WhoWhatWear

Injury opened the door to blogging about style trends and local designers

Injury opened the door to blogging about style trends and local designers

A BAD BREAK TURNED LUCKY for Teresa Camaiani, possibly changing the life trajectory of this diehard fashionista for good.

It was June 2016 and Camaiani was on leave from her teaching job at Memorial Elementary School in Stoney Creek after having her second child, Mia. She was playing soccer when a fracture in her tibia plateau (knee area) and subsequent surgery put a halt to her go-go-go lifestyle. She was grounded. And not being able to walk for months can be devastating for a high-energy person who flits between a full-time career and caring for her young family.

So Camaiani turned to her fashion passion to help her get through it. Growing up in Beamsville, she was always her friends’ go-to for style advice or help editing their closets. Fashion was her lifelong companion; there was endless experimentation with colour and style, even in her casually-attired work environment.

“My thing was my lipstick and my heels,” she says.

So she threw herself into blogging, writing about style trends, local designers and products at her site, StyleMeT.ca. And the response was overwhelming.

“I kept getting people saying, ‘I really love what you write. You inspire me,’” says Camaiani, who also had to teach herself social media marketing to get things going. ‘Thank you for writing that piece on whatever.’ And ‘Oh, can you write about this, wearing shorts to work? Because I’m not really sure.’ Sure! I got such a positive response from it, so I kept going.”

Camaiani, who says her style varies with her mood, started out focusing on designers and business owners who live/work in and around Hamilton. And when she found there was demand for products she was blogging about, she added a feature that would enable readers to buy it through the blog post. But the “buy” feature became so popular, a year into her new venture Camaiani expanded her site to include a full shop that sells clothing and beauty products exclusively from makers across the country.

Camaiani says she gets inspired by the women she meets through this new venture and hopes it helps to inspire others. She thrives on their enthusiasm for growing the fashion scene in Hamilton and is thrilled to be part of helping it grow.

“I’ve always wanted to have my own Canadian-brand-only boutique, I just didn’t know how I would do it,” says Camaiani, who wears a pink and black suede and leather halter dress and feather accent earring from the DeMontigny Boutique on James Street North with black booties from Solee on Locke Street. “And then I started blogging and I started meeting local designers. It’s crazy the way you connect with people. You don’t think you’re going to connect with people but they come to you …”

Most eye-catching piece

I always have red lips … (the brand) changed most recently because I did some research in what’s in lipsticks so I found a lot of stuff that I didn’t like. I collaborated with this brand — Janice Carol Cosmetics — and I offer her within my boutique. And it’s paraben free and mineral based, and it’s vegan so it’s cruelty free and all that.

Quirkiest wardrobe item

A headband. I sometimes wear a headband (across my forehead) just because I like to keep my hair out of my face … it’s just a beaded headband and I’ll just wear it with a T-shirt … the beads are silver and the ribbon is black.

Wardrobe must-have

Comfortable yet stylish shoes, especially since I broke my knee.

Best purchase

Pearlized pink leather and black suede dress designed by local #HamOnt designer Angela DeMontigny. It’s not this one, it’s another one … I bought for a wedding. It’s similar to this but it has sleeves. And it’s the perfect dress for any season. It’s feminine, it’s classy but it’s still sexy at the same time.

Regrets buying

My biggest regret is buying 100 mm (3.9 inch) Christian Louboutin pumps. I can’t even walk in them … they’re good looking but it’s a waste of money. They are black and white patent leather with red at the bottom (of the soles).

Loves to shop at

James Street: especially at Angela DeMontigny and all those little boutiques. I like to shop at all the boutiques on Locke Street as well, especially Solee. I like to shop consignment stores on James Street South — Kiki’s Closet. And I really love to shop on King Street at The Thrifty Designer because if there’s anything in there that I really love the material of but I don’t really love the style of the skirt or something, she’ll alter it for you right then and there.

Ridding her closet of

Since I’ve had kids, my body has changed. There’s no sense in trying to squeeze into oldies even if they’re goodies. So, anything that doesn’t fit my body.

Splurges on

I splurge on winter coats, because I feel like we have such a long winter season that it’s the thing you wear the most. You wear it every day. So investing in a coat, for me, is worth it.

Beauty product she can’t live without

Skin care regime. Janice Carol. Facial soaps, toners, creams, all that. Because I feel like especially in the winter I get so dry and I feel scaly, I feel haggard looking, so yeah, definitely skin care regime.

“I got such a positive response from it, so I kept going.” TERESA CAMAIANI

SHERYL NADLER, SPECIAL TO THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR “I feel like by highlighting local designers, kids in high school will be like, ‘Hey, wait a minute. Fashion is a thing here in Hamilton,’” says Teresa Camaiani, whose outfit is from Hamilton designer Angela De Montigny.

Here she wears a black and pink suede and leather halter dress by Hamilton designer Angela DeMontigny with feather accent earring, also from the DeMontigny Boutique. Her black leather booties are from Solee on Locke Street.

“They’re amazing women, they’re strong women, they’re nice women, they want to help other women,” she says of the designers, makers and business owners she promotes on her site.