Big, Bold and Beautiful

Finally, after much waiting, the second issue of my school newspaper has come out.  Seeing as this is the March 2011 issue (it was supposed to come out in March), naturally I would write about spring trends.  Again, I surely don't expect or want you to read the entire thing, but what you can see is that I choose a look from Jil Sander to represent the trends of spring.  If you saw the article I wrote for the youth magazine, you will remember that I said it was all about being bold this spring, and I think Jil Sander got that message across loud and clear.

There have been a couple of improvements to my school newspaper this issue, such as colour photos, a more professional layout, and public viewing access.  However, as you can maybe see, they have decided to not include the writers' full names.  They merely put a first initial with a full last name.  Unfortunately, this probably has to be done in order to protect privacy now that our newspaper is open to public viewing.

Chloé: A story of lust

Lately, it seems as if Holt Renfrew has not been skimping when it comes to making its customers feel welcomed!  Everytime I shop there, I have been greeted by complimentary drinks from Starbucks and chocolate.  This time, I was greeted with glasses of white and red wine (which, of course, I did not try), and a piece of absolutely delicious cake in the form of a baby blue Marc by Marc Jacobs bag to celebrate the label's 10th anniversary.

With the spring stock finally calling Holt Renfrew its home, there were fantastic new pieces on the racks, some taken straight off the runway.  In the shoe department, there was one shoe in particular that had me sweeping it up, and unwilling to put it back down.  And that shoe was a pair of Chloé braided strap flats in nude:

The glimmer of the braided, silver chain ankle strap makes this more than just your average pair of flats.  I love how the simplicity of the flat is paired with the elegance and glamour of the ankle strap.  But that does not mean the rest of the flat is not beautiful in itself.  The leather vamp of the shoe is smooth and polished, and the round toe is shaped to perfection.

This flat also comes in metallic black leather, but I find the nude matches better with the ankle strap, and it's more feminine.  However, I do recall the leather looking slightly darker - more towards a brown - in real life, but maybe I am mistaken.

If there's any way to subtly draw attention to your shoes, this is one of them.  Chloé has given me yet another thing to lust after.

Image Source: Lyst, Net-a-Porter

Top Designer + Top Model

My friend and dear reader sent me this video to check out, and it was extremely thoughtful since I'm pretty sure she knows how much I love Coco Rocha.  On June 17, 2011, there will be a Jean Paul Gaultier retrospective covering the past 35 years, featuring both ready-to-wear and haute couture pieces in the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.  Below is a video filmed by James Conran (Coco's husband) documenting an exclusive editorial by Elle magazine with pieces from the archive.



This video perfectly demonstrates Coco's fantastic posing abilities, and the reason why magazines, designers and photographers continue to turn to her whenever they need a professional model that's going to give it her all, and look gorgeous at the same time.

Video Source: Vimeo

Wakeema Hollis

At the request of socialitedreams, Wakeema Hollis is up next on this blog's model feature!

This Tennessee-born model is known for her luscious bee-stung lips and for enthusiastically rocking her natural hair on camera.  She's also known as Hollis Wakeema, as she tends to use Hollis as her first name.

There aren't many photos of Wakeema when she's off-duty, but here's a little look at her personal style.  As you can see, she's not afraid of eye-popping colour!

Wakeema's most recent appearance was at Lela Rose Resort 2011:

If there are any models you want to see featured, just give me a shout if you haven't done so already!

Image Source: Wakeema1, Wakeema2, Wakeema3, Off-duty1, Off-duty2, Off-duty3, Style.com

Lucian Matis Fall/Winter 2011 RTW

I know I said I was finished with my Fashion Week Marathon, but I can't pass up a chance to take a look at some Canadian talent!  Of all the collections shown at Toronto Fashion Week, Lucian Matis in particular has amazed me.  I first found out about him through Project Runway Canada, and I followed his progress throughout the series.  It seemed to be a close one between him and Evan Biddell, but my favourite did end up going to Evan.  Lucian struck me as a designer that seemed a bit stuck in his particular aesthetic - slightly Victorian, and highly decorative - and he didn't seem to be willing to expand and evolve.  After Project Runway, I still saw a couple of collections I didn't quite like, but his Fall/Winter 2012 collection has proved to me that Lucian has finally got it.

Lucian described this collection as "not fashion", though to me, this collection is fashion in every way!  There were beautifully constructed chunky knits, statement-making embellishments, a glamorous mixing of different textures and fabrics (a key to any good outfit), and defined silhouettes.

With this evident understanding of how to manipulate fabric and mix textures, Lucian shows surprising promise and he seems to have a talent that some of our greatest designers possess.  If he keeps this up, he just might end up being one of them.

See the entire collection here.

Image Source: Lucian Matis

Fashion Week Diary

After posting Elizabeth Cabral's Fashion Week Diary, Fashion Cappuccino asked to see photo-blogger Tommy Ton's diary, and I have finally gotten around to posting it!  The text is once again taken from the September 2010 issue of Flare.

Tommy Ton spends little time in his hometown of Toronto.  Instead, fashion weeks from Sydney to Paris keep this plane-hopper busy capturing the festivities for his popular Jak&Jil blog, style.com, and Flare.  Along the way, this accessory magpie has earned a front-row seat at top shows and elevated the art of photoblogging.

NYC February 13: Backstage at Alexander Wang, Natalia Vodianova shares a moment in the spotlight with her kids. 

NYC February 13: A vampy, very Tom Ford-inspired finale from friend and emerging designer Joseph Altuzarra.

NYC February 17: Reed Krakoff's debut is the surprise hit of Fashion Week.  Utilitarian minimalism done right.  I hear nothing but praise from the press.

NYC: Leopard is making a huge statement on the feet of many fashion insiders.  This over-the-top statement is done perfectly.

NYC: It's all about downsizing your handbag.  The key silhouette is the Céline box purse, seen slung over the shoulder of every fashion editor.

NYC: I am lucky enough to be at the exclusive debut of the Olsen twins' runway show for The Row.  Minimalism at its best!

Paris March 5: Natasha Poly at Isabel Marant in one of the most coveted essentials of the season: the shearling jacket.

Paris March 8: The day of the Kenzo show is the highlight of my fashion month.  All the models come out wearing hats from the runway and the light is perfect for model portraits.

Paris March 10: Marc Jacobs celebrates the female form at Louis Vuitton.  It's all about the Bs: busts, bustiers, bows and bombshells!

Paris: My favourite show subject of the season is 16-year-old Swedish model Frida Gustavsson.

Milan: In between shows I am invited to Anna Dello Russo's apartment.  It's beyond anything I've ever seen before.

Image Source: Photo 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 

Forget Red

After much contemplation over the significance of fashion in our society today, I have decided to change the direction of my blog.  High fashion, after all, is so frivolous, and I can't imagine spending the rest of my life fretting over the latest designer collections and whatnot.  I have a sudden desire to indulge myself in a more conservative kind of fashion, the kind of fashion the typical, everyday citizen revels in.  With this new frame of mind, this blog will no longer be called Red-Soled Fashionista (red soles...honestly, who wants them?), but rather it will be known from now on as Flat, Foam-Soled Fashionista.  It has a nice ring to it, does it not?

April Fool's Everyone!

Honestly, give up fashion?  Crocs?  As if.

Image Source: Crocs