Viktor & Rolf - Spring Summer 2011 Show

"Feminine variations of the men's shirt" Brilliant!

60s LOVE

February rolls in as do the waves on Kits shore. Wow. Fall has gone and past, and looking outside my little window, it seems as though winter has as well. Lush green leaves, big, wet rain droplets, and little green potted iris and hyacinth bulbs lining the racks outside the grocery stores. Could it be Spring? We have yet to see. For the moment it is Vancouver weather, and I love it. The old man with a long silver ponytail and Valentine's card in hand, smirks at my sister and I as we dash by dressed in 60s attire. I imagine that to him, the past few decades have melted as quickly as the snow has this week. I imagine that the days of Joni, Jean, and Joan are fresh in his mind, as are Jimi's vicious guitar solos and the Who's long wailing chords. Or on that note, perhaps a tad foggy.

Sixties. The day I get over them is the day I think the world will end. I adore just about everything related to or even vaguely inspired by the sixties. Bring on the seventies and everything the spring trends will surface, but first, here is a quick ode to the sixties.

Sam Haskins captured the 60s we have come to adore, from little girl stockings and tom boy linens to the winged liner and pretty lingerie.

Marianne Faithful, I love her for her bangs and fur, and a little for her music as well.

Winter Coats

So, with winter comes fun: snow (for most of us), scarves, hats, mitts, and everyone's favourite winter staple: Coats!

I enjoyed finding a few the past while and thought to share!

Warm and light grey wools and pin-plaid layers from Viktor and Rolf A/W Collection:

And I absolutely love this Monki coat I found on Lookbook. I love how she wore it:

Anna E: http://lookbook.nu/look/1353173-kom-s-ger-dom

I personally think the leopard-print coat is getting a bit tiresome, but here is mine I found at a Vintage shop in Calgary:

Model: Josefa

And Vivienne Westwood's brilliant Storm Coat:

I love what is done with the scarf! The material juts folds brilliantly!

Lookbook: Look by Claudia W.

Note to Calgary Fashionistas and Designers! Cakewalk Designer Dress Rentals Launch at Hotel Arts!!

Women of Calgary: Real Fashion, now at your fingertips.

Cakewalk Designer Dress Rentals, the brainchild of the brilliant Ava Czymoc, is providing Calgary with the opportunity to dress, impress, and express by making your favorite Designers available to you at your very fingertips. Valentino (sigh!), Bagdley Mischka, Michael Kors, Diane Von Furstenburg, Emilio Pucci, Anna Sui: name it, she has it, oh! and so can you.

And of course, the best news of all is you are invited to the launch event at the Hotel Arts from November 8 until the 10th. Ladies, be sure to stop by to view the collection, it is guaranteed to change the way you make appearances at any event, or any venue!

http://www.beautyuncovered.ca/cakewalk.php

PULL & BEAR - 315 OXFORD ST. - LONDON - PROMO TEASER

Fiasco Magazine "Lost Boys"

Love the Aesthetics and colour scheme...

Models: Ash Stymest & Luke Worrall
Photography: Vincent Nord
Stylist: Alexis Knox

Before the Leaves All Fall...

I believe its time to transition to Fall, however I wanted to take advantage of a bit of sunshine before the rain, or even the snow, sets in.

I shot a few of Josefa Cameron and Jordan Dufault, in lovely vancouver.

Expressionists

And Now...

Having packed and moved to Vancouver, a beautiful city in every respect, I believe I am surrounded by a new wave of fashion. Here there is Street Fashion and there is Urban Fashion. I have yet to coin the words more accurately, but for the moment those will do.

Street Fashion shall be referrred to as the true fashion of the daily person. These being Emily Carr schoolgoers, Kitsilano residers, and anyone else who dresses to express rather than to impress. There is something about this city that instills a hint of "cool" in just about every individual. And it shows in their attire. Cuffs, plaids, greens, messy little buns, crazy rimmed glasses, wooly knits, beautiful tiny purses, and little shoes. You could call them Off-the-Runway looks. You could call them hipster, artists, Vancouverites, (but its not just them). I shall call them Expressionists.

And then there are the Urban Dressers. Go downtown to Robson Street. Oh these people know how to dress. Pinstripes, Summer Suits, Designer Bags, Expensive Heels. Its all there. The latest trends fresh from the Runway, you can tell, because they are dressed to the T, but also in the way they walk. They are busy, mostly. They strut to and fro. Downtowners. They look good, don't get me wrong. But there is something missing. A spirit perhaps, beyond the external. No expression of any soul. No art in the apparel, no fun. Just an expression of money and being up-to date with the best and newest.

Don't get me wrong, they both dress well. I personally enjoy them both, they both look good. They fill the city with perfect shots for my dear camera, turning it into a constant runway. But I admire the Expressionists.

That said, here is a new photographer, Valentina Vos, who is an Expressionist, or at least exhibits it in her work. Her new book, One Seventy Four, is has been recently featured on the Urban Outfitters Website.

One of the Pictures from her website book.

CALGARY THEN ROME!

I am sitting in the Calgary airport, and people watching, I admit. Looking for style, mainly because we are early for the flight and I don't really have anything else to do, but also out of pure curiosity. Not to be pretentious, because there is nothing worse than that, but merely honest: I don't really have a lot of style to look out for. I excuse them, they are travelling, and most dress solely for comfort when flying. Josefa of course, manages to do both. But she always finds a way.

The style in this airport at the present time, or lack of, fills me with only more eagerness for the trip ahead. London, Heathrow first, then Rome. London: a place where culture and fashion are hand in hand, or so I am told. I have yet to spy on its citizens for fashion, and I have only the airport to do so. Rome: a place where fashion is divine. And I have not only a solid week and more to do so, but a wedding- my sisters- and that shall be exquisitely magnificent for such details, yet it will be the last thing on my mind.

I will, however, keep you posted on every detail. Or maybe just every outfit that haunts until shared. I have yet to decide.

And fashion week. Yes, I also have to post all the photos from Alberta Fashion Week. It was a solid progression from last season's. The designs were worthy, the models were credible, and the crowd was ever impressing. I have much to say, but unfortunately no time. It will come. Here are a few, more to come.

This first one is of Anji K and her models. Her show blew my expectations from Calgary right off the charts. She is a Calgarian jewelry designer turned clothing designer. She is also my favorite designer of the entire Week. Both in her sweet personality, and amazingly creativity with black and textures.

And second, I snapped one of the venue: The Banke on 8th.

TaTa for now! See you in London!

It's about time....

TIME. Time is the essence.

I must start by saying, it's above and beyond time that I post yet another blog on these beloved pages, thanks to all for your requests, and sorry for the wait.

Fashion is about timing. It is a two-toned. It's about wearing the right piece at the right time, and choosing an article of clothing that will stand the test of time. Classic. A "classic" item is one that endures, one will last, but also one that is forward thinking and will turn heads, no matter what TIME it is worn. Art is merely a reflection of oneself using paper, clay, marble, and paints. Fashion is indeed an art. The artist: both the creator and the wearer. Classic art, timeless art, is recognized as beautiful or at least impressive by any onlooker. The same goes for Fashion.

I would like to sneak in a small tribute to Coco Chanel.

Her designs, I believe are always one step ahead of the world, and always accurate in their timing. Her pieces are, to me, the absolute epitome of class, and in being modern and forward in their approach, they are epic in hindsight. They are chic, they are bold. They are based on a solid understanding of the human form, and deep in their portrayal thereby.

Audrey Hepburn's Breakfast at Tiffany's look. Classic to the T.

The little black dress, the three-quarter length glovettes, the pearled necklace, and of course her oversized Ray-bans: it all shouts: classic. Noble form, clean cut, her black dress truly deserves the homage it receives.

Andy Warhol.

Smack dab in focal point of the most influential circle of his time, he set the pace for modern, for chic, and defined the glamour of his time. He picked out of the handfuls of artists, those whose faces would become both the signs of the times, and whose individual classic style would resonate through generations.

Andy and Eddie Sedgwick: the muse.

TIMING. Its essential. CLASS. Even more so. Being fashionable and up to date, I'll give you credit for that. However, if you can select a unique piece that will outlast seasonal changes, that will still be an eye turner a decade down the road, then you have much more than the temporary. You are leaning towards eternal style, depth, and almost a sense of wisdom.

P.S I want to start a new trend in my blogging. I am going to start posting pictures of randomers whose style catch my eyes when in the street. So be ready, Calgary, I'll be snapping!