Elie Tahari SS12

One of my favourite shows at NYFW was the Elie Tahari s/s12 show. While I didn't get to attend the show, I did watch the live stream at the Lincoln Centre.

Check it out:





Anyone have any favourite collections for the S/S season?

3 New Things I Learned in New York

My most recent trip to New York was my fourth time in The City, but the first time that a) I didn't do anything touristy and, b) the first time I stayed in Manhattan. What a different experience.

I love that travel is such a different experience every time you go somewhere, old or new, so there are always opportunities to learn new and experience new things.

Here are 3 new things I learned about New York:

Hot boys congregate in Murray Hill.
We stayed in Murray Hill and it was like living on a University campus - loads of cute boys! It's not the coolest or most exciting area, but if you're on the prowl for hot university-aged boys, come here.

Taking cabs is economical...
...on your wallet and your time. I hadn't used taxis as a serious mode of transportation in NYC, but now that I have...wow. There are the obvious stereotypes about there being cabs lining the street, and while that is a bit extreme, cabs are so easily accessible. No waiting for 20-30 minutes to hail a cab. No insane fast fare ticker while you're sitting in traffic. To get from the Lincoln Centre to SoHo, it was $15. In Vancouver that would easily cost $20+. My feet thanked me so much for taking cabs because there isn't always a subway station around when you're wearing your tranny heels.

New York pizza is meh.
After hearing about how amazing the pizza was in NYC, I was super stoked to try it. It's good. But I definitely prefer Megabite. But, I'm not sure if that's just because of the awesome garlic sauce. (This statement excludes Grimaldi's.)

NYFW Day 4: The Colour Block

My last full day at New York Fashion Week and I quite possibly saved the hottest (temperature-wise) outfit for likely the most humid day. Of course. It always works out that way.

When I wasn't cursing my outfit for being a mini sweatshop (literally), I loved it. It's a great summer outfit because of the colours, but also a great transitional outfit because of the long sleeves and boots. I actually can't wait to wear it to work - I love multi-tasking outfits.

Shirt & Pants: Joe Fresh Booties: Jeffrey Campbell Necklace: Aldo Purse: Topshop

This little gem of an outfit also got me street style papped by Glamour Espana - check me out!

The Board of Trade Co. Opening Party

A couple weekends ago, I was invited to attend the launch party of Vancouver's newest boutique, The Board of Trade Co. located in Chinatown.

To be honest, I was coming off such a high from New York Fashion Week that I was kind of dreading the event.

Imagine my surprise when a) the boutique was different from most other boutiques in Vancouver, and b) the party was bumpin'.

The Board of Trade Co. houses mostly men's clothing, but they do have a few women's pieces. Prices are very reasonable and you can also shop online!

There are some really unique accessories 

Sick men's shoes 

Amazing Walther Tassel Loafers 

Racks on racks on racks of men's clothes

Owned by Eunice and David, The Board of Trade Co. carries unique brands from around the world. They believe in giving up-and-coming designers a voice, rather than being the faceless person behind the brand. If you're looking for the next hot thing, The Board of Trade Co. is the place to be.

But back to the party. This was no typical Vancouver fashion scene party. The usual suspects were MIA and there were tons of guys in attendance. Major bonus, the dudes were all well dressed! In addition, the bar was a keg (!!!) and people were doing picklebacks (shots of whiskey chased by a shot of pickle juice).

The good stuff

Reppin' the neighbourhood with Chinese treats

Overall, great party, great store, and great people. Can't wait to go back.


The Board of Trade Co. is located at 227 Union St. in Vancouver.

My NYFW BFF

In a media flurry, I spotted by new BFF...

Valentino was totally giving me side-eye to ensure that I keep our BFF-ness on the DL. Well, there went that plan...

NYFW Day 3: Lace Me Up

Let me start off by saying that I love wearing shorts with heels. Especially when my legs are tanned.

Shorts: Mink Pink Tank: Wilfred Shoes: Alexander Wang 'Freja' Bag: belongs to Niki

This was probably my least favourite outfit from NYFW. It was hot and frankly, I was getting tired of being so sweaty all the time.

However, these Alexander Wang Freja booties arrived just in time to be worn that day. Niki and I were like little kids waiting for Christmas because we were both expecting packages at her apartment. I had only heard horror stories (pretty much just from Niki) about how uncomfortable Alexander Wang shoes were, so I was a bit apprehensive. However, I managed to walk around a lot in them before they became unbearable. While my feet are sore and blistered, I was surprised that I was able to last as long as I did.

Photo credit: A Haute Mess

TIBI SS12

Tibi's s/s 12 show. Wow. The collection was absolutely stunning - minimalism at it's finest with delicate pleats and easy movement. With classic separates, shoppers would only need to buy a few key pieces to mix and match. The collection was anchored with 4 key colours: a peachy pink, green, mustard, and blue (mostly as a neutral). There were, of course, your typical neutrals: black, white, beige, and grey - with various shades of grey leading that pack.

Interesting note: the show was styled by Elin Kling of Style by Kling.

I was definitely digging the short suits and the palazzo pants. I especially loved the yellow/mustard palazzo pants that were so wide they fall into 'leg tent' territory. The mustard blazer and white dress combo was unexpected and amazing.

Here's a quick video from MBFW on the Tibi show. I tried to use the pictures, but the links were all broken.

This is definitely a collection I want to run out and buy. I'm actually kind of bummed that I have to wait until Spring to find it!

NYFW in Twitpics

Here are a few twitpics from NYFW.

NYFW hair cut

Bringing out the big guns - sequins

Cocktails at the CFDA party at Milk Studios

Milk Studios - Milk Made

Kickin it at Lincoln Centre with A Haute Mess - L: Alexander Wang R: Jeffrey Campbell

Niki's first time at Pinkberry - my Peanut Butter & Jelly

The scene at TIBI s/s12

Olivia Palermo sitting front row at TIBI

NYFW Day 2: Sequin Me Out

This is probably my favourite outfit from NYFW (or MBFW, whatever you want to call it). It’s a little Fashiontoast, a little The Haute Pursuit, and a lot of fun.

Shorts: H&M Tank: Club Monaco Sequin Jacket: Vintage Boots: Sam Edelman 'Zoyla' Purse: borrowed from Niki

It was a bit intimidating to go without a bra allllllllll day - especially in a shirt that was so loose and had a lot of movement. If I hadn’t been wearing the jacket, I definitely would have worn a bandeau or bralette. Had I been at home in Vancouver, I don’t think I would have gone without. But it was fashion week! Reckless abandon!

There was a shuttle from the Lincoln Centre to some offsite shows, Y-3 being one of them. The only problem was, despite asking numerous people about where to get it, I couldn’t find it! I ended up splitting a cab with 2 other girls – a photographer, Anna, and a fellow blogger, Prutha, of Don't Shoe Me. We ended up missing the start of the show by maybe 5 seconds, and they wouldn’t let us in! So, after cabbing all the way to SoHo, Anna snapped some pics of Prutha and I with her iPhone.

First photo taken by A Haute Mess.

NYFW Day 1: An outfit post

New York hasn't been nearly as humid as I was expecting. I was anticipating rain and 100% humidity resulting in my looking like a chia pet. But instead, I was greeting with 80ish degree (mid-20s) weather and about 80% humidity. So needless to say, subway humidity and heat aside, I've been able to avoid looking like a early 90s phenomenon.

Day 1 at the tents had me being conservatie, testing out the sartorial waters. After a long, agonizing trip through Bergdorf's, Niki and I stopped to take some pics.

Tank: Obakki Skirt: H&M Shoes: Michael Antonio Bag: Vintage

The new hair!!! What do you guys thinks?

NYFW: ADAM S/S '12

I was super excited to attend my first Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week show - ADAM.

I enjoyed the ADAM show. The clothes are wearable and not overly fussy. The general styling of the show was pleasing, from the clothing, to the hair and make up. But while the clothes were pretty, they seemed a bit…underwhelming. There really was nothing special about what I saw.

Major themes:

Aside from the neutrals, there were pops of pastels: pinks and purples.

Skirts were still flirting with the knees, as were the capris/shorts.

Prints were still huge: realistic looking florals, polka dots, and seagulls.

Sheer paneling.

Pajamas as daywear.

I love the idea of pajama-esque daywear. The shorts/capris/pants with the undone shirt is a look I love. However, since we get so much rain in Vancouver, I don’t see this as a realistic option.

The excessive use of pink was surprising. I love the cotton candy pink dress, but one look they had (but didn’t post) was cotton candy pink pants with a pink a patterned shirt. It was just a bit much for me.

The floral on floral on floral and dots on dots on dots (thanks Kanye) are a bit much for me, but I think that on the right person, they would totally work.

Overall, a nice collection, yes. But nothing that I need to pre-order or run out to buy.

Photo credit: MBNYFW

Standing Armed S/S '12 Presentation

Whether or not you love Standing Armed's F/W '11 collection, rest assured that you will love the S/S '12 collection. I attended the presentation last Thursday and was pleasantly surprised. The colour palette is fantastic.

LOVE this one

Gorgeous back

Simple maxi in a pop of colour

This is a hot dress

Standing Armed designer Lindsay Walsh with a few models

Overall, the room seemed impressed by the collection. The pieces are totally wearable and differ from the quintessential Vancouver aesthetic. I look forward to seeing what Standing Armed brings us next!

Here's a quick video I shot at the event: