As with everything Givenchy, I love the Resort 2011 collection for women. He makes leopard print look so good. The shoes are the only thing I’m not totally in love with. However, the ones the model is wearing look a lot nicer. images: style.com and wwd.com
The Prada menswear Spring Summer 2011 collection had a really great set.
Hi folks, Just dropping you a note to let you know that blog posts will continue this evening. It’s been a crazy week in Toronto with the Earthquake, flooding and of course the G20. I also went on a crazy day trip to NYC and I’ll have the deets for you in a series of posts because it’s just too insane for one. Sit tight and Thank you all for reading. Anita
This beauty was a birthday gift. You really should have seen my jaw hit the ground when I saw the orange bag. The packaging is divine. I love the horse and carriage detail. Thank you for such an exquisite gift. I’m trying to figure out how to wear it.
This is the first collection by Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen since the designer died. I saw the photos initially and wasn’t sold. However after viewing the Alexander McQueens menswear Spring Summer 2011 fashion show my attitude turned around. I like the collection, very subdued. I’m very curious to see what these means for the womenswear collection.
M·A·C Cosmetics and alice + olivia have teamed up. I’m in love with the colours and have to get the nail polishes for sure. “If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is because everything would be what it isn’t. And contrary-wise, what it is, it wouldn’t be. What it wouldn’t be, it would. You see?â€â€” alice + olivia = Stacey Bendet, New York native, downtown-fashionista, all-around fun girl, and the sum total of design line alice + olivia, M•A•C’s latest collaborator. A frump-fighting, pro-pixie, anti-seriousness collection of colour that includes new takes on Dazzleglass Crème. So Rich So Pretty Nail Lacquer and Partylicious Pigments…hip + happy = alice + olivia for M•A•C. The collection will be available starting July 8, 2010 until August 2010 at MAC stores.
The setting for the Jil Sander Spring Summer 2011 fashion show is beautiful. You have to watch the video.
I had to check out the super cute installation by FriendsWithYou at Queen’s Park for Luminato. It was like an acid trip came to life; floating mushroom and pill shaped objects with happy faces. Magic, luck, and friendship are the qualities that FriendsWithYou, a visual arts collective based in Miami Beach, seek to spread throughout the world. Now, in an unprecedented spectacle created just for Luminato, they invite Toronto to come out and play. FriendsWithYou turns Toronto into Rainbow City, a delightful explosion of colour and jubilant energy. Led by the Rainbow King, Luminato 2010’s Festival mascot, a host of celestial characters transform Queen’s Park with larger-than-life dimensions of giant totems, bounce houses, and inflatable friends. Meanwhile, emissaries from this magical world fan out across Toronto to spread their universal message. The trusty Olympus E-PL1 was there to record some video I wish random installation like this were more common in the city.
I roped Jaime Woo into coming to the Oliver & Bonacini Cafe Grill opening party last week. It was totally last minute but it ended up with a photo of us (above) in a post the Globe and Mail.   The restaurant is a huge 14,500 square feet and will have a wraparound patio facing Yonge and Front. The patio won’t be open until the all the G20 fun is over. It also has a bar and lounge which I think will be very popular with the Financial District set, especially will the huge patio. I haven’t returned for dinner yet but the chefs are Markus Bestig, Luke Kennedy and Anthony Walsh. They served up tasty appetizers for the attendees to try. You can see more party shots at the Oliver & Bonacini Cafe Grill opening on The Globe and Mail.
Todd Selby (aka The Selby) came to Toronto to promote his new book, The Selby is in your House.  Holt Renfrew hosted a public book signing session in the Bloor street store. A party in his honour at was held at Parts & Labour the night before. It was at this party I would learn about Todd’s site and why I was always hearing his name in fashion circles. Yep, I was that ignorant about the man. I don’t follow interiors that much and since he loves to photograph homes I can see why I never really bothered to check him out. I knew he was important, the why was never that important to me. For those of you not familiar with The Selby, he takes photos of people’s homes. These people are usually creative types and many big players in the fashion industry. My first exposure to The Selby was on the walls of P&L. Holt Renfrew had printed all the pages of his book on these panels that lined the walls. There were …
Mark Fast returned to Canada to be part of the Luminato festival of Arts and Creativity. He has the honour of presenting in the one of the best installation venues in the city, the Brookfield Place Allen Lambert Galleria. It was two years ago that myself and some friends were part of the Toronto’s Mille Femmes installation during Luminato. Luminato, Toronto Festival of Arts and Creativity will present a free landmark installation in partnership with Lancôme by London-based Canadian knitwear designer Mark Fast. Commissioned by Lancôme in celebration of their 75th anniversary, The Ascension of Beauty will be presented in Toronto’s Brookfield Place Allen Lambert Galleria throughout the 10-day festival from June 11th to June 20th. Fast welcomes the challenges of such a largescale project, which will see him outfit architecture in rope sculpture and fashion a dress of lycra, viscose and SWAROVSKI ELEMENTS. Said Fast, “The knitwear I have created is symbolic of the elegant structure of the rose and I have derived my inspiration from its delicate confidence. Its layers extend off the …
I was lucky enough to see the rooftop of the Thompson Toronto, the newest edition to the Thompson Hotel family around the world. The rooftop boasts 360 degree views and an infinity pool. It really is stunning. Thompson Hotel Rooftop from Anita Clarke on Vimeo.
Yellow, yellow everywhere. I love this Resort 2011 collection by Roksanda Ilincic. I’m impressed with her execution of the bright, almost neon yellow. The top middle look is perfection to me.
There are very few designers that will get a bad review from me. Labels like Balenciaga, Givenchy and Lanvin will always be hits in my mind. Of course Celine with Phoebe Philo at the helm is among those select few. Phoebe played with print and colour this season in the ready to wear items. Usually she leaves colour to the accessories. There was a bit of colour blocking which I would expect from Celine doing colour. The prints threw me for a loop at first but I do like the pattern and colour combinations Phoebe has chosen. The accessories are fabulous of course. I’m loving the neon yellow handbags big time. images: style.com and wwd.com
I dig Iris Strubegger and found a Videofashion Model Profile on her.
The Calvin Klein Resort 2011 collection has some wonderful shoes in a bone/off white colour. The video of the Resort collection is out so I’ve included it here so you can see the shoes in action. images: WWD.com
Monique Lhuillier is one of those red carpet/bridal designers that I always overlook or avoid like the plague. This resort collection grabbed me enough that I went to the slideshow. I really liked the daywear in that black and white colour palette. Her strapless dresses look like they fit perfectly in the bust area. Philipino born, Monique Lhuillier started her bridal line in 1996 with her husband. In 2002, they launched the ready to wear and eveningwear divisions of the company. They then launched a home line in 2008. A fine paper and bridesmaids divisions were added in 2009. In Ontario, Monique Lhuillier Ready to Wear is available at Holt Renfrew and Hugo Nicholson. White carries the Bridal and Bliss lines and there is only Bridal at Dina Alonzi Bridal.
I continually update my Ask A Geek post when new information becomes available. Here is a list of Ask a Geek posts that have been recently updated. Ask a Geek: Bridal on Consignment in the Greater Toronto Area – Updated May 29, 2010 Ask a Geek: Consignment Stores in Toronto – Updated June 15, 2010 Ask a Geek: Where to find Prom and Formal Dresses in Toronto – Updated June 15, 2010
Collette Dinningan Resort 2011 manages to strike a the right balance between cutesy and saccharine. There is nothing ground breaking here but I was drawn to colours and silhouettes. Collette Dinningan is the first Australian designer to show in Paris. The award winning, New Zealand born designer started her namesake label in 1990. The woman has a stamp in her likeness from the Australian Post. There are no stockists in Canada but the collection is available in New York City at Barneys and Jeffery. images: nymag.com
Here is some Sanrio 50th anniversary goodness from Girl Skateboards. It’s a Hello Kitty skateboard along with matching t-shirt and wheels. Hello Kitty for the guys seems is the focus of this collaboration. You can see more details about this collaboration on the JapanLA blog. They are also selling everything from the Sanrio x Girl Skateboards collection. As a “thank you” to their ever-loyal fans, SANRIO plans to unveil special co-branded collections, starting this summer with SANRIO x Dr. Martens. Signature Dr. Martens 8-eye boots & mary jane strap shoes will be bestowed a trademark Hello Kitty bow for this limited edition collection. Collaborations with a diverse group of brands including Brunswick, Girl Skateboard Co., Aerial7, Lomography, Demeter Fragrance, Mimobots, and Build-A-Bear Workshop will launch a plethora of amazing products at retail partners worldwide, featuring an assortment of SANRIO characters. A benchmark of SANRIO’s 50th Anniversary will include iconic characters appearing together for the first time ever (outside of SANRIO’s Harmonyland and Puroland theme parks in Japan), on products including the 8-eye Dr. Martens boot, …
You saw the Remember Now Chanel Cruise 2011 video now see the video of the Cruise fashion show. What a spectacle it is. Perfect setting for a cruise collection fashion show. I also enjoyed this short film focusing on the accessories and details of the collection.
I think Rocky Horror and Dr. Frankenfurter when I see the Open Toe Frank N Furter Pumps by Dsquared2 for Fall Winter 2010 – 2011. I’m sure that why they chose the name. It’s a no brainer. They were the talk of the internet after the World Cup opening ceremonies thanks to Alicia Keys. I emailed Todd at Dsquared2 for some high res photos and he sent me another four images. I’m totally blown away. Tommy Ton has photos on his blog and Bryanboy tweeted some pics of him in Florence wearing them. All the styles will be available online starting in August 2010 at Dsquared2.com. Alicia Keys wore the Open Toe Frank N Furter Pumps that retail for $1,275.00 USD. That shoe will be available online starting in August 2010 at the following: Dsquared2.com, zappos.com and endless.com. images: courtesy of DSquared2
Some of the Balenciaga Resort 2011 collection looked very 70s airline uniform. I wasn’t a big fan of that. Of the pieces that didn’t look like that, I loved the prints and vibrant colours. I drink the Balenciaga koolaid with no regrets. The repeating pattern prints reminds me of childhood blankets and clothing. The collection still has that sporty Balenciaga feel. WWD.com had some close up images of the accessories. They didn’t have any photo of the slouchy print boot. I love the industrial looking jewellery. images: Style.com and wwd.com
Sanrio and Demeter teamed up to create signature fragrances for various characters. The Sanrio Demeter Fragrance Library will initially feature scents from Hello Kitty, My Melody and Little Twin Stars. More scents are planned for the future including a scent inspired by the Sanrio Boutique. It seems like Sanrio gum and scented erasers. You can purchase the fragrances online at DemeterFragrance.com, urbanoutfitters.com (Hello Kitty, My Melody, Little Twin Stars) and Sanrio Boutiques. As a “thank you” to their ever-loyal fans, SANRIO plans to unveil special co-branded collections, starting this summer with SANRIO x Dr. Martens. Signature Dr. Martens 8-eye boots & mary jane strap shoes will be bestowed a trademark Hello Kitty bow for this limited edition collection. Collaborations with a diverse group of brands including Brunswick, Girl Skateboard Co., Aerial7, Lomography, Demeter Fragrance, Mimobots, and Build-A-Bear Workshop will launch a plethora of amazing products at retail partners worldwide, featuring an assortment of SANRIO characters. A benchmark of SANRIO’s 50th Anniversary will include iconic characters appearing together for the first time ever (outside of SANRIO’s …
I rediscovered the Chanel Fall 2010 – 2011 ice-cube bags because of a series called Object Fetish on the site Showstudio.com. Examining key pieces from next seasons international collections, Object Fetish trains obsessive attention onto next seasons not-so-obscure objects of desire – namely the choicest accessories from fashions favourite names, metaphorically unpicked through film and text. The series is quite good and I love the in-depth discussion around the objects. View the Object Fetish: Chanel Handbag video. Edit: I found the video on YouTube This show was so overwhelming with the glacier and the faux fur all over the place. I didn’t notice any of the accessories. The video really worked up my handbag lust. I love the idea of these bags. They make me laugh because they are so ridiculous, but at the same time I’d love to own one. I enjoy that combination of absurdity and lust. I can’t wait to see these in the stores. I learned some interesting facts from the Showstudio video about Chanel. Chanel is one of the very …