Skank Free Stampede

Image: istockphoto

See everyone tonight!

Summer Job

Image: www.audreytalbott.com

I find it so difficult to dress for work in the summer. The stores seem full of baby-doll dresses, and WHITE suits. Rarely does anything seem appropriate or adult. This spring/summer season is much better than usual. Cardigans, little jackets and skirts of respectable lengths are up for grabs.

Shirts increase in visibility in the summertime because you can actually take your sweater or jacket off (no more hiding that ANCIENT tank top behind a buttoned-up blazer). I like to have a selection of classic shirts to choose from when I get dressed in the morning. Great quality shirts helps make everything look and feel better. They can be worn casually with a pair of jeans, or all-business with a pantsuit.

I am a HUGE fan of the Audrey Talbott shirt. Pretty much the best shirt ever. My clients can't get enough of them. Beautiful fabrics, exceptional detail and they wear like iron. What more could you ask for?

The Cheat

Images: The Sartorialist

I admit it. I'm a cheater.

Periodic strokes of fashion genius do occur. When they don't, I look to other people, web-sites and magazines for wearable inspiration. Sometimes I just can't figure out how to wear "X". That's when I cheat.

Net-A-Porter is where I frequently cheat. I enter a search term I'm looking for (example "capri pant") then look at the photos of how NAP styles them. Easy!

Another beautiful place to cheat is The Sartorialist. Impossibly stylish people from all over the world - showing us how it's done.

Go for inspiration.
Go for eye candy.
Go to be humbled.
Just go.

Shop Off Season

Sundance Newcastle Mittens - $9.99!

Sundance Martine Wrap Sweater - $64.99!

I've harped on this one many times. It's also one of the first things I tell my clients.

Buy clothing and shoes off-season.

Shop for a winter coat now. Winter sweaters are crazy cheap in the summertime. Stock up on mittens and scarves at your favorite online store.

One of my fave retailers for service, delivery time and quality is still Sundance. You have to sort through some logo T's and other crap, but it's worth it.

Granny Glam II

Images: www.style.com

So glad the Granny Glam trend is sticking with us. I give you small print fabrics, cardigans and skinny belts, trotted out at the Burberry Prorsum, Resort 2009 show.

I do love this look. A lot. Those of us exceeding 20 years of age and 115 pounds will need to modify. But the tailored pants and the long cardigans and/or jackets are great for every age and body type.

Don't Hate Me 'Cuz I'm Frivolous

Image: www.mossonline.com

When I see items like this necklace, today's "Daily New" at Moss, I feel oh-so-shallow.

This is a gorgeous piece of glass. OK, it's not glass - it's amethyst and red coral. Frivolous nonetheless. And fabulous.

This trinket, designed by Erich Zimmermann, can be yours for $8,900.

For The Love of Vintage

Don't get me wrong, I'm all over finding that perfect, NEW "blank". Otherwise, I wouldn't be in this business. But, I also love shopping consignment. Good consignment.

Totally scored this week and picked up a Nicole Miller, bias-cut skirt, an Isaac Mizrahi Dress and another '50's style sleeveless, black, wool dress. Each piece was immaculate and under $20.

Consignment shops are brilliant for the obvious cost-savings over full retail. Even better is that you'll be wearing something unique.

Vespucci in Calgary (new location is at Elbow and Heritage Drive SW) is a fantastic consignment store - you'll find tons of high-end labels there. Or try Fair In The Square in West Vancouver.

Southern Style

I've had the distinct pleasure of spending the past week in North Carolina. I've found some fabulous items for my clients in Calgary and Vancouver. But more importantly, I've picked up a few fashion tips from my Southern Sisters.

1) Do not be afraid of color. Or white.

As you can see in the photos above, I stuck out like an "Adam's Family" sore thumb in my black and tan ensemble. It's summer - think white, think bright green, think anything but black.

2) Rock a big smile. It's the coolest and most beautiful thing you can wear.

3) Pin-thin means you're not eating your shrimp 'n grits.

Women of all sizes ARE womanly and stylish.

4) The sun-dress is your friend.

This is a new one for me, being a life-long-lover of the pant. Skirts (when you live in Canada) mean hosiery and chill. Here they mean "one-easy-piece" and the wind up your skirt. Am all over that.

Shoe Slave: Heels 101

Susan Brink wrote an enlightening piece on how to keep your feet healthy in high heels. I cannot speak from a medical perspective, but I can offer these heel hints:

1. Save your pennies and buy the best quality you can - they WILL be more comfortable.
2. Wear your heels at home for practice. I recently purchased a higher-than-normal pair (pictured above) that I teetered around for an entire afternoon (while doing housework). Now I can run in them.
3. Please keep your feet clean. A sexy shoe is not going to make a gnarly foot look better.
4. If you're a rookie, pack a pair of flats in your purse. Have you seen girls walking barefoot down the sidewalk? Tragic.
5. Wear them to bed (alone). It's pretty sweet to wake up and admire your beautiful shoes. It's almost better than coffee.

Linda Lundstrom Bridal

Images: www.lindalundstrom.com

The expression "If you can't change your mind, how do you know you still have one?" is near and dear to my heart. Which is why I was absolutely THRILLED when a friend called to say she had purchased TWO wedding dresses. Loved it. That is totally something I would do.

Now I have the pleasure of finding a home for the first dress. Of course, the Linda Lundstrom, raw-silk, bridal gown is pristine and never worn. It could also be dyed which would be absolutely amazing - I'm thinking bright yellow. However, it's pretty spectacular in white.

This dress is covered in beautiful, silk rosettes which are hugely popular for this year's wedding season. If you're interested in viewing the dress, drop me a line.

Tufi Duek Can Be Yours

I was lucky enough to grab this dress (featured at Bluefly) in royal blue. That's right, I have one of them. And it's gorgeous. I have absolutely NO idea how this dress is made - the fabric is actually a tube with no seams. Stunning. Size 12.

You can also wear it with the halter neck at the front - two looks in one!

Ginch Gab: Old Lady Panties

A guest post by Jhyl Loughlin.

So... THE Tom Jones comes on stage.

My first thought is "sick" -- he's old and gross. (To be fair, he's 67).
I wonder aloud if or HOW anyone could actually be attracted to him. He's got his goatee and eyebrows emphasized with dark, black stage make up.
He's so tanned he looks like an orange puppet.

He starts singing and comes off and frail, his voice seems weak. I spend a bit more time watching Tony, one of the sexy back up singers (because seriously, oh my god he was hot). I try to imagine how sexy Tom might have been in his prime and think hey, too bad about all the plastic surgery, make-up and spray tan.

But then something expected but hilarious happens.

Tom starts belting out "She's a Lady" and his brass section has these over-the-top choreographed moves with horns going up over their heads and down. It's great, the 90% female audience is loosing their mind. No sooner has the song begun and a lady in her 40's comes ba-dunk-a-dunkin' down the isle with a thong spinning on her finger. She goes up to Tom and throws them on the stage. This starts a whooooooole exodus of panties and one after another 40-60-something women saunter up to the stage to fling their saucy little numbers at the big Tom.

And then I discovered the predictions were true -- the power of Mr. Jones's vocal chords IS in direct correlation with the number of panties on stage. All of a sudden, he starts thrusting, groin-rubbing and singing with ferocity "You Can Leave Your Hat On". He was... um... (I wasn't going to, but that's the word...) GLORIOUS.

All of a sudden,
the crowd goes *really* wild.

I look to my left to see what the big deal is and there is a women, probably in her 70s, WITH A FREAKING OXYGEN TANK moving her way up to the stage. I mean full out - like a tube across her face in her nose and she's carrying a tank of oxygen. Honestly, she might even be 80.

Nope, it's not a bathroom break. This feisty lady is getting in on the action.

She moves, very slowly & deliberately, up to the stage and throws her red, lacy panties (BIG red, lacy panties) on the stage and blows some kisses to Tom. She then turns around with the BIGGEST grin and makes her way back to her seat. I thought I was going to pee my pants from laughing and my face hurt from smiling. I really cannot explain how fantastic this moment was.

It is not very often you see the underwear of someone with an oxygen tank.

He stops mid-song, looks down and says, "You shouldn't be wearing things like these!".

The thing about Tommy, is that even though he's an old timey crooner and mostly ridiculous, campy and kind of a joke, he's in on the joke.
And that makes him awesome.

I would like to say, that once T.J. sweated all his stage make-up off and started loosening up, crooning, dancing, thrusting and grabbing his groin... I'm not going to lie to you... I saw the sexiness of Tom Jones.

And he is very, very sexy. (This surprises me more than you, I'm certain.)

He was done by 9:00 because Mr. Jones has old timey values and an old timey schedule...That's how he rolls.

I've never wanted SO badly to take off my panties right there and throw them at someone; Nevermind someone who could be my friend's Grandpa. But... much respect to him and whatever it is about him that make someone 40 yrs his junior feel so torn about this decision.

I repeat. I saw the sexiness of Tom Jones and the panties of a woman with an oxygen tank. My face still hurts from smiling...it was awesome.

Summer Jewels

Turquoise jewelery is always beautiful with a white shirt and a tan. Turquoise is also heavily favored in Western-style jewelery - but it doesn't have to be Aztec-chic (yuck). It can be exotic, tasteful and wearable all year round.

Here are a few of the pieces I've brought in for the Stampede Event. So pretty.

Bag Borrow Or Steal

The company, Bag Borrow Or Steal, was featured prominently in Sex and The City (the movie). I love the idea of renting designer bags, jewels and sunglasses because I get bored of things quickly. It's also a cost-effective way to accessorize a big night out without blowing your budget.

Bag Borrow or Steal is a cool alternative to buying grossly overpriced designer bags. It's also the solution for those of us who's attention spans are short. I don't want to pay big bucks for a bag I'll tire of within the month. Also, many bags are simply unavailable to purchase. Bag Borrow or Steal means an exclusive bag can be enjoyed by a greater number of fashionistas.

Sadly, Canadians are unable to participate in BBorS at this time. Let's lobby them. I've already started pestering.

Sex And The Sappy

Went to see the Sex And The City movie last Saturday. So much fun! It was a private screening to benefit Inn From The Cold, a Calgary organization that provides housing for those in need.

It was a well organized event with breakfast goodie bags, free champagne and a raffle featuring fabulous items including these red patent Marc Jacobs shoes. I'm recently obsessed with red patent shoes, thanks to my sister Robin.

Back to the movie. I'm ashamed to admit I shed tears throughout the (very long) movie. Yes, sometimes it was the sight of equally gorgeous and unattainable fashion. Mostly, it was due to the emotional trials portrayed by the women on screen. We all agreed afterward that the women in our lives are the glue holding the pieces together.

Fashionista Father

I adore menswear. I love the fabrics and the great workmanship. Take a look at some of the really fun menswear at Rogues Gallery.

Love everything featured on their website. Check out the cool jewellery and the great bags. The scarf above could be worn by anyone - the nautical inspired look never really goes out of style.

For international orders (including orders from Canada), contact Rogues Gallery at 207-773-4900.

Shoe Slave: The Shoe Boot

Images: Gothamcityonline

I absolutely love the shoe-boot. They're super-stylish and provide some protection from the elements on those fall days. I bought my very first pair of shoe-boots in the early '90's at Fluevog on Queen Street West in Toronto. Platform, black and a touch Goth - I wore those shoes with EVERYTHING.

Good news! The shoe boot is big again for Fall 2008. In preparation for all those beautiful fall styles, I picked up this pair at Gothamcityonline.

You know I love SW. Always, always, always so comfortable. And sexy. This pair was reasonably priced (relatively speaking) and will be cute with a short skirt or cropped pant. Suite101 gives a great dissertation on how to wear the shoe-boot:

Shoe-boots or ankle-boots can be tricky things to wear. You can murder a look by adding these booties to a knee-length dress or skirt. Keep your skirts short when wearing these. The chunkiness of the shoe will also compliment a feminine mini dress.

These booties go well with long tunic tops and skinny jeans. However, wear them with care, or you may be in danger of them resembling a pair of pigs trotters! Whatever your outfit, shoe boots are meant to be noticed. Don’t hide them under floaty maxi dresses or under long baggy pants.

Maybe I'm obsessing about my fall wardrobe because it's so damn cold out.

Achtung! High Waisted Jeans

Images: www.denimology.co.uk

I offered some pointers recently on how to look fabulous in high-waisted jeans. As you can see from the shots above, even the severely malnourished and/or fabulously wealthy can screw up the high-waist look.

High/Low

Image: www.tiffany.ca

I had two very different retail experiences today. One at IKEA and one at Tiffany's. "Really?! ", you're sarcastically saying to yourself. But, I've found little correlation between quality of service and exclusivity of products. Often they are inversely related.

Today IKEA mistakenly charged my bank account twice for the same dollar amount. The IKEA computer terminal "froze" mid-transaction and it was "re-entered". I returned home, checked my online banking and confirmed. my suspicion. When I telephoned IKEA, I was instructed to return to the store to receive a refund. You know where this is going.

After having a very one-sided interaction with the IKEA "customer service" people, I was informed that:

1) I was correct. My bank had been charged twice.
2) The money would be returned to my account within 7-10 days. If not, "here's a number to call."

It was Sunday. At IKEA. I took my "handy number" and left.

With home organization procured, my sister and I moved to the fun stuff - clothing! Being in downtown Vancouver, we wandered into Tiffany's on Burrard Street. There we received charming, attentive and unpretentious service. Clearly Tiffany's didn't go head hunting at Holt Renfrew to staff their new store.

As we made our way through the boutique, each sales person greeted us and asked if we needed assistance. The Tiffany's employees genuinely made us feel welcome. When I asked about the timepiece charm (above), the Tiffany's associate was a great help. I felt guilty leaving the store empty handed! For real.

I love that good service still exists. Love that we enjoyed it without spending a cent.