Fashionista Talk » Prada

inspiration: fall 2011

lida — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 03:33:58 +0000

Now that summer is officially over its time to step into fall. What better way to do that than in something inspired and daring. This post is meant to provide some material for you ladies to work with. It comprises my favourite looks from the Fall 2011 Collections of some of my favourite designers. It also lists prominent trends for the season below the images. Enjoy my lovelies.

Prada: dropped-waist, wide belts slung low over big-buttoned sheer shifts

Prada: the sixties dolly bird, big-buttoned dresses

Prada: sequins are back!

Miu Miu: bold-shouldered jackets and bare legs

Marni: long, clean lines elongated further by platform shoes

Dolce & Gabbana: lace motifs

Dolce & Gabbana: corset dresses and musical-note prints

Dolce & Gabbana: billowy floor-length numbers and stars

Dolce & Gabbana: sequins on sequins

Dolce & Gabbana: sheerness

Chloe: python print

Giambattista Valli: tulip print, and puffy sleeves

Giambattista Valli: monochrome black and white

Giambattista Valli: hot pink and yellow

Giambattista Valli: statement red

Balenciaga: faux leather patches

Chanel: fuchsia suits

Chanel: detail and shadowy veils

Chanel: more lace

Lanvin: long leather gloves and silk

Lanvin: sensual drapes

Lanvin: roses

Lanvin, Lanvin, Lanvin…sigh

Stella McCartney: curvy black dresses

Stella McCartney: stretchy, transparent point d’esprit

Stella McCartney: polka dots, embroidered onto ivory tulle

Antonio Berardi: motorcycle collars

Antonio Berardi: fat, folded and stacked pleats on miniskirts

Dior: flowy maxi dresses

Dior: eye-opening colors

Pucci: corseted hourglass dresses

Pucci: velvet embellished fabrics

Gucci: long, cutting draped gowns in chiffon

Gucci: transparent long sleeves
The End

suit me

lida — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 23:55:28 +0000

As part of the Japanese Business Law class I was taking in Tokyo this summer, we got to visit their patent office and Supreme Court. I welcomed the opportunity to get out of the classroom but the intense heat and humidity of Tokyo summers was making it a little difficult to enjoy wearing business attire. My clerkship in Seoul presented the same challenge of having to dress for the office in the most unconducive weather conditions. I quickly simplified my looks to a light blouse over a silk camisole and a pencil skirt. A sacrifice of one layer needed to be made in the interest of preserving my sanity .

Don’t forget about the latest Phillip Lim giveaway. Just enter here and you could be the next lucky winner on FashionistaTalk.

Love Lida

What I’m wearing (look 1):

Suit by The Wrights (last seen Apr. 18’10)
Necklace by Swarovski
Heels by Pierre Hardy
Tank top from H&M

(look 2)

Chiffon blouse by Prada
Pencil skirt by Alberta Ferretti
Silk camisole by Marciano
Clutch by Steven
Heels by Pierre Hardy

tulip prada

lida — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 03:45:21 +0000

I was lucky to have gotten away from studying last week for a night of ballet in San Francisco. George Balanchine’s Coppelia was a beautiful show – its lightheartedness a refreshing departure from the drama and tragedy of opera I so willingly subject myself to. I wore my new tulip Prada dress for this occasion. In a matter of one night we became pretty acquainted: first in the rain, then on the train, and finally at the ballet.

What I’m wearing:

Dress by Prada
Coat by Twenty8Twelve (last seen in Dec.15’09)
Crystal hairpin from Club Monaco
Pumps by Nicole Brundage (last seen in July 13’10)
Silver multi-chain bracelet (last seen in Aug. 2’10)
Silver clip-on earrings
Umbrella by Coach

couture adventures of 2010

lida — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 07:55:18 +0000

I had some extra time on my hands today so I decided to put together this special “adventures of 2010″ post. Basically, I compiled some of the couture I added to my collection this past year and juxtaposed my looks against the pieces in their element – the runway. As a way of contextualizing some of what you’re seeing, I also included the location of where the item was worn. This whole endeavour was pretty time consuming so I hope you like it.

Jean-Pierre Braganza (dress) – Locations: Santana Row, San Jose

Denis Gagnon (dress) – Locations: Santana Row, San Jose

Zero Maria Cornejo (dress) – Location: Toronto (my b-day)

Alexander McQueen (dress) – Location: Toronto

Antonio Berardi (jacket) – Location: Toronto

Miu Miu (skirt) – Location: Toronto

Miu Miu (top) – Location: Toronto

Tibi (dress) – Location: Toronto

Proenza Schouler (jacket) – Location: Toronto

MARNI (skirt) – Location: Toronto

MARNI (necklace) – Location: Toronto

MARNI (dress) – Location: Cleveland (law school open-house)

MARNI (dress) – Location: Toronto (opera)

Derercuny (blouse and jacket) – Location: Toronto

Stella McCartney (dress) – Location: Toronto

Chris Benz (dress) – Location: San Francisco (law school open-house)

Zac Posen (blouse) – Location: Toronto

Temperley London (dress) – Location: Toronto (launch party)

Marc Jacobs (dress) – Location: Moscow

Marc Jacobs (purse) – Location: Toronto

Oktober (dress) – Location: St. Petersburg, Russia

Gucci (dress) – Location: Montreal

Missoni (dress) – Location: New York

Vera Wang Lavender Label (top) – Location: Toronto (theatre)

Prada (dress) – Location: Toronto

Prada (hat) – Location: Toronto

Jeremy Lain (skirt) – Location: Toronto

Carlos Miele (dress) – Location: Montreal (Valentine’s Day)

Bottega Veneta (dress) – Location: Toronto (theatre)

funhouse mirrors

lida — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 04:25:22 +0000

I spent the entire day running errands yesterday and this is the casual little outfit I did it in. I’ll be flying out around 4 and there is still more packing to be done. The posts are scheduled to publish while I’m gone so check back regularly because more looks are on their way. Have an amazing couple of weeks everyone. I will drink a mohito for every one of you.

Adios,
Love Lida

What I’m wearing:

Shorts by “Marciano”
Jacket by “Marc by Marc Jacobs”
Turbanesque headband by ”PRADA” (last seen in June 23’10)
Vintage leather belt
Top from “H&M”
Pumps by “Nicole Brudage” (last seen in June 22’10)
Plastic flower ring (I bought it in Cuba for one convertible peso) (last seen in June 23’10)
2 mirror brooches by “Marc by Marc Jacobs”
Bag by “Renato Angi Venezia” (last seen in Mar. 2’10)

firefighter inspired

lida — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 22:43:35 +0000

Did you feel that earthquake today? I didn’t… Another question for my dear readers. What are the most fashionable uniforms out there? Some may argue in favor of astronauts, nurses, or police men, but I stick with our oh-so-sexy firefighters. Their uniforms really are pretty fashion foreword, with those suspenders, padded pants and jackets, and not to mention…the hoses.

Did any of you ever have to wear a uniform? If so, did you hate it or what?

My first job was at a concession stand of a movie theatre in Ottawa and I can still remember that horrid, cheese-smelling uniform like I was wearing it yesterday.

What I’m wearing:

Silk overalls by “Joie”
Pumps by “L.A.M.B” (last seen in Mar. 17’10)
Silk blouse by “Milly” (last seen in June 22’10)
Vintage-inspired bra by “The Lake & Stars”
Turbanesque headband by ”PRADA” (last seen in Jan. 15’10)
Zebra ring by “Club Monaco” (last seen in June 7’10)
Plastic flower ring (I bought it in Cuba for one convertible peso) (last seen in Apr. 29’10)
3 onyx bangles (last seen in Jan. 15’10)

Miu Miu in action

lida — Mon, 17 May 2010 00:46:01 +0000

I was going to wait until tomorrow to make this post but I have so many fun looks lined up that I couldn’t resits moving things along. With this outfit, I wanted to put that “scandalously short silhouette” I talk about in the last post into action. I bought this long Miu Miu top (or short dress, depending how you look at it) on ebay a few years back, and it wasn’t until I began compiling pictures for the Miu Miu inspiration post that it occurred to me that if Miuccia Prada wanted ‘short’ than ‘short’ it shall be. I decided to preserve the clean lines of the garment, without any distraction that a belt or jewelery piece would impose. I wanted to highlight the exquisite tailoring of this Miu Miu piece, so layering for me was also out of the question. Once I had a rough image in my head of what I envisioned for this look, the challenge was its materialization without giving over to practical compromise.

The French Connection, high-waisted shorts (which you can’t really see here), turned out to be the perfect fit, height, and length for the job. The shoes added a little retro feel to the mix and the headband came in last, once I felt that something was missing. I can’t wait to wear this to some summer party, with a little more tan and a margarita in my hand.

The last picture is of the same top seen on the runway of the 2008 Spring collection.

What I’m wearing:

Long top / short dress by “Miu Miu”
High-waisted short shorts by “French Connection’
Heels by “Sam Edelman” (last seen in May. 13’10)
Headband by “San Diego Hat Co.”
Chunky ring by “Lee Angel” (last seen in Apr. 6’10)
Clutch by “Lodis”

captivating Miu Miu

lida — Sun, 16 May 2010 21:08:56 +0000

Miu miu is the younger more daily-oriented clothing line from the Prada fashion house, headed by Miuccia Prada. To me, the captivating part of their collections is their edgy, fresh, and slightly bizarre haute aesthetic. I especially love Miu Miu’s high-waisted Lolita dresses, and the scandalously short silhouettes that so daringly graced the catwalk in their Spring 2008 show. It’s doubtful that the fitted sleeveless blouses with inset bibs-cum-dickeys paired with striped tutus are everyone’s ‘cup of tea,’ for even the most occasional of wear, but this get up still inspires a sense of playfulness and frivolity. A writer for style.com, Nicole Phelps, sees a general trend of subtle perversion and kink in Miuccia Prada’s work, and I would definitely have to agree. This quality may be controversial but it has also become quintessentially Miu Miu.

While Spring 2008 was probably my favorite of their collections, here I’ve compiled what I found to be most interesting out of all Miu Miu Spring pieces.

An Interesting Theatre Experience

lida — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 00:51:31 +0000

Listen to this…I really waned to see this show at the Tarragon Theatre (in Toronto) called East of Berlin. The problem is that it is completely sold out for the next few weeks so the only way to see it is by purchasing “rush tickets.” The benefit of rush tickets, aside from the fact that they are still available, is that they are much cheaper than the regular ones (only $10); however, there is a catch. There is only a limited number of rush tickets available and you need to line up over two hours before the play begins in order to have a chance at purchasing them. So guess what I did? I waited in line…only to have the last ticket sold to the girl right in front of me. I was next!!! But I choose not to be bitter about the experience because “now it’s on.” It has become a matter of principle and now I’m really determined to see this show , so I’m planning to line-up even earlier next week. I’ll just bring a book.

But the story is not over yet. After walking out of the theatre empty handed I stepped into the biggest mud puddle. The velvet Sergio Rossi boots you see in the pictures were covered in a thick layer of dirt. As I looked down at them in this sorry state I thought, “kick a girl while she’s down, why don’t you.”

What I’m wearing:

Top by “Vera Wang Lavender Label”
Leggings (as seen in Jan. 14’10)
4 Onyx bangle bracelets
Boots by “Sergio Rossi” (alternating diamond-shaped pieces in suede, velvet, and fur, which are outlined in breads) (as seen in Dec. 12’09)
Turbanesque headband by ”PRADA”

Texture Forward

lida — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 19:06:34 +0000

So far I’ve touched on issues of colour and cut but not texture. Texture plays a pretty important role in the aesthetic effect of a garment by contributing to its detail (or lack there of), shape, and general impression. I love this Prada dress for its unique and almost enchanting use of texture, which has been described as “the extraordinary fabrics woven to change from black to bubbly outcrops of rocky brown.” There is something so rebellious about it. So unsexy but sophisticated. ”Simple but strange.”

BTW: the last picture is of a 6267 runway-show that featured these shoes (only with ankle straps)

What I’m wearing:

Dress by “PRADA”
Brown tights by “Holt Renfrew” (as seen in Nov. 24, Cashmere Dresses, Dec. 14, Jan. 8’10)
Shaped Jarina Short Necklace by “Eskandar” (as seen in Dec. 14, Dec. 25’09)
Long leather gloves (as seen in Nov. 23, Dec. 13’09, Gloves)
Suede shoes by “6267″