High Maintenance on a Plane: Trying to look like you haven't been compressed into your airplane chair

I have the travel bug bad. In fact, if I could I would be in a different country every week, nonstop. I used to be a bit of a homebody but then I went to Portugal when I was fifteen and ever since then, travel has become a bit of an obsession. I went to France last spring. I went to Paris, Normandy, the Loire Valley and a few other places. I was there for ten days and it was a jam-packed ten days. It was a school trip and we went everywhere. We all formed bonds with people who we never would have met or talked to at home. Travel changes people. Everytime I go somewhere I come back a little bit different. It's almost going to be a year since I went to France. I cannot believe it. One place I have always wanted to go is Ireland. I am half irish and it'd be nice to see Ireland. Also, I am not going to lie, the movie "P.S, I Love You" has a little bit to do with it; irish accents are all kinds of sexy. The top five places I want to go are Ireland, Italy, Greece, Tahiti and Switzerland. Travel is great. The only little issue with travel is the goddamn plane. I like airplanes and I don't. I like take off; it gives me a little rush. Still, I hate that I am essentially in a flying metal tube. And I hate sleeping in a plane. The airconditioning on my already freezing toes, the dry air on my contact lenses, the uncomfortably long trips. It can also be difficult to keep oneself from looking like they crawled through hell by the end of the flight. As I write this I can already hear some of my friends and my mother saying " Who cares what you look like, you are on a plane, thousands of feet in the air", but you know what? I care. My blog is about fashion. It's not fun to spend the first day of your trip looking and feeling like shit, with crazy hair and crack addict smeared make-up. We all know how it goes. Being confined in a not so comfortable chair next to a stranger who is quite often, hogging the elbow room and passing gas. This is after you have been lugging your overstuffed suitcases around and frisked by security. I want to go on the record and say that just because I have a nail file does not mean that I intend to stab my neighbor on the plane. No matter how loud they snore.  It can also be a little bit difficult to fix these problems because of safety regulations that prohibit taking liquids like moisturizer,concealer or contact solution. I once saw a woman have to toss out a little bottle of Chanel perfume due to regulations. If that was me there would be a small problem. I'd probably find some way to sneak it in my bra. I felt bad for her, I wanted to be like buddy, if she was planning on bombing the plane why the hell would she use Chanel? I mean you'd think there would be a less expensive way of doing that. Still I understand the concept, it's just a drag. It's a good idea to not bring any liquids, especially expensive liquids in your purse or carry on. It's just not worth it.
When I am going on a trip and the flight is long, I like to wear my lululemon pants because jeans chafe when I am sitting for a long time and this makes it difficult for me to sleep. Its good to wear a nice but comfortable top, not a schlumpy comfortable top. I always bring sunglasses to cover my eyes if I have dark circles and to protect my eyes because the sun is always too damn bright after a long, pretty much sleepless flight. I always get cold feet, so on my next trip ( the family and I are planning on going to Hawaii) I plan on bringing some slippers. In one's purse it is good to carry a really small, travel sized bottle of moisturizer, a small brush, mints and some lip balm because air plane air is really dry. It's not like anyone really needs to full on apply make-up on the plane. Just a little moisturizer so you don't look like death. Drink a bottle of water, not excessively because this will make you have to pee a lot and that creates awkward airplane bathroom moments. It's important to sleep on the plane. However, I don't know about anyone else but this just does not work for me. I just can't do it. I am going to try when I go to Hawaii. I also need to get some cute glasses because it really is hard to sleep with contact lenses in. I have a fear that they are going to roll to the back of my eyes while I am sleeping. My game plan is to wear my yoga pants, a cute top and a fitted jacket ( I really want a leather jacket but I have been told I am not bad ass enough to pull them off) and I will wear glasses with very little eye makeup to prevent smudging when I (try to) sleep. 

Kate Moss is so awesome, I just love her and I love her style. She looks completely elegant in a gorgeous white coat with sunglasses ( what did I tell you) and her hair in a simple updo.

Cameron Diaz's jet-setting gear is chic and comfortable. Her ballet flats are sweet and practical( although my feet would get cold)  and her layers and grey and black scarf  are stylish and so cozy. Her hair is down and relaxed. She looks effortless but still well put together. I like this look period. Cameron Diaz's casual outfit is my favorite jet-setting look.

This is Eva Longoria at Heathrow and while she looks amazing it really is not a practical airport outfit. She is wearing a Stella McCartney jumpsuit, Christian Louboutin platforms and a magneta Hermes croc bag. Aside from the fact that I DESPISE reptile anything, which, believe me, I will be getting into. Real reptile skin clothing repulses me because it is cruel and inhumane how the reptiles are killed and I think it is wrong to kill an animal solely for it's skin. Even if it's fake it just looks tacky. I do not like it, however I digress. it is ridiculous to wear platforms on an airplane. She does not look effortless or relaxed. She looks like she really wants to be seen, which she obviously does, but the problem is she looks like it. The only thing I approve of are the sunglasses which will cover up her airplane fatigued eyes. She looks gorgeous, but this look is not for the airport.

Eva Longoria is such a gorgeous woman. And she has got serious style. I love how she has kept her outfit chic and minimalistic. A gorgeous coat like Eva's is great because it covers up the outfit underneath that will no doubt become wrinkly after being compressed in a chair like a sardine. Her boots are stylish  and so is her bag. And her sunglasses. Do you notice a pattern? 

This is Cheryl Cole at Heathrow looking beautiful. I really like her outfit it's very sharp and well put together. I still don't understand why anyone would choose to wear heels on an airplane.

Travel is great and with a little extra effort and some strategic outfit planning one can manage to get through an entire flight looking like a human.

Anna Sui Fall 2011 Collection

Oh. My.God... I just got back from the best hot yoga class ever. Usually at my studio they doesn't really turn up the heat that high. It's usually like 27 or 30 degrees celsius as opposed to 40 degrees. But this time she asked us if we wanted it to be hotter and we said yes and mmm it was so good. Seriously, try hot yoga its the best. I can barely type properly I keep having to rewrite my words. It was disgusting but now I feel really good. Anyways.. Today ML and I went shoe shopping and she got the cutest dang shoes ever. The cutest shoes ever. She posted a pic of them on her blog ( they look even better in person).  There is something about shoe shopping. It's soothing and exciting at the same time. Do you want to know what else is exciting? Anna Sui! I always really enjoy her collections and even if there are some pieces that I wouldn't neccesarily wear out in public I am always entertained by her clothes and her show. They are just so much fun, it's great.  It's not theatrical to the point of being ridiculous and it's not practical to the point of being boring or too easy.

 Anna Sui has some key pieces such as the baby doll dresses, tunics, cardians, and decorative tights. Anna Sui never shies away from crazy. unusual fabrics. There were a few key pieces from the Fall 2011 collection. Recently, many designers have been showing parkas. Anna Sui did parkas too, but as usual, with a twist. She did one parka that was a tweed fabric in the front and a sweater material in the back. She also did another in metallic camoflague jacquard. One thing, however, I was not too keen on and that was the little furry, cat shaped hoods that some of the models were wearing. Animal shaped hoods are cute. If you are eight. I like quirky, I like eclectic, but I think animal shaped hoods aren't very mature and I don't know how a woman could take themselves seriously wearing a cat shaped hood. They just seem very Hannah Montana or emo tween. However, anyone who would wear the furry cat shaped hood, well whatever turns your crank. I just think there is a fine line between something eccentric and something tacky. The dreaded T word.  Overall, I loved the collection , as I normally love anything Anna Sui.

Happy Valentines Day!

Two Favorite Bags from Spring 2011 Collections

Happy Valentines Day!! As cynical as I can be about a lot of things ( for example, at Blenz they are doing this thing where you can get a red coffee sleeve and that way people know you are single and can make a move.It's just so cheesy. It's cute and cheesy, I haven't really made up my mind on how I feel about it.) I kind of like Valentines Day. Everything is pink and red and it's acceptable to eat obscene amounts of chocolate. It'd probably be more fun if I had a boyfriend but it's still fun to bitch with my girlfriends about "single awareness day". I am not going to lie, I love romance and Valentines Day. The best Valentines Day ever was a few years ago and my mom gave me a small vintage Chanel 2.55 bag that she miraculously found in a thrift shop. I love that bag so much it's ridiculous. And because today is the day of love, below are two bags from the spring 2011 collections that I love the most.

I know that it's so cliche to talk about Valentines Day and then put nothing but red and pink clothes everywhere ( and I won't) but this bag is way too sweet. It looks like a giant cinnamon heart. I love the little studs at the bottom. If I was carrying it I would feel festive but not like a total cheese ball because it has a little edge. Even though I am a total cheese ball.

This gorgeous black bag is by Yves Saint Laurent. It's just beautiful, I love it. I really enjoy good quality, beautiful,classic clothes (with a little bit of a contemporary edge so it's not boring) that can be worn easily with many different things, over and over again. Black is a colour that goes with everything. It's an absolute staple for me, in fact I probably wear black too much. Anway, in my opinion there are two kinds of black. Soft black, sophisticated, quality black. It's the kind of black that you just want to bury your face in. It's black that doesn't make you look like you belong in a morgue. And there is the stiff, boring hard, black that everyone manages to look bad in. This bag is soft black and I love it.

Happy Valentines Day! Be happy and eat chocolate!

How to dress like a Canadian..Whatever that means.

This has absolutely nothing to do with anything I am about to say, however, as a sidenote, I just realized that I have been studying french for nine years and I know little more than "bonjour" and "j'adore  vos chaussures". What can you do? I mean, I have been studying french since the fourth grade and I still don't know how to use my "le conditionell".  I went to france in the spring and it was amazing. A lot of cute french boys who really know how to dress. They could teach canadian boys a thing or two. I am a proud canadian girl, born and raised on the west coast. British Columbia is a great place to grow up, a great place to have fun, surrounded by both mountains and the pacific ocean. It is a great place to find some excellent designers, both established and up and coming. I love where I live and I love being canadian but there are times when I ask myself, what is canadian style anyway? How would one define canadian style? By touques and moccasins? Yeah, that doesn't cut it. At the 2010 Olympics I remember checking everyone out to see if there was a pattern, any distinct canadian style, or any style that foreign people at least thought was canadian. I got nothing. Unless one would consider clothing plastered with Quatchi and Mika, characters that look a lot more like asian anime characters than anything else , to be canadian style. I have yet to have found a real answer to my questions, but my theory is that it's because Canada is such a mix of different cultures. Canada has a little bit of everything so I guess canadian style can't really be defined because it's a melting pot of so many other countries. Which is great, just a little confusing.
 But to make it clearer to myself I decided to do my research and check out some cool canadian designers, both under and on the radar. There are definitely many more, these are a few, although I'm working on it. It's my kind of homework.
                                                               Dace Moore

Dace Moore is so awesome! She is one of my absolute favorites. Sometimes I see a questionable garment that I want to like (but can't) because it's by a designer that I love (ie. Chanel icecube flap bag. It's made out of resin and it costs a couple grand. Paris Hilton wore it. I don't understand) but with Dace that never happens because it's just so easy to love everything she designs. Her clothes are so gorgeous and with a lot of attention to fit and detail. Did I mention how much I love her clothes? A lot. The clothes are pretty relaxed and chill, and canadians are supposed to be relaxed and chill ( I can't say that I am). Above are a few looks from her Spring 2011 collection.

(I'm sorry. I love Chanel but this, personally, I'm not fond of.)

                                                    C'est Joli- Alison Dawson
Alison Dawson, creater of jewellery line "C'est Joli", is from Vancouver. Her jewellery is completely unique, for example, her Loop Metallic Necklace is a slightly tangled, beautiful mess of cream coloured cords with tiny little golden beads.

Loop Metallic Necklace (love. I love "messy" jewellery like this)

This is the Scribble necklace in black (also comes in cream). It looks exactly like a scribble. 

This would definitely get some looks on the street but it's interesting and it's a great statement piece. I keep picturing it with a white or grey t-shirt dress. Something simple so that this crazy piece can take centre stage. Love it.

This is the Corrugate Necklace in navy. It's pretty.

This is the Colour Block necklace. It's so exotic for summer.

Her jewellery is gorgeous and it's special. It's whimsical and eclectic art. Alison Dawson's jewellery is inspiring and so is her drive. C'est Joli had only existed for three months when she lined up at Henri Bendel at 5:30 in the morning for the spring 2010 open see ( designers show their stuff to potential buyers). Only four hours in a buyer offered her a trunk show. Now, in Toronto, she is busy making her sweet, eccentric jewellery.The pieces above are from her Spring 2011 collection.

Dsquared21

Dsquared2 is a fashion label by Dean and Dan Caten, identical twin brothers from Toronto, Ontario. Before launching their own label they worked for Versace and later on for Diesel who funded them and helped them start their own line. Their designs are always punchy, sexy and full of energy. Above are a few looks from their Spring 2011 collection.

There are a lot of Canadian designers and I am going to do my best to find as many as I can so that I can have even more to write and obsess about.

Blast from the past..The seventies are apparently back

While I was nursing myself back to health yesterday with lemon tea and The Godfather one and two, I recieved my Elle magazine from my monthly subscription. That was a sunny spot in my delusional haze of advil and gangster movies. Anyway, apparently 70's inspired fashion is all over the place, not just according to Elle, but according to designers like Marc Jacobs and Rodarte. Marc Jacobs (one of my favorites) Spring 2011 collection was sexy and very reminiscent of clothing from the "groovy" and promiscuous 70's. The clothes were damn gorgeous and if the 70's are coming back then I am glad they are coming back in this way.  As I was leafing through the different designer's collections I started to make peace with this trend. Although, I hope to god the hairstyles won't come back because I will never, never buy into the whole feathered hair thing. Even though Farrah Fawcett still looked gorgeous with it (she was beautiful period).

As conflicted as I felt yesterday about this trend ( I was quite medicated, that could have been the reason for my confusion) I am pretty excited about it now. I have always felt like I had a classic style and my style is pretty modern. However,  fashion is supposed to be fun and exciting and although I used to look at the seventies as being way to eccentric for me (hello, bellbottoms? No.) that is the fun of it! I am ready to switch things up. I don't think I am the only one who feels that current times are a little boring. Everything is just so easy, so easy that it is boring. Everything is easy and technology makes everything inpersonal. I text people more than I talk to them and it makes me wish that we all would go back to sending eachother handwritten notes and letters. It's so personal and romantic. Except, I would get over that really quickly, so nevermind. Sometimes, I don't feel like people are going to look back to the 2000's and 2010's in a few decades and be particularly inspired. What is really new fashion wise? Styles come in and out and in again but in slightly different ways. I guess that's what's great about fashion. So bring the seventies on. I'm ready for the one piece pantsuits, peasant tops, and disco, art deco clothing. I won't do bell bottoms or floods though, you can't make me.

Mischa Barton wearing a 70's inspired, embroidered peasant top, before she started dressing like she's on acid. I used to love this girl's style.

A few looks from Rodarte Spring 2011

Marc Jacobs Spring/Summer 2011 collection by Style.com

Let's just talk about Chanel.

So, today I feel like hell.  My favorite part of winter is the inevitable flu. It's so weird because I eat healthy,take my vitamins,do my yoga yada yada and I am always the first one to get sick. Now I am feeling quite negative and cranky even though it is Thursday, my favorite day of the week and I am watching Vampire Diaries ( this show is like crack) . However, sick or healthy, fashion is like oxygen and talking about it never hurts. I don't have the brain capacity to be creative at the moment so let's just talk about Chanel. Chanel can be my advil. Chanel is the mothership as far as I am concerned. You cannot even say you love fashion without acknowleging Chanel. The woman created the little black dress and helped free women from the corset. Pretty much every woman has worn something Chanel-esque in their lives, whether it be a pair of pants (Coco Chanel started making it trendy and acceptable for women to wear pants) or the little black dress. Those inter-locking C's are iconic and completely recognisable all over the world. You just can't go wrong with Chanel and it adds a touch of class and mystique that quite frankly,you just can't find in other designers. Coco Chanel dressed for herself and encouraged women to dress for themselves and not for the pleasure of their men. With her cropped hair and simple, sometimes masculine way of dressing she had a big impact on the 1920s flapper fashion.She began her business making hats and expanded to sportswear and then couture. Her business survived both World Wars because she knew how to adapt and she knew how to survive, both in her personal and professional life.She suffered abandonment from her father and the death of her one true love Boy Capel and she survived. Through every devastating setback, she survived. She was the first fashion designer to use jersey. Back in the day, jersey was considered to be a worker's fabric. Only the poor wore jersey. Chanel knew that women needed to be able to move and work during times of war so she started making clothes in her distinct, impeccably stylish and simple way. She also complied with the fabric rations. Naturally, during war time, there wasn't enough money for fabric, or even enough fabric. Coco Chanel is an inspiration to many, including me. I admire her strength, her incredible amount of savvy and how adaptable she was. She created a legend for herself and there is an intrigue surrounding anything Chanel that is unexplicable, unique and delicious. Oh, and February is little black dress month (allegedly, I saw it on google). Black for the month of love? That's poetic for anybody feeling particulary cynical. And also for anyone less cynical who just wants to look elegant and classy. You cannot go wrong. Actually that's a lie, I've seen black dresses that look like hell. As long as the dress doesn't look like it should be worn to an omish funeral than it is probably fine.

Chanel Number Five is a bit too mature for me but it has to be appreciated. It's the first perfume by a fashion designer and one of the first to use aldehydes.Personally, I use Chanel Cristalle eau Verte. I really do love Chanel.

The Classic Chanel 2.55 bag. It was released in February 1955, hence the name, and was created because of Mademoiselle Chanel's need to be able to be hands free to greet people and drink champagne at parties. The signature quilted leather has been said to be inspired by quilted pillows in her apartment in Paris and the jackets of jockeys. I have an intense love for these bags. Every Chanel bag (pretty much) I love but there is something about the 2.55. The black bag with the interlocking "C" twist turn lock is the Classic Flap 2.55. It is different than the bag that Coco Chanel designed. The original bags had a square twist-turn lock called a "mademoiselle lock" as Chanel never married and metal chains, as opposed to the metal with interwoven leather chains that the classic flap bag( black bag above) has.The red bag is a Chanel 2.55 reissue. It was re-released by Karl Lagerfeld and it is commemorative of the original 2.55 that Coco Chanel designed.

Here is a video about Chanel with Karl Lagerfeld.

Chanel Spring 2011 part one

part two

Chanel. I take my hat off to Chanel.