I had my sample sale tonight and tons of people came out! I ended up selling almost everything! Woo! Made rent for another month. Phew.

It was so nice to see all my friends out and it made me really happy that they were buying stuff. Everyone loved the quick-velcro sleeping bag skirts I made for the winter and wooly line of bedazzled armbands and leg warmers. I guess Canadian fashion is in.

The weirdest thing about the night was that crazy Vivian. I don’t know how she got an invite, but she came with her gang of 3 lame hipster-bots and I was really surprised when they each spent over $100 on stuff. I had no idea they were rich. Not only that, but Vivian told me that she loved my designs and wants to be my PR rep. It’s kind of exciting since she’s supposed to be this big PR person and all, but I don’t know if I should trust her. She told me to call her next week.

Since I spent the day planning for my studio sample sale tomorrow, I deserved to go out at night. Woo!

First, I went to the Canadian launch of Ed Hardy Icing at Lobby. It was a whole lotta Ed Hardy-designed sparkle for cell phones and laptops and an all-out party-party with tons-of-fun people.

First, I met Roy Perlmuter, the President/CEO of RichRoyEnterprises Inc., who told me:

“We’re here to celebrate the release of our Ed Hardy Icing products. Bling your cellphone out, bling your computer out. We have our peel-and-stick crystallized stickers that go on MP3 players, your favourite little iPhone, anything. We have it for everything. Canadians are ready. Canadians are loving what we’re doing, they’re doing it all the time, and we’re ready to be the ones who keep it going.”

Then I met Miss Canada Tourism 2008 Irene Constantine, who said the Ed Hardy designs were “so glamorous, so sparkly, so out there. The designs are great!” Gosh I’d love to get her into one of my designs!

Then, I got to the cutest guy in Canadian fashion, who covers events CosmoTV, Wilder Weir, who said of the goods: “This is some cool stuff. Everyone’s got a cell phone these days, so might as well make it look pretty.”

Oh, there were so many cool people there. Shellina Ebrahim greeted guests at the door, but she is also a model and designer of MREMEAUX by Shelina. It’s a new line of clothes made with African fabrics in Africa and they’re really neat. I can’t wait for her website.

I also ran Julian Brass, who I know from a bunch of fashion events he hosts around the city. He’s starting up a new website, Notable.tv that is sure to cover Toronto’s hottest events.

Then I hung out with Olga Barsky from She Does the City for the rest of the night. We ran over to The Courthouse to catch Matt Sims and Max Tremblay’s Samantha Ronson party night. We had a total blast trying to find Lindsay Lohan because Olga wanted to give her a big ol’ kiss! Sadly, no luck. But I did run into my new favourite boy, Cory Stewart. Then it was time to go, and I had a fun time with my new favourite coat check boy S. (I forgot his name because I was too drunk from the vodka at Ed Hardy party! Sorry, S. But he was so sweet. Glad he loved my gloves! I must go back to visit him!)

And oh man! That insane Vivian showed up at the Sam Ronson party and drove me crazy. Whenever I told a story, she’d say, “Well, if you think that’s funny, wait ‘til you hear MY story!” Then she’d go on and tell a story that she thought was better than mine. She did that three times. No wonder she calls her company PitchBitch.

Inventive and immensely interesting design store, Ministry of the Interior launched an intriguing exhibition by prolific designer and artist Jaime Hayón. The exhibit was wonderful, as was the stylish crowd, including Donnell from sophisticated menswear store Uncle Otis, Rea from eye weekly, and Jen from sassy site, She Does the City.

Before I stepped out for the evening, I received an e-mail announcing Andrew Majtenyi as winner of the 2008 Design Exchange Award for Fashion Design. To celebrate, I wore his elegant black Vicdress with Samantha Nemiroff’s one-of-a-kind “Lockets” necklace and Christian Louboutin TINE booties from David’s.

After this year’s tragic bankruptcy news of Linda Lundström a Canadian design icon, we were warmed with announcement that she was back in business. At an open house today, I learned the company is rebranded as “Lundström” and got a sneak peek at the Spring 2009 collection, which is modern, trés chic, and very fashion forward. The campaign is beautiful; Liisa Winkler modeled, Chris Nicholls snapped, and the result is a teaser on the Lundström site.

Okay, so I’ve got a ton of samples ready to sell and my studio is pretty big, so I think I can have the sale here. Sandee agreed to help, so I’ll get her to serve refreshments and stuff, not that I can afford a bunch of refreshments. I think a couple bottles of Baby Duck will do. Now I’ve got to send out a million e-mails to everyone inviting them over on Thursday.

After last week’s horrific contractor disaster, I’ve been trying to find someone to make my clothes and it’s been such a pain. I finally found one that’s a bit closer to downtown and doesn’t require a million bus transfers, which is good, but it’s kind of sketch. Like, there weren’t any windows, it was dusty, and it was filled with little old ladies at sewing machines, but whatever. The price was right and they promised to finish my clothes in a month so I can ship them to my store by February.

Today, my ever-fashionable and always-elegant friend Mary Symons hosted an exclusive in-home launch party for her new company, The Luxurious Edge. She and business partner Sharon Hudson created a divine line of Pashmina tunics and coats. Of the venture, the marvelous Ms. Symons said:

I don’t know why I suddenly decided to do this..I am not a designer, nor do I pretend to be one…BUT I do know what I like…my partner Sharon is brave…one champagne infused dinner in Toronto…telling her about this idea…and two weeks later we are on a plane to India to start up a new label. A six day turnaround meant no time to see anything, just the hotel, the car to the factory and the inside office of the factory. The one time that we did venture out to buy embellishments in a market, we found ourselves in the middle of six co-coordinated bomb attacks. Still the passion and vibrancy of India that had first captured me, also crept its way into Sharon’s heart. We can not believe that we have this tiny start to what we hope will continue to grow. It has been a lot of work, but most importantly it has been fun..and we are still talking!

The use of Pashmina as fabric rather than as just a scarf is what makes this line so unique. The embellishments are so beautiful and the fabric so soft, that I saw trendsetters such as Suzanne Boyd and Susan Langdon trying on the tunics. Naturally, I had to try them on too, so I tested the Red Zardozi tunic with swing coat and loved it. The combination looked especially lovely with my Abel Munoz couture shoes. Since the line is so exclusive, I might have to place an order with Mary.

‘Tis the season. The season of good cheer, lovely gifts, fabulous party gowns, and holiday parties. Oh, those holiday parties. Some are fun, some are work. The work I speak of are the office parties to which one must attend. They are those social obligations where the most dreadful etiquette offenses and fashion crimes occur.

The lecherous older boss? Check.

The mature woman in accounting who pulls out her one party dress two years too small and five years out of style? Check.

The adorable mail boy who makes you want to forget professional boundaries? Check. He’s wearing his one and only dress suit, which makes him irresistible? Double-check.

Do not give in to the pitfalls of the holiday work party, Dear Readers. I am here to give you the guide on sophisticated soirée savvy.

Lucinda’s List: Emanating Elegance at Workplace Parties

1. The Open Bar is Closed – Do not be tempted by free alcohol. If you must partake, limit it to one glass of wine, and as much as we adore champagne, it simply must be avoided at work parties.
2. Shop Assistant – Take your brother shopping. Oh, it is not for him, but for you. Any gown that he deems appropriate for a work party should deflect grabby hands away from you and over to Marion in Accounting.
3. Date Fate – Pre-screen any escort you plan on introducing to your colleagues. If he is too loud, his obnoxiousness reflects poorly on you. If he is too quiet, you look like a dud as well. Test-run your date on a dinner with friends.
4. Plan a Getaway – One must never stay too long at the holiday work party. After midnight, everyone turns into a pumpkin. Trust me, you do not want to see your colleagues take over the band’s microphone and you do not want to see Marion making out with the mail boy. Make sure you have another social engagement to attend after the workplace fête.
5. Hit or Miss – Do not become a hit woman by cornering the mail cutie. Exercise restraint. You bring a date to distract you from committing a workplace crime.
6. Mistletoe Madness – Upon entering the party, scan the room for possible mistletoe mishaps. Never get caught beneath it, especially if you work in an office with undesirable men.
7. Conversation Sensation – Treat the holiday office party as an opportunity to get to know colleagues as people. It would not do harm to dazzle them with your knowledge of current events and interested in topics not talked about at work. Use the week before the event to read newspapers and watch the news.
8. The Buddy System – Sure, you want to get to know your workmates, but you would never really want to be their friends. Yes, dazzle them with conversation and be endearing, but do not encourage further social interaction. Keep it professional.
9. Never Let Them See You Eat – People always look terrible when eating, especially when they get food stuck between their teeth. Eating also ends up in bad breath disasters. If you must eat in view of your co-workers, restrain yourself to nibbling.
10. Goodness Gracious – Before you leave the party, thank your supervisor and the social committee for their hard work on planning a wonderful party, even if it was not so wonderful. You may even want to follow-up with thank-you cards the next week.

Wow! There are so, so many DIY craft fairs this time of year. I really should have been better at applying for some of them so I could have made some money.  Maybe then I could have afforded to buy some cute Christmas presents for all my friends - I saw so many neat gift ideas today!

Nathalie-Roze Fischer organized this superfun Crafternoon Tea event today with so many talented designers. I love, love, loved the goth-y creations from Creepy Christine, the neat necklaces from House of Hsueh, and the most hilarious handmade soap with toy animals getting it on!

Then I went back to my neighbourhood to check out the Mondo Bazaar at The Gladstone Hotel. There were so many crafts and tables, it was so inspiring. I loved Operation Sock Monkey, which raises money, support, and awareness for Clowns Without Borders South Africa. You buy or sponsor a sock monkey from them and proceeds go to help children in South African communities affected by HIV. So cool! And OMG, I laughed out loud at Kekki Bam’s cards, magnets, calendars, and invitations made out of vintage pattern pictures. So cute!

All these sales put me in a creative mood. I can’t wait to have my sale on Thursday.

Sweet Philip Sparks celebrated the opening of his new studio in the newly renovated historic Burroughs Building.  His space and clothing epitomizes the elegance of gentlemen from a bygone era.

I do believe Toronto’s most fabulous, creative people attended this open house. I enjoyed rubbing shoulders with Samra Habib, Rouge Magazine Associate Fashion and Beauty Editor, Melanie Cruikshank from DaLish Cosmetics, and Desia Brill from Brill Communications. It was a lovely evening.

The Fashion Mafia wanted a full report on his studio, so I told them what I saw. They seem impressed by his work, so I hope they do not ask me to sabotage this talented designer.