Summer Fashion 101

Whites

The all-white look is a staple for summer fashion. Club Monaco has a wide selection in all-white, light weight clothing to keep you cool on hot summer days. Avoid white leggings and super tight white jeans this summer (as I fear intense camel toe will ruin your intentions), instead try white hosiery. In addition, ruffles are still trendy but a well-draped skirt is the best wardrobe investment. Burberry's chiffon knot skirts have all the romance without the frilly pouf of ruffles. For better value, try Club Monaco's Catherine Silk Chiffon Skirt.

Purples

Purple has been in the spotlight for sometime now. With bold fashionable Torontonians venturing into dark purple lipstick (like Cyber from Mac Cosmetics), I believe great Grape finds will continue to pop up everywhere.

Trends: Florals, Rompers, Mesh and Denim

Tiny floral prints are in high demand. Break the H&M Garden Collection mold with the original flower child, Betsey Johnson or Montreal brand Barila (found at Model Citizen or Pho Pa.) Rompers are a trend that isn't going away anytime soon. Although not for everyone, many brands are offering a super cute selection ranging from sexy to sophisticated. The Americana all-denim look is back with vests, jackets, rompers, button-up shirts, skirts and shorts finding a place in your wardrobe. Side note: The lighter the denim, the better. The lingerie/underwear-as-outwear trend hasn't really taken off in Toronto yet. For those more modest, a sheer top captures the look with minimum exposure.

Top Left to Right: Baril Clothing, Floral Jumper; Betsey Johnson, Floral Jumper; Joe Fresh, Floral Dress ($29.99)
Bottom Left to Right: The Gap, Denim Skirt ($49.99); Urban Outfitters, BDG Dolphin Shorts ($29.99); American Apparel, Mesh Top ($39.99)

Christian Siriano proves to be as savvy in business as in fashion

I just finished watching Christian Siriano on The View. As he showed off a few pieces from his Fall 2010 collection, I couldn't help but be impressed. Not just by the extravagant clothes, but I was mostly impressed by how savvy he is. As most Runway alumni fail to keep relevant after winning, Siriano cleverly built a solid foundation to support his runway collections. For example, his Payless Shoe Collection which keeps getting better every season. This is a great example of when talent, no matter how extraordinary, is not enough. With a sea of designers in today's markets, you need to offer something more than two collections a year. New fashion designers need to be their own marketing and pr dynamos. Consumers need to be reminded of why they need your brand in their closet. It's refreshing that designers are making deals for affordably priced Target/H&M/Payless/Gap lines. It's simply smart, since it widens your audience and it's an ideal press opportunity. With luxury sales down and fast fashion chains imitating high fashion anyhow, why not get in on the profits.

Images: The Cut

Best Looks on the Red Carpet

Left to right: Gwen Stefani in Lamb, Zoe Saldana in Calvin Klein, January Jones in YSL


Left to Right: Diane Kruger in Calvin Klein, Brooke Shields in Michael Kors, Giesel Bunchen in Alexander Wang

The MET Costume Institute Gala, "the Oscar's of the east coast", always brings out the hottest names in fashion and the models and actresses that wear them. While long sleeves were surprisingly popular, most opted for classic ball gowns with trains. American designers were the choice of the night, since the exhibit was titled American Woman: Fashioning a National Identity.



From left to right: Cate Blanchett in Alexander McQueen, Joshua Jackson and Diane Kruger in Chanel, Gwyneth Paltrow in Giorgio Armani

Cate Blanchett decided to kick off the Cannes Film Festival by paying tribute to the late Alexander McQueen. The dress was part of his Pre-Fall collection.
Also, Diane Kruger embraces one of her favorite designer, Karl Lagerfeld, at the Chanel 2010 Resort Collection. And Gwyneth looks chic at the Iron Man 2 premier.

Images: Harper Bazaar, The Cut, Entertainment Weekly, Huffington Post

Robin Givhan and Jeanne Beker talk fashion

On a particularly stormy night last Friday, Robin Givhan, fashion critic and style writer for The Washington Post, and Jeanne Beker, host of Fashion Television, finished a series of conversations dedicated to architecture, music and, of course, fashion. New to the Hot Doc film festival this year, Critical Mass is a conversation exploring cultural subjects related to film. Robin Givhan is a huge name in fashion right now. Instead of moving fashion forward by design, she elevated fashion journalism by winning the Pultzer Prize (a first for a fashion writer. ) Although Givhan claims she is still trying to figure fashion out, she seemed to have a pretty clear vision of where fashion fits into our cultural dialogue. They discussed the pitfalls of fashion, such as designer's narrow visions of their ideal clients, the link between the ideal beauty shrinking while obesity rises, and design being influenced from sponsorship. Yet the one major change that stood out was the "demoncratization of fashion." With increased exposure to fashion and style, people are taking an invested interest in the matter. What that could mean for the industry is public pressure to progress fashion into something more realistic, such as the presence of more mature models on the runway and more pragmatic designs. The end of glamour and teenage models? Maybe not, but the times are changing and the people are finding their voice in fashion. Jeanne also offered up a little tidbit of news. She will be venturing into a new clothing line "Edited by Jeanne", which will soon to be available at The Bay.