Grammys 2013: Best and Worst Dressed

What is going on with award season this year? We're a little low on the "fashion moments" quota thus far; I am sincerely hoping that the upcoming Oscars will open the "fashion moment" flood gates. The Grammy's normally is one of those shows where musicians break all conventions and try and outdo each other for the most outrageous outfits- making it an exciting red carpet to watch. But alas, not so in 2013. Creating a list of best and worst was really not that exciting - I almost wanted to create just one category of "Meh Dressed" but I decided to give some credit to those that did try a bit - (I'm looking at you JLo's Leg). 

Given the lack-lustre nature of the sartorial choices, I only managed to select 4 for the best dressed list (normally I do at least 5).

Best Dressed:

 4) I absolutely adore Florence Welch and her risk-taking fashion choices. She consistently presents herself as a walking piece of art. I love her for it and this green Givenchy fits her bill perfectly.

 3) Kelly Rowland definitely turned heads in this George Chakra cut-out number (almost a reinterpretation of the Toni Braxton dress at the 2001 Grammy's). She clearly defied the strict "instructions" by CBS not to show skin or something (really CBS?) but it abosolutely paid off!

2) I loved Rihanna's red Azzedine Alaia dress, her new Beyonce weave did make it less fashion forward but considering Rihanna is constantly taking fashion risks, it was nice to see this change and I think made it a risk in itself! Rihanna, playing it safe? Now thats risky. (also she should keep her risk-taking behaviours for fashion and not relationship choices).

I also loved her mid-riff baring perfomance outfit during the Bob Marley tribute, now this is the "usual" Rihanna we're used to!

1) Cue trumpets, marching band, thunderous applause, maybe even a parade of horses doing funny tricks....the Queen has arrived (leading with her leg). JLo went from the worst-dressed at the Golden Globes (click here) to the Best dressed at the Grammys a month later, either way she brings the drama. The true controversy from last night was JLo's leg vs. Angelina's leg - I think JLo's leg dropkicked Angelina to Timbuktu (where she may adopt from again). Did we expect any less? I''m just glad someone brought their A-game!

JLo in a Anthony Vacarello dress

Worst Dressed:

5) Disclaimer: I have great respect for what Janelle Monae is trying to do stylistically. Her androgynous style is unique and breaks all boundaries BUT must she wear variations of the SAME look repeatedly? I would love to see her re-interpet her style in a different way, maybe add colour or a pattern. We get it, you love tuxedos.

4) Nicole Kidman showed up to support her country musician turned American Idol judge of a husband.  Granted it was not her night, she is an Oscar-winning ACTOR, and so no need to outshine the wannabe actors that all musicians seem to be these days . And if you take a look at her red carpet history, she can annihilate any of these fashion wannabes IF she so chooses. Well, she does not choose to do so in this Vera Wang dress. How kind and humble of her...

3) Another boring and predictable choice- you can always count on Carrie Underwood to promify or bridify any dress- and she accomplished that last night. Her red carpet look was prommy and her performance dress/green screen was a wedding gown borrowed from a Real Housewife.

2) Ok, this was a real disappointment for me. Beyonce is usually the queen of over-the-top glamour and wearing UNcomfortable dresses, and we love her for it! This Osman jumpsuit, albeit very chic, looks too....comfortable! How can this be?! Call in the hounds! (I don't even care if that reference makes sense, it was a hound-calling moment for me). She didn't OWN the red carpet like I thought she would, and especially if you're sitting in the front row, please wear something interesting for us to look at, because they will keep cutting to you! I kept wanting them to pan to Solange! This outfit at a premiere or the after-party would be great, but on the most-important-red-carpet-of-her-LIFEtime, not so much.

 1) Katy Perry has trouble dressing her chest area. Understandably so, as she is naturally heavy-chested which can present quite an issue when finding the right cut to maximize flatteringness. This dress does not do that. The colour as well clashes with her rich, jet black hair. Mint green has to be styled very specifically, (take JLo's impeccable mint green styling at the 2003 Oscars) and this is not a good example of how to wear mint green. So the combination of poor styling and bad fit land her the title of worst-dressed. I rest my case.

What did you think? Did I miss anyone you would add?

Outfit Post: Earrings Can Save Your Life

And by saving your life I mean allowing you to uplift your used and abused outfit immediately! This is what a fantastic pair of earrings can do. I for one have never been that keen on big earrings, not in recent years anyways. However, sometimes you come across a pair that you just can't walk away from, and this is the story of how that happened...

I had a night out with my girlfriends planned this past Saturday, and of course, say it with me: I had nothing to wear!! The amount of times I find myself or other women in my life (and men) saying these words/if I had a nickle for every time I heard this I'd be..you get it; I've heard and said this a lot! But of course being my practical yet fashion conscious self I could not fathom buying an entirely new outfit for one night out but I wouldn't mind getting one item. Luckily enough I got an email from Toronto Fashion Incubator informing me of an annual sale called "Guilty Pleasures" where local Toronto clothing and jewellery designers would be showcasing their goods at the Drake Hotel, in Toronto's Queen West neighbourhood. Perfect timing.

What a great way to support local talent and pick up a lil' something for my night out. As I was perusing the sale, one of the few booths that caught my eye was for the jewellery line called Shop for Jayu. I fell in love with nearly every piece! And it was all SO affordable - total win win. The Jayu girls were super friendly and nice and if I followed them on Twitter and Facebook I got an additional discount! I ended up getting these amazing earrings for about $12.00 that completely uplifted my previously tired outfit, pictured below ;) Budget-friendly and served my purpose, SCORE.

Shop for Jayu booth at the Guilty Pleasures sale by TFI

The Shop for Jayu earrings I got!

Earrings on

Various angles

The outfit that I've worn many times before!

Outfit Breakdown:
Earrings - $12ish Shop for Jayu 
Blouse - $25ish Forever 21 (last summer)
Black Skinnies - $60 Aritizia (not denim, super warm!)
Booties - $37 Call it Spring (on sale!)


And that is how earrings can save your life...do you have any life-altering accessory tales? Do share!

Golden Globes 2013: Best and Worst Dressed (but mostly Blah)

This year the Golden Globes were kind of a mixed bag when it comes to fashion. There weren't any really major fashion moments on the red carpet, which made for a boring and safe event (yawn). I'd much rather talk about the SNL cast that salvaged the show and made it even slightly worth watching! Let's take a moment and bow down to the irreverent genius of Tina Fey and Amy Poehler....and the brilliant sketch by Kristin Wiig and Will Ferrell (those two really need to do a movie together, like Bridesmaids meets Stepbrothers - BrideBrothers?)  If it wasn't for the SNL presence, I probably would've changed the channel to HGTV (which I watch during any spare time I  have #addicted)
Now for the fashion - I really hope everyone toned it down because they were saving it for the Oscars (Anne Hathaway I'm looking at you)...because I expected more from her, Jessica Chastain and Jennifer Lawrence. I mean, this was their night! Why was Julianne Hough wearing 35 laser-cut layers of white tulle with a 24k gold-plated bodice and Anne Hathaway was in some meh two piece? 2013 must be the year of opposites.

Ok now for the list; here are my picks for Best and Worst Dressed;

BEST DRESSED:

1. The best dressed of the night was definitely Kate Hudson. She claimed that this Alexander McQueen fitted dress with the plunging neckline was a last minute choice; but even in her haste she made it to the top of the list! Its effortless yet risky, love love love.

Kate Hudson in McQueen

2. Naomi Watts makes it almost to the top of the list with this elegant and beautiful deep red Zac Posen gown. She was a nominee and it was her night to celebrate, she certainly looked like the belle of the ball!

 3. Kerry Washington gave a harrowing performance in Django Unchained, and she has been looking fierce on many red carpets lately. Here she rocked this Miu Miu tea length dress, it had just the right amount of glitter and edge. I just wish her hair would have been off her face!

Kerry Washington in Miu Miut

4. Julianne Moore is one of my style favs - and she is 52! Can you believe it? Her and Jodie Foster really give all women hope that life is fabulous after 50! She apparently called up her dear friend Tom Ford and asked him to make this custom dress (ofcourse she did), and ofcourse Mr. Ford did an unbelievably chic job. Moore always takes risks on the red carpet and I love her for it!

Julianne Moore in Tom Ford

5. Not sure why she attends these award shows, when was the last time she acted in, directed, or wrote anything?  I guess she does look good though, not sure what she is wearing. Sorry, you can Google it.

Jessica Alba in Oscar de la Renta

WORST: (in descending order)

5. Oh Taylor Swift. Right off a tumultuous, heart-wrenching, torrid romance with that 18 yr old from X-Factor, Taylor is suddenly acting all demure. She has a tendency to either be too Prommy circa 2006 or dress about 10 yrs older then she is. Well, this is the latter. The colour, the cut (sideboob and all) of this Donna Karen gown along with the hair and makeup just did not do anything for her newly single, 23 yr old look! C'mon girl show em what they're missing! (But as Tina Fey put it; Taylor just needs some me-time for now).

Taylor Swift in Donna Karan

4. Zooey Deschanel is always in great dresses, its not this Oscar de la Renta dress choice that gets her on this side of the list year after year, its the overall styling! Its the hair, the accessories, the makeup...she always seems to screw that up and ruins what could have been a perfectly great look. I think its because she does her own hair and makeup.

Zooey Deschanel in Oscar de la Renta

 3. Haven't seen this show, everyone keeps telling me I MUST watch Girls....for some reason the premise alone doesn't appeal to me, maybe one day I'll get around to it. Anyways it was Lena Dunham's big night, she won two Golden Globes but yet again lost in the fashion game. It seems she would take more risk but her stylist keeps putting her in these "Mother of the Bride" dresses! There is so much potential here, but this outfit is super boring and that colour! What is that, an aubergine?? :S

Lena Dunham in Zac Posen

2. Julianne Hough (pronounced Huff), oh Julianne, did you even present an award? Did you even have a seat at the show? Or did you just get to walk the red carpet because you're dating Ryan Seacrest and he owns part of that red carpet? Whatever the reason, you certainly should not have dressed like it was your debutant ball/wedding! (it was a Monique Lhuillier dress).

Julianne Hough's Pouf

1. And the absolute WORST dressed was by far J to the LO, aka Jenny from the Block, aka Jennifer Lopez. Her Zuhair Murad dress was a cross betwen a lace tablecloth turned into a figure-skating body suit. What is going onnnn? The presenters were over-dressed and the nominees were 'humbly' underwhelming. I guess J LO is not one to tone it down, but she can do so much better!

Jennifer Lopez wearing who else, Zuhair Murad!

HONOURABLE MENTIONS:

Emily Blunt in Michael Kors

Nicole Kidman in McQueen

Sofia Vergara

MOST DISAPPOINTING: 

Jennifer Lawrence (aka JLaw) in Dior couture, the weird cup situation was very distracting

Anne Hathaway in this...whatever.

Jessica Chastain wins for the most ill-fitted dress of the evening

NYE Outfit: Last Minute Tips

So its down to the wire, you have that thing to go to tonight for NYE and not a clue what to wear? And on top of that you've been so busy with holiday stuff that the last thing you wanted to do was spend more time at the mall? Well I have some tips for you to use what you have to create a whole new look! I know for SURE you have something in your closet that you can re-style (with some help ;) and create a new look for your party tonight, and no one will even notice! 
Now go into your wardrobe, dig deep and pull out that dress that you wore that ONE time and never wore again. Using a dress is a safe choice, especially if its a solid colour as it acts like a blank canvas and is versatile enough to transform with different styling.
Here are 5 simple tips to create a new look with a dress you already have (you can use all of these tips or any combination of them in one look):

1. BOLD LIPS - use red, fuscia, orange, purple, maroon whatever bold lipstick colour you happen to have to add some interest and create a different look! (remember to fill your lips with lipliner of the same colour before you apply the lipstick)

 2. STATEMENT NECKLACE OR EARRINGS - pick one :) I am a firm believe if you go big on the neck then pick some beautiful studs and vice versa. I would add big bangles or a cuff, if you like more accessories.

3. FANCY PANTYHOSE - there is SO much variety nowadays, you can get coloured, printed, coloured print and its cheap! (Joe Fresh has some great options). Pantyhose, if loud enough can change the look of your dress, and you don't have to do much else (maybe a bold lip and some nice earrings) and you're good to go!

4. UPDO - the new updo rage is that sock bun thing.....I personally haven't tried it but it looks fairly easy to do and you can find these round doughnut looking thingys to help you at any drugstore. Personally, any kind of updo works that pushes your hair off your face, especially if you normally leave your hair down. 

5. BLAZER IT UP - if you're someone who dresses more conservatively, this is a great option over a dress to really change a look. Pick a blazer that creates the most contrast with your dress (i.e. pairing a black blazer with a red dress, or bright yellow blazer with a black dress).

Keep in mind you can use any combination of these tips or all 5! Personally, I would use the #1 bold lips,  #2 statement necklace and #4 updo to restyle my own look.


Now get to it! You only have a few hours to figure this out and GOOD LUCK!

New Years Eve: Outfit Ideas!

Alright ladies, how often does an opportunity come around when you can doll up to the max, prom-styles and go all out with hair and makeup? For most of us, that occurs a few times a year and New Year's Eve is one of those few occasions. And when you dress up occasionally, this can be an exciting time to attempt a new style or finally get into that outfit you've been dying to wear - I say have fun with it! Glam it up!

Toronto is one of those cities where there are a wide range of fun party possibilities for NYE, from super glamourous to low-key depending on your mood. This year my husband and I have been invited to our best friends' place for a NYE party (cocktail attire) in the heart of the city (actually a few blocks from where we are) which makes it a perfect option. The only question now is whatever shall I wear? Of course I have a few ideas circulating in my mind which I've humbly decided to share with you all! lol argh i'm dishing all my secrets! But I just can't help it!

So here are my top picks for what to wear on NYE- I haven't decided which one I'll be wearing but it will definitely be one of these options....

1. FANCY JUMPSUITS - love this chic, one piece trend for the holidays. Jumpsuits hit the fashion circuits a few years ago but in a more casual rendition. Now they're being re-invented for more formal attire which I LOVE. I wore a vintage one myself to my friends birthday a few weeks ago, seen below.

 Emma Stone in Lanvin                                        Me in Vintage                     Cameron Diaz

Vintage white jumpsuit I got from Common Sort (Toronto)

2. MATCHING PRINTED SUITS - this is a fierce trend blazing the red carpets this fall and winter. There is nothing more fashion forward then a matching, printed suit, worn with either pants or shorts. Love this menswear inspired trend if you want to stand out at the party!

 Emma Stone in Nanette Lepore:              Karolina Kurkova in Roberto Cavalli

Suits with shorts!

3. LBD - is there anything more classic then a little black dress? You cannot go wrong with this classic choice, and there is such a range of LBDs you can get depending on how glammed up you want to be! Also you can always wear a simpler version and dress it up with the right accessories for your night out!

Emma Stone in an "Old-Hollywood" inspired  Miu Miu

For the bling lover- this Prabal Gurung LBD is fab

This Dior LBD is the epitome of classic beauty on Marion Cotillard

4. VELVET - who would've thunk it that this 80's fav would make a come-back! Well if we know anything about fashion we know that it is cyclical, and this trend is back but in a MUCH more modern silhouette. (Tip: scour vintage stores in your city to get an affordable version of this trend)

Katie Holmes in Tom Ford

Kim K in Gucci Fall 2012

5. Floor Length Coverage - Here is a trend for those who are attending a fancier, formal party. There is nothing more elegant and sexy then a floor length, full sleeved gown, I am a firm believer that you don't need to show everything feel attractive!  A little mystery goes a long way...

Princess Kate fresh off her controversial hospital stay, looking beautiful in McQueen

Cate Blanchette in Givenchy

SJP in Erdem

I hope these suggestions help!  I know I'll be rocking ONE of these trends, stay tuned to find out which one :) 

What will you be doing and wearing for New Year's Eve?