STILL MONKI-ING AROUND

Lerima viscose t-shirts; black Peter Pan collar Silvia tee; long sleeve purple Paloma; lambswool Piccolina; sporty Sally sweater

One of my favourite brands from Sweden, Monki, now offers online shopping. I am most excited about The Karolina jacket below. Simplistic with cheap prices and international flare, Monki is not a brand to be missed.



Everything is so cute from each piece down to their whole look and styling! Check out my open love letter to Monki from last summer. My only itty-bitty recommendation for Monki designers? Less polyester, more natural fabrics.

TOP SHOP LAUNCHES IN TORONTO!

Today I was invited to the TopShop Yorkdale media opening on behalf of She Does the City before the grand store opening, which is tomorrow (October 5, 2011). After meeting Kate Phelan, creative director of TopShop and ex-fashion director of British Vogue, I was privileged to shop the collection and really get a feel for the place.

See the full story here.






It turns out TopShop Canada is equally as rad as it is elsewhere in the world. Here is a glimpse of what is going on at TopShop in Toronto. Canadians, be very, very stoked. Prices will be 10% cheaper than in the States, and students receive 10% with valid I.D. We will not be passed by when it comes to excellent designer collabs and higher end collections like Unique and Boutique.




Kate Phelan and I. She is wondering what I bought (and so are you)
Kate Phelan was a very inspirational and supportive woman to speak to. She wants to encourage people to follow their path, so when we spoke I really felt a personal connection to her. Being a creative director is a dream for me, and even just to sit down and speak with her for 15 minutes was great.










Kate's favourite piece, #1


Kate's favourite piece, #2




TopMan




Straight from the runway, very exciting


I picked up this sweater which reminds me of Scotland meets Rag&Bone, along with a classic black pleated dress

BEST OF LONDON FASHION WEEK

Trying to figure out the best collection at London Fashion Week is like trying to choose between your favourite children. It’s just not gonna happen. London has continuously shocked and surprised me in the last two years with its bold style which seems accidental and scruffy (a good thing). I think this is what is so appealing about the London shows; the designers are diverse, the shows feel young, and the vibe is very street. London just seems a little more earthy and more casual with injections of grunge, yet everybody is delightfully decked out.


Acne, spring 2012. The collection took my heart away to Sweden, and made me consider wearing white, something that is just really, really rare.
Meanwhile, Jaeger London and Roksanda Ilincic stole my heart this season simply based on colour and cut. In Roksanda's collection, we are particularly seeing a fusion of modern cocktail and sportswear, and a new breed of "sophisticated slouch". With Jaeger London, detail and geometry were everything, and the designs were more timeless than anything else.


Roksanda Ilincic, spring 2012


Jaeger London, spring 2012
Mulberry killed it last fall (2011) with their bird prints and purple fabrics. I instantly became a fan. Mulberry’s spring 2012 collection is more calm, cool and collected. Oddly, it seemed prepared for a rainy day in England. How does tulle fare in the rain? Those pastel satchels better be waterproof.


London, you're making my heart pump these days. With or without McQueen.

BEST OF NEW YORK FASHION WEEK: VPL

Though we are in the midst of Paris Fashion Week with New York, London and Milan behind us, it's important to look back at the best designs in retrospect from all shows thus far. VPL's spring 2012 collection was probably my #1 favourite moment from New York Fashion Week with its sophisticated grey tones mixed with youthful oranges and turquoises. Victoria Bartlett designed with sensuality, mixing exaggerated shapes and structure with interesting textures and drape, overall illustrating woman as powerful. Futuristic yet down-to-earth and ready-to-wear, VPL's panty lines were as visible - and sporty - as ever.

Y-3 x 2 = 6 LOOKS

One of my favourite collections from New York Fashion Week this year was Yohji Yamamoto's Y-3. Judging by the success of his Adidas collections, I sense sportswear making a chic comeback, staying in our closets for good. Yes, even past the point of the London Olympics. Yamamoto's avant-garde design hallmarks stayed consistent while checks and tartans made a brief introduction. Japanese street style meets English punk. Only in New York, of course.

NYFW SPRINGTIME FAVES: SIX LOOKS

Six structured minimalist looks I can handle from New York Fashion Week's Spring 2012 collections.





From left to right: Band of Outsiders, Cynthia Steffe, Jil Sander Navy, Derek Lam, Sachin and Babis x 2.

File under: shirt dresses, Scotland, squares, navy & white, masculine, contrasting dresses.

POLK ME

These Adidas Originals hoodies remind me of the Comme Des Garcons H&M guest designer line of 2008 (uh, it was really that long ago? I must have turned twelve years old that day). The CDG collection actually changed the way I think about fashion and the way I look at design. What appears to be unconventional and ripped up requires an immense skill in sewing and pattern drafting.

Polka dot anything, especially thick poly-blend hoodies, are sure to cheer up my 100% wool drop-crotch pants. Viva Japan and Adidas.

Rei Kawakubo of Comme Des Garcons is indeed the love of my fashion life. She's a Libra, btw, so we're compatible.

I'll be able to pull it off for you, Rei and Adidas.

MY BIGGEST REGRET OF THE SUMMER...

is not buying this dress.

Stine Goya Anthias dress (see more silk dresses)
Next time, Stine Goya, next time. I'm looking for you on Ebay.

ACNE OR DEATH: DRESSES $200 & UNDER

Realization of the day: The most I want to spend on a casual dress is $200, and I would like to avoid polyester. The dress would be special, not an item you wear every day, and something you cherish for decades.

$200. Not always, just once in a while. This is coming from someone who is usually broke, and whose mother is a seamstress. This is also coming from someone who goes to Fabric Land to touch natural fabrics and says, "Yes, I WILL learn how to cut patterns better! Yes, I WILL avoid polyester for life! Fuck paying for clothes! I just need a personal tutor..."

I start to online window shop when I receive a 40% off email from Swedish designers and master drapers Acne. In reality, I don't think I have ever purchased a dress for $200 except as a bridesmaid this summer. Clad in clementine, the dress was perfect was it not polyester and satin. I would wear it out in a heartbeat, and I managed to keep it wine-stain-free. But you know, in case I ever get a real job with a real salary, I would consider these Acne dresses. Only two of them contain polyester, but the styles are irresistible. Clad me in tencel, silk, modal, and wool! See also: rayon, linen, cotton, cashmere...

I am 5'0", by the way, unlike most sultry Swedes who model Acne clothing. Will my body find chemistry in the clothes? My credit card can only tell.


$162, 100% tencel; $174, 100% polyester


$90, 100% tencel; $102, 100% tencel


$190, 100% silk; $174, 100% polyester

Click on images for a direct link to the Acne Outlet, if you dare.

WHEN ERIN MET TOMMY AND ANNA

This article was originally written on April 23, 2011, when Anna Dello Russo and Tommy Ton visited Toronto for Ton's photography exhibition as part of Contact at The Bay's The Room.

Anna Dello Russo defies the rules of fashion. Not only does she archive her most vivacious Givenchy dresses in a separate apartment, she'll wear them with oversized fruit hats, feathered blazers, and sparkly 6 inch shoes. She is 43 years old, gutsy, and above all, genuinely crazed about fashion.

When I found out I was interviewing Editor-at-Large of Japan Vogue Anna Dello Russo and fashion photographer Tommy Ton at The Bay, I couldn't believe that I would meet such influential figures in fashion. The context: ten fashion bloggers would arrive at The Room @ The Bay for an intimate Q&A with the artist and muse.



Upon further research, I started to think: what have I gotten myself into? Anna Dello Russo and I basically have nothing in common. She collects fashion. She dresses up in eccentric clothing at 10am in the morning, mixing Pucci, McQueen and Balmain with lux boas and golden accessories.

I remembered seeing her photoshoot in the November 2010 issue of W Magazine. You know, the one with Kim Kardashian nude on the cover. I thought it was vile, but isn't everything shot by Juergen Teller? Longtime fan Faye Alipour has been obsessed with her, admiring her attitude above all.



"I love that she's fun," Faye says. "Fashion tends to be inaccessible when you take into consideration the hard industry faces and celebrities typically in front row." Despite her Vogue lineage, "[Anna] actually has a palpable passion for the art of fashion".

When I finally got to The Bay and sat in on a private interview of Tommy and Anna, I realized this was going to be easy. As long as I made it back to work on time.

Anna was late, pushing me back by 25 minutes. She changed outfits and tweeted between interviews. Her most eccentric outfit, she says, is the masquerade ball mask photographed by Tommy Ton. She never shops online (Tommy does). Despite her thousands of pieces of clothing and jewelry and shoes, she still feels that there is something missing from her collection: everything from next season.



I met the other fashion bloggers for an intimate Q&A session with barely any time left on my lunch. I asked for a quick autograph of my October 2009 Vogue Nippon magazine, marking the only time I have been in a Japanese airport. "Ah, this is old!" she said when I passed it to her. She was very chatty, reminiscing about the dress and the cover photoshoot. She signed, "I will put again this dress. Love, Anna". When I arrived home at the end of the day, the signature had faded in my backpack.

Basically, I had one question to ask in my limited amount of time. Where would Tommy take Anna out in Toronto? Anna responded, "We have only been to The Bay!". Tommy replied tactfully, "[We'd go] to the specialty novelty toy store at Church and Queen".

When I asked her if she was going to buy anything from The Room, the designer-heavy third floor of The Bay, she stared at me wide-eyed, dumbfounded, and adorable.

"Buy?" she asked, confused about the meaning of the word.

"Will you purchase anything at The Bay?", I rephrased.

"Ah! No shopping!", she declared.

Anna and I had a few good laughs. I fell in love with her approachable personality more than anticipated. It turns out we did have some sort of chemistry; she lights up the room with her style, smile and thick Italian accent. Anna Dello Russo is always learning, curious, but knows what she wants.

"Sometimes I look like a Christmas tree...that is okay".