Vegan Ivanka Trump Shoes

Ivanka Trump has recently released an adorable - and affordable - line of shoes. I emailed the company to see if any of the products were animal-friendly and they were kind enough to send me links to two items. Both are very cute! Peridot Thong Sandals available here for $60. Scapoli flats available here for $80. The flats would look good on a casual friday with jeans and blazer.

News: Women lawyers leaving in droves

Bummer story coming out of the Toronto Star today on how women are leaving law practice in droves. It's not exactly new news but the optimist in me keeps hoping things will get better in big law land. Either way, it's good to keep up with what barriers are still in place so we can all work to knock them down.

Hat tip: Cynthia for sending me this article.

Fashionista's Toronto Shopping Guide

Fashionista has recently posted a shopping guide for Toronto. They've hit the nail on the head. These are exactly the spots I would send a fashion-hungry friend: Ossington, Queen West, Holts. The post reminded me that I still haven't checked out the "The Room at the Bay" - it is supposed to be lovely.

Essie's "French Affair" Spring 2011

It's snowing like crazy in Toronto today. Seems like a good time to post about Essie's new Spring 2011 nail polish collection with it's cheerful pastel hues. Pictured above: Essie "French Affair" Collection nail polishes Nice Is Nice, Coat Azure and French Affair. I'm not a huge Essie fan, but I'll give these babies a try when they hit my salon.

Topshop now in Canada!

Topshop, the ultra-trendy British chain store, has finally arrived in Canada. Topshop, which has 300 stores in the UK and 100 internationally, opens its shop-in-a-shop at Jonathan + Olivia on June 19.

Since opening two years ago, the ultra-cool Jonathan + Olivia has developed a following for its stock of such fashion-insider labels as Alexander Wang, Isabel Marant and Surface To Air. The store is located at Ossington Ave. and Queen St. W. More here.

Toronto is the 16th most Liveable City

Toronto is among four Canadian cities that made the top 25 in the world for quality of living.

The Mercer Quality of Living survey looked at 221 cities and compared how they ranked on factors such as crime, health, education, transportation, recreation, housing and environment. The list is often used by multinational companies to determine appropriate compensation and incentives for executives asked to relocate.

Vancouver shared the fourth spot with Auckland, New Zealand. Ottawa ranked 14th, Toronto placed 16th while Montreal came in at number 21. In case you were wondering, Baghdad remains at the bottom of the quality of life list, at No. 221.

More here.

Toronto's Best Brunch

NOW Magazine has published their annual list of the best brunch spots in Toronto. Being an avid bruncher, I've been to many of Toronto's brunch hot spots. Here's my commentary on some of the spots they've mentioned.

Calico - Awesome vegan brunch! Owner/Chef Jared is a food artist.
The Drake- Pretentious, but tasty.
Starving Artist - Amazing regular waffles, vegan waffles not great.
Fresh by Juice for Life - Brunch is just OK.
Pulp Kitchen - Good, simple food.
Aunties And Uncles - Crazy line-up, food was good.
Le Petit Dejeuner - Not good.
Sadie’s Diner - Fabulous diner. Staff are really cool.
Shanghai Cowgirl - Solid place.
Sneaky Dee’s - Soooo greasy. This is good and bad.
Live Organic Food - Who wants raw food for breakfast? Not me.
United Bakers Dairy - Good but over-priced.

Also, NOW didn't mention Insomnia - but their brunch is wonderful!
RIP to my all time favourite spot The Get Real Cafe which is now closed.

UPDATE: New amazing spot! The Bloordale Pantry has a fab brunch. Try the vegetarian Bloordale Benny (griddle scones poached eggs and homemade hollandaise sauce), it`ll blow your mind! There website is under construction but you can read more here and here and here.