Preloved, not well used

'Preloved' - Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver
Here is what we want to share with you about the clothing find.

Julia Grieve is the founder of this wonderful offering. Once an international model now a business woman with three stores and 10 years of experience. Devotees of Preloved’s style are include models, actors, and musicians such as Shania Twain, Hillary Duff, Minnie Driver, Kate Hudson and Daria Werbowy. You might recognize Julia from one of her many appearances on The Dini Petty Show or Canadian Living - oh and she is the host of 'Diva on a Dime'.

Peter Friesen grew up as the youngest child in a Mennonite family of nine, he moved to Toronto at age 20 and entered Ryerson University’s Fashion Design Program. His co-op work placement was at Preloved (already pioneering the concept of re-designed vintage).

Preloved's creations are inspired by the restrictions of vintage clothing, Peter creates future-wear for the daring — beautifully rebuilt out of clothing from the past. Scraps of forgotten workpants reappear as an evening gown for the elegant, bed sheets are re-born as stunning summer dresses, over 20 waist-bands of vintage denim jeans are sewn together to become a classic pencil skirt.

Why we like these guys so much - simple. Fashion is in our minds an expression of self and our own beauty, that which we wish to share with the outside world. Fashion is art and creation all poured into functional. In very simple terms - Preloved is fun, cool, unique and environmentally friendly - how can you beat that?

How to find them: check out the Preloved website for locations, more info etc.

Return of the White Shirt

As promised, a follow up on my 'white shirt return'. Sarah Goyer, store manager of Winners at 3657 Richmond Road, Ottawa, Ontario - Way to go girl - you have some excellent people on staff at your store.

I called yesterday and spoke to Erica, who told me 'no problem' and to ask to see Jennifer when I arrived with the shirt. When I went into the store, I spoke to Jennifer, who was aware that I was coming in.

In no time flat I was wandering through the store, looking for a replacement shirt. No problems, no hassles, no grumpy managers threatening to refuse to take the shirt back.
The result - one happy shopper.

If you are in the Ottawa area - stop into this Winners location and say hi to the girls - tell them Hot Cherry Review sent you!

Cool gifts for picky men

Men! How hard is it to find really great gifts for men?

I have a very good friend whose birthday is just around the corner. Every year he gets the same old gifts - tools, add-ons for his boat or snowmobile, something that says 'Jaguar', aged Whiskey. You all know what I'm talking about. It is tough being original when buying for the men in your life.

In my searches I have found a few really cool ideas- how about these? 'Bachelor Mop Slippers' They are machine washable and cost only $9.95.

How about 'The Lazy Spoon'? This great little gadget was featured on 'Oprah'. The spoon is crafted from cherry wood and get this, comes for the right or left handed cook. Cost of this neat little spoon is only $27.00

Keeping with the kitchen theme, we found these 'Hothead Pot Holders'. Hey I could use a set of these. They sell for $12.50, are constructed of silicone so they can take the heat.

Where'd we find all these great little gifts? I was directed to the website of 'The Spoon Sisters'. An online site that delivers to you, great gifts. Check them out by clicking on their name. Make sure to tell them that you saw their wares on Hot Cherry Review!

The White Dress shirt

The white dress shirt - men, women, teens - everyone needs to have one. (seriously, you need one at least) Button down, long sleeves, nice collar, no frills, crisp and bright white.

Easier said than done. Finding a proper dress shirt that can either go under a suit jacket or stand alone is a very difficult task. Why - mostly because of the styles of the cut. There are also other elements to consider as well, that can make finding the right shirt just down right difficult.

Once the 'right' shirt has been found, it should be purchased and guarded - never tempt the 'white shirt gods' by laundering your prize shirt with colours.

This entry isn't so much about finding the proper white shirt as the story that goes with it. I found such a shirt after what seemed like an all day expedition. It was a Winners in Ottawa Ontario. It was a perfect fit, perfect style, perfect cuffs - home it came.

I wore the shirt for the first time last week. When I was on my way out of a meeting, suit jacket in hand I noticed a small hole in the sleeve - it looked like a bad tare from a pin or staple. I must have missed it when I tried the shirt on in the store.

I took the shirt home and figuring that there would be no way Winners would take the shirt back, I washed it. (following directions of course) Well, can you imagine my utter disappointment when it came out, shrunk up almost 2 sizes?

I was about to give up and donate it when I stopped and called the Winners I had bought it at. I told the manager my story. She told me bring it back. It was a bonus that I had kept the receipt. "It sounds like you have a real dud" she said, "bring it back in and we'll take care of it". I asked several times - 'really?'

So, kudos today go out to Winners, Bells Corners (Ottawa), Ontario. Now I'll keep you posted on what happens when I take the shirt back, but I don't anticipate any problems.

I am very happy to be able to report this very good instance of customer service. Unlike many shops I frequent, the return and refund policy of Winners is one that every shopper can live with. It is something that other stores should be looking at. Who says we need to shop at a store that says 'no refunds, exchanges or returns' and 'all sales final'?

Winners Canada - www.winners.ca

Boots made for a Hot Cherry

As promised yesterday, here are some of my fav online places to find the great shoes and boots of the season. Some are Canadian, others are located elsewhere in the world.

Before you begin clicking and shopping, there are a few things to remember about buying online.

1) Always ask questions before you commit to purchase - sometimes it is too late afterwards.
2) Use sizing charts and if in doubt ask seller for insole measurements or compare measurements with existing shoes you have and like the fit of.
3) If in doubt about the size, cheat - find the shoe style in a store and try it on. 9 times out of 10 you will be able to get a better price shopping online - so check out both options.
4) Check the cost of shipping. Sometimes you will find a very low price on a pair of shoes/boots only to find out the shipping is through the roof.
5) Boots almost always fit true to size, though check the circumference of the calf. Different styles of shoes fit differently.
6) If you are buying pointy toe varieties, many retailers suggest buying a 1/2 size up - your choice.

Here are some links to check out -

for Authentic Italian designer shoes and boots give these guys a look - they are located online and in Toronto, Ontario

for a bit of everything, try The Valley Girls Shoe Closet - they have a very large online selection and some very decent pricing

yet another site, with a bit of everything, Foot Fashion Frenzy has an online store and ship out of Toronto, Ontario - there shipping costs are very good as well.

Oh and a tidbit for Canadian Readers - if you have the time and energy - check out Winners Stores. Their shoe orders appear out of nowhere though, so you have to be committed to checking often. Don't wait for the hot styles to go on sale either - they sell out quickly. The nice thing about Winners is that if you find a better deal elsewhere they will give a full refund (with receipt and tags) within 10 days - no questions asked.
Also, with Winners, if you find a flaw in the article you want no matter how small, ask for a discount - they will almost always give one to you. Find a store near you and pre-shop online at www.winners.ca

For US readers, Winners is a TJX Company - aka TJ Max.

Feel free to share your shoe/boot shopping leads and tips - post your comments today!

Good luck and good shopping.

Hip Chick, Hot Feet

Are you a 'hip chick' who is a bit of a 'shoe horse'? The kind of girl who right now is going crazy trying to figure out which boots are the hottest and which shoes are the coolest this season? I confess - I'm a bit of a horse in this sense. Now, if I had unlimited resources (or closet space), there wouldn't be an issue - but, I'm just like the rest of you out there - life has limitations!

I've been on a mission to find the best multi purpose boots and multi functional shoes. A few different styles would be nice, along with a few different colours.

Regardless of your budget or closet space, there are some 'must knows' before you head out to conquer the 'footwear demon'.

1) Boots are hot!
2)There are many, many kinds of boots; slouch, pirate, retro styling, riding boots, stiletto heels, stacked heel, round toe, square toe, pointy toe, platform.
3) Colours are bending towards neutrals - tan, black, and various shades of brown, purple and red.
4) Finishes too are open; suede, leather, leather look-a-like, micro fiber, paten leather.
5) To add to the confusion, they all come in a variety of heights; ankle, knee high, mid calf, over the knee.
6) With additional style factors; roll down, slouch, leg hugging, wide calf.

When it comes to boots, fit and style (yours) are what are important. Tight fitting boots accentuate legs, platforms do make you taller, and slouch and wide calf are meant to have leggings and pants tucked inside. Not everyone can wear ankle booties with stockings and tights.

On to shoes. Once again, they come in a variety of styles; flats, platform, stacked heel, wedgies. They are sticking very close to the boots with regards to finishes and colours.

If you are looking for an option to wear with those to die for new skinny jeans - you should likely be going with a nice simple shoe with a high heel. Yes, even if you are tall, you can wear heels! Flats are great for hip chicks with thin legs. Stacked heels work for just about anyone as do platforms. Wedgies - are amazing and everyone can wear them. Dress them up or down, take them to work or the cocktail party.

Now if you do not want to own one of each, here is a good place to start. Black goes well with almost any fall fashion outfit. Second of course is a rich darker brown but only after you have good choices in black. (You can never have too many pairs of 'black') Paten leather is dressy. Be careful of your reds, they are hard to match. A nice pair of fashion boots, a couple of good pairs of shoes and you should be just fine.

Ask any 'shoe horse' and they'll tell you that they tend to spend double the money on fall and winter shoes than they do on summer footwear. Don't skimp on your shoes and boots this time of year. That doesn't mean you need to drop a couple of pay checks on your feet though. Deals are abundant, even on the most sought after styles. Tomorrow, I'll share with you some of my online and offline finds.

Likely the best place to start this Blog, is to explain just what Hot Cherry Review is all about. Or better still, what vision we have of it being. (Where it will end up, we know from experience, could be much different, though, that really is the fun of the journey)

Here is the premise surrounding this project - Shopping is hard work. Knowing when you are getting a good deal or the rush is even harder to. As a result, it is so much better to have the assurance of a referral. It could be someone you've just met telling you where they scored the hottest boots of the season at the best price or your best friends sharing his experience of his latest vacation.

Whether it is good, bad or indifferent, we thought it would be 'nice' if knowledge like this could be shared. What we did not want was to develop a site, fueled by paid content, made to look like 'independent reviews'. There are already plenty of those sites out there for you to use.

The other thing that we really wanted to ensure was that this site allowed reviews, both good and bad. If a company or retailer has screwed up, we think that is something that needs to be shared. Our reviewers will do it of course with the utmost respect. Remember good service needs to be rewarded - bad service needs to be talked about.

As for guidelines - really there are very few outside of the standard protocol online.
#1) Opinions are for sharing, vendettas are not.
#2) Always remain honest and fair.
#3) Never, no matter what the circumstance use profanity.

If you are reading this and think to yourself; 'hey, I'd be a good Hot Cherry Reviewer' pop us a line and let us know - we are always looking for 'hot spotters'.

Hot Cherry Review is for sharing, so share away - send us to your friends, family and co workers, for that matter to anyone you think might be interested.

Oh and the name – we hope you like it. We wanted something that said it all – hot finds, hot deals, cherry picking the best!