travel must-haves

Slowly, and I mean very slowly, have I been assembling my wardrobe as to what to pack for my long awaited trek to Vancouver. One problem: I'm an over packer - I need options. On my general overnight business trips, I usually pack at least two pairs of shoes, and I still leave room for possible shopping. So how do you pack a month-long wardrobe? With a good foundation of basics.


Take some basic pieces that can be transformed into a variety of outfits. In your top left corner are some Ralph Lauren wooden bottoms I picked up at TownShoes. (Believe it or not, my girl Alexis grabbed them in black and I had to have the brown!). Wooden bottoms are a huge trend for spring, and perfect with a few other pieces on our list. To the right, a multi-purpose, basic Talula Babaton silk blouse from Aritzia, followed by a reliable pair of leather leggings, and dressy earrings.

Directly below the earrings is the Talula Babaton wrinkled trench coat from Aritzia - a great piece for spring. Water resistant! Practical and fashionable, no? Top left of that, a rose gold Michael Kors watch, with the colour a huge statement for spring. To the left of that, flared Hutton jeans by Citizens of Humanity (remind me to get mine hemmed before departure!) and these would go great with the Ralph Laurens, and then a chunky BCBG Max Azria sweater. Throw in a reliable pair of Browns Coutour flats and you have the perfect basics for travel.

Mix and match these items, and change it up for the duration of your trip. The trench, Citizens and Ralph Lauren heels can be your casual day, then swap to the trench, silk top, leather leggings for a dinner or, in my case, work outfit. The BCBG Max Azria sweater with a pair of leggings is a signature airplane outfit, but throw the silk top underneath, with a pair of leather shorts and nylons and you have a totally different look. Try it out, lovelies, and let me know your success stories!

new gift for me, new gift for you

You're mine - BBM happy dance.

Now, some gifts for you. Creative mind behind Elle magazine, Joe Zee, had the premiere of his reality show All On the Line this past Tuesday on the Sundance Channel. It's like project runway x10 as the contestants put both their design and business skills to the test. As quoted in the article, Zee says "Every designer fancies themselves an artist, but that's not a business. Marc Jacobs has made a brilliant career marrying art and commerce." Read more on his reality show here.

And before we part, we can all rest a little easy knowing about this growing green initiative in the fashion industry. Runway to Green has secured 29 top-tier designers to help fund environmental education and awareness programs to help with eco-friendly fashion. Read more about this exciting initiative here.

street chic: john visarra

There's something I love about androgynous style - and I don't mean pixie cuts for girls or skinny jeans for guys. I mean androgynous style in the sense that your pieces can reflect well on a male or female, or that select pieces tailored for a female or styles for a male can work in either wardrobe, so long as you do it right. Here's the perfect example.

Meet my good friend John, or Jawn, Visarra. Bon chic, indeed! Jawn has a great sense of style, incorporating long lasting basics with unique, character pieces. I stole him away from a busy work day to snap a photo of his outfit. Taking a book out of Vogue's pages, Jawn plays with pattern on pattern, layering a cardi (Club Monaco) and dress shirt. Throw on a reliable tie and scarf and your office-chic. Jawn takes it one step further, however, and throws on his signature paper boy hat and tailored military jacket (TNA for Aritzia). Top it off with brown leather boots and a got-to-have vegan leather tote by Matt and Nat and you're set. Take these same rules and basics and this same outfit can be donned by a female, but maybe not as well as Jawn ;p Take care, lovelies!

blake vs. feist

versus

"who are these people in the front row?"

Today marks the first day of Toronto's LG Fashion Week Beauty by L’Oréal Paris, and to the lonely hearts (such as myself) who cannot be there, how else will we get our play-by-play of what is happening!? Well, through the trusty words of bloggers, of course! "Who are these people in the front row?" reenacted one of my favorite bloggers, Bryan Boy, after attending a star-studded fashion show overseas. The person who uttered that question was obviously unaware of the demand and following today's bloggers have.

L-R: Bryan Boy, Off Duty, The Sartorialist, Sincerely Jules, FrouFrouu
I do not claim ownership to any of these photos.

Blogs have hit an all-time high, especially in the fashion industry. Not only are fashion powerhouses and retail moguls creating their own blogs for the public, but they invite some of the most recognized and followed blogs to cover their fashion shows. It is the perfect link from the source to their audience, and who would be a better messenger than the reliable bloggers themselves?

Here are a few of my favorite blogs. Bryan Boy grew up in Manila, Philippines and has exploded into a blog icon. He has his own Marc Jacobs bag named after him, and world-recognized terminology including phrases like "cray cray" and "totes amaze." Bryan Boy is my blog-idol.

Off Duty is a blog by model turned blogger, Natalie Suarez. The Sartorialist was named one of the top 100 Design Influencers by Time Magazine. Eclectic and eccentric Julie Sarinana rocks both vintage and glam in her blog, Sincerely Jules. And Nadia Sarwar shares tales behind the sewing machine and her own experiences as a designer in her blog, FrouFrouu. Enjoy them as much as I do, lovelies!

take your coat off

Take your coat off, and stay a while! I've adopted this phrase as the new "tagline" of my blog for the next little while, and although it may seem lack-luster at first, I assure you that it will make sense in time. Today, I just wanted to provide a basic introduction, and hopefully we can be blog-friends.

If you know me, you know I work in retail. Although it has its days, I absolutely love it. In an effort to bring fashion to the forefront, and express my love of fashion in a more creative outlet, I have created this blog. It's my new form of retail therapy. Stories on the retail frontlines, street chic snapshots and other fashion findings - this blog will have it all.

This is my close friend, and manager, Lav. I'll give you a heads up now, you will probably see her face quite frequently on this blog, as well as a few of my other loves. Introductions to come! So I hope you stay a while, and take a read. Till next time, lovelies.