Spring Is On The Way

Hi again, I haven't written in a while.  I've been, to say the least, busy.  But something in this quiet, chilly night made me wonder whether I still had this blog and sure enough, I never got around to deleting it.  So instead of doing that, I'll write again.

Packing time:  my Spring stock earlier this evening and then just before leaving the studio.

Walking home from work tonight at 1am, it's -20 degrees outside (-30 with windchill).  I am wearing seven different sweaters beneath my coat, and the snow-covered ice on the streets and sidewalks adds that special "Montréal" layer of difficulty to my 8 minute commute.  My bones have been aching for spring since December, and especially in the last few days as I've been preparing my Spring deliveries.

I'm checking, tagging, packing, and invoicing around 500 pieces of clothing this week, and really hoping that the owners and clients of the stores I work with like them.  Putting all this work out into the world is like giving birth to that many babies, except that actual babies fast become their own beings, whereas my work always reflects solely on me.

It wouldn't have been 1am, I would have left sooner, but earlier in the day I had completely forgotten about a parent-teacher meeting.  Luckily my 11 year old texted from her iPad to remind me just in time for me to make it there.  Everything is great, she is a stellar student and good citizen.  I'd like to take credit for that, but as you can see I really can't.

So I went back to finish and now it is 1am, and I'm tired and freezing but several boxes are packed up and I can get a hot bagel on the way home, so everything is going to be alright.  Spring is on the way.

Above zero

Does anyone feel really happy and energized in March? 

Personally, I struggle at this time of year with the accumulated deficit of sunlight and warmth.  The impending Birthday, once a focus of excitement and anticipation, now spurs a torrent of self-reflection.  Have I done anything useful in the past year?  What am I doing with my life?  Where do I go from here? 

Now the days are getting longer and the Winter Warden has sprung us from what I call Montréal's "climate prison"... you know, those weeks when biting cold, icy winds and seemingly eternal darkness make "outside" feel like some distant dream. 

With temperatures stabilizing just above zero, I'm starting to feel like waking up again. 

My new spring collection is inspired by the music that made staying indoors to create it possible, and pleasurable.  It was a happy coincidence that the lovely model Sloan Perry has a little tattoo of music notes on her wrist, see if you can spy it in the pictures!

I'm just about ready to put away the winter coat and pull out the bright colours, sip a latté on a sunny terrace, and dance the warm nights away.  Who's with me?

Photos:  Nic Small
Model:  Sloan Perry
Hair:  Adrianne Turner
Styling:  Thalia James

Great new store!

 

I mostly work with boutiques in other cities, so it's always wonderful to walk down the street to visit a store I work with here in Montréal.

Especially when that store is the beautiful, new, "Les Coureurs de Jupons".  Shop owners Geneviève and Kristelle poured their hearts and souls into building this boutique, and their work has definitely paid off!  The place looks amazing, and has a warmth that is felt the moment you walk in the door.

Huge by the standards of indie shops, that only gives more space to showcase home-grown design.  A haven for shoppers keen on responsible consumption, Les Coureurs de Jupons carries more than 50 (!) local lines for women, men and kids too.  And since the reason for my visit was to re-stock the many Ramonalisa Fall/Winter 2011 pieces that sold in the last weeks, it seems that Les Coureurs de Jupons is off to a running start.  Stop by soon, you'll be glad you did!

Les Coureurs de Jupons
2627 rue Masson
Mon-Wed 10am - 6pm
Thurs-Fri 10am - 9pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 11am - 5pm

New styles for Fall 2011

Ah, it was a great summer. I'm always a little sad when summer ends, but fall is my favourite time for fashion and I'm really happy with how this year's collection turned out. How about you?

Work Cut Out

Last week I really had my work cut out for me! I was in the midst of preparing for the imminent holiday craft sale madness, when Christina from Workshop and Flock in Ottawa contacted me. Apparently her boutiques had sold out of several Ramonalisa styles this month, and she wanted more. My busy month got busier and I got to work.

Having run out of some of the original fabrics, I changed up the linings of the skirts and the hoodie/tunics while maintaining the look and feel of the original styles. The result is a new batch of the most popular Ramonalisa styles for this season which uphold my mandate to produce original clothing in limited quantities. I think this adds a lot to the unique quality of my pieces. An added bonus for me is that rather than making the same thing over and over again, I get to keep designing even when I'm in production! I'm very happy with how these pieces turned out, and I hope my Ottawa customers will be, too.

Studio Sale!

My studio-mate Eugenia and I had our first studio sale yesterday. It was really fun to welcome everyone into our usually quiet space, and to see so many people trying on the clothes!

We had a lot of friends come by, and also people we'd never met before because of a few signs up outside the building. We were both selling samples and stock from previous seasons at 50%-80% off retail prices. Everyone seemed happy with the great deals and we got to clear out some space in our studio to make room for new designs. It was a really great day, I just wish I'd remembered to take more pictures!

Fall/Winter 2010!

I know, it's been ages since I blogged. But trust me, I have not been idle! Production for Fall/Winter 2010 is now complete. Here are the dresses for Toronto and Ottawa, which will, along with tops, tunics and skirts, be hitting the stores in the next few weeks. Yay!

I also designed a new collection for Spring/Summer 2010, making me officially on-schedule for the first time.

And, I just put up the new website! Check out all the new designs for this fall/winter season at www.ramonalisa.ca.

Thanks for reading!