ModernGear Video: Soapylove!

I met and interviewed Soapylove's Debbie Chialtas at the Appel and Frank shopping event in San Diego earlier in the year. Check it out...

I really love using Soapylove soap - it's just so yummy-smelling and I appreciate that Debbie doesn't use SLS (sodium lauryl sulfate) in her soaps - an ingredient that is often found in all sorts of products from toothpaste and bubble bath to shampoos and soaps. SLS is the ingredient that brings a lot of bubbles, but it is also thought to bring skin and eye irritation, hormone imbalance, and more bad stuff.


My favourite product and the one that kids just love is the Soapsicle! There are 12 varieties (flavours, I think of them as!) of Soapsicles, like these:

Clearly Lovely, with sweet raspberry scent

Bath Blaster - cherry, lime and berry

Squeaky Melon - watermelon

Neopolitan
Nilla Sammie, chocolate

Soapsicles are so great for kids not only because they're a load of fun, but the stick enables little hands to get a grip, rather than let it slip! And they're good for gift-giving as they're priced at a very reasonable $8.00. (It might be a little early, but I'm already thinking about stocking stuffers!)

You can get Soapylove soap in some stores (see stores list on their web site), as well as at Soapylove.com, and there are also a few other soaps on her Etsy shop.

Make sure to wash behind your ears!

PS A Soapsicle goes to the first person to leave a comment on this blog post!

Wardrobe note: People have e-mailed to ask me what I am wearing in the opening video - my beautiful kaftan by LottyB! The Classic Mustique Kaftan, 3/4 length in beautiful chiffon silk. And in the tub, well, bubbles. Click here to read rest of story...

Video - Gumdrops, the Wet Weather Boutique

I recorded this story back in October, 2007 when I was confident that ModernGear TV would start soon, so the reference to "Fall on the West Coast" was current at the time. The thing about this story is that it's still, and will always be, 100% relevant to the location!

The story, you see, was on a so-smart-I-wish-I-had-thought-of-that-idea store called Gumdrops. Once you've seen the video below, I think you'll be as excited about rain as I am! I attended the boutique's opening night bash and was so taken with the concept, its execution and its owner that I also pitched a story and got the assignment for the Globe and Mail Style section. (You can read the story by clicking on its picture, below the video.) It's also a testament to the 'hip factor' and the unique idea that it was also published online in the G&M's Report on Business. You can click on the picture to read it if you're interested, but my first opening ranks as one of my favourite to write so far:

Shanda Jerrett could barely wait for Vancouver's infamous yearly rains to begin. While locals got in a last few holes of golf under grey skies or ran the Grouse Grind before its trails got too mucky, she was overseeing the details for a brand new, unique retail store - Vancouver's first wet weather boutique.



















It rains in Vancouver...no kidding. I for one never, ever minded this and I minded
it even less than that when I finished recording this story and walked out with my spanky new rock-and-roll-inspired rainboots! The purchase wasn't without some guilt, though...I'm a low-paid freelancer, after all, and if I bought everything wrote about, I'd end up broker-than-broke...(though well clothed and shod). So, I did another video that centred around my guilt, for the Shopping Confessions video contest.



I actually showed the video to my husband when it was done - I mean, the boots weren't doing me much good under my bed, were they?! I think almost any woman can identify with this...and I did hope to win the grand prize of $10,000 to help offset the purchase!

Actually, if you have a little secret purchase or bad shopping habit you'd like to get off your chest, the eBillme Shopping Confessions contest is back! You can win $1500 in cash and prizes every single month this year, and at the end of the year, the best video will win the grand prize of $15,000! (Almost makes you want to be bad, doesn't it?!)

Back to Gumdrops and my purchase...I have never gotten so much attention from a pair of boots in my life! Every time I wear them out, countless people stop and ask me where I got them, compliment them - and I'm talking men and women, from the very young to the very old! It's amazing how such a thing - a rubber boot worn in the rain - can actually spread a little sunshine.

And hey! No matter where you're reading this from, you too can spread the sun (soon) - Gumdrops' e-commerce site will be active soon, so from wet climates around the world (and even if you get no rain), you can soon get your hands on the best boots, coats, doggy gear and umbrellas too, for men, women, children, and man's best friend.

Contact info:

Gumdrops
2029 West 4th Avenue
Vancouver, BC
Ph: 604.733.1037
gumdrops.ca



































Click here to read rest of story...

Video - The Sonja Picard Collection

I've known jewelry designer Sonja Picard for around four years, and I have coveted almost all of the pieces in her collection since that time. Like all visionary designers, Sonja is constantly innovating and offering new lines, all of jewelry in silver and gold (and recently using precious gemstones) with a yogic influence.

I've always been very interested in her journey as an artist, moving from large-scale pottery pieces to these small-scale, delicate pieces. You could almost say she got her real start at the tender age of six, when she began to be captivated by decoration and adornment.

"I’ve always been attracted to jewelry; even as a small kid I wasn’t attracted to normal shoelaces," she says. "There had to be a bead on there or something, beads and things that were flowing and moving all the time..."

Sonja may just be the designer to go down in history as the first person to introduce yoga to the red carpet...watch the video below to see what I mean!


Fans of The Sonja Picard Collection include yoga lovers but you don't have to do yoga to wear the jewelry...having said that, don't be surprised if you find yourself becoming interested in it as a result of wearing these pieces with such strong divine meaning. And to Sonja, as important as outfitting yogis is adorning women who appreciate the design and the philosophy behind the pieces.

"The whole line is also based on the whole ancient form of decoration called shringar, which is adorning the feminine form," she explains. "In India one of the things that I most admire about the culture is that all the women hold in such high regard their decoration, how they wear their hair, why they wear earrings – to draw the eye – captivate the earlobe...even the sound of bells, it’s a very sweet sound. There’s so much for us to learn. How are you going to carry yourself through the day and jewelry can really say a lot about that."

Again in the interest of disclosure, I can tell you that I work with Sonja to help get news and developments from her company and jewelry design into the hands of the media, so that they can in turn let the public know about the wonderful work that she does.

With such beautiful designs and the philosophy behind them, I'm honoured to be a part of her journey and to share the story with you.

Check out Sonja's many designs at her web site - you can see the list of stores that sell her designs there as well. Namaste.

Contact info:

The Sonja Picard Collection
Delta, BC
sonjapicard.com





Special thanks to:
Yoga World Studio
Long Beach, CA
yogaworldstudio.com


















Click here to read rest of story...

Video - Astrosatchel

When I first moved to Vancouver in 2002, I kept spotting these awesome, colourful and really just fun tote bags everywhere. I knew they must all be from the same company because the design sensibility behind the shape and the stitching, as well as the humour in the embellishments, all pointed to one source. I asked around and found out that they all came from the very creative mind of Janna Hurtzig, under the Astrosatchel label.

I interviewed her on the phone for a web piece on her line (you can see it here at TamaraMedia), and decided she was someone I should meet in person one day. So when I conceived of ModernGear TV, Janna and her little company that could, were at the top of my list for interview subjects. Check out the video below to see why.



It's a difficult task to choose which image suits your personality, so you'd probably be better off choosing a few! Janna designs new images as well as bag shapes on a regular (like, weekly!) basis and in addition to a bunch of stores that sell her line, there's also a good selection available on her web site.

Contact info:

Astrosatchel:
Vancouver, BC
Owner: Janna Kurtzig
astrosatchel.com




Room 6
Deep Cove, BC
Owner: Megan Curren
room6.com















Click here to read rest of story...

Video - Embrace The Bra Strap Solution

I inherited my Grandmother's sloped shoulders, so no matter what I'm wearing, bra straps are the bane of my existence. Not just having them peek out when wearing tank tops, either, but in a blouse, a sweater, a dress...I have to reach in through the neck of whatever I have on and tug them up from wherever they've slipped - sometimes down to my elbows. It's so annoying, and looks awful - both to have them sitting around my elbows, and to be seen reaching in and adjusting countless times a day.

Last year I was relieved and delighted to find a little life-saver of a tool, Embrace The Bra Strap Solution. I wrote about the Embrace in the Globe and Mail Style section, and then did a video podcast. Check it out!



Not only does the Embrace prevent annoying bra slippage, but it also lifts and supports the breasts - and say it with me, "cleavage is good!"

I love the Embrace for travel as well, because even if I didn't have the sloped shoulders, it would still be a perfect tool for travel. Whether I'm wearing a tank top with a skirt strolling on the Champs-Elysées, or Bermuda shorts and a halter top on the back of a Vespa zipping through a cobblestone piazza in Lucca, Italy, I'll only ever need one bra - maybe I can actually go carry-on now!

P.S. In the interest of disclosure, I want to let it be known that I work for the company's owner, Cathy Hayes, to help get the word out about her wonderful products! Just like the Hair Club For Men guy, I liked the product so much that I wanted to be involved! When Cathy asked me after we taped this video, I said yes immediately.

Contact info:

Embrace The Bra Strap Solution
iloveembrace.com
Toll free telephone: 1-888-620-6814
Order online, or see a stores list on the site (available across Canada and the U.S.)

Diane's Lingerie
dianeslingerie.com
2950 Granville Street
Vancouver, BC
604.738.5121

Jana Vackova - photographer
imagelounge.ca

Click here to read rest of story...