding leather tassels. Now Good Night Day is has created one-of-a-kind scarves (31 in fact) for Of a Kind. They are handknit with fair trade, thick and thin wool that is naturally spun and dyed by a women's collective in Argentina.

Obakki

It was oddly mild this autumn and we certainly took advantage of the warmer days. In early November we  headed out to a beautiful park in Aldershot, with our friend and photographer Elizabeth Kaye and gorgeous dresses by Obakki in tow.  We've yet to visit Vancouver but we adore the style of West-coast designers. Treana Peake's designs for Obakki simply make us swoon. Effortless and elegant, we find her dresses require minimal accessories and no fuss. And just because we've always wanted to run barefoot through fields, we didn't even bother with shoes. I'm sure the passers-by were startled by us fluttering around in these ultra-feminine frocks. Anyways, the fall winter 2011 collection draws on the moodier hues of winter with bone and antique whites, contrasted by subtle pops of garnet red. So we wanted to play up this colour on our lips. Ethereal and romantic, we love the range of luxurious fabrics from vintage Italian silks, to Japanese Leaver's lace,  angora and mohair knits.

When we buy Canadian products, it makes us feel all warm and fuzzy inside when we know that it's made locally. One of the things we admire most about the Obakki design house is their local focus. Garments are manufactured by local talent right in the heart of Vancouver at The Studio. Treana founded The Studio so designers and production teams could fully collaborate on the process from concept to creation. Everything happens under one roof - design, production, sales, marketing, keeping jobs local and the company's carbon footprint low. Here, the team gives careful attention to the craftsmanship and detail of each piece.

Above, Camille floral silk maxi dress with fitted bodice

Above, Calliope strapless tiered maxi dress in stone

A third reason to love Obakki? The Obakki Foundation, an organization that supports humanitarian causes by aiming to empower people in developing countries and foster their thoughts and ideas through art and fashion.  The collection features everything from screen-printed t-shirts and scarves to a coffee table book filled with the art and words of children living in orphanages in Cameroon, Africa. The book came to be when the Obakki Foundation went to Cameroon, Africa and gave 150 children living in three orphanages a piece of paper and a pen, and asked them three questions: What makes you sad? Afraid? Happy? Their responses are shown in this illustrated book and 100% of the proceeds from this book go back to the children in the orphanages to provide nutrition, education, and basic needs of life. Treana's mission with this philanthropic organization is to promote self-sufficiency, health and education in African villages. This holiday season, give a gift of education by donating $25 through their online store for a school kit which has the basic essentials to send a child to school for one year. The kits will be delivered on the next Obakki Foundation mission.

Stephanie loves the burnt petal (rose-to-burgundy)  gradient colour of this alpaca maxi tee shirt dress. The ombre pattern looks as though the wind swirled up leaves, dust and petals around the silhouette. In the photo below Jacklyn paired the Coco jacket with this sheer umber maxi skirt.  Snag yourself a pretty frock for the holidays.  Until December 11, Obakki is offering a special discount of 25% off holiday dresses.

And now that we've gushed about Obakki we have to thank Elizabeth Kaye who shot these lovely photos for us. We have had the privilege of working with Elizabeth a number of times and have become great friends. Earlier this year Jacklyn did a creative with Elizabeth and The Caketress. This week she will be featured in a 4 page spread in WedLuxe Magazine! We are so excited to see the final product. Follow our Tumblr to see what else we're loving lately!