Happy Hallowe'en!

THE REFINERY wishes everyone a Happy Halloween! Have fun playing dress up, handing out candy, and having a ball being silly! Today's the day you can pretend to be anything you want so have some fun!

Stylish Tax Deduction for Small Business Owners

Did you know that personal style coaching is a fully tax deductible expense for small business owners?  All the more reason to invest in yourself, your employees, or a gift for your customers.  You will be creating a positive face for your brand, and putting your best foot forward!

Toronto Designer Spotlight: Pricila Gomes

Pricila Gomes specializes in gorgeous hand crocheted jackets and sweaters. Her pieces are elegant, natural, and feminine all rolled into one.  As a designer and producer, Pricila has a keen attention to detail, which I absolutely love! I am always encouraged when a designer is more fastidious about the details on a piece than I am - I know it's well made! 

Pricila makes one-of-a-few pieces that you can see on her website, but her passion lies in creating custom pieces with her clients.  Contact her and she will rise to the challenge!  www.pricilagomes.com 

Bargain Shopping

I am a learned bargain shopper. I find shopping in a store where I know they will have my size, and I can easily see what each garment looks like much more civilized.  However, I have slowly taught myself how to shop for a bargain in order to get quality pieces at fantastic prices!  Here are some of the strategies I use in order to make bargain shopping manageable: 

1. Choose a target item: Focus on shoes, or pants, or shirts, etc. The more focused you are, the more manageable the coverage area. 

2. Know your colour: Having a focus on what colour you are looking for makes it easy to weed out other items. Rather than look at every pair of pants, you can walk down the pant racks, and pull out an item when the colour catches your eye.

3. Be skeptical of items with a lot of inventory: there is usually a reason why a great brand has a lot of one style left, the style doesn't fit well. You will find the best treasures when you dig deep and find the odd dress that is left in your size. Lucky You! 

4. Keep a reminder: if you find something in another size that you love, pull it out as a reminder to look for it in your size. 

5. Scour all marked size areas: discount stores are usually disorganized, so you will find items in your size in areas where they shouldn't be.

As the saying goes, "patience is a virtue." A virtue that you must have to find pieces that look fabulous on you and significantly discounted. Remember, it is only a bargain if the piece you buy gets worn a lot! When you do find a piece that is perfect - what a feeling!

Wendy Woulds | Dry Clean Only

This week's style question submitted by Amanda L.
"Are clothes labeled 'Dry Clean Only', really 'Dry Clean Only' or can I wash them at home in my machine?"

Water, warmth, and agitation can cause fabric to shrink. A 'dry clean only' label tells me the manufacturer is worried about garment shrinkage. In the end there may be a few pieces that you could wash at home, but I would suggest getting the "okay" from a dry cleaner you trust.

What style questions are you dying to have answered?