ALDO Fights AIDS... one fab bag at a time

Listen up all you fabulous do gooders… ALDO has done it once again.

To launch its 2009 ALDO Fights AIDS (AFA) campaign, ALDO’s awesome designers have created a series of tote bags to benefit YouthAIDS. You have a choice of three collectible, super cute, limited-run reusable AFA Tote Bags. For a mere $10 you will help raise money in support of YouthAIDS’ and become a part of a global fight against this pandemic. Oh… and did I mention 100% of the net proceeds support AIDS education and prevention programs in South Africa. How could you resist?


“For every tote bag sold, ALDO and YouthAIDS will be able to provide one young person with the information and tools they need to protect themselves from HIV for up to 1 year,” affirms YouthAIDS Founder Kate Roberts. “This is the fourth consecutive year that we have teamed up with ALDO and we are incredibly proud and grateful for their ongoing commitment to this cause.”

The tote bag designs will be released one at a time over the next three months, so you'll have to be patient… but I’ve seen them… and trust me when I say… they are mos def worth the wait! Even their names are irresitable.

September 1st - “Getting Lost”
October 1st - “In the City”
November 1st - “Jukebox”

“Getting Lost” will be available September 1. It’s super cute for back to school in royal blue, featuring a swirling sketch of people holding hands in the sun. These tote bags will be available at all ALDO, ALDO ACCESSORIES and ALDO Outlet stores, as well as online at www.aldoshoes.com/afa. Check back in October and November for the other two super fab totes!

This isn’t the first, and I’m sure not the last time ALDO has stepped in to make a change. ALDO has generated millions of dollars with their public awareness campaigns and helped educate and protect young lives from infection in more than 60 countries; the influence of the ALDO Fights AIDS campaign has been immense. Since it launched in fall 2005, ALDO has raised over $3.2 million for YouthAIDS, impacting the lives of millions of young people around the world. ALDO hopes to build on this success by continuing to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS as well as raise funds for the fight against this pandemic.

In 2005 ALDO launched the “Hear No Evil? See No Evil? Speak No Evil?" campaign that featured black and white images of stars like Christina Aguilera, Salma Hayek, LL Cool J and many more as they either covered their ears or have their mouth or eyes covered by duct tape, with the intent to get people to stop and notice. The campaign was also supported by empowerment tags, which were a three dog-tag set that, were individually engraved with the words, "Hear," "See" and "Speak." I remember wearing mine… how about you?

In December 2008, for World AIDS Day, they gave life to their limited edition Love for Life bracelets which were inscribed with drawings created by the children of The Rebero Orphanage Center in Rwanda, many who have lost either one or both of their parents in the genocide or to HIV/AIDS.

“At ALDO, we regard ourselves as part of a larger global community. In other words, we believe that it is everyone’s ethical responsibility to get involved and make a difference,” affirms Aldo Bensadoun, Founder and CEO of ALDO. “Since 1985 we have been committed to the fight against AIDS – an initiative that reflects the principles upon which our company was founded: love, integrity, and respect.”

You have to put your hands together and give props when needed, and I applaud big time. It’s not everyday you hear about a company of this enormity doing so much good. It makes you proud to know a Montreal based company (which I also happen to work for), is trying so hard to make a difference and succeeding at it. This is great campaign and I am most confident it will do just as successfully as the others while its rewards go to those that really need it.

Montreal Fashion Minds is a big supporter of Fashion for a cause campaigns. There is no better feeling then buying a cute new item to add to your closet while giving back all at the same time. As if the first part isn't fun enough, knowing that you're actually helping someone in need while you shop just makes the experience that much more meaningful. So go ahead and give, because we have to look out for each other!

Bravo Aldo & YouthAIDS!

Check out the ALDO Fights AIDS site to find out more about the initiative, the story behind this campagin and more about what you can do to help.

YouthAIDS is an education and prevention program of PSI, uses media, pop culture, music, theatre and sports to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS and reach 600 million young people in more than 60 countries with life-saving messages, products, services and care. Please visit YouthAIDS website to learn more.

Images courtesy of: Aldo PR Dept, blog.aldoshoes.com, http://www.youthaids.org/

MAC is the new black...

New from MAC Cosmetics is a line called MAC's Style Black Collection, which as you might guess from the name, is an all-black line.


The collection will include black lipstick, nail polish, eye shadow, eyeliner and even exfoliants.

Interesting concept… but I wonder how many people will go for the black lipstick. Nail polish and eye shadow yea… but lipstick? I just don't know about that one. But the collection does actually look quite stunning, apart from the lipstick... and I’m excited to see how girls will be incorporating this look into their makeup style!


We have been seeing this look of dark lips with thin and sometimes non-exsistant eyebrows in countless magazine spreads for a while now… so it only makes sense to make it available for the rest of the women in the world to try.

Alittle frightened by the black on black on black? No worries... even though it’s dubbed the Style Black Collection, it does actually feature different shades of black, from true black to black with gold, silver, and purple pearl.

For all of you who are brave enough to go this bold, it will be available September September 24th, 2009 (U.S. Release) and October 2009 (International Release Date) in MAC stores. Enjoy!

The Collection

Lipstick ($14.00 U.S. / $16.50 CDN)
Black Knight Creamy true black (Cremesheen) (Limited Edition)

Mattene ($14.50 U.S. / $17.50 CDN)
Midnight Media Dense matte black (Limited Edition)
Night Violet Deep purple grape (Repromote) (Limited Edition)

Glimmerglass ($18.00 U.S. / $21.50 CDN)
Bling Black Sheer black with gold pearl (Limited Edition)
Blackfire Sheer black with pink purple pearl (Limited Edition)
Blackware Creamy true black (Limited Edition)

Mineralize Eye Shadows ($19.00 U.S. / $23.50 CDN)
Cinderfella Black with silver pearl (Limited Edition)
Young Punk Black with pink purple pearl (Limited Edition)
Gilt by Association Black with gold bronze pearl (Limited Edition)
Blue Flame Black with blue pearl (Limited Edition)

Grease Paintstick ($17.50 U.S. / $21.00 CDN)
Black Intense black (Limited Edition)

Penultimate Liner ($16.50 U.S. / $20.00 CDN)
Rapidblack True black (Permanent)

Eye Kohl ($14.50 U.S. / $17.50 CDN)
Smolder Intense Black (Permanent)

Cream Colour Base ($16.50 U.S. / $20.00 CDN)
Black Creamy True black (Limited Edition)
Bat Black Burgundy black with pink pearl (Permanent at PRO)

Nail Lacquer ($12.00 U.S. / $14.00 CDN)
Nocturnelle True black (Cream) (Permanent)
Seriously Hip Black with gold particle pearl (Frost) (Limited Edition)
Baby Goth Girl Black with pink and purple pearl (Frost) (Limited Edition)

Brushes
#214 Short Shader Brush Short, rounded, double-chiselled brush with soft, natural bristles. Can be used with shadow to line and smudge around the lash line and very effective for densely shading lids. (Permanent) ($23.00 U.S. / $27.50 CDN)

Volcanic Ash Exfoliator ($19.50 U.S. / 23.50 CDN)

Volcanic Ash Thermal Mask ($19.50 U.S> / $23.50 CDN)

Visit www.maccosmetics.com

Image from: http://addictedtolipstick.onsugar.com/3692210

Warehouse Sale Alert!!

Check out some of the latest warehouse sales in Montreal for great deals on brand name items!

Que Des Marques

Who? - Que des Marques – Brands: Guess, Ed Hardy, Converse, Coach, Anne Klein, Ralph Lauren, Steve Madden, Puma, Karen Scott, BCBGirls, Jessica Simpson, Nine West, Chinese Laundry, Baby Phat, Sketchers and many more!

What? – Shoe Sale

Where? – 3 Locations: 5057 Jean-Talon O., 7558 Boul. Newman, Lasalle & 4850 Des Sources Nord, DDO

When? – Tuesday August 25th through Tuesday September 8th. Saturday & Sunday: 10am-5pm, Monday through Wednesday: 10am-6pm, Thursday & Friday: 10am-9pm

Why? – Tons of brand name shoes for half the price!

The fall/Winter 2009-2010 collection has arrived at Que Des Marques! They have brought in their largest selections of boots this year, perfect for Montreal’s unpredictable winter weather!

Diesel

Who? - Diesel

What? – Warehouse Sale

Where? – 9500 Meilleur – 8th Floor

When? – Thursday Aug. 27th & Friday Aug. 28th (10am-9pm), Saturday Aug. 29th (10am-5pm) & Sunday Aug. 30th (12pm-5pm)

Why? – A Large variety of Diesel items for a great price!

This Diesel sale is unlike any you have seen before! Because it is a warehouse sale there will be a range of sizes available (Great for those of us who aren’t exactly ‘sample sizes’). Shop for men’s, women’s, kids and accessories, all at 50-80% off!

Visa, MasterCard, Amex & Debit all accepted!

Premium Retail Group

Who? - Premium Retail Group, Brands: Guess, Marciano, Fullcircle, English Laundry, Peppercorn, Scotch & Soda, Kaporals, Firetrap, Bench, Schott NYC, Mexx, Liz Claiborne, Jacky Wilkins etc.

What? – Warehouse Sale

Where? – 4454 Garand (Off Trans Canada Service Road), St Laurent

When? – Thursday August 27th though Sunday September 13th. Mon & Tues – CLOSED, Wed 11am-5pm, Thurs 11am-9pm, Sat & Sun 11am-5pm

Why? – Great brands for great prices!

Lots of amazing inventory for both men & women at 60-90% off!

Visa, MasterCard, Debit & Cash accepted!

Can you tell me how to get how to get to Sesame Street? No... seriously though... .

For the 40th anniversary of the most popular street in the world, Sesame Street, Harper’s Bazaar felt it was necessary to pay homage to our childhood memories. And why not?!

Rodarte: Kate and Laura Mulleavy and Cookie Monster

Famous designers and models posed with the muppets in the September issue. This one-of-a-kind photo shoot is absolutely fabulous. While the Rodarte sisters hang out with Cookie Monster, Derek Lam and Thakoon chill with Bert and Ernie, Oscar de la Renta talks fashion with Oscar the Grouch; “I invented grunge! It’s a look I’ve been sporting for years!” So cute!! This spread is totally awesome, cute and chic, all at the same time! Well done.

Oscar de la Renta and Oscar the Grouch

Check out the pics below with Vera Wang, Derek Lam, Thakoon Panichgul, Francisco Costa, and Carolina Herrera as they turn Sesame Street into Fifth Avenue.

Vera Wang and Abby Cadabby

Derek Lam & Thakoon Panichgul and Bert & Ernie

Francisco Costa and Grover

Carolina Herrera and Elmo

In other muppet news…

Celeb sighting: Missy Piggy and Marc Jacobs in his SoHo showroom yesterday. Unlikely duo? Maybe. What could these two be doing together anyways? Going over looks for NY Fashion Week... of course! Let’s hope Kermy doesn’t get too green with jealousy! Wait he’s already green… oh... nevermind...

These two just collaborated on the gown Miss Piggy is wearing, which she'll show to the world at the upcoming Glamorama event in Chicago. Just fabulous!

Images from Harper's Bazaar and OK Magazine

Match Made in Retail Heaven!

So…you’ve just been invited to this amazing event, and desperately need a new head-to-toe outfit, because you have to be lookin fabulous, and you obviously can’t be seen wearing the same thing as last time! Unfortunately your hectic schedule doesn’t allow for much shopping time (after all, you are high in demand!)…don’t you just wish there was one great store that carried all the name brands you’re looking for in everything from clothes to accessories, to shoes? Wouldn’t that make life just that much simpler? Well my friends look no further!

Starting today, Friday, August 14th, 2009, ALDO GROUP’s Little Burgundy and StyleXchange have launched new concept stores in Montreal featuring Little Burgundy Boutiques within StyleXchange locations.


This provides a one stop shop for all your fashion needs! The new boutique launches will take place at Rockland Centre and Brossard’s Champlain Mall on August 14th and at Place Montreal Trust on August 20th. Additional locations may be added in the near future based on the success of these initial locations. We don’t doubt that you will be seeing more of these special boutiques soon, as the market for both stores mirror each other and the concept provides a more convenient way of shopping. And isn’t what we’re all looking for these days? Convenience? Clearly these two major fashion retailers are in tune with their customers needs.

“I believe that the generation of consumers we are servicing is less interested in the pure commodity purchase, where you walk into a shoe store for a pair of shoes, a jeans store for a pair of jeans, et cetera. Customers today are more influenced by the environment and experience. By joining together two like-minded retail environments, Little Burgundy and StyleXChange, we can connect with them in a more complete manner, and help fulfill that deeper experience” Mark Batchoun, StyleXchange President & CEO.

Last night, Montreal Fashion Minds, had the pleasure of attending the launch party for these fabulous new boutiques at Rockland Shopping centre, in the largest of the StyleXchange stores.

Yussie & Joanna arrive at Rockland Shopping Centre

The 15,500 square foot flagship store defines Stylexchange as the branded fashion destination in Quebec. We strolled down the red carpet into the store which was still open for business, and crossed the red ropes into the brand new Little Burgundy section of the location.

Yussie & Joanna - Pic by 333 PHOTO

There, all the beautiful event goers mingled, sipped champagne and admired the new concept store while jamming to the beats of a live DJ.

We were then greeted by the super cute and friendly Melissa Robusto from Optimum PR (a division of Cossette Communications), who welcomed us to the event and made us feel totally at ease.

Melissa (right) with her collegue Kristin (left)

She was kind enough to introduce us to the marketing managers behind this innovative new concept, Stephanie Khoury from StyleXchange and Catherine Laporte from ALDO GROUP.

Stephanie Khoury, Marketing Manager, StyleXchange & Catherine Laporte, Marketing Manager, ALDO GROUP

Stephanie, Marketing Manager for StyleXchange, explained to us how the two companies got together to form this type of ultimate store that will offer its clients everything they need, all in one place. Seeing as the clientele for both StyleXchange and Little Burgundy are the same, it made for a perfect match, giving their clients an even larger variety of items all under one roof (as if they didn’t have plenty already!). StyleXchange is known for their impressive array of denim from 7 for all Mankind, to Rock & Republic, True Religion and Diesel. They also offer collections from Europe such as Miss Sixty and Energie, J. Lindeberg and Scotch & Soda. In addition, StyleXchange stores carry tons of other popular brands such as Juicy Couture, Dom Rebel, Ed Hardy, Mackage and many more. StyleXchange is an ever growing company that is always moving forward and looking for new and innovative ways to expand their business, and satisfy their customers with a wonderful and unique store experience.

Catherine Lapointe, Marketing Manager for ALDO GROUP, elaborated on how the two companies got together to form this new concept store, because of a long time friendship and equal admiration of how both companies operate. She explained to us that the Little Burgundy boutiques within the StyleXChange stores will still carry the same stock as their regular stand alone stores. Little Burgundy carries over 60 brands, including Marc by Marc Jacobs, Frye, Juicy Couture, Adidas, Converse, UGG, Creative Recreation and the list goes on! Catherine also mentioned that Little Burgundy just started carrying a variety of new brands, and showed us around the boutique to see them.

First was Modern Vintage, a fairly new European company, whose name says it all! Their shoes offer vintage style with a contemporary twist. The best of both worlds! (kind of like the StyleXchange & Little Burgundy stores).

Modern Vintage uses the finest vintage leathers that provide high quality, great history, and luxurious detail. You can see just by looking at the photos how nice and soft the leathers are.

Although the material is old, the cut and styling is fresh and modern, which is why these designs have been seen on the feet of celebrities like Nicole Richie, Lindsay Lohan, Amanda Bynes and others!

Next, Catherine showed us their collection of shoes from, Brazil based company, Melissa.

Melissa manufactures eco-friendly plastic shoes, hence their motto “Plastic Dreams”. But don’t be mistaken, Melissa does not use any ordinary plastic; they use MELFLEX, a special plastic that is developed in the Melissa shoe laboratories. The material provides superior comfort, improved elasticity, impermeability and resistance. It even maintains these qualities after being recycled.

Melissa laboratories have also created Velvet MELFLEX, which is on point with the latest trends for the Fall/Winter season. It also guarantees durability and is water resistant. Perfect to sustain Montreal’s winter weather, and easily available at Little Burgundy boutiques!

Melissa shoes has recently collaborated with designer Vivenne Westwood and has been seen on the likes of Katie Holmes, Katy Perry, Agyness Deyn and more!

"The most amazing thing about this partnership was to be able to createmodern products, with very high quality, for affordable prices"~ Vivienne Westwood

Little Burgundy has also recently begun carrying Reebok shoes. A brand familiar to many, but new to Little Burgundy! Their latest styles are bringing back the 80s with their vibrant colors and flashy motifs. They also seem to garner inspiration from superheroes with flashes of gold and the Captain America style sneaks.

Eastpak is also new to Little Burgundy. It is a line of fun, fashionable backpacks, perfect for back to school. Eastpak originally started making duffel bags and knapsacks for the armed forces. They later realized that students were using military daypacks as book bags, and thus began a line of daypacks especially for consumers. This is a testament to the strength and durability of their product. Eastpak prides themselves on making products that are 'Built to Resist'. They are also not afraid to push fashion boundaries with bright bold colors as seen in their current collection at Little Burgundy. Once again, the 80's keep on comin’ back!

Finally, Catherine showed us their collection of Nanny State Shoes. The England based company is known for its clean, classic designs with a splash of funky detailing that make these shoes unique. The idea is similar to that of Modern Vintage, in that, they blend the past with the present; the style of shoes is mature, but the accents and detailing are more modern and fun.

The evening wound down, and it was time for us to leave. Our evening was well spent sipping champagne and talking about fashion. What more could a girl ask for? We said goodbye to all the beautiful ladies we had the pleasure of meeting, and headed back down the red carpet to go home.

Melissa handed us our parting gift bags, containing delicious mini cupcakes from Petits Gateaux and a generous StyleXchange gift card.

We’re definitely looking forward to going back to do some mayja shopping! And we suggest you do too! With the larger variety of items they now offer, you won't leave empty handed!