Spring/Summer 2013: Plenty to Choose From

Follow Sarah on Twitter: @sarallin

I recently checked out Plenty’s Favourites Spring 2013 event. Hosted by FASHION Magazine’s Joy Pecknold, and featuring outfits selected by the ladies from The Style Common, the event makes me wish more than ever that spring would actually arrive.

Established in Vancouver in 1989 (just like me!), Plenty stocks a wide variety of international and in-house brands. I’ve always liked Plenty’s mix of brands because they’re great at achieving a balance of on-trend, and classic pieces. This spring’s collection is no exception, and with that, here are my favourite picks:

For the ladies:

I absolutely love this Maison Scotch vest, and need it in my wardrobe ASAP (nickels currently being saved). The photo really doesn’t do all of the details justice. As someone who lives in jean jackets three-quarters of the year, this vest is a much-needed alternative.

I love a good print, and this GREYLIN top with bird motif is nice and bright without being too busy. Using this blog as personal therapy side note: I’m slightly terrified of birds, but love all bird clothing and jewelry. Is this normal?

Every summer I make a huge list of things I’m going to DIY, and after about 3 botched projects, I finally give up. These Free People cutoffs embrace my uselessness, and add the lace trim for me. Well worth the investment.

This OBEY hat is a great way for girls to dip their toes into the sportswear trend, with the floral pattern keeping things feminine. As a matter of fact, I’m not even sure this is a women’s hat, not that I’ve been stopped from shopping in the men’s section before.

Spring colours even sneak their way into jewelry!

DV Dolce Vita sandals with the slightest of a wedge, so you can sneak an extra inch without your feet feeling it.

For the fellas:

OBEY is one of my favourite menswear lines. This tank is great for summer festivals, or for Americans who want to celebrate the Fourth of July without slapping a giant American flag on their clothes.

RVCA shorts are a good mix of tailored and casual. A nice alternative to the Vancouver habit of guys wearing board shorts everywhere.

Original Penguin makes great button up shirts, and this check has some nice spring colours.

Men take note: women like guys who read. That being said, I won’t tell if you wait to wear this Out of Print Clothing Great Gatsby shirt until after the Baz Luhrmann movie comes out.

With that I am done. Thanks for reading, and for being my bird-issues therapist. Perhaps you’ll see one of the few additional items I picked up at the event on the blog soon (I think I may have a shopping problem, but that’s a whole other therapy session).

Spring/Summer 2013: Trends

We've officially sprung forward and temperatures are rising (unless of course, you're here in Ottawa, where after a few balmy 6 degree days, we'll be back sub-zero this weekend. I really just want to wear different shoes, that's all.), so that means the Spring collections are hitting the stores. Here's an idea of what you'll be seeing for the next couple seasons. For more, check out The Cut.

Midriffs

Remember in the 90s when showing your midriff was all about wearing baby-t's and, well, basically clothes that looked too small for you (sorry Clueless and Empire Records)? Well, midriffs don't need to be (that) scary anymore. So hit the gym and work those abs! I should talk - I just at an entire bag of chips...after Emily told me I "looked like Beyonce, but with better abs". Also, can we talk about Marc Jacobs' attempt at midriff bearing power suits?

Marc Jacobs

Charlotte Ronson

Long Shorts

A personal favourite of mine. I have muscular legs so short shorts don't work well on me; so I usually have a hard time finding shorts that don't make me look like I belong on the stage at Brandi's (or Christina Aguilera). I've also found that long shorts tend to not be cut that well, making them much more unflattering than they need to be. But needless to say, I'm stoked that long shorts are being done in the most flattering way they can be (I use the word 'flattering' very loosely).

Mara Hoffman

Ruffian

Jailbird Stripes

Black and white are always in style, but more so now that the Hamberglar look is in style. From horizontal to vertical to diagonal, black and white stripes are everywhere.

Acne

Michael Kors

Peek-a-boo Dresses

These have been seen on the red carpet at a few shows over the past year, but they're finally making their way down to us regular folk. But instead of cut outs, we're seeing sheer or lace overlays, giving the wearing the illusion of being fully dressed.

Helmut Lang

Calvin Klein Collection

What trends are you into this season?

Images via Style.com

The Parker Project: From Winter into Summer 2013

Cities have industrial parks, technology parks, but did you know that Vancouver has a fashion park? Located on Parker Street in East Vancouver, The Parker Project houses the offices of some of your favourite fashion brands.

This past Friday we took a tour of The Parker Project to get a sneak peak of the clothes that will be hitting stores soon. With all of our friends talking about Sasquatch and Coachella lately, we had music festivals on the brain. So with that in mind, as we took our tour, it seemed like all of our favourite finds were also festival picks. Even the food was festival ready, with the Tacofino truck parked right outside (nom).

Follow Sarah on Twitter: @sarallin

My general rule of thumb for festivals is that at least one piece of denim must be worn at all times. Have a maxi dress? Add a denim jacket. Wearing a cute blouse? Obviously pair it with cutoffs. Or, just go all out and rock a summer version of the Canadian tuxedo.

I know most people think cutoffs and tank tops for festivals, but when the sun goes down you gotta bundle up (we learned that the hard way at Outside Lands last year). The mix of knit and leather on this Line Knitwear piece looks great and will keep you warm.

Lightweight pants are a must have item. When you’re lying on a blanket waiting for the next act to hit the stage, you’ll be glad you’re in pants and not a short skirt. Gypsy05 had lots of pants in awesome colourful prints. If you’re feeling a little less adventurous, Lifetime Collective had black pants that would make a great wardrobe staple.

Blee Inara had some great accessories with lots of influences from around the world. I was especially digging the evil eyes.

Quiksilver Women had a ton of good finds. My favourite was this tall ship dress.

Follow Emily on Twitter: @em_rossco

Festival dressing can be a bit tricky. You’ve really got to consider where the festival is taking place and other factors like how long you’ll actually have to be outside and what sort of surfaces you’ll be perching on while mowing your food truck treats. You’ve also got to mix practical with on trend, which can be agonizing if you’re not an effortless festival goddess.

My go to pieces always involve layering (even if it’s excessive at times) of both clothing and jewelry. I’d start with these bangles from the YBrands showroom. They’d provide a good hint of colour to any festival getup.

A maxi dress is a perfect piece as it’s both flowly but keeps your legs protected from scratchy grass. The stripe pattern of this Gypsy05 maxi would be perfect to layer with your key denim piece of the day.

If you’re going to a festival where you know it’s going to be hot, these Seychelle's sandals incorporate just enough of the stud trend to be cute without being a hindrance at airport security.

Keeping warm, especially at festivals in a desert like Sasquatch, mean a big knit is essential. This Left on Houston open cardigan could be thrown over any piece to stave off the nighttime chills.

BB Dakota’s lightweight patterned shorts would be perfect for a hot day. Throw on some thigh high socks to carry them into a cool night.

After browsing through the showrooms, we were both ready to ditch our winter knits for some festival pieces. Besides the basics of denim and patterns, incorporate practical layers with unexpected accessories to create a unique festival look while ensuring you won’t freeze while listening to Metallica in a cloud of fog. We coped with the longing for our next festival by stuffing our face with mini cupcakes – we’re definitely on our way to that summer bod.

Event: Plenty's Fall Fashion Showcase

Last week I attended the Plenty Fall Fashion Showcase hosted by FASHION Magazine's Joy Pecknold.

Plenty is celebrating 23 years in the industry and carries various in-house labels such as: Propaganda, PDG, Ribbon, Ribbon Luxe, Monk & Lou, and Big Blue. Joy introduced us to some great fall looks from Plenty's various lines.

Plenty's showcase is a great way to see how fashion's runway trends can be accessible for everyone.

Autumnal

Chic Country
Trends: fur, blanket stripes.

 Men's Prep

Men's Street

Prints on Prints
Trends: embellished pants, contrast collars.

Violent Femmes
Trends: Strong women, lace inserts (sheer).

Images via: Dela Cruz PR.

Autumn/Winter 2012: Trend Report

In February at New York Fashion Week, WGSN, the world's leading fashion forecaster, curated a list of 10 Autumn/Winter 2012 trends.

And though the photos below may not show it, the hot colours for Autumn/Winter 2012 are: burnt orange, eggplant, royal blue, peach, deep teal, primrose yellow, venetian red, and cerulean (hello Devil Wears Prada!).

Winter Whites
As seen at 3.1 Phillip Lim & Alexander Wang

See, white can be worn after Labour Day.

European School Girl
As seen at Kelly Wearstler & Anna Sui

Fun & flirty

Blanket Stripes
As see at Rag&Bone & Mulberry

From coats to sweaters and dresses, this cozy print will make you want to curl up apres ski

Fabric Blocking
As seen at Herve Leger & Alexander Wang

Colour blocking's more daring sister

Strong Women
As seen at Herve Leger & Victoria Beckham

The juxtaposition of masculine and feminine

Fur
As seen at 3.1 Phillip Lim & Yigal Azrouel

Coats, hats, bags...you name it, and it can have fur

Contrast Collars
As seen at Derek Lam & Moschino

From dainty (Lam) to bolder (Moschino), there are no limits

Brocade & Embellished Pants
As seen at A.L.C. & Derek Lam

Simple designs with rich fabric

Lace Inserts
As see at Charlotte Ronson & Rebecca Minkoff

How daring you are is up to you

Quilting
As see at Jason Wu & L.A.M.B.

Again, marrying the masculine and feminine

All images via Style.com

Stripes for Summer

I don't tend to wear tons of pattern, but when I do, it's usually stripes. I'm not a big polka dot girl (too cutesy), I wear the odd plaid (in flannel, obviously), and I just don't have a ton of florals. But stripes. That's a whole different ball game. As you can see here, here, here, and here, stripes are always appropriate. I am a huge fan of the nautical look, so that probably has something to do with my adoration for stripes.

What's great about stripes is that they can be as aggressive or as risk averse as you want, they're always in style, and they can be worn on any article or accessory you want.

Some of my fave striped picks for the summer. (I tried really hard to work a stripe pun into all this, but no luck.)

J. Crew Stripe Ballet Flats - $138.00

Sperry A/O 2-Eye Stripe Seersucker Boat Shoe - $149.98 

James Perse Stripe Sundress - $145.00

J.Crew Stripe Dolman-sleeve Tee - on sale! $24.99

Whistles Lace Stripe Dress (be like Kate Middleton!) - $344.08

Rachel Zoe Madison Colorblock Shift Dress - $325.00

J.Crew Maritime Stripe Blazer - $118.00

Charlie Jade Madison Maxi Dress - $196.00

Beauty: The 2012 Oscars

Spotted! Four Spring 2012 beauty trends on the red carpet last night!


Bold Lips

Seems like every season is bold lip season, but it's such a classic look, how can you go wrong? Spring 2012's bold lip comes in a variety of colours, from your typical reds and pinks, to purples and greys (seriously). The one thing that rules them all? A matte finish.
Seen on: Rooney Mara

Bold Brows

Are bold brows still considered a trend? I guess if the old trend was bleached brows (remember ANTM where the girl cried??), then I guess going au natural would be considered a trend. Spring 2012's bold brows are bold and architectural, bordering on androgynous. Sign me up.

Seen on: Rooney Mara

Winged Liner

I love winged liner but I really suck at doing it. (Does anyone have any tips??) Spring 2012 brings eyeliner to a whole new level. At times it was used to draw intricate designs around the eye and crease, and others, it was just used as extreme liner. The winged liner on the red carpet wasn't super avant garde, but obvious enough to meet the trend.
Seen on: Emma Stone, Jennifer Lopez

Tone on tone on tone

Monochrome isn't only just for clothes anymore. The buzzword for this look is "tonal", but I'm a Yeezy/HOV fan, so... Utilizing various shades of one colour enables you to create that fresh faced, dewy look that everyone loves. Even though you could be wearing as much makeup as a tranny, no one will be able to notice. All joking aside, this is one look I'd love to master.
Seen on: Gwyneth Paltrow

Images via Getty.