Wishlist: Salvatore Ferragamo “Miss Vara” Belt

This belt is amazing, don’t you think? Simple and classic, with lovely bow detailing. Have wanted it for a while now, but have yet to see it available in Toronto. And with so many parties coming up, the Salvatore Ferragamo“Miss Vara” patent leather belt just shot up to the top of my must-haves list – it would dress up even the most casual of dresses. Here’s hoping that it will soon pop-up at The Room, so I can scoop it up.

If you’ve seen “Miss Vara” at a Toronto store, make sure to let me know in the comments.

Photo Credits: www.bloomingdales.com

Calvin Klein BEAUTY Giveaway

A few days ago, I wrote about a wonderful surprise that’d arrived at my door earlier this month. Style Blog was one of only 10 Canadian blogs to be offered a wonderful opportunity to share the news about FASHION magazine’s Calvin Klein BEAUTY It Touches Everything Contest, as well as to offer my readers a giveaway of my own!

If you’ve always wanted to smell like the lovely Diane Kruger, now is your chance! All you need to do to get your very own 50ml bottle of Calvin Klein BEAUTY is leave a comment below with the following info (please read very carefully):

1. Name

2. Your favorite Calvin Klein perfume/cologne to date

3. Your Twitter or Facebook username (must be a follower of Style Blog either on Twitter or Facebook)

4. For additional entries, tweet about this contest (#CKBeauty), or re-post it on your website/blog

This contest is open to Canadian residents only. One comment per person, please (all extra entries will be disqualified). Contest opens on October 28th and closes on November 11th. Winner will be chosen at random and will be announced on November 12th. Rules are subject to change by Style Blog.

Please make sure to leave a correct email address, so that we can get in touch with you, if you’re the winner.

Huge thanks to Matchstick and Sumaya for this lovely giveaway!

That’s it…and GOOD LUCK!!!

Travel: Bisha Hotel & Residences

I vividly recall the shutting down of Diesel Playhouse a couple of years back. Le boyfriend and I were really looking forward to seeing Cannibal! The Musical, but when he went to the theatre to buy tickets, leboyfriend was greeted by boarded up doors. Needless to say, I was super bummed for a while after that.

Well, for the first time in a while, something worthy is coming to replace the much-missed venue - Bisha Hotels & Residences - new swanky hotel brought to life by Charles Khabouth’s INK Entertainment, along with Lifetime Developments’ Mel Pearl and Sam Herzog. What Bisha is supposed to represent, according to Khabouth is “the marriage of cool and luxury”. With its modern design, and an abundance of luxurious touches, Bisha will definitely bring a touch of much-needed class to the neighborhood.

Bisha is slated to open in 2015, with around half of the units already sold! If you want to get a piece of Bisha opulence for yourself, go ahead and check out the available model suites at 56 Blue Jays Way. I’m pretty sure you’ll be impressed.

Photo Credits: Matchstick

Don’t Miss – This Week in Toronto!

Looking to do a little shopping? There are a few awesome shopping events happening in the city this week! Don’t miss out!

1. BOGO Event at H&M

Buy One, Get One Free on select knitwear at H&M stores in Canada from October 28th, until November 10th! Perfect time to stock up on your fave sweaters, or even buy a few early Christmas presents.

2. RACHEL Rachel Roy at The Bay

The RACHEL Rachel Roy collection is the redefinition and exploration of cool. One foot uptown, one foot downtown with a dash of daring. RACHEL Rachel Roy captures the cultural and individual essences of an urban-inspired lifestyle.”

The collection, available at The Bay, is full of fun party dresses and cool separates for any stylish urbanite. And this week, until November 1st, get 30% off regular priced RACHEL Rachel Roy items.

3. Victoria’s Secret Opens at Toronto Eaton Centre

Tomorrow, October 28th, the Angels will be landing at Toronto Eaton Centre for the opening of the second Victoria’s Secret store in Toronto. Come by and get your picture taken with Alessandra Ambrosio and Lily Aldridge from 5-7pm. Get access to the faster VIP line with a $100 minimum Victoria’s Secret purchase. Plus, get a Free Limited Edition Tote—filled with beauty must-haves and The Lacie — with a minimum $75 purchase. While supplies last. One tote per transaction.

Judging by the way autograph signing went at Yorkdale in August, I would suggest to get there early to ensure you actually get to meet the models.

4. Reia Studio Sample Sale

Not exactly this week, but it’s always good to plan ahead. November 4-6, Reia Studio will be holding a sample sale featuring accessories, clothing, and shoes from brands such as Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, Miu Miu, Givenchy, and many more.

Having never been to a Reia sample sale before, I am not exactly sure what to expect, but the promise of amazing brands at 70% off sounds pretty darn good to me.

Reia Studio is located at 555 Richmond St. West, suite 706, Toronto, ON.

What I Wore: Cougar Boots

It was so rainy yesterday, and my shoes were soaking wet by the time I got home. Not a good feeling, let me tell ya! But then, as I walked in to the lobby in my wet shoes, the concierge informed me that…I’ve got mail! Definitely not “E”-type! It was a huge box full of lovely goodies from Cougar

My favorite part of the package are these amazing Regal Cougar rain boots! These are simply perfect for schlepping around on rainy days, without having to sacrifice an ounce of style! Mud and puddles, here I come!!!

Thanks, Cougar and Matchstick for the lovely gift! Looking forward to taking these babies for a spin around town.

Halloween 2010: Last-Minute Costumes

Every year, I plan on dressing up for Halloween, and every year I inevitably wait until the week before the party to start putting my costume together. Most times, everything I need…well, almost everything I need, is right inside my closet. This year, I came up with these 5 easy costumes that do not involve much polyester, sluttiness, or money-spending. Shop your own closet for supplies this year, and I bet you, you’ll be surprised at how many costume ideas you’ll be able to come up with!

1. Lady Gaga in Telephone

People have been going gaga for Gaga’s eclectic and sometimes outright batshit crazy stage outfits, which makes them perfect for recreating come Halloween. One of the easiest and cheapest options I could come up with (short of taping a bunch of bottles to a nude dress to make a “bubble bottle dress”) was the “Caution Tape Outfit” from her video Telephone. All you need is some caution tape, safety pins or needles/thread, or possibly scotch tape, and the craziest shoes you can find in your closet.

All I did was wrap the caution tape all over my top/liquid leggings combo, safety pinned it in place (didn’t even have to cut anything), and I was done. If you’re actually serious about recreating the look, you could wrap the tape around your naked/near-naked body, or actually tape that crap to your clothes. Since, I’m neither dedicated nor patient, I wrapped it haphazardly, but perhaps if I actually end up choosing this look, I’ll also attach some tape to the 3D glasses I’m wearing. Cost me all of $2.50 for the tape…everything else was right inside my closet. Done. This look would also work with meat…but it might get smelly by the end of the night.

If you wrap yourself with toilet paper instead, you could look like a pretty hot mummy. Just sayin’.

2. Cousin Itt – The Addams Family

Ever since my mom made fun of my hat/hair/scarf/glasses combo, I’ve been thinking about incorporating said items into a costume, and here’s the final result. To pull off this look you will either need a wig, or if you have long hair, you’ll simply need to flip it in front of your face, put some glasses over it, put on a hat, wear a long-ass dress and something furry/hairy on top. Done. Cost? ZERO dollars…and possibly some bruises and broken bones due to poor visibility. Small price to pay for such an awesome costume! No one will ever accuse you of trying to look slutty this Hallows’ Eve!

3. Wenda - Where’s Waldo?

I am a huge stripes fiend, so this costume is actually came quite naturally. All you need is a red/white striped shirt, a red or white hat with a pom-pom, a blue or denim skirt, some rad (or red) frames, and some red/white striped tights. It also helps to carry a camera, and keep asking people “Where’s Waldo???”. Done! And it cost…all of NOTHING.

I do think that Odlaw’s costume is much more fun that Wenda’s…but finding a yellow/black striped shirt proved a difficult task. If you’re serious about your commitment to portray this baddie, get some yellow duct tape, stick stripes all over a black sweater, put on some black pants and a yellow/black striped hat, round-rim glasses, grow/buy a mustache and you’re done!

4. Dorothy - The Wizard of Oz

This one was a result of my affinity to my Rodarte for Target baby-blue dress. It’s been hanging lifelessly in my closet for over a year now, and I have finally found some use for it! This dress could also be worn as part of Alice in Wonderland costume, but it would probably work best on a blonde.

Back to Dorothy: all you need are some ruby slippers (red heels in this case), a blue dress, pigtails, basket, and someone to play the role of Toto. If I go with this costume, Pepper is getting a dog makeover…or not. Once again, it cost me nothing…

5. Terry Richardson

If you truly want a TERRYfying costume…then look no further than photographer/alleged model abuser Terry Richardson. All you need is a standard hipster uniform of plaid shirt, skinny jeans, Converse sneaks, some Terry-esque shades and a handlebar moustache. Obviously, I wasn’t particularly committed to this look…the glasses are all wrong, and the moustache is nowhere to be seen…but if I actually decided to go as him, all I would need are those two props to complete the look. Extra points for carrying a banana, a camera, and making strangers pose provocatively for ya.

What are you wearing for Halloween this year? I’d love to know!

God Save The Queen: Panel Discussion/Trunk Shows

The morning after the oh-so-fabulous God Save The Queen party at The Room, I woke up excited and ready to go. Why excited, you might ask? Well, not only did The Bay fly the fab Brits into Toronto for a party, the designers were also on hand to showcase their Spring 2011 collections, which were open to the public the next day. Unable to pass up such an incredible opportunity, my schedule was planned around the The Next British Invasion.

Having apparently missed Charlotte Olympia’s trunk show, I was a bit bummed, but was really looking forward to the panel discussion with the designers and Bronwyn Cosgrave at the helm. And it was well-worth the wait!

Having prepared for the day by reading some of the designers’ previous interviews, it was still fascinating to hear the Q&A straight from the artists’ mouths in an intimate environment. Designers were asked about their personal journeys and how they came to be who they are today. Best response of the day definitely went to Charlotte Olympia Dellal, who, when asked why she chose to design shoes of all things, replied with “What girl wouldn’t want to make her own shoes?”. A response that drew many ladies in attendance to nod (and whoop) in agreement.

Jonathan Saunders offered some insight into collaborating with Topshop, while Nicholas Kirkwood shared stories about the upcoming opening of his first standalone store and the late Isabella Blow - style icon credited with much of Alexander McQueen’s success. Giles Deacon provided some comic relief for the day, by addressing Cosgrave’s “Lindsay Lohan” question by saying that he had to get rid of ”loads of needles” at Ungaro…”sewing needles that is”. Mark Fast let us in on reasons why he chooses to make his clothes by hand and Erdem Moralioglu told us that his secret for dealing with bad reviews is to “move on quickly”.

I know that I’ve said this before, but it felt almost surreal to be listening to these incredibly talented designers lined up in front of us, gathered in the same room. And judging by their interaction, one could definitely tell that they genuinely enjoyed each other’s company too. Erdem confirmed this by offering that they ”have a wonderful sense of community where we all know each other and we’re all friends”. They certainly seemed friendly enough – no claws in sight.

The panel discussion was followed by a string of trunk shows, featuring beautiful Spring 2011 clothes from London, which even Jeanne Beker couldn’t resist attending.

By the end of the day, one could clearly see that both events were hugely successful – an incredible opportunity for Canadians to get a glimpse behind the curtain of the fascinating world of British Fashion Royalty, courtesy of The Room and its creative director Nicholas Melamphy. And judging by the direction The Bay has taken as of late, and by the willingness of the new and established designers to be seen and for their brands to be carried at the venerable Canadian retailer, this might be one of the first events of such scale in Toronto, but it certainly isn’t the last. I can’t wait to see what’s in store next!

Marios Schwab, Leith Clark, Erdem Moralioglu, Jonathan Saunders, Giles Deacon, Nicholas Kirkwood, Olympia Dellal

Nicholas Kirkwood and I. He shared that he was going on a quick trip to Niagara Falls right after the trunk shows  - a place we all take for granted, yet it’s fascinating for the Brits. Who would’ve thought?

My fave Kirkwood for Rodarte wax heels…drool…swoon…le sigh.

What I Wore: The Fog

Past weekend, the fog descended upon downtown Toronto, and it felt really weird. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Toronto so gloomy and dark. Perfect weather for Halloween – just one week too early. Spent the entire weekend hiding from the rain: at Buca (so good…SO SO GOOD!), at the movies (Hereafter), with my nephew (aka the most adorable baby ever), at Wal-Mart (shopping for my Halloween party this week), and at various parking garages (aka perfect photo-op location). Finally dusted off my kicking boots, you might see them more often in the coming weeks.

How was your weekend? Have you made the switch from summer to fall in your closet yet? I’m still dreading it…but I have just started. Happy Monday, lovelies!

What I Wore: Vest – Gap; Dress, Belt – H&M; Leggings – Target; Boots – Aldo; Bag – Prada

Motorola FLIPOUT Phone Giveaway Winner Is…

  

Emily D!!!

The Android Motorola Flipout Phone is all yours! Congratulations!!! Please email me your shipping address and full name, so that your new phone can be sent on its way!   

And to everyone that entered and didn’t win today, make sure to look out for another fab giveaway tomorrow! Thank you for playing!

Lanvin for H&M – More Photos

I asked for color, and for shoes? Well, voilà! Vogue UK unveiled another photo of the stunning Lanvin for H&M collection this morning, and I am endlessly in love…Prices are definitely on the higher end of the H&M spectrum, but at 99GBP for each dress, 29GBP for gloves or bag, 25GBP for clutch or necklace – owning a piece designed by Alber Elbaz himself has never been more affordable. See you in line!

Photo Credits: Vogue UK