Inside our Victoria store

Hello everyone! There are signs of spring everywhere, and it inspired me to take a few shots of some new spring clothing we now have in our stores! A little visual stimulation to get you all excited about what's up and coming (and to show you how awesome our store looks!)...keep posted for even more new designs later.

 

Come to PechaKucha!

PechaKucha Night was devised in Tokyo in February 2003 as an event for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public. It has turned into a massive celebration, with events happening in hundreds of cities around the world, inspiring creatives worldwide. Drawing its name from the Japanese term for the sound of "chit chat", it rests on a presentation format that is based on a simple idea: 20 images x 20 seconds. It's a format that makes presentations concise, and keeps things moving at a rapid pace.

If you're in Victoria, come by 1415 Broad St. from 7:30pm-11:00pm on Thursday February 25th to see an amazing array of talented and inspiring people present their slideshows! Featuring our very own Trish Tacoma! See you there!

Check out their website: http://www.pecha-kucha.org/

aaaawh schucks

Look what's arrived in our shop this week! Posted on our website under accessories (kinda makes sense, no?), this little sun dress is super cute. Veronica is almost 3, she's small and the 18 to 24 month dresses fit her perfectly. She insisted on wearing them over jeans (layer 'em up girl - great for Spring) but come summer these will be the perfect cool keeping sun dress.

Our Hearts Go Out to Haiti

As I am sure you are all very aware, January 12th this year saw a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti just west of the capitol, Port-au-Prince. With estimates of casualties now in excess of 200,000, the images of devastation coming out of the country have been absolutely heartbreaking.

Haiti is obviously going to need all of our help for some time to come; as a bonus, it feels really good to be part of the proverbial solution (someone should mention this to Pat Robertson)! Here at Lily our fearless leader, Trish, has been donating $100 to the Red Cross for every Smoking Lily gal who gives blood. The ladies at the studio got to thinking, however, about what we could do to help get you, our fabulous customers, in on the act and came up with Hearts for Haiti, a take on our popular leather brooches. Printed in smashing colours and backed with felt, the full $6 sale price of these little guys goes to the Red Cross and their efforts in Haiti. If you're yet to make a donation, these pins are a fun way to start; if you've been a donating machine these past weeks, they also make fabulous gifts (glenda and I thought they were very Valentine's appropriate in a strange sort of way).

New Dresses

Two new dresses arrived in the Vancouver Shop on Friday! Once again we commandeered Erin to play model for us. She was obliging and cheerful, as always, and looked fantastic in both dresses.

The black v-neck dress is a soft bamboo jersey. The cross front v-neck, the wide waistband and generous aline skirt are really flattering, and the pockets are cute and practical (it's always nice to have somewhere to put your hands when you're at an art opening or chatting at the water cooler).

The brown shift dress is nice light-weight cotton, in an adorable micro polka dot bodice with batik shoulders. The dress is cut in at the waist, and has additional shapeliness built in with an elastic gathering at the back. And once again...pockets! This time hidden on the side seam.

As soon as I have more information (like names of the dresses) I will post photos and details on the website.

Diana and the Ronstandt Skirt

Diana got the new Ronstandt Skirt swirling today. She's a fun girl, always up for Spring shoots on cold Winter days. Her happy energy fills our store and our clothing with positivity. And she's an inspiring animal rights supporter to boot. Aside from her continuous support of the SPCA and rescue dog organizations, she is always quick to save worms from getting tread on on the sidewalk or spiders and moths from a boring (or worse) fate indoors. Today as I walked across the street absorbed in my own thoughts, she noticed a Pidgeon's nest being knocked out of an awning and insisted on checking it out, and making a comment to the guy who destroyed a nest with an egg in it - while the mother Pidgeon watched. Disturbing. Good thing we had the swingiest skirt to play with and lighten our moods. Thanks Diana!

Many more new Spring items have arrived and are posted on the Smoking Lily website. Have fun perusing the photos, then stroll on in to the shops to feel the wonderful fabrics, see the cuts and prints, and sashay about in the Ronstandt Skirt in person. Yipee!

Dresses and THE Dress

We are slowly getting our spring line out. Last week we got the bedding line and the "double take" skirt out,yesterday we put the new blouse "St. Vincent" on the rack. Glenda will get the photos up asap. We have our fingers crossed that two new dresses will hit the shops by Friday, a bamboo jersey with deep pockets and a cotton shift with pretty batik trim. Here are the original first sketches.

We are awaiting fabric for our third new dress, which we have been calling THE Dress. Capitalized because we all want one. Here is Rachael showing the sample off.