Poppin' Tags

Although the vintage fashion movement now seems to have become oh so hipster and far too mainstream, the movement was and still is a good idea if you ask me. Being very new to the concept of thrift shopping, the few times I have been out vintage bargain hunting, I've had an absolute blast trying on ridiculous things, finding some amazing pieces and even just talking to the store owners. Vintage fashion is an extremely sustainable way to dress yourself since the clothing is essentially being recycled. It means that the articles are given a few extra years to live before they end up in a landfill and that you purchase less mass-produced clothing that is utilizing valuable resources; it's guilt-free shopping! Plus, I think that it is so much cooler to wear pieces that are different and that you are positive have a very interesting story associated with it, even if you don't know what it is. Thrift shopping also means that you are supporting local small businesses instead of large corporations. Pretty cool, right? I definitely hope that this fad sticks around for another few minutes before fading away for another decade.

You might all be really tired of this song but I still absolutely love it. I had to listen to it a few times to realize what it was actually about. 

Lightness

Whilst reading Portia de Rossi's book, Unbearable Lightness: A Story of Loss and Gain, something, in a way, resonated with me. She wrote about her profound fear of being considered an "average" person in any part of her life. Her words exactly were: “Average. It was the worst, most disgusting word in the English language. Nothing meaningful or worthwhile ever came from that word.” Some may argue that her deeply rooted fear of being an unremarkable person was a contributing factor to her very complex and devastating eating disorder. This got me wondering if perhaps we all have a bit of Portia in us and if this sometimes unconscious fear is what drives us to do the things that we do. 

For a lot of us, accomplishment is one of our biggest goals in life. Nobody wants to feel as if they have come and gone without having ever having left a trace. Perhaps this is purely our species' nature but it got me wondering if some if the world's most creative minds are actually people who simply wanted to have an above average life. This does is not at all to say that Portia de Rossi is a phoney; she is a beautiful and brilliant actress as well as a wonderful person (not that I know her personally). However, what if people simply do what they feel will render them successful? What if Warhol painted soup cans because he knew it would make him famous? What if Aretha sang because she knew that she could belt out notes that no one else could? Although this thought comes to me with great chagrin, I cannot help but to wonder if passion plays any part at all in the creative process. 

Like most things in the world, the concept of creativity being linked to success is bound to trickle into fashion. What if great designers like Valentino only design because they know how to make a beautiful woman look her best? Even more importantly, do we wear what we wear simply because we are constantly trying to project a certain image of ourselves? Do the clothing and accessories, make up and hair that we obtain represent what we like or what we wish to look like? 

After having pondered these questions for what seemed like a very long time, I came to the conclusion that in my eyes, it would have been impossible for the most amazing artists and creative people in the world to do what they did without having incredible passion pushing them forward. Personally, being genuine is one of my most important values and I believe that others probably feel the same way. Although it does not personally represent what I consider to me true in most cases, it is possible that we as humans, pursue the ideas that will leave others more impressed with you then you are with yourself. I feel it is important to consider the motives behind the actions we take and to fearlessly chase after our passions. After all, Portia de Rossi would never be where she is today without that driving force. 

Go with the Flo

In my eyes, Florence Welch is one of those people you aspire to be your entire life. She is the epitome of "cool". Her band, Florence + The Machine, won the 2009 Critics Choice Award at the Brits as well as an enormous global fan base. Their music has been known to be very different, quirky and overwhelmingly powerful. It's the kind of music that you blast throughout your house and scream along to as you telepathically tell your ex boyfriend that you are so over him and it's the tune you sing to when you're on the road with your friends.  I believe that a few of her songs are on my "Top 25 most played" playlist on my Ipod.

Florence's own personal style as well as her on-stage wardrobe have also been catching the public's eye lately. Her style, much like her music, is refreshingly different in a society where the mainstream seems to swallow everything. I suppose you could call a lot of her looks "vintage inspired" since a lot of the lacy textiles she chooses give off that kind of 20s vibe. She likes to play with classic men's silhouettes like pant suits with bow ties as much as she enjoys dressing up in a feminine gown. I find this kind of contrast very interesting because it gives me the impression that she isn't afraid to experiment and that she wears what she likes. She has also never shied away from edgy modern looks on stage (a little Gaga esque, minus the meat). On the street, she likes to play it up with dare I say it, a little hipster edge, pairing things like high-waisted shorts with a blazer and a flower print dress with a leather jacket.

After watching Florence + The Machine's video for What the Water Gave Me, I was instantly inspired to get the exact same bird cage tattoo that she has on her finger (although I am convinced it would never be as cool as hers). Her music, her style and her attitude are all things that are admired by many and are a source of great inspiration around the globe; I'm sure that many have also tried to recreate her signature fiery red locks.

The next generation?

The other day I was sitting at a desk accomplishing a mindless task while eaves dropping on the coworkers around me at my office job when an interesting conversation sparked my attention. A woman was telling her friend about how she cleverly replaced her wide-leg trousers with yoga pants while getting dressed that morning. Of course, this was intriguing to her friend since this workplace has a fairly strict "business casual" dress code. The woman was still as professional looking as ever since the only difference between a pair of black trousers and yoga pants are the absence of pockets and clearly, the fabric. The woman continued to converse with her friend about the huge difference in comfort. This got me thinking about comfort in our society and about how it has changed through time.

It wouldn't be a huge leap to say that throughout the evolution of humanity, we have come to gradually drift towards more comfortable clothing, considering women used to literally rope themselves into corsets. Is it because tradition is becoming decreasingly important? Perhaps it is a reflection on how functionality is becoming more and more valuable in today's society where nobody really seems to have time for anything anymore. If this is true, then what obscure shape will clothing of the future fall into? Perhaps the creators of Star Trek were not too far off with their sleek, minimalistic and form fitting onesies.

Star Trek: The Next Generation's cast

Its starting to smell a lot like Christmas

 Well ladies and gentlemen, as of course no store has permitted us to forget, the holidays are very quickly approaching. Snowmen are being built (not where I live but I'm sure they are elsewhere), Christmas trees are being decorated, gingerbread houses are being made and holiday parties are definitely being held. These social gatherings are often very awkward since most people are being held there against their will and there's always that one person that drinks far too much and ends up embarrassing themselves or a few selected other people. Whether you're trying to decide how to have your boss or that cute boy to finally notice you, the forever impending question is: What am I going to wear? If you ask me (which maybe you shouldn't), you should take a risk at these kind of events. However, taking a chance doesn't necessarily mean that you have to expose every ounce of flesh on your body; stay classy, stay confident and most importantly, stay stylish. 

This is an outfit that I wore to a new year's eve party a couple years ago (that I am also considering recycling this year). I like it because its different and its a little Christmassy without being covered in reindeer and candy canes. I wore this shirt dress with lace details from Urban Outfitters with a back bandeau to keep the girls covered and black liquid leggings setting off the contrast between the hardness of the leggings and the softness of the lace. Some may find liquid leggings to be a bit tacky but I think that you should just go for it if you feel as if you can pull them off (literally and figuratively). It is very important to take into consideration the durability of an outfit throughout the evening. For example, this dress zips from top to bottom at the back and somebody at the party somehow accidentally unzipped the entire thing.

 I accessorized very simply with a vintage watch and black patten-leather peep-toe pumps. You could also switch up the shoes for some wedge booties that are very on trend this season. It is always interesting to mix vintage with new and high end with low end.

This is a representation of the zombie I will become if I keep thinking and writing about Christmas. Remember your sense of adventure this holiday season and have fun with your clothes.

Is old the new young?

Last month, a 72-year-old man in China, Liu Xianping, went viral after agreeing to model for his granddaughter's clothing line for young girls. It all started when he offered advice about putting a certain a look together. This eventually lead to his granddaughter and business partners photographing him in the clothes. In an interview, he mentioned that he has nothing to be ashamed of and is very pleased to be able to lend a hand. Liu's hand has proven to be very helpful as the company's sales have increased to five times the original amount since the images were posted. Fans have proven to be very jealous of Liu's ideal model-esque figure and to be impressed by his great modeling skills.

Personally, I love how open the world's mind has been to this. I love how people can admire someone's creativity and ability to turn one thing into something completely different. Most of all, I love how this demonstrates that some people are not afraid of how people perceive them, that they will do a lot in order to help someone and that they are open to new ideas. However, does this mark the end of the youth-obsessed era? Will we once again be attracted to the wisdom of one's soul, rather the to perfect firmness of young skin? Are we now starting to look beyond what is superficial or are these simply eye catching photos? If this is true, then what will this mean for the fashion industry?

Liu modeling the collection

Street Style: Because in kindergarden they taught us to ask questions

Street style blogging is a phenomenon that has emerged in the fashion industry in the past few years. It started out as something super accessible because anyone could take their camera and their style eye out on the street and capture interesting people wearing interesting clothes. People loved them because it was much easier to look at a blog online than to pay hundreds of dollars to go to a fashion show and you got to see many different perspectives. Does this however mean that true fashion shows are becoming a thing of the past? Will the industry eventually grow tired of street style? Because it is so popular and is so often being mimicked, is it losing it's authenticity and becoming commercialized?

Faith Cummings stated on the blog entitled Clutch that "The sidewalk has officially become the new runway." Does this mean that the catwalk has met it's demise? Will the fashion show of the future rely solely on your internet connection? It seems to be a popular opinion that street style is much more relevant than couture because it represents what real people are wearing, not what someone is trying to sell to you. We all agree that models are good at looking good but it is so much easier to compare yourself to someone who is much more similar to you; where the goal of looking like them is far more attainable. People say that fashion can be a cultural indicator, does this mean that our culture is being lazy or is it simply growing to become more realistic?

Others may, however, argue that street style is a representation of our modern world's thirst for authenticity. In a society where meat, bags and boobs are fake, have we become desperate for anything genuine? In Ted Polhemus' book, Street Style, he says: "If today more and more people use their dress style to assert: ‘I am authentic,’ it is simply evidence of our hunger for a genuine article in and age which seems to so many to be one of simulation and hype."

It is also being said that because street style has become such a huge phenomenon, it is loosing it's appeal. It is no longer interesting to look interesting if everyone is looking interesting. Because there are so many "wanna-bes" in the fashion industry that want their five minutes of fame, it is becoming harder for any kind of authenticity to shine through all the fakes. Michelle Marques once said that "Street style begins as an innovative until it 'bubbles-up into mainstream, becomes sanitized, and loses its subversive edge."

Fashion watchers also argue that street style has lost its indie edge and is turning into something completely commercialized. Blogger, Lauren Tracey, stated that, "...bloggers can be paid upwards of $2000 per appearance at events where they will be photographed, wearing the clothes and accessories that designers supply them with. It is here that a boundary has been surpassed." This, to me, completely defies the entire purpose of street style. It is supposed to be about what real people want to wear, let it be vintage or designer, it should represent a genuine perspective not a sum of money. 

Another popular opinion is that street style is as relevant as ever. Shannon Weissburg posted on the blog, The Quad, that; " In recent years, however, designers have become more and more inspired by street fashion, bringing that inspiration to the runways." If designers are being inspired by people on the street, and people on the street are being inspired by designers, then this creates massive, global network of creativity. I simply cannot begin to fathom anything more amazing. 

At the risk of sounding like a crotchety old man; the world is forever evolving. We must evolve along with it in order to be able to explore brand new ideas. However, we must always remember to remain true to ourselves and remain true to what is genuine.
 

A Single Man

A Single Man has got to be one of my very favorite movies of all time. Brilliantly directed by designer, Tom Ford, the movie was set in Los Angeles in the 1960s and featured Collin Firth and Julianne Moore in the leading roles. The movie tells the story of a day in the life of George Falconer, a British professor, who plans on ending his life after tying up all the loose ends of his livelihood. George is filled with emptiness after having lost his long-time lover in a tragedy-ridden car accident and feels that there is simply nothing left to live for. Throughout the day, he admires every small moment, thinking that it will be the last time that he will experience them. The film is also beautifully framed with several flashbacks referring to memorable moments spent with his deceased partner, Jim. The movie is exquisitely filmed and is absolutely riddled with symbolism, metaphors and irony. Also, the costuming was very well done and fitted perfectly with the time period. Ford transformed a simple black and white suit into something amazing and managed to make Julianne Moore look even more stunning than she did already.

Colin Firth as George

One of the major themes in the movie is youth and George’s lack thereof. The viewers are constantly reminded of this in scenes where he refers to Charlie (Julianne Moore), an ex-lover and best friend, as “kiddo” and she always retorts by calling him “old man”. When George finally embraces what youth is left in him near the end of the film, he takes a racy skinny-dipping adventure with his student and admirer and ends up hitting his head when a violent wave over comes him, displaying his true emotional and physical fragility. This theme of youth and fragility is also mirrored in George’s relationship with Jim as well as in one of the opening scenes when he watches a little boy shred a monarch butterfly.

Julianne Moore as Charlie

The details that Ford snuck into the movie are simply remarkable. Whenever George notices something beautiful, we notice a boost in the colour saturation on screen that is then reflected onto him. Whether it be a pair of sweaty tennis players, a secretary’s eyes, a little girl’s smile or a gorgeous young Spanish man, we see the scene as well as George’s expression, illuminate. These short moments play a vital role in his decision to abstain from killing himself.  I found the clothing particularily interesting since it played very well on the character's personalities: George very maticulously wears his classic, tailored suit and Charlie looks gorgeous in a black and white fitted, floor length dress with a cape-like back. This dress reinforced the notion of Charlie having so much but so little at the same time. 

In A Single Man, viewers observe Ford’s intense attention to detail that he uses when designing, projected onto film in order to create something truly incredible and breathtaking that broke social homophobic barriers and inspired thousands of people. 

Carrie Bradshaw

For those few who haven't already heard her name, Carrie Bradshaw was a ground-breaking character from HBO's hit show, Sex and the City, of which I have watched the entire series... twice. Carrie's character was the child of Candace Bushnell's column that ran in The New York Observer which was eventually turned into a book and later, into the sitcom. The series broke many social barriers in the 90s such as speaking openly about sex and highlighted several feminist views. Carrie, played by the infamous Sarah Jessica Parker, is a modern, fashion obsessed woman living in Manhattan. She is intelligent, notoriously witty with words and writes a column for the New York Star entitled Sex and the City. Through the many, many ups and downs in her romantic life as well as in her sexual endeavors, she is always left standing tall in her Monolo Blahniks. Throughout the show, Carries wardrobe evolves along with the major men in her life, whether it be Mr. Big, Aiden or her 'Russian', Aleksandr Petrovsky.

When the show first debuted, Carrie was a self-confessed love virgin in day one of Sex and the City. This was reflected in her clothing. She would often wear pretty, soft, feminine colours and styles that projected her purity as demonstrated in the opening credits when she struts down a New York street wearing a modern, white tutu and a pink top. Her outfits remain somewhat inconsistent throughout the first season, displaying Carrie's youth and her search for her true identity. Mr. Big and Carrie meet in the very first episode of the series when her bag is knocked over in the street and he kindly helps her clean up the contents of her purse, including an  astounding amount of condoms. He is a very successful, handsome and mature business man that had been known to exclusively date models. When their relationship begins to flourish, we notice her wardrobe starts to mature. She still knows how to have fun with her clothes but she takes it to the next level and we start to see her experiment with romantic evening gowns on her very formal dates with Big. When heart break becomes Carrie we see her style take a major nose dive before she steps up her game when the opportunity arises to try to get back with Mr. Big. Although the roller coaster that is their relationship takes its ups and downs throughout the entire series, we never quite see the innocent, pretty-in-pink Carrie again.

When Carrie flirtatiously buys a chair from Aiden, the hunky country-boy carpenter, it doesn't take them long to fall completely head-over-heals for each other. At this point in the show, we find Carrie making major ajustments to her life. She quits smoking (sort of) and much to her chagrin, she even gets up the nerve to scoop his collie's poop. Her style also takes a turn and we see her start to take a more relaxed approach to fashion. When she is whisked away to Aiden's country house upstate and even wears plaid flannel, which if you didn't know was a major risk in the 90s.  Carrie struggles to adapt to the country life and despite their profound admiration for each other, she finds herself constantly fighting with her hunky man. Later, Carrie is devastated when she loses Aiden due to an affair with Big. Here, we see her pull out all the stops when we she gets back on the dating scene. She sports huge broaches, asymmetrical lines and pastels are nowhere in sight. This, in my mind, mirrors all the craziness and confusion that is going on in her life.

In the last season, she meets Mr. Aleksandr Petrovsky. The intense eye contact that was made at a contemporary art exhibition between Carrie and "her Russian" stuck in her mind. He was a well-known artist with a swanky penthouse apartment/studio and an old-world romantic charm.  Although uncertain at first, Carrie found herself in love once again, this time, with someone much older and experienced. With a book and dream freelance job with Vogue under her belt (or should I say Gucci hip bag) she is pushed towards a more classic style, dipping into old Hollywood glamour and a more refined look. She is tempted by the thought of settling down with Aleksandr in Paris (who wouldn't want to be with a man that buys you Oscar De La Renta and wants to live with you in France?). Tempted but not convinced, Carrie ends up with Mr. Big once again in New York. Here, she reverts back to her fur coats and her sometimes-unconventional-but-always-amazing outfits.

Throughout the show, Carrie's amazing sense of style breaks all the rules of fashion. From her feathered heels to her very over-sized flower broaches, she is never afraid of taking chances with her (very large) wardrobe. This is something that I absolutely love about her character because she always has a lot of fun with clothes and doesn't let the idea of comfort stand in her way. After all, very few of the most amazing style icons like to follow the rules. Throughout the sitcom, her style evolves, usually depending on the man in her life and the words that appear in her column.  

On the Cheap

As a teenager making student minimum wage at a local deli, I have gotten quite good at what they call "shopping on a budget" or basically just shopping for normal people. I almost never buy anything that isn't on sale or that isn't already really cheap unless, it is an investment piece. An investment piece is something that you are absolutely sure that you want (probably because you have wanted it for a while), that you know is versatile and can be worn in several different ways. It is also something that you are sure will last you a very long time, in the sense of durability, and that won't go out of style in the next five minutes. These are items on which it's okay to splurge.

I like to shop a lot at stores like H&M, Forever 21 and Winners mostly because they have clothes that I love that are normally already pretty cheap. However, I am also on the emailing list for stores like Urban Outfitters and Madewell because they will actually send me notifications when they are having a sale, convenient, right? You can also add your favorite stores to your social media feeds like Facebook and Twitter in order to receive updates. Never forget to look at the sales rack in the back of the store and if you find something that you love that isn't in your size, don't be afraid to ask a salesperson if they have the right one in the back somewhere.

This is a great example of an outfit "on a budget". The brown, faux-leather moto jacket was purchased at Dynamite originally $65 on sale for $35. The off-white pashmina was inexpensive from the start, $10 form Le Château. The pale turquoise jersey style t-shirt was originally $30 on sale for $10 at Garage. The dark wash Volcom jeans were a great find from an independently owned skateboard shop in my hometown, on sale for $40 from $70. Finally, lace-up the boots were my investment piece of the season for $80 however, I did save $10 on the taxes because I have an SPC (student price card).

R. Kelly Clipperton

I met Mr. R. Kelly Clipperton about two years ago (or something like that) when my lovely sister suggested him as a hairdresser. I think it's pretty safe to say that I haven't trusted another human being with my hair since. I very quickly discovered his many other talents. Kelly, having dipped into modeling, theater, script writing, styling, hair dressing, photography and of course, music. He formed the band: Kelly and the Kelly Girls in 2003 and hasn't looked back. I met up with him at his downtown Toronto apartment/ studio while he was colouring a client's hair to talk about him and his opinions on the relationship between fashion and music.

This is a cover of Britney Spears' Toxic from Kelly's live album that was released in 2011
For more information about his music you can go to :  http://www.kellyclipperton.com/index.htm

Made in China

The Olympics have slowly become a way for big-name designers to expand their market and for small-name designers to be discovered. For last summer's Olympics in London, England, iconic American sportswear designer, Ralph Lauren, was chosen to design the U.S's outfits for the opening ceremonies. However, the entire country was horrified to discover that the uniforms had been fabricated in China. Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, even went as far as saying "I think the Olympic committee should be ashamed of themselves. I think they should be embarrassed. I think they should take all the uniforms, put them in a big pile and burn them and start all over again." These uniforms were, in my opinion, a complete embarrassment to all Americans as they represented a very dated view of fashion, they completely destroyed any feminist progress that has been made in the past twenty years as well as failed to provide thousands of jobs to the American population.

When I first laid my eyes on these uniforms, I thought: "God, it's like a cross between a dated version of Air Canada's flight attendant outfits and something from Hitler's Youth." They really looked awful. Berets came back in the early 2000s and have not reappeared since; with good reason. Could they really have not thought of a more modern way to present a suit? I always thought that the U.S was about leading the way in technology and in culture, not about taking us back in time to something that we've seen a million times before. I also thought that the over-sized Ralph Lauren logos on the lapels were tacky; everybody already knew who the designer was, they didn't have to scream it from the mountain tops. Lastly, why would they make the women wear those god-awful, high-rise, white socks with those terrible shoes; they give the entire look a very unnecessary, juvenile vibe.

I find it appalling that Ralph Lauren did not include pants for women in his original designs.  Did he really expect all the female athletes to attend the opening ceremonies of a sporting event to wear skirts? The idea, in my eyes is completely ludicrous. Also, I find it odd how the female models are represented in the image preview for the uniforms (above). It is strange how there is only one woman and three men and how the woman seems to be set apart from the others, kind of like the outsider in the back. It really seems as if Ralph Lauren took his inspiration from a time traveling adventure back to the 1950s but not in a cool, retro kind of way.

I would be truly embarrassed  to say that my country produced their Olympic wear in another country. The Olympics are meant to be about proudly showing everything your nation has to offer, not taking short cuts to save money. That decision literally cost Americans thousands of jobs at a time when the unemployment rate is so high.

Ralph Lauren eventually apologized for his actions and promptly promised that the next Olympic uniforms will be manufactured in the United States, healing some of the country's wounds. However, the designer still managed to disgrace the nation's name by creating uniforms that were unattractive and requiring a modern make over, that were a step backwards in the feminist movement and that cost Americans money. Overall, the designer simply reinforced the often untrue stereotype that U.S citizens are dumb and uneducated.

Stereotipical Beauty

Personally, I find that the subject of under-weight models is over discussed. We've all read articles, seen TV shows and heard firsthand about unhealthy models and are getting tired of it. However, if this is something of which everyone is conscious, why is still an ongoing issue? If people like Crystal Renn and Portia de Rossi are publishing their heart-breaking stories for the world to read, why aren't people doing more to prevent it from occurring?

                                                              

Oftentimes, teenagers are blinded by their idealistic views of modeling since it is glamorized by today's media and are easily swayed into the industry. This is not to imply that teenage girls are idiotic or uneducated; mostly, they are simply optimistic thinkers. When young models are scouted, they are usually asked to lose about five to ten pounds in order to appeal to designers and photographers. Models will sometimes stop eating for several days in order for the few extra pounds to disappear before a specific runway show or photo shoot. They have also been known to become obsessed with their weight and the way their bodies appear, pushing them towards anorexia and bulimia. If young girls who aren't models feel social pressure to be skinny, I can't begin to image the kind of pressure that a model would feel; having to keep their agency happy as well as impressing clients and making clothes look good.

To be blunt, I find that designs can usually be more appreciated when they are being modeled on slimmer figures simply because that is what they are designed for. Although I do not agree with models forcing themselves to throw up, not eating and living an overall unhealthy lifestyle in order to stay on top in this gruelling industry, I believe that models can be slim without destroying their bodies and that's what agencies should be looking for: healthy and happy people who enjoy their jobs.

We tend to see healthier people in the plus-size modeling indusrtry. Crystal Renn was a pioneer in the plus size model movement. After struggling with anorexia as a teen model, Crystal decided to stop starving herself. Ironically, this is when her career took off; as she started to redefine society’s idea of beauty. She produces beautiful images that display her curvaceous body and I see absolutely nothing wrong with that. Since plus size models embody a more accurate representation of North America’s population, why aren’t collections being designed to look good on their body types?

If young girls are struggling to survive their modeling careers why aren't we seeing more of a shift in the industry? I believe clothes should be created to flatter the everyday women, not to put pressure on people that don't fit into the stereotype of what we image beauty to be.

Dark and Daring: Elle Muliarchyk

Having grown up in Vietnam and Belarus, young Elle Muliarchyk soon experienced fashion oppression. Wearing her school uniform for most of the day, clothes were simply something to wear, not something with which you could express yourself. After moving to New York at age 15, she was soon discovered by celebrity photographer Patrick Demarshelier in a coffee shop. She would sometimes do up to eighteen shows a day during fashion week in New York and adored every minute of it. "Modeling is about finding the medium between letting go and having control in front of the camera,"said Muliarchyk. Realizing that modeling wasn’t enough for her, she soon moved on to photography and filmmaking while still pursuing modeling on a part-time basis. 

Now 26, Elle Muliarchyk has become famous for her photographic fitting room series. She snuck her camera into the fitting rooms of various designer boutiques and captured herself wearing some of the most fabulous creations of the season. On some occasions she would even sneak miscellaneous items from the store into the room to pose with. When asked if she had ever been caught she replied: "I have been asked to leave the store several times, on other occasions they would call the police but I’ve only ever ended up in jail once and it was because they thought I was trying to take drugs." Muliarchyk also makes it clear that the only thing she’s stolen is the soul of the clothing.

Recently embarking on a new project, Elle Muliarchyk worked with designers such as Karl Lagerfeld and Alexander Wang to create outfits for unconventional models.  Muliarchyk snuck into churches across New York City, dressed statues of saints in the designer clothes and photographed them. Elle said that she was surprised that no one objected to it once she started getting caught and that the Vatican actually supported her because they believe it was good publicity.

Many find Elle Muliarchyk’s strong sense of rebellion inspiring. Her dark and daring photographs are getting her on our list of style savvy people to be watching.

Elle photographing herself for her fitting room series.

Style Going out of Style

For about a century now, fashion houses like Channel and Louis Vuitton have used their iconic logos and silhouettes to define themselves as a company; Valentino even has his own shade of red.  These particular traits are what we think of when someone utters the company name. What happens when this phenomenon trickles down to men, women and young people in our society? With social networking, people can manipulate virtually their profiles and change how people perceive them. Is this the branding of the 21^st century? Are people developing their own personal brand instead of their personalities? 

Some people walk around today, plastered from head to toe in a company’s logo like a walking, talking advertisement for the brand. As a heavy consumer, I have never felt comfortable sporting a logo. I wish for people to notice style and the thought put into an outfit rather than the brand and the amount of money I spent on it. Are young people allowing a brand to define their personalities, following the companies every trend? Is cultivating one’s personal style going out of style?

In today’s consumer driven world, celebrities are turning into brands and brands are turning into people. What kind of effects will this have on our generations to come? Will infants of the future just shoot out of the womb wearing Gap sweaters? Or will being a real person come back in vogue?

Ottawa Fashion Week

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending Ottawa Fashion Week that just so happened to be my very first runway show. I had a blast. The shows seemed to get better and better as they went on and I loved being around people that had such an impeccable sense of personal style. Unfortunately, I bought my tickets the day of the event so I was stuck sitting in the very back for most of the show and of course there was no flash photography permitted and this resulted in very little adequate pictures. Here were some of the highlights of the show that I was able to capture.

Models that shave their heads

I absolutely love the unconventionality of female models that choose to shave their heads. It makes a bold and modern statement that radiates strength and independence. Having no hair also allows for the model's best features to shine though, never mind the convenience of hassle-free styling.

One-colour collections

Although some of the looks from this collection were not my favorite, I love the idea of designing an entire collection in one colour. It allows it to be cohesive even if the designs are completely different.

Innovative styling

I'm really starting to like this kind of out-of-the-box styling. It has a sort of cool, Victorian vibe and gives a whole new meaning to the word "retro".

Theatricality in runway shows

In the finale show, they had these (mostly naked) men escorting the models down the runway with parasols that were covered in gold glitter so that when they walked, the glitter floated off. It made for a very beautiful and mystical effect. Plus, who doesn't love seeing a nice set of abs?

Style-savvy people

I love how fashion shows attract such style-savvy people, makes sense, right? This is fragrance stylist, Sid Cratzbarg, looking fabulous.

From the clutches of my closet: Falling for Mustard

One of my very favorite purchases that I've made lately is a pair of mustard-yellow skinny jeans that I found for a whopping twenty dollars. It's a great colour for fall and I keep becoming surprised by the number of colours it looks fabulous with.  According to Lauren Conrad's book entitled Style, a pair of skinnies fits you ideally when you can just barely zip the fly (of course without spilling out of them in other areas) and these, I believe are the perfect example. Here are some looks I put together using the jeans for Fall's ever-changing climate.

For warmer weather

For when summer is just starting to turn, I suggest pairing the yellow denim with a cropped jean jacket and tribal print t-shirt. I wore it with striped flats that pick up the colour in the jeans and in the narrow purple head-band. If you feel this is a little too "matchy matchy" for you, feel free to use colours that clash; it was very on trend this summer!

 Getting cooler...

For that time of the year when you finally part with your short shorts for the season, I paired the skinnies with a light military-style jacket, a plain gray scoop-neck t-shirt and a blue and white striped infinity scarf. Fall is definitely prime scarf time. I wore it with a pair of simple black sandals but you could also substitute them for a pair of black flats if you notice your toes starting to turn blue.

 Cold.

For that time of the year when it's so cold that you wouldn't bother stepping out your front door if you didn't look so fabulous while doing it, I would put the jeans together with a long and heavy pea coat, a pair of gray faux-leather boots and a statement t-shirt. This one says: "say it out loud". In my mind, colour blocking never goes out of style.

Fur real?

Although fur was one of the first materials with which humans fabricated their clothes, it has certainly had it's ups and downs in the fashion industry. Leading up to the 1980s, fur was symbolic of everything rich, luxurious and fashion forward. It was the epitome of class and social power; every woman simply had to have it.

In the late 80s, organizations such as PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) and Respect for Animals issued a worldwide campaign against the fur trade. Some extremists went as far as pouring red paint on public figures that wore fur. PETA recruited stores like Topshop and Forever 21 to boycott the trend.  Celebrities like long-time vegan, Natalie Portman who refuses to eat or wear anything that comes from an animal, started to come into the spot light as heros.

It is difficult to play judge and jury since the fur trade employs thousands of people including First Nations that hunt in northern Canada and Russia. However, animals in most slaughter houses and fur farms live in horrendous conditions, often stuffed in undersized cages and never succeed in seeing the light of day before they are murdered. Fur farms have also been known to utilize the most cost efficient ways to kill the animals without damaging the pelts such as poisoning, manual strangulation and occasionally they even skin them alive.

Eventually, the heat of the controversy started to die down and in the late 2000s, Anna Wintour featured fur on the cover on American Vogue. Animal pelts soon started to come back in style. Today, it is coming back in different ways; sometimes synthetic and sometimes vintage which is helping to reduce the number of souls that are lost to fashion.

 Karl Lagerfeld once said that it is "childish" to boycott fur in fashion in a world where it is normal to eat animals. The choice of going for fabulous looking fur or going home with a clean conscious is yours to make. What would you choose?

An iconic anti-fur campaign by Respect for Animals.

Here is a link to a video I found on the PETA website, demonstrating how animals are treated in fur farms. Just a warning, it disturbed me and literally made me feel sick to my stomach therefore I was unable to watch the entire clip.

http://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-clothing/default2.aspx

VOSS

Writing about McQueen in the previous post made me think of his spring/summer 2001 collection for his own line entitled VOSS. Here, he had models sporting his breathtaking garments walking in a glass box that was lit from the inside so that the audience could see them but not the contrary. In the middle of the box sat another, this one's panes were dirty and translucent. Towards the end of the show, a light lit up inside the second box as each side fell and shattered on the floor. The turmoil revealed a naked woman laying on a chaise lounge breathing through a gas mask, her face covered by a mask as well as hundreds of moths that were flying about.

For those who are a little on the impatient side, skip ahead to about nine minutes into the video to see what I'm talking about. 

In my eyes, this tableau was disturbing. It made me feel genuinely afraid but that's what I love about it. Anything that can directly evoke that kind of raw emotion has to be something truly amazing. I love how so many questions pop in your head when you're watching it, even if the question is: "What the f**k?".  I adore the drama and the theatricality; it is so brilliantly and beautifully thought out. This is taking fashion and art to the next level. It makes people think and feel which is something that I believe is being lost in today's society.

Heroine Chic

As previously discussed, the fashion industry can be incredibly grueling. Designers barely have time to take their final bow for their fall collections before they start sketching for spring. Models will sometimes walk up to twenty shows a day during fashion week. It is amazingly daunting to always be expected to be innovative, creating something that has never been done before and for models to be perfectly beautiful and flawless at all times. It has almost become expected that some of the people we look up to the most in fashion get crushed under the immense pressure. They are almost like a ticking time bomb and we just sit and wait for the explosion. Of course, not all great icons are like this, some have endured the fashion industry for years and still manage to come out on top whereas others resort to unhealthy methods to dealing with the stress of it all such as drug and alcohol abuse. 

We have seen some of the most talented people in fashion being destroyed by their addictions or recreational habits. Most recently, John Galliano was fired from his position of head designer for Christian Dior and fined for having uttered anti-semitic remarks to fellow patrons while intoxicated in a Parisienne cafe. The event was recorded and of course, the video went viral leaving Dior no choice but to dismiss Galliano in order to save their fashion house. After making a public apology, little news has come from the designer as he will probably never be able to sell a collection again.

In 2005, super model, Kate Moss who was known for having pioneered the "heroine chic" look of the 90s, was photographed by paparazzi snorting lines of cocaine. Moss soon after lost some of her most high profile contracts with houses such as Chanel, Burberry and H&M,  all denying any further affiliation with the model. Although certain drugs have been known to allow people to lose weight, therefore helping Moss to maintain her lean figure, this publicity flop certainly did not help her attain the next level in her career.



In 2010, the legendary designer (Lee) Alexander McQueen commited suicide in his London apartment only days after the passing of his mother and three years after the suicide of his friend and muse, Isabella Blow. His body was said to be found hung and filled with sleeping pills, cocaine and tranquilizers. He had publicly stated before that he had several demons that he faced on a daily basis and of course, the stress of striving to create amazing collections could not have benefited him psychologically. The fact that McQueen allegedly used drugs recreationally could have also been a contributing factor to his suicide. One thing is for certain, the entire industry mourned the loss of an amazing man and a trailblazing designer.

As we watch some of the most talented people rise and fall, one cannot help but wonder if this industry is just so exceptionally harsh that few survive or is it because it attracts such fragile personalities. Karl Lagerfeld once said:  

“I see designing, running a company, like a high-level athletic activity. I don’t want to hear anything about the fragility or any of those things. If an athlete is too fragile to run, he cannot run. And this is exactly the same. You don’t accept this kind of business if you’re too much of an artist. I believe in discipline, so I’m not the right person to cry about weakness and things like this, but maybe I’m not human.”