Just a friendly reminder that Plaid has ceased operations as of December 1st, and that means no more online posts. Sad, we know.

Please feel free to peruse the site for all our great older content!

Team Plaid

The post Plaid’s Last Post appeared first on Plaid Magazine.

Story by Reem Jazar

Photos provided by Liel and Lentz

Lifelong friends, Diandra Guglielmello and Maggie Coblentz, fused together shared business smarts, professional experience, and a passion for design to form their jewellery line, Liel and Lentz. The Oakville-based jewellery designers and entrepeneurs launched their business about a year ago, and have designed three collections to date.

Once known by her second-grade teacher as “Diamond Diandra,” it’s no wonder Guglielmello went into buying and visual merchandising; her extensive retail background in business marketing is what lead her to become an entrepreneur.

“In grade two, I became known as “Diamond Diandra” because I was obsessed with sparkly jewellery,” she recalls. “I would rummage through my mom’s costume pieces and throw on as many rings, necklaces and bracelets as she’d allow me to leave the house in. Fortunately, this got old after a few months.”

Coblentz received a Bachelor of Design from Ryerson University and then went on to study at Parson’s New School of Design in New York City. However, it was her time in India that Coblentz cites as one of her most informative design influences.

“I have always been fascinated with how fashion and art are perceived around the world. Studying fashion in India, especially as a foreign female, presented certain challenges that helped me grow as an artist,” shares Coblentz.

The understated, classic yet earthy pieces offer a unique versatility that can be worn with just about any look. “We use techniques such as laser-cutting to shape our woods into designs that are classic, yet reflective of current ideas in contemporary design,” says Coblentz.

Coblentz’s flair for jewellery design could also be attributed to her grandmother, who also designed jewellery; Coblentz works with an original set of tools she inherited from her.

This season, the two introduced a number of local woods, such as walnut and aromatic cedar to their line. Some other materials used in the collection are .925 silver, 14K gold fill and semi-precious stones.

These charming and unique pieces offer a truly distinct, refined and edited take on accessories. Each collection exudes an easy elegance, which is no simple task.

The post Liel And Lentz appeared first on Plaid Magazine.

Story by Odessa Paloma Parker

Photo provided by Dalston Grey

In the mood to do a little holiday shopping this weekend? Starting today, Dalston Grey will have a new crop of vintage finds as well as contemporary giftables from Gat Rimon (think luxe silky tops and cashmere sweaters); Toronto-based brand Bay Cooper has a number of nifty hand-tailored ties (shown above), and they recently launched their line of women’s headwear!

If you’ve already got your gift list covered, pick up a few party frocks or dress shirts to keep you looking stylish all holiday season long.

Dalston Grey, 1317 Dundas Street West, Toronto

The post Dalston Grey’s Holiday Launch appeared first on Plaid Magazine.

Story by Sarah Lennox

Photos provided by Base London

The perfect pair of heels can make an outfit, but what about for the guys? Base London is a U.K.-based company known for its quality men’s footwear. With everything from boots inspired by motorcycle culture to comfy loafers and sneakers, Base London is making men’s footwear stand out. Established in 1995, the company has made a name for itself in the U.K. and hopes to have the same impact overseas. Base London is now expanding and making the move into the North American market.

Head designer Donatella Serra hasn’t even been with Base London for a year, but she’s determined to help bring the company the success it deserves. She took some time out of her busy schedule to talk about Base London as it makes the move to Canada. 

How did you get your start in fashion?

I took a degree in footwear design at what was then the local polytechnic in Lester in England. That was back in 1986 that I graduated and I’ve been in footwear ever since.

Have you always been in men’s footwear or have you done women’s footwear too?

I’ve done men’s, ladies’, kids’.

What inspires you when you’re designing?

Success, I think. Every designer, I think, ultimately wants success in as much as the knowledge that what they are designing is going to be liked, not only by the buyers, but by the general consuming public. I think success is one aspect that drives me and, obviously, also trying to create something that is fresh.

Do you look at anything for inspiration while you’re designing?

Anything can spark an idea. I don’t specifically look at any one thing. You could be in a back store, see a beautiful handbag that has a really interesting strap feature and you think, “yeah, I could use that on a shoe.” Anything can actually inspire you. It could be colours in a shop that sells vases or it could be anything, really, so I don’t look for any one thing, but something can come to you one day that I could see when I’m out and say, “yeah, that would be a great idea to put onto a shoe.”

What kind of man wears Base London footwear?

It’s quite an open man in as much as his age group could be anything from 15 – because we do do back to school product – right through to a consumer who could be in his fifties. The brand obviously has some heritage; it goes back 25 odd years, in which case, the man who bought the first Base London shoes is probably still wearing them; we find [this] in many cases, because the brand has become synonymous with good value, good design, comfort and it also offers a slightly more fun aspect. The marketing campaigns that we use came to be a little bit tongue-in-cheek and even cheeky. They have a certain customer who finds that appealing. We work very closely not to alienate our historical customers, but also always try to attract new customers. It’s quite a wide age group, really.

I noticed the MotoBoot Collection – footwear inspired by two-wheeled transportation. Design-wise, how is that different from any other shoe?

It’s not actually intended as motorbike-specific footwear because it doesn’t come within certain safety parameters – the soles are not oil or slip resistant, the upper leathers do not have anti-scorch technology. It’s more the styling.

There are actually quite a few brands who now look at that type of product, trying to bring a slightly more rugged, risqué aspect to men’s boots in particular. They’re not specifically technical motor biking boots, for sure.

How should men choose the perfect shoe for them?

I can only talk of the market that I know of, for example the United Kingdom and Europe. It is so very much value driven now, which I’m pretty sure you find in Canada and the States across the water. Very much value driven, but the consumer still wants design and quality with value and comfort. I think their choices are very much driven by price, especially in the last three or four years with the current climate we’re in economically. Things have got to last and they’ve got to look stylish and they’ve got to be good value.

You talked about the shoe lasting so long because of the good quality. Do you focus on more classic styles or do you still go for current trends?

Only this season, I would say that I’ve tried to start to put in a little more trend-based design into the line because I’m very aware that Base as a business tends to drive itself very much on its heritage known primarily for good quality, commercial, formal shoes and casuals. They’re very safe in their design. They don’t push any boundaries, but I thought this season, I’m going to introduce something that does push the boundary a little more. It’s still a very commercial product, but it is lead more by what is going on on the catwalk. I’ve been looking to see what brands like Lanvin, Prada, [and] Costume National have been doing and try to take some cues from their direction.

How much of a difference is there between European shoe fashion and North American shoe fashion?

It’s a very interesting question because I’ve worked for many brands in the past where we’ve had one singular range. I worked for Caterpillar and Dr. Martens and the range was the range. You would sell it globally regardless. We didn’t have to do specific product. At the moment with Base London, we still have only one range. Having said that, as we, hopefully, increase our sales throughout Canada and the U.S., we are going to be in a position to do product specific for those markets. The price levels are slightly different in as much as east coast America is very much different to west coast America, which is very much different to middle America. I find the east and west coast are very much driven by what Is going on in Europe, whereas the Midwest tends to be more work-based. It’s more practical footwear, very much driven by comfort. They like a lot of technology in the footwear. This was something that I found working with Caterpillar who primarily sold in the Midwest of the U.S. I think there are very marked differences between the two continents. As a business as yet, we haven’t specifically designed product for the U.S. or Canadian markets.

Do you see yourself making any changes to design as you move forward in North America?

I think so, but what we have to bear in mind is that change can only be implemented by volume in as much as, yes, it’s great to be in a company where perhaps you can invest endless amounts of money developing soles, lasts and shoes specifically for those markets, but unless you get the returning sales, they don’t pay for themselves. Until those two markets increase and grow big enough, I think as we are doing this season, the buys are coming from our current range. Also, I think it’s important that with a brand like Base London whose heritage is very much London-based, we have to try and [design] what the consumer abroad thinks is English design. I think that’s quite important.

What’s your favourite piece in the latest collection and why?

I do like the MotoBoot product. It has a certain rugged aggression to it. I like the worn, distressed leathers – the more casual look rather than the formal look. I would sort of go in the MotoBoot direction.

Base London injects its own personality into each shoe. How would you describe the personality or the image?

It’s based on this kind of cheeky English lad, as we call them. Personality in as much as rather than doing stitching in colours that would match the upper leather, we will contrast it. We will add a red stitch, which obviously picks out the colours of the brand logo just to give the shoe more personality, something that will lift it off the shelf amongst the sea of other shoes. We also look very much into the interiors of the shoes. We will often print things like street maps, or unusual images onto the sock liners just to make them different. Even though the shoe could be quite serious on the outside, there’s a fun aspect on the inside. That kind of falls in line with the whole marketing campaign that the shoes are fun. The current mantra of the business is “live life”, which is what our shoes are intended for. You live your life and you enjoy wearing the shoes.

You stand out by working on the marketing and promoting an image?

It has to tie together as a package. It would be wrong if our shoes were trying to conform too much and our marketing campaign had a fun aspect. Because our shoes have a fun aspect on the inside or on the bottom soles, the marketing campaign has to fall in line with that. Our new campaign, which will be visible from Spring/Summer 2013, the imagery is completely different. We’ve gone for a younger consumer in a party scenario, wearing bowler hats or being photographed next to British telephone boxes. It’s kind of tying in that aspect of Englishness in a fun way, which isn’t too much in people’s faces. We don’t want to overbear the fact that we’re an English brand, but we want to make sure that people are aware of that.

Does Base London have any plans to move into women’s footwear in the future?

No, not at all.

The post Base London appeared first on Plaid Magazine.

Story by Laura Hermiston
Editing by Olenka Szymonski
Video by Jordan White
Photo by Danielle Nemet 

Yacht Club is a band from Toronto featuring music veterans Ben Cook and Matt DeLong. It is a project that has a well thought out artistic vision that is heavily influenced from early 1980s Wham-esque music.  Their catchy vocals and guitar hooks in songs like “Club Tropicana” and shimmery vocals in “Flash” set this band a part from the many low-fi indie bands that exist today.

I visited Ben, Matty, and Robin Hatch (their keyboardist) at their home/studio one night where we talked about how this project is not a joke- as some may think it is, and that they are focused on writing pop songs- and not just the 1980s George Michael kind.

The post Yacht Club appeared first on Plaid Magazine.

Story by Adam Steel

Josh Korody and Jesse Crowe have been busy. As one half of the shoegazing outfit Beliefs, the hip and hazy guitarists have spent the better part of their relatively short time together opening for the likes of Lotus Plaza, Porcelain Raft and Amen Dunes.

Fortunately, these Toronto-based troubadours (and Jesus & Mary Chain aficionados) were able to take a second and lay down some tracks, two of which have been released on their single Untitled. The result ultimately proves congruous with what has now become their signature sound. 

‘Violets’ creeps along with heavy-hearted vocals accentuated by wistful melody, serving as a perfectly mellow complement to the upbeat reverberations on SIDE A’s ‘Catch My Breath, ’ which is—as the title suggest—a breathy and revelatory love song in the grand tradition of My Bloody Valentine’s earlier, cheerful EPs (Ecstasy; You Made Me Realise).

Beliefs dual single, Untitled (via Toronto-based boutique label Hand Drawn Dracula), is available in digital and limited cassette tape format. Look for the aforementioned sophomore LP in early 2013, followed by an extensive North American and European tour.

The post Beliefs appeared first on Plaid Magazine.

Story by Karen Welcome

What makes a man’s skin significantly different, you ask? It’s simple: Men have thicker skin than women, and it tends to be more oily. Pair that with having to shave daily (in some cases), and you’ll find that a man’s skin can be more sensitive than a woman’s. Also, a man’s skin tends to thin out with age, so refusal to care for or moisturize the skin may lead to dryness and itchiness later on.

Whether you’re female or male, pampering your skin is not for naught – indulging here and there can have beneficial results. Here’s our list of luxurious skincare products for men (just in time for a little holiday renewal and post-Movember primping).

Prada Amber Pour Homme Bath and Body Collection

The most self-indulgent item on our list (but if you don’t treat, yourself who will?). Comprised of Prada Pour Homme Eau de Toilette and After-shave Balm, the refreshing tiers of fragrance notes – ranging from bergamot and mandarin oil from Italy, to sandalwood oil from India – are a great way to start your day. The inspiration for this set is a foundation of heady amber fused with the clean scent of a barber’s shave.

Vichy Homme Purifying Cleanser Gel

A foaming gel cleanser that is non-drying and soap-free, Vichy’s Cleanser Gel is suitable for sensitive skin types. The formula is mixed with glycolic acid, salicylic acid and witch hazel to cleanse, tone, and soothe your skin before shaving. This cleasing gel is also hypoallergenic and paraben free.

Jack Black Double Duty Face Moisturizer SPF 20

True to it’s name, this moisturizer packs a one-two punch! It’s complete with moisturizing ingredients along with vitamins and minerals to slow down signs of aging. It also protects the skin from UVA and UVB rays, making your skin less susceptible to sun damage.

Mereadesso Lip Treats

No sparkle, no glitter and no mica powders, Mereadesso Lip Treats are instead made with evening primrose, grapeseed, coconut and sunflower oils. To top this moisturizing formula off, vitamins C and E have been added to smooth lip tone and texture without giving off a glossy or shiny finish. The Treats also come in a sleek, discreet package – perfect for on-the-go guys.

Matrix Biolage Hydratherapie

Holiday gift sets are a great way to stock up on the products you need at a fraction of the price, and this moisturizing duo is no exception. Enjoy Maxtrix’s Hydrating Shampoo, made with aloe and passion fruit to help infuse moisture, allowing you to shampoo without robbing your hair of any essential oils during the winter months. And for those really dry days, the set includes Hydra-Seal Softening Mist to bring your strands back to life.

The post He-luxe appeared first on Plaid Magazine.

Story by Jacquie Clancy

Snacking on nuts is an easy way to incorporate healthy omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and fibre into an everyday routine. However, some of us may be reluctant to indulge in a handful of cashews after checking out the nutritional information. If you can look past the high-calorie content and focus on the list of health benefits packed into a handful of almonds, walnuts, or peanuts, you should find yourself reaching for these antioxidant-crammed treats more often.

Jill Duff, a registered holistic nutritionist and certified personal trainer in Toronto, has plenty of reasons to recommend her clients incorporate nuts into meals, both vegetarian and not.

“When recommending nuts I always suggest a variety, never one type. In some cases, such as with vegetarians and those who do not eat fish, I recommend more walnuts because of their high omega-3 oil content,” says Duff.

Walnuts don’t only help up your omega-3 intake, they also have anti-inflammatory properties and the highest antioxidant content found in any type of nut. Some of the suggestions Duff has for sneaking them into your diet include putting walnuts on a salad or pureed into a dressing, or tossing some in a homemade granola.

If walnuts aren’t at the top of your list when it comes to nuts, there are plenty of other options out there. Instead of reaching for that sugary granola bar mid-morning, try munching on a handful of almonds. This protein and fibre-packed nut will keep you feeling fuller longer, and helps make it easier to focus on more important things than your grumbling belly. Be careful to stick to raw nuts and not the salted varieties; the added salt diminishes the nuts’ benefits, according to Duff.

She also notes that “[t]he oil content in most nuts is predominantly unsaturated and healthy when raw. It is important to remember some roasted nuts can diminish vitamins and damage healthy, delicate oils. Raw nuts are truly the healthiest and salted, roasted nuts should be avoided.”

Nuts can also help skin and hair appear younger, more radiant, and healthier by repairing damaged cells and providing our bodies with antioxidants. They can also act as a heart-helper, says Duff.

“As far as health is concerned, the nutrients in many nuts have heart healthy benefits. They can improve cholesterol levels and help protect cells from free radical damage.”

Some of Duff’s other suggestions for nut-friendly recipes include:

• Homemade muesli or granola. You can’t really go wrong here. Try adding in your favourite nuts, either chopped or whole, into your own muesli or granola and add it to yogurt for a diet-friendly breakfast or snack.
• Chopped, mixed nuts on porridge. For a warm and comforting breakfast, make steel-cut oats and top with chopped walnuts or almonds. You can also add cinnamon and cook the oats with raisins, or chopped apple for more flavour.
• Nut butters: Skip your regular peanut butter and reach for almond, cashew, or natural peanut butter.
• Cookies and muffins: Next time you bake, try adding some pecans, walnuts, or cashews into your cookie and muffin recipes.

Fitting nuts into one meal a day should be sufficient in terms of reaping their benefits; since they are high in calories, mindless munching can be a bad thing – Duff suggests about one handful a day for healthy, active adults.

Jill Duff is a certified exercise physiologist, registered holistic nutritionist, Adler-trained coach, and certified personal trainer. She is also a trainer and nutritionist with 3 Monkeys Fitness in Toronto where she trains employees in a large corporate environment, and offers home training sessions. Duff can be contacted by visiting her website, www.jillduff.com.

The post Feeling Nutty appeared first on Plaid Magazine.

Story by Laura Hermiston
Video by Olenka Szymonski

If you like bands such as Jesus Mary Chain, Suicide, or Spacemen 3, check out  B 17 from Toronto psych/pop label Optical Sounds.

Their debut record release party for Wishing Won’t Make It So is on December 7th at Rainbow Palace. Supporting acts include Ostrich Tuning and Milk Lines.

The post Press Play x B-17 appeared first on Plaid Magazine.

Photographed by Jaclyn Locke
Grooming: Robert Weir (using TRESemmé Hair Care for Ford Artists)
Styling: Brian A. Richards (Ford Artists)
Model: Alex (Spot 6 Management)

The post Dawn Of Man appeared first on Plaid Magazine.