fashion – Page 13 – Girl Who Would be KING on Life, Style and INSPIRATION.

Style – Falling “head over heels” for Boots

I LOVE FALL BOOTS. It’s one if not the only reason to love Fall.

I put on a pair for the first time in a looong time and they felt so uncomfortable following several months of wearing only flip flops and open toe sandals. I graduated to wearing loafers & ballarina flats so my feet would slowly adjust because it’s only a matter of time before high heel shoes for dressing up & feeling sexy (flats can be sexy too) will follow. There used to be a time when high heels were everyday wear but not now. I’m much more ~~boring~~ sensible now.

plain, simple, functional, go-with-anything, stylish - covers all the basics! — plain, simple, functional, go-with-anything, stylish – covers all the basics. READ: **NEED**!

I made a few smart choices (read: sales at the end of last wiinter) so I’m pretty good with my collection this time around. I have everything from sexy suede over the knee high heeled boots (I will have to drive or be driven from door to door in those) to sexy leather low-heeled over the knee boots to bohemian wedge fringed boots to low heeled funky cowboy boots in red no less (I forgot I had them, it’s love all over again).

Shown here, the best gorgeous Fall Boots for savvy shoppers.

Analise Bootie, UGG $200 — Analise Bootie, **UGG** $200 I find these to be not so Uggly after all.

Suede Boots, Lord and Taylor $179 — Suede Boots, **Lord and Taylor** $179

We’ve all been there: You finally track down the perfect pair of boots for fall, only to find the price tag is far from realistic. Determined to avoid this fate, we set out to find chic silhouettes for no more than $200 and found a dozen slammin’ styles that have the power to transform your entire fall look.

Fringe Ankle Boots - Zara, $120 — Fringe Ankle Boots – **Zara**, $120

Snake finish Booties, Mango - $80 — Snake finish Booties, **Mango** – $80

Snaffle Ankle Boot, Miss Selfridge $70 — Snaffle Ankle Boot, **Miss Selfridge** $70

High Heel Boots, Ivanka Trump $169 — High Heel Boots, **Ivanka Trump** $169

Snake Ankle Boots, Topshop $70 — Snake Ankle Boots, **Topshop** $70

Jodhpur Boots, H&M $50 — Jodhpur Boots, **H&M** $50

Black Over The Knee Boot, River Island $150 — Black Over The Knee Boot, **River Island** $150

Matte Chelsea Rain Boot, J.Crew $68 — Matte Chelsea Rain Boot, **J.Crew** $68

Karlia Booties, Calvin Klein $189 — Karlia Booties, **Calvin Klein** $189

Source for boots (narrowed down from a larger selection): Rachel Zoe Report

It’s not just me, it’s her. Rachel is a real stylist so if she claims these as fashionable for Fall, you know it to be true. But I tend to agree.

There’s so many styles to have FUN with and keep fairly comfortable at the same time.

Do you have a favourite?

STYLE

Style – the casting world of Prada

The ULTIMATE “get”

Prada Fall 2015 campaign — **Prada Fall 2015** campaign – google images

The Models

While many shows have remarkable casts, for models both new and established, Prada remains the ultimate “get.” The prestige and visibility that come from being on the Prada runway is incomparable—whether you’re a newcomer having your first big moment or a star returning after a lengthy hiatus. As a result, Prada’s castings have become the barometer by which other shows are judged, as well as an arbiter of industry beauty norms. If you want to get a feel for the current modeling look du jour, a glance at Prada’s run of show is all that’s needed.

The Actors

While models make up the majority of Prada’s runway, the brand’s menswear advertising has long relied on art house actors, enlisting everyone from conventional cuties Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ben Whishaw to acting luminaries like Gary Oldman, Harvey Keitel, and Christoph Waltz. At the fittingly theatrical Fall 2012 show, worlds collided when Oldman, Adrien Brody, Willem Dafoe, and Jamie Bell unexpectedly took to the runway alongside male models like Arthur Gosse and Victor Nylander.

Jamie Bell, Willem Dafoe, Adrien Brody, Prada Fall 2012 Photo: Monica Feudi / Feudiguaineri.com — Jamie Bell, Willem Dafoe, Adrien Brody, Prada Fall 2012
Photo: Monica Feudi / Feudiguaineri.com

The Exclusives
Prada consistently launches careers, and though not every model selected for a Prada exclusive contract goes on to greatness, the brand’s success rate is enviable. Those chosen to open the show, walk in it exclusively, or debut via a Prada campaign are essentially winners of modeling’s golden ticket, and many now-famous names got their first break via Prada. Miuccia Prada gave a contract to a leggy Czech named Karolina Kurkova before she turned 16, and enlisted her to walk Prada and its sister brand, Miu Miu. In 2005, Prada opened with Sasha Pivovarova, a then-unknown Russian art student who would go on to represent the brand for six consecutive seasons. Long before she was omnipresent in ads for Céline, Daria Werbowy was successful when opening Prada’s Spring 2004 show and landed a contract. Models like Suvi Koponen, Katlin Aas, Lindsey Wixson, Arizona Muse, Vanessa Axente,Maartje Verhoef, and Amanda Murphy all came into their own with appearances at Prada. Even this season’s key catwalkers, like Lineisy Montero and Willow Hand, began with—you guessed it—Prada.

WATCH the Prada Spring 2016 ready-to-wear show Note:(if you’re receiving this post via e-mail please click on the title at the very top of this page & scroll down to view):

Source: Janelle Okwodu for Vogue

FUN

Feel-good Friday: people are talking…

books and mindless chatter. When you don’t want to take life too seriously…

Girls always want to have FUN

Talk is a hilariously irreverent and racy testament to dialogue: the gossip, questioning, analysis, arguments, and revelations that make up our closest friendships. It’s the summer of 1965 and Emily, Vincent, and Marsha are at the beach. All three are ambitious and artistic; all are hovering around thirty; and all are deeply and mercilessly invested in analyzing themselves and everyone around them. The friends discuss sex, shrinks, psychedelics, sculpture, and S and M in an ongoing dialogue where anything goes and no topic is off limits. Talk is the result of these conversations, recorded by Linda Rosenkrantz and transformed into a novel whose form and content put it well ahead of its time. Controversial upon its first publication in 1968, Talk remains fresh, lascivious, and laugh-out-loud funny nearly fifty years later. nyrb (New York Book Review).

This book makes total sense — I love fiction so this book makes total sense – read and learn!

Amanda Brooks tells us all about her twenty years in fashion, from being a it-girl, to an assistant to Patrick Demarchelier, to fashion director at Barney’s. This book is honest, simple, personal, fun, and it answers lots of questions we’ve all asked about the fashion world.

And lastly….

Even in Vancouver? I don’t think Parisians wear fleece.

Summer Reads: summer is not completely over yet, and what better way to pass the time at the beach but with one of these ~~mindless~~ stylish books.

Maybe I’ll write a book after all.

FUN

Style – FABulous on 4th

I’m excited to report that FAB is back!

It’s been many years since the fashionable boutique on 4^th moved to new headquarters in Kerrisdale. Happy to have them back in the Kits neighbourhood! Fab was one of the first little shops to bring designer jeans from L.A. and New York to Vancouver and what’s so funny as it so happens, is that when I surprisingly stumbled upon the store once again I was wearing a pair I had bought from them that I hadn’t worn in years. By coincidence I just pulled them out of the bottom of my drawer and said “hey, it’s been a while…let’s see if we can still get it on.” What’s even better is that they still fit and look as good as new. I realize that the items I did buy from them then, I still have and they did not go out of style.

I have my eye on the white t-shirt dress.

What’s new at FAB: some things are better tried on. I can now spot something that doesn’t quite go WOW on the hanger and know it will look great on and become a staple. Bonus – this time everything is under $100. They still sell jeans just not with the high price tag.

FAB Clothing

Ella (L) and Andrea (R) will be happy to help you out — **Ella (in stripes) and Andrea (in cobalt blue) will be happy to help you out.**

2151 West 4^th Ave. (between Arbutus & Yew)

Welcome back – we missed you!

They have some fun retro styles perfect for summer, lots of hats, accessories and even some choice nail polish colours by “Butter London.”

Don’t forget to tell them that you heard it here.

Photos: d. king

FUN

Design Folks: locally made jewellery & accessories

I rode my bike over to the Vancouver Folk Festival yesterday at Jericho beach.

The music sounded great and I always love wandering around to see what the local vendors are selling. Among the usual woven hanging baskets, blankets, sarongs, tie-dyes and pipes there are a few fresh surprises.

A necklace caught my eye because instead of the clear pink semi-precious stones (slightly squared off) being incorporated into a silver chain it was done with gold. Simple,casual, elegant. Margot, the friendly designer behind “Soulstones” told me the meaning behind the Rose Quartz stone I’m attracted to, and I like it even more now:

Self-love
Protection
Peace, happiness, gentleness
Healing lore: for emotional wounds & the heart (I need this stone).
There are several more suggestions but the above is what appeals to me.

Camille from “Dark Anachronisms” (in the striped shorts) makes vintage-inspired hats and hair/hat accessories. I especially like the flower crowns, not so much for wearing alone on my head (it’s a really young look) but for decorating a hat in place of a scarf. Very pretty and well detailed. You can picture an image of bridesmaids and angelic looking flower girls wearing them.

Where to buy:

Jewellery: http://soulstonesjewellery.com/

Hats/Flower Crowns/Fascinators: http://darkanachronisms.com/

Photos: d. king

I love the natural way this jewellery is displayed

Backdrop to the festival — **FESTIVAL BACKDROP**

Food + Drink

Where FOOD meets FASHION it’s always a Perfect Pairing: Burberry’s First Café

Burberry has launched its first ever café.

The all-day eatery—named Thomas’s, after the brands founder Thomas Burberry—can be found within the newly expanded London flagship at 121 Regent Street.

The café will offer a menu of quintessentially British classics from afternoon tea to lobster with chips, and will be open seven days a week. Of course, it won’t just serve any produce: Thomas’s will offer the finest seasonal ingredients from small farmers and artisan suppliers across the UK.

The flagship store expansion also sees the addition of a dedicated gifting area, featuring a seasonally updated collection of present-worthy products (everything from blankets, cushion covers and candles to stationery, board games and travel goods), which can all be personalised or monogrammed in a number of different ways. Purchases can be gift-wrapped at stations within the space, whereby customers will be able to choose everything from the ribbon to the greeting card.

So when in London…indulge your appetite for both F&F

What’s next? Will Dior & Chanel follow suit?

Jourdan Dunn and Naomi Campbell for Burberry’s for Spring/Summer 2015 campaign. Representing both the old guard and the vanguard of English modeling, it doesn’t get much better than this.Their seasonal video was shot by none other than Mario Testino.

Pictures courtesy of Burberry

Source (for café): http://www.harpersbazaar.co.uk

Forever PLAID

bon vivant:

More recipes to come. I’ve been testing out some fresh originals (I like to try different things to make cooking an enjoyable experience – not just necessary but fun so it never becomes boring). Look for: the ultimate all-around dry rub (use it on everything from fish to tex-mex), a very pretty looking & great tasting Meyer Lemon Tart (from a restaurant in Paris), crazy delicious Danish-style cookies (with some unusual ingredients) and MORE.

Having said that, I want food day Tuesday to not be only recipes as you’ve seen from time to time. I’m interested in food in general so I want to talk about the latest trends, productivity, farmers markets, what’s new on the food front, etc. and throw in a sprinkling of restaurant reviews. It’s the whole experience. Also, flavoursome new ways to cook otherwise humdrum vegetables…like cauliflower and brussels sprouts (well to me they’re ordinary and bland but even these can be spruced up to become surprisingly edible). You’ll see!

With this in mind:

It is the food which you furnish to your mind that determines the whole character of your life – Emmet Fox

STYLE

Style – meet my new Boy.Friend!

Watch out boys – we girls want what you want!

Wearing a watch now is more of an accessory or fashion statement because everyone can check the time on their cell phones and since every single person carries a cell phone….no need to wear a watch…unless it looks something like this one by Chanel.For the first time since the 2000 launch of the J12 , a watch designed by a man for men but that was picked up by women everywhere – the French powerhouse is unleashing a watch inspired by classic masculine codes but designed for women. Some male editors were overheard coveting it too.

Called the Boy.Friend, this watch comes with a wait period (please don’t tell me this will become the watch version of the Birkin). It’s being released in Chanel stores this September, and when it does, it will appear in just a handful of iterations, ranging from the sparest, small quartz model in beige gold with an alligator strap to the large, diamond-trimmed style in white gold – priced from $12,500 to $27,000 USD. You don’t have to wait, however, to see some styles, as modeled by Sam Rollinson here. Anyone interested in a preview of what Chanel has in store for Fall should check out the Paris editors vamping it up on Instagram with the hashtag #meetmyboyfriend.

Speaking of Instagram, it’s such a powerful tool now that I want to discuss it more in another post – I’ve been playing around with it.

In the meantime, I like this watch (more reliable than it’s human counterpart) but I love the advertising campaign photos even more. So artistic, but then we wouldn’t expect anything less from Chanel would we?

Photos: Chanel

Story: Style.com

STYLE

Style: Alexander the Great!

“WHEN I AM DEAD AND GONE, “PEOPLE WILL KNOW THE 21ST CENTURY WAS STARTED BY ME.”

Truthfully and spookily spoken by designer Alexander McQueen. Ever since taking his own very untimely life in 2010 at the age of 40, no one can deny that McQueen has given more life to the fashion industry than we’ve known in years. A true fashion artist!This statement is now written on a gallery wall at the Victoria & Albert Museum, in London, where the recently opened exhibition “Savage Beauty” showcases the design genius’s unsurpassed creations. (The show runs through August 2, 2015) If you’re in London and are a fashion fiend you must run to see it. A fashion designer friend raved about it.

For some people, Fashion is a Game! — For some people, **Fashion is a Game!**

The original “Savage Beauty” was held in New York, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute, in 2011. It debuted there to glowing reviews – visitors thought it was brilliant. More than 660,000 people attended the show, making it the Met’s eighth most popular exhibition ever.It is not surprising, then, that upon hearing about the V&A’s plans to re-stage “Savage Beauty,” many fashion insiders found it hard to imagine how a second outing — or the enthusiasm greeting it — could match what the Met achieved. But, as it turns out, Claire Wilcox, the London museum’s senior curator of fashion, has showcased McQueen’s prodigious talent in such a dramatic manner that even second-time viewers will be awed and moved. Without a doubt, “Savage Beauty” is the best fashion exhibition the V&A has put on in recent memory.

Creations by the late British designer Alexander McQueen are displayed during a preview at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, May 2, 2011. An exhibition of McQueen's creations titled Savage Beauty will be on display at the museum from May 4-July 31, 2011. REUTERS/Finbarr O'Reilly (UNITED STATES - Tags: FASHION SOCIETY) - RTR2LWR6 — Creations by the late British designer Alexander McQueen are displayed during a preview at the **Metropolitan Museum of Art** in New York, May 2, 2011. REUTERS/Finbarr O’Reilly

Wilcox has put more focus on McQueen’s London roots. Most of his degree show from Central Saint Martins is displayed along with original runway samples. (Missing in New York, many of these outfits were purchased by Isabella Blow, the fashion editor and McQueen mentor/muse who also committed suicide, in 2007.) Overall, this show displays many more designs than were seen at the Met, which is surprising since the U.K. usually proclaims small is beautiful and the U.S. big is best.The section labeled “Cabinet of Curiosities” is now twice as large, a vast black cavern where flickering videos of runway shows are interspersed with fantastical accessories against an auditory backdrop of hallucinatory music. One could spend hours in this room alone — especially if under the influence of a hallucinatory substance (and apparently that might be the case according to some of the fellow show-goers looking around the space).

As writer Clair Watson said after having departed from the Met’s “Savage Beauty” emotionally wrung-out: “I staggered out of this version completely overwhelmed — how much brilliance can a person take?” Which begs the question: How much more agonized brilliance could McQueen have lived with? Five years after his death, there is enough distance to acknowledge that, just as he said, he indeed make an indelible artistic mark that we can now see, more clearly.

Source: Clair Watson – “The Unbearable Beauty of McQueen” Photos: google images unless otherwise stated

STYLE

Style: wearable art

For the LOVE of SCARVESBeing a scarf person, I love all kinds of scarves in all kinds of fabrics (especially silk) from long enough to wear as a halter to short enough to just tie around your neck. They complete an outfit, help to keep you fashionably warm in the winter or light enough to wear decoratively instead of a necklace for any season. What you see here are one-of-a-kind creations from Amoseda.com, the brainchild of Elizabeth Schnitzker. Elizabeth is from Argentina and has lived in Mexico. I met Elizabeth at a recent function where not only did she stand out because of her gorgeous blond hair, but the scarf she was wearing caught my eye. Of course it would because it was different. I decided to ask her a few questions for the blog:

How did you get the name for your company and what made you decide to get into this business?

ES: Amoseda means Loving Silk. I fell in love with it 23 years ago when I was living in Germany. I love the feel, the interaction with the dye and paint, the totally involved process it is for me to finish one piece. It takes a lot of hours and love to have that special one-of-a-kind piece of wearable art completed. I love to see people finding the right one that suits their needs or the gift that will be given to that special loved one. Go figure, it can be mailed in an envelope! That was my key point for selling out last year at Christmas time.

That’s fantastic. Tell me more about your creations?

ES: This is an affordable luxury line, for customers who understand the craftsmanship of a one-of-a-kind design done on natural fibres shawls and scarves. Dyed, painted or both, the products used are European paints, local dyes and Indian Indigo of the highest quality to ensure the designs resist time, sun, washes, traveling and a lot of wear and tear from somebody who loves the piece and takes it from day to night, from casual to dress up and city to country to beach and the moon.
These scarves are conversation pieces, and something that transforms any given outfit.
Versatility, comfort, quality, are some of the words that describe Amoseda products.
My customers honour their uniqueness and that’s why chose to have a different accessory piece that makes them stand out in a stylish way.

Do you do custom orders?

ES: Custom-orders are available upon request for clients that desire a particular palette of colour mix, design, size or need it for a special occasion and would like that to be reflected on the scarf. Bridesmaids shawls are one of the examples.

Do you ever do repeats?

ES: I can repeat motives, but they will never look exactly the same, as the designs are not printed, they are individually painted and I don’t use anything other than my brushes and inspiration to develop them.

So the customer is really getting something unique. Do you plan on expanding the line?

ES: Currently I am developing a line for men in organic cotton, bamboo, silk and cashmere that will be dyed with natural Indigo, on top of the dyed and painted on silk.
Ties are being tested. Looking forward to see my line expand into formal wear as well.

Are they made entirely of silk and where do you import from?

ES: 100% Silk and silk blends as well as cashmere and cashmere blends are directly imported from Germany, India, Vietnam, Nepal and Thailand as well as China. Customers will find pashminas, thai silk, noil silk, habotai, silk velvet, linen and silk blends as well as silk cashmere and pure cashmere.

But you design them here in Vancouver?

ES: The designs are entirely done in Canada, and shipped internationally.

How about cleaning? I once had someone spill red wine on a beautiful beige pashmina which luckily was able to be drycleaned.

ES: I love Mother Nature as well and that’s why all the shawls are hand washable. No need to dry clean!

Perfect!

Website: http://amoseda.com/

Product photographer: Andres Velez Posadas – Logo and website: Pablo M. Margain

Film Reviews, STYLE

STYLE in Film – with IRIS

GLAMOUR is IRIS APFEL

I am so going to see this documentary! I’m sure it will be rated right up there with other favourite arty ones I really enjoyed like Herb and Dorothy, Searching for Sugarman and Valentino: The Last Emperor.

With more than a dash of eccentricity and over 75 years in fashion and interior design, Iris Apfel is an inspiring life force well into her ninth decade. She’s strong, quick-witted and always flamboyantly dressed. Iris retains her enthusiasm for life in fashion, art and people. What I admire about her is that she’s completely unique – true to herself with good values and work ethic. Sadly there are not enough women like her.

Iris says:

About her style: “I like to improvise”

“Someone told me you’re not pretty, you’ll never be pretty but it doesn’t matter, you have something much better – you have STYLE!” I couldn’t agree more.

“It’s better to be happy than well dressed”

“I feel lucky to be working. If you’re lucky enough to do something you love, everything else follows.”

“A woman is as old as she looks, but a man is never old until he stops looking”

Watch the clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fo8jwJ_2l0c and if you’re the least bit into style (of course you are, you’re reading this) then GO SEE IT! I know I can’t wait to.

From the Director of Grey Gardens (I thought it was excellent) and Gimme Shelter – Albert Maysles

Two years ago I posted about Iris:https://girlwhowouldbeking.com/2013/03/26/style-substance-according-to-a-chic-91-year-old/