Shopping in Paris

I never thought I would use a personal shopper. I like to think I know what looks good on me. And I’m very decisive. I’ll know right away if I want something or not. But what a dream to shop in Paris. Knowing I only had an afternoon to myself on a work trip to the “La Ville-Lumière,” I didn’t want to waste my time going to stores where I wouldn’t buy anything. My friend Daniel MacKinnon, the man behind the blog Jet Legs, suggested I make it a mission to buy a dress like no other – a frock you could only find in France.

After a phone consultation with Laetitia Roukbi of The Paris Shopper, I sent her some of my pins of gowns. And after Googling her name, I found out that not only is she gorgeous with impeccable taste, she’s also frequently photographed for her street style fashions. I loved that she went to stores ahead of time, put cocktail dresses and gowns in my size on hold, actually kept within my budget and had a schedule of where we would go. It was like shopping with a friend but better. Honestly, without Laetitia I would have never tried on these amazing dresses.

First, we went to Collette to try on Dior black and white cocktail number, Christopher Kane blue dress with feather trim, and a shape-shifter Simone Rocha pink frock.

Then we went to Dries Van Noten to see two dresses that really excited Laetitia. One was a shift with jewelled feathers, and the other was a backless dress with a feathered skirt (shown with pants and a blazer on the runway).

The fanciest dress was a gown from Alberto Ferretti.

Our last stop was at the French boutique Paule Ka, where I tried on red carpet gowns and glam cocktail dresses.      

Sorry, but I’m not showing the dress I bought. You’ll have to wait for another post.

Shopping confessions

Bless me wallet, for I have sinned. I went shopping when I shouldn’t have. But the cool weather today shocked my system, cleansed my closet and left me wearing a sweater I bought at least four years ago. I had nothing to wear!!

You see, we’re saving up for a wedding. And that’s left my cashflow, well, not so flowy. But today, I went against my better sense and picked up a pair of pants and a blouse. But, I have to admit, I haven’t bought myself anything this season. It’s not too big of a deal. The Michael Kors boots and Rare Specimen earrings I got a few weeks ago were a birthday gift. So these will be the gift I give myself. Happy belated!

Shirt and pants are from Zara.

Soft Edged

If you check out my My Style board of my Pinterest page, you’ll see that I love a floaty, feminine blouse contrasted with skinny leather pants or jeans. So when I found these two pieces at Express, I was pretty surprised. You see, I’ve always seen this mall store as a place to get well-fitted, versatile, affordable workwear. The best dress pants I’ve ever worn are my Editor Pants (I have more than 10 pairs, I’m sure). I wore this to work recently and shocked a few coworkers, who thought my jeans were designer. I wish I were cool enough to let them think my jeans were high-end, but I was too girly and had to let them in on my steal of a deal.

Falling in love

The changing autumn leaves are nice and all, but I really love the jackets, knits, jeans and boots.

When I was in New York in January, I picked up this cropped navy trench. It was Marc by Marc Jacobs and it was on sale!! The asymmetrical hem sweater and waxed jeans are from a trip to Zara last year. (I like the Mapleview location to be better than Toronto: clothes are less likely to have been tried on, so no deodorant or makeup marks; and there’s less stock turnover, meaning I can take my time shopping.) My boots — my boots!!! — are a recent buy. I picked these Michael Kors booties up from Solee Shoes. The gold zippers are on the outside, the stacked heel is covered with snake skin-imprinted leather to contrast the smooth leather almond toe. I bought them as a birthday gift to myself. Another reason why I love fall!






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Who wore it better?

When Jennifer Aniston wears it (Valentino, Oscars), it’s considered “boring,” “plain,” and “underwhelming.”

When Allison Williams wears it (Ralph Lauren, Emmys), it’s said to be “stunning,” “gorgeous,” and adored for its “simplicity.”

Forgive me, but I don’t see a big difference.



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One, Two, Three

Three dress trends for fall, as featured in Most Magazine, distributed by The Hamilton Spectator. 

Lip service

Fall’s an exciting time for us at Glow. Mostly because we can’t wait to try all the newly-launched beauty products that land on our desks. Here’s what we’re looking forward to trying, plus anti-aging tips to help with your look.

Party girl

It’s my party, I’ll wear pants if I want to.

I was trying to figure out what to wear to our engagement party. Most stylist and fashion editors recommend a pretty party dress. I know, as I’ve given the same advice. But that’s just not my style. It’s just not me.

Granted, I’m in for any excuse that helps me buy new clothes, but a dress wouldn’t work for our wine and cheese. I wanted something more cool, fun and not so girly or rustic. A tea party dress just wasn’t on my agenda.

I headed to Zara and picked up a pair of faux leather pants. They were more like leggings (button- and zipper-less, elastic waist) but the fabric fit much better and wore like pants.

I was feeling like a billowy blouse with a 1970s fashion sensibility would be perfect. So I grabbed this powder blue silky top and wore a long gold necklace that I knotted about midway down.

I had to wear heels, but instead of buying a new pair I wore my Via Spiga T-strap pumps I got from a shoe sale at Hanleys last summer. I painted my exposed toes with Rimmel 60 Seconds in Blued Eyed Girl.

My nails I painted in Nars Andy Warhol Collection in Black Room, leaving the moons open. I just used the Essense French Manicure Tip Guides at the cuticles to create that perfect line. Here I’m enjoying a stacked sandwich the next day with our cheesy appetizer leftovers.

Heck, why not read more: Here are one published story and two blog posts I wrote.

• What to wear to an engagement party

• Shopping at Zara.ca

• Planning an engagement party

I want to be Carine when I grow up.

I want to be Carine when I grow up.



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Behind the cover: Lisa Cant

@glowmag #regram from @owengould. #theseptemberissue #lisacant #gorgeous



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I Said Yes To A Dress

I had some rules for wedding dress shopping. But it looks like I broke a few.

1. I don’t want to wear white.

I was leaning towards gold, red or brilliant shine, if you were to judge my pins on Pinterest. I did include a few white ones that I didn’t mind. But that’s just it I didn’t mind them, not in love with them.

Reality: I got a white dress. I know, I know. I was violently against white. I don’t know what to say. It’s just the one I liked the best.

2. I want red carpet glamour.

It had to be a gown. Because I wanted this dress to be something I would never normally buy for myself, I searched red-carpet pics. Why shouldn’t I get an award-worthy dress? I’m only doing this once, right?

Reality: My dress doesn’t reach the floor. I think it touches my knees though. The gowns that fit me made it impossible to eat and enjoy a bit of bubbly without looking like my belly popped. So instead of the focus being on a long, lean silhouette, it’s now on my legs. I’m good with that. My mom wore a mini dress on her wedding day. So I’m thinking it must be genetic. It’s not my fault, I just didn’t know.

3. I want architectural tailoring.

Because I don’t have an hourglass shape, I’m not interested in showing off any T&A silhouettes. I’m not against creating that shape though.

Reality: I tried on some gorgeous dresses with fantastic tailoring, like one with a hip bustle, another with a dropped ruffle in the back. But there was always something off about it, whether it was the colour or size. This dress does have a definite shape, but it’s more relaxed.

4. I want a designer name my 14-year-old, Vogue-loving self would recognize.

Wedding gown designers? Other than Vera Wang and Jenny Packham (thanks to Princess Kate), I’d never heard of any. Why would I drop that kind of money on a designer I’d never heard of.

Reality: After trying on and looking at Dior, Dries Van Noten and Carolina Herrera, I swallowed the hard fact that it’s not worth a designer’s name to just grab any ol’ dress. But that said I did get a designer dress, just not a name my younger self would recognize. I got a Paule Ka dress, which is a French brand known to dress JLo, Kristen Stewart, and a certain Kate.

5. I should buy it in Paris, France.

Reality: I did! I got it on Rue Saint-Honoré. And I love it. I don’t know that I would have enjoyed looking for dresses anywhere else. If it’s good enough for Cathy Horyn, it’s pretty effin fantastic for me.

When friends, family and acquaintances have asked me about what I’ll be wearing on the big day, I was a bit apprehensive to tell. I’ve never dreamed of wearing a big fluffy white gown. In fact, I’ve never dreamed of wearing a wedding dress. And when I would tell them this, I was always greeted with “You can get something simple – it’s your day.” Ummm… I’m not boring, but thanks. I’m not a typical bride, I would think to myself when pinning gowns to my Pinterest. Having been a bridesmaid seven times, I’ve seen friends go into the bridal store with strong ideas of what will look good on them and come out with something completely different. Turns out I am a regular bride after all.

Sorry, but you’ll have to wait to see the dress….

A bit of Paris in Canada

When I lived in Paris, one of my teacher friends (a true Parisian) loved that I was from Canada. She visited our great country before, and she just adored Toronto and Vancouver, but Quebec was another story. With a flick of her hand, she told me she was blasé about her time there. It was too much like home. Ever since then I’ve had a love for Quebec, a nostalgic one that reminds me of my days in Paris. The cobblestone roads, the quaint cafés, and the boutiques. Oh the boutiques. 

I visited Quebec City twice in the last four weeks. My boyfriend had a conference there and I was his plus-one. The second was to pick up an award!! While he was in meetings and seminars I walked Old Quebec City wide-eyed to find a store that only sold Longchamp bags and a café that sold pains au chocolates but called them chocolatiers. I ventured out of the area to discover rue Saint-Jean. It’s much more Quebecois, if I can say that. The clerks barely speak English and the merchandise was chic, not touristy. I was able to squeeze in a bit of shopping during both trips on what is now my favourite rue. 

Jupon Pressé

790 rue St-Jean

Walking into this store feels like you’re snooping in the closet of a girly but stylish friend. Everything is meticulously merchandised, placed perfectly right. My personal style isn’t frilly, girly or even a bit retro, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have an appreciation for it. The peter-pan collared tops, polka-dot dresses, bright clam diggers had me wishing I could pull it off without looking like a primped beast. But I did find this amazing top, which funnily reminded me of photos my mom has of herself in her early 20s. Paired with patent pumps, caramel leather jacket and black waxed skinny jeans, and it’s perfect for me.

Point D’Exclamation! 

762 rue St-Jean

This shop is just as girly but a bit more like a step-sister’s closet because of the darker colours the interesting mix of wares it sells. One wall is completely shelved with jewelry, and each column showcases a different designer. There’s also a bow-bar (shown), a wall of bath balms, bubbles and soap along with chic dog apparel and shappy chic decor. There’s also another wall double racked with what looks to be handmade and locally designed fashions. (The remaining wall is the front window, of course). As you may have read before, I love shopping for fashionable souvenirs, such as makeup made where I’ve visited. And this store had the sweetest fleur de lit earrings I just had to have. 

Esther P 

873 rue St-Jean

Now, I didn’t buy anything from Esther P. Huge regret. But I was just coming off of paying property taxes, income taxes and the horrible sales tax (aka, HST) and I wasn’t ready to splurge on any investment pieces. I did scope out the gowns for a possible wedding dress for myself, but I just wasn’t ready for that either. With brands like Robert Rodriguez and Ella Moss, I needed just another six weeks to be comfortable buying such a treat for myself. There were sales, though, but I didn’t want to indulge.

Ombré

Ombré is full on in beauty and fashion right now. Fashion seems obvious, with the bleached outjeans and gradual-hued sun dresses we saw last summer. I love how now we’re seeing it with more personality, more courage, and more style.

As for beauty, it makes so much sense to play with colour from the tips of your hair to your lips. While generally I wouldn’t recommend doing a trend all over, but this one is too much fun to resist. Which is why I’m wearing this Boohoo.com denim shirt with my L’Oréal Féria hair.

Here’s my Glow magazine colleague Tania Kwong demonstrating how to to do the ombré lip. Enjoy!

Heck why not read more: Three more published articles on colour.

How to colour block.

The Red Dress fashion show

Spring beauty colours

 Work it, at home

When I do work from home, I make an effort to get showered and dressed. Unless I’m sick, I’ll put on flats, skinny jeans or cigarette pants and a blouse. Nothing is worse than having to answer the door to the FedEx guy while I’m wearing my pajamas.

For my last Hamilton Spectator story, I profiled three successful women and their fashion issues for working at home. Jodi Prosovard of Grassroots HR Consulting, Amanda Kinnaird of Inspire Marketing and Karen Hewko of That Mom Blog, say that it’s not all PJs and yoga pants. So we chatted about their fashion challenges and solutions. Check out the the article.

 

The Converted

I was invited to try a preview shopping experience at Zara.com. Full disclosure: I often shop at Zara. I find it to be an easy store to navigate. They keep all the ripped denim in one area and the business with a twist in another. And their prices are easy on the bank account. If I’m trying a new trend that I’m not sure about investing my Louboutin money’s worth into, I will find it at Zara.

I’m a pretty skeptical online shopper. First, I don’t look like the model online, so I won’t know if the jacket will hit my thigh at the same spot it does on her. Books and makeup are one thing, but clothes are another. Second, I don’t always have good experiences online. There was that unexpected lump of duty the first time I ever ordered (likely with the launch of the internet). Years later, another site had me on it for two hours looking for that shoe I saw in a magazine, only to get to the final click to say that it didn’t ship that specific shoe to Canada. Another site canceled my order for fear of fraud as the promotion code I was given should have been unique to me, instead it was given to many people that day. And last summer I ordered a pair of sunglasses from a Canadian high-end site, to not get the discount. When I called to request my reduction they couldn’t give it to me, telling me that I would have to order it again and request a cancellation of the first one. But, they couldn’t process it for me. To make up for the bad service I was offered $20 off my next bill – that was my first time (and last) on the site. So shopping online is fashion roulette, really.

Today, I got a keeper: Blazer with gold appliqué on shoulder. Ordered it on Friday, and got it today. Very impressive. It took two weeks for me to get those sunglasses. Shipping was free as my order was over $50, but it’s also free if you get the package sent to your local store. Standard shipping is $5, and express is $10.

Back to my jacket. It is a polyester-elastane blend blazer with no lapels. There’s a short slit in the back and the pockets are faux (dang it). I love, love, love the metal structured shoulders – plus they have shoulder pads, perfect for power dressing. I often will wear a blazer instead of a jacket for spring, so this is a good buy for me.


Heck, why not read more: Two more published stories I wrote  with Zara fashions.

http://www.thespec.com/living/style/article/731036—the-bold-and-the-beautiful

http://www.thespec.com/living/style/article/625355—black-out