The Glossy Turns 1!

It's funny how a year has flown by since I embarked on this blogging adventure. I never had concrete expectations for it - just a channel for my fashion babble. I was recently perusing some old posts when I found my first ever post and I've decided to republish it on The Glossy's first birthday.

Minus the comments on the looks of the season - all else pretty much remains relevant. Is that why we all find so much comfort in fashion? Hmmm.

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Finally Fall!


Just when you think that you've finally acquired all the summers essentials - short shorts, pretty printed dresses, gladiator sandals - you exit early to work on a mid-August morning to discover the first fall je ne sais quoi in the air. All of the muggy signs of summer suddenly disappear along with all rights of summer fashion. White voile must be boxed, binned or banned to the back of the closet for another year and of course the next logical question is...what to wear?

A tear through August or September Vogue is inspirational but proves to be no help. With the exception of Sofia Coppola or the Olsen twins - who is yet to own the coveted Fall looks? Last season the fashion powers that be called it "dumpster dressing" but as Fall descends upon us this title doesn't really seem to fit. A new mood of shape shifting and elegant grunge somehow feel so right for the moment.

Illustrations insipred by Marc by Marc Jacobs. Illustrations by The Glossy Ed.

READY...SET...

GO! The New York Spring 08 collections are upon us. I hope that you are rested, re-habbed and ready for it? Highlight? Preen in NYC - handsdown!

What She Lacks In Age, She Makes Up For In Madness.

A long, long post ago, I discussed some people who inspired me, not just style but the way that they approached life. I also promised to share the fictional characters that also inspire and finally.... ta da! Here it is.

The first character is one that I have loved for as long as I can remember. It's Madeline. She can pooh-pooh a tiger like nobody's business. I love her French schoolgirl chic and her cute little socks. Oh, how I love socks!

The second would have to be Leeloo, the fifth element... from the movie, The Fifth Element. A little bit of a strange choice, I know, but hear me out. She has just arrived from another planet, she is scared and a little lost. She is so fragile and childlike, and is amazed by many things that she sees.. I wish that people could never lose that, that little things like a field of flowers or the sound of rain on the roof could always be as magical as it when you were a child.


However, she is also headstrong and can kick some serious butt. I love her vibrant orange hair (which kind of reminds me of the lovely GalaDarling with her beautiful, ever-changing colourful hair) and I swear that Milla Jovovich is the only actress who can a) pull off an orange, holey over the shoulder thing and b) make me want one. I'm totally into orange at the moment.

For my third choice, I am probably going to have to break down and confess my love for one of the worst movies of all time… The Babysitters Club Movie. I have to say that while the Babysitters Club all have their faults (including some fashion tragedies) Anne M Martin has created a bunch of girls that if melded altogether could be the perfect teenager.

In this photo montage, I like Mary-Anne's pinafore and socks, the plaids in the centre and on the right, Mary-Annes on trend bob and nameplate necklace.

Oh, the clashing patterns, vests and terrible hair. This also kind of reminds me of the A/W 06/07 Marc by Marc Jacobs collection, with the muted, dirty prints, vests and overall sullen teenager feel.

Independent, funky, resilient, shy, girly, quirky, elegant and outrageous are all words that could be bandied out but what I most admire these characters for is their sense of friendship and ‘three-musketeers-ism’. There isn’t enough of it in the world today, with girls/women calling each other ho’s and bitches at the drop of a hat, using any excuse to tear each other down. It’s kinda sad.

Well, that’s my teary 'why can't everyone be friends' speech for today. I also do realise that none of these characters is probably an obvious style icon, but isn’t style about recognising inspiration in the most unlikely of places?

Nicolas' Art

The fashion as art debate has never weighed too heavily on me...perhaps couture but certainly not much else. Fashion to me is a craft. Something you create that serves a purpose -- to cover, adorn and beautify.

Fashion illustration on the other hand...is ART. I adore fashion illustration. I think it's like a little window into the soul of the designer. I discovered these lovelies by Nicolas Ghesquière on the Balenciaga site. I like that they are bold, graphic and almost geometric looking. When you glance to the left at the finished product it makes me think that Nicholas is a designer that thinks first and foremost about silhouette and shape - as did the late great Balenciaga. Obviously the colour and pattern are like icing on a devine cake - but shape is what makes my heart pitter patter.

End of the Dress Quest!

If you knew me well you would know these things about me:

1. I'm not really a "dress" girl. Sac dresses don't count.
2. I'm more of a denim girl. (Was once even referred to as a "denim nazi" - not proud of that fact.) I have casual denim, office denim, expensive denim, cheap denim - ok you get the point.
3. I've been known to like layering my dresses over my jeans...as this is truly how I feel most comfortable. (I can hear the collective gasps coming from all you self-proclaimed fashionistas.)

So! When it comes to weddings...I'm a little out of my natural element and as many of you know I had turned to net-a-porter for answers to my delimma. Finalment I listened to all of your opinions and advice (no need to pay for a couch here!) and was prepared to take the plunge when I literally sprinted into BCBG on my lunch hour and found this! -



Wait for it - - on sale yet! It's from the Spring 07 BCBG Max Azria collection and I kind of just fell in love. I've decided to toughen it up a little with some black patent Marc by Marc chunky heels and my funny studded Betsy Johnson clutch (that I like to think doubles as a weapon!)



Likey?

Tact Is The Knack Of Making A Point Without Making An Enemy.

WARNING: This post may contain self-pity and general whining.

How many of you have wasted outfit? By this I mean outfits which you have created which are awesome, exciting and make you feel fantastic that you have either a) wasted on an occaison that didn't give the outfit the interest that it deserved or b) haven't worn the outfit for fear of unwanted attention. I'm sure you all at least have one.

The wasted outfit is a tragedy for the fashion conscious, for it is essentially the waste of an idea, a feeling. It's always depressing for me when I wear something that expresses my mood or feeling at the time while also looking fantastic, and the only people I see are people who have no idea about fashion, and do not notice or care what apparel I am wearing. Does this mean the outfit is wasted?

Perhaps it is just me because I have trouble wearing the same outfit twice because what I wear symbolises a coming together of my mood, my activities and my level of attention-seeking. This means that two outfits are rarely the same. I have always wondered whether others suffer from this affliction or whether I am the only one that sees my outfit as an expression of a fleeting moment. Sometimes on street fashion blogs such as stilinberlin, I look at the subjects and wonder: what inspired this outfit, what were they thinking and have they used this outfit before?

Am I the only person who questions the story behind the outfit? Am I the only one with wasted outfits lying dormant in my closet waiting for another chance? Am I also thinking way too much about this?

P.S. Shout out to Jess, my friend who recently embarked on a trip to Europe for a massive working holiday. I'm glad you got there safely and I know you will have an incredible time.

I THE COVET

Marc Jacobs Fall 07 N/S Tote
Question: What does N/S stand for??? Any guesses?

Heroes Take Journeys, Confront Dragons and Discover The Treasure Of Their True Selves.

This Saturday was perhaps the best night ever. Maybe. No, definately. Going away parties, birthdays and sweet, sweet cocktails all in one night. Best night ever, mega thanks to all involved. Now to the clothes:

Thrift store finds, below is a collage of a select few. My op shopping is heaps out of control at the moment, I had to clean out my wardrobe because there was no place to put all of the things I was buying.

Clockwise, starting top left: maroon 70's Target dress, green muu muu with huge pink flowers, shades of purple trapeze dress, silver brocade 60's dress.

Clockwise, from top left: Sussan 80's black knitted jumper dress with gold, yellow shift dress, 80's highwaisted darkish jeans, 60's cream shift dress with self belt and side buttons. Centre: Jazz white wedges with red, yellow, green and blue.

As I mentioned this is a select few, maybe 1 weeks worth. Maybe.... I'll put the others up at a later date.

Finally, I'd like to discuss my latest obsession: wardrobe_remix on flickr. In particular, two yound and completely inspirational ladies. The first is lebonbonmulticoloure. She wears vintage in the most unexpected ways and always looks completely modern and herself. She never looks like is trying to hard and that is such a difficult thing to achieve. She is one of the founders of an awesome street fashion blog as well, MTL Street.

The other is liebemarlene. Her look is a lot sweeter and softer and I wish that I could pull this sort of thing off. I really admire her use of knee socks. She also has blog called Liebemarlene Vintage from which you can access her amazing ebay store.

That is all, for another week or so.

For the Boys

Irina channeling Diane Keaton in Annie Hall leads the way on this one. Think mensy - with a twist. I'm not usually one to gravitate towards "suiting" styles, but somehow after a summer of frivolous baby-doll shapes, structure seems like the way to go.

I love how Irina adds lots of leg and some black booties to what's sure to be classic Phillip Lim - the DB dress/jacket? Sign me up. The second look - a little more DIY backstage at Chanel resort. A classic mens tuxedo - pile on the bangles and a red lip. Ashley - leggings and an off-white tuxedo jacket. Can we consider this her signature now?

And finally one of my favorite bloggers - Queen Michelle doing Phillip Lim her own way. Where the Queen goes...others will surely follow.

Dress Quest Take 2...

Alright consider this post my last ditch quest for a dress! (For those just tuning in - BROTHER - MARRIAGE - 2 WEEKS!).

I don't know why I'm having such a hard time - I actually purchased a perfectly lovely black DVF number only to return it after feeling funeral vibes more than wedding vibes. And then I clicked over to the lovely Mrs Fashion's blog thinking she may offer words of wisdom...and I found her post about being over-dressed! Dear god at this rate I might need cocktails before the wedding.

So my dear Glossy One's - I turn to you! Quelle dress?

Dress #1 - Milly
Pretty. Looks like 2 pieces but it's not. Good day-to-night dress. May confuse my mother. (Is that bad?)


Dress #2 - Vera Wang Lavender
TOO pretty?? Like that it's black without being funeral appropriate. Edgy shoes might help? Mother would approve. (Is THAT bad?)


Dress #3 - See by Chloe
Sigh! Je l'adore! However...having it burned into eternity in the family album?? Not so sure.


All dresses from net-a-porter. What does Montreal have against nice dresses??

Skirting the Issue

If you asked me my Top 10 for Fall - it might include (amongst other things) - lace-up booties, studded accessories and some leggings that could pass for bondage gear. Now that I think about it would be a veritable Pandora's box of serious tricks. What would NOT make it onto the list would be SKIRTS. It seems like it's been an eon since I've craved a skirt. What with the convenience of throwing on a dress...who has needed skirts??

Of course that was all before I spotted Chloe's pre-fall collection. Somehow the combo's of (the to-die-for) chunky boots paired with boxy skirts and the seasons essential boxy topper....looks FRESH! And thank god because my waredrobe seriously cannot take another smock/mini/baby-doll dress. How about yours?

Girl with the Blond Hair & Serious Bag

So depending on where you are in the world (certainly not if you're in London) - it's quite possibly still one hundred degrees outside. But of course regardless, the summer styles are wilting and it's time to think about all things FALL.

When I spotted this lovely on Facehunter it started my mind a-thinking about the silhouette from spring really continuing strong. Her combo works best because of the proportions of big over small and then balancing it out with a chunkier shoe. Clean lines still dominate, colour blocking! (note: even the hair!) and then of course anything GREY. Needless to say the serious bag makes US take her more seriously - and the shoes! Let's not even discuss white-after-labour-day because really - who gives a &^%$? She's great.

If You Were A True Friend, You'd Burn My Butt. C'mon, Brand Me, Brand Me, Brand Me.

Remember when it was cool to sport a logo? Those were the days... Still are the days for some people. Me? I can't take it seriously, in a ways it's such an ego thing. However, of late the L.A. hipsters have been wearing logos again, albeit in an ironic manner and usually vintage. It doesn't matter, it's still an ego thing.

From a pyschological perspective, why do people want to be branded, to be affiliated with a particular label? Is it a need to be associated with a particular group or section of society? I don't understand it.

On the other hand I love purple, I also love these three photos.

Girl gets it so right. Loose fitting shirt + multiple necklaces + high-waisted non-pornographic shorts = AWESOME!! Yeah, thats right the next person I see wearing shorts that are either a) too short or b) completely wrong for their body shape is in serious trouble.


This whole outfit is too die for. Purple satin skirt, here I come.

And finally this weird girl from Cobrasnake, so many colours and yet it works. Damn these people and their rule breaking. It needs to stop.