Winter's Latest Trends

Yes, after a long hiatus I am finally back! Sorry I was away for so long, but I seem to get so caught up in school I forget to do normal stuff like blog and go to the gym. First order on my agenda is to get into winter fashion trends in both women's wear and men's wear.

Ankle boots, fur, long loose v-necks, and statement bracelets reign supreme this winter in Canada. Long sleeved mini-dresses are also making a comeback, as is lace, with long necklaces and wader boots on the way out. My suggestions for a night on the town is a simple dress or skirt with one or two accessories, like a bracelet and textured purse. A long sleeved dress with patterned tights and a thick bracelet worn with ankle boots is a perfect outfit. If you're a little uncomfortable wearing a form fitting mini dress then try a skirt or shorts with a blazer and tights, with sky high heels for some extra confidence. Dark jeans are still a winning combination with anything and can really create a leaner leg when paired with heels. If you're worried about your legs appearing short, skip the ankle boot and embrace something that rises higher on your calf, or opt for a pair of heels.

Men this winter should keep their colour palette simple; black and grey should be complimented with pops of red and blue. I suggest a straight leg jean in a dark wash or a grey casual pant for bottoms, worn with designer sneakers or a pair of simple black dress shoes. Blue blazers are a must have item, as are grey suits, and make a great impression for first dates and bar wear. Simple blue striped shirts, think Ralph Lauren, look great this winter worn with a red tie, and paired with a black cardigan or pullover. Big buttons and small details on cardigans help to make your look unique and add texture to a largely black or grey outfit.

Want to know how to wear the look? See the following photos!

Womenswear Trend of the Week

This week's trend is the head band, which has made a comeback in various forms over the past year. The head band has been a prevalent style in haute couture, casual American style, and even athletic wear. However, this new and hip era of head bands has been dominated by three styles, embellished with jewels and feathers, braids (whether natural or synthetic), and cotton headbands.

These styles have all been pioneered by various celebrities and television shows, helping to popularize them over the course of the year. Perhaps the most well known would be Blair Waldorf on the hit show Gossip Girl, played by Leighton Meester. Blair is never seen without a head band, and they accompany all her outfits, whether they be designer or her prep school uniform. Blair even wore a head band to prom! Blair wears several kinds of head bands, including plain wide traditional styles, as well as newer styles boasting feathers, jewels, sequins, plaid, and bows in bold colours.

A second kind of head band that has become immensely popular is the braided hair headband. Traditionally, this head band was created using a french braid in the wearer's hair, but was very difficult to achieve. Now, because of the popularity of the trend, faux hair braided bands are easily available and simplify the once hard to achieve look. Don't know where to find one? Check out Icing by Claire's or Ardene for a cheap version of the braided head band. Want to know who's a fan? Lauren Conrad is often seen sporting a braided head band, or even a side braid.

The athletic head band has also come into popularity, not only at the gym but in casual everyday style. Lululemon, a Canadian athletic brand, has a range of head bands all in various colours with their infamous logo printed upon it. This hand band, while meant for the gym, has shown up everywhere, from the classroom to the mall, and shows no signs of dying out. At over $14.00 for this head band, you have to realize it's purpose is more than just to hold a few hairs back. Other, thinner elastic head bands are also making their rounds, becoming a new way of wearing hair down.

Be sure not to miss out on this style! Stylish head bands can be found at stores the world over including Topshop, Primark, Claire's, Ardens, Icing, Lululemon, and Urban Outfitters!

Menswear Trend of the Week

Hello faithful readers! In order to make my blog a little more exciting I've decided to introduce a trend or look of the week, in both womens and menswear. This week's menswear winner? Shoes, no socks.

I have been witnessing this subtle fashion trend since I lived in Europe, and now I see it is more prevalent than ever, with columnists in American rag GQ declaring it 'mandatory to wear socks to the office, but not after 6pm.' Plus, the Sartoralist features the look almost once a week, so it must be cool. This look has been around for years, originally being an affluent and prep style, worn by the American elite while sailing or at their country houses. However, it has spurned into modern mainstream style, and has potentially become the menswear look of the summer.

How to wear this look you ask? It can be worn with a dress short, but not a casual, baggy cargo short, or with dress pants, that are slim in the leg, or even with a slim, slightly cuffed jean. Shoes I would recommend to pair this look with include moccasins, dress shoes, canvas shoes, and loafers. This look can be worn to a casual dinner, to the movies, at the cottage, on vacation, or while enjoying the warm weather in general.

How not to wear the look would include to the gym, to the office (however, if the office is casual, feel free not to wear socks), with running shoes, with jogging pants, with baggy jeans, with anything athletic in general. Worried about what no socks will do to your shoes? Sprinkle a little powder in the shoe for comfort. Keep this look classic and it will never fail.

Still not sure how to wear the style? Check out the photos below for fashion inspirations. Thanks to Scott Pilgrim for the photos and his model Drew.

Fashion on Campus

Corey and I hit the pavement Monday once more to bring you a little fashion inspiration from the University of Waterloo. Sadly, this may be the last fashion post I do at UW as exams are beginning and I start at Western in September, but hopefully not. Enjoy the mix of casual, hipster, and glam!

I really liked this almost slip looking dressing
in the shocking hot pink, with the tiny bit of lace trim
at the bottom. Paired with gladiators sandals
in a sky high heel, it was almost too glam for
school, but nonetheless a great fashion statement.

This man has lived all over the world, New Zealand, Victoria,
and is a Waterloo alum. His converse sneakers paired with
his plaid shirt were just a little bit hipster, and
the distressed jean a little rock and roll.

Sadly, this young lady didn't speak much English, but
her clothes did all the talking for her. Denim blue heels
with a peep toe are a rarity, especially on campus.
Thanks to her friends who translated for us!

This outfit was a mix of everything and I just couldn't
place here in a fashion genre. Contrasting prints, a skirt
paired with boots, and her almost military jacket
gave this outfit a lot of originality.

Fashionable People at Hillside

Here are the promised photos of the fashionable men and women of Hillside! Note the eclectic mix of rock and roll and bohemian style featured, these aren't your parents' hippies.

Although the photo may not show it, she was in bare feet,
which seemed to be a style statement in itself. Something about the
earthy colours of her floral printed dress just makes this very 1970's for me.

These two men were so well dressed for the festival,
I wish I has asked where they were from.
Straight tapered jeans, long sleek dress shoes, and slicked
back hair that was a little John Travolta in Grease.
It just simply worked for me.

I loved that this 50's era dress just randomly showed up at
a heavily hippie dominated festival. From the curled
hair to the white shoe, 50's housewife was the siren call.

A Guide on How to Dress Your Boyfriend

When I worked at a unisex clothing boutique I often would get a lot of questions from women asking how to dress their boyfriend, or update his style. I think many of us have been in this situation, having a cute boyfriend who has no style. I'll admit myself that I've turned down men because of the way they dress, or tried to change it to no avail. Here's a step-by-step process to employ to turn your boyfriend into a style maven.

One. Buy him something you like. Anything at all, a belt, hat, jeans, shirt, anything! A gift is the best way to win a man over. He'll be so impressed by your good natured gift giving that he'll automatically be more open to anything else you suggest.

Two. Ask your friends, or even one of your friend's boyfriends, to compliment the new item you bought (although, often this comes without even asking). This cements the idea that what you bought suits him, and automatically makes him feel more confident. Now, he'll be putty in your hands.

Three. While flipping through magazines ask him which male celebs he thinks look cool, make a mental note of what they're wearing, and then next time you're out suggest similar clothes to him.

Four. After buying four of five articles of clothing, analyze the style you think you're man is developing and try to encourage it, whether it be prep, hipster, athletic, business casual, etc. If he has been into graphic tees, maybe suggest a nice blazer or vest for him to pair it with. Next time he's out, he'll remember your thoughts and possibly gravitate towards those items. Brand loyalty is also a sign to look out for. Is your man shopping a lot at the GAP? Try introducing him to Banana Republic and Club Monaco which are similar clothes but a little higher end. By keeping him in his comfort zone, he'll be more likely to wear the clothes you suggest to him.

Five. If all else fails, sit him down and play an episode of What Not to Wear. I promise, he will realize he is breaking rules and feel ashamed. Clinton and Stacy can really make a person feel guilty.

A very stylish friend of mine recently had a discussion with me about how to dress boyfriends and he pointed out this how-to style look book on GQ. It features Penn Badgley, one of the cast on the show Gossip Girl, and some other great photos, including how to get the look for less. It's a great gallery to share with your boyfriend, or even to get ideas on how to update your man's look. See the photo gallery here.

Just looking for some fresh new ideas on how to dress your boyfriend? Here's a couple:

Blazers, especially navy are coming back into style for fall.
Aviators and Ray Bans are hotter than ever.
Dress shoes worn with cuffed jeans and no socks are huge in Europe (and will hopefully be here soon too).
Watches, especially with a large face, can really add to your man's look. A watch is always a classic accessory.
Brands I love to see my boyfriend wear include Lacoste, Kenneth Cole, Buffalo by David Bilton, Banana Republic and Mexx. Other brands I recommend include Calvin Klein, Levi's, Club Monaco, and Fred Perry.

Hillside '09

For those of you who have never heard of Hillside in Guelph, you must go! It’s a wonderful event full of independent artists, craftsmen, and musical performers, all with an environmentally friendly twist. All food vendors served drinks and food in plastic cups and plates, which then were rewashed at several dishwashing stations and reused. Garbage was non-existent, for a large part so were shoes, but fashion had evolved into something much more organic and relaxed at this festival.

Flowing skirts, paisley and floral prints, braided hair and dreads were all very much alive, giving a throwback to the hippie 70’s fashion our parents once wore. I myself wore a tunic, tights and ballet flats, and was completely out of the style loop at this festival. Much more deconstructed pieces seemed to reign supreme here, even a few odd rock and roll homage’s were thrown in, like cuffed jeans, dress shoes worn with no socks, and motorcycle jackets.

The fashion seemed to me to be reminiscent of Woodstock, of Forest Gump (the scene at the Washington monument), and of John Travolta in the film Grease. The fashion invoked a feeling in me that was of days gone by, was anything but mundane. It left me feeling a little too pretentious in my outfit. For once, I didn’t quite fit in when it came to fashion and it was okay. I saw a lot of outfits and pieces I loved at the festival and really feel like I stepped out of my comfort zone of accepted fashion ideals. Outfits (and bare feet) that I would normally balk at I took time to reconsider. I think experiences like this are needed to create new ideas and fresh feelings in fashion and I’m grateful I was able to realize this. Photos from the event and a ‘Fashion at Hillside’ will be coming later today, so check back soon!

Locks of Lust

There seems to be a shift once again in the style of hair. Long hair is out and the shorter styles seem to be in. One cut in particular, a shoulder-grazing cut with a slightly longer styling at the front. This cut is so popular in fact that Vogue devoted an entire two pages to this style in the UK edition in May. Their columnist argues that the cut is a precise one, and that a mistake in the cut could altogether miss the look of the hairstyle. Regular trimmings are most necessary to keep it just above the shoulder length. Girls at my work in particular are queuing up to chop off the locks they’ve treasured and grown long for years to get this new short hair cut, and other variations of it. No less than three of our staff of nine has this new, hot haircut. What’’s the name of this haircut you ask? I like to call it the Katie Holmes (or is that Cruise?) cut. It’s just one style of many she’s spurned this summer, including the boyfriend jean.

However, I’m not one to encourage fads, and this haircut is doomed to be one. Instead, I’m here to tell you to embrace your long locks and make them stylish. By this time next year, you’re going to be hearing long hair is the new style, and you’ll regret cutting your hair. I myself have been growing my hair long for nearly two years, although I will admit I do need some style to my hair. One of my friends who was stuck in a style rut has updated her look, with an almost Zooey Deschanel inspired cut, complete with bangs. The great thing about the cut? It looks great up or down, it’s functional for the gym, plus she got to keep her long locks. Enjoy the photo of Michelle M.'s haircut!

The Boyfriend Style

Wondering what the boyfriend style is? It's been around since Yves Saint Laurent debuted Le Smoking Suit, arguably the most famous classic tuxedo suit for women in 1966 and has come into mainstream fashion in waves since the 60's. It occured most prominently in the late 80's with the advent of shoulders pads in over sized men's suits. In past years however, it has come into style in the form of a jean, known simply as the 'boyfriend jean'. A baggier, slouchier cut than we've seen in recent years, it is meant to be rolled so it has a small cuff. This jean has mutated into one of the wardrobe staples of the season, and is being retailed at stores as different as Aritzia and as mainstream as American Eagle.

The GAP, one of the most stylistically mundane stores to grace malls across the Americas, has based their new collection entirely around the boyfriend style. Aptly named, the Boyfriend Collection, the new line features clothes inspired by your boyfriend including the boyfriend sweater, boyfriend jeans, the textured boyfriend shirt, and schoolboy blazers. The look really harks back to style basics; structured jackets, v-neck t-shirts, crisp white blouses, and long v-neck knits. However, the creativity factor is really zero. How does something become boyfriend style? Well if it's slightly over sized, comfortable, neutral and looks like something you'd wear from your boyfriend's closet you have perfected the look. Not to say I don't like this modern boyfriend style, but I prefer the old fashioned clean lines and stark silhouette of an YSL pant suit, rather than jeans that make me look a little fat but are comfortable.

My suggestions on how to make the boyfriend style work would be stick to flattering styles, avoid the boyfriend jean unless it is a dark wash, and when wearing the slightly over sized sweater, blazers, or t-shirts keep your bottom streamlined in either cigarette/straight leg jeans (or slacks) or a pair of shorts. Personally, I like to wear a men's style shirt tucked into shorts with a brown belt and leather sandals, or a over sized v-neck sweater with a pair of straight legged jeans and moccasins. Add wayfarers or a fedora for instant style. Found another way to wear the boyfriend style? Post a comment or photo!

Who is Jason Wu?

Maybe you know him, maybe you don't, the fact of the matter is, you should. Jason Wu is the designer that many now know as Michelle Obama's Inaugural dress creator. Remember that white chiffon, one-shoulder gown covered in fluffy appliques and beading? That was a Jason Wu. Jason Wu has been well known in the fashion community for some years now, since early 2006, but it was Michelle Obama's choice of his gown that has really destined him for fame. The young 26 year old American designer is indicative of the First Lady's style; fresh, bold and American.

Jason Wu showed his first collection in 2006, prior he studied in Paris and in New York, at the Parons School of Design. Wu claims he began to sew at the very early age of 9, and decided to be a fashion designer while in senior year in Paris. His current Spring/Summer '09 collection is meant to emphasize the natural shape of a woman, the hourglass. He does this by using soft, sensual fabrics and fresh colours, giving the wearers a youthful and relaxed look. Wu not only designs clothes, but high end collectible dolls, making a dent in the toy industry as well.

Want a piece of Wu for yourself? His designs retail at Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Holt Renfrew, and Bergdorf Goodman.