Wardrobe

Inimitable Style.

Ines de la Fressange. French model | style icon | chanel muse | designer.

Ines de la Fressange

Marion Cotillard | French actress.

Marion Cotillard | Christian Dior

Marion Cotillard | Elie Saab

Tavi Gevinson & Iris Apfel

Tavi Gevinson & Iris Apfel talk about Turbans, Taste & Bathrobes :: http://nymag.com/thecut/2012/06/iris-apfel-and-tavi-gevinson-talk-turbans-taste.html

“Starlet or not, Apfel said she can’t work creatively when she’s dolled up. Similarly, Tavi also said she’s in pajamas the second she gets home from school at 3 p.m., and Thurman admitted she regularly works from home in pajamas and yoga clothes. “I’m freer when I’m not dressed up,” said Apfel. “There’s nothing like a good old bathrobe.”

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photo credits ::

vogue.fr

easyfashion.blogspot

thelittleblackjacket.chanel

nymag.com/thecut

10 reasons why your jeans don’t fit – Flare.com

photo :: levi's

10 reasons why your jeans don’t fit :: flare.com

Plum Clothing

I’ve been meaning to do a write up on Plum for a very long time. I think I haven’t done one yet in part because it’s sort of my best-kept secret store, in calgary anyways. Most women/clients I speak with have never heard of Plum. Thats too bad because it’s a pretty great store for many reasons. I guess I should start sharing my best kept secret and tell you all the reasons you should check them out for yourself.

1. Plum is a canadian company. Their head office is in Vancouver.  The have an in-house/exclusive line which is designed and manufactured in vancouver  (3 actually – Plum, Simone and Tobias). They also carry other lines as well, most of them canadian-based and manufactured in canada. Read more about how Plum is proudly canadian here.

2.  Department -store shopping experience. Sort of. I like taking clients to Plum because they have everything – cool jewellery (usually canadian designers), shoes, belts, accessories, handbags, clutches, scarves, under garments like sheer tank tops, leggings – clothing styles range from business clothing to party dresses, mavi jeans, yoga  jeans, blazers, sweaters… Yes. They have all this under one roof.

3. Price points are very reasonable, given the made in canada designation.

4. Customer service. Is always fantastic, at every location. (I’ve been to all of them) Never any pretension in these stores.

5. Plum is a mother/daughter type boutique which really just means age appropriate for all women.

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Huffington Post – Style

Check out the article I contributed to for the Huffington Post Style section ::

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/04/26/neckline-styles_n_1456557.html?1335473085&ref=canada-style

Further to this article on necklines, I’d like add there are so many other factors to consider when choosing one for yourself (that the article didn’t touch on) – one of these factors is body type below the waist. Taking into consideration your body type as a whole will help to decide on a proper neckline. Because it’s possible that you may have a boyish figure on top, and not on the bottom – which is completely normal.

Think proportion first, follow some general guidelines about body type and then proceed by breaking those rules.

If  you want help figuring out those rules and then bending them, contact me and we’ll figure it out.

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Capsule Wardrobe.

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about capsule wardrobes. Put very simply a capsule wardrobe is a well edited selection of clothing that meets every single one of your specific needs. (also a term coined by Susie Faux, West End London boutique owner of Wardrobe [how very fitting ] and popularized by Donna Karan) And I think about this a lot because to be honest, I don’t like thinking about clothes or getting dressed anymore than I need to. I want to know that whatever I decide to put on that morning reflects everything that I want to feel and express.

Your own personal capsule wardrobe won’t happen over night. It takes time – even if you have a big budget. You have to first ask yourself how you want to feel. Write these things down, save images, take photographs of things, start an inspiration board – whatever. The key is to keep it simple – arrive at two or three keywords, images, colours and thats your starting point. For example – I almost always want to feel like this ::

…mixed with a little bit of this –  See a theme?

You can also start right away by going to your closet and applying your keywords/images to everything in there. Put the items aside if they don’t align. Do this as an exercise at first and don’t commit to getting rid of anything just yet. You might see a pattern. You might find that you don’t really like anything that is hanging in your closet. Let yourself feel frustrated and then move on. Now you have a better idea and starting point than before, when all you felt was frustration. It’s better to know right?

Be patient with yourself and this process. It’s ok to end up with less.

If you’d like help with this process or have questions about how to curate your own capsule wardrobe, contact me for a complimentary initial consultation.

Before you contact me, start thinking about this now – because I will most definitely ask you – How do you want to feel?

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all photo sources :: elle.com

The Boutique vs The Mall.

You don't get this kind of experience at the mall.

I’ve had a pretty amazing and busy month full of wardrobe appointments – mostly personal shopping with my clients. I’ve had some great experiences shopping in independent boutiques that I want to share with you all. I also had an aha! moment recently in my business that I’d like to share – I can’t stand the mall. So, I decided that I don’t need to take my clients to the mall, anymore. (unless it’s to The Bay downtown, which everyone knows I love)  I’ve never enjoyed going to the mall in my life, so why would I take my clients there? Especially when I’m interested in independent fashion, boutiques and clothing lines? It’s always been most important to me to support indie fashion and boutiques and I love exposing my clients to stores they never knew existed.

[I won't say that I will completely rule out going to the mall, especially if I'm looking for value, I'm on a time-crunch, or if a client specifically suggests so  - then of course, yes.]

I’d like to talk first about Mariah Contemporary Clothing located in Aspen Landing Mall (my favourite suburb of calgary if I had to pick one)  I only just found Mariah but they have been around for 10years or so, in a different location. I loved everything I saw – really. It’s an extremely well-edited selection of merchandise, the opposite being my number 1 pet peeve in a store (besides terrible customer service). It’s the kind of place where you can shop side by side with your mom and everyone leaves looking appropriate. The ladies working on the sales floor were helpful, personable and respected that I was there with my client – which is truly tops in my wardrobe consultant book.

I’ll be taking more clients, my mom and myself back to Mariah very soon

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It is SO important to support these independent businesses, especially in a city like Calgary. Big box and chain stores go hand in hand with urban sprawl which plagues our fine city. Support the little guy (or gal) whenever possible.  You vote with your money.

Made to measure

Mick & Bianca on Savile Row

March is menswear Made to Measure month (alliteration!)  Yes – a made to measure suit will cost up to 15% more than a ready-to-wear suit (off the rack). I can assure you – that 15% more is worth every penny. Think of that 15% as the investment part of your wardrobe.

These are just some of the tailoring events happening in Calgary for march ::

- Holt Renfrew offers a year-round Made to Measure Tailoring service, though they are promoting a tailoring event through the month. For more information on their services visit this page

- Indochino is a custom online menswear site that offers made to measure tailored menswear delivered to you.  They are based on the West Coast and are doing a Western Canadian tour, stopping in Calgary from march 6-10.  Information on Indochino and the Travelling Tailor event here

… It makes me so happy that we are starting to think about wearing made to measure and custom articles of clothing again – it’s a long, almost lost, art form that needs support for it to thrive. Bespoke suiting and menswear custom tailoring is on the rise – this is not a fad, nor is it ‘trendy’ or ‘fashion-forward’ – rather this art form has come full circle and has brought some of the romance back into dressing.

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colour inspiration.

Gabrielle Chanel once suggested never to wear more than 3 colours at a time.  How perfect is this photo? I love the unexpected use of colour, times x3.

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photo source :: styleandthecity.com

New Fascination.

I’ve recently had the opportunity to work with more male wardrobe clients – and I love the challenge. Since my background in fashion design largely revolved around womenswear and women’s design – it never occurred to me to study men or mens clothing. Until now.

I’m fascinated by mens suiting and how one is constructed; the inside of a mans blazer can reveal so much.  I’m also surprised to find out how much men appreciate quality and attention to detail – in a much different way than women.

In any case – I now pay so much more attention to collars, lapels and the many different ways a tie can be knotted.

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Menswear stole the show.

This post is happening quite late – I happened to be especially busy over the holidays and I am behind in posting. No complaints – wonderful new wardrobe clients and relationships. I’m very thankful.

Of course, there were parties to attend as well.  The Ferocious Grape wine store, where I have been known to spend some time, recently celebrated it’s 3yr anniversary.  It was full of the opening of amazing bottles of wine, great people, food from friends at Bonterra and more than 3 bottles of champagne were sabered.  And that night, menswear stole the show. Impressed, slightly giddy, yet not surprised – the timing could not have been better. I’ve been on a serious menswear kick lately, so I took the opportunity to take some photos and got to know a little about our stylish man friends and their duds.

gingham shirt and jeans - Diesel/ vest - John Varvatos/ boots - Doucal

This is Bob and this is his model stance. He is a regular at FG and he is very stylish. We often talk about obscure and hard to find clothing labels, the best places in calgary to get menswear tailored and toronto. I was blown away by the attention to detail Bob presented – everything really worked together and he was even wearing a corkscrew pin. Bob gets an A+ for effort.

wool bowtie - Hanauer/ gingham shirt - Diesel/ vest - John Varvatos/ pin - gift

burgundy velvet suit - Hugo Boss

This is Brian and Brian’s model stance. Sommelier for FG. Brian has a very distinct personal style – he can easily pull things off that other men can’t. Like this burgundy velvet suit with black piping. Amazing. It’s a gorgeous suit that fits him perfectly and suits his personality. A black patent dress shoe could have suited this ensemble, but Brian chose a brown leather shoe by Cwdwoq. Brian also gets an A+ for dressing on purpose.

brown leather shoes - Cydwoq

vintage cufflinks

I love the absolute attention to detail on a mens monogrammed cuff. Women rarely, if ever, do this kind of thing. In some ways, menswear design is more thoughtful, classic and romantic.

It’s these small, seemingly insignificant details that matter so much. They really do define your personal style.

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