January, 2011 | Style Blog | Toronto Fashion and Lifestyle Blog

What I Wore: IDS 2011

Well, technically, I didn’t just wear this to IDS 2011, I also wore it to brunch with le boyfriend’s mom, Tim Burton exhibition at the Bell Lightbox building, a Mexi-food-fest at Milagro, and later on a couch, while watching Dinner for Shmucks (is it strange that I didn’t have any problems relating to the weirdos in the movie?).

As for the Interior Design Show, I can’t say that it blew me away. It was my first time attending, and I guess after the amazingness that was One of a Kind Show, IDS fell a little flat for me. I was expecting more furniture, more style, and instead I found A LOT of fireplaces and faucets. Perhaps if you were looking for a fireplace (or a faucet), IDS was the place to be last weekend. Or perhaps, I didn’t enjoy it too much because of the crazy number of people bumping into me all day long – I don’t do well in crowded spaces.

Either way I did manage to spot a few awesome booths last Saturday – my favorite being Rollout – custom wallpapers – creative and cool. You should definitely check out their website if you’re thinking of shaking up your home design.

I Wore: Sweatshirt – Forever21; Jeans – Fidelity; Boots – Proenza Schouler (The Room); Bag – Longchamp

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Style Blog, January 31st 2011 | Tags: Eurolite, Fidelity, Forever21, IDS 2011, Longchamp, Organic Style, Proenza Schouler, Rollout, SUNG Outdoor, The Bay, The Room, What I Wore
Posted in Events, Fashion, What I Wore

Buy Design at H&M (Wear White 4 Windfall Shopping Event)

Last Wednesday, Al and I made our way to H&M on Bloor for a little shopping, mingling, and cocktails. The event was held in support of Windfall, an award-winning charity that provides new donated clothing and other basic-needs items to 64,000 people in the GTA who are struggling with poverty. Attendees were asked to wear white to support Wear White 4 Windfall, and 15% of all sales that night were donated by H&M towards the said initiative.

This being winter in Ontario, the white was mainly represented in button-up shirts, though there were also a number of creative dressers, bringing a bit of 70s flare (Saturday Night Fever, anyone?), or playing peek-a-boo with lace.

The event was a lot of fun, and we did end up buying a bit more than expected. And though my wallet might have been crying by the end of the night, I didn’t feel too bad, knowing that at least a portion of the money spent went to a good cause!

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Style Blog, January 31st 2011 | Tags: Buy Design, Events, Good Cause, H&M, Organic Style, Shopping, Windfall, WW4W
Posted in Events, Fashion, Organic Style, Shopping

Giveaway: Anna Sui Books

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, and courtesy of Raincoast Books, comes this lovely giveaway! The prize? 5 Anna Sui Books that will go to 5 lucky readers of Style Blog.

Anna Sui by Andrew Bolton was written to commemorate the 20th anniversary of her label in 2010, and includes juicy insights from Sui’s fashion shows, over 400 legendary photographs, most memorable fashion moments, and model stories galore! This beautiful book would be a perfect addition to any fashion/book lover’s collection.

What you need to do to win?

1. Leave a comment (1 per person, please)

2. Tell me why you’d like to win this book

3. For extra entries, please RT the following: “@styleblogca I’d love to win 1 of 5 Anna Sui books! http://styleblog.ca/?p=8706 #AnnaSuiGiveaway”

4. Again, you don’t have to be a follower, but it’s always appreciated

5. This giveaway is open to Canadians only

6. C’est tout!

I will pick 5 winners on Monday, February 7th, 2011. Best of luck to you all!

And the lucky winners are: Elaine A, Sharon of The Backseat Stylers, Shoe Tease, Fiorella, and last but not least Amanda Wenek! Congrats, ladies! Please email me your snail mail addys, and your books will be on their way!

For those that didn’t win this time, another giveaway is coming really soon!

Photo Credits: Shopaholic pic : Anna Sui. Vogue Italia. October 1992. Photograph by Steven Meisel.

47 Comments

Style Blog, January 28th 2011 | Tags: Anna Sui, books, Contests, Freebies, Giveaways, Raincoast Books
Posted in Fashion, Freebies

Blackwatch by SUNG Outdoor Preview

On Tuesday, Al and I, alongside a handful of Toronto style bloggers, had a pleasure of attending a preview of Alfred Sung’s Blackwatch collection for his SUNG Outdoor line. Blackwatch was designed with Sung’s favorite pattern in mind - a tartan in black, green, and blue and will be available exclusively at the Interior Design Show this weekend…as I was told, in very limited quantities. So if you’re mad for plaid, make sure to stop by and check it out!

Apart from the main attraction, we also got to check out some other pieces from SUNG Outdoor Collections - Madrid, Capri, Barcelona, Paris…all names evoking the fun and fabulous getaways. I can already imagine curling up in the Barcelona chair in my backyard during the summer, sipping sangrias, lazing around…comfy and in style. Both Capri and Barcelona collections are available exclusively at The Bay stores at very reasonable prices (starting at $150). And it’s a far cry from the plastic lawn chairs of yore.

I also had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Sung himself. Did you know that all Club Monaco tags used to say Club Monaco by Alfred Sung? That’s because he was one of the original founders of the company, along with Saul and Joe Mimran! He still shops at the stores, even though they now belong to Ralph Lauren.

Having designed womenswear, bridal gowns, menswear, eyewear, created fragrances, and now furniture, it looks like Mr. Sung has no plans of slowing down anytime soon. I wonder what’s next?

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Style Blog, January 27th 2011 | Tags: Alfred Sung, Blackwatch, Events, Furniture, IDS 2011, Jordin Mimran, Mimran Group Inc, Saul Mimran, Shopping, SUNG Outdoor, The Bay
Posted in Events, Shopping

What I Wore: Snow Day

If there’s one thing I like about winter it’s snowboarding. Especially when the snow is fluffy and plentiful…that’s when landing on your butt doesn’t hurt as much, and pushing yourself is a little bit easier. Last weekend, le boyfriend and I decided against a long drive to Blue Mountain, and in favor of Centennial Park’s proximity to the city…and cheaper rentals. Considering that neither one of us is a snowboarding pro, Centennial Park’s hill did its job, and we spent a few cold hours sliding, falling, and having fun.

It was a second time I wore my new snow suit, and I really loved the fact that no snow found its way into and down my pants…keeping my bum warm and dry. Sure, I might look like a snow-bunny straight out of the 80′s, but the comfort of not having to pull and tug at my jacket and pants, made it all worth it. As far as the rentals go, though…I really need to invest in a pair of boots and a snowboard…because let me just say that those rental boots don’t smell like roses, if you get what I’m saying.

Do you ski or snowboard? If so, what’s your go-to outfit for a day of winter fun? Got suggestions on snowboarding equipment? Share in the comments.

I Wore: Snowsuit – O’Neill (Winners); Mittens – Kombi (Winners); Boots, Snowboard – Rossignol Rentals

5 Comments

Style Blog, January 24th 2011 | Tags: Kombi, O'Neill, Rossignol, Snowboarding, What I Wore, Winners, Winter
Posted in Fashion, Organic Style, What I Wore

Friday Faux Pas: How Thin is Too Thin?

First of all, let me get this out of the way…I love Revolve Clothing. I love their product selection, their sales (Hello, D&G shoes for under $200!), their easy layout, and the fact that they ship to Canada (sometimes even for free). But something really bothered me a while ago, when I was browsing their site for the nth time. It wasn’t the fact that I missed out on that lovely Alexander Wang bag on sale, no, what bothered me was this bobblehead girl, with limbs as thin as my favorite egg tagliatelle from Buca. It was extremely unsettling seeing someone so unhealthy-looking, modeling clothes, while looking like a human hanger. Upon further prodding, I realized that said girl was featured in many other photos, looking slightly less scary when covered up, but shockingly thin in tank-tops and other revealing outfits.

What’s more, I realized that this sad-looking girl was also the same model who got picked on for being too skinny by the People’s Revolution maven Kelly “Don’t You Dare Effing Cry Inside” Cutrone during the one episode of The City that I ended up watching. I’m guessing that Kelly’s concern went unnoticed, seeing how this girl is still shockingly thin. But what’s more shocking than that, is the fact that she’s still somehow getting work.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not out to bully this particular model, or vilify the collective skinny, but my question is…how thin is too thin? Shouldn’t retailers realize by now that they aren’t promoting a healthy image, when booking models this skinny. And though some might argue that clothes look better on rail-thin girls, whose main job is to sell a product…In my opinion, models should look good in their outfits…and that would make me want to buy the clothes much more. It’s always a model in a size small or extra-small in the garment photo on every site, wouldn’t it be amazing if they had a medium, or…gasp…a size large model demonstrating how a particular item fits?

I guess, after a year, during which diversity was so widely celebrated, skinny is still the golden standard. And after getting so used to seeing the already thin girls at each and every online shopping site, I’m worried that eventually we’ll get used to seeing this as well. If we aren’t already. I’d love to hear your opinions on this. Take the poll below or leave a comment.

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Photo Credits: Revolve Clothing

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Style Blog, January 21st 2011 | Tags: Faux Pas, Friday Faux Pas, Kelly Cutrone, Models, Polls, Revolve Clothing, Shopping, Size Matters, The City
Posted in Fashion, Faux Pas, Shopping

Divided We Love

I might’ve mentioned my love for all things “hearty, lipsy, and kitsch“ a few times in the past. So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I’m on the edge of my seat, waiting for the Valentine’s Day-inspired line to appear at H&M’s Divided department soon! There’s heart prints, lip clutches, heart rings and necklaces…what more could a girl want?

I thought I might grow out of this cutesy obsession of mine, but it doesn’t look likely. Not that I mind…Valentine’s Day is, afterall, my favorite holiday.

Photo Credits: H&M

2 Comments

Style Blog, January 19th 2011 | Tags: H&M, Hearts, Love, Shopping, Valentine's Day
Posted in Fashion, Shopping

Golden Globes 2011: Best Dressed

The moment I laid eyes on Kyra Sedgwick’s bohemian Emilio Pucci number, I was in marigold heaven. Adore the color, the ruffle detailing, the turquoise jewelry, and the simple hair and makeup. This look is perfect to remind me of the sunny days ahead! And therefore, Kyra is my best-dressed pick for this year’s Golden Globes. What about you? Did you like her dress? Who made your best-dressed list this year?

Photo Credits: Fab Sugar

4 Comments

Style Blog, January 18th 2011 | Tags: 2011, Best Dressed, Emilio Pucci, Golden Globe Awards, Kyra Sedgwick, Style Fille
Posted in Celebrity Fashion, Fashion

What I Wore: Camel, Beige, and Brown

Last time I went shopping at H&M, their Spring 2011 collection just hit the stores, and I found myself wanting it all. There were frothy dresses, lacey shorts, and lots and lots of other amazingness. I ended up buying everything in camel, beige, and brown…and here’s the result. I’m still waiting for the brown pleather lace-up shorts…if you see them in stores, please give me a shout. I know it’s not short-wearing weather just yet (in case the snow isn’t tip-off enough), but one can only hope, right? Hope you’re having a great week!

I Wore: Sweater, Pants, Belt, Black/Gold Ring, Sunglasses - H&M; Turquoise Ring – YSL; Bow Ring – Max and Chloe; Earrings – Forever21; Boots – Proenza Schouler (The Room)

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Style Blog, January 12th 2011 | Tags: Camel, Forever21, H&M, Max and Chloe, Organic Style, Proenza Schouler, Shopping, Spring 2011, The Bay, The Room, What I Wore, YSL
Posted in Fashion, Organic Style, Shopping, What I Wore

What I Wore: A Good In-Vest-Ment

If you thought I was kidding about a vestervention, I wasn’t. Here it is yet again…this time with a white button-up and some amazing superhero leggings from Durumi. I picked them up during the Boxing Week sale – half off! I actually wanted a similar pair from Black Milk last Christmas, but I like these better…not as sheer.

I’m also wearing my new Proenza Schouler boots that I also got on sale at The Room…An amazing deal, and they are extremely comfy! But I’ll probably wait until the snow is gone to wear them more often. Don’t want to ruin them, like I usually do my other footwear. I also bought a pair of Pierre Hardys at the same time, and I can’t wait to show them to you! They are so beautiful! All I need is an occasion to wear them!