It’s style post time! I wore this outfit to see Jeremy Laing’s and Jean-Pierre Braganza’s fall/winter 2012 collections at the shOws and was secretly snapped, alongside with Nelia of Style Blog, by FASHION Magazine’s street style photographer Lewis Mirrett (image #4 below). It was during that week in March when Toronto seemed to mystically jump three months into the future to June and the weather was absolutely perfect!

Two of the newest and most favoured pieces I’ve acquired for my spring/summer wardrobe are a pair of OBJECT x George Antonopoulos leather shorts and a colourful handbag by Nella Bella.

Leather shorts in summer you say? Oh yes, wearing leather in the summer is totally hot – literally and figuratively. Leather isn’t a fabric normally associated with spring/summer trends or in anything outside of jacket form; however, when developed into pieces such as these OBJECT shorts and worn on days when the temperature and humidity hovers above 20˚C then I say bring out those babies and shake what your mama gave ya!

The handbag is from Nella Bella’s spring 2012 collection and is dubbed the Hong Kong. It’s fashioned into a square-like structure which makes it easy to fit, find and organize your entire life into it. I acquired it last month and knew it was the bag for me the minute I saw its vibrant turquoise shade.

In my closet: handbag, Nella Bella; necklace, Expression from The Bay; leather shorts, OBJECT x George Antonopoulos for Danier; jacket, Danier; shirt, Club Monaco; shoes, Camilla Skovgaard.

Image gallery #1, picture 4 from FASHION Magazine.

As you can probably tell from the last, oh say four to five blogs entries that Toronto Fashion Week has taken over my fair city. Actually, Toronto Fashion Week ended on Friday and I’m in the midst of finishing off reviews of the shows that I attended.

It’s not always easy to keep up with posting timely reviews of the designers’ collections during this time of the year; I work an office job during the day and fashion blogging is a passion of mine which happens after hours.

To give you a mini break from the fashion week extravaganza, I thought it would be nice to take advantage of the great weather Toronto is having and take a few pictures for this outfit post, something I haven’t done in a while.

Prints and printed pants are a big trend this season and it’s difficult to: a) get into the print trend if you’re not used to wearing it, b) find a pair of printed pants that you like and c) find a pair of printed pants that is budget friendly and under $100.

I saw these printed pants in a spring lookbook the H&M Canada team sent around a while ago and instantly took a fancy to them, especially their $14.95 price tag. Yes, these pants cost $14.95! So I bought them and paired it with a clutch from OBJECT x George Antonopoulos collection gifted by Danier.

In my closet: clutch, OBJECT x George Antonopoulos for Danier (gifted); jacket, Danier; shoes, Jil Sander; sweater and pants, H&M.

I’m not going to hide the fact that I’m absolutely dying (in a good fashionable way) over OBJECT’s spring/summer 2012 collection. I’ve professed my loved over this clothing and accessory line in several blog entries in the past and really can’t get enough of George Antonopoulos’ designs.

OBJECT’s latest lookbook images appeared online just last week, this is his second season partnering with DANIER, and I’m counting down the days for when the blue leather pants and suede pieces are available in March... just one month and six days to go.

Now, I’ve seen and reviewed a lot of designer collections, both in Canada and overseas, since starting this blog and there are a dozen or so designers who really speak to my aesthetic and style, Antonopoulos is one of them.

There’s a connection you feel deep inside when you see your favourite designers’ clothing on the runway and in a lookbook; the excitement and anticipation bubbles, and if you can afford the pieces you make a mad dash to the nearest store which sells it. There’s no use in fighting the pull you feel and the urge to splurge when it comes to your favourite designer, resistance is futile. So I might as well hand over my credit card to Antonopoulos and DANIER now, you think I can also send them the bill?

On Thursday evening I attended the third annual DANIER Design Challenge award ceremony where third-year students from Ryerson University’s Fashion Design program showcased their talents by creating an original women’s leather garment.

Jeffrey Wortsman, DANIER CEO, announced the three finalists and awarded prizes to Brie Reid for third place, Jayson Araja for second place and Meagan Johnston for first place.

Johnston’s winning design is titled, Ace of Scarabs which takes a “black lamb leather jacket inspired by Ancient Egyptian beliefs and the concealment of truth. It can be worn in at least three different ways and is a statement piece that is extremely easy to wear.” She incorporates a lot interesting elements into her jacket such as a belt, straps, multiple buckles and a harness fitted on the back.

Winning top spot in this yearly competition is a pretty sweet deal for Ryerson’s fashion design students; it’s accompanied by a cash prize, paid internship with DANIER and their design will be sold in select DANIER retail locations across the country, Johnston’s will appear in-stores for fall 2012.

This was my first time attending the DANIER Design Challenge award ceremony and I have to admit being on campus and seeing all the student creations momentarily brought me back to my university days – very nostalgic.

Check out Johnston’s video presentation of her final garment which won over the judges and public.

Image gallery #1 and video courtesy of DANIER

FLARE.com, Canada’s most popular fashion and beauty website, is currently featuring me along with a group of bloggers from across the country in an online article titled, “Wear Canada: Blogger Edition.” We were asked to wear our favourite Canadian pieces/brands and to show off our personal style – I’m #16, click here to view my spot!

The article heralds in the start of the s/s 2012 runways shows for Toronto Fashion Week by gathering over 20 bloggers and I’m in good company with people such as Nelia Belkova of Styleblog.ca, Sharon Ng-Hayes of Backseatstylers and Danielle Meder of Final Fashion.

When I was contacted by FLARE the first thought that came to mind was, “What am I going to wear?!” Near panic almost set in on what to choose, but at that moment I looked over to my closet and saw my OBJECT leather shirt hanging in plain view. Ever since I purchased this shirt from the collection’s trunk show I find every excuse to wear it out, so it was a no brainer to make it part of my outfit.

To balance out the black leather shirt, I paired it with a bright green tulip skirt from Zara and another colourful neutral, a handbag from Nella Bella.

In my closet:

• Top, OBJECT by George Antonopoulos for Danier
• Handbag, the Riveria by Nella Bella
• Skirt, Zara
• Shoes, L.A.M.B.
• Bangle, H&M
  

I'm making a more concerted effort to do more instant blogging while out and about at the fashion events I attend.

This evening I'm lending my support for Greta Constantine's trunk show being held at Danier in Yorkdale Mall. The Greta Constantine SKIN for Danier collection will available to the public starting on August 18, 2011, in select Danier stores. For information about SKIN visit www.danier.com.

This week’s Shoe of the Moment entry is different than my previous posts featuring footwear created by designers for women to wear.

At the preview for SKIN, three mannequins were dressed and situated as the focal point to show off Greta Constantine’s capsule collection for DANIER. After I finished taking pictures of the leather and suede pieces worn by these figures, I happened to look down and noticed the shoes on their feet, and was impressed by the sculptured footwear they wore.

Shoe specifications:

• Outer, plastic or plaster (some kind of synthetic material)
• Colour, white
• Heel height, 4 inches or more

Why I chose this shoe: the function of mannequins is to serve as a nondescript structure to present clothing. The feet of these figures are usually moulded into a classic pump style creating a generic look that can survive being used in a retail environment for long periods of time and through countless outfit and display changes.

In this case, the mannequins at SKIN took me by complete surprise, presenting beautiful clothes as well as simulated-shoes. I love the exaggerated curve of the arch of the foot with the tapered stiletto heel. The flared ankle cuff and cut-outs on the heel create a high fashion effect; footwear you’d see in the runways shows of Vivienne Westwood or Jean Paul Gaultier.

I seriously hope someone makes these into actual shoes; it would make for an interesting pair of for fall/winter 2011.

DANIER, Canada’s premier leather manufacturer and retailer, has been knee deep in upping their fashion forward repertoire with designer collaborations for their fall/winter 2011 collection, showing their LOVE of LEATHER. Collaborations with knit wear designer, Mark Fast; a partnership with Fashion Director, George Antonopoulos to create a line called OBJECT and a capsule collection with Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong of Greta Constantine, named “SKIN” – all will wet the stylish palettes of their customers.

I’m a long-time and loyal DANIER customer, to hear of all of these wonderful and fun collaborations set my fashion senses on fire and quite possible my credit card if I’m not careful.

Greta Constantine's SKIN for DANIER

I had the opportunity to get a first-hand look at the SKIN during its preview. SKIN is a small capsule collection of six tightly curated pieces ranging in price from $399 for a sleeveless bolero to $999 for an asymmetrical, draped coat with rounded back.

The colour palette leans towards darker and rich earth tones such as black, eggplant and walnut in lamb leather and suede. One piece I’m particularly fond of is the black, lamb leather kimono style coat; it’s extremely soft and supple, the type of coat you can just throw on and know you’ll always look fabulous in.

On the creation of SKIN Kirk and Stephen said "We sought to find a happy medium between fashion and function; to offer silhouettes that were appealing to the eye and still flattering on a variety of different body types."

SKIN will be available for purchase to the public in 20 DANIER stores nationally, as well as online at DANIER.com by mid-August.

OBJECT by George Antonopoulos for DANIER

O-M-G I want this entire collection! Does that last sentence give you a hint of how I feel about OBJECT? It’s absolutely divine.

Designed by George Antonopoulos, OBJECT is a sleek line looking to incorporate leather into your everyday wardrobe by bringing the fabric from its mainly outdoor use to the indoors. This body conscious line looks to enhance the feminine form, seeking to do away with the bulky sweaters women often favour during the cold winter months.

A button down shirt with leather detailing on dual breast pockets and a loose fitting jersey shirt with leather sleeves are sophisticated and easy pieces you can instantly envision yourself in.

Mark Fast and DANIER

In March I wrote a blog entry reviewing Mark Fast’s collaboration with DANIER for his fall/winter 2011 collection. What we saw on Fast’s runway is his characteristic revealing knits with equally revealing leather pieces which provided a different dimension to his work.

The retail version of the Fast and DANIER collaboration is toned down with leather pieces more suitable for crossing over into the Canadian market. It’s a small capsule collection composed of seven looks, four indoor and three outerwear pieces all in black.

What’s carried over from the runway collection are a pair high-waisted leather pants and detailing, such as leather laces on the arms of a jacket and on the front of a knee-length dress. The one thing missing to complete this collection and identify it as something from Mark Fast is the presence of his signature knits.

Image gallery #3 and #4 courtesy of DANIER