Soia & Kyo

After expressing my love for coats recently on the MUSE blog (see Coat? Check!) and my antagonizing search for the perfect winter cover up (which I blame on a deadly combination of indecisiveness and an overwhelmingly fabulous coat selection this season)  it's no surprise that I found myself at Kingston's Blueprint boutique last Friday for their Soia & Kyo trunk show.For those of you that aren't familiar with Soia & Kyo, they're a Montreal based brand that specializes in creating fashionable and functional coats and jackets.  Although Blueprint has been working with Soia & Kyo for years, this is their first year hosting a trunk show with the brand. The event featured racks of coats, prizes and cupcakes (essentially my three favourite things). I brought Hannah Pearlman along to photograph all the excitement, where account manager Samantha Crossman brought in the entire fall/winter 2014 collection: an impeccable assortment of genuine leather jackets, wool coats, down parkas and everything in between. Customers had a chance to sample the coats, and a $35 discount was given to those who made orders.Hannah and I got the lowdown on Soia & Kyo from Samantha, snapped a few pics of the beautifully detailed coats, and of course... we just couldn't resist trying them on for ourselves-- it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, O.K.!?If you had to describe the Soia & Kyo fall/winter 2014 coat collection in one word, how would you describe it?Samantha: In one word? Can I say it in three words? I would say function meets fashion.What kind of style does Soia & Kyo cater to?Samantha: You know, the thing with Soia & Kyo is that there really is something for everyone. I mean a sixteen-year-old girl might pick up the exact same jacket as a forty-five-year-old woman, and that’s how they kind of plan their collections.  Especially in terms of fits, we really cater to all age ranges.What are your favourite coat trends this season?Samantha: My personal favourite - and it’s also been a big favourite of the Soia & Kyo customer this season - is big, oversized hoods that kind of carry right on into the hem of the coat. That’s been really popular for sure. Other than that it’s been really eclectic; it’s been a big mix of all kinds of different trends from every sort of era. There’s been a lot of colour blocking happening which is a little bit different. Leather has also been a really big trend this season: a leather belt, a leather collar,  leather inserts... those kinds of details.What are your fall/winter essentials?Samantha: I think that definitely everybody needs a big, chunky, knit scarf. Every girl needs a headband, every girl needs a toque, and every girls needs a little pair of ankle boots as well. For me, those are big fall/winter essentials especially when you’re layering and you’re going outside. And I think you do need to have a coat for every occasion. You need to have a down coat for freezing cold days and you need to have a wool coat for a dressier occasion and a leather coat to add a little bit of an edge as well. REIKO flat wool jacket with genuine fur DAVONE tweed wool jacket with genuine leather sleevesASIA flat wool jacket FIALA boiled wool jacketYou can order your very own Soia & Kyo jacket from Blueprint at 246 Princess Street. They're hot sellers, so the earlier, the better!A big thank you to Blueprint and Samantha for letting us take over the store! Cyndy Gibson, you are an angel! Yours creatively,Abi Conners, Online Editor + Hannah Pearlman, Online ContributorPhotography: Hannah Pearlman + Abi ConnersCreative Direction: Abi Conners + Hannah Pearlman Visit Blueprint online here, or in store at 246 Princess Street!Check out more Soia & Kyo coats here.