Girl About O-Town

While wandering through the Byward Market a few weeks back, the fella and I stumbled upon Funk Your Junk, an eclectic boutique offering an array of found treasures, retro clothing and upcycled pieces.  Unable to resist the appeal of “funky junk”, this girlaboutOtown insisted we stop in to check out the shop, despite the fact it was nearly closing time.

Once inside, we perused the carefully curated collection of clothing, jewellery and shoes, while chatting it up with owners and fellow junk-aholics Henri and Angie.  These are two are super-enthused – to say the least – about their main mission, which is to create smiles and encourage joyful, fashionable reuse.  Oh, and they’re really friendly too!

Not only to they sell their selection of second-hand finds, they also offer an interesting variety of hand-made and repurposed-goods, as well as music from local bands they’ve discovered and feel like sharing with shoppers.  Like any shop of this nature, it may take more than one visit to find just the right thing, but the prices are good and the vibe relaxed enough to encourage your return.  It’s the kind of place you can linger without feeling as though you may have overstayed your welcome.      The real story at Funk Your Junk is behind the scenes though.  These two corporate escapees do more than just sell their wares.  Henri and Angie also round up previously worn suits and other business clothes to share with those who need them most in their Suited for Success program.  Working with the United Way Ottawa to identify beneficiaries for this little bit of extra help, these two store owners show us all just how far a good suit can go.   Read a couple of compelling client testimonials here.

To shop for some stylin’ upcycled goods, or to learn more about how to donate your gently used suits, stop in yourself and say hello at Funk Your Junk, 110 Parent St., at Murray.

Photo of Henri & Angie via Funk Your Junk, shop photos by me.

“If one advances confidently in the direction of one’s dreams, and endeavors to live the life which one has imagined, one will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”

         -Henry David Thoreau, American Essayist, Poet & Philosopher

This quote is in part the inspiration behind my blog.

Two years ago, this girlaboutOtown wrote her first post after going out with a few very good girlfriends to see Sex and the City, The Movie on opening night.   I mused about the supply of and demand for cool in Canada’s capital city, and concluded that Ottawa women were more than capable of supplying some serious style.  It was a shot in the dark – quite literally – and I had no idea where it would all lead.

At the time, I had decided to blog because I needed a creative outlet, and because I wasn’t convinced that my life here in OTown was all that it could be.   Along the road to responsible adulthood, I had missed a few steps, and I guess I was desperately seeking something new.  Among other things, I found myself day dreaming regularly about nights out at the theatre, restaurant meals and swanky parties – and I wondered whether I ever stood a chance.  Perhaps this girlaboutOtown was under the influence of too many magazines, but I was bored – in a city famous for being boring. 

So, I set out to make change for myself – by noting it around me.  While I felt far from courageous, I made it my mission to find others who were.  I went out of my way to do things I hadn’t done, and whenever I encountered fun, fashion or a fresh attitude, I’d share it in writing with the few of you who were following.   At first, it was hard, but very soon I found myself celebrating the very same city I had once berated, and all because of this blog.

Fast forward to now.  OTown is a-Twitter with talk of  last night’s advanced screening of Sex and the City 2.  Despite a few offers to attend, this girlaboutOtown was otherwise occupied at an event I never would have even known about way back when I was bitter and bored.  Here I was on a Wednesday night, decked out in my finest for an evening of genuine glamour, followed by low-key (but lovely) dinner for two on Preston Street.  Who could have imagined!?

While hordes of women whooped it up all over town, the fella and I “dressed to intrigue” at a downtown viewing of Halston Heritage 2010 Spring Collection, available in Canada only at The Bay.  Halston Heritage is a new diffusion clothing line from Halston, founded by legendary American fashion designer  Roy Halston Frowick.  Famous for glamour, sex- appeal and ease,  Halston clothes are synonymous with the iconic looks of the 1970′s.

Halston circa 1977, via Media Bistro

The Heritage Collection – launched under the direction of Chief Creative Officer Sarah Jessica Parker – offers a contemporary take on these classic 70′s styles.  The shapes in this latest collection are fluid, the lines soft, the colours clear and they drape effortlessly.  And, of course, one or two pieces do make an appearance in the latest Sex and the City 2 movie, which opens in theatres everywhere today.  

If you – like me – missed the movie last night, and have imagined life a little bit less boring, why not plan to go out next Thursday, June 3 for an evening of glitzy do-gooding?  Girls all over Ottawa will be getting together in support of the Weekend to End Women’s Cancer, and as usual, supplying more than their fair share of style.  Maybe I’ll see you there…