Scarfalicious at Club Monaco
Posted in Uncategorized on October 30th, 2009 by styltribe
The weather is erratic in Canada to say the least, but the one thing every Canuck girl and boy knows well is the importance of two things in the cool-season: Layering clothes and Scarves! Well, come to think of it, I guess it’s really one thing, since the addition of a scarf to your outfit certainly counts as layering. Wrap them up around your face for a super-cozy and chic look, or leave ‘em long and loose for a Parisian “I just threw this on” look. Summer or winter, you really can’t go wrong, not to mention the level of polish that a simple scarf can add. One of my favourite tricks to spruce up an old handbag is tie a contrasting colour scarf, tied neatly to the handle. This trick, I must admit, I learned from watching Audrey Hepburn. She was always the epitome of chic, and the scarf would be tied around her handbag just in case she was suddenly invited for a ride in a fabulous convertible car, or needed to go for an afternoon bicycle ride. Sigh. Those were the days. But I digress. The point here, folks, is that this weekend only, Club Monaco stores are offering you $10 off any scarf in the store! Now that is good news. Now, if only we can convince Hermes to put their scarves on sale — and for more than $10 off — we’ll really be on to something. In the meantime, we’ll take the clever little prints and checks from our friends at Club Monaco. And remember, all students get an additional 20% in store with a valid student ID. Now that’s what I call smart!
As many who know me well will attest, my lady crush has always revolved mostly around one woman: the vivacious and smoldery Spaniard named Penelope Cruz. She always looks impeccable, and in every example to date, I would wear each and every piece in her wardrobe and in fact, I dream about it, too. So, today, when I saw this snapshot of Miss Cruz at the New York premiere of Broken Embraces, I swooned! Not only are the Haider Ackermann dress and jacket absolutely stunning in their own rights, I loooove the way she paired the slightly rough-and-tumbled jacket with a silk sheath of an evening gown! It’s perfection! Now, I often pair my black ponyhair blazer with my floor length evening gowns, so I’m no novice to mixing hard and soft looks, but this one really impressed me. Bravo, Penelope! You rock! I can’t wait to see her next up with Nicole Kidman and Kate Hudson in the movie Nine. Now, can someone invite me to a fete where I can wear a floor length evening gown, please? I’m totally inspired!
Ok, so…everyone has heard by now about the whole over-the-knee boot rage that is sooo Fall 09. And it can work on a multitude of levels. For example, the nearly-flat, black leather, Captain-Hook type boots are a great way to spice up your skinny jeans and give your casual look some oomph. I did, however, have the misfortune of seeing a woman wear these boots with an impossibly high-heel, coupled with a very tight sweater. I winced immediately, but then I gave her due props for a moment or two for trying to incorporate the new trend successfully. Unfortunately for her, it didn’t work. You can’t sex up your whole outfit, or you hazard looking, well, like a working girl. The whole high-boot trend actually comes from a reverence for 80′s style that we’ve seen for a few seasons, and these boots are giving a quirky little nod to Pretty Woman. You don’t want to take this trend (as you shouldn’t with most) as literally — we all love Julia in that movie, but few of us actually hold our dresses together with safety pins ( I hope!). So the key to wearing these boots isn’t hard, you just need to keep the rest of your look super-breezy and casual, and leave all the sex appeal to the boots, since they have oodles. There is one pair of boots, however, that was the subject of much debate and discussion: the Prada hip-waders. Muccia has always had a bit of fun playing with subtext when it comes to women’s sexuality in her designs, and did so again with these puppies. Coming halfway up the thigh, and with optional waist belt to help keep them up, Prada’s boots are made in the softest leather, but made to appear rubber like the practical ones fishermen don. The skyscraper heels make these boots the exact opposite of practical, as does the fact that you’re not supposed to get them wet! As a comment on women’s need to be tough in the world today, we applaud you, Prada. As wearable and long term functionality, though, we think you might need a slight reality check. They sort of remind me of a suede bikini I once saw in a Victoria’s Secret catalogue. The model was wearing it to disembark from her helicopter, and below her feet, the text read: “Not for use in sunlight, do not wet.” I totally get that most fashion items aren’t practical, and therein lies the fun! So here I shrug and simply concede that some things are just meant to be strange, I suppose. Now I’m waiting for someone to show a couture construction hardhat…now that would be hot!
LiLo, or Lindsay Lohan, gained the title of Enfant Terrible this past weekend in Paris, and not in a good way. You know, the way Jean Paul Gautier was called that for his terribly chic and unique design sensibilities? No, this was a disastrous mis-calculation on the part of the Emanuel Ungaro label. They appointed Lohan as Creative Director for the label, and I’m guessing they were hoping for a little more street credibility for their usually classic and elegant evening gowns and demure ensembles. Unfortunately, what they got was more of Lohan’s own style of dressing, which included lots of leggings and dresses so short that some said they would invite paparazzi crotch shots. All this, mind you, without showing a single evening gown that would, at very least, balance the awkward looks coming down the runway. Apparently, the newly appointed creative director of the label (La Lohan herself) appeared at a local Parisian haunt not long after the backlash looking rather unaffected by the responses to the collection. Wonder what Ungaro plans to do for next season? Will Paris Hilton soon have a job with the label too? Let’s hope this was all just a case of Freaky Friday and all will return the way it was come Fall/Winter 2010.
Let me begin by saying that I have had a paper bag next to my desk ever since I heard about Jimmy Choo’s collaboration with H&M for a line of shoes to debut this November. Could it be? The sexy, indisputably power-inducing shoes would become affordably accessible at my local H&M? Well, maybe not sooo accessible, since I’m sure there will be a feeding frenzy followed by throngs of eBay sales afterwards, but you know what I mean. I can’t wait to see what they’re going to do. Looks like, from the initial pictures, that the zebra stripe and spindly stiletto will remain in place. For the rest, it looks like we wait. I know where I’m going to be come November 14th. Save me a spot in line! 
