OMFG Fall Fashion!

Every year the amazingness that is New York Fashion Week gets overshadowed in my dear city by the Toronto International Film Festival. It's not that I find movies more interesting than fashion (not by a long shot...give me rolls of fabric over rolls of film any day) but when the liquor board extends the city's license until 4a.m. at all hotspots and thus parties go on until the wee hours of the morning -- well it makes it rather hard to be awake during daylight hours. (I'm only just now coming out of my nocturnal schedule, but just barely. Dinner at midnight anyone?) And so, after a good ten days of rising midday, shining til the morning, and managing to eat and sleep some time in between, I'm only just catching up on all the beautiful collections that made their debut across the border. 

There's a ridiculous amount of coverage available for fashion adorers who can't actually be front-row of all the shows; from live streaming of the collections [check out all the shows here: http://www.mbfashionweek.com/], backstage pics, live feeds, fashion bloggers galore [The Sartorialist never goes out of style: http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/] and of course the constant Facebook status updates from my friends lucky enough to be there! 

My favorite show was Burberry Prorsum's Spring 2011 collections. Body-con yet feminine dresses. Tailored studded leather. Their classic trench made slick and modern with metal adornments and colored belts. It was effortless cool at its best. The line's past few collections have been consistently beautiful in my books because of their wild child meets feminine and tailored outfits. The Burberry Prorsum girl is confident and cool without compromising on her sex appeal -- and it was definitely love at first sight. 

Burberry Prorsum Sping 2011

The Burberry show hit all the right trends we're seeing in multiple collections this year, including utilitarian touches, soft animal prints and a luxurious nude palette (although in Burberry's case, with punches of electric color). Usually reserved for those who can afford to shell out two grande on a jacket, or at least have daddies who can, Fashion Week's top trends have made their way to the mainstream at a pace never seen before. Almost exact replicas or at least spot-on trends from the runways have descended into stores like Forever 21  in sync with their debuts. Fashionistas everywhere can rejoice at wearing trends while they're still trendy -- not three seasons later! What exactly has caused this mass infatuation with designer goods to be at the forefront of pop culture -- or at least every girls' closet? The desire to replicate the runways has never been in in question, however much of its elitist facade has been stripped away due to the new generation of self-promoting, highly participant fashion savvy moguls. Everyone with an intense interest in style can put their thoughts for everyone to see and read via blogs (much like myself), social networking and so on. Lookbook sites have made mini-celebrities out of edgily stylish individuals and blogs can propel even the tiniest of bloggers into fame (literally as with the case of 13 year old Tavi Gevinson at www.thestylerookie.com who became a regular fixture backstage at NYFW through the sheer uniqueness of her blog and sense of style). 


The overwhelming knowledge of trends and obvious demand for them being broadcast over the web, magazines and overall in our overly-communicative society (seriously...I have friends who post when they're taking a shower via Ubertwitter!) has led to fall trends in all their gorgeousness making their way into stores and onto our lovely selves. The ubiquitous camel coat, luxe jewel tone cardigans, intricately printed maxis and structured dark totes can all be found in surprisingly similar form from Holt Renfrew to H&M. It's less about price and more about style nowadays which has refreshing allowed us to mix and match; a $300 L.A.M.B knit can look just as put together -- and probably a helluva lot less pretentious -- paired with wide-legged H&M trousers and Jeffrey Campbell booties than with other flashy designer pieces. It's the era of attitude in being that's all one needs, along with a sharp sense of themselves, to pull of whatever look from whichever store they so desire. Take it from Olivia Palermo, socialite of The City fame whom, while perhaps the most annoyingly polite character on reality television, has undeniable effortless style. Her "Today I'm Wearing..." outfit calendar at the Vogue website [http://www.vogue.co.uk/photo-blogs/olivia-palermo/100406-olivia-palermo-day-5.aspx] showcased her mixing the likes of Topshop and Ann Taylor with Prabal Gurung and Hermes -- instant modern chic. Palermo prominently wears Zara, which is my personal favorite for picking up luxe pieces which are trendy but not too much so at amazing price points. 


When it comes down to it fashionistas, style is style and stands alone from any obstacle. If you're a chic person, no matter what dough you're rolling in, it'll come through in your outfits. I make decisions based simply on what I like -- if I like it, I'll buy it. It's not the best mentality to have (my poor Visa took a beating this fall..) but having the trends present at such an accessible level has definitely made it a tantalizing season to shop! So go nuts bloggees and keep your eyes open; those studded leather jackets I saw strutting down the Burberry runway days ago will likely be hanging at Urban Outfitters faster than you can say "Need. Want. Have." 
x

OMFG -- Take Me Away!

I've got Asia on the brain. There's a potential trip for me in the very near future and after almost two years since I was in Hong Kong, Tokyo and Malaysia last, it's consuming my thoughts. The culture, the food, the partying -- oh my! I'm hoping this trip gets finalized soon because I am thisclose squealing obnoxiously with excitement whenever anything to do with Asia comes up. (Are those rice crackers you're eating?!! EEEEEeeeeeeaaahhh!!!!)

A born and raised Toronto girl, Asia's always been a place I heard my family talk about all the time but somewhere I never had a tangible feel on. I had been once when little, but have no recollection of (well not no recollection but very little; mostly of Hello Kitty. I was two, go figure.) and then several times in recent years only to discover that the cities of Asia are even better in person than I had imagined all these years. They are spec-fucking-tacular, to put it mildly. The first time the plane I was on descended onto Hong Kong in the evening, I remember being absolutely entranced by the gazillion lights of a spectrum of colors that covered the incredible skyline of the city, all the while being in juxtaposition against majestic rolling mountains. A feeling of excitement crept up my insides; there was a whole new city -- no, a whole new side of the world -- I hadn't experienced yet and the feeling of the (awesome!) unknown and how you're going to conquer it is probably one of the best in the world -- right up there with the "Damn, I just sealed that business deal!" feeling and the "Damn, I look like a million bucks in my new dress and heels and just saw my ex-boyfriend wince in the corner!" feeling. 

The unknown is always exciting but there was something even better about walking around Hong Kong for me than that: it was like seeing everything I had heard about as a child come to life; a fairy tale come true. All the exotic tales of my childhood were suddenly living and breathing and it was beyond fantastic. As some one who adores cities, Asia is like the mecca of all mega-cities. The sheer amount of infrastructure and the pace at which it multiplies is a marvel in itself. It's progress at it's quickest speed and just to look around in the city can inspire one into pro-activity. It's state-of -the-art mind-boggling architecture next to old-world slummy apartments. It's slick, sterile, brand new malls surrounding shantytown-like markets. It's the newest Lamborghini speeding through the streets while rickshaws pace themselves along pedestrians. Old and new mesh seamlessly in Asia and especially in Hong Kong. I had the biggest urge to just reach out and touch everything when there for the first time as an adult, to take it all in and assure myself that yes, this endearingly noisy and perpetually crowded land was in fact real. 

A quick hint for all of you non-Asians or Canadian-born Asians who plan on traveling to the East: if you're not going to try new things, don't bother. I'm mainly speaking of food here because the food is...orgasmic. I haven't been back since becoming meatless and I can imagine it to be somewhat of a form of torture to be there and not be able to indulge in all the delicacies that waft from every corner. Everything that sounds weird or disgusting is usually the tastiest, and if you let your preconceived notions of what usually makes for good food stand in the way -- well you're missing out. Get rid of the overly-sterilized, overly-packaged Western notion of pizza and burgers food and dive right into preserved sausages, congee (rice soup) with duck egg and fish, beautifully fluffy egg tarts, hot-pot style meals, and a array of animal innards that, no matter how lovingly I describe, will just sound unappealing. To experience Hong Kong is to take it all in, visually and through its vast edibility. To get past the initial gross factor is to understand why the Chinese eat like this; they lust after certain textures and flavors now matter where from. Something I dearly miss in Toronto are Chinese desserts. Sure we have the little pastries that dole out sweet buns and whatnot, but in Hong Kong there are entire restaurants devoted to mango tapioca puddings, sweet lotus seed pastes and tofu done so delicately sweet you hardly know it's tofu. 

Foodie ogling is a great part of the city -- almost as good as the night life. New York may be the city that never sleeps, but I've walked around Hong Kong at 4 in the morning only to just realize it's the middle of the night because everything is still lit up and paved over. Unlike here in Toronto, you can go to the same club night after night and it's an entirely new crowd. Not just new, but vastly international. It's models in town for a couple months from America, business men from Europe, expats from the world over and locals. It's beyond refreshing to be meeting people who have incredibly different lives that the one you've lived and an easy way to meet them is out and about in the nightlife scene. The internationality of it all also attracts top-billing when it comes to club entertainment (no, not that kind!) with top DJ's like Guetta and Aoki ensuring the city stays in a perma-stage of dance fever. For those who worship house music like I do, it's a definite pro since the last time I tried to catch Guetta in Toronto, I was packed more tightly into ex-club Circa's "VIP" area than fat sardines in a too-small tin. If there's no room to dance, what's the point? ...Exactly. Hong Kong's nightlife is legendary in its variety but not cohesive enough in image to have generated a lifestyle, like for example Nikki Beach in St. Tropez. It's variety I'm on the hunt for right now -- or you know, a chance to see Guetta where I don't get hit in the face with badly done bleached extensions every time I want to bust a move!
Hong Kong is just one of the many cities I've been to in Asia and there are a countless number more I have yet to visit. Experiencing the new is essential to..well everything! If you don't know everything that's out there, how are you supposed to make decisions about what you want? Oh, it's like Biggie rapped ever-so-wisely all those years ago: and if you don't know, now you know! I'm sure he wasn't referring to my escapades around the world, but his words have meaning when it comes to experiences of anything you haven't before.

The Hong Kong skyline...just beautiful!

I can hardly wait to hop on a plane again and arrive in a world I know nothing about but want to dive into. Until then, I'll have to settle for being excited by the sight of rice crackers (chopsticks, Pocky sticks, Sailor Moon, you name it, it's all doing the trick right now!) and know that soon enough, I'll be blogging from across the world.
x

OMFG -- the Superficial.

I nod my head politely as the girl in front of me asks mundane questions about my life. "Good! And you?" has been my response more than once. We've met many times, and we're "friends" enough...we've even hung out during the day, albeit with our respective boyfriends in tow at the time. Suffice to say, I've spent enough time with this girl to know her as more than an acquaintance....yet as we chat here in a crowded club sipping our drinks, I am utterly and totally unfocused. Some girl's glittery purse is holding my attention more than this conversation. I've come to conclusion that, while undeniably beautiful in appearance,  dressed to the nines and lovely in all ways the eye can see... this girl is boring. I don't feel bad for thinking this only because it isn't a snap judgement -- after spending as much time with her as I have, I can safely say she has slim to zilch of a personality. Interestingly enough, this girl is insanely popular and is very much a permanent fixture in the nightlife scene in the city. Yes Toronto, I guess we really are that superficial.
Maybe everyone sees something in her I don't, or maybe we simply don't click -- but I think it's more everyone is just insanely superficial. Let's face it; as long as you're beautiful, you're accepted. "Wouldn't it be a ridiculous world if everyone worshiped models?" a friend of mine once joked over coffees in London earlier this year. "But don't they already?" was my other friends brisk but truthful response. How else can one explain the social lauds of some one who's the personality equivalent of expired tofu? Simple: as long you look good, people want to be seen with you. At least in the circles of the city's self-proclaimed young, hip, and fashionable. Beauty equaling convenience isn't ground-breaking news in any way, but it certainly is something worth acknowledging when out and about in the city. Throw a hot dress on a decent looking girl and she's pretty much guaranteed access to a club sans cover and probably into a booth where the drinks are free depending on how forward she is. Throw a hot dress on an agency-rate model and well, there's no stopping what she can do! I'd be lying if I said I hadn't taken advantage of this myself -- waltzing into booths where I barely know the promoters or bottle-buyers is something I've done on many an occasion (albeit graciously as I can) and it fascinates me that this is something I have the privilege of doing simply because some people think I'm pretty. I'm grateful for it, but boggled by it at the same time. But really, as a twenty-something who is just looking to have a fun night out for the most part, I can't really complain.
Obviously the difference between your party friends and real friends is that you actually know your real friends; inside jokes, advice doling and shoulders to lean on trump bottle shots, drunk spewings of "No! I love you!!!", and empty compliments any day. I've been lucky enough to have more than several party friends become real friends the difference being, to start with anyways, is that you see them during daylight hours. Like Carrie and her gals once said about Big, "daytime makes it real!" and I couldn't agree more. Without flashing lights, total sloppiness and an atmosphere where one can get away with anything, you can actually start to get to know the girl behind the sequin dress or the guy behind the v-neck and loafers.
Oh superficiality! For some one who's in the business where my looks are literally my selling point, I guess it's allowed me to dwell on the subject more than I would had I another job. I'm both appreciative and frustrated at how simple things can be when one is seen as good-looking. As long as you don't take it too seriously and are rendered personality-less by it (seriously guys, the equivalent of expired tofu.) it's an interesting world to be a part of. I know my friends are my friends based on awesomeness and nothing else, so in that respect I know I'm still grounded. Capitalizing on what you have is one thing; becoming totally lame and boring  because of how convenient the world is to you is another. Give me engaging conversation, martini-coming-out-of-my-nose laughter and genuine caring any day; all the other stuff gets old. x

OMFG -- No Tomorrow.

I slowly opened my eyes the other morning in bed and, to my horror, the sun wasn't just shining...it was sending laser beams of light into my corneas. Not only that, but my normally serene room was spinning and in disarray (did I always throw my bra up on my curtain rod before bed?) and the normally slight murmur of the gardeners working on my street sounded like metal gravel being churned into my ears. Okay, I may be exaggerating but only because I was extremely hungover, and probably still a little wasted from the night before! Yes, it may of been a Monday but it was a holiday Monday and so, like any self-respecting person with a holiday the next day, I made it my personal mission to drink like there was no tomorrow the night before.
Obviously there is always a tomorrow but when you're in your twenties it never quite seems to feel like it....especially when you're highly inebriated and surrounded by people who seem to think the same. Ah, your twenties; perhaps the only time in life one gets away with such socially questionable behaviour, and gets away with it while looking good and with a smirk plastered on his or her face. To feel consequence-less is definitely something of a fleeting era confined to those in our age bracket ...behave the same way any older and it looks either 1) desperately sad or 2) highly irresponsible -- don't you have kids to go home to or something? But living like there's no tomorrow now is perfectly acceptable and we twenty-somethings should take full advantage of such amazing karmic rights.
All debauchery should be carried out with discretion, none of us want to end up like such tabloid fodder as Lindsay Lohan. Seriously, when the whole world knows you're a mess and you still are in denial, that's when you know your consequence-less days are over. There's a fine line between appreciatively enjoying these carefree days and going shamelessly overboard to a point of no recovery. A perfect example of the latter in the news recently (or rather always it seems) is Paris Hilton. With all her money, supposed "hidden" smarts she hides with a surprisingly convincing dumb-as-dirt persona and all her experience with handling the media, Paris has managed to get herself arrested -- again! -- this time for cocaine possession. The last report I read said something to the likes of "Hilton thought cocaine was gum! Purse containing drug was not hers because it wasn't designer!" Of course it was gum! I always take my gum in powder form up my nose, my toothpaste in joint form that I light up and smoke and my mouthwash comes in little tablets that have an "e" on them! I mean, come on. Hilton and Lohan are sorely tragic examples of two girls who were literally given anything they wanted in the world and still managed to mess it up. A little lesson in grace here young Hollywood: when the world is your playground, have fun on the monkey bars, but don't climb to the top of the jungle gym, take a shot of Jack, then face-plant into misery. Well, not more than a few times anyways.
The universe, or society, whichever it is we in our twenties happen to believe in at the moment, seems to have set aside a pardon on youth when it comes to forgiveness. Acts of brutality aside (we're not talking murder or anything here people), it seems as though a misdemeanor here, a one night stand there, and a passing out in goodness knows where can all be chalked up as "learning " experiences for now, from which we're expected to mature and know better from. Now I know I've had more than my share of "learning experiences" and it's true, once you go through them once (or twice) it's not likely to happen again because let's face it: been-there-done-that syndrome occurs to even the craziest of the party crowd. 
The message here is simple my lovely readers: live it up now while everything still is your playground and before we all start having relatively substantial things in life to worry about. That trip to Ibiza you want to take but can't quite justify? Go. That thing that seems like a really good idea at 4 a.m. that you know you shouldn't? Do it. Those really expensive shoes you want to roll up in this weekend just because? Buy them. Mistakes are only mistakes when we allow them to be, and now is when we should be making them. Live and learn is the simplest, yet truest saying there is and we twenty-somethings should be living those words to the fullest. 
x