Tagged: lab salons

from the impeccably-focussed creative mind of matty conrad, the man that brought you the lab salons, comes a brand new vision in downtown victoria: victory barber & brand. located in the stunningly modern atrium building on blanshard & yates, victory barber & brand sets the new standard for men's grooming services in victoria. with offerings that include classic straight-blade shaves with hot towels and refreshing eucalyptus steam, the talented and trained barbers are devoted to helping men present their best selves to the world.

we've been lucky enough to have opportunities over the past few months to check in with matty and peak our heads into the space as victory was in the planning & construction stages. opened just a couple of weeks ago, the launch event in the spaces honestly blew us all away. matty conrad's dedication to his craft, his professionalism and his desire to create spaces you truly want to be in is something to be a part of.

with jordan heading down to mexico today and our own matt touring the western united states on motorcycles with the megadestroyer crew, they'll both surely be in need of a fresh cut and a shave upon their return next week - and there's really only one logical choice for where they'll go... victory barber & brand, friend of still life.

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 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.

the lab is a community-focused salon just a few doors down johnson street from still life, offering a full range of hair services from the city's most creative stylists. everyone at still life gets their hair done by the amazing stylists at the lab (541 johnson street) and, admittedly, we're all quite concerned about our hair - so it says a lot that we all allow the fingers, hands and scissors of the lab family to run wild in our precious manes.

walking in to matty conrad's victoria salon, you'll most often be greeted by belle the english bulldog and one of the many friendly lab stylists at the front desk. offering direct trade habit coffee, a huge variety of books & magazines for inspiration and big comfortable leather couches, a trip to the lab is always a friendly, uniquely modern and relaxing experience not found at every salon in victoria.

if you're not already getting your hair done by one of our friends at the lab, check out their stylists profiles and get familiar with what they're doing over at their blog. the lab is always growing and evolving with international workshops and in-lab consultations for their stylists, and we couldn't think of a better pairing for a new still life outfit than an incredible new head of hair.

the lab loves you
& at still life, we love the lab