Happy 60th

I wish I were attending the Dior couture show and afterparty/60th Birthday party in Paris tonight.

read all about it: (and turn green with envy)

http://www.fashionweekdaily.com/news/fullstory.sps?iNewsid=440410&itype=8486

Lanvin Men have the flashiest footwear

Lucas Ossendrijver's perfet interpretation of the easy elegance and refined tailoring that has come to define Lanvin under the mastery of Alber Elbaz. These looks could work for a multitude of men of varying shapes and sizes, although I'm sure several would be daunted with the task of wearing, say, wide-leg drawstring silk pants or loose fitting, mid-thigh hitting silk shorts.
My favorite collection thus far.
I can't wait to see what is in store for the women's spring/summer '08 collection.

A New Era

Introducing, Dior homme by Van Assche

Slimmane this is not, and it's kind of refreshing! Enough style to keep the clientel but with a certain classic Gatsby-era feel.

The starving artiste by YSL

I enjoyed the new open-minded liberalized artiste look that Pilati sent down the runway at YSL . Boxy shirts, jackets and sweaters paired with pleated pants that were just a tad "too short", some covered in paint spatters. However, I fear that this look is going to be translated much like the distressed/worn out jeans look of three years ago. Basically people are going to be paying skyhigh prices for fashion items that have been traditionally known as rags (or in this case smocks). If you like the look and painting isn't necessarily your thing, don't worry all you need is an old pair of pants and any old paint (obv not watercolour) and you can go-to-town expressing your inner Jackson Pollock.

YSL Edition 24

Ever had a fashion editorial idea that was so good but had nowhere to use it? Well now's your chance to see it come to life! Nick Knight and YSL are teaming up to do a live-broadcast film over 24 hours that will become the catalogue and film for the new YSL Edition 24 and they want YOU to come up with the idea. Go to http://www.showstudio.com/blog/22112 to learn more!

being "commodified"

Things like this make me miss vancouver

Just, NO!

My distatste for leggings is well known. It isn't that I don't think that they are a useful and functional item or that they are completely unflattering. However, unless you have long, slim legs or are a model, you don't look good in them- trust me. This whole societal obsession with them is so, well, ugly. At first people wore them to keep cold in the winter (totally practical), then everyone was just wearing them under their dresses, while waiting out the coldish early spring/late fall weather (practical but easily led astray), and then -BOOM- they were (horror and horrors!) EVERYWHERE!

On most, leggings just cut your legs too short and you end up making your legs look like two bound and wrapped sausages, or if you are very skinny, two tightly wrapped sticks. If you decide to go with this look sans dress- say- with just a mid length t-shirt, you not only look short-legged but also run the high risk of camel-toe and looked-like-i-forgot-to-wear-pants syndrom.

When Nicolas Ghesquiere sent his models down the runway for fall/winter 2007 in these robotic metal leggings I actully LOVED it- finally an interesting, beautiful, not to mention creative spin on leggings!! These leggings happen to be custom made and cost around $100,000 (according to a quick google search) and this explains why the metallic leggings from AA became so popular (*shudder* if I think black leggings should be worn with caution you can imagine what kind opinions I hold towards shiny, metallic ones).

And now this. seriously. Those things were made for fashion editorials, not for Beyonce to squeeze her gigantic birthing hips and thunder thighs into. You look TERRIBLE Beyonce, and I don't care if it is a stage costume, you made high fashion look worse than those gaudy stripper-esque "creations" your mom makes. I am well aware that Beyonce has a great body, a booty the size of two gigantic watermelons and can in no way be considered fat or ill-proportioned but... wrong outfit for your body-type and THIS is what happens. gross. and it's not just the picture and the angle it's taken at- I looked through many pictured of this outfit- there isnt a flattering one among them- even the ones where she's trapped inside the metallic robot capsule thing- a la Kylie 2002 Fever world tour- If it's even possible her hips and thighs look MORE massive, her rock-hard abs more squished, her torso less elongated in the other photos. The very epitome of what i was talking about- how terribly misguided the use of leggings has become.

Please, I'm begging all you girls out there, give up the leggings. Just. Stop. Please.

Love those glasses

I don't know how I feel about the extra long crotch in the trousers Christopher Bailey sent down the runway for the 2008 Spring collection for Burberry but I there is not a doubt in my heart about the sunglasses. I want a pair.

CK cruise

Alright, so I have purposefully been neglecting any posts to do with the resort/cruise collections that have been coming out over the last month. However, I had to make an exception for the Calvin Klein cruise collection, which premiered today. I feel that this collection, more than most, really keeps up with the direction of the brand, plus I absolutely adore those flat, braided sandals and the long dresses.

photo source: fabsugar.com

The Chanel Pavilion

Based on it's ubiquitous 2.55 handbag, Master Karl commissioned this traveling pavilion and unveiled it at this year's Venice biennial. Gorgeous.

read more:

http://m2atk.wordpress.com/2007/06/14/zaha-hadid-architects/

Exasperated

I hate Dell. I have been waiting for my new computer monitor for over a month (since May 15th 2007 to be exact). Not only did the company not inform me that they were experiencing a monitor shortage and that my order would take (far) longer than expected to arrive, but my bill arrived a full week ahead of the monitor. To top it all off, now I can't have it delivered because I don't have a buzzer number.

Of course there was nothing to be done about the terrible customer service... I shouldn't have caved, because Mac is now having a sale (buy one and get a nano for free) on their Macbooks.

Don't buy Dell- it's cheap but terrible.

note: I also have issues with Apple, led by the all-powerful Mr Jobs, and their monopolistic ways, but at least they aren't as suseptible to viruses

A Hell guarded by Rats and Ms. Wintour

In news from the insane...
Peter Braunstein, a former fashion writer, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for dressing up as a firefighter, lighting a few fires in a Manhattan apartment building, and then kidnapping and then molesting a former co-worker. To read all about it, including brief descriptions of some of his more interesting musings (courtesy of his personal journal- used as court evidence) click the link below.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/LAW/06/18/fake.firefighter.ap/index.html

On another note, hearing this many Celine Dion ballads (interspliced with gems like Avril Lavigne) on the prefered radio station of my co-workers is its own special form of hell.

Quick bits from the front

According to bagsnob.com January and June are THE sale months in the year....

Holts is having it's designer summer sale. Saw a beautiful small-mid sized white hogan leather shoulder bag, a pair of grey and silver suede open-toed miumiu sandles, and a pair of open-toed criss-crossed black patent flat louboutin's...

Currently obsessed over:

http://www.anthropologie.com/jump.jsp?itemID=14890&itemType=PRODUCT&iSubCat=2279&iMainCat=17

and

http://www.anthropologie.com/jump.jsp?itemID=17739&itemType=PRODUCT&iMainCat=4&iSubCat=1402&previous=1

Eventhough I have partaken in this form of consumerism I can't help but feel a tinge of doubt while shopping for clothes on the internet. I am a firm believer in trying things on, because you can never be to sure, what with the fast and loose world of ever-changing fit-model standards and sizes.

foto decadent

Another link to a collection (livejournal community) with many a fashion photography post. A fast favorite for sure! (including march 2006 la plage featuring a topless daria, ooo lala)

http://community.livejournal.com/foto_decadent/

Support the twin millionairs

WWD announced today that the Olsen's (ashley and mk) are coming out with yet another fashion line. This one, called Elizabeth and James (after their other siblings) focuses more on contemporary sportswear and apparently will be appearing at a lower price point than the girls' previous effort The Row.

I was sorely disappointed in The Row. Ridiculously overpriced fashion basics aren't really for me. I like the hooded dress and the second, shorts with vested-blazer, look but it all seems very topshop (almost like the kate moss collection, with a little kylie influence sprinkled overtop). I love the shoes but I doubt they are part of the collection

Just incase you don't have a subscription to WWD and want to read an article giving a full run-up of the Elizabeth and James:

http://www.mkashley.com/mk-and-as-newest-fashion-line-elizabeth-and-james/

Supply and Demand

...or maybe it's just plain greed and stupidity?
Coming Soon, Damien Hirst's plantinum skull (not his obviously), with 8,000 doamonds that can be yours for the reasonable price of $99 million.



http://artkrush.com/113318

Something you could own forever

While I was at the Saltbox opening last week I saw this amazing black men's blazer, with lining that was double panelled in contrasting patterns. After begging my friend to try it on for a good ten minutes (he refused on the grounds that inside the store it was "sweltering") I put the the garment on. I knew that it wouldn't fit but I just wanted to feel it. I was quickly approched by a man who was shaking his head saying, "no, no that's way too big for you!" It turns out this slight, very bearded man, dressed casually in a t-shirt, jeans and a very low baseball cap was the label's creator, Brendan Babenzien. We talked about craftsmanship, politics, environmental sustainability, Vancouver and New York.

Great man, and he makes beautiful and timeless men's garments. I wonder if he can be persuaded into making a few for women as well...

www.noahnewyork.com

For a nice little article on the man himself,

http://www.timeoutny.com/newyork/Details.do?page=1&xyurl=xyl://TONYWebArticles2/575/check_out/maker_s_mark.xml

Weekend Inspiration

Photos from in and around Toronto for doors open. I promise to get up the nerve to photograph the various fashion mavericks I've seen walking the streets here (soon!) for my planned TGIFF(thank god it's fashion- fridays).

Also went to the Toronto Fashion Bloggers Brunch (http://tfbb.geekigirl.com/index.php) and had a great time. It was great to meet such an inclusive and friendly community. I look forward to similar events in the future.

doors open

What: Doors Open, a great urbanadventure
When: Sat/Sun May 26th and 27th

Architectural city walk-about. Many private andpublic buildings in Toronto open their doors to the public.