If I had to rate what my favorite finds are the list would go something like this: (1) jewelery, (2) dresses, (3) other type of clothing pieces, (4) shoes, (5) clutches and purses, (6) other miscellaneous accessories. Yes, jewelery is at the top of my list because it often sets the mood for an entire look without the necessity to dominate. A simple pendant can unify and contextualize seemingly unrelated pieces, a bright bracelet can induce a splash of colour into a monotone ensemble in effect freshening the look, and an elegant vintage-inspired necklace easily adds a degree of elegance and chic to a relatively mundane group of garments. I especially like crazy, unique jewelery pieces that others would likely shy away from – these little monstrosities are the most fun to play with. My Pellini fish necklace qualifies within this category for its seeming impracticality and unconventionality. It looks like something fishermen use as bate to attract larger fish – not a typical choice for a fashionista. What I love about this necklace is that it serves the role of a statement piece while being completely casual about it – an understated statement – an aesthetic paradox.
Long fish necklace
Green & Mustard Friday
Today’s look-of-the-day is a colorful blend of mustard, forest-green, and blue. I felt like playing with color today and when I thought of my new Dries Van Noten silk kimono jacket the rest of the pieces were chosen to complement it. When putting together looks, I try not to resort to jeans because I feel that its an easy, and slightly boring, way out. In this case I would have preferred to wear a lose, flowy skirt but (in Toronto) we are now extremely limited in our fashion range because of weather limitations. This jacket is from Dries Van Noten’s spring 2008 collection. I’ve included 4 pictures of other kimono jackets and tops from the same collection to illustrate how creatively he plays with patterns and color. You have to be skilled and brave to pull-off mixing patterns, but there examples are still inspirational. In describing this collection Dries Van Noten said “I worked on printing several different patterns on one piece of material so that you can end up wearing four or five prints in just a couple of pieces.” How brilliantly wild of an idea.
