An apology leading straight to fall fashion

To the so very few yet so very treasured, cherished and appreciated readers that i have, i MUST apologize for not posting in so long! I have been extremely busy helping my bf move and looking for an apartment myself (which i finally found 2 weeks before moving day). In the midst of all this, i am also attempting to plan my yearly end of summer week-long vacay. Yikes. Basically, i haven't had much down time to catch up on the latest greatest, let alone time to surf the fascinating world wide web. So anyway, i am starting to get "hot ones" - read: cold sweats meets fast heart beat - about the pile of ever so thick september magazines that is getting higher and higher. I NEED to catch up!

So Anyway, the weather has finally inspired me to post about autumn. Alas, it is only the end of august, therefore still summer, but the thermostat reads no higher than a meager 20 degrees. That's celcius, folks. Unfortunately this means the end of summer, which means the end of worry-free vacation time. And i tend to get really stressed out when i have a lot to do, so i don't generally look forward to back-to-school (yes, i am still in school). However, i am ALWAYS excited about the beggining of the best clothing season: fall! I always get so giddy about the fall fashion. The rich colors, the big materials, the soft materials, the style renewal. The most exciting pieces (to me, anyway. Oh, and to my friend Amelia) without question belong to the autumn collections. Maybe it's because i live in a very weather-variant country and you can really change your whole wardrobe from one season to the next. Maybe it's the smell in the air that makes me want to break out in song and dance about an exciting new season? I suppose it's the mind that lets itself be guided by emotions. More so, the need for something fresh.

Back to school is always synonymous with change. A sort of rebirth, if you will. You're one year older, you have new aspirations, new ambitions, new goals. It's a point of ancor to wipe your slate clean. And what's better than new clothes for a reinvention? The trends this year are indeed gorge. You know, i was really getting fed up of the maternity look, and quite frankly, i am smirking at the diminutive amount of empire waists seen down the runways. Welcome back, mid-section! The clean lines, the polished skirts, the knit sheath dresses, the amazing jackets, the structured masculin-inspired wear, the exquisite trousers (skinny or wide, take your pick!), all of it done in such tasteful manner. "I think fashion is going through a period of minimalism. less is more" says Roopal Patel from Bergdorf Goodman. Amen to that.

Here are two videos that sum up the most important fashion weeks: New York and Paris.

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Wear leather in good conscience

I know a lot of people are very much against wearing animal products, whether it be fur or leather. However, for people like me that don't really know where they stand on the issue (i'm not about to start a debate here, why open a can of worms?), there are great alternatives that work with recycled products. I've just recently discovered Ashley Watson and her recycled leather goods. She makes purses out of old leather jackets! Each Purse is one of a kind even if it's the same one. I found the idea brilliant. The fact that she's canadian also gives me a few tingles. Not because i'm super patriotic, but more because she's easy access. And we also don't really hear about a lot of nordic people "making it". Moving along, she makes purses, wallets and belts and her pieces are definitely something to covet. If not for the design (nothing too original, but still, all too wearable!), at least for the idea behind it.

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Fetishism in art form

If you ask any girl what she can never get enough of (no, it's not love!), she'll probably answer you either bags or shoes. I've always had somewhat of a shoe fetish myself (i must own over 100 pairs... oh lord), and no matter what anyone tells me, or what i tell myself - "you don't NEED another pair!" - i will inevitably buy more. Sometimes i'll go shopping and all i come back with are shoes (what a coincidence)! Not so random, actually. You see, what some people don't understand - my father, for example - is that shoes make or break an outfit. It can take it from day to night, from afternoon meeting to happy hour, from girl-next-door to sexpot, from beach to city, from casual to chic (or vice versa). I could go on and on, but you get the point... You can never have enough shoes because without a wide variety and multiple selections, you'd feel like you're always wearing the same thing! Pushing the shoe fetish envelope, a fashion editorial in V magazine puts it all in perspective. With the creators of high heels often considering their work pieces of art that are reminiscent of a woman's curves and power (think the red soles of Louboutins), the shoes and the female form hereby marry and create, well, something quite interesting...

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Calling Calvin

I think someone from Calvin Klein needs to visit my blog so they can meet their new models. This is a picture of my friend and her boyfriend taken with a camera phone on any odd day. It somehow turned out to look more like a photo shoot. Care to notice how much the pic seems to instigate that just-rolled-out-of-bed ease with the relaxed yet undeniable sex appeal that transcends in every Calvin Klein ad ever published? Slap on a CK jeans or Escape logo and you've got your new campaign. Look at these vintage ads that give off the same vibe: sexy, down-to-earth, simple yet complex, beautiful and just plain cool. (i forced her to send me the pic so i could post it, thanks gaby!)

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Now THIS is a cover!

This would probably be my favorite magazine cover of modern times. The picture is so sweet looking, i can almost taste it. And it's no secret that i adore Gemma Ward. I am just so enchanted at how she looks. Every thing is perfect. Not only does everything seem to mend together beautifully to create what you see: the pink hues, the shading, the cascading and embracing flowers, the touseled hair, the flawless light golden skin, the boudoir-texture/color of the soft off the shoulder gown, the the signature I-D wink! But i do think you'll have to agree that her personality seems to shine more than ever in this shot: sexy and down to earth beach babe. Sigh.

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Patriotic pride

As shameful as this may sound, i must admit: i've never really paid much attention to canadian fashions designers - gasp! Although i did manage to sneak in to the front row of a few shows during Montreal Fashion Week this spring (thanks to my very good and connected friend Eliza) i remained unimpressed with what our homegrown talent mustered up. However, thanks to my canadian magazine subscriptions, i get to see what i may have looked passed. Well, can i just say that i've never been more pleasantly proven wrong when i noticed i had overlooked Pink Tartan's fall collection! I have to start paying more attention, really. Kim Newport, the designer, seems to know what she's doing! The pieces were very simple, but very chic. Clean lines, neutral colors, sophisticated masculin, british influences, minimalist charm. Very up my alley. The trousers are to die for. And their mini dresses are my new objects of desire. The winner: the grey cape with peacoat buttons. Exquisite! Here are some of my favorite looks from their show that i could actually find online (they are really hard to come across, let me tell you!):

Check out the rest of the slides because there are some amazing coats, pants dresses and skirts! Right here!!!
If you want to view the video, click here and please bare in mind that the Toronto Fashion Week budget is not conducive with hiring top models, aka sorry about the crappy modeling job. Don't let that ruin it for you!

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Marc Simpson

At the risk of sounding more like a gossip column than a fashion blog, i just have to post this! Marc Jacobs got his very own self as a Simpson caracter tatooed on his arm. Brilliant or bizare?

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Bring out your shoulder pads!

As someone who spent most of her awkward teen years trying to camouflage (without success) broad shoulders, i must say the return of the pouffy sleeves and - gasp! - big shoulders trends seen on the runway has me, well, nervous. Although i no longer feel uneasy about my frame (let's just say i "filled out"), i wouldn't go as far as wearing something like this: , at the risk of looking more like a football player than a chic urban fashionista. And even though i actually own a fur vest that highly ressembles this: , i would never actually wear it.

If we look at the picture below, now this is interesting: 80's revival (yet again)? Samantha Jones role playing? Tack alert? Architectural way to "push it to the limit"? Whatever your taste is, you make what you want of it seeing as there are some very unexaggerated wearable versions. As for me, you won't see me strolling down the street looking like a reverse triangle any time soon...

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