J. Crew at #NYFW

Anyone who knows me well, knows my love for Jenna Lyons, and J. Crew. This season Tom Mora, head of women's design at J. Crew, collaborated with Sophia Webster to bring a new shoe collection for Spring 2014. The collaboration all started when Jenna Lyons (Creative Director of J. Crew) was in dire need of a pair of heels for an event last minute, so she ran into Saks and grabbed the first pair of interesting shoes she could find. After receiving compliments all night, she decided to look into who this Sophia Webster was (vongue.co.uk). The shoe collaboration was a great success, tons of amazing patterns and all while sticking true to the simplicity of J.Crew.

sketches from J.Crew of the shoe collection available in 2014

Jenna Lyons, Sophia Webster and Tom Mora (instagram sophiawebster_)

The collection itself had a California surfer feel, with some neoprene, neons and a great Hawaiian pattern that almost anyone could wear. There were a couple t-shirts that had French sayings, well cut skirts, and of course a few great blazers. Every outfit that was shown could easily be worn by todays modern woman, whether you are running errands, grabbing dinner with a friend or heading to work. J. Crew gives you great shoes, killer jewelry and well-made clothing that could take you almost anywhere you need to be.

photo sources: style.com

Another cloudy day in Paris, finally getting around to sorting through some photos from the weekend! xxx

DVF and DKNY

For a woman who is as busy as she is, Diane von Furstenberg sure seems to love life more than the average person. Her Spring 2014 collection was everything african-chic oasis with a city twist.  Great - but subtle - animal prints and bold hues made the collection stand out amongst what we have seen this far during NYFW. Naomi (no last name needed) closed the show, grabbing everyones attention and as DVF made her appearance after the finale, she danced her way down the runway in her typical care free way. Quite possible one of my favorite collections so far!

photo sources: style.com

Donna Karan celebrated a huge milestone for DKNY yesterday at her Spring 2014 show - 25 years strong! With Rita Ora as the current face of DKNY, it was no surprise to see her close the show dancing down the runway. No one knows the New York City woman quite like Donna Karan, sticking true to a city background, the collection was a great nostalgic showcase of DKNY. Two-piece sweat suits, patched denim, baseball caps, sneakers, overalls, skater dresses and then of course some more elegant pieces, the collection was spectacular and entertaining.

photo sources: style.com and mtv.ca

Rainy day in Paris, but I have some photos to sort through from walking around la sien yesterday, so I will post those up sometime in the next day or so. xxx

Alexander Wang Laser Cuts His Own Name

Alexander Wang has done some magnificent work with laser cutting materials in the past, but this time he took it to a different level: self branding. I am not typically a huge brand-name-wearing kind of person, but to me, this is brilliant. Yesterday, numerous models strutted the catwalk sporting laser cut Alexander Wang pieces, and it caught everyone's attention on social media. It is clean, sleek and I am certain everyone is going to want a dress, jacket, shirt or belt with Alexander Wang's name laser cut right into it for Spring 2014.

photo source: style.com

Off to explore some more of Paris today, going out for breakfast first on rue de martyr! xxx

Day 2 of #NYFW

Jason Wu was the first big designer to show his collection at NYFW on Friday, and of course his shows always guarantee top models. Jourdan Dunn, Hilary Rhoda, and Lui Wen, just to name a few. Karlie Kloss' last look (#43, second to last of the show) seemed to cause quite a stir on the social media aspect. I am certain every single stylist will be trying to get their hands on it for awards season - this dress is a winner for sure.

photo source clockwise from top left: style.com, instagram.com/intothegloss, nst.com, style.com

Rag and Bone stuck to their typical tom boyish looks, but this time they picked up the color just a bit. They seemed to have gone along with the traditional pastel theme - bold and brights though, as oppose to some of the more softer pastels we have been seeing so far on the runways. Every piece was kept simple, with small details such as pops of color or faint patterns. The models also sported a bold lip - perhaps a new trend for Spring 2014?

Rag and Bone (style.com)

Rebecca Minkoff went above and beyond for her show, typically designer events are exclusive, but she decided to invite in a few fans. Janelle Monae sang live, and the models strutted the runway to showcase her very Latin American inspired collection. One of my favorite looks was the finale look (first left below), Lindsey Wixson walked in a rose printed silk maxi that flowed with every move.

Rebecca Minkoff (style.com)

Another day, another dozen collections to check out. I'm off to meet up with a few au pairs and perhaps explore the city a little more. I love this time of year - fashion is everywhere!

xxx

Day 1 of #NYFW

New York Fashion Week kicked off fairly typical. So far only one major hiccup, People's Revolution pulled out last minute on David Tlale's show on Sept 6th. Kelly Cutrone's company announced their departure because they were not being paid (racked). Note to anyone who hires any public relations company - they do not work for free!

Nicholas K's collection was probably my favorite through day one, it is full of perfectly draped pieces and screams casual boho-chic. The thick headbands is interesting for Spring, but none the less a great look when your hair is parted down the middle.

photo source: style.com

As for the rest of the shows, there were hints of strong (highlighter) yellows, a few light pastels and a lot of great black accents. Whether it be a little leather panel, lace trimming or a strappy heels, black accents are everything this spring.

from left to right: BCBG MAX AZRIA, Honor, Tadashi Shoji, Marissa Webb.photo source: style.com

Let Day 2 begin! Personally I am looking forward to Rebecca Minkoff and of course viewing all the tweets from the Project Runway show.

xxx

Balmain et La Tour Eiffel

A few days ago I was sitting on the grounds of the Eiffel Tower, and it made me think back to the Balmain Fall 2013 collection. The structure, the strength, the power of alignment; the similarities are staggering. It is amazing that after two years with Balmain, Olivier Rousteing has proven himself a force to be reckoned within the fashion industry. For myself it seems as though it has been more than just two years, but ever since April 2011 Balmain has been rising to the top, and most of the credit goes to Mr. Rousteing himself.

Photo credit: Balmain FW13 photos from Style.com and Eiffel Tower photos from emma kathleen.

When you see it from afar, it all seems perfectly aligned. Soft even. Yet, when you look upclose, you can see all of the structured details it requires to create such a magnificent piece of work, and it is resilient. I see this in both the Eiffel Tower and as well many of the pieces in the Balmain 2013 Fall collection.

Photo credit: Balmain FW13 photos from Style.com and Eiffel Tower photos from emma kathleen

Another day, another thought. The comparison to me is quite similar, pieces from Balmain FW13 and the Eiffel Tower, but perhaps not everyone thinks the same. That of course is one of the beauties in the world.

New York Fashion Week is kicking off this morning, that means weeks of watching live feeds from New York to London to Milan, and then exploring Paris during fashion week here - exciting!

xxx

Badgley Mischka, The Row & Beyonce

Final week of school before reading week and New York Fashion Week makes for a lot of late nights and runway watching. While rolling through the collections, there was one that caught my eye and made me want to share it with the world! Badgley Mischka sent fourty two femme looks down the runway at Mercedes Benz NYFW and as the second half of models walked, I fell in love. There have been several mixed reviews of the collection, but there was something about the way the dressed moved that made me stop and stare. Here are a few of my favourite looks and note: I am loving the deep green that are owning the runways in New York.

style.com

The Olsen twins got some pleasant reviews for their Fall 2013 collection for The Row and I concur! The collection was short and sweet but their was a good amount of simplistic variety, as we know they are not ones to go crazy - they keep it real. I think the best collections are sometimes the ones that you can invision wearing yourself. If you know me well enough, you know that chunky knit sweaters and scarves are my obsession, so this gorgeous look (below) made me smile.

style.com

It may be NYFW, but lets not forgot what is going on... March issues are hitting the shelves! Beyonce is covering Vogue, and this photo is just perfection. Enjoy xxx

concreteloop.com

Hashtag New York Fashion Week

Beauty shot from WWD

I don't know if it is the mere fact that #NYFW has taken over the twitter world, or if it is the constant live streaming of shows, but New York Fashion Week got me good this year. I am obsessed with constantly checking the shows, leading me to find even more designers I did not know existed. It is killing me that I will be occupied for a good 8 hours tomorrow for a photo shoot - meaning I cannot just sit with my macbook and love life. Today was an interesting day in the world of fashion for me as one of my favorites - Prabal Gurung - took to the runway and stole my heart, yet again. Military style, neutral palette, sex appeal and I was sold. Chunky knits, leather accents and killer shoes were all an added bonus. Then I get told that one of my classmates here in Toronto flew down to NY to walk in Alexander Wang's show (check out last photo), so excited for her! New York Fashion Week has just begun already I am hooked. xxx

Runway shot of Prabal Gurung (WWD)

Model (and my college classmate) Lauren English walking the runway at Alexander Wang (WWD)

OBSESSED: & I just can't get enough.

School begins tomorrow, apartment is fully broken into, Fashion's Night Out is this week, and New York Fashion Week begins on Wednesday! Excuse my lack of posting, as it has been a busy week and I am working on getting back into the swing of things. I have posted about bracelets before, but here I am again with some obsessive photos I have found on Tumblr. Hope everyone has a fab week! xxx