Getting ready for a little WINTER GETAWAY?You don’t want to pack too much but you want to make sure you have everything you need.
Canyon Beachwear
A bathing suit is always one of the most essential things to consider for your resort/vacation stay… but what about all the little extras that go along with it….like your beach towel, sun hat, after swim cover up and beach bag. Don’t you love beachy accessories?
It’s weird that I still have a thing for bathing suits even though I have a whole drawer dedicated to them. I just love a nice swimsuit – either a one or two-piece and I have a collection from various travels. This time on holiday I took only two – one of each kind but the problem was I didn’t want to ruin either of them in the hot tub. The hot tub (après swim or in the evening) tends to stretch your suits from their original shape over time. You have to immediately run them under cold water after being in the Jacuzzi. One time I had to have a designer swimsuit altered a size smaller because the bottom got stretched out. Normally I wouldn’t care but this one was too nice to throw away.
I keep thinking that I’ll take along an old suit that I don’t really care about for hot tub purposes only but I can’t bring myself to wear something I don’t like. Anyway, I wasn’t planning on it only scheming but I ended up buying a few new bikinis on sale that I planned to use only in the hot tub because the prices were too good to pass up (ha, ha, that’s what I told myself). Problem was they’re really nice and as I ended up liking them so much I had to limit my time in the hot tub altogether. It’s not the worst problem someone could have in the big scheme of things. But still…
In Palm Springs I came upon a swim wear store that caught my eye because of their playful display at the front entrance. I loved the brightly coloured little zippered bags to enclose stuff like sunblock, lip balm and the like and also believe it or not, old fashioned bathing caps.
Canyon Beachwear
Did I really say that?
Canyon Beachwear
Bathing caps are normally not something that attracts my attention but these were kind of fun and reminded me of something old time movie star Esther Williams might have worn in “Million Dollar Mermaid”. Maybe they’re making a comeback.
Because let’s face it, there’s nothing less attractive than covering your head in one of those ugly stretchy caps and then wearing swim goggles to boot …..nothin!
Unless you’re Will Ferrell – of course then, anything will look good on you.
We all know the various ch ch ch changes that David Bowie went through over his vast successful career and since he was the man of style I had to dedicate a whole post to him because:
I love this photo – it shows his unkempt, sexy, elegant side. Photo: KMazur/WireImage
can’t believe he is no longer among us
he was the original man of style
his was one of the first concerts I went to see at the Montreal Forum
I have four friends who got up close and personal with him – in a professional sense
He was one of a kind and the first and best person at re-inventing himself. Surely that’s where performers like Madonna & Lady Gaga got the idea from.
out of countless crazy, fun and fashionable images these are my personal favorites
A swashbuckler, with scarf and white shirt. Photo: Jorgen Angel/RedfernsThings were looking peachy with “Let’s Dance” Photo: Paul Natkin/WireImageGuess I love a well-dressed Bowie best. Photo: Richard E. Aaron/RedfernsBowie’s most normal look of the 70’s. Photo: Steve Morley/RedfernsHandsomely dressed down. Photo: Frank Micelotta/ImageDirect
He can really rock a suit. Photo: KMazur/WireImage
RIP
Tipping his hat to Sinatra. Photo: Michael Putland/Getty ImagesHe brought Baroque back. Photo: Hayley Madden/RedfernsBohemian fashion crossroad? Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesI too would cover my legs with a trench coat if meeting Tina Turner. Any wise woman would. Photo: Dave Hogan/Getty Images
With his longtime wife IMAN on his 50th birthday – Jan/9/1997 Photo: KMazur/WireImage
Rock Photographer & friend Dee Lippingwell took this photo among many many other great ones of Bowie.S T Y L E
Last week marked the beginning of the Fall 2016 men’s season, and along with it feedback from some of the fashion experts at Vogue. It was the first time that Vogue Runway covered the men’s shows. To whet your appetite, editors weighed in on the best well-dressed dudes.
Here, my paired down version of the most stylish guys in fashion. I narrowed it down from 30,Starting with…
Franck Chevalier
For me he could lose the cigarette, but it’s all part of his Clint Eastwood/Marlboro man rugged appeal. Photo: Courtesy of Franck Chevalier
“Jean Paul Gaultier protégé and stylist to some of the greatest musicians of all time, Chevalier’s own look is a brilliant combination of vintage, streetwear, and original pieces he designs for himself.
Maurice Mullen
Photo: David M. Benett / Getty Images
“To me, it’s Maurice Mullen of the London Evening Standard, who I always look forward to seeing at the London shows. I have never been able to comprehend the number of immaculate Savile Row suits he must have, nor his ability to deploy the loudest patterns and colors and the killer clashing pocket handkerchief—and plaid trousers on occasion!—while being the most gentlemanly and wickedly insightful neighbor to sit next to at a show.” —Sarah Mower, Vogue.com Chief Critic
Gene Krell
Photo: Courtesy of Nao Krell
“Style is but one of Gene Krell’s admirable qualities, and he has it in spades. Born in Brooklyn, Krell was part of the London scene as hippie segued into punk. And then he brought Vogue to Asia. His street style look is built on tailoring, with British and Italian touches. And the man has range: Krell can work a tattooed surf look with as much ease as a toggle coat and brown suede shoes.” —Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue.com Archive Editor
Ian Bradley
Photo: Madison McGaw / BFA.com
“No one does the retro-hipster-nerd look better! With Ian you know it’s super-authentic, and every time I see him it makes me smile.” —Kelly Connor
Yohji Yamamoto
Photographed by Tommy Ton
“Yohji gets my vote. His is the gold standard by which all other designer uniforms must be judged. Consistent, pragmatic, and elegant, there’s nothing not to love about his look.” —Kristin Anderson, Vogue.com Fashion News Writer
Raf Simons
Photo: Francois Guillot / Getty Images
Former Dior Designer “Raf Simons is the greatest of all time. The end.” —Steff Yotka, Vogue.com Fashion News Writer
John Nollet
Photo: Kristy Sparrow / Getty Images
“French hairstylist to chic women like Nicole Kidman and Vanessa Paradis, John Nollet has his own signature style worth noting: white shirt, sharp jacket, trimmed beard, and artfully messy, shoulder-length hair. Sometimes he ties it back in a knot or braids it with one of his own couture feathered hairpieces, which he designs with Maison Lemarié; that contrast between his natty clothes and wild, bohemian hair is so cool—and so French. Bonus: He’s incredibly charming (and handsome)!” —Emily Farra
Karl Lagerfeld
Photo: David M. Bennett / Getty Images
“Kaiser Karl is a cluster of contradictory style statements, clashed together like a game of sartorial Consequences: Edwardian collar and stickpin with streamlined hypermodern suiting, biker gloves and goth rings, 18th-century powdered pigtail—like a Prussian general—and Terminator sunglasses. It shouldn’t work, but it always does. Lagerfeld has crafted an instantly identifiable image: He’s the most recognizable designer of our times and, I’d argue, the most stylish man on the planet. There aren’t many fashion designers people dress up as for Halloween, and there aren’t many people for whom formal dress is for life, not just the red carpet.” —Alexander Fury
Stefano Pilati
Photo: Joe Schildhorn / BFA.com
“The Zegna designer has my vote. Why? To me, he is the epitome of fearless, intuitive elegance: always intensely masculine, but those cuts, those fabrics, the tattoos, the jewelry . . .” —Sally Singer, Vogue Creative Digital Director
Mystery Man
Don’t know who he is, but I think he deserves to be included.
I’m definitely a SKINNY girl when it comes to wearing jeans. Believe me I have all kinds and all lengths from faded and distressed to torn up and dressed-up dark denim and I love them all but 9 times out of 10 I will go to grab my skinnys. It seems to be the most flattering for my body type and like a legging (which I also tend to live in ) the most versatile for layering and wearing a blouse or sweater over top. You can dress the skinny up or down as they look equally good with heels or plain white runners (not the ones for actual running). Even though I secretly long to wear my super soft Hudson bell bottoms with hippie boots…I just never get around to doing so.
Kate Moss – google images
My favourite skinny jeans are ones that have a little bit of stretch but don’t lose their shape when washed. And just like another simple staple (the White T-shirt), it’s not so easy to find the perfect fit. They’re everywhere but all are not created equal.
Which brings me to a recent article in Vogue talking about the Superfine label. Have you heard of it?
Long before the skinny jean had reached its zenith of popularity, Superfine was pioneering the shape. Launched more than a decade ago, the label rose to prominence on the gams of cool-girl stalwarts like Kate Moss and Sienna Miller, in many ways becoming synonymous with a particular brand of lean, London rock chic. Says the brand’s founder, former stylist Lucy Pinter: “At that time there were a ton of denim brands that came out of L.A. Everything was blue and distressed and bootleg. Back then I started because we wanted to make a skinny jean and no one did one. Obviously that silhouette—with no branding—other people ran with that and did very well with [it].” With the designer denim boom that followed not long after, the line remained something of a cultish entity, never fully taking hold in the United States.
Photo: Courtesy of Superfine
All that will surely soon change, though; Pinter and co. are doubling down their efforts stateside, having launched in the U.S. for fall with an array of stockists (Saks Fifth Avenue, Shopbop, and Nordstrom). Strong retail hopes aren’t the only thing Superfine is banking on; the designer herself has relocated to Los Angeles, where production of a brand-new secondary range, Fine By Superfine, will be based. As Pinter tells Vogue.com, “The problem with our denim in the past was it was all being made with Italian fabrics, in Italy, with these incredibly high-end wash developments and zippers and hardware. It became really expensive, so we sort of out-priced ourselves from that really lucrative denim market.” Per Pinter, the aim was to isolate Superfine’s more typically “contemporary” elements (jersey, sweats, and yes, plenty of denim) and give them room to breathe under the Fine By label.
That’s just super fine by me. I’ll be on the lookout for the label.
I’m curious to find out which jeans are your go-to favourites?
It’s that time of the year again: that seasonal conundrum ofWHAT TO WEAR? to the annual office Christmas party.
Leave it to Louboutin (Nordstrom, Vancouver). Sometimes it’s best to start to dress from the ground up!
The first cardinal rule? There’s no need to don the ornamental bells and whistles of a Christmas tree. You can still keep it simple but add a dash of bling & a red lip.
Just remember this
The second? Unless the theme is ugly Christmas sweaters, then make somewhat of an effort. If your party is right after work and you don’t have the time to change then at the very least slip on a pair of pretty party shoes and/or a decorative piece of jewellery.
It doesn’t have to be too much, just something festive. You can keep them incognito until the night kicks off. If you want to up the ante on the accessories, the only thing you need is a simple pair of drop-dead drop earrings to keep in your bag. They’ll add a slight shine to your ensemble if the rest of your look is pared back. Speaking of bags….
How about an elegant evening clutch bag? These are found at KATE FRENCH Wear – 2352 W. 4th Ave. in Vancouver. There is a lot more to this store than what is shown here. Clothing, etc.
Luckily, there are easy one-step tricks to the holiday office party trade. The best thing to do is to keep it simple yet with a little more chic ‘oomph’ than usual. Try a sleek A-line tea length skirt; it has that immediate Grace Kelly effect of polish. If your work place is casual and you usually wear jeans then opt for a black cigarette pant and oxford button-down or lacy blouse.
You can’t go wrong with these made in Canada simple but classy clutch bags which will come in handy after the holidays too. I love the ease of the handle which just slips over your wrist. KATE FRENCH Wear, Vancouver.
Rule #3 – if you’re into glam & glitter then this is the month to pull out all the stops.
Rule #4: no matter where you work, remember you’re still amongst your colleagues so go easy on the liquor.
Think about this old quote that Phyllis Diller once said:
“What I don’t like about office Christmas parties is looking for a job the next day”
Rule #5 – have fun, make it festive and look and feel your most FABULOUS!
I’ve been going through all my shoes deciding which ones to keep, which ones to give away but when it comes down to my Mary Janes I have a hard time parting with any of them.
REALITY SHOE (Photo: HBO)
The Sex and the City Moment:
When Carrie Bradshaw sees a pair of Manolo Blahnik Mary Janes for the very first time in a fashion closet and cries out, “I thought these were an urban shoe myth!” From flats to heels, the Mary Jane might just be one of the most iconic and versatile shoes of all time. No other footwear has been through as much evolution as the popular-to-this-day Mary Jane.
Legend has it the name came from a comic strip dubbed Buster Brown in the New York Herald in 1902. In the comic, a little girl named Mary Jane wore flat shoes with a small leather strip across the front. Since then, everyone from Mary Quant to Yves Saint Laurent, Christian Dior and Rei Kawakubo has capitalized on the style. The Mary Jane looks particularly chic —and it seems every designer is putting their own twist on the emblematic shoe.
Here is a TIMELINE of some of her best moments:
THE ORIGINALS
Photo: Getty Images
The Mary Jane played a key role in model-off-duty style during the 60s, as seen on Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton.
THE CINEMATIC ICON
In Clueless, Cher shows her love of the essential style in multiple scenes—whether they’re white patent with a thick heel or flat and metallic, paired with over-the-knee socks.
THE WHIMSICAL CARTOON
Everett
The fictional but stylish Alice in Wonderland sports a pair of black Mary Janes and knee-socks during her adventures with massive caterpillars, talking cats and rude flowers.
Getty Images
RED CARPET WORTHY
Cate Blanchett takes a step out at the Venice Biennale in a long green gown and simple pair of black patent leather Mary Janes.
Speaking of cartoons, I just watched the non-animated film version of “Cinderella” and Cate Blanchett plays a perfectly awful step-mother. Great rendition of the classic Disney fairytale (just had to tell you).
THE NEW CROP – Fresh off the Runway
Today’s versions come in metallic shades, covered in glitter, in lush velvets and with the occasional Lucite heel.
Mary Janes came elegantly gilded at Rodarte, in geometric shapes at Giles and even in the form of sugary-sweet pastel boots at the SS16 collections.
AND here’s another reason to love dancing the TANGO:
Come il Faut – Buenos Aires (I bought shoes there). Soft Black Silk…Ahhhhh
Source: Kristen Bateman for “The List” – Harper’s Bazaar
Like any middle child knows, the central position in the sibling hierarchy has its challenges – constantly seeking approval from older siblings and trying (and often failing) to establish some sort of dominance over the “baby” of the family. Linda, who is the owner and stylist knows this all too well: when you’re in the middle of the pack you have to shout a little louder in order to be heard.
Luckily I never had to do this. I’m the eldest of three – I have a brother and sister so I got to boss them around which was my established right. But back to the boutique…
Middle Sister is the culmination of Linda’s desire to express herself. Inspired by the places she’s travelled and the people and things she’s fallen in love with, the boutique is a love letter to the life she’s lived and an invitation to those wanting to join her on her journey. There is a nice cross section of everything from clothing (local and international designs), accessories (I bought a beautiful leather wrap-around belt with tassles), home accents and cool cards for every occasion.
Fun Couture Leggings – the logo certainly appeals to me
At Middle Sister, the focus is exploration and discovery, of being introduced to something new and stimulating. Here, you won’t have to shout to be heard. The focus is always on you. That speaks to my heart!
A model walks the runway at the Ralph Lauren fashion show during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Fall 2015 at Skylight Clarkson SQ. on February 19, 2015 in New York City.
I’ve always been a hat woman. I go for all kinds of hats depending on my mood, what I’m wearing, the season and the occasion.
A hat can be that one accessory that sets you apart, whether you’re at a formal event or you’re just out running some errands. Sometimes I feel like wearing a baseball cap even if I’m not out running, but other times a wide-brim felt or fedora does the trick. Colours are always neutral.
A great hat can add polish to an otherwise basic outfit. It also keeps our head warm but can add a bit of mystery (a la Humphrey Bogart in Casablanca) and they look so darn chic.
Every woman can find a hat to suit her but if you’re like my sister Lisa, then you look good wearing any hat. She’s lucky that every single hat that comes in contact with her head looks like it was made for her.
Do you wear hats? What kind of hat is your preference?
This is knot your typical boutique. I love the overall organic feeling of this Vancouver shop.EVERYTHING inside is imported from Japan which is another reason to like it so much.
even the gum boots are cuteThe extraordinary handcrafted watches are all created on-site at the JHA Kansai watch store.
What would a Japanese
boutique be like without a few teapots?The place where I bought this comfy and cute cotton/crinoline sweater dress. I like that it’s casual (mostly) and feminine. It can be dressed up or down & belted (to emphasize the waist) but I just let it hang loose. I think it looks better when wearing shoes or better still; boots.
The Japanese have such eclectic taste and a lot of the styles appeal to me because they tend to go against the grain. You will find clothing & accessories that are NOT run-of-the-mill. Sometimes we want to have that bit of an edge.
You don’t want to pack too much but you want to make sure you have everything you need.
Girl Who Would be KING on Life, Style and INSPIRATION. 
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