a nice start to the winter 2011 season in victoria with the arrival of the highly-anticipated fjallraven greenland wax (made from paraffin and bees wax) to still life. the high-strength, environmentally friendly waterproofing agent is used in all of fjallraven's G-1000 products (including the oban jacket we featured at the store this past autumn). over time the G-1000's wax can become worn and the hydrophoic effect is reduced, but with the help of the greenland wax you can easily impregnate your G-1000 (or any other woven garments) clothing yourself, thereby improving the impregnation and defending the garments against our wet westcoast weather.

waxing a garment requires two steps: application and heating.

• first take a block of greeland wax and rub it into the garment where you want to improve the impregnation. apply the wax generously.
• then take a hairdryer or iron and heat the garment until the wax melts and sinks into the fabric (note: please use a secondary hairdryer/iron and not nicest, newest one, as waxy residue is expected)
• tips: if you want to make the garment even more waterproof, repeat the entire process several times instead of only applying a single, thick layer.

to wash greeland wax out of clothing (come summertime or when travelling in warm and humid areas) simply wash the garment 2-3 times and the original finish of the G-1000 (or whichever fibre) garment will return. watch this video faderTV did at the fjallraven new york showroom to see how simple it is to wax/waterproof any item of clothing, and come by the store anytime to get tips and a run down from any of still life's helping hands.

close friend and megadestroyer heathen ken diamond represents quality craftsmanship and classic, masculine accessory styling - pairing traditional leather construction with modern techniques to keep his designs simple and minimal. working with leather since the late 90's, the ken diamond brand was established as a leather footwear & accessory line in 2003.

made entirely by hand in his vancouver studio, ken sees leather work as a dying art. this is why each of his designs come with quality control guarantees that leave you feeling confident & proud to be wearing canadian-made, quality-produced leather accessories.

arriving just in time for this last blast of holiday shopping, we've got a full variety of ken diamond leather goods on offer at still life. ranging from the incredible large messenger bag to braided kangaroo leather wallet chains, the entire collection of pieces has been made to order for us and we're thrilled to have ken's designs filling our display case. come down soon as ken's designs don't last long when the spirit of gift giving is in the air - and remember we'll be open late for your convenience (8PM) thursdays & fridays leading up to the holidays.

the holidays are fast approaching and all of us at still life have been thrilled with the generosity shown by our friends in victoria leading up to the big days. we've just taken a huge batch of non-perishable food donations down to the mustard seed but we're not done yet - we want more! with every donation you or your friends bring in, you will enter to win a massive $1000 johnson street prize pack with goodies from still life and all of our friends on the block (enter every day, enter at every store!). the more food & money donations to the mustard seed, the better off everyone will be come the holidays.

starting this week we've got a few seasonal deliveries from vancouver friends lily & jae and ken diamond, biko jewelry from toronto, and the start of some amazing holiday promos on items in store:

• pairing up with our friends at genetic denim we are offering a very special 'buy two get one free' promo on all genetic denim styles currently in the store. this includes the twig midrise in captain black, the liam straight leg in wicked washed blue and the (amazing) aztec skinny chino in black.
• a strong selection of ladies coats have been put on sale starting at 20% off! this includes styles made for wet weather (waterproof tech jackets), cold weather (wool blend, thinsulate lined winter coats) and special evenings out during the holiday season (leather jackets and fur-trimmed wool coats). these coats include some of our classic seasonal offerings from our favorite international brands, so if you or your loved one is expecting a coat to make it through the winter, come down soon and take a look.
• designed & produced in vancouver by our dear friend judith feller, lily & jae has just completed their first ever in season holiday capsule collection for select retailers. we're extremely happy to have the collection on hand, as well as the return of our favorite lily & jae coat of all time, the olivia raincoat in british millerain. click here to read the summary of the special collection.
• and together with our friends at the lab hair salon we've partnered up to help with your gift-giving this holiday season: while supplies last we have special $20 lab gift cards to give you free with any still life gift card purchase of $100 or more - these are limited so come down before they all run out!

just in time for the holidays at comes vancouver's judith feller with a very special lily & jae holiday capsule collection. produced in season in extremely limited quantities comes updated winter versions of some of the hottest autumn 2010 pieces we saw from the line as well as new shapes & styles to help you get through the winter.

all produced in vancouver under jude's watchful eye, the capsule collection pairs elements of classic canadiana with key colour stories from the early 90s grunge scene. pieces like the ultra-soft long sleeve boy blouse in 100% cotton yarn-dyed plaid pair up wonderfully with the 3/4 sleeve corduroy boy blazer with flannel lining. the 100% wool striped shiva scarve puts a bit of beautiful bright colour on top of the italian wool/cashmere blend olivia coat. and the return of the victory vest in brown corduroy as it sits wonderfully atop the new belted rebel dress in 100% cotton yarn-dyed plaid.

and last but not lease... the big one... the return of the lily & jae olivia raincoat! we featured this very special raincoat in our rifflandia 3 fashion editorial and autumn/winter 2010 photoshoot. the british millerain (waxed cotton) raincoat dissapeared quick the first two times we had it at still life and it poised to do the same again. returning in classic black and beautiful caramel, the coat is your ticket to staying dry throughout the rest of 2010 and into 2011 on the wet west coast. come check out the new lily & jae holiday 2010 capsule collection available now at still life.

just by looking at our beautiful new window display you can see that still life is ready for the 2010 holiday season, and we're ready to help you do the same.

currently available in store and online to download and print yourself (just click here), we've made holiday wishlists for all of our friends & family in victoria hoping to find something from still life under the tree. fill out one of the wishlists after browsing through the still life blog, our still life facebook page, or checking the racks out yourself in the store - and leave it with us at the store so your friends & family can come in and see what it is you've found.

in preparing for the holidays we've put together a collection of easy-to-gift items that we think would be ideal for those on your list still in need of some spoiling. browse through the images on along the right and continue reading for still life's holiday 2010 suggestions.

• bags: whether it's a tano leather handbag, adidas by stella mccartney sports bag, penfield hiking backpack, dunderdon weekender or fjallraven kanken, we've got a variety of modern, styled bags to tote around all of your hoilday loot. good for guys & girls alike, you're going to get more leftovers to bring home from mum's house if you've got a big bag to store them all in.
• headphones: a full variety of styles & colours are available from both wesc with their bongo, oboe & maraca headphones and all three styles of urbanears: the plattan, tanto & medis models are all fully stocked in fantastic colours for both the boys & girls on your holiday list.
• mens leather accesories: rugged & masculine, the variety of wallets, cardholders, keyfobs & belts has grown steadily with a strong offering from brands like brixton, ken diamond & fred perry.
• womens necklaces & earrings: all jewlery currently available at still life are canadian-produced pieces from biko jewelry by corrine anestopoulos in toronto and tiny little chairs from montreal. simple, elegant & femenine gifts from either collection can be wrapped up in small jewelry boxes ready-to-gift as soon as she's ready for the holidays.
• warm knit accessories: we're happy to still have a wide variety of these classic holiday gift items available on both the mens & womens sides of the store. as the temperature continues to drop cotton/silk blend leggings & hosiery from la's hansel from basel are flying fast. warm & cozy 100% lambswool scarves, mittens & toques from gothenburg's dunderdon are still available, as well as wool blend scarves & toques from american brands brixton & penfield.
• cold & wet weather footwear. still life is located in on the west coast of canada on vancouver island. it gets wet here. we've already had our first snowfall of the season and if the reports are to be believed there should be more. footwear to help you handle the west coast winter will help you stay dry & warm throughout january & february. we have full sizing in some of our favorite styles & colours from vancover's native shoes with the fitzsimmons street hiker, and the lined skerry vinter rubber boots from sweden's tretorn.
• gift certificates. let your special someone find exactly what they want at still life this holiday season, with holiday gift cards of any denomination. and for a limited time, any gift card of $100 or more will get you a free $20 gift card from our friends at lab salons (while supplies last).

from all of us at still life we wish you the very best, safest and happiest holidays & new year and we'll see you soon at 551 johnson street.

back in august still life friend nic vandergugten showed & sold some of his limited edition johnson street bridge linocuts at the store and this holiday season we were lucky to have nic paint our holiday window display for the second year in a row. matt & kim's vision of a rustic log cabin holiday combined with nic's painting to result in our favorite still life holiday window display yet.

come by the shop to check it all out for yourself - from the pair of 1950s vintage norwegian skis, to the canadian blankets, chairs & antlers, the window is a warm invitation into still life's holiday 2010 collection. be sure to add still life on facebook for continual updates on what's new at the store, and visit more of nic vandergugten's other works on his blog, here.

we hope to see all of our still life friends & family at the store tonight at 6:00pm for the 2010 johnson street holiday food drive.

it's that time of year again! once again still life has teamed up with our nearest & dearest in the community along the 500 & 600 blocks of johnson street for the 2010 johnson street holiday food drive!

begin the holiday season with an evening of fun & shopping when johnson street comes alive with the spirit of the season this thursday november 25th from 6pm til 9pm. featuring:

~ live music ~ lights & decorations ~ carolers ~ santa & elves ~ warm drinks and goodies inside every door ~ special discounts being offered by every location with your donation to the mustard seed ~

the holiday food drive will continue until the 29th of december with a very special contest. each time you donate to the mustard seed, you will be entered to win the coveted: JOHNSON STREET PRIZE PACK including gift certificates & goodies from each participating shop with a value of over $1000! enter every day to increase your chances!

this event is the start of still life & all our friends on johnson street's late night holiday shopping hours: we will all now be open until 8pm on thursdays & fridays until december 23rd. last year this event was a huge success, so we hope to see everyone there!

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just in time for the guy(s) on your xmas list looking for a new pair of raw denim for the holidays comes the unbranded denim brand's anticipated arrival at still life. the brains behind unbranded have stripped their jeans down to the core essentials… great denim, perfect trims and solid construction at a very affordable price.

unbranded denim jeans are made from rigid and raw 14.5oz selvedge denim woven on early 20th century machines called shuttle looms common in early american denim mills, before the move towards faster, mass-production facilities. the tell-tale white & blue "self edge" (hence the term selvedge) under the cuffs and inside the coin pocket show that all unbranded denim has been produced with attention to quality & strength on these traditional shuttle looms and not on new mass-production looms.

three unbranded denim styles are now available at still life in clean, dark, overdyed indigo:

• the ub301 straight fit: slim and straight, but not relaxed. made from 100% sanforized 15oz japanese rope-dyed indigo selvedge raw denim. featuring a button fly, hidden rivets, chain stitched hem and blank leather patch.
• the ub201 tapered fit: roomier through the seat and thigh, this jean tapers down to a narrow leg opening. made from 100% sanforized 15oz japanese rope-dyed indigo selvedge raw denim. featuring a button fly, hidden rivets, chain stitched hem and blank leather patch.
• the ub101 skinny fit: the skinniest unbranded jean. skinny and straight through the leg, but not skin tight. made from 100% sanforized 15oz japanese rope-dyed indigo selvedge raw denim. featuring a button fly, hidden rivets, chain stitched hem and blank leather patch.

still life boutique has had a home at 551 johnson street since 1984 (26 years). over the past quarter-century we have had christmas light displays, naked bike rides, summer street festivals, sidewalk sales and countless friendly neighbours come and go - and through the years one main staple of johnson street has been the bridge across the harbour bringing our friends & family safely into and out of old town victoria.

this saturday, on november 20th, 2010 the city will vote to borrow money to replace the johnson street bridge. as much as we love the bridge the way it is now, we see it a necessary measure to replace the blue bridge in order to better serve the thriving downtown core of locally owned & operated merchants. we see the repairing of the johnson street bridge as a non-option as it would result in months, even years of closure to a vital artery to our friends & neighbours not only on lower johnson street, but all of downtown victoria.

we urge all of our still life friends & family to get informed and head to the polls on saturday, november 20th and vote. here are some links to help you get the details you may need on how & where to vote, and information from both sides of the debate.

GET INFORMED from the city of victoriaHOW TO VOTE on november 20, 2010

information on VOTING YES for a new bridgeinformation on VOTING NO for a new bridge

thank you, and we'll see you soon.-still life

strong european trades & craftsmen (think woodworkers, fishermen, artists) influence the late autumn collection from london's ymc in this weekend at still life. beautiful cable knit chunky sweaters, one of the cleanest, fittest & nicest chambray shirts of the season, and a crew neck sweater with strong production though simple detailing maky ymc a strong favorite amongst the guys at the shop.

formed in london in 1995 by fraser moss and jimmy collins in response to increasing demand for stylish, functional, modern clothing. ymc has quietly grown to become a highly significant design label. ymc are not led or influenced by seasonal trends but try to provide the solution for intelligent clothing that is both wearable and distinctive. collections gradually develop from season to season whilst a modernist approach ensures good ideas maintain longevity.