Toronto Fashion Week Day 4 - David Dixon and the bird ladies

Unfortunately, on Day 4 of TFW, I had a crazy busy day at school and missed all but one show. After class I biked home (like a wild person), showered, did my hair, figured out a last minute outfit, and ran out the door. I made it to the tent five minutes before the David Dixon show started. On my way in I was stylestreet snapped by Sweetspot. Here's what I wore.

Vera Moda blouse, vintage brown leather belt, H&M pleated skirt, H&M suede and neon shoes
photo: Bruno Wong of Sweetspot.ca

The David Dixon runway show was super entertaining. The show, entitled "The Birds", opened with a montage from Alfred Hitchcock's 1960s horror film of the same name. David Dixon's feathered feminine collection was very much 60s inspired. The collection consisted of elegant, form-fitting silhouettes in the shape of knee-length pencil skirts in black and white houndstooth, black petal chiffon, black feathers, and black sequins. There was also a lot of peplum action, mostly shown on white silk pencil dresses. Dixon also did the boxy 60s jacket in white wool over cigarette pants and pencil skirts. Since the show was called Birds, it did include a number of feathered garments. Dixon used a lot of dark feathers this season (much like our haute couture friend Lucian Matis) on long evening gowns, skirts, jackets, cocktail dresses and even showed a full feathered coat. There was also a hint of shiny teal (maybe even turquoise) in the collection to channel the shine effect of bird feathers. Ever actually looked at black feather closely? Well, normally there's hints of green or blue-green somewhere in there. Clever, David, clever.

Hint: feathers are good for F/W2012. Just saying.

Houndstooth pencil skirt
photo: Elayne

Feather pencil skirt with silk peplum top
photo: Elayne

Feather evening gown
photo: Elayne

Black evening gown with teal accent
photo: Elayne

Black sequin and feather skirt
photo: Elayne

White wool cape with houndstooth cigarette pants
photo: Elayne

Boxy 60s jacket in white wool
photo: Elayne

Black petal chiffon skirt
photo: Elayne

 White silk dress with peplum waist

photo: Elayne

Feather coat
photo: Elayne

Feather pencil skirt
photo: Elayne

Toronto Fashion Week F/W 2012 Day 3 - Vawk and the sexy samurai

The Vawk F/W 2012 collection, entitled Sci-fi Samurai, was made up of japanese-style structured blazers and dresses (aka Kimono sleeves, straight Samurai-esque lapels) mixed with fur trimmed leather biker jackets and gloves, wide copper leather belts, and copper sequins to give it a sci-fi biker chick feel. The collection mixed the two themes, badass biker and badass japanese chick, to create the ever-so intriguing badass-japanese-biker-chick look. A look, I thought, was pretty damn badass. Having sleek japanese tailoring and biker pieces in the same collection worked really well together. The collection was edgy but sophisticated and serious (like a samurai!) The incorporation of copper sequins and wide copper leather belts gave the show the sci-fi aspect it was going for. Also, the leather caps the models were wearing were super Fifth Element or Blade Runner. Vawk designer Sunny Fong even went a little Girl With a Dragon Tattoo this season with a silk black cutout dress with leather koi fish tattoo detailing. The tattoo detail was also incorporated in other looks like the samurai blazer, and tattoo sleeve gown.

Kimono blazer
photo: Elayne

Samurai blazer with tattoo top
photo: Elayne

Fur trimmed biker jacket
photo: Elayne

Silk kimono dress with leather fur-front biker gloves
photo: Elayne

Silk cut-out dress with koi tattoo detail
photo: Elayne

Plum silk kimono dress with wide copper leather belt
photo: Elayne

Copper sequin finale dress with copper leather belt
photo: Elayne

I went back stage after the show to try and get a interview with the already over-booked designer, and guess who was there. Ms Jeanne Beker! As soon as Sunny Fong saw here he left whatever poor journalist he was talking to to give her a hug and chat it up. I happend to be two inches away from them. Apparently Jeanne really liked the tattoo detail as well.

Sunny Fong and Jeanne Beker backstage
photo: Elayne

Jeanne: "I just looooooooved that tattoo detailing. Fantastic."
Sunny: "Thank you thank you!"
Elayne: in her head - "Wow. I'm totally being a creeper right now.. I should play it cool" (snaps 170 photos)

Montreal, how I miss you so.

The biggest difference between winter in Toronto and winter in Montreal is that Toronto is snowless and reasonably cold, while Montreal is snowy, beyond freezing, and most of the time freaking miserable. The funny thing is... I really do miss my Montreal winter. I miss the dirty snow mounds, the frozen Outremont ponds and the creepy naked trees. On my last visit home, my bestie Brittany and I took a tour around the city and put together a little outfit shoot to showcase some of my winter and spring looks. Enjoy!

Zara jacket, H&M knit,  ivory BCBG studded clutch, AA shorts, Jeffrey Campbell Lita boots

Vintage sequin and mesh sweater, black short-shorts, JCampbell Lita boots

Photo: Brittany Paquin 

Styling: Elayne Millar

More to come! Stay tuned.

Make sure to visit http://dreamsyounggirlsdream.tumblr.com/ for more photography by B.Paquin

Feel free to HYPE my looks on lookbook.nu

It's back! My favourite holiday dress.

I found it! The wonderful people of nastygal.com have brought back the beautiful black sequin tail dress I mentioned in my "a little sparkle for the holidays" post! This dress is glorious and amazing and my ultimate favourite sequin piece so far. Not only is it a great, flattering cut, it's super on-trend with its maxi length and padded shoulders. I have to stop looking at it...it's making me crazy. Admire away reader!

black sequin tail dress
 nastygal.com

How to wear - Sparkle for the holidays

The smell of Christmas is in the air! Coffee shop and clothing stores are blasting the Christmas classics, lights and wreaths are going up around the city, and even the CN Tower's got its red and green on! Everything is so happy and festive and shiny and lovely! With all the sparkle and shine of all-things Christmas, I just had to put together a holiday must-have list.

If you're planning to attend glamourous parties this holiday you better get ready to out shine that Christmas tree... (literally) as  this season's biggest trend is sequin. There's the sequin dress for the bold, and the sequin blazer and mini skirt for those who are interested in dressing the sparkle down for everyday wear.

Day Birger et Mikkelsen sequin dress in creme
net-a-porter.com

Black sequin blazer
nastygal.com

Sequin blazer in brown
nastygal.com

Haute Hippie sequin mini skirt
hautehippiestore.com

gold sequin mini
zara.com

Now, let me just say one thing before we go any further. There are a lot of things in the sequin category and a lot of them are heinous. Stores like Limité, Le Chateau, and Ardene have been showing sequins since the dawn of time. They have no idea what they are doing. So, if you find yourself being drawn to the glittery storefront like a moth to a flame, snap out of it and run the other way because you will be burnt. badly. by people like me. 

Also, there is a difference between sequins and glitter. Somehow people are unaware of this (*rolls eyes*). Sequins are beads (3D). Glitter is flat and looks like grains of sparkly salt. 

There are rules to wearing sequins so please follow them. It hurts to see people make a fool of themselves in tacky sparkly dresses. One can't help but stare...

the three styles to wear this season:

1. the dress (long or short sheath, shift, one-shoulder)

2. the skirt (mini)

3. the jacket (blazer, tux)

three best colours: black, gold, cream

others: red, silver, blue (be careful though...)

The RULES: 

1 - Remember what dresses are actually IN STYLE before blindly purchasing one. This season is about shifts and long form-fitting sheaths. One-shoulder dresses and cut-out dresses are also popular but I don' know how long they'll be in style. One-shouldered clothing so in and out of style almost every season. If you can find one, tailed dresses are NEXT LEVEL. The only one I managed to find was on Nastygal sometime in October. It's gone now ... and I'm  a little depressed.

Vince gold shift sequin dress
net-a-porter.com

River Island maxi sheath in gold
asos.com

Black sequin sheath
net-a-porter.com

Full length sequin dress in black
boutique1.com

TRNC sequin dress
asos.com

2. If you are not the fittest of people, please do not wear a sequin dress. I have nothing against natural bodies (they are beautiful and natural and should stay that way. Being skinny is getting old anyway) it is just that sequin dresses are more often than not super tight, clingy, and bulky. If you are not lean, the dress will only clingy to your core flaws and ride up your bum. Also, the bulkiness of the millions of little disk-shaped beads makes anyone look a size bigger then they actually are. Not exactly flattering.

3. Sequin shoes make me want to kill myself. Flats especially. Aldo and Steve Madden are showing sequin detailed heels that are beyond tacky. You're not 6-years-old anymore, and you're most definitely not Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz so please leave the fish scale-esque footwear to those who are. With that said, I do love Jeffrey Campbell... so I do have a soft-spot for his sequin booties. BUT THOSE ARE MY ONLY EXCEPTION. Keep in mind the difference between sequins and glitter. Glitter heels are acceptable.  

Jeffrey Campbell Lana boots in silver sequin
solestruck.com

4. If you're going for the sequin jacket do not buy a cropped one. They are hideous. Also, be smart and get yourself a black one in a tux cut. The androgynous suit jackets are really important, not only this season but for spring as well.

Zara sequin blazer in black
zara.com

Asos sequin sleeved blazer
asos.com

5. If you have  to pair something with your sequin item of clothing make it something black. The eye-catching sparkle is stand-outish enough. Do not blind people by decking yourself out in a head-to-toe sequins ensemble. Thanks