Want a simple hoop earring but find that J Lo and Beyonce’s super-sized style hoops too formidable….ask to see Round Designs at Q. The not-so-round hoops are made by metalsmith Lila Marshall who incorporates both organic and industrial aesthetics with a strong emphasis on the textural possibilities of metal.

The result: snake-skin and croc textured metallic hoops in silver, copper and gold that are linear, curved, oval and even triangular….in fact anything but Round!

Fashion and art fuse together in perfect wooden symmetry in London-based label Rocio’s line of hand-held wooden bags. The bags are made from the finest selection of tropical Acacia wood with each hand-carved bag taking at least six to eight weeks from conception to finished product. The bags are sell-outs at Paris’s fashion mecca Colette and are well worth a trip down to Q to check out.  

NB: I love, love, love the line and celebrate the fact that these designers are re-defining the bag… that it need not be made of just leather and lace and satin and silk…new material and new techniques = unique new style.

Its simplicity and minimalism at its pared-down best… textured leather handmade into a simple envelope clutch. Irma Castillo from Viva handbags uses mock croc, patent two-toned snakeskin and distressed leather to create her super-simple and supremely elegant envelope clutches. It is the perfect accessory for a night out with the girls and best of all, it does not break the bank!

Its bow-time at Q with these stylish fruity enamel bow bangles and matching hoop earrings from Rachel Leigh. Available in banana, avocado, blueberry, licorice and minty fluorescent white, each hand-made Audrey bangle is gold-plated and hinged for easy-wearing. It has already made its small screen debut in Gossip Girl and The Hills. Only one piece per colour girls!

Transit’s debut collection hit Q last week with Transit Thailand featuring the weird, wonderful and wacky creations from one of our favourite cities North of the border and beyond. The roll call now… quilted round and rectangular leather bags with distinctive wooden plagues from Painkiller and work bags and clutches from one of our favourite young designers, Boyy.

And lots and lots and lots of wonderful jewellery and hair accessories like 3-D gold jewellery from 77^th; cartoon-ish necklaces from Defy; cool earrings from Aztique; witty 925 silver and resin jewellery from Apple Tree; modular and stackable acrylic rings from Trimode Design; super-sized flower and animal rings from Sandy; knitted hairbands and funky snakeskin cuffs from Mitchie; and pierced silver and gold jewellery Caso. Enjoy before we leave for our next stop….Destination unknown!

Alona Ignacio the designer for Seril handbags has scored yet again with her signature hard-edge series of rough and ready bags like her awesome Knockout Clutch and her rocker chic series of clutch bags…they are punched, riveted, braided, studded and pierced yet super long, soft and totally idiosyncratic.

Designed for the gal who dares to be different…think Cher in tattoos and a feathered headdress and Angelina Jolie with tattoos and carrying numerous small children and you get the picture. Is Seril for you…we think so, its for the modern woman who can be tough and tender at the same time!

OK I am finally back from my travels and back from the brink of desolation – the computer completely died….and so I am back online and blogging again. One of the best sights greeting my arrival at Q are the wonderful Jalda bags all over our front store window.Dutch designer Jalda Hoff never fails to deliver mixing her innate European luxury and colour sensitivity with New York working-girl pizzazz to create interesting new and fully functional shapes. It is easy to become a fan – this is our third order and we have been completely sold out. Check out the embossed Italian leather Eden Croc, Croc Bean Clutch and long wallets and my new favourite tiny club bag -  the Annette Mini Bag in silky eel skin and lamb.

Faint heart never won fair lady….words to the wise and I will re-interpret them for you for this millennium. Be brave (Braveheart - get it)…be different… be fun….Be Q and carry a Timmy Woods bag and conversation ceases!

So for all avid fashion fans who pore over Vogue, Elle, Bazaar and my fave W and who watched Sex and the City The Movie with frequent gasps at all the fun and frivolous accessories…you really could not have missed the star handbag….Timmy Woods Eiffel Tower bag – carried as SJP dashed across the street to meet Big in a beautiful floral pea green coat…another poetic fashion moment courtesy of Pat Fields!

But we have more than the infamous tower to help you recreate the scene and inject it with your own style quotient… we ordered single units each of a box-full of multi-coloured candies, a pair of high-heeled shoes, an old fashioned telephone, puckered lips, horse heads and dice each carved and painted from felled and un-endangered acacia wood over 30 painstaking days.

C’mon take a sartorial risk with Timmy Woods and make your own fashion poetry!

It seems like we have become very North America-centric over the last few entries…this girl can’t help it… the designers and their designs swing to their own unique design beat and are also so well-made. So here comes yet another new find from Toronto, jewellery designer Corrine Anestopoulos. Only 25 years old, Corrine has been accessorising her pals since her early teens and works around her personal style motto of keep it simple but add a twist. 

Corrine designs each piece herself using different materials and combinations to create her inimitable necklaces and earrings. We love the super long style of her Lucite horn necklaces, her colourful cloisonné fish and her range of clip filigree pendants – including a tiny book that opens up - great for placing a picture of a loved one.