The Outfits of the Week!

Starting today, we'll be posting pics and info about each of the lovely outfits our mannequins are showcasing in the store. Hopefully we'll be able to keep up with the picture taking/posting every week, but if not I guess you'll just have to get up out of your chair and come down to the store to see them yourself!




Our first lovely lady is wearing cut off bermuda jean shorts from MX Jeans (Montreal), white ribbed tank with sparrow print from Poisson (Toronto), black vintage suspenders, green cropped linen jacket from Las Valentias (Toronto), white handpainted and reworked vintage purse from Vanessa Moore (Montreal) and rose quartz necklace from Aria (Montreal).




Our second girl is rocking a navy/tan tucked tube dress from BLUEprint (Montreal, that's me, finally, I know I know) and red stone necklace from Aria (Montreal). Just in case anyone is wondering, the necklace is pinned at the back to make it shorter, so it really hangs about 4-5" lower.

That's it for "The Outfits of the Week"!

Getting to Know .... Crowded Teeth!

Finally a post with some pictures again! We just got in new stock from one of our great California artist/designers, Michelle Romo of Crowded Teeth. Here are some facts that you might not have known about Michelle:

- She is a 23 year old living in the great big city of Los Angeles
- She has a 40 hour a week design job, and the rest of her time is spent doing this sha-bang called Crowded Teeth
- She started learning Illustrator and Photoshop when she was 16 - her Mom brought home a fancy new computer and let her go nuts. She's been in front of the computer 20 hours a day since then. What a nice/evil mom!
- She likes Six Feet Under, Junko Mizuno and Jawbreaker
- She has tattoos on her feet
- She has a weird sense of humor and she swears casually - a lot
- She started Crowded Teeth wanting to make t-shirts and products that she would wear and be into. Something that didn't have a huge stupid logo, was graphic-y and pretty, and didn't cost a billion dollars.

So far HQ has Crowded Teeth T's for girls and guys, tanks for girls and we just got in theses AMAZING little crocheted pendant necklaces. My favorite is the Teru Teru Bozu necklace, Michelle tells me that it's inspired by these little dolls they make in Japan during the rainy season and hang in the window to make the rain go away - like I said AMAZING! Sooooooo fun!

Getting to Know You, Group Exhibition

Our grand opening is fast approaching, so grab your friends, wash your hair, put on a nice little outfit and come down to the store on Saturday July 8th for our grand opening vernissage/art show party/extravaganza and enjoy some tunes, good company, a brew or two (we will also have wine, so don't fret beer haters) and of course, take a look at the fabulous art we've brought in for this show. The show will run for a whole month, but who are we kidding, who wants to see art on the SECOND day it's shown, sheesh...

We're also offering special one night only prices on all Furni products, so if you're looking for the perfect cutting board, clock or towel holder, we've got it!

www.furnicreations.com

Why we hate Grand Prix

So we just wanted to let everyone know the latest events happening at HQ, on Thursday Tyson got pepper sprayed and the motherfuckers stole our computer. Sooooooo..... we hate Grand Prix for getting all the junkie crack head drunks all excited and ready to party with all the meat head jocks, causing them to steal peoples computers to sell for a hundred bucks, in order to buy said crack.

On a more positive note however, apparently the best way to meet and bond with your neighbouring business owners is to stumble down the street with a face full of pepper spray yelling for help. So many of our neighbours helped Tyson that day, and also a couple of complete strangers. Thanks to the guy and girl who held Tysons eyelids open while the pharmacist poured some mystery liquid in them. Thanks to the guys at the spa who let Tyson take a shower and called the cops for him. And thanks to the nice lady at the Vietnamese restaurant who brought us springrolls to eat at the store the next day. And thanks to all our friends for coming down to see us, especially Jen Storey who brought us a solid wood worn-in Louisville Slugger. The fact that it's solid wood tells them "this is gonna hurt" and the worn-in finish says "I'm not afraid to use it". Perfect!

Don't forget to pass on the word, our Grand Opening vernissage "Getting to Know You" is happening 2 weekends from now on Saturday July 8th. The art we've received so far is blowing our minds, and there's still a few more pieces to arrive!

Getting to know.... Rachel F.

One of the designers who's jewelry really epitomises Montreal design is Rachel F. This is what Rachel had to say about her design process:

As Montreal is a city where paradoxes are defined by originality, the collection of accessories by the young artist rachel.f. could not represent Montreal in a more tangible way. With harmonizing recycled materials as her leitmotiv, Rachel Fortin 's creations are like millions of rainbows in each and every lane of our city.

Her awareness of over consumption, as well as her affection for anything that looks like an alley cat, has led rachel.f. in using only old materials such as cast away clothing and production scraps in all of her collections. So Rachel spends hours and hours destroying your old coats and jackets in order to create a line of sweet and funky fur accessories, as well as a line of trash and colourful leathers,

Rachel.f.’s new collection feels like what would happen if Montreal’s art and fashion went for a drink. Thanks to silk screened designs, each accessory helps give birth to the creativity of many artists in the city. From hats to earrings, to brooches, to purses, all these accessories are little chef d'oeuvres on their own, unique and portable.

Wonderful, now again for all our French fans!

Si Montréal est cette ville où les paradoxes se marient avec originalité, les collections d’accessoires de la jeune designer rachel.f. sont définitivement montréalaises. Avec l’harmonisation des matières recyclées comme leitmotiv, les créations de Rachel Fortin sont comme des millions d’arcs-en-ciel au fond de chacune de nos ruelles.

Sa sensibilité face aux méfaits de la surconsommation, ainsi que sa tendre affection pour tout ce qui ressemble le moindrement à un chat de gouttière, obligent rachel.f. à n’utiliser que des peaux et des étoffes usagées comme unique matière de base. Ainsi, Rachel passe de longues heures à («décapiter») transformer vos vieux vêtements afin de donner naissance à une ligne d’accessoires de fourrure douce et funky, ainsi qu à une ligne de cuire trash et colorée.

La nouvelle collection de rachel.f. donne l’impression que les mondes de l’art et de la mode sont aller prendre un verre. Les imprimés en sérigraphie qui ornent les différentes pièces font que les accessoires servent aussi de canevas pour le travail de certains artistes visuels de la métropole. De chapeau en boucles d oreilles, de broches en sacs à main, tous les accessoires sont comme autant de petites oeuvres d art, uniques et portatives.

Rachel not only does items like the ones pictured above, but also earrings, necklaces, belts and belt buckles. The amount of work and love that goes into each piece is truly commendable, the patience this girl has is incredible!

Headquarters in Le Voir Cahier

Don't forget to pick up the new Voir this Thursday and flip open to the Cahier section to see a small article on Headquarters!
Fun stuff!

We've also received the great vintage pieces from Junkstar in Calgary, super cute dresses and fun jersey skirts (which I like to wear as a dress also) and a bunch of great guys polos and tees, all printed with a great retro Unicorn design in a rainbow of colours. Yay Nathan and Derek, great job!

New stuff, arriving soon!

We just got some new stock in from Snapcrafty! Yay! Super cute owl stud earrings, 2 sets per pack! Also some more beautiful "Lush" necklaces, totally one of a kind, made of vintage plastic bits and last but not least "love detector" necklaces, 'cause summer is almost here!

We've also orders some new mens t-shirts from a variety of fabulous companies, we'll be posting some pics and bios soon.

Arriving next week from Calgary is an AMAZING shipment of vintage goodies from our friends at Junkstar. They've customized them with beautiful fun screenprints to give them a kick ass update. All the good vintage stuff is in Calgary, so we promise these will be select items for guys and gals. If you're ever in Calgary check out the Junkstar store for the hands down best vintage items in Calgary, and that means a lot! Ask for the great owners Nathan and Derek, then tell them that you gave Tyson a wet willy and they'll probably give you a discount.

that's it for now, coming soon, finally....... pics from BLUEprint Clothing (by yours truly) and new F.S.U. items from Tyson!

Getting to know .... Marzio Fiorini

OK we'll admit it, when you think of rubber jewelry, a little S & M action might come to mind. But we promise, the rubber jewelry by Brazilian designer Marzio Fiorini is pretty much the opposite of what you might be expecting. Some pieces are delicate and lacy, some are chunky and mod, and some have a totally unique look that's all their own. The collection includes earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and combo pieces that can be used as individual bracelets, or combed to make an intricate necklace, belt, or whatever else you can think of.

Over a period of time working with this material Marzio has developed a sharp eye that unveils shapes from everyday life and turns them into beautiful jewelry. This concept of art jewelry was created for a sophisticated woman who wishes to attract attention and feel beautiful.

Truly unique pieces, for the person who wants something a little different. I think we could all use a little more of that.

Mr Men

Hey, we got some new Mr. Men and Little Miss books in today! God, I love these ittle bastards. They take me back to a time when it was o.k. to piss in my own pants........ not like last week....at the pub..... god, i"ll never live that down....

Ahem, here are some interesting facts about the Mr. Men series:

- In Danish, “Mr. Dizzy” is called “Faetter Dumbum”. (HAR-HAR-HAR!!)
- Most popular Mr. Men book is “Mr. Tickle” and the most popular Little Miss book is “Little Miss Naughty”.
- “Mr. Mean’s” Guide to Management was the best selling business title in the UK in 2000.
- “Mr. Mean” keeps all of his money in a tin, in a box, in a case, in a trunk, in a hole, in his cellar, in his house.
- Creator Richard Hargreaves was born in 1935 and died in 1988. His son Adam Hargreave took over the Mr. Men franchise and still creates new characters.
- There are over 80 Mr. Men and Little Miss characters.

Getting to know ...Mindan Gunther Moore

Sometimes we find a great designer, and we think we've done our job so well, but then we find out that this great designer has a friend who is also a great designer....and then we realize that our work will never be done, and that it is impossible to find EVERY good designer on our own. So in the end this is exactly how we found out about Mindan Gunther Moore, through the lovely Alexis from Fauna.

Mindan brings a little something different to our jewelry selection, a little something clean and modern. She believes that
it is important to adorn in a way that compliments the body as it exists on its own…to follow the lines of the human form with a classic, complimentary movement. So she looks to what exists around her, the curve of a neck, the discarded item or hidden treasure, the line that stands out to be noticed, to find inspiration for the privilege that it is to be a portion of the age old tradition of adorning one’s self..

Mindan’s designs are hand crafted sterling silver jewelry with attention to class and detail, creating a feeling of elegance and edge with an aim to protect and provoke simultaneously. Each piece is designed to transgress from casual to decadent with ease and to make the wearer feel comfortable and confident.

So if you're not into punky, girly or super retro jewelry, this is the stuff for you. Clean, modern, simple design that's definitely worth checking out.

Getting to know...Haiiku

Yay! Friday! I thought this would be the perfect day to introduce you all to Haiiku, another beautiful line designed by another beautiful Montrealer. Haiiku is designed by our friend Iris, a wonderful girl we met at the Rusty Plum Craft Fair last year. We were totally impressed by her feminine vintagy inspired pieces, and now we are totally impressed with the beautiful images from her most recent photoshoot.

No only is Iris a great designer, but also a super sweet person as well! Doesn't that make you feel better? Knowing that the person who made this clothing is not some crazy diva bitch? Sugar and spice and everything nice, that's what went into these clothes, oh, and a little fabric and thread too.

We've got many of these great items from Haiiku in the store right now, so grab an umbrella and come down to the store this weekend to see them in person!

Headquarters gets a facial!

We're so new we didn't need a facelift, but a good facial was in order. So we gave our windows a good cleaning and a little toner, then we threw on some beautiful makeup in the form of a classy vinyl sticker designed by Pony of Prey (Fred Casia and James Braithwaite)

It was a tough run, with much of the evening spent straddling the skylight in one challenging pose after another. Fred got a great workout, holding uncomfortable postions while passersby asked him about the boutique (his french is better than ours), while Tyson got to show off his butt to the street bending over holding Fred in place and Angie practiced her balancing skills trying to hold those damn stickers in place.

After a few beers and diet cokes, a little pizza and a lot of high fives we are left with a beautiful window graphic. Go team!!

Getting to know... Kelly Zarb

Headquarters is spreading its newborn fingers even wider, reaching all the way out to Melbourne Australia for our newest addition to the family!

Kelly Zarb is a 24yr old crafty chick from Melbourne trying to find her own little niche amongst some fantastic indie designers & artists internationally. She works as a visual merchandiser by trade, but was creatively stifled and became tired of making others happy and not herself, so she decided to create her own line of jewellery and other crafty goods. She is inspired by Japanese street culture, colour, pattern and the child within.

We're getting in a nice little shipment of these super cute Owl amulet necklaces she makes, in many different colours. Each necklace is handsewn and closes with a press stud/snap closure. Kelly has added some nice little beads to the metal chain, with each necklace having different beads, for a little bit of personalization. After all, everyone knows owls HATE getting caught in the same outfit as one another!

These owls are super cute, the things you could carry in them are pretty countless (keys, gum, interac card, love letters, a lock of your loved ones hair, your wisdom tooth that got yanked out...um... a picture of your dog....the list goes on) and the great colour combos Kelly comes up with are retro in a Marc Jacobsy modern way.

We should be getting them in a week or so, come check out the store and scoop one up for yourself.

Why we love Neil

So it's the end of our first weekend here at H.Q. and bad weather aside,things went quite well. Our friend Neil was our first customer and God bless im', he won't shut up about it. So, if you bump into him give him a high five and a kiss on the lips.

For those of you who are sending in art, portfolios or love letters, please address them to:
H.Q.
1649 rue Amherst
Montreal, QC
H2L 3L4
CANADA

peace out

Open for business!

The time has come, we're open!

Come on down to 1649 Rue. Amherst, right beside Gotha Lounge, just north of Maisonneuve.
The closest metro is Berri-UQAM, but Beaudry and Sherbrooke are also pretty darn close.
Give us a call if you have any questions: (514) 678-2923

Soon we'll have beautiful window graphics to let you know where we are, but for now you'll have to use your skills of number reading to search out our address.

Happy hunting!

(We put some pics of our dog Spidy for now, we'll be posting some pics of the store tomorrow or Sat.)

xoxo
HQ