Best Dressed Couple: Burberry

Ummmmmmm have you seen a nicer-dressed couple than this couple o' models in Burberry pre-fall looks? Didn't think so. In dream land, my boyfriend and I would dress like this every day. And even though this is pre-fall, I wish I had these clothes now for the holidays. Nothing says holiday potlucks, dinner with his parents, Christmas shopping, church services, and Nutcracker shows like cinched bow belts, fur collars, velvet blazers, tweed pants, and a-line skirts. Well done, Christopher Bailey.

Images via The Cut

Jack and Lazaro, Why Do You Do This to Me?

The winter apocalypse has yet to strike Montreal however I'm already excited for spring because of these bright and NEON Proenza Schouler bags that are totally inaccesible but still make my day that much better.

I want you, I need you, especially you, PS1 leather pouch in nude pink, oh baby.

All bags via ssense.com

You're Ouwt: Blue Tights

Seeing this photo of Sarah Jessica Parker reminds me of my utter distaste for blue tights. I have tried to embrace the look but I cannot get over the fact that no matter how fit or toned one's legs are, if one chooses to go blue regardless of the shade, one never comes off as fun and cute but rather one always looks like a certain blue cartoon character. While I'm all for wearing colour, there are so many better ways to sport it without looking like an aspiring smurf. The disgust I hold for blue tights is a complex from which I cannot escape.

And so I now present the newest additions to the smurfettes (dubbed by yours truly): Gossip Girl Smurf, It Girl Smurf, City Smurf, Soul Smurf, Arwen Smurf, and Edgy Smurf.

    

So in conclusion, skip the blue tights unless you are aspiring to be the next smurfette (a task I think Nicki Minaj is actually trying to achieve).

Images via Google

Badass Tuesdays Revisted

Badass Outfit (tie):

 

Looks 13 and 30 from Jason Wu Pre-fall. Goshdarnit they're sexy.

via nymag.com

Badass Shoes: 

via netaporter.com

Valentino studded leather and lace pumps

Badass Song:

Towers by Bon Iver (saw him play this last night and it was incredible)

Badass Image:

Black pumps. Black fur. Black knee highs. Paris. 'Nuff said.

Giampaolo Sgura for Antidote via fashiongonerogue.com

See She Bakes

While clothes are my one true love, I do occasionally like to indulge in the art of baking. And what better excuse to bake than throwing a holiday party!? This past weekend, my roommates and I hosted a little holiday get-together and here are some of the treats I made for the shindig.

Triple chocolate chip cookies, recipe found right hurr.

 Gingerbread cookies, durr.

Smoked salmon, scallions, and sour cream and guacamole and sour cream on silver dollar pancakes. So easy to make and super popular with the party peeps.

Snickerdoodles with cream cheese icing and crushed up candy canes (the crushed up candy canes were an original addition and came from my inner Martha).

Sweet and sour meatballs. Recipe from my mom but a similar one is found here.

The food spread. Delicious!

My cat was not pleased about his Christmas bow. Such a Grinch.

Happy holiday baking!

Academic Break: Fashion and Sustainability

Image via fashiongonerogue.com

'Tis the season for getting, giving, and giving back. The last action is the one that I want to discuss today - in this rather scholarly sounding but nonetheless compelling blog post - with regards to the fashion industry. and how this industry is giving back to the environment by adopting sustainable practices that are less damaging to the planet.  While the basic notion underlying fashion is that it is inherently unsustainable - in the sense that each season consumers are encouraged to dispose of their last season duds in favour of new, trendier clothes - I found an interesting article on the Business of Fashion published by the Guardian which reconciles the link between luxury fashion and sustainability. Essentially, one of the necessary factors for an item to be considered "luxury" - namely high quality leading to high durability - entails that the item will last for a very long time, leading one to buy better quality and buy less (which is how the French purchase clothing). So instead of buying 10 bags from Forever 21 that will fall apart in a years' time, it's better to save up for a Givenchy bag that will last a lifetime (this is the principle behind one of my favourite fashion concepts: investment pieces!)
Of course, this principle alone does not enhance the overall sustainability factor of the industry firstly because not everyone can afford luxury products no matter how long they save up - it's simply not accessible. Secondly, the principle is counterintuitive to one of the driving forces behind fashion, that being consumerism. Yes, fashion is an art form however if the primary goal is not to sell it, then the industry would not exist. Thus, there has been in shift in recent years towards using materials that are eco-friendly, organic, and have a low environmental impact. Stella McCartney was one of the pioneers of the eco-fashion movement by building her brand on planet-friendly practices such as using natural and renewable materials in her pieces. On the lower-end is H&M, who launched their conscious collection this year which uses sustainable materials such as organic cotton and recycled polyester.**
The problem is that shifting to sustainable practices can compromise the desirability factor of the clothes (desirability being another one of the fashion industry's driving forces). The Business of Fashion has an article which, among other things, discuss the tenuous link between sustainability and desirability and contains a quote from the former Barneys fashion director Julie Gilhart who commented, “At Barneys, when we explicitly labeled Stella McCartney’s organic line with the word ‘organic’ its perceived value actually went down in the eyes of the consumer, even though it was actually more expensive to produce.”Gilhart is an advocate for enhancing sustainbility of the industry and she has stated, " the best way to make an impact on the fashion industry is to “attack the big guys” like H&M, Nike, Wal-Mart and the Gap ,Those are the people who are really impacting the planet from an environmental point-of-view”. 

All this to say, what can we do as consumers? While I'm all for saving up for Givenchy bags clearly the choice to buy solely luxury goods is not viable for many (myself included). What is viable is making conscious purchases of clothing and being aware of the impact a particular item might have on the environment.

So that concludes my academic commentary for the week. Now let's dance, because it's Friday!

** While there are a myriad of eco-friendly clothing brands out there - and while their efforts need to be applauded - I am just focussing on the efforts of the large scale fashion labels and companies as they are the ones that have the capacity to take the niche movement and turn it into the status quo

If You're Ever in Vancouver: Front and Company

Main Street in Vancouver is chock-full of great vintage stores and small clothing boutiques such as the Barefoot Contessa, Lark, and Twigg&Hottie but my favourite of them all has to be Front and Company. Front and Company carries new, vintage and consignment clothing as well as a ton of bags, shoes, and other cool stuff. I was mostly impressed by their awesome selection of cute and quirky jewelry and by their extensive consignment section which features a lot of pieces from contemporary and designer brands like DVF, Alexander Wang, Marc Jacobs, Isabel Marant, Wilfred, Thakoon, and much more at quite reasonable prices and in great condition. When I was there last, I picked up these two items:

Isabel Marant tunic for $110 (color is off in the photo, it's actually a blue-grey check pattern)

Alexander Wang silk top for $70

Front and Company recently opened up an online store which sells a ton of accessories, beauty products, and home decor. The jewelry section is particularly enticing: there are many cute necklaces, bracelets, and earrings that are perfect Christmas presents for me the people I love.

Front and Company
3772 Main Street,
Vancouver, B.C.
Monday-Sunday 11:00 am - 6:30 pm

Images via frontandcompany.ca