Bags.Of.The.Day

As a fashion lover and creative person, I am passionate about every thing that is fashion; from clothes, to accessories, to shoes and all that is in between. Everyone by now knows my passion for shoes, however, there is another category in one's closet that I am equally passionate about: the handbag division for both men and women. In my humble opinion, i find that shoes and handbags go hand in hand, therefore, usually, if your a maniac about one, you will probably be as interested in the other. And its the case for me. However, I must admit that my passion for everything that is handbag is a newer discovery than footwear. Ive only recently started buying efty amounts of bags to garnish my closet compared to shoes, which have been my passion ever since I can remember. Its important to note that the men side of the business of handbags has drastically evolved these past few years and guys aren't afraid to carry cooler and different shapes these days, and designers are cathering to this new phenomena in a big way by chosing to show as many variations of shapes and colors as they would for the ladiesin menswear catwalks. With this being said, I've decided to create a new segment on my blog called Bags.Of.The.Day to compliment my Shoes.Of.The.Day segment. Hope you'll like it.

So here goes my first Bags.Of.The.Day segment...

-Ladies.Bag.Of.The.Day:

(Givenchy.Spring.2011)

Who: Givenchy
What: 'Antigona' ostrich and leather mixed tote
Why: It's the 'it' bag of the season. From Beyoncé to Charlize Theron, all the big and fashionable stars seem to be carrying it. And understandbly so. The Givenchy 'Antigona' bag comes in a multitude of fabric mixes. My favorite is the pictured one, a mix of ostrich and leather for an updated twist on the classic look of the bag. I love the simplicity of the bag. The shape is new and fresh without being too funky and the details are rich in their simplicity. Swoon ladies, Swoon.
How Much: $2425 Cdn (@ssense.com)

-Men.Bag.Of.The.Day:

(Alexander.McQueen.Spring.2011)

Who: Alexander McQueen
What: Leather duffle bag with suede trims
Why: This great duffle bag it the perfect size for carrying all your most needed things. It can also be used as a small weekender bag. Love the color, a deep and rich gray which remains classic yet is a different option to the basic black. And it wouldn't be a McQueen if there wasn't anything cheeky on it, in this instance, the signature skull McQueen appliquer on the sides of the bag. So stylish without trying to hard. Want it so bad!
How Much: $2060 Cdn (@ssense.com)

The handbag insdustry is full of wonders, and 'it' bags are made and created everyday. It will be fun to cover & discover them in this new segement. Hope you'll enjoy it as much as I do.

'till next time.

-The.Shoe.Freak

(source: Ssense.com)

Fashion.Events.Montreal:Glam.Soiree

(Ipanema.presentation)

Last Week, I attended the Glam.Event in Montreal. The soiree, hosted by PonyRide Distribution, was to, first and foremost, promote the new Spring.2011 Ipanema & Ipanema Gisele Bündchen collection. Fashion media & bloggers, Quebec artists, and fashion industry experts were invited to munch on canapes and drink some bubbly while chatting, discovering & most importantly shopping the many racks of clothing and footwear the PonyRide company distributes. I must admit that it was a fun and entertaining night.The staff, very cordial and welcoming, entertained the guests with a styling competition where the winner would come away with the ensemble they had put together. Also, they engaged in conversations with their guests, while promoting their many lines. There was lots of schmoozing & PR’ing involved, but done in a very charming way.

Aside from the Ipanema lines, which can be summed up to a cute and sweet line of flip-flops that many girls will want to wear in the summer, I discovered many other cool brands. PonyRide Distribution, according to their website, is a multi-faceted source for name-brands & international imports of medium-to-high-end clothing and accessory lines. Here are a few of my favorite collections that I was entertainingly exposed to by their sales rep & dedicated team.

Noë

(Noë.presentation.&.shoe.from.the.Spring.2011.collection)

A classic shoe line that comes in 46 different colors and sold at such prestigious shopping boot-stores at Galeries Lafayette in Paris amongst others, Noë uses different heels (stacked, pump & cork being the most common used) without altering the body of the shoe to keep the 'classic' component of the brand. Therefore, the multitude of colors becomes an important element in the branding of the line as well as the price points, situated in the $120 range, retail wise. in Montreal, hip stores like Billie and Lola&Emily will carry the brand. Definitely worth checking out.

(few.selections.from.the.Noë.Spring.2011.Line)

Torn by Ronny Kobo

With celebs like Rihanna, Kim Kardashian, Paris & Nicky Hilton and a slew of other starlets wearing its creations, Torn by Ronny Kobo is furiously becoming a hot brand. Based out of NYC, it offers a wide range of curve-hugging party dresses, cool tee-shirts and tops, as well as hot blazers and jackets. Retail prices vary around the $100 to $500 scale, which is pretty affordable considering the ferocious competition and cool range of their creations. My favorite piece was the wide shoulder stripped blazer graciously modeled for me by the lovely Jessica, sales rep for PonyRide. Big thank you to her.

(Torn.by.Ronny.Kobo.Spring.2011)

Thank you to PonyRide & its fun staff for an entertaining evening.

-The.Shoe.Freak

Shoes.Of.The.Day: Zara.Spring.2011

This edition of Shoes.Of.The.Day will focus on my top Spring 2011 offerings from the amazing Spanish-owned fast fashion chain Zara. Everybody in my surrounding is aware of my love affair with Zara as I shop there constantly. The chain creates amazing clothes, shoes, accessories and basics everyone needs in their wardrobe and you don’t have to pay crazy amounts of money while shopping there. They cover trends like no one else and are usually spot-on with hot items of the moment. You can build your whole wardrobe every season for little money, a real one-stop shop. Love Zara!!!

-Ladies.Shoes.Of.The.Day:

(Zara.Spring.2011: $59.99/$99.90/$159/$99.90.all.in.Cdn.$)

(Zara.Spring.2011: $99.90/$129/$59.99/$139.all.in.Cdn.$)

(Zara.Spring.2011: $99.90/$39.99/$39.99.all.in.Cdn.$)

-Men.Shoes.Of.The.Day:

(Zara.Spring.2011: $139/$139/$99.90/$95.90.all.in.Cdn.$)

(Zara.Spring.2011: $109/$109/$95.90/$95.90.all.in.Cdn.$)

(Zara.Spring.2011: $59.90/$95.90/$49.90.all.in.Cdn.$)

Spring, can't wait for you to come already!

-The.Shoe.Freak

(source: zara.com)

Awards.Season.2011.Academy.Awards

After a long season of Awards season, the Academy Awards, the cream of the crop of the circuit, finally occurred last weekend. With much hype and anticipation, I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed with the fashion I saw for the evening. Besides a few complete knock-outs (its your year beautiful Mila), the gowns and the stars wearing them left me kind of blah for the most part. I was expecting way better, especially after a very interesting Golden Globes and SAG Awards and with the amount of usually stylish nominees and attendees. As well, a few weeks before, the Couture season was extraordinarily breathtaking, therefore the choices of gowns and beautiful dresses were there for the taking. I found that the women were way too safe in their choices besides the usually daring and awesome Cate Blanchett. What do you guys think?

Here are my favorite ladies of the night.

1-Mila.Kunis.in.Elie.Saab.Couture


Why: There is nothing I can say that can truly justify how amazing she looks. Stunning dress as it fits like a glove. The color is beautiful. The intricate mix of delicate lace and chiffon is sublime. The great hair, right accessories and subtle make-up add to the spectacular result. Mila's looks throughout the award season just kept getting better and better while saving her best look for last. Swoon worthy, Mila.

2-Cate.Blanchett.in.Givenchy.Couture


Why: The always fashion forward and bold Cate Blanchett strikes again with this gorgeously feminine yet ultra daring Givenchy couture. I don't think Ive seen Cate look better than this, and I think she always looks great. Says alot. Love the color, the detailing & the creativity of the dress. And, I love how refreshed she looks; the hair is awesome and make-up subdued. Beautiful Cate.

3-Natalie.Portman.in.Rodarte


Why: Pulling off a gown when pregnant is always hazardous. But Natalie looks absolutely marvelous in this deep violet Rodarte confection. The color is amazing on Portman's skin tone. The jeweled plunging V reveals great shoulders. Love the earrings and subtle make-up. She looks absolutely radiant. Great night for you Natalie.

4-Jennifer.Lawrence.in.Calvin.Klein


Why: At first glance, I thought the dress was too simple for such an occasion. However, looking at it over and over again, I am finding to love this look on Jennifer. She looks age appropriate, sexy, very fresh and trendy. The red color is amazingly sensual and sultry. The fit truly defines her great figure. Less is more here. Sexy bombshell Jennifer!

5-Hilary.Swank.in.Gucci.Premiere


Why: Usually I find all the glitter, feathers and what not to be too much and wedding-like. However, this beautiful Gucci Premiere gown worn by Hilary is the exception. Love the gradual ombré of the feathered skirt. The silver beaded bodice isn't over the top. And finally, the fact that Swank decided not to wear jewelery and let the gown speak for itself was a great styling move. Again, less is more. Silver statuesque Hilary!

***Worthy mentions: Gwyneth Paltrow in Calvin Klein because it was simple yet bold & the accessories rocked, Helen Mirren in Vivienne Westwood because she looks graceful, stylish and still age appropriate, Anne Hathaway in Vintage Valentino Couture because its pure old-Hollywood glamour at its best, Celine Dion in Armani Privé because the fit, the color, the diamonds and the hair are spot on & Sandra Bullock in Vera Wang because she looks red hot!


I will forgo the Men installment of my favorites of the night as there is so much I can say about Penguin suits (tuxedos, yes i know but hey, I find them boring!). And in all honesty, we fashion lovers watch it mostly for the ladies right?!

And that concludes the award season coverage for now. Until the next big award event!

-The.Shoe.Freak

(source: Style.com)

News: New.Collaborations

These past few weeks have been very exciting for my blog and I. I've met many new, interesting and motivating people who have been kind enough to help me in my blog venture. Fresh and exciting collaborations have taken form. All this in order to achieve my ultimate goal, which is to share with you all my passion for the sometimes crazy, but always exhilarating fashion field. Oh who am I kidding, the always crazy and wild field, but once your passionate about something, you live it to the fullest, right?

I am therefore pleased to announce that I have joined the YourKloset.com team as a collaborator and will be writing fashion related articles for them as well as continuing to deliver pertinent and fun entries on my own blog.

Yourkloset.com is a lifestyle online blogazine catered to the young 18 to 35 years old demographic and covering all aspects of life, from fashion to travels, arts and so on. Here is an excerpt of who they are, and what they represent taken from their website: “Who we are and what we are about can best be summed up in three words: fashion, style and lifestyle. And while bringing to university students and young professionals (18 – 35 years old, male and female) the latest styles and trends from our global kloset, we don’t sell out! This means we never suggest anything we would never wear, buy or gift. Our eclectic team of bloggers, stylists, and industry insiders deliver innovative and interactive messages, allowing our dedicated Kloset fashionistas to leave with valuable knowledge after every visit. In addition to fashion (now with a large focus on Canadian design and manufactured products), travel, art, tech, beauty and even sex, we will now be featuring video blogs on food and cooking, cocktails and style tips.”

Check them out regularly as, apart from cool and interesting articles, they always have amusing, exciting and innovative contests. And their prizes are awesome.

You can read my first 2 entries at the following: http://www.yourkloset.com/author/the-shoe-freak/

Your comments and opinions are welcomed.

Other exciting news will be unveiled soon, so stay tuned!

-The.Shoe.Freak