"No zippers; Diane doesn't like zippers." Why, exactly? "Because they wake up your lover when you're slipping back into your dress."

My cheeky quote is straight out of DVF's mouth when we were lunching.  I jest; it's actually from Style.com and I like her more if the quote is true.  Every woman feels beautiful in a DVF wrap dress.  I have two now (one is her green classic magazine cover, shown) and am hoping for the one below.  Blondes look great in blue!

 Beauty!

Judith and Charles Fall Show

I went to the Judith and Charles Fall show/event this past Wednesday and - Sacrebleu! dare I say it? - I almost can't wait until the cool weather starts again if for this line alone.  The patterns and colours are beautiful!  Lots of browns and blacks mixed together, and my favourite, lots of sheaths!  Lots of boyfriend blazers, and adorable and feminine suits.  Although the boyfriend/boxy jackets aren't made for my body type, I was really impressed with the diversity in the hemlines, vents and details.

I would have loved to have seen a catwalk, as I find it's so much more exciting and interactive when there are models wearing the clothes.  Jeanne Beker was a fun local celeb to see, in 6 inch platform slingbacks.  Impressive to say the least, and she looked gorgeous and uber-thin!  Who knew a glass factory could be so much fun?  They also gave the boot to the ambiguous "Teenflo" name.  I kinda liked it myself, but I think it confused potential customers.

Pics on the clothing to follow shortly...

Seriously? How did I not know about Asos before?

Stumbling through the web looking under key words on Google, "striped black and white dress" and somehow I found Asos.com, a site dedicated to amazing finds for amazing prices.  Not only do they have international free shipping, but the best part is you can see how the clothes fit on a model walking the runway.  So important!  I found that a few of the pieces I liked in pictures I didn't like so much on the runway.  But this is great because I found some details on other pieces I wouldn't have seen otherwise.  Great user experience to see for each and every piece of clothing!  Impressively, the site has Reiss clothing, which is so hard to find available otherwise...so few stores near me!

Another cute feature - when the model walks the runway a different song is played...many new bands and musicians I've discovered there!

Judith and Charles Summer 2011 Line

So this blog isn't just for clothes I bought but clothes I want too!  I was invited by one of the ladies at Judith and Charles to see the Fall 2011 line next week.  I can't wait to see what they've got!  I love the clothing as it's well made, Canadian and usually has lots of beautiful fabrics and patterns.  They've got great work suits and equally beautiful dresses.  And I love dresses!

I was particularly gaga for a couple of pieces in their Summer line, such as this beautiful beige-rose suit and this striped blouse ($260) which also came in a dress.

 

Some more fun necklaces...

I went to Chicago for business and managed to find some time to play dress up with some fun necklaces.  I loved this one so much that I bought it from Ann Taylor ($68)...what's better yet is that it comes with a pin on the back that changes the necklace to a brooch - very cute!  The cardinal necklace ($68) is also from Ann Taylor as well as the bib lace necklace ($98).  I have to give it to Ann Taylor for their hybrid of beauty and hardiness in their jewelery...any piece I've purchased has lasted much longer than any other "fashion" jewelery I've bought-en :)

 

 These are from Aldo and equally as cute, and extremely approachable in pricing...Aldo Hauth (Owl, $15) and Owl Bodziony (Bee, $12).

Came Late to the Party!

So I may have hopped on the animal jewelery bandwagon a tad late, but I'm making up for lost time!  I bought a couple cheapie animal pieces, such as the owl necklace and a peacock necklace and I just adore them.  I also ordered a bumble bee necklace from etsy just because these things are so eclectic and gorgeous and will always offer a conversation piece!

Retail Rant

From my experience in working in retail (which I sincerely believe everyone should have to do at some point in their life - it seriously helps in understanding why you should ask a salesperson to get the size you're looking for and not just pull from the bottom of the pile!), I was very interested in the turnover and the movement of items over to the sales area.  I became fixated (and quite frankly, still obide by) the principles of what you can wait to buy and what items will be snatched up at regular  price.  In a simple sum up, the staple items sell very quickly, the kitschy items will usually go unplucked and on sale.

I think we all have different pain points, as I was explaining to a colleague, in what we are willing to pay for certain pieces.  For me, for some reason, I will not spend an exorbitant amount of money on outerwear!  Louboutins will not be my next pump purchase in all likelihood (although I am dying for those red soles to follow me around town).   I will, on the other hand, spend $800 on a suit that I will have in my wardrobe just to look at!  I don't know why I do it but I do...here's one of the beauties I picked up that I just adore from Teenflo/Judith & Charles.  I really love this and almost want to wait for the perfect day/meeting/event to wear this to ($425 for the jacket, $275 for the skirt - which has beautiful draping at the waistline).  Until I do, it waits to be picked from the special area of my Clothing Capsule.  The girls at First Canadian Place Judith & Charles are amazing and will go to the moon to help you find what you're looking for in your perfect size!

In any case, I think my money needs to be better budgeted towards better cost-per-wear items that will add to my wardrobe, which involves higher price point for outerwear!

A little damage on the weekend...

So my lovely local Holt Renfrew sent me a card in the mail letting me know there was a fantastic promo on - a gift card to be used in the month of May for 25% of your purchases on all regular priced clothing!  (Eeeeekkkk!)

I found myself wandering around Pink Tartan and DVF while my boyfriend enjoyed the wake of my frenzy behind me.  I purchased a beautiful pink and white PT dress ($395), shown below with the sleeves rolled up.  It reminds me of a candy striper but so very cute for a dinner with friends or a day on the town.  And love that silk - great for travelling!

I think this is a dress that won't get stuck with a particular trend or fashion...I mean DVF has been doing her wrap dresses and they just don't go out of style!

I also picked up a beautiful blue Tahari dress on sale, half price ($159) and came THIS CLOSE (holding thumb and index finger millimeters apart) to buying a beautiful Theory navy blue suit.  I just couldn't fathom spending that much in one day, especially with Mother's Day coming up :)  I think it will look great with a white blazer for work.

Shout out to Holt's for their wonderful customer service as of late!  We've noticed lots of complimentary treats as you walk around the store and lots of people ensuring you're doing well (more customer service than sales people)...we received the promotion, a bottle of infused water and smiles!  Now, if only they could work on their seating for non-shopping partners...

And then...after a lovely lunch at Caren's wine bar with the beau, we wandered by Banana Republic, to my surprise, which was having a 40% off sale!  I bought a beautiful jacket in the most lovely light grey and white background ($240) as well as a bright bubble-gum pink linen blouse ($69).  I don't usually buy linen as it's too difficult to keep fresh looking, but this blouse was just beautiful, and will be great for the summer.  I actually think it will be cuter a bit wrinkled.  I'll post a picture of each when I can get one.

Also picked out this beautiful skirt (Kerri Skirt from Judith and Charles, $210) which is a wonderful A-line skirt for us pear shaped ladies...it flows beautifully with kind ruffles and is cotton, which is wonderfully breathable for summer.  This one is definitely a staple for the wardrobe!


Also, kudos to fellow bloggers at Beautycrazed.ca for always having the entire Judith & Charles collections, with pricing!  It's definitely good to be able to budget for these expenditures!