art vs. tacky

i don't consider myself in the know and fashionable as most other girls are, but i sure do have a penchant for all things beautiful.

i'm not talking about a giant bag or shoes plastered with giant C's or G's or LV's to make my point and make it blatantly obvious who i'm wearing. i like being a mystery.

in fact, i like it when someone can compliment me on having great taste and can recognize what kind of bag/shoes i have. i think that impresses me the most. i don't have to slap my bag in your face and let it scream of COACH all over it..i want my fashion to represent me - ie, not a label wearing whore.

for example, to the untrained eye, any pair of shoes that bear the red sole could be mistaken for louboutin...but, unfortunately, my love for louboutin has made me quite the eagle eye in spotting a louboutin from far away. it's the pure craftsmanship that goes into it and the look and feel of the leather/suede/satin.

it's like knowing that hugo boss has a 'suit and sleek' kind of look as opposed to Guess or Roberto Cavalli who are all about the wild animal prints. it's also knowing the look of an italian fashion house between a british design house. it's Versace's lines and colours and Betsey Johnson's whimsical lolita style. It's D&G's over the top look and Chloe's feminine yet practical designs.

it doesn't take a genius to recognize style and it surely doesn't mean you have to break the bank to wear it. just adapt it to your own style and make it your own.

but if there's one thing i want you to take away from this post, it would be DO NOT BUY FAKE THINGS.

you're aiding child slavery, cheap labour and a giant drug/prostitution ring in asia that thrives on fake handbags, fake cell phones, pirated video games and movies and lots more.

i know everyone wants to have a Louis Vuitton bag (blah) but really, is it worth your $80 to get a knock off when the child who stitched the fake one for you is not even being paid for their labour? think about it.

Rent-A-Bag?

So there are several websites out there where you can rent designer bags for a fraction of their cost.

Now for the conscious fashionista, that's a fabulous idea. As we all know, trends come and go and bags will always have the same structure...but it can be a devastating blow to a poor girl's wallet. So, the smart ones out there decided to share with their fellow fashionistas and rent out their bags.

So the concept is they ship the bag to you along with a shipping label + bag and you get to choose how long to 'rent' the bag. It can be up to a month, three weeks or even less. With rental prices ranging from 100-300+ /month, they do give some food for thought. If you love the bag so much you can even purchase it - they will assess the wear and tear and mark it down.

Unfortunately for us Canadians, we don't have the luxury of renting online, there is only one website we have that ships to us (shouldercandy.com) but unfortunately, they do not have the vast selection as our American counterparts do. Oh well. Just a thought.

what a week! + sweaters and knits!

this week has been crazy, hence the lack of postings.

i found out i'm going to the philippines nov 3-15 and to toronto nov 17-21, that's right..one day in between the exhaustion! it'll be my first time going to the philippines so it's going to be really exciting. it is also a first for my boyfriend to be going to toronto so expect lots of pictures! hopefully it wont be too snowy.

so i'm going to do a bit of a fashion piece here since any leisure i had this week was involving shopping.

i think for the fall, its obvious that the standard fall colours are back (plums, greys, oranges, greens) - I was actually appalled by how much monochrome there is when I was shopping..I have way too much of that in my closet so I make it a habit of going for colour first.

What is really making a comeback this fall is Sweater dresses...and you know what, being a bit of a curvacious typa lady, it's a bit of a nightmare..however, it can easily be pulled off with the right cut at the top. I would definitely not recommend a 'turtleneck' top to a sweater dress unless you are in tip top shape (or you're skinny).

When I was in Las Vegas last June, I went to the outlets and bought a great sweater dress (you know you're a bargain shopper when you're shopping for next season!) from BCBG. It's grey and has silk pouf sleeves, the cut at the top is square so you get enough skin but not enough to look trashy. The only thing about it is I have to buy a belt for it because there must be some cinch to it, as it hangs almost like an A-line dress.

I've seen so many variations of the sweater dress, it definitely is a must have during the more chillier winter months.

Speaking of sweaters, it is essential to always fold and never NEVER hang sweaters because the shape starts getting wonky. Also, if you're going for those thick knits be careful on how you wash them/dry them as they can frey pretty easily...also with the sweaters - be careful you don't shrink em in the wash either (that's annoying)!

I'm also loving the new hats they have for fall, which are a more artsy look, especially those 'oversized' knit ones...see example below!


These knit hats are good for bad hair days because I don't know about you, but there seem to be quite a bit more during the winter time (must be the whole blowdrying and walking into cold air thing)

As you can see, its a very cute look. Tyra's hat is a bit old school but still relevant.

and the french hat (I never know what to call these hats), they look chic and are very in right now.

more fashion to come!