Olympic Fashion Faux Pas

Ok, confession time: I love the Olympics.

I don't know why. I can't stand watching most sports and though I'm a regular at the gym and do yoga twice a week, I have zero interest in athleticism and even less so in patriotic pride.

Maybe it's the high emotions. Or maybe it's the fashion faux pas.

Ill-fitting retro jackets? Faux Pas.

I have grimaced every time a Canadian has stepped onto the podium. Sporting that ill-fitting quilted jacket and topped with an unshapely red and white toque, each medallist has struggled to raise their arms above their heads. And I bet they're all made in China, too. Such a shame...


Cultural Appropriation? Faux Pas.

As a closet-ice-dance-lover I was rendered speechless upon seeing the outfits sported during the "Original Dance" whose theme was "Folk Dance". Apparently cultural-appropriation is the look du jour when the whole world is watching.


I have no words for this. And this is the supposed improved version after they offended Australian aborigines with their brown-face and extra ridiculous "war paint" markings.

Faux Pas or the bleeding edge of stylish?

Love 'em or hate 'em, atleast Norway's curling pants are interesting.


Australia gets my vote for best speedskating garb, though an honorary mention goes to Japan's blingin' gold and black.




Stylish bling. Never a fashion faux pas.

On the positive side, some respectful nods go to the artwork. I'm loving the wooden podiums by James Lee & Leo Obstbaum.


And the medals, designed by Corrine Hunt and Omer Arbel, are a design first.

The medals are unique, and not flat, two firsts for Olympic medals. Each medal is a piece of a larger artwork, and the waves represent that breathtaking BC landscape.

Featured Blog: In LIfe & In Fashion

Time's been a little precious lately and so I wanted to share with you a post I really liked, on a blog called In Life and in Fashion. A friend of mine recommended Kena's blog to me, and when I went to check it out I was pleasantly surprised to find a refreshing take on style & grace - from a fellow brown blogger no less!

I thought that this post about Making a Most Coveted List would be a great way of imposing some restraint on our wallets and wardrobes. I think this is a great trick for foregoing another round of cheap n' dirty shirts to save up for some Made-In-Canada goodness.

Bodacious Bras

I recently visited Secrets from your Sister, a bra-fitting boutique in Toronto, Ontario. There I learned the truth behind a well-fitting bra (see bottom of post for a summary of what I learned!) and that we can apply conscious consumption to what's underneath our clothes.



I asked the very helpful staff about Made-in-Canada lingerie, and they showed me Grenier, pride of our own belle ville de Montreal since 1860! The collection covers all the bases - from plus sizes to wireless to teddies to control tops and bottoms - all reasonably priced and proudly made in Canada.



I also picked up a couple bottles of Soak, the Made-in-Canada no-rinse handwashing soap for your delicates (as seen on Dragon's Den!). I've been using it for 3 weeks - so far, so good!



Bra-fitting tips!

1. Cup sizes are relative to the rib size. So a 32 D is not the same cup size as a 38 D (it's smaller).
2. If your bra rides up in the back, it's not the straps, it's the rib size - it's too large.
3. When trying bras on, try it on the loosest hook so that over the years you can tighten it.
4. Handwash your bras, don't throw 'em in the machine! They will last many years this way.
5. Wash them every 1 - 3 wears.
6. Most of us'll "pudge" out of any bra - don't judge the fitting by it.

S.W.A.P.'s 2010 Challenge

By know you've probably heard about H&M slashing & dumping new clothes instead of donating them to charity.

There have been some interesting reactions, such as H&M and Wal-Mart saying they will ensure it will never happen again.

Another is The S.W.A.P. Team's 2010 challenge to swap instead of shop, shop local when buying clothes, and downsizing, amongst other things. Read the full challenge here and sign up in the comments!

Oh snap! Moi sur Clin D'oeil!

I forgot that I stumbed across this during the holidays - I got snapped at the Billie Boutique blogger's night but thought nothing of it until this came up in my google alerts.
Check it out - I'm on the Clin D'oeil Street Stylin' blog!


The entry doesn't tell you about all the made-in-Canada goodness I'm wearing so allow me:

Fringe Top by Pretty Raccoon Clothing
Simone Cardigan by Valerie Dumaine
Amour skirt by Simone's Rose
Yoga jeans by Second
Recycled leather Evelyn bag by Deborah Adams
Leather belt made in Canada for Bedo
And the bling, of course, is mine.

General 54's Fall/Winter line-up

I stopped in at General 54 recently, one of my favourite Montreal boutiques carrying Canadian-made goodies. They had painted and redecorated and it looked so great in there, I had to snap some pics of some of the great fall fashions they have in stock.


Like this ski-meets-tailored fashion top from co-owner Jennifer Glasgow's line:

Or this gorgeous grey top, also from Glasgow.


This Ramonalisa top is both slouchy and fitted in all the right places.

This gorgeous silkcreened linen dress is from the very-last-ever Nokomis collection.


This sumptuous sweater is brought to you by Anastasia Lomonova.

A gorgeous up-cycled creation from the one-and-only Supayana.

Nothing screams fall more than this red tartan blouse from Grob.


There was also much Birds of North America that I have been drooling over - but photos didn't turn out :(.

Fashion Pop!

I am getting really excited for Fashion Pop, Puces Pop's inaugural fashion design contest in collaboration with Le Chateau.

Six on-the-rise local designers will present a mini-collection of 6 looks to a panel of judges.
The winner will get $1000, a $500 Le Chateau gift certificate and a feature in Worn Fashion Journal.
The participating designers are Emily Brunet (La Fête), Rachel Chan (Contradict), Charlotte Eedson (girlfriend material), Marie-Eve Emond (Betina Lou), Angie Johnson (Norwegian Wood), and Flavie Lechat (Le Chat Clothing).

It's all going down next Wednesday September 30th at 8:30pm @ Espace Reunion, 6600 Hutchinson. See you there!

(image: le chat, betina lou, girlfriend material, la fete, norwegian wood, contradict)

Top Fall Picks

There's no denying it anymore - Autumn weather is upon us and by the end of the weekend it will officially be the end of summer.

But there is much to look forward to as fall is a really great time for fashion. The weather is not too hot and not too cold, making for outfits full of possibility. We can have fun with layering; wear luxurious cashmere, wool, knits and jacquards; and pay homage to the trees in rich forest greens, wine reds and ochre yellows.

I've picked out some of my favourite made-in-Canada items for the chilly weather.

My favourite materials this fall are leather and denim - the new collections widely feature these in ways we haven't seen them before: in shirts and skirts, highly structured and layered. Like this Denis Gagnon leather shirt.













This wool sweater dress is on sale for a mere $40 from Dace.















This great looking coat is from Lily & Jae's new collection.










The next couple of items are from Chiccane.com. Chiccane.com is a new online boutique retailing Montreal designers, launched about 6 months ago. I was really happy to hear about another project promoting our local talents and sifted through the site for my top Fall picks.

For those who like a really slim fit, Travis Taddeo's Double Empress Dress is on sale here and would look fantastic with a cropped military jacket and tall boots.

I adore the Equestrian Belt from Denis Gagnon, available here.