Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Bags.Of.The.Day: Schoolboy

Remember the time when everything that was a mere reminder of school left you cringing in agony? Well oh how times have change! In today's fashion world, there is no bigger trend than the Schoolboy bag for both guys and girls out there. Influenced by the whole Vintage movement, the Schoolboy has made a comeback. Every shop, boutique and designer carry their own variations and all the top designer (Mulberry leading the way) are being copied or used as influences. Its hip to carry a schoolboy these days and the "looks-like-i'm-going-to-school-but-i'm-really-not" look is all the rage. Heck, designers like Mulberry have had a rebirth of some sort because of that one particular bag (and its many many many different variations since than). Lets check out my favorites of the schoolboys' out there.

-Ladies.Bags.Of.The.Day:

(Mulberry.Spring.2011)

Who
: Mulberry
What: 'Alexa' leather satchel
Why: This bag is in my opinion the one that started the whole schoolboy craze and onslaught. A regular squared satchel shape with minimal but perfect detailing; Mulberry hardware and logo in a cool antique brass color, braided detail on the handle and double flaps and tabs. Also, the leather used is luxurious. How many copies of this bag have you seen since? and how about the lock? An 'It' bag for sure!
How Much: $1,200 Us (@net-a-porter.com)

***Check out below the rest of the ladies Schoolboy bags worthy of mention:

(Miu.Miu, Proenza.Schouler.'PS1', Cambridge.Satchel.Company, Rebecca.Minkoff)

(DKNY, Zara, Asos, Waikoloa)

-Men.Bags.Of.The.Day:

(Zara.Spring.2011)

Who
: Zara
What: Leather briefcase
Why: Gorgeous briefcase in a buttery caramel leather. The details are clean and simple, no overdose, simplicity here is the name of the game. The construction is rigid, very masculine. The hardware used is polished with one center tab and 2 side ones with pockets for functionality. Zara is great at detecting and right away producing hot items of the moments and definitely this Zara briefcase is a hot item. Great Bag.
How Much: $179 Cdn

***Check out below the rest of the Men Schoolboy bags worthy of mention:

(Cambridge.Satchel.Company, Marc.By.Marc.Jacobs, Polo.Ralph.Lauren, Asos, Matt.&.Nat)

Do you fancy the Schoolboy look? Leave your comments/feedback.

-The.Shoe.Freak
(source: net-a-porter.com/asos.com/ssense.com/littleburgundyshoes.com/rebeccaminkoff.com)

Monday, May 23, 2011

Fashion.Events.Montreal: Simon.Chang.Store.Opening

Last Month, I was invited to attend the opening of the Simon Chang store in posh Centre Rockland in Montreal. I decided to bring my mom as a guest as I know she was a big fan of the Canadian designer, and has bought many of his clothes throughout the years. A cocktail-and-finger food event was held inviting media and faithful customers to discover the new ins and outs of the boutique and collection. Mr.Chang was there himself to greet and mingle with everyone. I discovered a very pleasant and charming man who literally spoke to everyone and was happy doing so.

(Simon.Chang.Back.Mural.+.Changing.Rooms)

The space itself is pretty and has a feeling of luxury, which goes well with the 'image' of its location. Nice chandeliers hanging from the ceiling as well as cages, tables, picture frames and what not add to the chicness of the space. The clothes are well displayed and it is very easy to see everything as it is not clustered by any means.


As for the collection itself, it caters to the Simon Chang clientele very well. There was nice evening gowns, mixed with nice summer suits and stylish daywear. The brand has also expanded into the accessories field with lots of nice head bands, bags, necklaces, jeweleries, belts and so forth that will make the younger customer walk-in and take a look.


However, the prime customer of the Simon Chang brand will always remain the 35-60 years old fashionable and fashion savvy lady. They will find what they are looking for, that is for sure.

As for my mom, she ended up having a great time trying on lots of clothes she liked, even getting help by Mr.Chang himself in the process. She walked away with a gorgeous black fitted dress to the knee with a big rounded collar and a smile.

(my.beautiful.&.stylish.mom.with.her.new.purchase.&.look.at.those.knee-high.boots!!!)

Nice evening indeed.


Go check out the Simon Chang boutique in Centre Rockland, on the first floor. Or visit his website at www.simonchang.com

-The.Shoe.Freak

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Footwear.Trend.Spring.2011: Stripes

As per mentioned in a few previous post, including a ‘Shoes.Of.The.Day’ segment, Stripes are another big trend for Spring 2011 in the footwear industry in both ladies and menswear. Bold stripes, colorful stripes, small stripes and all that is in-between, the trend is everywhere. Designers used them on sneakers as well as casual shoes, sandals and loafers. You will have many different options to choose from. Lets take a look at different options I found interesting for both ladies and men.

-Ladies:

(Pierre.Hardy)

(Prada, Carven, Christian.Louboutin, Tory.Burch, Tabitha.Simmons)

-Men:


(Gucci)

(Zara, Toms.Shoes, Zara, John.Varvatos.For.Converse, Rachel.Comey, Lodger)

Go wild with Stripes this Spring.Summer 2011 on your feet!

-The.Shoe.Freak
(source: net-a-porter.com/zara.com/neimanmarcus.com)

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Bags.Of.The.Day: Stripes

This segment of Bags.Of.The.Day will showcase one of the emerging trends of Spring 2011: Stripes. Leading the way in establishing trends and set new paths in the global fashion world is Miuccia Prada, and yet again, the fashion world is following her every move this Spring 2011. Stripes was a big theme, and the tone was set by Prada's crazy and quirky spring 2011 ladies show where stripes was hugely used. Menswear followed suit and other designers as well. Lets see my choices for bags of the day, Stripe edition.

-Ladies.Bags.Of.The.Day:

(All.by.Prada.Spring.2011)

-Men.Bags.Of.The.Day:

(Prada.&.Marc.By.Marc.Jacobs.Spring.2011)

Get your stripes on! its fun, its fresh, its trendy and its quirky. Love or hate it?

-The.Shoe.Freak

(source: style.com/ssense.com/saksfifthavenue.com)

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Footwear.Trend.Spring.2011: Espadrilles

As per mentioned in a previous ‘Shoes.Of.The.Day’ post, the Espadrille shoe is huge in the footwear industry for Spring/Summer 2011, in both ladies and menswear. But what is the Espadrille? Normally, it is the ladies ballerina-inspired wedged sole in natural fabric (jute, straw and canvas) and tied at the ankle with a long laced string in satin or leather (see picture below).


(Chloe.Spring.2011)

However, this season, designers were inspired in creating different styles using the component of the espadrille. Therefore, for Spring 2011, it comes in many different shapes, forms and designs while using the influence of its original self. Therefore, you will see an onslaught of sandals, booties, loafers and sport shoes using the jute sole in natural beige color with thick stitch and canvas body for both guys and girls. And, the more creative designers went two steps forward by fusing two footwear trends together (boat shoe, gladiators, loafers etc.) and/or forming their own variations by using stacked heels, tassels, zippers and many more details creating a new look while still maintaining components that are true to the espadrille. Take a look at more Espadrille options for Spring 2011 for both guys and girls below.

-Ladies:

(Charlotte.Olympia, DKNY, Enzo.Angiolini, Yves.Saint.Laurent)

(Christian.Louboutin, Pierre.Hardy, Stuart.Weitzman, Chloe)

-Men:

(KG.by.Kurt.Geiger, John.Galliano, H.by.Hudson, Zara, Zara)

I have already purchased mines and started wearing them. Will you be sporting the trend this summer?

-The.Shoe.Freak