Fall into fashion
Jessy Lacourciere and Rachael Grant of J&R Grimsmo.
Jessy Lacourciere and Rachael Grant at J&R Grimsmo
Co-owners of the ladies’ boutique J&R Grimsmo on Barrington Street, which opened two years ago. “We carry clothing, accessories, everything that a woman might want in her life,” Lacourciere says.
“We try to focus on really good solid design, meaning classic, but updated clothing that is appropriate for work,” Grant adds. “But we also have things that are comfortable and fun to wear on your downtime as well. We’ve been focusing a lot lately on Canadian designs.”
Personal style:
Lacourciere: “I don’t think of myself as having a specific style. Probably a little bit plain, but kind of eclectic, too. Well, not plain, maybe a little retro twist.”
Grant: “I tend to stay toward classic shapes, but I like to experiment with pattern and colour. And play with things out of my comfort zone once in awhile and have to some fun, and not be too stuffy.”
Current fashion trends:
Grant: “A lot of the trends we saw last fall we’re seeing again this fall, sort of black and grey and men’s wear fabrics like houndstooth and checks, and plaids and flannel. We like the idea of mixing patterns, like mixing a moody floral with a houndstooth. Mixing textures, flannel with satin.”
Lacourciere: “I am a sucker for any jewel tones, so when I see any eggplants come up and plums and things, I love that. And then mixing a nice deep, rich tone with a subtle pattern.”
Grant: “I think we have to mention green, emerald green. Many shades of greens from olives to emerald jewel tones are really strong. I don’t think we’ve seen green really that strong in a long time.”
Trends that should go away:
Grant: “We don’t really like the idea of trends. Everybody wants their clothing to last and they want to look good from season to season, so anything they should buy should be able to take you through into the next year. But I think being a slave to trends is really bad and you see it a lot, people wearing several trends all at once. And it gets a little heavy handed.”
Styles you don’t enjoy:
Lacourciere: “Take any of them out on their own and you can find a way to like it. Like the zippered ankle jean you see. I have seen that before and I like it. Used in another way with your basic favourites, it really has a certain charm to it. I like hints of leather but too much, mixed with lots of hardware—it doesn’t do it for me.”
Grant: “Another trend I am seeing a lot more in high fashion, but it will probably trickle down, is more oversized coats. I like it when I see it in an editorial, but when I see it then I think about if you’re actually going to invest in a winter coat, you don’t want a great big, oversized grandpa coat. You want some beautiful and tailored that you will love next year. Stay away from that one.”
Halifax’s style:
Grant: “Yoga pants never seem to go away. They should probably go away. Unless you are going to and from yoga class that ‘s completely legitimate. I really like Halifax style. If you look around, there are a lot of people really experimenting with style a lot and trying to find their own way of expressing their individuality. And there is a lot of courage in Halifax for a certain demographic.”
Pamela McInnis
Pamela McInnis
Designer of dresses, which she describes as “girly with a bit of an edge.” Owner of Put Me On, a consignment shop on Queen Street. “Fall is my favourite time of year for fashion,” she says. “I am a layering freak and the fall is the time you can really do that without having to slap a big winter coat on. You really need those layers just in case. Layering season is where it’s at.”
Favourite fall fashion:
“I wear [boots] all year round. I haven’t taken them off all summer. I like the kind of combat-style boot you see around that has the studs all over it or maybe they are just a little bit more ladylike. For me, I don’t wear pants; I only wear dresses. Boots are just the perfect footwear to wear with dresses, for me. I can’t wear dainty shoes. It’s not really my vibe. I am child of the early 90s, which means I was wearing combat boots and frilly dresses, bleached blonde hair and lipstick. That’s where I am coming from. [Boots] add a toughness to an outfit without being aggressive. I like the edge.”
Worst fashion trend:
“Thankfully, we are just getting out of the summer, so it shouldn’t be that big of a problem, but the shorts are too short. I see bums hanging out from the shorts and that is weird. It’s really bad.”
Halifax’s style:
“Halifax is such a student city…People are coming from all over, so they are bringing their own flavours of where they are coming from. So it’s kind of hard to say we have something that is distinctly Halifax. It seems like with Halifax it takes a little while for the trendy things to make their way here. There is an ease about people in the Maritimes and sometimes that translates into not really paying too much attention to what they are wearing.”
Style Halifax needs:
“I’d love to see more men take some initiative and fancy themselves up a little bit. I have a theory and it could be completely wrong, but with men, I feel like if they start off choosing their outfit by choosing a nice pair of shoes. It doesn’t really matter what they rest of the outfit it; it kind of looks like it’s on purpose, if they fix it up with a nice pair of shoes. You could wear a nice pair of shoes and who knows what’s going on upstairs, like people might think that you’ve got it figured out if you have nice shoes. It could be a weird outfit, but it might be high fashion and they don’t know.”
Ashley Woodworth
Ashley Woodworth
Blogger at Fashion Roadkill since 2009.
Personal shopping motto:
“Buy now what you are going to wear now.”
Personal style:
“Contemporary and simple. I am not really caught up in trends anymore…I like masculine influences; I am not really a girly girl.”
Favourite fall fashion:
“Coats with really, really rich fabrics like wool. Rich colours; maroons, navy, a lot of gold detailing, like gold buttons.”
Worst fashion trend:
“I don’t like a lot of bling, things that need to be too adorned with fringe or studs. It seems like that is still happening, but I wish we could step away from that. [Also,] women pairing off the wrong shoe with an outfit. It’s usually a work outfit and it’s usually they are wearing, I don’t know, I call them grandma shoes. Or a sneaker.”
Style Halifax needs:
“I’d definitely like to see more tailored coats, tailored suiting, tailored trousers. Plaid and pinstrips are going to be two prints that are popular for fall and I’d love to see more of that. People dressing in a nice leather jacket. That’s forever, but that is also something that is coming back right now. Good, quality footwear. Ankle boots with a nice chunky sole that will anchor a look.”
Best personal fashion investment:
“Double breasted-camel coats, wool wide-legged pants. Grey pumps. Something that is not trendy; something that you will be able to wear next year.”
This story was originally published in Halifax Magazine.
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