shh!

a little birdy told me that a certain canadian luxury retailer is going to launch an online shop very, very soon.

-diana

Shopbop

On the weekend I placed an order for some pretty underpinnings (on sale) from one of my favorite online shops - Shopbop.com.

Today I get an email from their customer service saying one of the items I've ordered is out of stock. Because I'm not receiving the full set (pictured to the left) they have credited my shipping cost.

I love this company! I bought an Accessories and Beyond bracelet from them back in January. The charm fell off after a day so I emailed them to get a new one. Because the item was unavailable, Shopbop refunded the amount AND let me keep the bracelet. They said that for me to ship it back to the U.S. would have cost as much as the bracelet ($16 and change).

You've gotta appreciate good customer service and Shopbop has got some of that!

::: Nathalie

Toronto Fasion Week - Day 3

This is a week late but I haven’t had the time to compose anything until now…

Toronto Fashion Week – Day 3, Andy The-Anh F/W 2009.

10 minutes to the show, Diana and I make our way over to the already packed runway tent. Fashion editors, models, musicians and designers are everywhere and yet it was model and panel judge (for Canada’s Next Top Model), Stacey Mackenzie that got all the cheers when she strutted in. Interesting…

The lights turn off and the crowd scrambles to find their seats. The music starts and the first models walk onto the runway. Two other models walk out of the front to the beat of the urban music. Another model struts in from the end of the catwalk meeting the two other models in the middle. The whole display reminds me of elegant animals proudly displaying themselves in the jungle.

The overall Andy The-Anh’s F/W 09 collection was breathtaking. He showed a lot of beautifully tailored feminine dresses, skirts, coats and jumpsuits. He did his own take on jeweled tights, which I thought were really elegant, paired with a simple belted wool sheath. He showed ruffles, pleats, high waisted pants and skirts and exposed zippers on half the garments. (Thank goodness they’re still going strong otherwise I’d have to get rid of some clothes!) The show started with neutral golds, browns and blacks, perfect for the fall and ended with a splash of jewel toned colors. What a refreshing close to such a beautiful show.

(My outfit that night - Wilfred boyfriend blazer, Wilfred pocket tank, Current/ Elliot Jeans, Anik Batik beaded purse, Etienne Aigner boots)

::: Nathalie

Buy What You Love

I'm a big believer in buying what you love and not necessarily what's trendy at the time. As a result I have a collection of clothing, accessories and bags that I truly love and never grow tired of.

Just the other day my husband and I were packing for a weekend away. I had my LeSportsac weekender on the bed and a pile of clothes beside it. I had never realized it before but my birdie scarf from Urban Outfitters is pretty much the same coloring as my weekender.

There ya go. Buy what you love and next thing you know everything you have looks alike.

::: Nathalie

Sugarsweet

Thanks Nitrolicious for posting about M.A.C.'s Sugarsweet collection. I'm on a shopping freeze so I'll be passing on this one. The collection looks so yummy! Then again, stick bright colors and cupcakes on anything and I'm sold!

::: Nathalie

WTF, this works?

Last week I got sent home from work.

Not because I was inappropriately dressed. Not because I said something out of line to my boss. Not because I was watching porn at work (um, ew, I know - but supposedly people in another department at my office were yesterday. That's another story all together.) My boss insisted I go home because I was a snotty, repulsive mess.

I have this theory that people are getting sick because of the recession. They're all getting wicked stressed out, therefore their immune systems are beginning to fail them. 'What if I don't care about the recession?' you ask. Firstly, I'd say that's really naive. Then I'd tell you that you can still get germs from those who do. So I went home, propped my macbook on my stomach and caught up on my blog reading before going into a cold induced coma. But before I passed out, I took this stuff. My dad is this crazy health freak, and he's been trying to push this stuff down my throat for months. I took it three days in a row, and a little under a week later I was good as new (total overpromise, but I did feel unbelievably better). My boyfriend, who was foolish enough to come near me during my illness caught the disease. His cold lasted twice as long, and his immune system is way better than mine. So thanks OPCXtra for proving yet again that I'm superior to my significant other. Oh, and for cutting my cold time in half.

-Diana

Lookbook: Twenty8Twelve

Twenty8Twelve's spring collection is so charming with soft colors and ruffles. I've been waiting for the butterfly dress to come out (pictured bottom row, middle) since it previewed in the March issue of Fashion magazine.

My favorites are highlighted in pink.

::: Nathalie

(I'll be going to sleep shortly as I am home with a nasty cold. It's gorgeous outside and all I want to do is go out and play. Boo-hoo. I guess I'll be trying the medicine Diana recommended.)

Prints and Silks

Left to right: Twenty8Twelve silk blouse, Jacob sundress, Marc by Marc Jacobs silk apron dress, Marc by Marc Jacobs silk Ace of Spades dress, Wilfred silk dress, Marc by Marc Jacobs silk blouse, Lux silk dress.


I adore feminine printed fabrics, in particular, silk. I'm looking forward to a warmer spring so I could pair my favorite prints with cute sandals. As much as I love them, I'm ready to retire black opaque tights until next fall.

::: Nathalie

Beauty and Regrets

I had to share this gorgeous picture of Leigh Lezark (taken by Tommy Ton). I just have one word for this: stunning.

The Star did an inspiration feature on Tommy a few weeks back. It made me a little sad as it reminded me of Diana and I's Lime days. If I could turn back the clock, I think we would have taken a hiatus inside of closing the doors forever.

-Nathalie

Ace of Spades

I finally got my Marc by Marc Jacobs Aces of Spades dress! I had ordered it off Gilt.com over a month ago. Since Gilt Groupe doesn't ship to Canada, I had to send it to my uncle's house in Florida and he ships it to me. (So nice of him to do that.)

After I ordered it I found out that Anne Hathaway wore this dress in the movie Bride Wars. Ooo!

If you love discounted designer goods, I would highly recommend signing up. The website is by invitation only so click on this link to sign up.

-Nathalie

FW09 Joe Fresh Style

Irina Lazareanu opened the Joe Fresh Fall 2009 show yesterday at Toronto's Fashion Week.
The collection is really starting to remind me of Club Monaco. Pieces I'll be looking forward to when it hits stores later this year: the large buffalo plaid printed skirt (1:38 mins in), black pencil skirt with side zipper (2:25 mins in) and I love the outfit Irina closes with (2:46 mins in) though I don't think I could pull off a white quilted skirt...

-Nathalie

Distaste: Club Monaco

Each season Club Monaco comes out with the latest trends of well tailored clothes in the hottest colors. The mannequins are always impeccably dressed and the window displays draw you right in. And yet, you'll never catch me shopping there. Here are my reasons from bad to worse.

The clothes are more expensive than they are actually worth
Even the sales aren't worth it. Just a month ago I was in the fitting room trying on a gorgeous black pencil skirt marked from $110 to $69. While the fit was perfect, the fabric contents where not - 90% cotton and 10% spandex. One wash and that skirt would never look the same. The cotton twill would be prone to wrinkling from sitting down. No thanks, I'll pass.

Terrible customer service
A few years ago I bought a top and changed my mind. It had been past the 30 day refund frame and so the manager issued me a store credit via gift card. A few months later, I wanted to make a purchase with this gift card. Guess what? It was empty! The store and head office weren't much help at all and my money was never to be seen.

Quality
I do have a few items from about 7 years that I still occasionally wear. A black knee length pleated skirt that looks just as great today as when I first bought it and a gorgeous seersucker blazer. Compare those articles of clothing to a white circle skirt I bought in the spring of '07. Due to the nature of the fabric, the skirt had begun to lightly tear at the seams before it's first wash. My dry cleaner even refused to take it in case the garment was damaged further in their custody. Frustrated and disappointed with the quality, I emailed the Club Monaco's customer service. No one ever responded. I sent the email again every few weeks until about the 6th email and finally gave up. They obviously didn't care.

Two weeks ago The National Post's Style section did a feature on 5 Must Have items for spring. Club Monaco's boyfriend blazer was number one on the list. I had purchased my Wilfred boyfriend blazer at Aritzia a week before.
I had to compare the two to see what this editor was gushing about.

Wilfred's boyfriend blazer, $225 CAD, consists of 85% wool, 10% silk and 5% cashmere. Quality fabrics that make this item a real investment piece.

VS.

Club Monaco's boyfriend blazer, $199 CAD - 100% cotton. It's a thinner cotton for a blazer meaning it would wrinkle easy. Certainly not worth the hefty price tag.





When it comes to investing in good quality pieces, be sure you look at fabric content, fit and cut. I feel that for a few years now, Club Monaco has lacked in the quality department making most of their items disposable in the long run.

Since coming onto the scene in the mid 80's, Club Monaco has undergone a lot of changes including the direction in management from creators Joe Mimran (Joe Fresh) and Alfred Sung over to Polo Ralph Lauren. I remember the Star having published an article about the take over and I was left wondering how it would affect the brand. Time would tell. The clothing became more sophisticated and the prices reflected this. (They also dropped the sporty CMX line). I feel that what Club Monaco offers in high style, they lack in care and that to me, is just as important in a brand. While you may see me perusing the latest styles at the Sherway Gardens store, it's very unlikely that I'll be making a purchase anytime soon.

-Nathalie

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Marc Jacobs engaged

The news comes to us late as we went straight from work and over to Toronto Fashion Week. Congrats to Marc Jacobs and his partner Lorenzo Martone on their engagement!

Grunge

Aritzia SS09 Runway from Aritzia on Vimeo.


We've all seen this coming but watching the Aritzia S/S09 collection confirms - grunge is back!

It was back in the early 90's when I first started paying attention to fashion. At 13, my favorite pair of jeans had once belonged to my father. They were perfectly worn in with slight tears in the knee and the lightest sprinkle of white paint. I tried wearing and tearing my own denim but found it never looked the same. I remember Diana saying that she would sit in a bathtub full of water for hours, wearing her jeans so she could achieve the authentic worn-in look. She would vigorously rub sandpaper on certain ares of her pants to make them look old.

Thinking back I wonder, how did a 13 year old girl fit into her father's old jeans and... would they still fit now?

-Nathalie

Barbie Loves Stila Paint Cans

Barbie is celebrating her 50th Birthday this year and Stila cosmetics has teamed up with Barbie to bring you four looks (paint cans) that will have you resembling your favorite iconic doll.

I couldn't help but to be excited when I saw my first ever Barbie featured on one of the paint cans. While I still have her (somewhere in my basement), she doesn't look nearly as good as she did in the 80's. The carelessness of my childhood led me to break off her head and loose her original attire - a long red shimmery gown with a gold neckline and red heels. Her original afro has been combed so many times that it now resembles a bird's nest. Heartbreaking really.

This doll holds a lot of sentimental value as not only was it my first doll, but my mum had purchased it while pregnant with me, convinced her first born would be a girl.

I'll be surprising my mum with this particular paint can. I think the earthy tones will suit her golden skin so nicely that she will look even better than my first Barbie did 28 years ago. Here's to you mum!

- Nathalie

*Stila's 1980 Foxy Barbie Paint Cans at Sephora, $56 CAD.

Originally Posted: Wednesday, March 11, 2009

dem hairs

i think i've got some job security, but that really doesn't matter. i know i need to chill out with my spending habits. one thing i've always kind of cheaped out on is my hair. just cause i go discount, doesn't mean i don't have a fab 'do. f'real. when i spend some time, these hairs look real nice.

i'm asian (this has a point i swear) - and asians tend to have naturally dark hair (duh, right?). i know this borders on sounding completely insane, but i think that my natural hair colour is unflattering to my skin tone. it makes my skin look patchy and is just plain un-awesome (not a word, i know, i know).

see the box on your upper left? l'oreal preference has a formula made especially for dark hair. it doesn't turn my hair that awful brassy orange that most poor souls with dark tresses suffer from when trying to go light at home. so if you're looking to lighten your naturally dark locks without the drama, try this stuff out. it works real nice.

* i do not work for l'oreal. this is not a paid advertisement. i like this stuff, seriously.
** however, if you're from l'oreal and wanna gimme some stuff, i'm so into it.
*** but, if the stuff sucks, i'm gonna say so - it's cause i roll like that.

-Diana


Originally Posted: Wednesday, March 11, 2009

FW09 Chanel

A quick look at Chanel's F09 Collection.

Plain White Tee's

Wilfred makes the perfect sheer racerback tee. My favorite part, the small pocket in the front.

It's reminiscent of Alexander Wang's tee from his spring '09 collection but is just a fraction of the cost. While I did toy around with the idea of getting the 'original' for a mere $85, at the end of the day, a tee is just a tee and I could find a better use for 85 bones. Dinner with my man perhaps? A ticket to Toronto Fashion week with $10 left over?

Would you save or splurge for your perfect plain white tee?

- Nathalie



Wilfred: $35 (available at Aritzia) vs. Alexander Wang $85 (available at Holts)


Originally Posted: Saturday, February 28, 2009

Korres

when i was 16 - i had the most beautiful skin. it was blemish-free, smooth like a baby's bottom and the most wonderful shade of almond.

now i'm 27 and i've gotta admit that the skin's still ok, but years of avoiding a balanced diet, coupled with irregular sleeping patterns and the battle against nicotine haven't helped.

but now i can continue to eat poorly, stay up all night and smoke, smoke, smoke thanks to Korres Wild Rose Brightening Serum. ok - that's kind of a lie. what's true is this serum is incredible. i was looking ashy, tired and pretty crappy so i decided to go hardcore and start taking care of my skin. i bought this serum along with an almond oil day moisturizer from whole foods and this night cream from Boots No7 - which they are discontinuing in canada (boo!) anyway, the difference is totally noticable. i used to wear Mac's Studio Tech, but now i find that i can wear a light powder alone and my skin still looks fierce. ask nathalie - she's the one who was all 'omg, your skin looks good! i want my skin to look like that!'

being a budding beauty junkie, i also purchased Korres Wild Rose Compact Powder and Korres Lip Butter. to say that i'm becoming a little obsessed with Korres products in an understatment. hey, i'm making sure that the girls are sephora keep their jobs, right?

-diana


Oringinally posted: Wednesday, February 25, 2009

e-envy

once upon a time, i was a junior copywriter at an advertising agency. i worked with a girl who worked in the research department and aspired to be a fashion editor.

a year or so later, i accepted a writing job in the suburbs in an attempt to save my sanity. she quit her paying job to intern at a fashion magazine. now she's covering fashion week in london and is featured in the satoralist!

i've often been accused of taking the easy way out. now i'm pretty sure everyone who has ever ragged on me is right.


-diana


Originally Posted: Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Killing the Recession: One bag at a Time

Not that I know a lot about economics or about finance in general - but I tend to agree with those who say that we need to spend in order to get out of this recession. Last week, in an attempt to forget about inane work and relationship woes, Nathalie and I went to Holt Renfrew. Much to my delight and dismay, there was a recently reduced section of bags. And there she was - buttery, brown and too big to ignore. At almost a hundred dollars less than the original price, I couldn't pass up buying the pictured Michael Kors bag.

I'm a sucker, i know. I wasn't alone. In the 20 minutes or so that we were at H0lts, I saw 5 women making purchases. In a time when everyone is hating on spenders and dissing 'Confessions of a Shopaholic' (which I loved, btw) - I have to point out that some of us are turning a blind eye and buying things dispite of the economic climate. I can't help the fact that the recession hit at the exact time that I finally have a career and am making decent money. So I'll stay firm and say I'm doing my part. Sort of.

Diana

Originally Posted: Saturday, February 14, 2009