Fashionista Talk » Marciano

palm trees and headscarves

lida — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 16:10:54 +0000

Our first morning in Cuba was just as warm and bright as I had hoped for. We stayed at Melia Las Antillas in Varadero – an adults only resort about 2.5 hours from Havana. As soon as we arrived, our internal clock seemed to have instinctively switched to “vacation mode” because the concept of time seemed especially relative and unimportant – a mental state that in Cuba promotes both relaxation and…hunger. We kept missing breakfast for the first half of the vacation so our mornings began with a cappuccino or Spanish coffee and a brownie; talk about a well balanced diet.

This was my first day look of the trip. The tropics are all about vibrancy and color so I added the headscarf and the bright green earrings for a little boost of both.

What I’m wearing:

Cotton beach dress by “Marciano” (last seen in Apr. 21’10)
Sunglasses by “MARNI” (last seen in June 28’10)
Shell earrings
Chunky chain ring by “Luc Kieffer” (last seen in July 28’10)
Santorini large straw tote by “Michael Kors” (last seen in July 19’10)
Straw pumps by “Betsey Johnson” (last seen in July 26’10)
Silk scarf by “Cocoon House”
Bikini (from Dominican Republic)

relaxed maxi

lida — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 12:02:37 +0000

This asymmetrical, edgy cotton maxi is my go-to dress when I’m too busy or lazy to put an outfit together. I just throw this oversized baby on and I’m ready for the movies or whatever other relaxed activity I’m getting myself involved in. I’ve definitely put this dress to use in the past and I think it will serve me well when I go back to school but, as much as I appreciate its uniqueness, I never really felt that it was one of my own. All the deliberate little wholes in the fabric leave me feeling kind of sloppy. I catch myself finding one and thinking “What is this, I have to get it fixed” followed by a silly realization of “Oh yeah, that’s part of the design.”

What I’m wearing:

Cotton maxi by “Religion”
Leather nude platform by “Marciano” (last seen in June 7’10)
Large leather bag by “Plinio Visona” (last seen in Apr. 22’10)
Long fish necklace by “Pellini Italy” (last seen in May 29’10)
Long fold necklace by “Pellini Italy” (last seen in May 18’10)
2 large metal bracelets by “Ben-Amun” (last seen in July 11’10)

catching rainbows with Zaha Hadid

lida — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 12:11:10 +0000

There is a pretty interesting story behind those bizarrely cute rubber things on my feet. Pritzker Prize-winning architect Zaha Hadid teamed up with the innovative footwear brand Melissa, which is a Brazilian firm specializing in plastic shoes, to launch their collaboration: architectural, asymmetric, injection-moulded plastic footwear. For his last collaboration, Zaha worked with Chanel to design something called ‘mobile art container.‘

Here is a video of the collaboration between Zaha and Melissa. It’s amazing how much work went into something I’m planning to wear in the rain.

Click here to view the embedded video.

What I’m wearing:

Reversible silk dress by “Marciano” (orange and purple)
Rubber rain-shoes by “Melissa + Zaha Hadid”
4 zip bangles by “Luc Kieffer” (last seen in June 24’10)

softening rusticity

lida — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 23:06:56 +0000

My last day on set inspired a few of today’s stylistic choices. For example, one of the other “mobster-girlfriends” had her hair swooped to one side with a large chandelier earring in the exposed ear. It looked so retro and glam that I had to try it myself. I wanted to preserve the softness and lightness of this look, so I opted for a subtler silver, off-white earring, rather than a chunky crystal-encrusted one they used. In order to add some drama to the softness, I also tried the 60s liquid eyeliner look that was carried out so perfectly by the make-up team on set.

How do you guys like that old truck? I find its extreme rusticity almost fascinating. It’s funny how something traditionally thought of in negative terms, like rust, can be almost beautiful and precious when taken to the limit; I guess too much of a “bad” thing can be transforming…at least in fashion.

What I’m wearing:

Chiffon sheer top by “Marciano”
Skirt from “F21″
Leather heels by “Paolo Corelli”
Vintage-inspired bra by “Sonia Rykiel for H&M” (last seen in May 31’10)
1 chandelier earring
2 vintage rings (bought on dealitlive.com) (last seen in June 1’10)
Silver multi-strand silver bracelet (last seen in May 4’10)

get your feet wet

lida — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 17:44:02 +0000

This post is in two parts and will be laid out similarly to Full Moon Shenanigans. On our second last day in LA, we continued to enjoy some of the best things it has to offer – its fresh seafood and lively beaches. Our good friend, Dima, flew in from Toronto to meet us here so while the boys played volleyball I immersed myself in my usual beach activities of reading and napping. In the spirit of enjoying the full experience, I would periodically walk up to the ocean in contemplation of possibly jumping in, but somehow my ambitious intentions were always reduced to just getting my feet wet and shamefully walking back to my blanket with my head down and a “maybe-next-time” look on my face. A few more such cycles of reading, napping, and ‘feet-wetting’ and it was time to drive back to the hotel.

What I’m wearing:

Hat by “Marc by Marc Jacobs”
Cotton beach dress by “Marciano” (last seen in Vacation Clothes)
Cashmere cardigan by “Julie & Jack” (last seen in June 5’10)
Bikini by “Agua Bendita”
Chunky chain ring by “Luc Kieffer” (last seen in June 5’10)
Sunglasses by “MARNI”
Reversible cloth bag (beach blanket) by “Xpat” (last seen in June 3’10)

In the evening, the three of us drove up to the Redondo Beach Fish Market for dinner and shared some delicious, spicy (of course), shrimp fajitas. They might not appear very appetizing on the picture (the place is not big on presentation) but in this case looks really are deceiving because the shrimp was “finger-likin’-good.” I think the peppers might have had an adverse affect on my friend’s brains (they can’t handle that spice) because when they saw an arcade on the way out they couldn’t be stopped. It’s funny because it’s so no unlike them. There were all these young kids and my two over-sized friends playing the same racing games…lovely. Personally, the driving I do in Toronto is more than enough for me so I stuck to Deal or No Deal until they finished. In the end I won some prize tickets and as you can see, I had some beautiful pieces to choose from. A plastic flower pot or maybe a pretty dress for your doll straight from China. Yes, the decision was tough but I managed to find something truly worthy – sticker tattoos. Now I have something to adorn my back with the next time I wear my open-back Alexander McQueen dress to the opera; talk about a fashion statement…(lol) you know I’m kidding, right?

As we were finally walking out, Dima noticed the tiniest carousel in the corner of the arcade, and of course, they had to see if we could all fit. Well we did, and that carousel got a ride of its life. It must have looked like 3 giants in a clown car but thankfully all 4 of us survived.

now and then clothing

lida — Tue, 18 May 2010 19:03:12 +0000

I came across an exciting new vintage fashion boutique in the Danforth and Broadview area called Tabula Rasa. It’s owner, Jennifer Park, personally chooses all the vintage pieces for the store but vintage is not all that it has to offer. There are also some interesting new clothes from independent lines of NYC and Australia. Their overall aesthetic comes from the combination of ‘timeless treasures paired in a modernized way,” which is what I tried to do in today’s look. I bought this silk vintage top at Tabula Rasa on the way to the the bank a few days ago, and I couldn’t wait to put it to use. When we decided to go for brunch at Starving Artist (on Lansdowne) over the weekend, its time had finally come.

In this relaxed outfit I wanted the loose vintage top to be the central element, so I paired it with relatively simple, “filler” pieces. I layered the top over belted linen shorts, and in order to give it some shape, I removed the belt from the shorts and wore it over the top (around the hip area). The necklace and vintage-inspired shoes just kind of fell into place after that.

Tabula Rasa in itself is a cute little find of a boutique, so you never know…your favourite vintage find might be impatiently waiting for you there. And in case you were wondering, Tabula Rasa means “clean slate” in Latin.

What I’m wearing:

Silk vintage top from “TABULA RASA”
Long fold necklace by “Pellini Italy” (last seen in Mar. 16’10)
High-waisted, belted, linen shots by “Marciano”
Suede heels by “Modern Vintage” (last seen in Feb. 2’10)
Sunglasses by “MARNI” (last seen in Jan. 11’10)

a new take on Junya Watanabe

lida — Mon, 10 May 2010 21:29:08 +0000

After doing the Junya Watanabe inspiration post yesterday I felt ready to take on that gingham checks jacket I talked about. This morning I took on the challenge of making Watanabe’s design “everyday appropriate.” I believe that no matter how unusual or eccentric a piece might appear on the runway, it always has the potential to be a lot more wearable depending on how it’s styled. For example, the jacket that I’m wearing here looked like this on the runway (only in blue). It’s not as ‘Ready-to-Wear’ as the name might imply, so it’s up to us, ‘the wearers,’ to make the pieces work.

What I did in this look was balance all the complex elements of the jacket by pairing it with simple shorts, necklace, and pumps. The asymmetrical collar, twisted fabric, and untraditional button closure of the dominant piece were met by clean lines and neutrality of everything else. This might be a safe approach, but it’s also a good starting point for further exploration. Once you have the main balancing elements down you can start to push the limits one accessory at a time.

What I’m wearing:

Gingham checks jacket by “Junya Watanabe” (the one I talked about in yesterday’s inspiration post)
High-waisted shorts by “Marciano”
Summer straw pumps by “Betsey Johnson” (last seen in May 2’10)
2 vintage rings (bought on www.dealitlive.com) (last seen in May 2’10)
multistrand pearl necklace

my take on cubism

lida — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 22:02:06 +0000

I’m going to an opera tonight to see “The Flying Dutchman,” which I’m pretty excited about. I’m not wearing this to the opera however. I like to take full advantage of any opportunity to ‘really’ dress-up because unfortunately they don’t come around that often; there are only ‘so many’ weddings and galas a girl gets invited to in a year, right? So no, I have something quite different planned for tonight, the pictures of which I will post tomorrow.

I called today’s look “my take on cubism” because every time I look at the print of this dress, images of abstract, cubist art pops into my head. Once I identified the source of these mental associations, the ‘idea’ of cubism inspired the choice in accessories as well.

For the sake of variety and increased intensity, I tried the smoky-eye-look. However, when applying the eye-shadow, I have to be careful not to over-indulge because it often makes me look like someone malnourished and sleep deprived. Not exactly a desirable effect .

What I’m wearing:

Maxi silk dress by “Marciano”
Embellished leather platforms by “Marciano” (last seen in Apr. 13’10)
Wooden necklace by “Kenneth Jay Lane” (last seen in Dec. 28’09)

bow flow

lida — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 23:49:36 +0000

The wind posed a serious challenge to my picture-taking experience today because the bow, which is arguably the focal point of this look, just wouldn’t stay in place. What you are seeing here is not exactly what I had envisioned in terms of the dress’s silhouette and composition of the pictures. I was thinking of cleaner, more defined lines which is what I saw in the mirror at home. Under the influence of the wind, the shape of this loose a-line dress and the bow became unidentifiable. Lol, surprisingly nature has no regard for my ‘artistic vision’ (note the sarcasm please). Anyway, “all is well that ends well.” Even though my plan was undermined I’m quite content with the result, especially because I got a chance to wear my new Marni tweed platforms.

These are by far the highest pumps I own. I found a post about these ‘babies’ on another blog where the writer describes them by saying that “the trend towards shape, tailoring, and architecture melds into a houndstooth tweed, leather and wood block heeled platform by Marni.” I read that and thought, “what he said.”

Follow Up: Someone asked me what colour nail polish I was wearing. The brand of the nail polish is Essie and the colour is called Lacy not Racy. Maybe from now on I will start adding this type of information in the “what I’m wearing” part of the posts.

What I’m wearing:

Silk/cotton dress by “Marciano”
Tweed double platform pumps by “MARNI”
Paulette flap clutch by “Cole Haan” (last seen in Mar. 25’10)
Crystal nepal ceylan topaz ring by “Swarovski” (last seen in Feb. 23’10)

Sea Lions

lida — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 15:44:27 +0000

On the plane back to Toronto, I was reminiscing on my days in California and I realized a little something. My last look in Cali was all about extremes. It’s intensely white, the pants are extremely high, the top is super short, the bag immoderately large, and my platforms notably chunky. It was as though I was unconsciously bringing our trip to a close by embodying the one characteristic that described the trip best – extreme…everything.

California is almost overwhelmingly beautiful and I hope to be back very soon.

BTW, the third picture is of sea lions in the area of Fisherman’s Wharf.

What I’m wearing:

High-waisted pants by “Marciano”
Silk crop top by “Cindy Lee”
Leather platforms by “Marciano”
Large leather bag by “Plinio Visona” (last seen in Apr. 4’10)
Necklace by ‘Ben-Amun” (last seen in Feb. 2’10)