NicoleLebreux Early Spring 2011 Collection

I'm sure that you all enjoyed the fantastically fun behind the scenes video that Caitlin and Jeff made of our recent Spring 2011 photo shoot, and now I'm here to share with you the photos! Kaitlin Coleman was the photographer and did an excellent job executing the bright colors on gray background shoot idea that I had. To keep with the all are loved and welcome fidget finds aesthetic I chose to use real women as my models. Granted they are all my close friends, many of whom I have know since childhood, but they all embrace the positive attitude and enjoying life feel that I want my clothing to have. Everyone did their own hair and makeup and the photos were not touched up at all to hide blemishes or to make the girls appear thinner because all shapes and sizes are loved here and all the girls are absolutely stunning JUST THE WAY THEY ARE!! Here are a few of my favorite photos but please be sure to check out my new website where you'll see many more (warning: it is still very much under construction!) I will begin to list items in my etsy shop in the next week and of course I will keep you updated on local markets where you can purchase items in person. So exciting!!







A big thank you to Kait for the photos, my intern/partner in fashion Melanie who thankfully took the lead with styling for the shoot, and Chantal for pitching in and doing a lot of sewing in the days leading up to it. And of course my models and muses, Renee, Caitlin, Julie, Lily, Maya, Andi, and Mae.

Nicole Lebreux Original Apparel Coming Soon!

Nicole Lebreux - Spring/Summer 2011 from Caitlin on Vimeo.

Ahhh!! Don't you love it! Caitlin and Jeff put together this little sneak peak after filming during the spring collection photoshoot that took place last week. I can't wait to see the photos that Kait took and stay tuned for the featured garments to make their debut on etsy in a few weeks!

Credits:
Clothing: Nicole Lebreux (yours truly!)
Photography: Kaitlin Coleman
Styling: Melanie Silva and Chantal Gallipeau
Models: Renee Lebreux, Andi Flax, Caitlin Luderer, Mae Drapeau, Maya Tavares, Julie Normandin, Lily Drapeau, Chantal Gallipeau, Nicole Lebreux
Jewelry/Accessories: FidgetFinds

Handmade Gift: Personal Photo Journal

One of the gifts that I gave Brian this year for Christmas was a photo scrapbook of us. It pretty much chronicles our adventures and the places we've visited together in the past 2 1/2 years since we've been together. I wanted to make something personal with photographs but not just photos in an album.

I filled my flash drive with 100+ photos and got them printed at a locally owned photo shop downtown. I opted for a matte finish and added white borders around each photo. I think that printed photos look best that way. I hate the way super glossy digital printed photos look; no depth and sometimes even blurry.

When I went to find a book to display them in, I couldn't find the album/journal that looked so nice in my mind. I went to three small local boutiques but they only had really small journals and as a last resort I went to Target who only had albums and scrapbook journals with plastic coverings for the pages and that was something that I really wanted to avoid. A light went on in my head and I went to a big name craft store and purchased this hard covered Canson spiral bound field drawing book with really heavy pages and it was perfect! Double points as it was made in the USA.

I had originally intended to attach the photos to the page with black photo corners but these have to be placed absolutely perfectly in order to not look messy, which isn't exactly my style. I like things in a more hap hazard, lay as they fall way. After some experimentation with with this awesome 1/4" black masking tape that I used with almost every fashion school project, I found a happy medium. The pages turned out minimalist and symmetrical within themselves but I placed every page differently so the viewers eye would bounce around a bit.

Only about a quarter of the photos that I printed were attached before Christmas, so I still have a lot more work to complete this section of the book. I plan on adding more photos every year to chronicle our times together. Below are the pages that I've finished so far, showing the first 8 or so months of our relationship from July 2008 to March 2009 including a road trip to Savannah, Georgia and a visit to my sister in Fort Lauderdale. Oh, and Brian absolutely loved it!

Etsy Gem: I Heart Norwegian Wood

I have just been drooling over the amazing creativity and garment madness at I Heart Norweigan Wood. Vintage elastic harness belts? Fringe epaulettes? Leggings with reclaimed leather knee patches? Check, check, aaand check. Designer Angie Johnson lives and works out of Montreal creating I Heart Norwegian Wood's amazing line of garments and accessories. To make her spectacular pieces she sources all sorts of interesting fabric and trims, many of which are vintage, all over her beloved home city. The ways she combines fabrics, textures, and layers together are just magical. I was so inspired by her Fall 2010 collection that I sat down for a bit and sketched page after page of ideas for new designs. You can check out her etsy shop, but I highly recommend looking at her flickr photostream for more collection photos. Here are some of my favorite looks. Enjoy!






All photos from I Heart Norwegian Wood's Etsy Store.

Etsy Gem: Yokoo

I came across Yokoo the other day on etsy and was absolutely blown away by her personal style, amazing work, and truly independent spirit. She creates the most remarkable crochet pieces all by hand; chunky hats, enormous scarves, massive chain necklaces, and my personal favorite, the sensational scarf with sleeves. She is incredibly inspiring and a true testament that you can accomplish anything when you sent your mind, and your heart, to it. You can watch a short video about her and read the full article here. Below are a few of my favorite Yokoo pieces. Enjoy!

Carving Pumpkins

What a great few days before Halloween evening we had last night! Caitlin and Jeff invited us over to their new home for a night of yummy fall food and pumpkin carving. Caitlin made a fantastic sweet potato soup with curried apples, yogurt, and chopped mint with some bulgar with almonds and dried cranberries on the side. It was so good! I brought some of those Daily Bread ginger molasses cookies for dessert along with a bag of their almond crescent cookies. Those are even better than the ginger ones. I love this bakery!

The carving of the pumpkins was an interesting affair, I hate how the insides smell! I don't think that I've carved a pumpkin since I was young, and I don't think I was the only one. Carrie went creative and made a cat with the stem as its nose, Caitlin was more traditional with a silly spooky face, and I just wanted to make a swirl. (Note that I had no intention in making it look like the Nightmare Before Christmas!) They looked so good all lit up on the front steps. What a fun night!