Today is the last day of September and tomorrow, October 1st, marks the start of Breast Cancer Awareness month. Many companies and people are involved in raising money for this cause and fashion is used as a means to develop creative collaborations, whether it’s speaking to the experience of knowing someone with this disease or having experienced breast cancer themselves.

Breast cancer has also touched the family of Canadian footwear designer, Ron White; his aunt and two cousins were diagnosed with it. To aid in the cause, White is partnering with the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation this year to lend his support and craft.

Shoe specifications:

• Outer, cashmere suede wrapped
• Colour, black
• Heel height,  6.35 cm

Why I chose this shoe: I characterise the Robin Passion Pink Pump as cute and elegant. The cashmere suede wrapped shoe has the signature Ron White bow lined in pink metallic leather. The kitten heel increases the versatility of wear allowing women to don it from the office to the opera.

The pump was developed by White in honour of his aunt, a breast cancer survivor, and throughout October $100 from every pair sold will be donated to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. The Robin Passion Pink Pump can be found in all seven RON WHITE locations and at The Room at the Bay on Queen Street (Toronto).

Images courtesy of Ron White

I came across another great fashion documentary to share with you – and you know how much I love my fashion films. It’s called, Hearts and Crafts and it focuses on the providing an in depth and personal look inside the work and lives of the ateliers at the French fashion house of Hermès.

Having a documentary that makes the men and women, who work behind-the-scenes, in fashion as its main subject can often times be far more interesting, revealing and connective to what we experience in our everyday life versus the glitz and glamour. The human struggle and personal stories play an integral part into the creation and production of the beautiful garments and accessories we buy and covet.

Below is part one of Hearts and Crafts, but visit Full Frontal Fashion to see the rest of the movie at http://www.fullfrontalfashion.com/video/.

Video from Full Frontal

As I write this blog entry I’m suffering from symptoms of the first fall/winter cold of the season; scratchy and swollen throat, watery eyes with a dash of lethargy thrown in. So this will be a pretty short blog post today, although it pains me to limit in words how much I admire Jonathan Saunders’ designs and his collection for spring/summer 2012.

There are many synergies between Saunders last two collections, resort 2012 and fall 2011. You’ll the see his signature patterns used throughout the application of prints to highlight the bottom and top portion of the garments, often broken up by a second print. Love the shoes by the way!

Now I’m off to wallow in my sickness – enjoy the pics.

Images from Vogue.com

Looking back on the shoes I’ve chosen for this weekly blog post, I’ve been unconsciously drawn to texture used to enhance and compliment footwear designs. From brushed suede to metal chains, to pony hair and embossed leather, all showcase the various materials used by designers to captivate shoeaholics around the world.

Therefore, my shoe choice for today is from Nicholas Kirkwood’s fall/winter 2011 collection which showcases the ingenuity of laser cut leather.

Shoe specifications:

• Outer, leather
• Colour, navy
• Heel height, 13 cm

Why I chose this shoe: found on Barneys, the laser cut bootie from Kirkwood’s collection highlights the benefits of using technology to craft intricate designs out of leather. The floral and leaf cut-outs cover the entire shoe and the black leather trimming along the ankle and foot creates depth and provides an edgy feel.

Images from Barneys

Fashion and shoes are not the only secret obsessions I have in my life; I’m also an undercover beauty junkie. Compared to other beauty obsessed people, my habits are pretty mild but when I do shop for cosmetics I go all out and by the time I’ve finished at the make-up counter I walk away with more products than I originally set out to buy.

Obtaining beauty samples are my preferred choice when trying out new products, its allows you to take it on a test drive before committing to a 100mL bottle of cleanser or shade lipstick that you end up either loving to death or disliking with a passion.

I was contacted by the team at Loose Button to review their service and product offerings. Loose Button operates a monthly beauty subscription service that delivers three to five beauty samples inside a Luxe Box straight to your door-step. Samples that appear inside the Luxe Box can range from skincare to cosmetics and fragrances.

Inside the September Luxe Box:

• Laura Mercier, Perfecting Water-Rich, 10mL
• Mereadesso, Face + Neck Toning Gel, 7mL
• Moroccan Oil, The Original Oil treatment, 25mL
• Pür Minerals, Mineral Glow, 3.4g
• One, Hersey Kiss chocolate

The phrase, “it’s all in the details” can be applied to the moment I opened my Luxe Box. The packaging, personalized greeting and welcome cards on high quality paper were such a pleasant surprised that it made me feel special and part of an exclusive members club.

Inside the September Luxe Box there are four product samples, all from well-respected brands such as Moroccan Oil and Laura Mercier, and provided at very decent sample sizes. Out of the four products, I’ve only ever tried the Moroccan Oil and it’s already a permanent staple within my hair care products so I’m super excited to have the opportunity to try-out the remaining items.

I’m so impressed at Loose Button’s delivery and product offerings that I’m going to be signing up shortly to get on this monthly beauty action. I’m even considering of gifting it to a few close friends, they’d absolutely love it – not sure if this is possible but I’m sure it can be coordinated some how.

If you’re wondering about cost, Loose Button has a few plans you can choose from either $12 monthly or $120 yearly. More information about the Luxe Box and how to sign up can be found at http://loosebutton.com/.

Interested in trying out a Luxe Box? See the giveaway details below.

The Luxe Box giveaway!

For all of those undercover or not-so-undercover beauty junkies, the generous team at Loose Button is offering one free Luxe Box to my readers. How to enter:

1. Go to the Loose Button Facebook page and “Like it.”
2. Leave a comment on this blog entry by clicking on the “Response” button below and tell me about your one favourite beauty product and why.
3. Be sure to fill in all the comment fields and provide your e-mail address – I’ll need this to contact the winner.
4. Contest closes on October 7, 2011.

** Note: this giveaway is open to Canadian residents only. The winner will be chosen using a random number generator and will be announced on this post with an update to this entry. The winner will be sent the October Luxe Box from Loose Button which will arrive around mid-month.

** BLOG ENTRY UPDATE (October 10, 2011): the winner of the Luxe by Loose Button giveaway is Andrea B.! Congrats on winning an October Luxe Box Andrea, I’ll e-mail you shortly to coordinate delivery of it to you.**

I’ve been behind in keeping up with the runways shows and designer trends at New York Fashion Week and with London Fashion Week currently in session, I’m miles behind on catching up – life gets in the way sometimes.

However, one of the collections which got the most interesting buzz from New York Fashion Week was J.Crew’s runway show for spring/summer 2012.

I’ve selected a few pictures from the retailer’s latest collection and I’m thoroughly impressed with the vivid colours and patterns used throughout. The tendency towards brighter colours for the winter over the next few seasons is a welcome trend and I for one am building my wardrobe with lots colour, consciously steering my choices away from that black or grey sweater, of which I have more than two in my closet.

I’m even happier since J.Crew opened its first Canadian store at Yorkdale Mall and now ships to Canada, that the chances of getting my hands on a few pieces from this collection is looking pretty good.

Image courtesy of J.Crew

The first time I featured a Prada shoe in my weekly blog posts was last year and it was a selection of clear heels from the fashion label’s spring/summer 2010 collection. The clear heels courted a lot of comments from readers, some not positive, but to be honest I’m not a fan of clear heels because there are too many connotations attached to it.

This time around, I’ve chosen a shoe that is a little more conservative than the latter and displays the design versatility of the Italian fashion house.

Shoe specifications:

• Outer, suede and python
• Colour, burgundy
• Heel height, 11.43 cm with 2.5 cm platform

Why I chose this shoe: found on Nordstrom, Prada’s suede and python pump captures the essence of the autumn season. The colour, a rich burgundy suede combined with speckled python skin creates a contrasted between light and dark. The curved heels provides an interesting design element adding a feeling of whimsy to a classic pump design which usually evokes too much seriousness – shoes should be fun.

Images from Nordstrom

After waiting for over a year I finally get the chance to watch YSL: L’Amour Fou. The documentary chronicles the life of French fashion designer, Yves Saint Laurent with his lifelong partnership with Pierre Bergé. It also examines Bergé’s decision to auction off a lifetime of valuable art amassed by the couple upon Saint Laurent’s death, such as paintings by Picasso and ancient Egyptian statues – it was known as “the auction of the century."

The documentary showed at the Toronto International Film Festival last year, but sadly I missed the opportunity to see its premiere.

To give you a taste and feel of the movie I’ve posted the trailer below. Enjoy!

There’s nothing more that I love than a coffee table book full of captivating pictures and, of course, one that covers fashion. I have a very modest collection of fashion books and DVDs in my library that I’m slowly but surely amassing; some of the printed works I own include Avedon Fashion, In Vogue and Fashion Questionnaire.

Renowned publisher, Assouline produces some of the most eye-catching books and they’ve recently released their latest work, BALS: Legendary Costume Balls of the Twentieth Century by Nicholas Foulkes. This book examines “nine (of the) most exceptional private costume parties of the twentieth century” from the “Romanov dynasty through les années folles of Art Deco Paris to the jet-set seventies.”

The interesting feature of BALS is that it focuses on providing an in depth look at the art of costuming, and subtly, the social and economic features that influenced them at the time with commentary by Paul Poiret, Truman Capote and Cecil Beaton.

BALS is available for purchase at Assouline Boutiques and through www.assouline.com.

Information and images courtesy of Assouline