Feminist, environmentalist, optimist –– Maggie Hewitt founded her company with the hope of making a difference in the world. And that she has. Hewitt is now one of the most recognizable names in sustainable fashion. I read that by the end of 2020, 50 per cent of Marilyn’s collections will be fabricated using recycled materials. The company ships its seasonal wholesale collections in biodegradable bags and is striving to be a 100 per cent carbon neutral business. With their simple silhouettes and no fuss elegance, it’s her dresses that are topping my wish list. This buttermilk silk classic needs nothing but a kitten heel, and this cream strapless number could literally go from garden party to the altar. Clothes that make you feel good about yourself, and about the planet.

Does anyone remember chokers? I seem to recall a black velvet one, semi-permanently glued to my neck. My daughter wore a pink plastic “lace” one for close to three years. I should have been more embracing of it, given how long I wore mine for. All trends are cyclical. I’m just waiting for her to ask for french tips and a tiny tube skirt. Ava Gardner, at a nightclub in 1950, makes the choker look chic. I think it helps that she’s in a lace cocktail dress, and well, that she’s Ava Gardner.

My Mum wore Kenzo in the 90s. She owned a lot of the brand’s signature prints, and she wasn’t afraid of combing them. I was sad to hear of the passing of Kenzo Takada. His designs were exuberant, playful and irreverent. As journalist, Suzy Menkes said yesterday, “he wanted to make happy clothes.” If you have a minute today, please watch this beautiful portrait of Kenzo’s hands created by Buenos Aires-based filmmaking collective, 1985. “The hand is where the mind meets the world. The way we use it shows what kind of a person you are.”

There’s a little fabric shop near Queen and Spadina where piles and piles of colourful and richly decorated African textiles spill out from white mesh bins. I’m often tempted to buy a bundle of them and make them into place mats or napkins, or just admire them as a bundle on my kitchen table. This morning, I came across the work of London-based Ghanaian designer, Phyllis Taylor whose gorgeous line SIKA is fashioned from eye-poppingly beautiful West African textiles. “To convince somebody to take something that was made in Africa, with African print and made by a designer that was virtually unheard of, it was very difficult,” Taylor told the BBC of her early challenges. She has since emerged as a designer to watch, with coverage in Vogue, a growing fan base and collaborations a plenty. Taylor’s latest collection includes a Batik puff sleeve jumpsuit, bright pink shirt dress and zebra print bolero that fuse traditional African prints with cuts that are modern, sexy and bold. Each piece is made sustainably in Ghana.

Thank heavens for Delpozo, who one dress at a time, brings sheer fantasy to the world. Just knowing that such dresses exist, makes me happy. I can see a certain kind of girl getting married in this dress. It’s whimsical, romantic, ethereal, and utterly one-of-a-kind. I think she needs a little tiara to take to the altar, and this one is divine. It’s listed at a little over $25,000, but ignore the pricetag, we’re in the land of fantasy, remember.

I’m curious about how artists choose a material. Very often, they’ll come by textiles, by way of clay, metal or glass. Equally common, is an artist who experiments with any number of mediums at one time. But there’s generally one that stands out, that feels most innate. Melbourne-based Steven Clark began working as a stone mason in his native Scotland when he was 16. He then went on to study fashion, textiles and embroidery in Manchester. It was a lecturer at university that persuaded him to re-visit stone. “I was really anti construction and stonemasonry when I was at uni. I was kind of like, ‘I’ll never go back and do this’,” says Clark. “But he pushed me into the direction of using the materials I was already aware of … [He] said that ‘you need to use everything that you’ve done in the past, all your experiences. Blend that together with what you’re learning now and produce work’ …” Today Clark creates beautiful sculptures and furnishings out of whitewashed Australian limestone. His favourite tools are his chisel and axe. “You can get a lot of frustration out with an axe.” Have a look at Clark’s brand Den Holm. His sculptures are bold, bizarre and brilliantly original.

French photographer, Brassai died in Paris in 1984, and the Renault Espace hit the streets. I’m not sure what else happened in Paris that year, but I really want this t-shirt. And I’ll take a pair of boyish 80s jeans, too. Bon week-end!

I came across the beautiful textiles of Gabriela Martínez Ortiz today, and I wanted to share her work. She’s based in Mexico City, and creates one-of-kind dresses, tops and jackets under her label, Ofelia y Antelmo. Her website features dozens of textiles, interiors, and for those of you who speak Spanish, a vibrant glimpse into her process an inspiration. No hablo español, but I still found it beautiful to watch.