Browsing Tag

Style and Fashion

Now that’s mantastic

While I’m off in Turkey I thought I’d dig deep into the Anthology’s archives to find some of my favourite mantastic posts. Menswear, it turns out, is everywhere.

kelsey-sharpe

Sometimes I am inspired by it and sometimes I actually wear (old) menswear — like the army jacket I found at an antique fair.

ryan

Sometimes the Anthology features you guys wearing it like Ryan and his bolero tie and Len with his Romanelli hat.

And sometimes you guys guest post it. Like my sister-in-law Jaclyn who scouted To-orist‘s line and Patrick from Room 907 who put together an outfit from head to toe.

Thanks again gang! Want to bring more menswear to the Anthology? Send me a note at theanthology@live.com and we’ll get your guest post in the works.

Taking it back to the old school

I came across an issue of Elle Decor from 1991 in the magazine rack of my gym the other day. And this ad is the best part of the entire magazine.

chanel-1991

It features Christy and Linda rocking a matchy-matchiness unlike anything I’ve seen since.

chanel-turlington-1991

I love this necklace. If I had a bracelet version, I would wear it every day. No really, I would.

chanel-ad-1991

I just can’t help but wonder how on earth Ms. Evangelista balanced that soccer ball while posing.

chanel-linda-1991

And that gold. Oh man, that gold.

sonja-gold

Which brings me to the accessories my friend Sonja (now a graphic designer) used in fashion design school in 1991.

sonja-gold-jewelry

The tassels hang off the chain belt. The earrings must be at least six inches long.

sonja-jewelry

And they were embellished with antique gold coin replicas. Because even embellishments needed embellishing.

These days, Sonja’s jewelry is much more subdued. And beautiful. Take look at her rings and earrings.

Of Love and Hate

A hilarious guest post from my friend Anji.

As far as my boyfriend’s interests go, “fashion” falls somewhere between midwifery and Josh Groban’s favourite flavour of ice cream.  For him, “le smoking” is just fancy for pulmonary carcinoma and Yves is a saint who makes hotdogs and hand cream.

As such, my “sartorial wit” is often lost on him.  Here are some recent purchases which he found to be particularly odious/grounds for committal.

anji-dolce-pants

Dolce & Gabbana harem pants.

anji-dolce

anji-shorts

High-waisted thrifted jean cut-offs.

anji-belt

And a belt from San Francisco.

I think every single piece looks amazing. Thanks again Anji! Want to contribute a guest post? Send me a note at theanthology@live.com.

Come into my (Haute) World

Haute Shopper, who writes the must-read blog Haute World, is from Paris (France!) where she sometimes window shops and sometimes shop shops. She was kind enough to contribute this guest post about a Canadian in Paris (oh how I wish that were me.)

tara-jarmon-1
Even before I moved to Paris, previous travels to this fine city revealed one thing: the Champs-Elysées, as famous and grand as it may be, is a huge tourist trap and not really the best place for shopping – unless you’re a Louis Vuitton fan or feel like visiting yet another GAP store.
There is one big exception though: France’s favorite Canadian designer Tara Jarmon has a two-storey flagship here. It’s not flashy from the outside, but once inside, you’re greeted by a clean decor which shows off her wonderful range of colorful clothes and accessories.
tara-jarmon-2c
Even though Tara Jarmon is very much a Parisian label, I thought this would be the perfect store to profile for Kelsey’s blog, considering the designer is a Vancouver native who still has fond memories of the cherry blossoms on Marine Drive.
Her clothes are classic, chic, colorful and sexy, but according to Tara herself, never provocative, allowing every piece to become a timeless item in your wardrobe.
tara-jarmon-paris-3c
You might have a hard time finding a local Parisian on Champs-Elysées, but once inside the store I quickly realized that almost all shoppers were local… always a good sign.
The ground floor is full of cute summery dresses, breezy casual tops and tailored classics such as blazers and trench coats. There was also a nice range of bright flowery totes, as well as sandals and scarves.
tara-jarmon-paris-4c
The lower level had more such items but also an entire corner dedicated to more formal and glamorous evening gowns and dresses. Whether you’re looking for something in strong jewel tones (my personal favorite), soft pastels or muted neutrals, you’re sure to find something to suit any taste.
The items are never boring… most pieces are embroidered, beaded or feature wonderful details in tailoring or draping.
tara-jarmon-paris
If you’re not going to Paris anytime soon, Tara’s clothes are also available via edressme.com. But if you’re ever in town, I’d recommend paying a visit to 73 Avenue des Champs-Elysées or any of the other Tara Jarmon flagships. You might just end up with the perfect Paris souvenir.

Want to write a guest post? (Yes! I’ve been waiting for you to say that!) Send me a note at theanthology@live.com. Thanks again Haute Shopper

I had to wrestle with my tailor

But finally she agreed to hem this dress to the length I want. It fell below the knee before and it made it look like something you’d wear to the laundromat. Now? Not so much.

after-jungle-dress

My tailor disapproves of anything higher than just above the knee. We go through the same song and dance every. single. time.

Take a look at the sneak peek.

moms-bag

Wore the dress to dinner (happy birthday ma-in-law!) with my ma’s bag, which feels so summery, so vacationy. I just might have to bring it to Turkey with me (on Wednesday!).

A sneak peek

A preview of the newest member of my vintage family — a dress from who knows when that I found at Burcu’s Angels in Vancouver.

jungle-dress-detail

Its jungle print is asymmetrical, its fabric is see-through (that’s the thing about these old dresses; you’ve got to wear them with a slip) and I’ll be hemming it much shorter than my tailor would like.

Kind of wild, isn’t it?

Getting ziggy with it

Love the zig-zaggy pattern of this vintage skirt.

orange-skirt

Wore it with my new shbooties.

orange-vintage-skirt

My Wonder Woman cuffs and my ma’s bag from who knows where (or when).

orange-skirt-detail

I’ve always thought long skirts work. Especially for work. And when they’re this wacky and wonderful? You can’t go wrong.

after + before

At first I was afraid, I was petrified that I wouldn’t be able to make something wearable out of leather, chain and pirate charms.

gold-leather-charm-bracelet

But I’m sooo happy (and a little surprised) with how it turned out.

pirate-bracelet-after

And it was simple simple simple to make. I braided ultra suede strips with gold chain and hung charms off of it. I made it long enough to be a necklace or to wrap three times around your wrist.

leather-charm-gold-bracelet

Aaaaargh you as excited as I am about it?

long-black-floral-b4

Speaking of things I’m excited about, this dress is currently at the tailors getting shortened. It’s pretty as it is, just a little too heavy.

b4-long-blk-flora

Won’t be nearly as fun for the puppy when it’s shorter, but it will be far more fun for me. I’ll post the “after” shot next week.

Ahhh perspective.

It makes my baby beast look like a gigantic beast (pretty good shot of his lazy ear, though, don’tcha think?).

blue-vintage-dress-pleats

I don’t wear too many hemlines that fall below the knee, but I think there’s something nice about a long strapless dress so I didn’t have this vintage piece hemmed.

beaded-bracelets

My sister made the green bracelet, I bought the zig-zaggy one on the street in Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

vintage-necklace

My sister also gave me this thrifted necklace for Christmas along with a gift certificate to Value Village (half joke, half perfect present).

vintage-dress-twirl

And I’ve still got her boots. Neener neener neener.

(On a side note, I love the light in this part of my backyard in the morning. The sun shines from the east and reflects off my neighbour’s window to the west and creates this beautifully artificial look.)

If a pair of boots and a pair of sandals had a love child

that offspring would be my brand new footwear.

loita-boots

Just got these cut-out Loita boots today and I cannot wait to wear them.

cut-out-boots

With a summer dress, they’d be perfect for work.

red-necklaces

My giant loopy necklace is from Barcelona (where I was this time last year) and the shorter one is from Vienna (where I wish I were right now).

But back to more important things, how would you wear cut-out boots? Would you wear them with jeans?