I’ve been a fan of the brand since the beginning of this blog. It seems like it was only yesterday when I wrote my first of many posts on the brand. It was way back in November of 2005 and I have to thank Now Magazine for turning me on to Christie’s and Andrea’s beautiful designs. Man, looking at those early posts are painful 🙂
To celebrate 10 years, Smythe is hosting a Flashtagram Right Now! Upload a photo of yourself in your favourite Smythe Jacket to Instagram, Facebook and Twitter using the hashtags #smythejackets #10X10 #flashtagram. The Smythe social media channels will be posting their favourite shots of their fans. You can follow the fun on Smythe’s Twitter and Instagram pages.
It was an absolute honour to be asked to take part in the Smythe flashtagram. So much so, that a meager selfie of the Reefer Coat wouldn’t do. I got into the studio to show off my favourite 10X10 collection piece.
The Reefer Coat is an absolute stunner. The colour is really vibrant and the gold button are perfect match. Functional pockets and button holes are important things in my life and Smythe never lets me down. Thank you so much Andrea and Christie for the jacket! I will love it and cherish it for the rest of my days.
Outfit Breakdown: Smythe Reefer Coat in Royal, Zara Dress, Manolo Blahnik Heels, Jenny Bird Earrings
August was one of those pinch me is this really happening months. I’m still processing the idea of my face plastered all over Roots stores and their online properties. That’s right, I’m currently part of Roots Sweatstyle Ad Campaign.
Roots Sweatstyle Anita Clarke
As with most amazing things that happen to me it started with a random email. In July, I was approached by Roots to take part in their Sweatstyle campaign celebrating Roots’s 41st anniversary. It was going to be a big one featuring online, instore, magazines and outdoor ads. I didn’t quite understand the large scope of the campaign when I said yes but my ego was all over it. Here is a company that I’ve grown up with asking me to become part of their history. I also love having any excuse to take part in a phootshoot with professional hair and makeup artists, stylists and photographers.
Roots Sweatstyle Landing Page
The question I got asked by most people when I told them I was participating was “Did they pay you?†I didn’t receive any money for the campaign but Roots would make a donation of $1500 to the charity of my choice. After I heard that my mind was made up and I said yes.
My charity is Hill House Hospice. Two years ago my family went through a really tough time when my Father was dying from cancer. The blog suffered because I was pretty much an emotional wreck. I want – I got isn’t site for airing my very personal thoughts about things, so I’ve never commented on his death here. I’m a very private person when it comes to stuff like that and I’ve never had a desire to make my pain into entertainment for others. I’m not wired to share emotions like that to a broad audience, only to very close friends. Hill House Hospice really did an amazing job of making this horrible experience as easy and respectful as possible for both the living and the dying. I can’t thank them enough for the care they gave my Father in his final hours. He was surrounded by family who loved him in those final moments in a quiet home like environment. So, this campaign is kind of like a salute to my beloved Father who I miss very much. He was the most loving and supportive Dad any kid could wish for. (I’m a big Daddy’s girl, no doubt about it).
Roots Sweatstyle Lookbook Page
The shoot happened to be on the day I filmed Cityline. I felt like a real baller that day, Television show in the morning and national ad campaign in the evening. I brought some of my clothing to mix with the Roots Fall collection as they really wanted to show each person’s own Sweatstyle. I worked with Stylist, Patrick Davis to choose two looks to shoot. Hair and Makeup was handled by Anna Barseghian of Judy Inc. The most hilarious person of the shoot was the Photographer, Ilich Mejia, whose name I only discovered weeks later. He introduced himself with a fist bump while I was getting my makeup done and we got to work. The shoot was so much fun. I felt really good about it. Ilich made me feel like a million bucks and I think it shows in the photos.
I saw the campaign first in the September issue of Flare Magazine. I had no idea it was going to hit the print mags or The Globe and Mail for that matter. The official campaign launch was on August 15 and my jaw dropped when I went to Roots.com. I really had no idea of the scope of this thing when I signed up. It was larger than I believed. I have a full page dedicated to me on Roots.com, this is insane. And it’s not just the Canadian website but also the US and International versions. My jaw dropped again when I walked in to the Roots store on Bloor Street. Seeing my photo in the front window and behind the cash was a very surreal experience. A friend was in Halifax and Instagrammed a photo of the Campaign from the Roots store there. Crazy!
Roots Sweatstyle Anita Clarke
I honestly thought nothing would top the Italian Vogue mention I got in January. At the time I was like, yup that’s the best thing that going to happen to me this year. Boy was I wrong!
Thank you so much Roots for the amazing opportunity and Happy 41th Birthday!!!!!
So, I was browsing The Coveteur earlier this week and came across Alana Zimmer’s profile. I met Alana this year at a party and we had a really nice conversation. At the end of this conversation, she gave me a hug. I was happily stunned and I’ve been a fan girl ever since. I’m looking at photos of Alana’s great New York City apartment and her clothing. There are two photos of her in a leather skirt that automatically catch my eye. Can you guess what got me excited?
Alana Zimmer wearing Long Leather Skirt by Valentino – The Coveteur
If you are a long time reader you probably guessed the full leather skirt and you’d be absolutely right. I was drooling over this thing. All the standard questions ran through my head. Who is the designer? Is it real leather? Is it still available and the dreaded how much is this going to cost? Then I remembered that The Coveteur has shopping links and the skirt was clickable.
Long Leather Skirt by Valentino
Turns out, the skirt is from Valentino. It’s made from lambskin leather, in an A line cut and I’m in love. The only problem is the crazy price tag! 5700 Dollars!!!!! I don’t know what I was expecting; Valentino has always been very, very pricey. So the hunt is on for a vintage equivalent or something cheaper!
For those of you that can part with about 6500 bucks you can find the Valentino Long Leather Flare Skirt at Bergdorf Goodman and Nordstrom.
It’s funny that I was never really into Valentino that much when Valentino Garavani was at the helm. Sure, I respected the designer and his work but never drooled over it. However, the new designers Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli are releasing season after season of incredible design. Pre-Fall 2014 is incredible with stunning prints and animal motifs.
I’m not big on the Evil Eye trend in fashion from an aesthetic point of view. That being said, I’m falling for these Pre Fall 2014 Pierre Hardy Eye Sandal and Pumps. They are obviously influenced by the talisman but I like the quirky and anime like take he’s used in the design of these shoes. I love that the eyes are the most dominate feature on the shoe. The size of the eye and its placement make these shoes look so freaking cute on. In the kitten heel, there is just the perfect amount of toe point showing. It makes me want to squeal with delight.
Eye Sandal by Pierre Hardy
There are a lot of variations on the shoe. You can see there are kitten heel and regular heel sandal varieties. Pierre has also switched up the materials and colour combinations. He mixed leather, pony and suede. I’m particularly taken with the pony hair sandal in dusty pink, it’s absolutely spectacular.
I haven’t seen any Canadian retailers with the shoes yet but you can find a variety of online retailers out there.
Eye Sandal by Pierre Hardy
Net-a-Porter and Boutique 1 are selling the black sandal with Net a Porter winning out at $865 to Boutique 1’s $908.
Welcome to my new weekly outfit of the day (OOTD) column called geekigirlStyle. I’m just playing some historical catchup with the month of June and Week 28 will see the column debut in its weekly format.
geekigirlStyle – Week 24
Philip Sparks Top
Vintage Liberty London Skirt
Philip Sparks Kilted Mock Shoes
Gap Tank Top
Gap Cardigan
Vintage Skirt
Rodin Derby Shoes
Summer Dress – Can’t remember the brand and can’t remember where I bought it.
RetroSuperFuture Sunglasses
I figured that short lasting and under-performing was status quo in the natural deodorant world. I tried different brands and delivery methods over the years. eventually I learned that I didn’t have much of a choice and gave up searching. Then I stumbled on the holy grail when introduced to Leaves of Trees deodorant.
Leaves of Trees is a luxury skincare line based in Toronto that uses all organic products. Brand founder, Roohi Qureshi, MD uses her extensive background medicine and chemical engineering to choose the best natural fair-trade ingredients that produce healing benefits. Leaves of Trees products are formulated using a base of the highest quality unrefined argan oil sourced from a woman’s cooperative in Morocco. The argan nuts are crushed and then cold pressed by hand which results in a higher concentration of antioxidants which prevent and repair skin damage caused by free radicals. All products are handmade in small batches at the Leaves of Trees Flagship store at 177 Queen Street East. Products are free of artificial fragrances, colours and preservatives.
I attended the press preview at the Leaves of Trees flagship store and there was a lot of buzz about the deodorant. Of course my ears pricked up and I was desperate to get my hands on some. There were two types, Lavender Tangerine and Eucalyptus Mint. Luckily the generous gift bag included some of the deodorant for everyone to test out. I got the Lavender Tangerine one. The Leaves of Trees deodorant uses Roohi’s argan lotion formula so it’s also moisturizing. Kaolin clay absorbs moisture and sodium bicarbonate is a deodorizer.
The Leaves of Trees deodorant doesn’t come in stick or crystal form. It’s packaged in a very smart-looking aluminum tube and it has the consistency of thick clay mask. It sounds weird and you are probably thinking there is going to be this huge weird clay looking patch on my pits. I can assure you there isn’t anything to worry about. A small pea size amount of deodorant is all that is necessary and it’s rubbed on the arm pit like lotion. The deodorant is almost totally absorbed and isn’t noticeable at all. The scent isn’t overpowering which is very important to me as a perfume wearer. I hate cross contaminating smells and I always try to find the skin products that are unscented or with the least amount of fragrance in them.
The Leaves of Trees deodorant blew any previous biases I held against natural deodorants. It kept me surprisingly dry and more importantly smell free all damn day long. I never experienced this before and it blew my mind. I’m a convert and I’ve already reordered the Lavender Tangerine and Eucalyptus Mint online. I highly recommend this product for anyone who is finding their current natural deodorant routine lacking in effectiveness.
The Leaves of Trees line also included argan oil, butters, lip balms, lotions, scrubs and soaps. They also have a custom program for events like weddings and baby showers. The customer can choose Handmade soaps and skincare flavours wrapped in custom designed and personalized packaging. In my gift bag there was a custom sample for each person. Really smart and cute gift.
Welcome to my new weekly outfit of the day (#OOTD) column called geekigirlStyle. I’m just playing some historical catchup with the month of June and Week 28 will see the column debut in its weekly format.
geekigirlStyle – Week 23
Philip Sparks Seersucker Dress
Lacoste Oxfords *
Gap Tank Top
Sarah Stevenson Skirt
Jacob Cardigan
Nine West Sandals
Bevel Sunglasses *
Eliza Earrings
Rag and Bone Blazer
Reitmans x Eve Salvail tshirt
Lacoste Oxfords *
Gap Pants
Bevel Sunglasses *
Zara Floral Bomber Jacket
3.1 Phillip Lim Chelsea Boots
Jeremy Laing Top
Gap Pants
Carven Pants
TopShop Top
Aldo Sandals
Jenny Bird Earrings
I was creeping on a twitter conversation between a couple of friends who were talking favorably about this new American sportswear company based out of New York City called Trademark. I decided to check them out and I fell in love with the Alcoff Shirtdress.
Alcoff Shirtdress at $228 is a great price and nothing in the Trademark line will be over $500. The Alcoff Shirtdress is available ordered online at www.trade-mark.com but unfortunately they only deliver to the US at the moment. I hope you deliver to Canada soon ladies! I need this dress.
Trademark started in 2013 by Alexandra and Louisa Burch. Yup, the former step-daughters of Tory Burch. Alexandra and Louisa freely admit they have help from their very successful parents. The brand is backed by J. Christopher Burch’s investment company, Burch Creative Capital. Tory is on hand for consultations. It possible this could be a new Burch empire in the making.
So, I enter the party and I’m seeing no one I know. I spot Charles on the stairs to the upstairs patio and move in to quickly chat. I keep walking up to the stairs and finally I notice some folks I know sitting down and I beeline over. So, I’m sitting having lovely conversation with Mary Symons. Confession time. Mary is someone I’ve always wanted to get to know a little better for years but my networking style is let things happen naturally. (She’s awesome BTW) As more guests arrive, people we know come by the table to chat. Mary introduces me to some of her friends and they both happen to work on Cityline. One of those people is the producer, Candy Signorini. They are both lovely and we have a great conversation. Eventually, I head home from the party and that’s the last I think of Cityline. That’s until about a week later when I get a message from Mary asking for my contact info. Candy wants to speak to me. I’m not going to lie, I’m a bit confused but Candy is awesome so my contact details get sent over. A few days later, I get an email from Candy and she wants me to come on the show as a guest in a couple of weeks. I’m flabbergasted but of course I write back and say Hells Ya!
My entourage and Tracy – I want – I got on Cityline July 4, 2014
We filmed the show on June 27. I was able to get seats for my family to attend the taping which was so great. I was nervous and I’m glad I had a little support section in the audience to help me get though it. It was really cool to see how the show is put together from behind the scenes. I loved how my makeup looked and I met Dave Lackie who is really the sweetest guy. Tracy Moore is an absolute pro and she made that interview so easy for me. I really can’t thank her enough. The show aired on July 4th and it’s online for your viewing pleasure – Cityline July 4, 2014
I haven’t watched the video and I don’t think I ever will. The thought of watching myself makes me feel pretty ill to be honest. I prefer to think about the memory of the event instead. Friends and family say it’s good and I’ll take their word for it.
I want – I got on Cityline July 4, 2014 OOTD
I was told to wear lots of colour for the show and I decided to take it to obnoxious proportions. So here is my outfit breakdown:
Yellow Zara Blazer
Mint Green Le Chateau Dress (courtesy of Le Chateau)
Nine West Sandals
I’m not having much success in finding a really great way of automatically incorporating my Instagram content over here on the blog. I love Instagram and I like to post a lot of random fun things there. Since there isn’t an automatic solution that meets my needs, I’ve decided to do it manually. So to make it easier, I’ve decided to create a new weekly outfit of the day (#OOTD) column called geekigirlStyle. I don’t do a lot of personal style posting here (feels a bit weird to be honest) so I’m happy to ease into it with this weekly format. I’ve decided to post looks all week from the month of June and next Monday well see the beginning of the weekly rotation with Week 28’s #OOTD offerings.
geekigirlStyle – Week 22
Levi’s Denim Jacket *
Blank Denim
The Clash x Converse *
H&M Sweater
Joe Fresh Dress
Shelly’s London oxfords *
Stolen Riches laces
J. Crew Skirt
Zara Blazer
Nine West Shoes
Equipment Sleeveless Shirt
Danier Leather Custom Dress
3.1 Phillip Lim Chelsea Boots
Gap Moto Jacket
Kara Ross Handbag *
Philip Sparks Dress
Bevel Sunglasses *
Aldo Gold Sandals
YSL Clutch
Aldo Rise x Ostwald Helgason
Le Chateau *
Bevel Sunglasses *
Thanks for checking out the first geekigirlStyle post. Check back tomorrow for Week 23.
