Sheer Delight

I have to share this beeeeautiful spread from May issue of Canada’s FASHION magazine featuring some of this season’s hottest silk chiffon pieces from Miu Miu, Dolce & Gabbana, BCBG Max Azria, Jil Sander, Louis Vuitton, and Zac Posen.

Guys should not wear flip flops at work!

There’s a guy in our building who invariably starts wearing flip flops every year as the weather warms up enough for sandals, and has his DIRTY feet on display for all to see. I had the misfortune of walking behind him today and couldn’t help but staring at his sullied heels. When I read this reader’s mail in The Guardian, it totally cracked me up and I felt like sending it to the guy :P.

My boyfriend complains that it’s unfair that women can get their toes out at work while men cannot. What’s your view on mens’ sandals in the workplace?
CT, by email

You’re both right - it is unfair, but so it goes. Look, boyfriend-of-CT: your feet are ugly. Don’t feel too bad about it, though, because all men’s feet are ugly. But compared to the hoiking and the cramming and the squashing that women’s feet endure on a daily basis, being ordered to keep covered seems pretty small potatoes to me.

To quote that inexhaustible fount of wisdom, the 1987 film The Princess Bride, life is pain, and anyone who says differently is selling something. And here at the Guardian, even in the fashion section, we are far too right-on and leftwing to try to sell anyone anything other than the truth, goddammit.

Amen! At least the reader’s boyfriend’s feet aren’t dirty. Or I hope!

Beautiful Charlize

I’m so taken by these breathtakingly beautiful photos of Charlize Theron in the June issue W magazine. She’s flawless, whatever she wears looks stunning on her. Love the plum Donna Karan New York’s silk gown. Also, check out her article.

Engagement rings can’t be re-gifted

(I got engaged almost three years ago.)
Did you hear the rumor that Mariah Carey’s platinum and pink diamond engagement ring given by her new husband Nick Cannon was the same ring that he gave his then fiancée, Victoria’s Secret model Selita Ebanks? Apparently Nick Cannon wasn’t aware of the rules of modern engagement. My guy had mine custom made. If I had been given a used ring (unless a family heirloom), I definitely would’ve flipped. I think this is no joking matter. Your guy has to shop for the ring with you in mind, thinking about what style you like and what style suits you. If it was meant for another woman, then it means nothing to you. And I think the ring itself definitely carries a bad vibe, too. If there are guys out there that think they can re-gift an engagement ring, they need to be knocked on the head :p

When can a man wear a denim jacket?

A question asked by a Guardian reader. I think we all know the answer to that, right? But the writer had me laughing out loud.

At precisely 23 minutes past the hour of never. It is simply impossible for a man to wear a denim jacket. Whoa there, gentlemen! Stop your outraged fingertips from speeding to your quill pens to address an outraged missive, full of accusations of sexism, fashion fascism and even style racism. For this edict is no mere fashion whim but rather a statement of fact and basic personal protection. To the former first, a man should not wear anything on his lower half other than jeans, smart trousers or knee-length shorts. The denim jacket simply does not work with any of the above: with jeans you get the dreaded Double Denim effect, a look that contravenes all known laws of human decency; with smart trousers they look as ill-matched as Liza Minnelli and David Gest, and with long shorts they turn you into a Krankie.

But even if those aesthetic objections do not persuade, surely the matter of self-protection will. Come closer, men, and I shall let you into a sphinx-like secret about what goes on in the minds of us ladies. Sadly we just don’t have the time or space to divulge what is the secret chat-up line that will make all women immediately jump your bones, or the seemingly disgusting habit that we all actually find deeply attractive. But I can tell you that all women, when looking at a man sporting a denim jacket, think the same three words: Billy Ray Cyrus. Now, there are many phrases that may spring to mind when confronted by the man whose heart was once not just achy but, indeed, breaky, but “aphrodisiac” is not, except for the special few, one of them.
Which brings us, in a somewhat tortured and totally nonlibellous manner, to a photo of the man with his 15-year-old daughter in this month’s issue of the eternal controversy-baiter, Vanity Fair. Amongst the magazine’s usual odd mix of PR puff pieces and searing indictments about the war, there is an interview with Cyrus’ young daughter, Miley, better known to her many teenage fans as Hannah Montana (apparently wrenching rhymes are a genetic inheritance in the Cyrus family). This gripping interview has caused something of a stir, mainly because of the photo of Cyrus fille, in which she wears nothing other than, apparently, a pillow case. But more extraordinary, surely, is the photo of Miley, stomach bared, lying against her father’s manly body, his hand dangling just that little bit too close to her chest. Suffice to say that I doubt if this photo spread will add to Cyrus père’s appeal among the ladeez.

And that is what I mean about self-preservation, my dear male readers. The pitiable truth is that few women feel a frisson when thinking about a gentleman who makes rhymes about his internal organs, nor one who happily poses for attention-seeking photos with his teenage daughter. And that extra insight comes to you for free.

7 skin myths solved!

Not breaking-news, but worth reading for skincare in the summer - 7 skin myths solved from Elle Canada.

1. Lying in a tanning bed for 10 minutes adds up to the same amount of UV exposure as spending an entire day in the sun.FALSE. Still, don’t quit your spray-on tan. You can’t compare the two because tanning beds emit mostly UVA (long-wave) rays – which penetrate the skin deeper – whereas the sun emits a combination of UVA and UVB (short-wave) rays. Still, the beds emit UVA rays that are four to 20 times as strong as the sun, says Dr. Jason Rivers, a dermatologist and clinical professor at The University of British Columbia in Vancouver. Because tanning beds are linked to an increased risk of skin cancer, you’re better off sticking with the kind of tan that rubs on.

2. You can get rid of cellulite permanently. FALSE. Because we don’t know what causes cellulite, the most we can hope for is temporary improvement in its appearance, says Dr. Mariusz Sapijaszko, a dermatologist and cosmetic surgeon at the Western Canada Dermatology Institute in Edmonton. Apply prescription creams that contain tretinoin (a vitamin A derivative) on an ongoing basis, he says. While a type of surgery called “subcision” shows promise, the side effects, which include bruising and scarring, render it a last resort.

3. Certain products and techniques can change the size of your pores. FALSE. We’re born with a certain pore size, and there’s not much that will change it, says Vignjevic. Other than slightly minimizing their appearances, pore-minimizing creams don’t do much, he adds. Your only hope is laser therapy techniques, such as intense pulsed light. These may make your pores appear smaller by stimulating collagen production, which tightens and smooths the skin.

4. Drinking water keeps your skin from drying out. FALSE. Drinking water helps keep our internal organs functioning and is essential for life. But, says Vignjevic, all those bottles of Evian have little effect on the dryness of your skin – or your “glow,” despite what celebs like to claim. “The topical application of creams is more important,” he adds. His favourite? <a href=”http://www.anrdoezrs.net/click-2885049-10273952?url=http%3A%2F%2Ftracking.searchmarketing.com%2Fclick.asp%3Faid%3D147529303&cjsku=LP009″ target=”_blank”>La Roche-Posay Toleriane Soothing Protective Skincare</a>img src=”http://www.ftjcfx.com/image-2885049-10273952″ width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″/> ($23).

5. You don’t need a toner. TRUE. Toners gently exfoliate the skin, but they’re not a necessity, says Vignjevic. One exception; people with blackheads. The alpha-hydroxy acids in some toners help lift and remove dead skin cells, which can block pores.

6. Cucumber slices, cool wet tea bags and Preparation H reduce under-eye bags. FALSE. These tricks don’t do a thing, says Dr. Peter Vignjevic, a dermatologist in Hamilton, Ont. “No one really knows what causes puffiness, but it’s most likely an accumulation of excess fat,” he says. “Unfortunately, surgical removal of the excess skin and fat [blepharoplasty] is the only thing that really works.” He adds that tropical products, like <a href=”http://www.jdoqocy.com/click-2885049-10443196?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.strawberrynet.com%2FproductDetail.aspx%3FProdId%3D71545%26region%3DUS%26goChar%3DB&cjsku=07153276701″ target=”_blank”>Biotherm Hydra-Detox Bio-Defensis Moisturizing Detox Gel</a>img src=”http://www.lduhtrp.net/image-2885049-10443196″ width=”1″ height=”1″ border=”0″/> for Undereye Bags and Dark Circles ($43), can offer a slight improvement.

7. If you have oily skin, you don’t need to moisturize. TRUE. You only need moisturizer if your skin feels tight and dry after washing, says Vignjevic. There is one exception, though: if you have combination skin, you need a non-comedogenic face cream, like <a href=”http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=xHQJ/VuWzzw&offerid=43440.16999&type=2&subid=0″ target=”_blank”>Neutrogena Moisture Oil Free Formula</a><IMG border=0 width=1 height=1 src=”http://ad.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/show?id=xHQJ/VuWzzw&bids=43440.16999&type=2&subid=0″ > for Combination Skin ($12.99), which won’t cause breakouts.

Will you buy dresses that are $8.98 or less?

(A dress designed (and worn) by Sarah Jessica Parker and sold at Steve & Barry’s for $8.98.)

This is possibly the world’s cheapest dress. According to NY Times, Steve & Barry’s will be offering all the celebrity fashion for $8.98 or less.

Steve & Barry’s, for the uninitiated, is to fashion what Tower once was to music. Steve & Barry’s is manna, a store that sells stylish celebrity-branded clothes at prices that are absurdly inexpensive, lower than those at Old Navy, H & M or Forever 21, undercutting even Wal-Mart by as much as half.

At its 264 barnlike stores in malls across the country, including the perpetually mobbed one at the Manhattan Mall in Midtown, Steve & Barry’s offers an assortment of flowery sundresses designed by Sarah Jessica Parker ($8.98), heart-printed hoodies by the Nickelodeon alumna Amanda Bynes ($8.98) and basketball shoes by the New York Knicks point guard Stephon Marbury ($8.98). Lines at the registers are often 20 deep.

The question on everyone’s lips: How do they make a decent dress or a jacket, with sleeves, or a pair of functioning shoes for $8.98?

Mr. Shore and Mr. Prevor, dressed in chinos and rumpled shirts, frequently described the company as “the Google of fashion” and rattled off several ways they had devised to make a high-quality product at the low prices. The clothes appear to be well made — several of the Bitten dresses, made in India, were lined, and the strapless dress Ms. Parker wore is constructed with an internal elastic band to hold it up. And the basketball shoes appear sturdy, although they are made with fake leather (well, so are Stella McCartney’s).

Steve & Barry’s saves big, for example, by opening stores in underperforming malls, where the owners are more likely to negotiate rents and offer other incentives; by building its own bare-bones store displays; by maintaining only a small public relations office in Manhattan; and by manufacturing in countries like China, India, Madagascar and more than 20 others, including the United States.

hough the prices will raise concerns that the clothes are made in sweatshop factories that underpay or otherwise exploit workers, Mr. Shore and Mr. Prevor said absolutely not. Howard Schacter, the company’s chief partnership officer, said Steve & Barry’s monitors its subcontractors carefully and demands ethical business practices. The key to its low prices, he said, is a razor-slim profit margin.

So would I buy? Heck ya, if we had Steve & Barry’s here in Canada.

Continue reading here

Emily Blunt

I adore Emily Blunt, who I think totally made the movie Devil Wears Prada. These are such gorgeous photos of her in NY Times, love the milky skin, green eyes and reddish brown hair. And the Miu Miu dress she’s wearing in the third picture is to DIE-for.

Her interview, The Americanization of Emily was so much fun to read. She made me laugh

Did you have any interaction with Julia Roberts, who was also in the film [Charlie Wilson's War]?
Sadly, no. When I was around 10, rather inappropriately, I watched ‘‘Pretty Woman.’’ I remember asking my grandmother what Julia Roberts was showing Richard Gere. They were brightly colored, and I thought they were sweets. ‘‘That’s a condom,’’ my grandmother said. I went, ‘‘Oh right, oh right.’’ I had no idea what she was talking about.

Why do the Americans hold the British in such high esteem?
Because they think we’re all related to Shakespeare.

Really, yellow is not a flattering color?

I always enjoy The Guardian’s article The Measure on what’s hot and what’s not right now. Not that I completely agree with it every time.

Going up

The Prada bag An easier way of wearing all those drawings than on a dress all over your body. Tilda has one, y’know

Black suit, white shirt Dressed-up menswear this summer is all about the Obama look

Soap on a rope As redesigned by Tom Ford, ergo good

Power Plate Like doing sit-ups on a washing machine in spin cycle. So weird, it’s gotta work

Men in suits Leaving aside the sexism and psychosis respectively, we are really enjoying the boys in Mad Men and Dirty Sexy Money

Miley Cyrus So wrong she’s so right. We heart. Big time

Lipster.com A truly quality website, joining netaporter and jezebel on our favourites bar

Going down

Pixie haircuts Don’t listen to the style mags. These look good on only two groups of people: models and pixies

Kate Moss’s holiday snaps Photographed licking your boyfriend’s neck outside a Parisian cafe? Even ours aren’t that tacky

Wearing yellow Dispatch from the changing rooms: banana yellow may be fashionable again, but it hasn’t got any more flattering

Shoe heels The teapot-esque ones from Prada? The nonexistent ones from Marc Jacobs? Makes us miss the good old days when one just had to choose between chunky or stilettos

Samantha Ronson It upsets us we even know of this person’s existence

Um…about the yellow color, I like yellow and I think it looks flattering on me, granted I don’t do it head-to-toe. I find this Catherine Malandrino Burnout Dress ($545) totally adorable.

By the way, tomorrow I will have a new contest for you, my darlings.  It’s going to be something fabulous that you will love

Comme des Garçons for H&M

Comme des Garçons autumn/winter 07/08 (left) and spring/summer 2008 collections

The Japanese fashion brand, Comme des Garçons, one of the most avant garde in the world, founded by Rei Kawakubo, is to join forces with the high street chain, H&M. This collaboration has come as such a surprise to the fashin world. I think this one will be the most interesting one yet since all the designers and celebries of previous collaborations are definitely much more mainstream. Kawakubo will design a women’s and a men’s collection, as well as a capsule range of pieces for children. Also included will be an exclusive unisex fragrance and accessories. The collection will be launched in November. Can’t wait to see it.

(Source: telegraph.co.uk)

She’s so fair

My favorite NYC socialite girl, and Dior beauty ambassador, Tinsley Mortimer, is on the cover of Page Six Magazine. Dior Beauty is launching their Ultra-Gloss Reflect in Tinsley Pink, a color created by Tinsley, and a portion of the product’s sales will be donated to her charity of choice, Operation Smile. I can’t wait to try the lip gloss. I find her so fascinating.

(Via http://parkavepeerage.com)

Love this quote

From hand-me-downs to charity shop treasures, five recycling fans explain why second-hand clothes are never out of fashion in Observer. My favorite tip:

Lose the pretence

‘It’s not vintage, it’s second hand, OK?’

Love it! Which reminds me that I haven’t stopped by my local consignment shops in a long time.

Air kiss like a pro

Us Canadians have our own fashion week this week — Fall 2008 edition of L’Oreal Fashion Week kicks off today in Toronto. You know when fashion people gather, there’s going to be a LOT of air kisses. Toronto Star’s David Graham prepares you if you end up mingling with fashion people.

With an estimated 25,000 people attending 35 fashion shows over four days, Toronto is expected to collapse into an international, air-kissing love fest. Russian designer Max Chernitov shows today. (Give him three kisses.) Elio Fiorucci of the famous Italian Fiorucci brand is the guest speaker at a Holt Renfrew cocktail party tonight. (Give him two – right then left.) And students from four Milanese fashion schools will present a show – Talenti Moda Milano – tomorrow at 4 p.m. (They’ll also want two.) With thousands of fashion players and pretenders attending runway premieres, raucous after-parties and tasteful lunches, the complex and sweetly superficial air kiss is the week’s official greeting, like it or not.

Continue reading here.

Scarlett and Natalie

Check out stunning The Sister Act spread of Scarlett Johansson and Natalie Portman in April issue of W, both dressed head-to-toe in Miu Miu, silk dresses and silk collars and cuffs! I especially love Natalie’s makeup, dark eyes, strong eyebrows and nude lips. I can’t wait to see the movie!

(Source: wmagazine.com)

Coco Chanel’s apartment

Celia Walden of Telegraph brings us a rare look of Coco Chanel’s time-locked Paris apartment.

Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel’s private apartment, at 31 rue Cambon, Paris, is a source of wonder that has been preserved exactly as the designer left it when she died in 1971. It is closed to the public but, after months of supplication, the fashion house granted me a rare visit.

The building, bought by Chanel in 1920, still houses the ground-floor shop, the haute couture workrooms in the attic (where 100 seamstresses still work entirely by hand), and what is now Karl Lagerfeld’s study. Among the labyrinth of rooms, half-way up the Art Deco stairs that run like a spine through the 18th century building, is the apartment, which Coco called her “nest”.

It was in these three small rooms that Coco transformed women’s wardrobes. Here, she dreamed up “the new uniform of modern women”, as French Vogue christened it (she dispensed with restrictive corsets and fabrics, favouring more relaxed and practical designs), and numerous classics that still enchant today - the little black dresses, two-tone pumps, bouclé suits and quilted shoulder bags.

After Coco died in her sleep at the age of 87, the brand - and rue Cambon - languished until 1983, when Lagerfeld was hired by the Wertheimers (who own Chanel) to rejuvenate it. On the day of my visit, Lagerfeld is tearing around Paris preparing for this week’s ready-to-wear shows. But inside Coco’s apartment there is a mausoleum-like tranquillity. I am not surprised to hear that Lagerfeld often drops in to seek inspiration.

An anteroom, cloistered in Chinese lacquered screens engraved with camellias - Chanel’s favourite flower - welcomes me into her baroque world. Two statues of black slaves direct me into her sitting room, and I’m dazzled by the gilded statues beside the marble fireplace; the extravagant Louis XV desk scattered with fortune tellers’ cards; and the enormous chandelier bearing her entwined initials.

Beige, black and white - Chanel’s preferred colours - dominate the decor but the apartment is the antithesis of her pared-down aesthetic. Here the whimsy she suppressed in the name of sophistication is aired without restraint.

Continue to read.

(Source: telegraph.co.uk)