Style timelines: 1930's

In the wake of a terrible war, one on a scale previously unseen by the world, came great privations. The global economy took quite a hit, while reparations were being made, and all the while in the background, there was talk of another war.
Interestingly enough, it is when times are hardest that fashion becomes more flamboyant, almost as if in a proud refusal to be put down. In the case of the Great Depression, two factors played a major role in creating the mood which influenced the sartorial trends of the time. The first was a terrible romance attached to the memories of the war gone by and the one in the making, of the privations and sacrifices that had been made and would continue to be necessary for the foreseeable future, and the need to forget the bad and cling to the good. Hollywood, which was fast becoming a force to reckon with, tapped into this mood, and for the first time, films were a major inspiration for fashion.
 The second was the fact that natural textiles were made scarce - fabrics like silk and cotton were no longer as readily available as before, and manufacturers were forced to think outside the box, and synthetic fabrics came into greater prominence.
There was a return to feminine lines and elaborate designs. Madame Gres was known for her intricate draping and impeccable cuts. Elsa Schiaparelli was one of the first designers of the time to jump into collaboration with prominent artists of the time - the Lobster dress worn famously by Wallis Simpson, was the result of her designs meeting the art of Salvador Dali. We also have Madeleine Vionnet to thank for the cowl neck and the halter.
All of these looks have been recycled and updated and remain popular to this day.

Style timelines: 1920's

After yet another long hiatus, we're back with a new series, this time going into the heart of style, with looks that defined generations.

The 1920's was a very exciting time all over the world. Emerging out of the turmoil of the First World War, existing social structures were thrown out the window in favour of a new order. Women, for the first time ever, were enjoying freedoms their predecessors hadn't even dreamed of; owning businesses, driving cars, and even flying planes (here's to you, Mme Earhart).  In the face of Prohibition, bootleggers became kings. Literature saw its greats in the likes of Fitzgerald and Hemingway, while Dali and Picasso brought excitement into the scene. This decade saw the birth of jazz, the arrival of sound in films, and so many other innovations. 

Small wonder then, that the fashions reflected this spirit of change. Women were no longer content with the stifling fashions of previous eras, and when Paul Poiret began omitting the restrictions of corsets from his designs, the trend quickly caught on. Chanel sashayed into the scene and took it further, with her bobbed hair and androgynous chic. This was menswear at its height of classiness, with the pinstripe suits and Oxford shoes. 

You can revisit all these styles when you watch shows like Boardwalk Empire, and many of those looks have been updated and are still chic today.

Striding in style

After years of subtlety, this year is exploding with bright colours, fun silhouettes, and in-your-face accessories. This is particularly true for footwear. From embellished wedges to perspex heels to colour-blocked Mary Janes and French toe-caps, the 'art' in 'artisan' is back and how.

Slingshot

And now say hello to Kobi Levi. This Jewish genius graduated from Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design in Jerusalem, in 2001, and had since turned his creative attention to his women's footwear line in Tel Aviv.

Levi's shoes epitomize the term 'wearable art'. Drawing inspiration from everyday objects and themes that one would never associate with shoes, he translates the essence of the object into footwear to create wearable sculpture pieces that have their own personality separate from that of the wearer.

Blow

Chewing Gum

The painstakingly hand-crafted shoes have rightfully been displayed in museums and expos around the world, firing up the imagination of the hundreds that flocked to marvel at the wild and wacky creations. One thing's for sure - owning one would be a sure-fire conversation starter.

Spring Tangerine

Source: bordergirlsabrina.tumblr.com

It's been a while since we've done a Style.This, so this one is long overdue. Since this section will be featuring one outfit per post from now on, we decided to give it a make-over and bring you the scoop in one compact post. This bright and bold look transitions easily from day to night with a change of make-up and maybe hairstyle.
You'll be rocking several trends at once in this outfit: bright tangerine, bold prints, classic white, and funky wedge heels. Usually it's advisable to stick to one key trend, but if you can actually pull off a combo, why not go for it?

This outfit features a white waterfall crop jacket, a Fluro stappy-back vest, and Hawaiian print skinny trousers, all from Topshop, platform wedge heels by Michael Kors, Saffiano tote bag from Prada, assorted Bounkit thin cuffs, and Gojane earrings. 

VFW 2012 Fall/Winter II

Designer Profile: Megan Mackenzie Jones

The global catwalks have been watching the rise of avant garde Canadian talent, and VFW is one place where you get all of these on one platform. 

Source: vfwblog.com

Calgary-based multi-media artist Megan Mackenzie Jones hails from Alberta, where she obtained her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Jewellery and Metals. The 2010 winner of the Board of Governors Award specializes in creative jewelry design, but is equally well known for her alternative fashion line. Inspired by emotions and events, her work has a dreamy, gothic fantasy appeal.

source: jonesmodernvintage.com

Trend: Animal motifs

The animal-inspired trend of last Fall is back even bigger this Spring, with fauna motifs appearing not only in prints, but structural details of one's accessories.

Megan Mackenzie's "Fauna" collection brings the animal theme into her neck-pieces in all the bright hues. 

God Save My Shoes Trailer

While we're waiting for more updates from VFW coming very soon, here's something most women will immediately relate to.

VFW 2012 Fall/Winter

Designer profile: Angel Eye

A UK-based fashion-forward label, founded in 1998, that features 'London-inspired' vintage printed fabrics and designs. Angel Eye has a range of clothing for young women aged 16 and older, and there's Angel Eye Kids that caters to girls aged 5-15. The clothes feature classic cuts, retro-chic prints, and a fun attitude.

At the Vancouver Fashion Week


The ready-to-wear collection for the VFW Fall/Winter 2012 showed an eclectic mixture of futuristic textures, animal themed prints, bold florals and iridescent metallics, all stamped in the trademark Angel Eyes silhouettes. The looks swung from workday chic to flirty and casual to sexy and glam with ease. Definitely one to watch.

Source: Eugene Flores (VFW Fall/Winter 2012)

Eugene Flores, VFW Fall/Winter 2012

Source: Eugene Flores

Source: Eugene Flores

Source: Eugene Flores 

Trendy Horror?

When we think of movies as fashion inspiration, titles like The Devil Wears Prada, or 27 Dresses, or I am Love come to mind. Rarely does one equate a horror flick with couture trends. And then you get a movie like Fruit Chan's "Dumplings", a surprisingly fashion-forward movie. The clothing worn by the two lead women in this 2004 film has elements one might recognize from the Autumn 2011/Spring 2012 catwalks. Mixed prints? Check. Colour blocking? Check. Wedges and platform shoes? Check. Asian influence? Androgynous silhouettes? Done and done. Since, because of the disturbing content of the movie, we can't exactly recommend it to anyone but horror aficionados, we'll leave you with a few stills to illustrate our point. 

    

Source: meinte-film.blogspot.ca

Trend: Florals

Source: shopbop.com

Spring is synonymous with blooming, beautiful flowers...in your garden, and in your wardrobe. Pack on some flower power, and stay super trendy this season!

Trend: Bright shoes

Sirens Storefront, Metropolis at Metrotown, BC

Nine West Storefront, Metropolis at Metrotown, BC

The bright colours that we spoke about in our last post are exploding all over our favourite accessories. Subtlety is passe this season!

Colours of Spring

While we're currently waiting with bated breath to see if the weather will finally make up its mind, the stores are already flaunting their brand new offerings for Spring. We've seen what the runways have to offer for the season, and if you want to catch up on what happened on the catwalks, you can hop onto M's blog here.

On LWIS, though, for now, we're primarily interested in colour. Pantone's report for the trending colours of the season are in, and we've got the skinny for you.

Lady Hues

From L to R: Nanette Leopore, Ella Moss, ADAM by Adam Lippes and Tracy Reese

From L to R: Barbara Tfank, Pamella Roland, Cynthia Steffe, NAHM, Adrienne Vittadini and Rafael Cennamo

From warm tones such as tangerine, sunny yellow, and cabaret pink, to cool tones such as deep maritime and bright cockatoo blue to soft pastels, such as lilac, lavender and margerita green, to earthy neutrals such as starfish brown and driftwood grey, this year's palette has an eclectic range of tones and shades, and promises to be a year of bold statements.






Man tones

From L to R: Hyden Yoo, Tommy Hilfiger, and Bill Blass

Do not be fooled by the muted palette on the picture; it was just that sketches were unavailable for the rest of the shades. 
Menswear too, sees a lot of variety this season. They share the deep blue and fresh tangerine and sunny yellow with the women, but in place of the deep pink, the menfolk will be wearing a richer wine red. There are two fresh colours in the mid-range: grass green and ocean blue.  Amongst neutrals, khaki sees a revival, and then there's starfish brown and a deep brown-grey shade called tradewinds. 














Light or dark, bright or subdued, the colour charts this year allow for a lot of flexibility. What will you pick?

....and that's a wrap!

With the 84th Annual Academy Awards, we bid adieu to a year of on-screen accolades. This is the big daddy of all the award shows, the one we've been counting down to.

Before we get down to the red carpet, we'd like to take a moment to bid adieu to one of our founding members, M, who's decided to focus on his own path for now. You can take a look at his red carpet picks here. Keep watching this blog for new members very soon, as we expand towards our ultimate vision for LWIS.

With that out of the way, here are S' favourite looks from the red carpet.

Emma Stone in Giambattista Valli

 

What's not to love about Emma Stone? She's smart, quirky, and a total fox. From TV to the big screen, she brings a refreshing no-bullshit confidence to all her roles, and she's not afraid to make fun of herself.

We're totally miffed at her very obvious Oscar snub, considering practically everyone who was not Emma Stone got a nomination. Nonetheless, she's been a total winner on the red carpet this year, with each appearance outdoing the previous one.

Stylist Petra Flannery has hit just the right notes in her picks for this titian-haired beauty, picking flowing Grecian style gowns that flatter her figure, in colours that complement her porcelain skin. For the Academy Awards show, Emma sported a rose-coloured Giambattista Valli gown, which is an updated take on the fire-engine red Balenciaga dress worn by Nicole Kidman at the Oscars in 2007.

Michelle Williams in Louis Vuitton by Marc Jacobs

This year's awards were pretty much a celebration of classical Hollywood, with Hugo and The Artist racking up an impressive number of awards. This was reflected in the clothing, hair and make-up for many a starlet. 

Michelle Williams has been working with New York stylist and former Vogue editor Kate Young of the Magnet Agency for her looks this awards season, and sporting a lot of bright colour. 

The trend culminated tonight in this sweet, fresh tangerine Louis Vuitton by Marc Jacobs number. The starlet stuck to her Marilyn theme with Old-Hollywood glam in her make-up.

Jessica Chastain in Alexander McQueen

One of the popular trends for this year's Oscars was strapless, with many actresses choosing to bare their shoulders in some glam gowns.

Jessica Chastain, who has been working with stylist Elizabeth Stewart this awards season, has so far stuck to form-fitting gowns in solid colours, sliding up and down the colour spectrum.

The Tree of Life actress broke this trend at the Academy Awards by opting for a bespoke black floor-length Alexander McQueen gown embellished in some serious gold wowza. As if this regal confection wasn't opulent enough, she topped it off with some $2 million worth of jewelry. Those yellow diamond earrings are to die for.  

Viola Davis in Vera Wang

Although Meryl Streep's Best Actress win upset the many who were rooting for Viola Davis for her performance in The Help, this lady is a winner on the red carpet.

While there's some love-hate debate going on with her choice of the emerald green Vera Wang gown for the night, you've gotta admit, the colour looks good on her. Whether you love or dislike the dress, this daring lady, who cites her mom as her hair stylist, made the right call in leaving her wigs at home and wearing her actual crop of curls.

Milla Jovovich in Elie Saab

That knowing smile. That smouldering stare. If Hollywood is loving its sexy sirens right now, they've certainly found a winner in Milla Jovovich.

The Academy Awards debutante made the apt choice of a white gown, and how. This silver white one-shouldered Elie Saab number, with its detailed beading has just the right amount of sparkle and bling. The 1940's wavy hair, and the bright red lips complete the picture of glamour. 

This awards season has been one big roller-coaster ride, but we're walking away with a couple of key trends for the rest of the year. In no particular order:

* Grecian silhouettes and fabrics

* Red lips

* Winged liner

* Loose waves

*Pastels 

* Nudes

*Shimmer

* Colour blocking

Grammy Awards Red Carpet

We've been covering all the film award shows, but don't forget it's more than just film in the awards season. Today's post is strictly about the red carpet for the Grammy Awards and the celebs who graced us with their fabulous presence. Here are our favorite looks from the evening.
images shared from stylebistro.com

S&M's pick

Taylor Swift in Zuhair Murad

S' pick

Rihanna in Armani (although S wasn't too crazy about the hair)

M's pick

Katy Perry in Elie Saab couture gown

S&M's pick

Kelly Rowland in Alberta Ferretti

S' pick

Paris Hilton in Basil Soda

M's pick

Julianne Hough in Kaufman Franco (smartly avoiding accessories)

S&M's pick

Joyce Di Donato

S' pick

Mika Newton

 M's pick

Miranda Lambert in Pavoni

Up next, naturally, is the biggest show of them all: the Academy Awards. Expect nothing but the best on the red carpet at the Oscars.

Lonely Hearts in Style

Valentine's Day is fine and dandy for the lucky in love. For others, it can be a depressing experience, with the media going all out with the romantic messages. This is particularly true for the newly-single. A couple of stylish Youtubers try to use fashion to beat the break-up blues. We're bringing your our favourites.

Chriselle Lim is a fashion wardrobe stylist and a fashion blogger (like our M). In this clip, she talks about using colour in clothing to uplift the mood, and also to present a confident face to the world outside.

Michelle Phan is a make-up instructor and spokesperson for Lancome. She's brought us a sugar-sweet make-up tutorial to ease the bitterness of a broken heart.

Valentine Wishlist

Ninewest Olga

As the countdown to the day of love begins, our thoughts turn to that perfect outfit for that romantic date. Here's some of the latest spring offerings we're craving to help make February the hottest month of the year.

Lulu Townsend

Stella and Dot

Forever21

Topshop

Old Navy

SAGA 2012 Red Carpet

Just one more award show to go (BAFTA) and then, it's the big one. For now, we present to you our top picks from the red carpet at this year's Screen Actors Guild Awards. A sure-clear winner was Marchesa, as it seems to have been the favorite among the beautiful ladies on the evening. Sofia and Emma, again, graced the red carpet as their stunning selves. It's a good sign that these two, with select others, will make our jaws drop on the red carpets of February. Appropriately, the overall tone was played down for this show; understandably, it's a more intimate event within the guild. Simplicity on the red carpet was still breathtaking.

Images shared from stylebistro.com

S&M's pick

Sofia Vergara in Marchesa

M's pick

Emma Stone in Alexander McQueen

S' pick

Rose Byrne in Elie Saab

 S' pick

Diane Lane in David Meister

 M's pick

Stacy Keibler in Marchesa

 S' pick

Viola Davis in Marchesa

M's pick

Kaley Cuoco in Romona Keveza

S&M's pick

Emily Blunt in Oscar de la Renta