Spring Trends

Looking forward to spring is one of my favourite pastimes in winter.  I know, I should totally get a hobby, but I can't help it!  Spring's arrival means summer is not far behind, and I truly, truly love everything about summer.  I have even tricked myself into thinking that Vancouver is going to have a sunny, rain free spring this year!

I've been interested to see what the trends are for spring, and here's some of what I've found that seems wearable and fun.  You can also check out my "Spring Inspiration" Pinterest board as well as last fall's breakdown of New York Fashion Week Spring 2012.  

Prints are funky, flowery and full of colour:

Dress from Mango

Patterned clutch from Aldo

Pleats are hot for dresses and skirts:

BCBG skirt (via the Globe and Mail)

Talbots pleated dress

Neon colours are big, but an easy way to wear them without being over the top is in your makeup.  Think hot pink gloss, neon hued eye shadows & eye liners and bright nail polishes like Chanel "June".

Stila Caprice lip colour (available at Sephora  

Funky platforms from Ruthie Davis

           

  

Currently Obsessed With: The Hunger Games

Every so often, I fall out of the habit of reading every night before bed.  As a kid, I was a voracious reader and I could never get to sleep without reading for a bit.  I would read anything I could get my hands on - books, magazines, even newspapers.  I was probably the only 13 year old in my school that read the daily newspaper on a regular basis.  Truly it's a miracle I still have 20/20 vision!  So it is kind of weird that I have to be "inspired" by a really good book in order to pick one up before I go to bed...guess it just shows that as an adult I value my sleep so much more than I did as a kid.

Anyway, I am currently totally obsessed with the Hunger Games.  I just started the first book of the trilogy and cannot put it down.   The premise is fascinating...I don't want to give too much away, but basically the world ends and North Amercia is reborn as a dictatorship with 12 Districts being punished by the "Capitol" for attempting to overthrowing their rule.  The Hunger Games are a yearly event where each district has to essentially sacrifice two young adults to fight to the death in order to win a year's worth of much needed food essentials for their district.  Last person standing wins.

I'm not the only one that is wayyy into this book series.  In anticipation of the the first of four feature films inspired by the books out on March 23, there are Hunger Games inspired nail polish collections, a major soundtrack featuring songs from Taylor Swift and Maroon 5, and even hairstyles modeled after the main character Katniss Everdeen.    I am very excited to see the movie and hoping that it does justice to the excellent books unlike so many book to movie adaptations (hello Memoirs of a Geisha!).

Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark

Spring Cleaning

Spring hasn't officially "sprung" yet, but already on my mind is how I'm going to transition from the cardigans, long sleeves and boots that make up my daily work wardrobe to the skirts, dresses and sandals that will make up the spring/summer fashion season.  I know, I know...this is the biggest thing on my mind right now you say?  Well, in essence, yes because as a mega-type A personality, everything must be planned and in order in my life for me to be truly happy.  And you do want me to be happy don't you??

All kidding aside, the transition from seasons whether in fashion or food or gardening or home projects almost always takes some careful planning and reorganization.  You need new tools and the old ones have to go somewhere.   So, to go back to my original problem: how can I pack away all my winter stuff, bring out the spring/summer clothes, shoes & accessories, AND go through everything to ensure it still fits/is in good shape/is relevant without losing my mind?

BIG problem, indeed.  I've been reading about spring cleaning/preparing for a new season over the last few days and I've narrowed it down to three key tips:

1. If you haven't worn it/used it in the last year, give it away if it's in decent condition.  If it's not, throw it away.  Personally, I give some items away that I know I didn't pay a lot for at least every 6 months.  Everything else, I sell to a consignment shop, which leads me to point #2...
2. Don't under estimate the value of a piece that doesn't fit or you don't wear anymore:  sell it to a consignment shop.  You will never get the full price back, but you will get something for pieces that are in good condition and in season.   And who doesn't love a little extra cash in the pocketbook?
3. What you do keep, arrange in a way that you can actually see what you have to wear.  Group together items of the same type (ie: dresses, blouses, shirts) and invest in hangers that you can hang multiple items like skirts or slacks on.  There are lots of great products out there like belt holders, purse hangers, shoe hangers, etc that also help you organize multiples of the same type of item easily.  If you are really keen on organizing, you could invest in some divider tabs for your closet:

Last, but not least, if you want to stay organized once you are organized and not have all that hard work go to waste...put things back where you found them!

Fashion Blog Alert: Frills and Thrills

I am totally loving a blog I recently came across called Frills and Thrills, so I thought I'd share it with y'all.      It's written by a lady named Sam from South Africa (how cool!  always dreamed of going there).  Her most recent posts about NY Fall Fashion Week 2012 (she's got loads of pictures!) as well as a great post on "Anti-Valentine's Day":

There shouldn't be just one day in a year that permits you to be an impassioned, affectionate swashbuckling soul. Sometimes the sweetest of gestures are most surprising and appreciated when you least expect it. Anti-Valentine's Day should happen just once a year, but the essence of 'Valentine's Day' should be celebrated everyday. 

My definition of a great blog is something with style and substance.  We all love looking at fashion and being up on the latest trends, but you have to "keep it real" sometimes with a post about real life.  Will definitely keep reading this great blog!

Knock, Knock, Knock-offs

They say that imitation is the best form of flattery.  If this is true, then the designers behind luxury label Celine should feel very good about the love that J. Crew is showing them.  On the left below is a bag from Celine's Spring/Summer 2012 collection.  On the right is the J. Crew "Tillary" tote from their Spring collection.  Curiously the both have similar handles and shape.  I wonder who copied whom?!?

  

The fact of the matter is, there are lots of middle of the road labels that "knock-off" styles from luxury designers.  Case in point is Ivanka Trump modeling her shoe collection after Derek Lam's designs or the Kardashians biting on Balenciaga's moto bag (and others!) for their Sears collection.

As much as I love that us "regular folk" can enjoy goods that look designer but don't cost as much, I was taught from a young age (as many of us were) that stealing is wrong.  This goes for stealing someone's math homework as much as it applies to copying designs that cleary take a lot of blood, sweat and tears to come up with.  It is opportunistic and just plain wrong.   Personally, I will never buy anything from Jessica Simpson or the Kardashians...they aren't real designers, they just pay people to create cheap knock offs so they can make more money.   And what do they do with that money?  Well...they likely go out and buy from the same designers they steal ideas from.

Trashy TV Alert: RHOV

Most people who know me know that I love my reality tv shows, especially the Real Housewives franchise.  They've also often heard me say "you gotta watch RH of _______!  Those bitches be crazy!!" (In case you're wondering...I use the term "bitches" with affection!  I call many of my close friends "bitches".  So hopefully y'all are not offended and if you are, I mean no harm at all).

Anyway, you can imagine my reaction when I heard that Bravo/Slice were taping a season of the Real Housewives of Vancouver.   I'm very curious to see how this all goes.  So far, the cast seems a little blah to me:  a former mildly popular Canadian pop singer named Mary Zilba, a few socialites and well...that's about it.  I was hoping for some real local "star" power like a tv host, hockey player's wife or someone whose name I had actually heard around town before!

Vancouver is a pretty laid back place, so RHOV won't likely have the flashiness of New Jersey, Miami, Atlanta or the OC.  Vancouver doesn't have the big money vibe like New York or Beverly Hills either, so I kind of wonder what kind of bling these ladies will be sporting.  Being a Real Housewives franchise cast member is not guaranteed money, but it is fame and the opportunity to "brand" yourself.  Just look at Bethenny Frankel.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out in neither flashy nor overly wealthy Vancouver, but if there is drama to be seen, you know I will be watching it!

 

Outfit Battle: Gold Gowns

Taylor Swift's outfit at the Grammys tonight reminded me of the Alexander McQueen Gown with headdress that Lady Gaga wore last year, and it got me to wondering...do famous people call each other when they have similar outfits and make sure it's ok to wear in public??  My friends and I at times have bought the same clothes because, well, sometimes something is just too cute to leave on the rack.  We always do the check in "hey, are you wearing that dress from that time? you know the one we both have?" to make sure it's all good and no one shows up in the same outfit.

I wonder if Taylor called up Gaga and said "Hey Gaga, it's Tay-tay.  Mind if I wear a Zuhair Murad gown to the Grammys that is kinda biting on that McQueen you wore last year?  You know, the gold one with the head thing?"

These are the things that go through my head at the Grammys...cause besides Chris Brown's pretty rad dance moves and thet incredible night Adele had, the rest of it was pretty much a snoozefest.  I did think Jessie J looked fabulous - the dress is kinda like a disco ball but her hair and makeup were a really pretty way complement to the flashiness of it.