French Twist

     Holy cannoli, it's Friday already!?  No complaints here...I love the weekend.  And it's Fashion Friday again!  What's on the Agenda today???  This lovely little Chanel number worn by Diane Kruger.  I saw this in my daily Instyle, "Look of the Day" email.  I've always been a fan of her style (and Chanel; double fabulous).   So, I thought I'd talk about it a little.  It's a sweet dress with it's flat collar, 3/4 sleeves and girlish look.  The gingham pattern is in as well as the whole black and white ( as discussed in last Fridays entry).  The small cross body purse is perfect (also a new accessory trend).  I wouldn't have had anything else.  And the beret! So French and fabulous.   She even brings a little spice to the outfit with those thigh high Brian Atwood boots.   It's a French twist: sweet and sexy.  Parfait!  What's your opinion??

                                                  Have yourselves a wonderful weekend! 

ps don't forget all the balance in the outfit....beret...to purse...to boots....with the combined black and white of the dress....nice and easy on the eyes. I love me some good balance ;)

Photo via Instyle.com
Diane Kruger.  Chanel. 

Fashion Friday- Black and White

Happy Friday!   Although this week seems to have gone by rather quickly, Friday seems to have taken a while to get here.  But here it is, Fashion Friday!  Last Friday I talked about spring colours.  Well, this time we're still in the colour realm.  Black and white.  Now, I know what you're thinking...boring.  However, this seasons black and white is not all just "black and white".  There's some fun stuff going on like stripes and checkers. It's gone graphic!   

Photo via www.harpersbazaar.com
Narcisso Rodriguez. Proenza Schouler. Givenchy.

Photo via www.glamour.com
Alexander Wang.Jason Wu. Mark Jacobs.

     Those are some crazy gladiator sandals.  If I wore them they would go up to my thigh....I think I'm too short for those ones!!  Don't get me wrong, they're pretty awesome.  I saw Anne Hathaway wearing some and she looked fab!

     And who said you can't mix patterns?? There's a lot going on the Mark Jacobs runway.   

Jason Wu, always been a fan.  Look how lovely and lady like that outfit is!  The lines are all in the right places.  This kind of colour blocking has a great slimming effect. 

Photo via www.marieclaire.com
Mark Jacobs

Photo via www.marieclaire.com
Jonthan Saunders

Business stripes!  I think I would wear that to the office.  I however, would add some colourful shoes...maybe a bright red!   The Diagonal stripes are nice...another slimming affect.  It draws your eye towards the centre.   Actually, if I look at it too long it hurts my eyes lol.

Photo via www.harpersbazaar.com
Stella McCartney

I've always liked Stella McCartney.  This dress is very simple, sheer and flowy (did I make up that word??)  and I love it.

photo via www.instyle.com
Jessica Alba. Louis Vuitton.

Is there a car race??? I bet they'd love to have her as their checkered flag.  I love this dress.  It  definitely stands out.  It's got that Mod look. So fun!

Photo via www.instyle.com
Emmy Rossum.  Andrew GN

Photo via www.instyle.com
Jessica Chastain.  Dolce and Gabbana

Jessica Chastain always looks flawless.  This is a basic black and white but basic is a safe bet.  If you haven't noticed, I'm all about balance and her outfit is just that. Try to imagine it without the belt...doesn't look the same! Even the shape of her blazer works.  I like it.  Emmy Rossum's dress is so sweet.  It's got great balance (of course), drawing the eye down the dress with it's leaf like pattern.  Very ladylike.
So, now that I talked about colour last week and black and white this week....don't be afraid to mix it up.  To me, black and white means go wild with the accessories.  So, have fun!

          Hope you all have a great weekend that's not just plain old black and white :)

Golden Globes

Last night was the 70th Annual Golden Globes and my favourite part of the Golden Globes or any awards ceremony involving fabulous people, is the red carpet...why???  Dresses!!! But let's not forget the men.  There were some good lookin' fellas rockin' some stylin' suits.   One thing I noticed, a lot of black; black and white, black and gold, plain black...etc. The biggest colour on the Red Carpet was, well, Red!  There were also some nudes, whites and blues.   I have to say, I'm surprised to have not seen more Emerald or Spring shades according to Pantone's colour guide.  Usually the Red Carpet gives us an idea of what colours are hot for the season but I guess just because Pantone says it, it doesn't mean we must follow!

Here are some of my favourite looks. 

Nicole Kidman.  Alexander McQueen.  Loving the corset detail and sheer mid section.  She always looks beautiful. 

Jennifer Lawrence.  Dior Haute Couture.  I love love the  silhouette of this dress on her.  Sure the boob area is a little origami looking but she pulls it off.  The belt cinches the waist every so slightly and adds balance, showing off her curves. 

Anne Hathaway.  Chanel.  She's a classy lady and this column gown has class written all over it.  Gorgeous. And I've got to say, she can really pull off short hair! Love!

Kate Hudson.  Alexander McQueen. I think it may have been my favourite.  When she walked out, I gasped... In love with the gold detail around the top of the plummeting neckline and the belt.    This dress is sexy and sophisticated all in one. 

Naomi Watts.  Zac Posen.  Absolutely love the colour and cut of this dress.   She looks like a hollywood starlet from the 40's or 50's.   That man knows how to dress a woman!

Jessica Chastain.  Calvin Klein.  This colour looks like spring and goes so well with her skin tone and red locks.   It's very sweet, even though it's got that plummeting halter neckline!

Jennifer Lopez.  Zuhair Murad.   I'm a big fan of lace so obviously I was attracted to this dress.  I like that it's not really showing any skin but it's completely nude so it appears to be.   Her side swept hair and accessories are a perfect match to her sultry look.  Va va voom!

Kristen Wiig.  Michael Kors.  It's simple, black but has an eye catching cutout that makes me love it!

Kristen Bell.  Jenny Packham.  Who says just because you're pregnant you can't look fabulous?   Just love the jewel encrusted top of this dress and how it flows over her baby bump.  

Michelle Dockery. Alexander Vauthier.    The gold detail on the bodice just catches my eye.  Maybe it's everything together; her gold jewelry , clutch and emerald ring.  Something about this dress.....

Isla Fisher.  Reem Acra.  It's just so sparkly!  Her retro waves are perfect and her clutch is a great little colour accent.  She looks elegant from head to toe.  

Lucy Liu.  Carolina Herrera. Pulling off floral can be tricky.  Pulling it off in a ball gown...even trickier.  She  totally did it right.  She looks so sweet with her fishtail braid and natural makeup.  And are those pockets?! I'm a big fan of pockets in dresses:)

                                                      All images of dresses from www.instyle.com

Fashion Friday

It's Friday!  I've decided to start something I'd like to call,  "Fashion Friday"!  Yay!  I am going to try to do this every Friday and talk about upcoming trends or some kind of fun fashion thing....which I already do most of the time lol.
Now, I know it's cold outside but believe it or not, Spring is just around the corner.  So, it's time to start preparing.   First on the agenda is colour.   According to Pantone the colour for Spring this year is Monaco Blue.   I think it's a lovely blue.   Not too dark, not too light and it's so pretty with a little richness.   I've  seen it  paired with lime green, chartreuse and gold.  Surprisingly, they go well together!  It would look great with many other colours as well, depending on how adventurous you want to be (I'm thinking pink, yellow, purples, orange, red.....pretty much every colour lol).  Although Monaco Blue might be THE colour for spring, there are other fun colours as well.  Many of them would look great together. So, have fun! (see below for other colours)

Photo via www.guestofaguest.com
Spring 2013 runway: Jason Wu, Rebecca Taylor, Derek Lam
Go to this website to check out the other pantone colors on the runway!

photo via www.pantone.com
The colours for Spring

Now, the colour of the year...which means wear it from January to December and who knows, maybe into the next year...is Emerald.  This gorgeous green has slowly been making it's way into the spotlight.    Although it may not be for everyone, I believe it can look good on anyone.   According to Pantone,   "Emerald, a vivid, verdant green, enhances our sense of well-being further by inspiring insight, as well as promoting balance and harmony."  

photo via www.pantone.com
When it's on the red carpet it can only mean one thing...It's in.

photo via www.guestofaguest.com
Spring 2013 runway: Tadashi Shoji, Lela Rose, Zac Posen

photo via www.pantone.com

Hope you enjoyed a little lesson on colour trends for this spring/year.  I know I'm excited to start my spring wardrobe.  It's feeling warmer already!!  Have a great weekend everyone:)

Add some colour

Bonjour!

How was everyones weekend?   Mine seemed to have gone by too fast, as usual.   Although it was a short week, I was totally ready for the weekend.  It's always difficult to get back into the groove of things after a week off.  Especially when you start to focus on other things (Fashion show time!).
Tonight I finally got the creative bug and usually when that happens I can keep going all night and then in the morning it's the first thing on my mind.  However, tomorrow is Monday.  So, rather than get up and work on my designs, I will go to work, think about my designs all day, come home and either be too tired  or get a burst of energy and motivation to do some work.   I hope for the latter.  These next four months are my most busiest with the fashion shows.  Someone once asked why I do it because I get stressed out....I replied, I love it.  I don't get stressed I get passionate...that's what I think:)
So, I finally got back to the gym this weekend.  It's been about 3.5 weeks (puts head down in shame).  I was so busy making Christmas gifts and a dress for my aunt, my fitness seems to have taken a back seat.  One of my resolutions is to try my best to balance fitness with my fashion projects.  Anyways, what I noticed was all the bright sneakers!  Oh I loved them.  Jeanne Becker was on the Marilyn Denis show the other day and said colour can help brighten a mood and I absolutely agree.  I want a pair of bright sneakers!!!   I'm not sure if everyone is like this but I love getting new gym gear because I get excited to work out and wear them.  So, really, it's a good way to get motivated.  I will have to let my Hubby know that next time I decide to buy myself some new Lulu Lemon loot:)
Have a great week and remember, add a little colour to your outfit, it just might make your day:)

Photo via the Marilyn Denis show www.marilyn.ca
These are the sneakers on the Marilyn Denis show.  They were all so fun.

Photo via www.asicsamerica.com
These ones are a little while but I like them!!  If you can't decide what color just have a little of every one!

Happy New Year!

photo via www.happynewyearsmswishes.com

Happy New Year to all!  I hope you all had a wonderful New Year's eve and that this new year is full of happiness, health, exciting possibilities and dreams coming true!  Every year I (as do most, I'm sure) make a New Year's resolution list.  The usual ones are working out more, eating right...etc.  I've got the working out down I would say...the eating, I don't eat that bad.  The thing I do want to work on is actually cooking!  Next on my list, staying true to myself and my goals.  I hope to have more custom work this year and get my designs out there(It's kind of scary and exciting at the same time).  Over the holidays I made my aunt a dress for a wedding (my first client! Yay!).  She has a difficult time finding the perfect fit and came to me.  It turned out better then I could hope.  She looked so good!    Seeing her excitement and knowing I helped her look fab was an amazing feeling.
  On the last day of 2012 I watched the McQueen spring/summer show online.  Wow, I love that design house.  The crazy thing is a few of the designs were similar to ones I designed for this years show!  I thought that was pretty neat:)
 It's back to work tomorrow for me.  I know I know, don't complain, I got a week off...it's still so hard to go back after sleeping in and sewing most of the time!  To those of you also heading back to work, have a great week!!!

Here is a taste of the McQueen line.  Loving so much about this collection...the fabric, the patterns, the colours used...belts, hats etc.  Everything just flows and goes so well together.  Truly enjoyed the silhouettes and amazing craftsmanship. Start the year off with a little fashion!! Yesss!

All photo's from www.alexandermcqueen.com

Here is a Link to the McQueen website to see more.  I recommend watching the video and how awesome the garments are :)