Closet Raiding

I have a cool grandmother. Very cool, in fact. So cool that the other week she invited me over to raid her amazing collection of clothing and jewellery from back in the day (also known as the 60's). Given that she's about 7 inches shorter than me, the fits of the dresses and tops were less than ideal, but this was more than made up for when I moved on to the AMAZING selection of coats. As it is, I have a serious thing for outerwear.

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My jackets alone are currently threatening to take over my entire closet. So, as you can imagine, my reaction upon seeing a pile of vintage coats mine for the taking was nothing short of elation. Scores from the day (shown above) include: a voluminous hot pink Pierre Cardin number, 2 dark grey Geoffrey Beene coat dresses, a cream & navy Philipe Venet coat, and a pale pink Courreges with cream grosgrain trim. My slight obsession with all things fashion is a bit of a running joke in my family, and I don't think it helped that I started rambling on about my love for Andre Courreges when I caught a glimpse of the last one.

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Obviously I have no intention of enduring the 25 degree summer heat in any of these, so I'll just have to wait (im)patiently for fall to arrive and the weather to cool down. With my college-student budget, I have a feeling there will be more to come of this kind of "shopping" next year.

Balenciaga Fall/Winter 2007: First Looks

On Sunday morning at the Toronto Fashion Bloggers Brunch someone commented on how rare it is to see Ghesquiere's Balenciaga worn well off the runway. As evidenced by Miss Blanchett at the MET gala and, well, the mere presence of C3PO leggings in the spring show, many of the looks are not made for the average person (not to suggest Cate is average or anything...). Fall, however, brings us a collection of heavily street-inspired garments that may just up the label's wearability, at least for a season. From velvet blazers to kafiyah-esque scarves, could this new direction be a testament to Ghesquiere's versatility, or just a sign he's heading down a commercial path? Whether we'll start seeing the runway makeup on the streets as well remains to be seen...

frillr & style.com

Model Mondays: Helen Feskens

prettypretty.be

Another week, another Belgian. This former Supreme model has been flying under the radar for a while now as she finishes up her schooling, but has still managed to shoot for Dazed & Confused, Lula, and Italian Glamour as well as walk for Yohji Yamamoto and Charles Anastase. Her hair is much shorter now than in the above photo, but I find Supreme's cutting practices a tad questionable, so I'll just pretend it never changed. From the looks of Helen's Dominique Models portfolio she has had ample work around Belgium, but for now we can just keep our fingers crossed that the rest of Europe will soon take notice.

Valentino Cruise 2008

firstview
The whole concept of cruise collections is purely commercial, and Valentino apparently has no qualms with making this fact glaringly apparent. The vibe at his recent show was eerily Stepford-esque, with even the models themselves looking like they'd be right at home behind a white picket fence. Not that I've ever found myself waiting eagerly for his collection photos on style.com, but with cruise season becoming increasingly prominent way to tide fashionistas over between fall and couture, Valentino just may want to step up his game.

Photo of the Day

ph. Herb Ritts

TFBB VII

Finally committed. See you there!

Settle the Score: Carine vs. Wintour

Renee sitting on a bunny or Catherine in bunny ears? Take your pick.

Photo of the Day

ph. Wendy Bevan

Model Mondays: Coryse Smet

This Belgian has strong features without a hint of passé bug-eyed-ness about her. Coryse is on the road to greatness. Signed with DNA in New York and Women Milan, here's to hoping we'll be seeing this feline beauty setting the catwalk on fire next season.

Fashionable Arithmetic

Tim Walker+ Stella Tennant+ Vogue Italia= Utter Brilliance

ANTM Polaroids

Say what you will about that jaw line, but I think she may just be the best winner so far.

Nylon June/July 2007: The White Stripes ph. Kenneth Cappello

It's another MySpace issue and I'm not a huge fan of the cover band. Now, this wouldn't usually bode well for a magazine, but let's be honest... anyone is better than Lindsay. Anyone.

And once you move past the MySpace thing (I know it's hard but give it a shot) the content actually sounds rather decent. Voxtrot, Feist, Kings of Leon, and The Virgins are all featured, plus there's an article with Darla Baker, who seems like a total sweetie.

Nylon boycott officially over...for now.

Photo of the Day

ph. Chiara Romagnoli

Model Mondays: Laragh McCann

This 16-year-old Dubliner's extraterrestrial beauty is bound to make waves this coming season. She's already captured the attention of major industry players- walking for Marc Jacobs, Dries Van Noten, and Prada as well as shooting the stunning Valentino Red campaign with Mert & Marcus. Hopefully the luck of the Irish will be on Laragh's side this spring once she finishes up school and begins to pursue modelling full-force.

Bonjour, Yves

I need not explain the reasoning behind my absolute adoration of Yves Saint Laurent, however I hope these peeks into the life of the man himself, taken from a biography I'm currently reading, encourage you to share in my devotion.























From his days as the dauphin of Dior to his depression and ultimate isolation, Yves' life and work continue to permeate every aspect of fashion today.

























I swiped my copy from a cruise ship a few months ago (clearly the warning label on the back cover did little to deter me...) but I highly recommend you go out and pick up a copy of this biography. It's resplendent with juicy fashion tidbits, not only about Yves, but also Kaiser Karl and Diana Vreeland among others.

Photo of the Day

ph. Jamie Isaia

Los Angeles, I'm Yours

What comes to mind when you think of LA fashion? Lindsay Lohan et al's paparazzi-friendly style? The Cobrasnake's brigade of underage hipsters? A few burgeoning labels are out to change all this, merging East Coast-like maturity with West Coast ease.

Crispin & Basilio

Philippines-born designer Donny Barios's designs are refined, feminine, and totally and utterly covetable. The former menswear designer drapes rougher-hewn fabrics like wool-felt and gabardine into relaxed, wearable shapes. “My menswear background has given me the utmost careful respect for designing for women." says Barrios, "Sometimes your liabilities can turn out to be your voice.” From the looks of the fall collection, snapped by filedunderwant, it doesn't appear that Crispin & Basilio is in any danger of losing this voice anytime soon.

Unhee
I have the feeling that Unhee's playful aesthetic would be just as at home on the playground as it is on the backs of stylish LA filles. The current collection features voluminous sleeves reminiscent of Stella McCartney’s spring line, playful bubble-hem dresses, and rompers galore. Young designer Suzy Yun can herself be found blogging at trueheartsblue about her line and other daily adventures.

Society For Rational Dress The brainchild of LA-born Corinne Grassini, Society For Rational Dress takes cerebral dressing and pares it down to its utmost wearable basics. The sex appeal of the line is anything but in-your-face, as the subtle chain and buckle details prove. And that West Coast ease I mentioned earlier? Add a few pieces from the spring collection into your wardrobe and poof! Insta-easygoing intellectual.

So there you have it, three labels that are taking the idea of LA fashion to the next level. I've never been overly fond of the city itself, but perhaps this is just the first in a series of steps towards my approval.

Photo of the Day

ph. Louis Park

Dates, Drinks, and Dresses

It's formal season (prom for you USA-ers) for high schoolers everywhere, and the fervour leading up to the night has been inescapable at my school this week. By now the limos have been lined up, the dresses have all been posted on Facebook (to avoid any dress-cloning disasters), and all we can do now is sit back and wait for tomorrow to roll around. Now, in my mind, formal should look a little like this...

Unfortunately, the dress code veers more towards Nicole Miller than Dior couture, but there's nothing wrong with a little fantasy every once in a while, eh?

Now for what I'll actually be wearing for the night of debauchery....

So Catherine Maladrino is no Givenchy, but it's a tad more practical for 12+ hours straight (I kid you not...) of parties

Photo of the Day

ph. Derek Hendersen

W June 2007: Naomi Campbell ph. Steven Klein

Ok, I really don't like Naomi Campbell, but still...this cover is refreshingly springy and that dress is beyond pretty (reminds me a lot of MK's Costume Institute dress, actually). The content, as usual, does not disappoint, with Kate Moss in an eerie edit photographed by Ryan McGinley and a Craig McDean shoot featuring the seasons freshest (models, that is...).

(Kate Moss in 'Dreamgirl' ph. Ryan McGinley)

(Sheila Marquez and Ekat Kiseleva in 'Fresh' ph. Craig McDean)

Costume Institute Gala 2007

The Best and the Worst (so far...)
Love:

(Shalom Harlow in Viktor&Rolf, Camilla Belle in JPG, Mary- Kate Olsen in Giambattista Valli, Jennifer Connelly in Balenciaga)

1. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous...but what else is there to expect from Shalom Harlow?
2. Thank you, Camilla Belle, for proving that a pretty dress need not be a boring dress.
3. Oh Mary-Kate, you've stolen the show once again. Perfectly sophisticated, with a definite edge...and really, how many people can wear a floor-length dress coated in feathers and live to tell the tale?

4. I adored pretty much every dress in this collection, and though it's not quite as spectacular on Ms. Connelly, it definately hasn't lost all it's magic.

Hate:

(Amanda Peet in Marc Jacobs, Jessica Simpson, Cameron Diaz in Dior, Kirsten Dunst)

1. A wrinkly satin mess amongst a room of couture gowns...not the greatest choice.
2. It's not as if I was holding my breath for something great (I don't want to suffocate here!), but this is just atrocious.
3. Why, why, WHY the turquoise?

4. I really hate to put Kirsten in the same category as Jessica Simpson, but the mounds of messy fabric give me no choice. To her credit, though, at least the colour is great.