Cancer Couture

Hi Everyone,

February is Ovarian Cancer Awareness month and this year, it hits closer to home. In mid-December, my close friend received a cancer diagnosis and emergency tumor removal surgery all within a two-week timeline. Needless to say things have been shaken up, and unfortunately I haven't been able to be more available to her. But we can only do what we can.

While poking around on the net, I found a story about a Canadian woman who created a line of couture gowns based on the patterns the cells make under a microscope.

Jaqueline Firkins teaches costume design at the University of British Columbia. She created the gowns after seeing a few of her friends go through the process. I've compiled screenshots from the UBC website.

Click here for Firkins' works along with the description of each dress and the cell that inspired it

This is the complete collection. The gown that introduced me to the collection was the dark green gown third from the right. The second was the strapless red taffeta dress. I thought the entire collection was a beautiful throwback to the 50s with the tea length skirts and bodices.

There isn't a lot of artistic licence taken when it comes to how the cells translate to the fabric. They are pretty true to cell. On the site, you can see a side by side comparison of the slides and the details. It's also pretty amazing that they used students to model the dresses.

This is the Brain Invasion Dress. 

This is a textile representation of what happens when healthy brain cells (model's right) meet cancer cells (model's left). This is my favourite one of the bunch.

This project did something small for something so big it affects more and more of us. I watched the video of the fundraising Gala where these dresses were auctioned, and Global BC's Sophie Lui had the perfect description for the whole thing. 

"With fashion we're not curing anyone, we're not necessarily treating anyone, we're trying to take something and make it beautiful and make it ours." 

All dresses were auctioned off and the money collected was donated to the Canadian Cancer Society. I urge you to donate if you find yourself with a few extra dollars this month. 

Have a great weekend.

Freshening up your precious footwear

Hope you're all enjoying this lovely Friday.

It's beautiful here where I am, and the sun is out, it's warm, and that's a great thing because it means you can wear your fall booties!

Here's a tip when it comes to footwear and warm winter weather: CLEAN AND PROTECT YOUR SHOES.

Seriously, it keeps your shoes looking fresh and new. Just like people, when you take care, your shoes will last much longer and look ten times better. Besides, shoes are so wonderful because it's like having a pair of fine art sculptures adorning your feet. Why wouldn't you want to protect and maintain that?

We all have those small insignificant worries that nag at us. Mine is shoe maintenance, in fact, it's usually the thing I do when I want to procrastinate or have nothing else to do on a rainy day. So I'm going to outline what you'll need and how you should go about cleaning your shoes. 

(I'm planning to do this on Sunday morning so I'll upload pictures to go along with everything in an updated post)

When I do this, I usually do this with multiple pairs at once just because I don't want to do this all that often. This is a great thing to do while listening to a podcast or audiobook.

Before you start, this process is not for all shoes. Stick with wiping away dirt with a soft rag for shoes with a metallic or vinyl material. Always make sure your products are synthetic safe before using them on your synthetic materials.

Step 1) 

Get your materials ready! 

I like to keep mine altogether in an old shopping bag or something, it's just easier. I pretty much just pick up a bottle of Tana all protector when I'm at a shoe store (usually Town Shoes).

Step 2)

Put down paper towels or a few scraps of newspaper, something to protect the surface you're working on. Make sure your space is well ventilated, there will be a gross chemical smell.

Step 3)

Prep your shoes! Wipe them off with a lightly damp rag or paper towel to get rid of any built up product. If the shoe is suede, use an old toothbrush to gently brush away dirt, or if you have a fancy-shmancy suede brush, use that. If you have a lovely pair of shoes made of Nubuck I would recommend getting an actual Nubuck/Suede cleaning brush to maintain the integrity of the material.

Optional step 1)

There's a cleaner that you can get for the inside sole of your shoes. I can't recommend it enough for your flats and sandals (or any other shoe worn without a sock). 

I'm not sure what it's called at the moment, but I'll update this post with the name as soon as I find it.

Optional step 2)

Polish the shoes. Make those beauties shine again by either covering them in a polish that matches or using an unscented, dye-free body lotion (fun fact: you can use this lotion to freshen up your leather jackets too). Just make sure you leave them for a few hours to totally dry, so go do something else for a while.

Step 4)

Spray the protectant over the shoe, it should be enough to cover them entirely so that there's a bit of shine to them. Leave your babies to air-dry preferably overnight.

Step 5)

Wear them without fear or ruining them.

Hope you learned something helpful to you. Let me know if there's anything you would do differently or if you have your own tips to share.

Have a great weekend!

Looking for Leather?

If you are looking for a good quality leather bag, or any leather item, make sure you check out Danier Leather. 

Right now the Canadian retailer is having a 50% off sale on all bags (ladies or gentlemen). They've got some very attractive briefcases. In particular, a beautiful leather duffle bag called the Avi Duffle caught my eye.

In addition to this they've also got sales throughout the stores ranging between 50-70%.

Happy Shopping!

Brrr Sale at the Le Chateau Outlet

I just wanted to take a minute to let you know there are tones of winter items on sale up to 80% off and free shipping on orders over $75 on the Le Chateau website.

There are a few great sweaters if you're into angora blends. A lot of dresses to be combed over from work to formal. 

I actually loved the casual day dresses they have on sale. It was hard not to buy anything but I've made myself promise not to buy anything unless I had something to discard.

Click here to check out the sale, there's a lovely camel coat in the mix too.

Happy Sunday!

Hello!

Happy New Year Dear Readers!

I'm going to start the year off with a quick post holiday update and some housekeeping (blogkeeping?).

I ended 2014 with some sad news. One of my brother's friends had passed away suddenly and it caught us all off guard in one of those but-we-just-saw-him kind of ways. A week before my finals my best friend had, in an incredibly short time, been diagnosed with cervical cancer and went for surgery to remove the tumour. On top of this my grandmother, (Mother's side) who doesn't live in Canada, fell and broke her hand while on the phone with us on Christmas Day.

On New Years Eve I was a little bit sick and decided to stay in and from 11P.M. to about 12:30A.M. the power went out. It was a really great experience. The house was dark, my dog was calm and I drank a German sparkling wine via candlelight (oooohh so romantic eh?). My phone was dead within minutes and my computer followed suit while I was writing a short story.

I did have a few evenings to rest and accomplish a few things. While I didn't finish the books I wanted to, I did finish some games on my To-Do list; Little Big Planet 3 (a gift from my brother) and a replay through my beloved Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Now about the blog, I intend to continue writing about fashion and try my best to keep the focus on Canadian fashion. However, I want to post designs I really like regardless of origins. I also want to post links and codes for sales as well, so expect that as well.


Welcome back and thank you for reading.

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!