Fall 2010 | Style Blog

Swarovski Fall 2010 Preview with Avril Graham

I blog for fun. Not for money, or free stuff, or for any other reason but one: I really do enjoy reading and writing about all things stylish, fashionable, and intriguing (to me). Plus, it provides a much needed mental getaway from my daily not-so-glam 9-5 grind. But if there’s one perk of fashion blogging that I particularly enjoy - it’s meeting cool people. Last week, huge thanks to Edelman, Al and I got to meet the gorgeous and friendly (interesting AND interested) Avril Graham – executive fashion and beauty editor for Harper’s Bazaar magazine. And if chatting with an editor of a hugely successful fashion magazine wasn’t enough, we also got a sneak peek at Swarovski’s Fall/Winter 2010/2011 collection showcased at the Hazelton Hotel in Yorkville.

With the help of some models, Avril walked us through her favorite pieces from the collection, stressing that women should not buy cheap accessories to accessorize an expensive dress, but should opt for affordable, yet well-made alternatives instead. Perhaps, some Swarovski heirlooms? Indeed, I was quite impressed with more than a few pieces showcased: cocktail rings, dangly earrings, crystal-adorned bracelets, and clutches. Avril, herself, wore a beautiful rainbow crystal Swarovski necklace with her Valentino LBD. The one item that had us all talking was the Karl Lagerfeld designed Atelier cuff (below). The unanimous opinion was “LOVE”…though I must admit, I did have trouble squeezing my not-so-skinny wrist into it, but it was all worth it!

Overall, as with the Atelier launch, I was impressed by the variety of looks, and with Avril’s endorsement of the brand, as well as with Karl’s pieces available for sale in the fall – there’s no better time to check out Swarovski jewelry collection.

Ugg Australia Fall 2010 Launch

When one is invited to an Ugg/Jimmy Choo Fall 2010 preview, one has to wonder what that would look like…a furry stiletto? Or perhaps a strappy Ugg? Hmm…not a winning combination in my head, but still, Al and I braved the Lakeshore rush-hour to be at Palais Royale for the launch.

First of all, I wonder if hell froze over, because the usually stiletto-clad Jeanne Beker was wearing…gasp…Uggs! What in the what? Ok, well, I guess it’s to be expected at an UGG preview, right? I guess so. She didn’t look bad in them, but it was definitely a change! Before the show began, the daughter of the The Mary Katz Claman Foundation for Alzheimer’s founder gave a touching speech, wearing Ugg clogs – who knew they made them too!?

The show was surprising…mostly because of the variety. There were your regular signature Ugg boots, riding boots, motorcycle boots for men (which I really loved), children’s shoes, slippers, converse look-alikes, and studded clog-like boots. Once the show was over, the Ugg team set up a gallery of shoes and boots for everyone’s viewing. Sorry for the crappy pictures, but I kept finding the worst lighting…perhaps it’s because I kept my eyes peeled for the delicious lemony gnocchi served in little spoons…so gooood!

Blue Print Cru and Jay Malinowski of the Bedouin Clash performed after the show, but most people already dashed for the door to get their personalized gift-bags. I, for one, did not put two and two together, when I was asked for my shoe size, so it was truly an awesome surprise when I got a pair of dark brown Uggs for myself…to replace my beige worn out ones. Yes, I confess, I am not one of those Ugg haters…I do think they are pretty awesome for Canadian winters…great for shoveling the snow and shuffling around the snowy streets of Toronto. Too bad the size was a tad too big for me, but I’ll definitely be checking out the Fall 2010 collection once it hits the stores. The Kensington boots in black are super hot and will be perfect for winter!

And though I didn’t see any shoes from the Jimmy Choo + Ugg collection, I do now have a bit of an idea as to what they might look like.

Huge thanks to Andrea of SeCe apparel for the invite! It truly was a party to remember!

More shoes, celeb attendee, and Jay Malinowski after the JUMP!

Club Monaco + Garance Doré Fall 2010 Lookbook

Absolutely adore this Garance Doré for Club Monaco lookbook. Her style of photography is quite distinct, no? You can tell just by looking at the photographs that it’s Garance’s work! And with Scott Schuman shooting Burberry campaign, among others, this power-duo really is taking the fashion world by a storm. Good for them!

As for the above pic, it really reminded me of this one…well, not the outfit so much, but the hairstyle and the general feel of it. What do you think?

More Club Monaco lookbook photos available here…and below are my fave Club Monaco/Garance Doré Q&A parts!

CM As a photographer what is it that fascinates you about street fashion?
GD It’s a great way to discover personalities, it’s a different way to live fashion than through
the magazine fashion stories, which are more an ideal (and which I love). It’s a great way to be
inspired and to find your own style.

CM Define Chic.
GD Real chic is something you have even when you are naked. It’s a mix of intelligence,
kindness, grace and pride. It’s a politeness to other people to look good…

Photo Credits: Club Monaco

H&M Fall 2010 Preview

I am not ready for Fall styles yet. Not ready! Not ready! Not ready! The sun is shining bright…and the temperatures are finally soaring, so why would I want to bundle up? Having said that, I am loving some looks from this H&M Fall 2010 preview. The look above especially! The shorts, the coat, the tights, the boots…so Chloé – so chic! And even though, come fall, I’ll be searching frantically for one of these pieces…at this moment, fall clothes don’t evoke much of an emotion from me…but I thought I’d share this with you anyway…in case you feel differently.

Now back to Spring/Summer!

Photo Credits: www.nitrolicious.com

Friday Faux Pas: Alexander Wang Fall 2010 Booties

Happy Friday, everyone! This week’s Friday Faux Pas is as always up for debate. Now I don’t dislike all of Alexander Wang’s Fall 2010 footwear (adore the Freja style), but I do have a particular not-so-soft spot reserved for his Addison and Constance booties. What in the clown hell is that? Too high, not very flattering, and, well, in my opinion, very ugly! What say you? Are these boots made for walking or for the discount bin?

Photo Credits: www.nitrolicious.com

LG Fashion Week: Evan Biddell Fall 2010

Project Runway alum Evan Biddell is a creative force to be reckoned with, bringing consistently innovative designs to LG Fashion Week year after year. His Fall 2010 show opened with a black and white short that didn’t make much sense to me, but it did feature an actress that looked eerily like Drew Barrymore – it wasn’t her, but it kept me guessing.

When the models started pouring down the catwalk, they posed at the end of the runway not facing straight to the photog pit, but sideways, which really made sense, since most of his pieces had an architectural feel to them, featuring different textures and shapes (hunchback coat, anyone?). The voluminous jackets, skirts, and pants were paraded down the runway in variations of cork and PVC. The cork pieces were something I’ve never seen done before, and it would’ve been quite cool to touch some of them to see how wearable they actually are…though I don’t think I’d ever sit down in one, out of fear of a wardrobe malfunction.

Other pieces featured graphic prints in colors of acidic rainbow, fringe tops/neck-pieces, metallics, animal print, ruffles, hoodies, and more. I don’t know if all of that really fit into the name of the collection – “Prehistory”, but it sure was interesting to look at. If you are curious about Biddell’s Fall 2010 collection, you can visit his OZ Studios showroom at 134 Ossington Ave in Toronto.

PS. Sorry for the lack of original photos, my seat was way back in the bleachers to have been able to snap anything decent…hence all of my pics have other people’s heads in them…no fun! You can see more photos here.

Photo Credits: Ali Biddell

LG Fashion Week: Joe Fresh Fall 2010

As anticipated, Joe Fresh showed some diversity on the runway in his Fall 2010 fashion presentation. Well, if you can call one very famous normal-sized girl and one older supermodel among a sea of very skinny girls, diversity…then the show succeeded. It was insane how packed the showroom was! Everyone wanted a peek at the now-infamous Crystal Renn. As did I! No offense to Kirsten Owen, but Crystal was the main attraction for moi.

I wasn’t surprised, however, when I realized that as many things in the fashion world, Crystal’s plus-sizedness was greatly exaggerated! Sure, the girl has curves, and no she doesn’t disappear miraculously when she turns to her side (seriously, one of the girls was flat…as in paper thin…could barely see her sideways)…but having seen her fat rolls in magazines, I am afraid that someone has been playing with Photoshop, because there’s no way this girl, who is sold to us as a size 12 is a size 12! From what I could gauge, she’s probably a 6-8, but of course, given that most of the girls at LG Fashion Week were size negative triple zero, Crystal did stand out – in a good healthy way. And no, I don’t mean “healthy” as in fat, I mean “healthy” as in healthy. Apart from her weight, however, one might note that the girl is gorgeous! Beautiful eyebrows, thick, shiny hair, good confident stride, and those cheekbones! Those cheekbones could cut you if they didn’t like you! It totally makes sense why she’s in every major magazine this year!

As for the clothes, there were many pieces that I liked: long chunky knits, some very cute office-appropriate separates, a velvet dress, and flat studded boots. Prices, of course, were also more than right, which made my wallet weep with joy. The collection itself was very “all over the place”, including fur, camo and animal print, leather, mohair, tweed, studs, sequins, velvet…oh my! It didn’t have a specific theme or feel to it, but it did ignite my curiosity to check out some of the pieces in stores, and I guess that’s the point at the end of the day. Or was it to see Crystal Renn in action? Two birds, one stone.

All photos are property of Style Blog and are not to be used without permission.

LG Fashion Week: Andy Thê-Anh Fall 2010

Andy Thê-Anh’s shows are the ones I always look forward to the most. Mainly because I usually love his designs’ flowy, feminine aesthetic, his lovely attention to detail, and the general feeling of being at an actual runway presentation that has something new to show its viewer. Thê-Anh’s Fall 2010 show opened with an ad – something I’ve never seen done before, and it made me cringe initially, but thinking about it now, I’d bet having a fashion show is a costly endeavor, and who am I to judge how someone gets funds to bring his creative vision to life? The good thing was that the ad was actually funny, and once it was done, the real Andy Thê-Anh show started.

As always, there were plenty of looks that I loved – from smoky patterned dresses in blue, to the immaculate suits with such detailing as ruffles and pleats. There was an abundance of maxi pieces, which made me quite happy about that long, dramatic dress I got at H&M for $10! It’s not Andy Thê-Anh, but it’ll do. Elbow length leather gloves, and belted waists completed most looks, which were totally wearable and, yes, feminine. Thê-Anh shows remain one of the hottest tickets in town, and in this case, it is well-deserved, ad or no ad.

All photos are property of Style Blog and are not to be used without permission.

LG Fashion Week: Pink Tartan Fall 2010

Kimberley Newport-Mimran’s Pink Tartan Fall/Winter 2010 show opened with an electric violinist, which come to think of it Andy Thê-Anh did much better with Dr. Draw’s energetic show back in 2008. The show itself featured a bevy of skinny models, clad in aviator style hats, and wearing Alexander Wang-esque side braids, with lots of fur detailing. One thing that really confused me about Pink Tartan’s collection is the harness-like furry wings attached to a few of the models. Were those supposed to be some sort of backwarmers? I don’t get it and I don’t love it.

One thing I did love, however, were the furry skirts. I know that it might be a controversial choice, given that most people I spoke to hated those things with a passion. But to me, they worked. Although a woman with curves might have a problem pulling one of those off. In general, I felt like I’ve seen most things shown at Pink Tartan before, and felt that the styling didn’t have to be borrowed from another designer, but as always, the detailing was noteworthy, and the leather dresses/jackets were covetable.

All photos are property of Style Blog and are not to be used without permission.

LG Fashion Week: The Heart Truth Fashion Show 2010

Joannie Rochette, Ashleigh McIvor, Kathleen Robertson, Keshia Chanté, Tanya Kim and many other Canadian notables strutted and werked their stuff during LG Fashion Week’s Heart Truth Fashion Show last week, sporting the latest hot-red looks from top Canadian designers, including Andy Thê-Anh, David Dixon, Paul Hardy, and Pat McDonagh. Erin Cebula’s Karamea dress is my favorite of the bunch, but Joannie Rochette’s runway pose just killed it! Go girl!

The annual show is meant to bring more awareness and to “shine the spotlight” on women’s heart health. Did you know that heart disease and stroke are the leading causes of death for Canadian women? It is very scary. The Heart Truth campaign aims to raise awareness among women of ways to reduce their risk of heart disease and stroke, and give them the tools they need to protect themselves. Please check out the Heart and Stroke foundation site to evaluate your own risks, as well as to see more beautiful dresses worn at the fashion show.

Photo Credits: Heart and Stroke Foundation

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Style Blog, April 6th 2010 | Tags: Erin Cebula, Fall 2010, Heart and Stroke Foundation, Joannie Rochette, Karamea, LG Fashion Week, Nadya Toto, The Heart Truth Fashion Show, Toronto
Posted in Events, Fashion

Nada Fall 2010 3D Fashion Show

All week long I’ve been looking forward to seeing NADA’s Fall 2010 fashion show. Not your typical runway show that is - but the first ever 3D Fashion Film to be shown at a major cineplex, like ever! I was excited and didn’t know what to expect! Avatar+Fashion=Amazingness. Right? Maybe, but not this time.

The film itself was 7 minutes long, showing a Street Fighter type of game on a big screen. It was fun to see fashion displayed in such a different medium, away from the madness of the tents of LG Fashion Week, and in a familiar setting of a movie theatre, but I thought that it was a mistake to choose a video game format. Yes, we got to see a few NADA pieces in action, but the remainder of the collection went unnoticed, if not for a brief warrior outfit selection tool (ala Rockband or Wii). It left me wanting to see more of the clothes, and less fighting. And aside from the usual cliché of models needing to stick to what they know best and not venture into acting, I will say that the graphics were cool for a fashion film, but definitely not nearly as great as 3D movies.

The reason that Nada Shepherd chose the martial arts sequence for her 3D film, was the influence of her already created print ads, focusing on fembots and futuristic motifs, which Nada herself believes will become a “new ideal” sooner rather than later.

So all in all, I think NADA’s freshman attempt at 3D is a step forward for fashion and an awesome first try for Nada Shepherd and her team. Is this the future of fashion? Time will show. But in the meantime, I would really prefer to watch models walk or fight their way down an actual runway, so that I can see the full collection, and not as part of some computerized wardrobe system, but on actual models to see how the clothes fit and how the fabrics move.

You can watch the film yourself at www.nada3d.com where you may also find info on getting your own pair of NADA 3D glasses, as well as see the images for her print campaign shot by Ivan Otis, which are pretty kick-ass!

Designer Nada Shepherd

Model featured in the film – Madison Schill

Ran into the fabulous Sharon from The Backseat Stylers! Always dressed to kill, maybe she should’ve been the one fighting as a red warrior? Just a thought. Alexander McQueen scarf on his birthday was a nice touch.

And this is Jo and I after the show, mocking the new French Connection ads at Osgoode station, before heading off into the night with Donkey and le boyfriend to celebrate St. Patrick’s day by drinking green beer and eating at Ciao Wine Bar in Yorkville (foodie post coming soon)!

Joe Fresh Thin Thin Thin No More?

As a new Joe Fresh convert, I’ve been checking out their website and blog to see if there are new product photos, etc., when I came across a comment by a woman unhappy about the use of “thin thin thin!” models in Joe Fresh ads. The blog’s response was “watch our Fall 2010 fashion show on March 31 – I think you’ll like the diversity you see!”.

Is Joe Fresh going to have average size models work their runway for Fall 2010 collection? I wonder if the diversity will be represented by many sizes, as well as races. Though I think it’ll take a very long time, before the size/race issue is issue no more in fashion industry, another brand taking a tiny step in the right direction is mighty encouraging. As I am attending Joe Fresh Fall 2010 show on March 31, I will report back on what I see there. Hoping for the best.

Friday Faux Pas: Chanel Fall 2010

No, no, no! First the clogs, and now this? I never thought I’d say it, but I am doubting Karl’s vision! Fur pants? Really? Where the Wild Things Are was released last year, and Opening Ceremony has already done a fur-filled collection. The thing is, I almost expect Opening Ceremony to release an edgy-ugly-on-purpose collection, but it is not normal, to me, for the house of flipping CHANEL to have Chewbaccas strutting down a Parisian runway.

The furry suits, and high-heeled monster boots are making me want to poke my eyes out and never lay them on another Chanel thing ever again (okay, maybe not ever again). And though I give Karl Lagerfeld props for using faux fur instead of real, this collection (though there were some nice pieces) is one hot icy mess. No, no, no!

Photo Credits: www.style.com

Alexander McQueen Fall 2010 Collection

Earlier this week, 16 showpieces from Alexander McQueen’s Fall 2010 collection were presented in Paris. Inspired by the Byzantine art and Old Master paintings, the collection was hailed “heartbreakingly beautiful”. Indeed it is. It is also heartbreakingly sad, that another incredible talent is gone too soon. Rest in peace, Lee Alexander McQueen. You and your art will be greatly missed.

Photo Credits: TFS

Wishlist: Burberry Shearling Boots

Aren’t these Fall 2010 Burberry shearling boots just amazing? Here I am happy as as can be that it’s almost spring, and then I lay my eyes on these awesome boots, and it makes me wish it was winter all over again…but then again, I think about the slush that would ruin these beauties, and I change my mind. And then the whole thing all over again…Oy!

The good thing about all this, is that I have an entire year to look for a proper replacement – perhaps with a more practical heel. Any leads?

Photo Credits: www.style.com

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