It’s that time of year when the annual office holiday parties begin. Those of us who are lucky have their company party during work hours, but others have to endure the slight torture (or annoyance) of finding an evening outfit to wear and plus a date.
To provide a little help, I’ve chosen six holiday dresses of varying price points and styles which may inspire you to rework something from your wardrobe or motivate you to buy. Enjoy!
One of the fashion trappings of the fall/winter season is to automatically begin wearing dark colours. I know many people – myself included – who fall into this habit and end up rotating regularly between the colours black, grey and white all season long. Yet, you can’t blame anyone for defaulting to these colours as it reflects our mood; everyone goes into hibernation and our dislike for the cold is evident as we grumble non-stop about the weather.
Secret has developed a line of colourful hosiery for fall 2010 which provides several ways to inject life back into your wardrobe. The collection is available in a multitude of colours and is priced affordably at $7.50 for a pair of tights and $7.95 for a pair of leggings. The entire collection is available at retailers across Canada.
I think Secret’s colourful hosiery for fall is a great idea and I intend to try some of the tights and leggings when it gets colder – which means fall is just around corner and then winter comes... noo!
Colours available: black, grey, berry, camel, blue, plum and red.
For the last few weeks all I can think about is coats and jackets for fall/winter 2010. Besides summer, fall is my other favourite season of the year because it’s a time when you can really exercise your wardrobe to its fullest; layering multiple pieces of clothing on top of each other, get practical and stylish wear out of accessories, like hats and gloves and – my favourite part – pull out the leather jacket.
Below are six jackets and coats I’ve chosen which catches my attention and would make a great addition to anyone’s wardrobe. I love all the pieces and it was hard to pick just one
Roots produced a video to promote its new fall 2010 collection which was shot in Trinity Bright, Newfoundland. I like how the video captures the wild yet serene landscape of the East coast; the setting really compliments the practical and stylish uses of the clothing.
When you see or hear about Mark’s Work Warehouse you don’t immediately envision clothing which caters to the fashionably inclined person. For the longest time, I’ve known Mark’s as a store which carries work gear and plain business clothes. The last time I shopped in Mark’s was for a winter jacket in high school and I haven’t been back since. However, this Canadian retailer is undergoing a transformation focusing more on style and a demographic increasingly concerned with practical fashion.
Cleverly dropping the “Work Warehouse” portion of the name, I was invited to attend Mark’s fall/winter 2010 preview last week and was impressed at the large clothing selection being offered, such as its perfectly pressed shirts (aka: the no-iron dress shirts), knits and jeans.
I was more drawn to Mark’s leather pieces; jackets, gloves and of course footwear. There are several styles of the ladies’ QUAD COMFORT boots which caught my attention. They cost $149.99 and are designed with non-slip rubber soles and salt-stain protection.
The most interesting footwear on display was a heated men’s hiker boot, which at the press of a button the sole heats up. Although designed for practicality, had this boot been developed for the fashion conscious person it would have been a really big hit
Mark’s also put on an extremely clever, small and intimate fashion show that didn’t overkill the focus of the presentation highlighting the versatile, practical yet stylish qualities of its clothing – event planners take notice. Audience participation was a must during the runway show as Paul Aguirre, Tricia Campbell Hall and I doused male models with water guns to test the water resistant hoodies and poured mud on a pair of women’s boots to test its salt-stain protection abilities.
I had a really good time at Mark’s fall/winter 2010 preview and enjoyed the hands-on experience.
If the Barbie by David Dixon collection was sweet and youthful then the David Dixon Signature collection was anything but. For his namesake line, the designer began the second half of his runway show introducing clothing that is powerful, strong and sure-footed in its aesthetic.
Dixon describes the inspiration for his signature line as tribal based this season. In the line sheet for the show, he attributes this to the multiculturalism of Toronto and global events, such as natural disasters (earthquakes in Haiti and Chile) and a rebirth of Canadian pride from the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games therefore envisioning a “Global Tribe.”
Clothing on the runway is reminiscent of the movie Avatar with cultural references and mostly dark colour palette. Fabrics such as hand woven Raffia from Spain, leather strips symbolic of African basket weaving, Asian cloth, Canadian fur and Indian mirror beading add to this notion of blending tribes. Tiny braids woven throughout the models’ hair and tribal jewellery like collar necklaces and thick cuffs serve as additional armour to this race of warrior women.
My favourite pieces from this line is knee-length, woven leather and fan print organza dress. The second is a mirror and wool silk shift dress made of organza; the mirror pieces on the dress remind me of ancient Byzantine mosaic tile art from the 15th century.
Seeing the Barbie by David Dixon and the David Dixon Signature collections back-to-back is always something to look forward. Despite prominent corporate backing Dixon receives from Mattel and Town Shoes (his footwear provider and one of the main sponsors for LG Fashion Week) he still maintains his signature look of functional elegance.
It’s been just over a week since LG Fashion Week ended and I’m closing my reviews of its fall/winter 2010 runways shows (on day five) with two collections designed by veteran Canadian designer, David Dixon who always turns out a well focused, tailored and sophisticated clothing.
For several seasons, Dixon has been collaborating with Mattel commemorating Barbie’s 50th anniversary by developing a collection that is a youthful and flirty, using the iconic doll as his muse. This season, for fall/winter 2010 Dixon was inspired by his visits to London, England, particularly the period of the 1960s when it was “a place of great social and cultural change” and where Carnaby Street was and still is the place to go.
Appropriately titled Carnaby Street Barbie, Dixon presents 35 looks that take you back in time with shift dresses, vibrant colours and floral prints. The models were styled to appear cute and fresh with sweetly curled side ponytails and jewellery that makes a statement, such as the heavy industrial shaped necklaces, or delicate earrings catering to the popular minimalistic style during this era.
A sleeveless double knit shift dress in pink and black, a mini floral silk charmeuse dress and a red tweed shift dress were clean cut, but also provides a groovy twist evoking visions of young women breaking out of their demur selves and dancing to music by the Beetles.
The two finale looks, both black bubble jacquard dresses were edgier than the rest of the collection and are militaristic in appearance.
One of the runway shows I was eager to catch this season was by RUDSAK. As fate would have it, I got stuck in traffic for over two hours on day five of LG Fashion Week and arrived just in time to see the finale of RUDSAK’s fall/winter 2010 show. It’s true when they say, “Fashion waits for no one.”
Designer, Evik Asatooriantitled RUDSAK’s latest collection, Fly High which is one of the two aviation inspired lines seen on the runway this season, the other by Pink Tartan. There’s a great selection of accessories and outerwear to pick from Asatoorian’s designs this season; leather combined with knits, fur and wool.
The collection was predominantly in black but the sleekness of the designs, tailoring and styling made all the garments look incredibly smart and cool, and the male models looked better than the actors in the movie Top Gun.
My favourite piece from the collection was a belted, black coat with an off-centre button closure, with leather cuffs and stock collar.
Recently, my cousin was visiting from the United States and I took her shopping to the Joe Fresh StyleTM section in Loblaws. She was astonished that in Canada you could buy affordable, decent quality and aesthetically pleasing clothes in a supermarket. However, I wasn’t surprised since Joe Fresh StyleTM made that smooth and quiet insertion into our shopping habits while at the grocery store without having to sacrifice good style.
The line sheet provided for the runway show on day four of LG Fashion Week was gold, clearly listing the clothing on each model along with price points for all the items – I wish all designers gave out this information. Creative Director of Joe Fresh StyleTMand Canadian fashion entrepreneur, Joseph Mimran presents 52 looks for fall/winter 2010 in a dizzying show which will make you do a double take.
Could leather stud boots look that good and cost $159? Is that faux fur scarf $29 and sequin sweater $39? My goodness! This is a different and elevated Joe Fresh StyleTM which has my fashion senses tingling, in a good way.
There was no particular theme inspiring this collection, but there’s no need for we know the brand is dedicated to designing clothing which is practical and versatile. Yet, if you’re looking for a description I would call it military enthused with a dose of preppiness with items such as military parkas, wool peacoats, pleated trousers and tweed skirts included in the line-up.
I’m happy footwear for this collection (oxford, brogues and boots) is made of leather and is being offered at an affordable price. Other highlights of collection is a white studded sweater ($49) and fur accessories (collars and scarves) ranging from $19 to $29.
My only constructive criticism for this collection was the faux fur coats, one in leopard print ($84) and several in mohair. Personally, it was a little too much of a similar texture to digest all in one sitting and in multiple forms; if done in leather or even pleather then the collection wouldn’t have been over saturated in this textile. However, I am looking forward to getting my hands on several pieces of Joe Fresh Style’sTM fall/winter 2010 collection when it hits the shelves later this year.
