I’m attracted to striped sweaters this winter. This fixation is primarily for the Breton stripe variety. Right now, the Holy Grail of all Breton stripe sweaters would be to own a Jean Paul Gaultier original but these Banjo and Matilda cashmere ones will be just fine. Banjo and Matilda sweaters are available at Holt Renfrew. images: courtesy of Banjo and Matilda
Leah Barrett, Jabberdust designer, emailed me to let me know that a little project she worked on with Danielle Meder of Final Fashion is available for sale. Last year, Leah approached Danielle about illustrating some design concepts for the company. Danielle explains the whole process in this snippet here from her blog. Designer, entrepreneur, professor and blog reader Leah Barrett approached me with a project. Leah’s label, Jabberdust, is a line of scarves and accessories that features incredible handwork. Leah works closely with factories in India to showcase the possibilities of embellishment. Her background is in production management, and she surprised me with a rare proposal. I’m paraphrasing here – Leah said: “I’m very comfortable with the production aspect of the business, however I find the conceptual aspect of design more challenging. Would you be interested in designing a number of concepts and illustrating them – it can be anything you wish – and I will take those ideas to the factories and handle the technical development of the samples, and if they’re successful, the …
I’m liking the new H&M Conscious Collection Fall Winter 2011 – 2012 collection. I picked up a few pieces from the Spring Summer 2011 collection and I see a few fall pieces that I like. This season the H&M Conscious Collection takes influences from romanticism and Swedish folklore. The collection features recycled wool and organic fabrics like cotton , linen and hemp. The Conscious Collection collection uses embroidery and lace this season and I’m hoping they look good in person too. I’m never into H&M shoes but I love, love, love these booties. The Conscious collection will be available staring October 6, 2011 at the Eaton Centre, Yorkdale and Bloor Street locations in Toronto. Other Canadian locations are Downtown Montreal, The Pacific Centre and Metropolis at Metrotown. images: courtesy of H&M
Alex & Eli is an American based brand created by two Parsons graduates, Aja Singer (who is Canadian) and Anne Zeman. Their focus is suiting for women with tailored silhouettes and unusual detailing. I knew Aja and Anne were after my heart when I started to read the style names. As an unapologetic Star Trek fan, I was delighted to see things like The Vulcan Blazer, Enterprise Pant, the Voyager Blazer, the Kirk (it’s a jacket), Transporter Skirt and the Replicator Jacket. It was doubly delightful that the clothing looked really good. Womenswear influenced by menswear with a modern twist, how could I not love this. I finally saw a few pieces of the collection at the newly opened Intermix on Bloor Street. Great quality and looks just as good in pictures as real life. images: courtesy of Alex & Eli
I received this in a Celine email blast a few weeks ago when the Fall Winter 2011 – 2012 treatments were being given to all the designer site. If I had to pick one designer to wear only, I think I could totally love the Celine uniform over and over again.  Celine is available at Holt Renfrew Bloor Street and Calgary.  I find it weird they aren’t listed on the website. images: celine.com
I think my love of difficult clothing like jumpsuits and rompers is making things like bodysuits seems reasonable again. I used to wear a lot of bodysuits in the early 90s. I haven’t touched one since then but this printed stretch-satin bodysuit by Dolce & Gabbana has me craving again. They have a lot of coverage, like a 50s swimsuit and I could see myself pairing it with this sheer Jeremy Laing skirt I picked up this summer. images: net-a-porter.com
I missed the Danier Fall Winter 2011 – 2012 preview a few weeks ago. I wanted to see the new line OBJECT created by George Antonopoulos for Danier. I had twitter to keep me updated that day as I slaved away at the office. The lookbook images are pretty damn good looking. These are my top picks from OBJECT by George Antonopoulos for Danier Fall Winter 2011 – 2012. I didn’t know what to expect from OBJECT exactly. I know George.  His style and taste is impeccable. It would only make sense that OBJECT reflect his sensibilities.  I’m in love. I love the contrast in textures in pieces.  The menswear influence is quite strong. I’m glad to see that I could easily wear most of this stuff to the office without much of a side glance from my coworkers.  They know me too well nowadays. I have some serious thinking to do this summer about my fall Danier purchases with OBJECT, Greta Constantine and Mark Fast coming. It might be time to expand the leather options in …
As soon as I returned from my Whistler vacation I ordered the Luxirare Suede Minivest. I like vests in theory but I find them very, very hard to style. After months of hiding, I debuted the vest at the Greta Constantine x Danier Skin event. Looks like I will have to do some more research on how I can incorporate this great little vest into my wardrobe. I think maxi dresses might work for the summer. Jackets and sweaters would be good combination in the winter. How do you style your vest? Outfit breakdown: Luxirare Minivest, Sheer grey dress by Cheap Monday, Joe jean leggings (courtesy of Holt Renfrew), Aldo Black lace up boots, Black tank top by Gap, Dandi Mastrae earrings, Orange Toywatch (courtesy of ToyWatch Canada), Hermes bracelet.
Collaborations are the news in Canadian fashion so it’s good to see something that isn’t about one. Greta Constantine has created a capsule collection called Primer which consists t-shirts done Greta Constantine style. Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong of Greta Constantine are bringing their master drapery and attention to fit to a whole new audience. The capsule collection, aptly named Primer, serves as the base coat for a woman’s wardrobe and is to consist of both separates and dresses. But don’t expect basics. Every piece in the collection features a subtle feminine twist like leather straps on a tank top to allow for easy belting or draped t-shirt dresses with exaggerated pocket detailings. This is all part of Stephen and Kirk’s desire to re-imagine contemporary staples. As Stephen elaborates, “designing the collection demanded that we consider what makes a t-shirt so perfect. Fabrication, lengths, colours. While a woman may be willing to suffer through a pair of heels, comfort without looking comfortable is what we sought to achieve with Primer.” The line, with prices ranging …
I really enjoyed the Line Spring Summer 2011 collection at LGFW in October of last year. John and Jennifer decided that it was time to take Line forward and produce a whole collection of separates and dresses instead of just knits. The verdict is in, and they do a good bottom. These are my top Line picks from the Spring Summer 2011 lookbook. I’m really loving the leather shorts. images: courtesy of Line
