Bridal Spring 2014 roundup! And other looks I love...

As a soon-to-be (sorta, it's not our number one priority) bride, I find myself viewing bridal couture purely from a 'would I wear it?' perspective, even more than usual with fashion. The dream image for me so far is the following, a dusky rose-clad divine flowy dress called the 'Amelie' from Samuelle (whose whole collection is an amazing dream and you should click on that link and look at her website immediately.)

Consequently, in terms of aesthetic I have to admit I am a bit bored by most of the bridal runways, and by bridal looks in general. If I have to choose I veer more towards Elie Saab (who did not have a Spring 2014 bridal collection) than Vera Wang (who did, and *yawn*) But there were some definite highlights for me when browsing that I have to share.

Theia White... I almost wish I could get married in this. I would probably change into this for the later portion of my night, or wear this to a shower/bachelorette. Or, anytime.

This is simple and sweet and flattering but I don't quite have the same post-baby body so I doubt flattering would be the term.

I liked this because of the beautiful beading and diaphanous skirt/veil, and the confidence in the model's face. When I saw this I thought, if I had to look more traditional, I would not mind this at all.

I do like this Kenneth Pool look very much, but still find it a bit too form-fitting and shiny. Very beautiful though, with different, not so severe hair.

Probably my favourite collection was Temperley... With the vintage, simple, elegant and feminine feel, these are more my dream dresses than any others I saw.

(Unfortunately if I can see this model's ab muscles so clearly, I doubt I could pull it off haha) 

And if I were to wear strapless, which I doubt, it would be something gorgeous like this.

I wish the Lela Rose collection had not been presented against such a stark white background, making it hard to appreciate the sartorial details, but I love the silhouette of this dress.

This is an Elie Saab Spring Couture 2013 dress... And I absolutely love it and just had to add it cause I love his aesthetic so much.

Now I am just excited about sharing bridal looks. Also adore Jenny Packham's Azalea dress, 2013 collection. I think by and large I prefer a British, more understated look to my bridal.

And the following is a Chloe Resort 2012 that I have liked for a while as a bridesmaid's dress if I were to have any, a little risqué but soo pretty.

20's

These are the last months of my twenties, an era of discovery, youthful madness, a nostalgic time for the rest of anyone's life I think. We reserve the same nostalgia for the twenties (1920's), and we forget just how transgressive people were in that era. In many ways society is more repressed now.

A lighthearted take on this theme is Sophie Kinsella's Twenties Girl, a great little book I read recently and recommend. It gives tidbits of twenties fashion which I love love love. That old glamour from the 20's-40's is so beautiful and feminine. Tiffany & Co. had a twenties themed bash Thursday in NYC (so close to me... I constantly am aware that Manhattan is a mere 6 hours away, why do I not live there?) and three of my favourite ladies pulled out their twenties glamour.

SJP in Vicky Tiel, GP in Ralph Lauren, KH in Reem Acra.

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These three have been major celebrity crushes for a while, I think they are all amazing actresses, wonderful mothers, and super hot women. I am inspired by all their styles, pretty well embodied in the three looks they chose that night - Sarah Jessica fashion forward, statement-making and fabulous, Gwyneth more classic, simple and elegant, and Kate sexy, body-conscious and feminine. I am so jealous of whoever took that picture (Steve Eichner I guess, shoulda been me).

If I have to grow up, I want to do it like these ladies do. I just bought GP's new cookbook It's All Good not because of the hype but because I genuinely loved the recipes I looked at and I unabashedly love her :) Is Kate Hudson staring at her breasts?! LOL yes Kate, your dress does a better job of holding them up :)

Gotta close up on some of those amazing diamond and sapphire Tiffany jewels SJP is wearing...

Look Muses - Alexa, Jane and Francoise

I became curious about Alexa Chung today, when I realized that I inadvertently have very similar hair after growing out my now blonder bob and getting impromptu bangs. She said in an interview that she was really just ripping off Jane Birkin and Francoise Hardy, bringing that sexy back to the new generations who forgot about these muses. So I revisited I compared:

Alexa 

Jane Birkin

With Serge Gainsborough and incidentally, I find it ironic that we seem to have forgotten any raciness we indulged in in the past and scream moral outrage an astonishing amount in this day and age.

Francoise Hardy, what a stunning woman.

Now that is aging gracefully in my opinion!

Lovin' the menswear... MTV Movie Awards and CK

First off want to share a few outfits I loved at the MTV Movie Awards (which I did not watch as I cannot stand awards shows, hours of privileged people self-congratulating)... BUT man the clothes. This one is cool because they can be more casual and therefore actually provide daily inspiration.

Zoe Saldana in Givenchy... Love this look. Can be adapted, you could wear something similar to a date and it is covered up but still so hot.

Melissa McCarthy's look is so my style, all black, covered up and flowy but still showing off curves, comfortable and sexy, with a hot pair of shoes. And some great jewelry. Total win.

Eddie Redmayne's look is also so me, I would wear this entire outfit as is, with some jewelry.

Next Calvin Klein Fall RTW ... I generally find CK a little too clean for my liking but they do make beautiful simple classic pieces.

I like these skirts very much although I HATE turtlenecks (make me feel like I can't breathe...) and this girl looks too buttoned up and old-fashioned. But I think I need to get a skirt like this, it is lovely for work.

Of course closing the shirt, I like the vibe of the outfit on the left very much. I no longer own a single pair of bootcut jeans and I suddenly remembered how good they can look. 

This trio is the highlight for me. Absolutely love the combo of black shirt (minus the turtle), grey blazer, black coat, wine skinny pant and patent shoe look in the middle, am definitely inspired. This look can go casual with maroon skinny jeans, a black t-shirt and a grey boyfriend blazer, an outfit I may just have to wear this week. 

I love the length of the skirt and the luxe combo of colours and textures with the long coat. The look on the left is simple and professional and very much a work outfit I am going to emulate. 

I seem to be more inspired by men's fashion in this post which is not I suppose unusual since I think menswear on a woman is super comfortable and hot.

All images Getty.

Catch-up: Paris and Tokyo

I have been so busy the last month that I haven't been paying much attention to fashion, other than trying to get hired by one of my fav Canadian brands lululemon. However, my desktop has been cluttered with Paris and Tokyo offerings I loved, so I am going to post'em up!

First is Valentino... so classy, feminine and soft-looking...yum absolutely love Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli's aesthetic, they are perfection.

Next, Stella McCartney looks I love, she is a such a master at dressing so a woman feels breezy, elegant and modern.

Across the world to Tokyo, which I know very little about so it was nice to peruse with virgin eyes...

I really liked The Dress & Co's slouchy-sexy look.

Somarta's patterned tights were something else. This is fashion architecture.

And Tiit's show was so me, I want to wear all of these outfits. I love layering like this and will definitely be inspired when dressing by these looks.

That's it that's all much to do. Have a fashionable and pleasant day all! I hope I can peruse Toronto Fashion Week's offerings in the next few days, feels disloyal not to :D

Further C-uriousity

This Vitamin C thing has got me thinking. Another video I watched, the girl made a solution of the vitamin C powder and distilled water for each application, and applied with makeup brush where she wanted it (face, neck, hands, avoiding blemishes). A good way to control how much or how little you apply if you have sensitive skin, and no premixing of creams and vitamin for the week. So the mask she does twice a week versus the lady in the previous post who I believe uses her vitamin C creams every day.

I have to admit I turn 30 this November and it is hitting me in various ways. Having a high-energy child, a stressful job, a marriage to a drama queen, quitting my job, and smoking on and off for the last 17 years (oh my....), not to mention the years of sun damage where I didn't give a damn about sunscreen... I looked in the mirror and saw in what I had previously perceived to be my unlined skin.... multiple distinct lines across my forehead... and down my neck... my under eye bags are out of control... and my stretch marks from pregnancy are improving but I will never be the same.

Don't get me wrong, I am pretty happy with things. But I am realizing I can't get away with the follies of youth in so many ways. Definitely in the area of skin regime. Genetics blessed me but lifestyle chosen by me has not always been optimal. I want to try to see if I can improve some aspects by trying this vitamin C thing, which really is like a home acid peel plus vitamin C promotes collagen production I believe.

In the following video this girl uses lemons (and buying lemons or even that plastic lemon full of lemon juice is much easier than buying powder vitamin C and mixing solutions and creams like a chemist) as well as sugar on a cotton pad... pretty genius and yummy and so easy:

The Must C's of Beauty - Coconut Oil and Vitamin C

I have to improve this site so I can actually have different sections, but alas blogspot is not the best for that, and it is the platform I have chosen for now... more to come.

In any case, I am going to sometimes segue into beauty and health topics that fascinate me. The following two videos are must-sees for anyone.

The first is a woman in her late-50's with fantastic and very budget-friendly long-term skincare tips that keep your skin almost magically youthful. Her skin is probably at the condition of about a 35-year-old, you can see it in her throat and hands more than her face which has a lot of makeup.



This video is about coconut oil. It is wonderful for your skin, hair, cooking, sex life, it literally is a magical product. And the following video shows just how wonderful. I lost my grandmother some years ago to a case of very aggressive and terrible Alzheimer's. This man got his brain back by consuming coconut oil.