Month: October 2010

CYDWOQ Fall Winter 2010 – 2011

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CYDWOQ shoes always intrigue me I see them in the stores. They have a striking design style. They are a little bit clunky but exquisitely crafted. I was sent the lookbook and a press release that also gave me some background on California based CYDWOQ and founder Rafi Balouzian. Rafi comes from a long line of shoe-makers and he started CYDWOQ in 1996. He grew up hanging around the family factory in Armenia and made trips to Italy and France. All this time he was learning the shoemaking process from great handcrafted leather artists. Rafi’s son, Ari is the designer and Creative Director for CYDWOQ. CYDWOQ design influences include nature, architecture, automobile design and old films. The shoes are handmade using the best Italian hand painted leather. Natural choices dominate the CYDWOQ product. In shoe construction, the uppers are hand-lasted to the leather insoles using water-based biodegradable glues. Once inspected, the shoes are packed in distinctive cotton bags and recycled cardboard boxes. It is one of the world’s most ecologically responsible shoe firms, setting the …

Dr. Martens on Queen

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There is a new Dr. Martens store on Queen Street. It’s taken over the old Neon Clothing space. The store’s décor is based around the furniture and fixtures you could expect to find in the raw and industrial Northamptonshire, England factory. Reflecting the sense of craft involved in Dr. Martens boots and shoes, all fittings used in the store are authentic and durable. In addition to Dr. Martens Originals that have become known around the globe, seasonal merchandising will support the contemporary expansion of the brand. As Dr. Martens continues to identify creative individuals around the world, limited edition collaborations will be released and featured in the new Queen Street location. This location has so many styles of Dr. Martens to choose from, it should satisfy most people’s needs. All the abstract colours are available like purple, yellow and the metallics. I love that there is a Dr. Martens store in Toronto now. I could see a major addiction for 20 hole boots developing if this store was open during my high school and university …

Darcel at the Spring Summer 2011 Fashion Weeks

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I came across these wonderful cartoons of famous fashion personalities and fixtures on nowness.com. Freaking too adorable for words. Darcel at New York Fashion Week Craig Redman’s Cult Character Turns Style-Savvy Reporter for NOWNESS. Following his hazy, rather drunken night at the grand opening of Louis Vuitton’s London Maison this summer, Darcel—the one-eyed, bespectacled egg-person who is daily overcome by the modern world on Craig Redman’s hugely popular blog, Darcel Disappoints—has got the fashion bug. Yes, Darcel sets off today on an intercontinental trip to cover the spring 2011 catwalks exclusively for NOWNESS.(source) You can see the complete set of Darcel posts on Nowness.com. Darcel at London Fashion Week Darcel at Milan Fashion Week Darcel at Paris Fashion Week

Modelgeddon, a Fashion Film by LOVE Magazine and Versace

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The trailer for Modelgeddon looks awesome. It’s a fashion film from LOVE Magazine and Versace. I can’t wait to see the whole thing. See first glimpse of a LOVE and VERSACE city, the completely original design of which was digitally created specifically for this film by Director and Designer, James Lima, with Creative Direction by LOVE’s Editor-in-Chief, Katie Grand. Grand says: “Working with James Lima again was of course completely thrilling, and adding Versace in to the mix was very exciting. The models we used are badass cyber chicks who are so cool and fuck-me gorgeous they don’t care that the world is falling apart. James is indeed a genius.” This city in fact does not exist; Alessandra Ambrosio, Ana Beatriz Barros, Claudia Mason, and Julie Ordon, all wearing Versace Fall/Winter 2010/11, were filmed separately, acting and reacting to the virtual world crumbling around them. Lima describes MODELGEDDON as:”Supermodels, being über bitchy, dressed in sexy Versace, shot with a RED camera, with a huge amount of computer graphic destruction, in a photo-real urban landscape”.

Hudson Collection Social

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The Hudson COLLECTION launched at Holt Renfrew with a Social that included a DJ, mocktails and models. Hudson reps were on hand to talk about this exclusive to Holt Renfrew collection with customers and help them discover the perfect pair. It was my first time seeing the collection in person and I’m a fan. I even purchased a great tank top with an asymmetrical tail on it. It reminds me of coattails and I can’t wait to bust it out. I’m thinking a pre-LGFW debut or perhaps during LGFW. My favourite pieces of the collection were the D.I.Y style denim that incorporated leather into waistbands and hems. Of course these were the most expensive denim pieces, ha. My eyes and hands are drawn to expensive. There are lots of skinny leg options in the collection. The tops were versatile. The cowl neck long sleeved top and the tank can be worn in many different ways. I live for stuff like that. I loved the jackets, in particular the wool jacket with the large cowl that …

Chanel Spring Summer 2011

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The Chanel Spring Summer 2011 fashion show blew me away. I watched the video late Wednesday night and it almost brought a tear to my eye. There was an 80-piece orchestra who played a mix of music from Björk, the Verve and John “007” Barry. Take said orchestra and put them in the Grand Palais with a set inspired by the movie, Last Year at Marienbad. Chanel usually shows at the Grand Palais but this season they made use of the entire space for this incredibly expansive set. Karl tops himself again and again. Amazingly enough the clothes lived up to the set. This is a season of Chanel I approve of. Can we talk about the boots? I’m dying over them. Things I didn’t like: the sandals and the makeup. I’ve embedded the fashion show video for you all to see. It’s a spectacle, a wonderful fashion spectacle. It makes me giddy. With the talk of the fashion show going the way of the dodo, I’m glad to see that Karl Lagerfeld and Chanel’s …

Balenciaga Spring Summer 2011

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I’m usually a solid Balenciaga fan but the spring summer 2011 collection made me think. There was no immediate reaction of adoration for the clothing. I wasn’t a big fan of the first half of the collection but liked the second. It’s taken me a bit of time to absorb what I’ve seen. This rockabilly version of Balenciaga has me loving classic things like pants and that printed denim.  They look so roomy and comfortable. There are also some sweet little jackets in the collection.  I’ll take a red leather Balenciaga coat please. Balenciaga also introduced watches this season which were inspired by an antique clock in the atelier. I did have an immediate reaction to the shoes and that was love. It’s apparently the first time Ghesquière has show flats at Balenciaga. Shoes like this remind me of my first pair of Dr. Martens. They were low cut, pointy toe, black patent leather creeper like shoes. I loved them to pieces. I love the visual of the shoes and that crazy floral denim. The …

Jeremy Laing Spring Summer 2011

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I watched the Jeremy Laing Spring Summer 2011 fashion show as it happened at work. I didn’t have any sound but it really didn’t matter.  The effect was the same, I wanted everything. This season Jeremy teamed up with Jaime Sin, who created the jewellery and soundtrack for the show. The pictures do a really crap job of relaying how good this collection is. I can’t wait for my showroom visit so that I can play dress up in Spring 2011 and document it. So, I’ve included the full Jeremy Laing Spring Summer 2011 fashion show images: elle.com

3.1 Phillip Lim Spring Summer 2011

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3.1 Philip Lim surprised me a lot this Spring summer 2011 season. The line is one that I ignore during the show season and then revisit when it’s in the stores. The 3.1 Philip Lim Spring Summer 2011 collection is amazing. It’s definitely one of my top shows of the season.  Nice use of sheer, sporty looking and easy to wear. I wasn’t a big fan of the shoes though. The handbags are amazing too. Give me a satchel bag and I’m set. 3.1 Philip Lim has a variety of sizes to choose from. We have full length video for the 3.1 Philip Lim Spring Summer 2011 fashion show. The set is gorgeous. images: style.com