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.