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.

Montreal Geek Girls rule.

I had a blast presenting last night at Montreal Geek Girl Dinner's "September Issue" - A Passion for Fashion.

Aleece Germano of The SWAP Team talked about their amazingly successful Montreal and Toronto clothing swaps the past two weekends, and about why clothes swapping is so fun and important and sustainable.

If you missed my presentation, I have uploaded it to Slideshare and you can check it out here.

Someone asked about jackets for taller women. I found this one at Melow, and I found an entire collection designed for tall women: The O Collection.

I also mentioned that a great place to get one of my Top Ten Wardrobe Must Haves - The Boot - is at La Chatte Bottees vintage shoe sales at boutiques around town. Well, there is one coming up Friday September 25th at Headquarters Boutique, 6 - 9pm. Don't miss your chance!

Featured Purchase: Eve Gravel Love Wars Jacket

I bought this jacket at Unicorn, a new boutique on St Laurent, just north of Laurier. I had been meaning to check the store out ever since it opened, so I could inform my dear readers about this new made-in-montreal boutique.

There was only one jacket left, and it was 70% off! It fit me like a glove and I instantly fell in love with the braided detail, asymmetrical hem and double breast. It was also super soft, inside and out. My one complaint was the jacket's single eye-hook closure that left a half inch gap between the two sides. This was quickly rectified with a trip to my tailor, who moved the eye-hook and added four more.

Eve Gravel is a hot up-and-coming Montreal fashion designer and I love everything coming out of her studio. You must especially check out her online shop for her well-tailored, Made in Montreal and well-priced pants.

Spring Fashion Forward

Maybe it's pre-emptive but I'm starting to smell spring and it smells good. The thought of ditching my down-filled coat excites and inspires me... And so I turn to Chanel in order to "chanel" (ooh, bad word pun... sorry!) that energy into awesome outfit.

First a word about Chanel. Coco Chanel was one damn rad dame. She hipped us to short hair, the mini-skirt, the powersuit and pants when women's fashion was still in the dark ages. A lot of people have a real hate-on for the fashion industry, justifiably so, but I just want to remind y'all that at the heart of it, Haute Couture is about Art and Craft. Artists envision and design the wearable works of art that are then brought to life by highly skilled and trained artisans like embroiderers, beaders, seamstresses, etc. Though the final product tends to be unwearable and unaffordable, its essence trickles down to become mainstream fashion. I think we could benefit by returning to the idea of custom-made clothes made by local artisans, but I'll say more about that later and over and over.

Karl Lagerfeld, who aside from being damn hilarious, is the head of the Chanel House, is making sure that Coco's legacy lives on - and The Spring/Summer line is no exception.

Let's break it down:

Skinny Pants. This doesn't mean low-rider jeans that simultaneously give you plumber butt and muffin top. We're talkin' well-tailored trim pants, not just jeans. They can bunch the tiniest bit at the ankle for a more casual look.

Cropped Jacket. Finally, I can pull out my boleros from the summer of 2005 and not get funny looks from the fashion unconscious. Careful not to wear it over a pouffy dress - make sure there is space between the bottom hem of the jacket and where your dress or skirt starts to 'pouf', about the length of the black band in the photo. Otherwise, the look will be round and not tidy-tailored.

Belt Band. A fabric belt or belly warmer worn around your natural waistline, with your top tucked in but not tightly so you have fabric hanging over the top edge of the band.

Headgear. I don't expect the Montreal ladies to be sporting large floral and bird-themed headpieces this spring, but we can borrow Chanel's essence here: when we shed those toques this spring, tuck a brooch, flower or dollar-store bird in your tresses. Tresses. I can't believe I just used Cosmo slang instead of saying "hair".

Blousy Tops. What happened to shirts with little capped sleeves, thick hems and room to breathe? Hopefully this signals their return. This look is also great for dresses - look for a thicker band of fabric around the waist that the top will hang over.

Cautionary Tale. Maybe try to stay away from wearing all these items at once. Unless you're getting married - which seems to be the new youthful hipster trend these days - in which case you have my permission to wear whatever the hell you feel like.