Quick Notice

Hi Everybody!

I hope you're all wrapped up and warm wherever you are. Or if you're reading from the Southern Hemisphere I hope you are cool and comfortable.

I just wanted to write you saying that first semester is coming to a close and with that, my blog requirement. BUT I do plan on keeping this up during the holidays, I just need a week off for exams and other assignments.

Have a restful week and I'll be back soon.

Fashion is not Armour

So everyone at this point is on Instagram right? How about Tumblr? Or Pinterest?

You have at least heard about these sites, right?

I bring this up because these social media sites have a corner of users who love to reblog/post/share/pin inspirational quotes on a lovely graphic background. I saw one the other day and it got me thinking about the personal relationship people have with the clothes we wear.

I know there are people who believe that clothes are just what you wear to protect yourself from the elements. But I strongly believe that there is a reason why you chose to buy those pants, that skirt and that shirt you only wear on the weekends.

Refinery 29 is a fashion site based out of New York city. I've followed them for a while on social media and they've been posting aesthetically pleasing quotes on their social media accounts. A few weeks ago on Instagram, they post a quote by Bill Cunningham. 

"Fashion is the armour to survive the reality of everyday life." -Bill Cunningham

There are days where I just want to curl up in a ball and hide away from the world. On those days I dress in a pair of trusted go-to jeans (with lots of stretch) and a huge comfy sweater. I might wear a big cocktail ring or necklace to feign effort and I'm off to face my day.

I buy things because I envision a use for them, that applies to clothes (beyond protection from the elements). I know that might not be the smartest way to shop but I can’t help wanting to be prepared for anything. That boxy orange shell I bought for $10 at Dynamite is going to be worn at all the patios next summer, obviously. I have a huge knit cardigan that is a glorified blanket with sleeves, I usually wear it with old brown suede boots. Not only warm but I also look like I’m headed to a cabin. Isn't the dream to perpetually look like you're about to go on vacation? 

In all honesty though, when do you buy clothes? Do you buy them when you’re feeling good about yourself? Or is it a pick me up purchase? The sad truth is that many women (and of course there are men who experience this too) feel that they aren’t attractive or fit enough to wear the clothes they see hanging in stores or on the glossy pages of a magazine. They can hate the way they look and when you need to replace a pair of pants, you end up going for whatever "fits". 

For that reason, I find Cunningham's quote problematic. I know people who avoid fashion and style altogether. This is a fashion and design blog and I don't want to deviate too far from that, but fashion isn't known to be an accepting place. Unfortunately there are people who do view fashion as a hurtful thing, a reminder that they may not fit some idealized version of people.

To look at fashion as a shield to provide protection is looking at it the wrong way, unless Cunningham literally means shielding us from the weather. If that's the case, then I'm way off here.

The armour we use to live through everyday life should be the confidence we gain from our accomplishments. But why do we have to look at life as something that needs to be battled? Yes, life can be a struggle but it's a necessary struggle. Life is what you make of it, it doesn't have to be a war comprised of struggle, defence and strategy.

I think fashion is better expressed by Lynn Dell (who used to be an editor for Cosmopolitan and regular on the Advanced Style blog) who said "You must dress for the theatre of your life." Fashion isn't a bulky piece of armour you hide behind, it's a tool for expression. Dell has another famous quote that I don't think gets the recognition it deserves.

"To dress is artistic, fashion says me too, style says only me."- Lynn Dell

I have exams next week so I don't know if I'll have the energy or patience to blog, but I would like to encourage you, my dear, sweet, lovely reader to go out and buy something that you like that you may pass because you think it wouldn't suit you or any other excuse you make. Take that item, put it on give yourself a compliment (or two) and picture what you could do with it.


Have a great weekend!

Home and Hardware

Happy Friday!

How many people here like to change up their space, lets say three or more times a year? I'm including holidays here.

Here are some tips for planning any renovations or decorating.

1. PLAN

Take an afternoon to set some realistic goals and timeline. Give yourself a realistic window of time to figure out what you want to do and how far you want to go with the renovations.
For example: a week to come up with a vision and colour scheme, two days to clear the furniture a week to install the flooring, etc.

2. BACKUP PLANS
Again it all comes down to planning, get it done. If something impedes your plans, what else can you do to keep the project going?

Essentially what I'm saying is plan. It will help you avoid unnecessary stress.

Most importantly, have fun with it and do what you like. It's your space ultimately. 

Let me know if you have any renovating or redecorating tips, have a great weekend!

Vine and the struggles, another assignment post.

Happy Friday!

Are all the students reading this tired? Are you reading this to procrastinate? If so, get your work done and then start celebrate your accomplishment by coming back to read this before you fall further down the rabbit hole that is the Internet.

I made a vine advertising something I love. I laughed a lot making it and as a result I look like the pun dog meme. 

See it here.

Let me know what you think and make your own Vines about things you love!

Have a good weekend!

Proud by Michael Healey

Hello everyone!

I mentioned in my last post that I'd be writing about a play for an assignment, heads up this is that post.

The play is called Proud, written by Michael Healey who has envisioned a Canada where Stephen Harper's Conservative government won the majority back in 2011. Yes this is a play full of political satire from a time shortly before I was interested in politics. I can't say I was excited for it, but I will watch any art for art's sake.

I was sitting almost completely surrounded by classmates. We were all assigned to write about this play so of course there would be some people who might have wanted to record audio from the play to refer to later when writing.

To give you some context, we all had a few big assignments due early that day. There were a lot of worn out faces in the crowd that night.

At one point my classmate pulled out his cellphone, at the time I didn't notice, but what I did notice was a rolled up program swiping past my line of vision and swatting my arm.

"Tell him to get off his phone!" A woman in a teal coat two seats over hissed at me.

No please. No thank you. No excuse me. I'm sure she must have had to literally climb over my friend to get to me too. (She did, my friend confirmed she had a face full of this woman's torso.)

I first looked at my friend and saw his phone dimly lit covered by his hand. I'm not going to judge, but yeah, you probably shouldn't be on your phone during any performance.

You should also probably refrain from falling asleep and snoring during a performance too. I kept thinking there was a wonky fan in the room. My friend was the buffer between myself and the woman, didn't hear much of the play at all. She was pissed off thinking this would be a fail for her.

Despite the woman's snoring I was paying more attention to the colours in the show. As expected the actors wore pretty neutral colours (yes, red can be a neutral).  The play took place in one room, an office full of wooden furniture, the only real colour in the room was on the rug. I have to talk about the set designers though, that flooring was painted to look like wood planks and they were painted in such a way that the brush strokes resembled wood grain. A detail I noticed when I left the theatre. There was also a kind of sub-set, completely in grey where a character from the future would be providing the effects of the action in the play. Not a lot of visual interest in the set despite the textures in the wood and pattern of the rug.

I typically don't see any plays besides ones on during festivals because I don't have a lot of time or money to spend at the theatre and if I do, I'm at the ballet or a concert. I also tend to stay away from political satire because the opinions can be biased, and honestly I don't get a lot of entertainment from politics.

I was disappointed in one of the characters, she was overtly sexualized from her first appearance. She was introduced as Jizz Bella and she asked the Prime Minister for a condom, she was loud too. It was like watching a republican construct a feminist character out of a dated stereotype, kind of painful to watch. She was redeemed by gaining depth as the play went on. 

Bella and Harper discussed the play's theme of self reliance in a very on-the-nose way closer to the end, while her grown son had a scene by himself in the corner trying to paint out a dystopian future. I didn't have a problem with this but he seemed so isolated in the entire play. They could probably have cut him out, and maybe it wouldn't make a huge difference.

I went into the play with no expectations except one, that Harper would be portrayed like he is in comedy. Take a look at this video for an example. Yes, he does come off as a cold almost robotic person in media and the actors spoke about it afterwards. It was interesting hearing the actors discuss their approach to the characters, especially Ross McMillan (who played the Prime Minister) and how he stayed in character after the production's original run.

I'm really glad they decided to go a different route with the Harper character. McMillan really gave him a personality that kept my attention. I think it was because we don't really see much of his personality that I was intrigued by the play.

I do recommend Proud if it plays wherever you are, it was entertaining and very witty. I heard from a teacher that it was part of a trilogy. My interest was peaked enough to look it up, so that's another two productions added to my to-see list.

Have a great weekend! Let me know if you've seen any good plays recently. I want to add more titles to my list.

World MasterCard Fashion Week: Mercedes-Benz Start Up Award pt 3

Happy Friday,

This week will conclude my little overview of the World MasterCard Fashion Week Mercedes-Benz Start up designers. I've seen a variety of approaches to Spring/Summer wear during the last three weeks and it's making me really miss my summertime paycheques. I'd like to splurge on the designer's current fall lines, they are just so beautiful and cozy (I swear, the key to my heart is a gorgeous knit).

If you haven't visited their websites, go back to my previous posts and do it, trust me.

Unfortunately for my closet, but fortunately for my future I've gone back to school, I'll probably get into it in a little more depth in next weeks post where I'll be talking about a play as part of a school assignment. I'll see what my week looks like and perhaps I'll post a quick little something extra to keep it on track. 

ANYWAYS! Onto the final two designers on the list!

Hello Eliza Faulkner!

A Vancouver designer who cut her teeth in the U.K. Her designs are conceived and produced in Vancouver. Her designs are fresh and crisp, but the fabrics retain a fluid look to them. It's probably the most put together you could look wearing denim without throwing a blazer over your outfit.
The aesthetic of the website really reminds me of cozy Canadian things in late August.

I got pretty excited when I saw an abundance of my favourite late 90's look. Say what you will, but preteen Jessica loved a halter top. 

Late 90's prints were not limited to just one stripe, but a collection of them like a rainbow made up of either coordinating colours or complimentary colour combos. This dress makes me want to go to brunch, or a picnic. I love the strategic way the print nips the waist and flows away from the body. I personally think that with patterns you have to be conscious of how they match up when you put the raw edges together, for the sake of drawing the eye where you want it.

 Another 90's throwback, the contrast denim panel. I think since the revival of the denim shirt, they've gotten a little boring, and sometimes you don't want it to be polka dotted, or floral printed. I really adore the contrast and pop of dark cuffs and pocket flaps. I really like the collar being left in the same colour as the body of the piece. I think if it was in the dark tone, the whole thing would be too heavy.

I can't say it enough, I love a maxi dress, I love ones that show off shoulders. This whole thing is a yes, however, I'd like to have seen something different in the hat. I would maybe tie a scarf around the head, one with a bold pattern (I know, contrary to the above screen cap). The beauty of a Maxi is what you can accessorize with it. I love to load up on huge pieces of jewellery, here I'd throw on a bib necklace and maybe a cuff. Because this kind of dress is really like a huge swath of fabric, they can be monotonous, for this is can be a perfect canvass for big jewellery.

Beaufille 

Founded by two sisters who studied in Nova Scotia now based in Toronto. The Gordon sisters named the brand after the French word for handsome girl after the aesthetic they aim for. The sisters design menswear inspired clothing, essentials for the fashion forward "Tough girl" aesthetic. The sisters operate the brand by division of labour. Parris handles the accessories while Chloe designs the clothes.

The site is full of street-style inspired outfits photographed in an editorial style.

I felt this piece was contradictory to the tough-girl aesthetic, it's such a lady-like outfit. The cutouts give the set interest and a just a dash of edge. The black flat sandals anchors the look, because the fabric is so gauzy and transparent.

I love the pattern here with the grey scale. The coat is fantastic, I'd wear it over a bright solid dress, or maybe exchange the shirt for a colour. I love the lines of the coat paired with the pattern. It reminds me of an art book I had growing up that told me the first step to anatomy is to create women with circles and men with rectangles. 

There were a few pieces that utilized this burgundy leather pieces. I felt the colour was an odd choice especially for Spring, I think it's because this tone is so traditionally a Fall colour. I thought this particular outfit was a good use of it, a splash of colour on a tough material for balance with the light high-shine fabric used in this set.

There you have it, I hope you enjoyed my quick look at the designers up for the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Start Up Award.

Let me know what you think of the designers in the comments below. Have a restful weekend!

World MasterCard Fashion Week: Mercedes-Benz Start Up Award pt 2

Happy Halloween!!

Welcome back to my delayed World MasterCard Fashion Week special!

As I mentioned in my last post, I'll be featuring the candidates for the Mercedes-Benz Start up Award. The screen shots below are featured from the WMCFW which I've taken off the website.

Without further ado,

BLAK.I

Founded in 2010 by Helder Aguiar and Diego Fuchs, the focus of their designs is to "bring out a woman's inner cool." They consider their pieces a foundation to build on, but they are beautiful on their own. The patterns are bold and silhouettes are flattering.

This maxi dress looks incredibly comfortable. I'd probably wear it out at night, just like the model is styled here. I'd probably change the shoes to something more fun and colourful though.

The silhouette of this dress is simple, it's high neckline is demure and contrasts with the print in a modern way. It is perfect for experimenting with unconventional jewellery like the body chain capping her shoulders. I also really like the piping that goes down the front of this dress.

The pattern reminds me of computer rendering, with everything coming up floral. Like I mentioned in my previous post, fashion can be infused with multiple elements. It's fun to wear your interests.

I'm also a fan of this cut, it's super comfortable and creates a nice draping effect.

Laura Siegel

Based out of New York and Toronto, this designer works with artisans from Asia and Latin America to create a globally inspired fashion line. She works with everything from Silver to knit wear. Her website has this explorer feel to it, kind of channeling an Amelia Earhart meets the modern incarnation of Laura Croft (of the Tomb Raider franchise).

Another thing to mention about Laura Siegel is Project Eleven27, which she founded after the tragic collapse of a garment factory in Bangladesh nearly two years ago. Scarves are made by artisans to honour the lives lost and to raise awareness for the unethical treatment of garment workers. Proceeds go to families of those effected in the collapse. 

Shop Project Eleven27

I can't pass up a great maxi dress, it's my weakness. They look so great with the right styling, the necklace the model is wearing is fantastic. The disks are playful and they contrast against the vertical elements of the dress really well. I especially like the layering of the choker with the length of the silver necklace, which somehow manages to look incredibly light.

The layered choker and necklace repeat here, I like them paired with the cuffs around the wrist and biceps. what I liked most about this look was the colour block and pattern. On the top you have this light airy material with the lined pattern (which appeared several times during the show) and it just looks like it's floating over the body. Look down and you have this block of black fabric that takes the dress to a midi level anchoring the dress down, this visual balance is just so pleasing.

The recurring pattern also appeared on a washed out lavender fabric on a few other pieces. The fabric in the skirt just floats away from the body beautifully, while the block pattern creates length. The use of opposing textures lends to balance here. Silk and leather are as far away from each other as you can get, it makes for a jarring combination. The scarf and hardware tie it all together.

I just wanted to include this outfit because I felt it was out of place with the rest of the collection, and that's not a bad thing.  I think this is the perfect thing to wear while transitioning from the cooler temps or maybe something you might wear at the end of August.

Let me know what you think about these designers in the comments below!

Have a safe and happy Halloween!