Technical Difficulties....

...Is what I am experiencing with my blog. I will hopefully figure this out asap for 2011 but until then Happy NYE. 
Some of my Resolutions? 
Write more and write better
Do the workouts I love
Improve my culinary skills and experiment more in the kitchen
Only spend big on items that will last me for years down the line.  
Wear more red lipstick
Only invest energy in the things that deserve it
Follow a few of those big dreams I have
Dance like nobody's watching .....
Lots of love ya'll :)



Video and mashup by DJ Earworm: http://www.djearworm.com/

Christmas and Coziness

I have always been a total sucker for Christmas. The colours are brighter. The fires are warmer. The lattes come in far better flavours. There are countless opportunities for dress-up and no one scoffs at you when you get a little more glam than the occasion requires. Also - and it's a bit embarrassing - I am frequently overcome with the urge to start singing 'Baby it's Cold Outside' and dance on the street with any available and dashing garcon (my friend Matt once briefly indulged me after a few too many pints and it was more or less the MOST fabulous of sloshed experiences). 

So while I am currently putting most of my shopping energy into finding presents for all those wonderful people on my list, here are a few of the things I am loving about this time of year....

Devouring new issues of British Vogue and rediscovering old ones. 
Oh, and also finding myself very drawn to a pair of patent 'slipper' style shoes. Sophisticated androgynous? Yes please. 

Choosing which glittery dress to wear and stumbling upon vintage accessories courtesy of my grandma. 

Snuggling up with a fantastic new novel in my Joe Fresh jammies (yes, I wear matching PJs....but you guys, they feel like heaven, don't shrink and are ridiculously inexpensive. It's love at first slumber).

Giving into the urge to wear my Jules Power headband when I get home and am puttering around my room....because it's as good a reason as any :)

 

Oh the places you'll go....

So not that it's any sort of well kept secret, but I have been a TERRIBLE blogger. This past month consisted of a whole whirlwind of changes and I felt like I could barely keep up. But now that it's almost Christmas and the only thing getting more playtime than Nicki Minaj on my ipod is 'A Charlie Brown Christmas Album' I'm ready to lose the stress and feelings of serious overwhelm, and get on the cheer train and back into the blogging habit. 

Warning: If you aren't able to handle a bit of cheesiness, you may want to stop reading. 

Anyways, I want to talk a bit about why I love this 'world' of fashion so much. I have always been horrid at anything to do with fine art, but at the same time, I have always been supremely jealous of those girls who could draw and sketch the prettiest people and the prettiest things. When I was getting ready for university, I wanted a way to make my dorm space personal and unique - more than just a few of my favourite movie posters. So I turned to the one thing I WAS good at - reading fashion mags. I would cut out favourite pictures, lay them out, and collage like crazy. It was a mishmash of what Ioved most from the magazines that always took me into this world that was totally separate from my suburban high school life and later my university drama and stresses. I know a lot of people dislike when fashion spreads make the clothes seem beyond their reach - feeling that the dressing is too aspirational and unrealistic for real life. And while I do partially agree (what on earth are clothes for if not to wear them?), I have still always loved that side of fashion. That total fantasy world where your only responsibility is to play dress up and feel beautiful without any need for an occasion or any worry about whether or not what you're wearing is 'reasonable' or 'appropriate'. So that's why the magazines and collages have always been so great. Because they were this other world of fashion, which I have always secretly hoped I would one day be brave enough to step into. One that wasn't about fitting in and looking okay - one that was about escaping the everyday and dressing for a life less ordinary. 


It's on my to-do list to make one again this Christmas, as a way of providing inspiration for the new year....but for now, I'll leave you with a little one that I made last Christmas from Anthropologie's winter catalogue. Which was, by the way, a totally beautiful fantasy spread :)

Miss Pink

If you have yet to visit the gorgeous new Pink Tartan boutique at 77 Yorkville, it's time to add it to your to-do list. Kim Newport-Mimran's flagship store not only hosts her full collection, but it also includes a well-selected number of her favourite goodies (most of which are now on my Christmas lists....for both giving and getting). The overall effect made me feel like not only was I getting better acquainted with the brand, but also with the lovely Kim herself (who, may I mention, was gracious and kind to everyone who walked into the store). Expect me to be a regular....I'll be shopping about once a paycheque ;)

In the Joe

My love for Joe Fresh tights started last fall. After repeatedly buying fancy lingerie store hosiery only to have them tear within a week, I decided I could no longer give into the silliness and on a trip to the Loblaws Superstore, I picked up a $5 pair of Joe Fresh tights. The first time I wore them I was late for an important dinner and in my rush from the parking lot to the restaurant, my leg brushed against a random bush of BURS. I was horrified. Not only was I late, but I was going to have to either walk into the restaurant with my prickly friend attached to my leg OR an enormous run in my tights. I held my breath as I took them off but the joke was on me - my Joe tights showed no signs of damage and I.was.hooked. They're perfect for fall and so inexpensive you feel zero guilt about buying them in every colour - betcha can't buy just one ;)

 

Dress: Massimo Dutti (a brand I fell in love with in Belgium)
Scarf: Jules Power
Tights: Joe Fresh
Shoes: Calvin Klein

Magical Movement

I know it's a little late but I really wanted to share some of my favourite shots from Amanda Lew Kee's show at LG Fashion Week. I am still on the fence when it comes to the blue lips movement, but gorgeous flowing dresses? Definitely down.

LANVIN FOR H&M

I was going to write about what I want most from this video, but unfortunately I don't believe that will be possible. The terrible truth is that I.WANT.EVERYTHING. 

The collection will be released on November 20....

Style Stimulus....Giovanna

I have been thinking a lot about my closet lately. After acknowledging the severe amount of not so great stuff I was in possession of and finding myself at Fashion Week where quite a few individuals had the most hyper-cool examples of their personal style on display, I found myself thinking things like, 'shitshitshit! Where is my perfect fall coat? Or my ideal layering pieces? Why don't my pants have any fantastic details? And for eff's sake, WHY is it that I still can't find any awesome accessories?!' It's tough you guys. Really tough. 

On the bright side, I am at least beginning to figure out the direction I want my personal style to go in. Classic shapes that flatter my long tall frame. Mostly darker shades like navy, black, grays and jewel tones as a base, but then oomphed up with some gorgeous colourful additions. Sporty sophisticated. Long-term wearability but not boring. Glamourous yet practical. The kind of outfits that make people stop and stare because not only do they look BEYOND, but they also look effortless. So there. I have it totally figured out.

Someone who has always caught my eye via The Sartorialist (the first fashion blog I ever became addicted to) is Giovanna Battaglia, Vogue Editor and a superbly well-dressed fashion phenom. Her style is all those things I just described and someone I will be taking some serious inspiration from in my future styling endeavours. She just looks so damn good ya'll.

Here are a few of my favourite shots. 

Duy

One of my absolute favourite collections at the shows this past week was Duy. I reviewed the collection for Plaid here, but I also want to share a few photos of my favourite looks.

Rita and the Girls

Rita Liefhebber and a some of her models after her presentation this past Friday at LG Fashion Week

 

The Stunning Alia

Alia Juma at the JUMA Spring/Summer 2011 presentation. 

 

In Other News....

I have been doing some writing for Plaid Magazine so please check out more of my Fashion Week coverage there as well :)
One last day of Canadian fashion and then it's time for the weekend! 

Pink Tartan

Pink Tartan’s Spring/Summer 2011 collection, which showed this past Tuesday at LG Fashion Week, was a lesson in laid-back luxury.  While Kimberley Newport-Mimran, the line’s designer, stayed true to the strong tailoring and sophisticated elegance that have attracted so many fans to Pink Tartan over the years, her latest collection introduced an element of playfulness. Kimberley’s women exuded an effortless sexiness that is often attempted but rarely achieved. Shirts done in electric colours had necklines that dived just low enough to spark interest - and a structure just loose enough to maintain it. Long blazers and wide-legged trousers provided a touch of androgyny that both lengthened and flattered the frame. Flowing dresses with maxi-hemlines, geometric patterns, and funked-out accessories such as bandanas and wide-brimmed hats rounded-out this collection that paid homage to the glamour of the 70s.

 

Editorial Tutorial...Crystal Renn for The Block magazine

In LOVE with these shots

Pink Poses

The Pink Tartan show has been my favourite so far this week and one of the elements I particularly enjoyed was how each of the models stood on raised platforms after they made their way down the runway. It really gave you the opportunity to study the clothes. 

 

Model Moments

Before the Juma S/S 2011 Presentation.

Editorial Tutorial....Kate Moss in British Vogue September 2010

Photos from models.com

Evan Biddell

It's been too long readers, but to make it up to you all I have some spectacularly exciting things coming up that I cannot wait to share. The first bit of news? This little blogger shot a fashion show! My camera and I attended Evan Biddell's Spring/Summer 2011 presentation and the experience certainly did not disappoint.

Evan's aesthetic has always been captivating and this collection was no exception. Hard and soft became besties as Evan mixed battlefield-influenced structure with florals and flowing fabrics. My must have list? the structured floral mini, black v-neck maxi dress and silver swimwear. At the end of such a fantastic show, no other expression could have been more fitting than Evan's ear-to-ear grin.