Tip Top Toes

I am extremely picky about sandals, and shoes in general. Honestly haven't been able to find an amazing pair all summer! Til now that is... picked up these frilly gladiator inspired sandals at Topshop the other day weeeee!

William + G

Dolly

Pretty Girl Paris.

(Facehunter)

Summer Timing

If only I could snap my fingers and have my idea of the perfect summer outfit for today. This would be it. Please appear, SNAP! SNAP!

(image - Wildfox)

Chloe and The Coconut

Any Fun - Coconut Records - Music Video

What a happy day! The sun is shining, and Chloe Sevigny stars along side Jason Schwartzman in his latest Coconut Records music video for 'Any Fun.' I'm liking the Z-boys comme NYC inspiration. If you have never heard of Schwartzman's one-man-band 'Coconut Records' you must listen immediately!! 

Rose N Roll

Martina of Dragonette stars in 'Boys & Girls' promo vid for Jean Paul Gautier's Rose N Roll perfume with Martin Solveig.

Elle edits

Teen Vogue fashion editor and Toronto-native, Joanna Hillman, sporting a printed baby doll in the July issue of Elle UK's Street Fashion edits with caption "Prints dont have to mean twee dolly florals."

Bring It On

Most people hate Miss Kiki D but I just lah her to death! Perhaps because she stars in most of my fave teen movies, or maybe because she stars in my fave Sophia Coppola films. Either way, I think she is extra cute and I love the outfit she wore at the CFDA awards. In Rodarte avec Rodarte, perfection!

Home is where the heart is

I always picture celebrity houses to be...modern and (sometimes) stylish, but also lacking in personality. Sure, MTV cribs gives a sense of who has the most rooms, or an in-door basketball court or the flashiest gadgets but hardly any give off a homely 'lived' in feeling. Helena Christensen's home was featured in the May issue of Paris Vogue and I absolutely love that it actually looks like a home. Filled with her quirky finds and endless photographs, I appreciate her elegantly 'lived in' household. And how sweet is her little puppy??

(Images from The Selby)

William James

For those of you who don't already know, William James Stapleton's music is now being released through London-based indie music label Feed That Baby Records. Feed That Baby will be sending out Will's singles 'I Can't Sleep' and 'My Father' as an EP for major radio play and will soon be releasing his songs on itunes.

Lot's of upcoming shows! If you are in the LDN area I hope to see you there!

Thursday June 25 - Roadtrip Bar, SE London

Saturday June 27 - Cross Kings, SE London

Sunday June 28 - 124 Abby Tavern, SE London

Wednesday July 1 - Cuban Bar, Camden London

Thursday July 16 - Highroad House Members Club, Chiswick London

Take a listen:

myspace.com/willstapleton

Fashion Love

Picked these up on my way out of Beyond The Valley one of my fave boutiques and  a great stop for quirky London design and fab jewelry pieces at a fair price. Valley printed two different booklets for their AW 08/09 collections, one for Fashion and one for Interior Design, that look like old sewing pattern packages. The other postcard I picked up describes 'Newburgh Quarter' as 'the design district that connects Carnaby to Soho.' The west end area is full of independent boutiques, cafes, concept stores and traditional English pubs within a historical setting.

SNOG

Living in NYC last summer I practically survived off of the frozen yogurt at Pinkberry and Yogurtland...I LOVE it. Anyway, I was walking through Soho in LDN yesterday and spotted this gem (!!!) a frozen yogurt spot a la Pinkberry called SNOG! How perfect is that? This is where any and all future London Snog events will be held. Thank you!!

Bananarama

Our flat mates donated a few (very) ripe bananas to us the other night so I decided to whip up some banana bread! I haven't baked banana bread in years but the recipe I put together was so quick and easy I thought I should share it with everyone. 

3 rip bananas, smashed.

1/3 cup melted butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon 

pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups of spelt or brown all purpose flower

The original recipe called for a full cup of sugar but I cut that down to half and replaced it with more vanilla and cinnamon (use 1 tsp to start but add more to suit your taste), you can also try adding raisins, walnuts or chocolate chips!

Preheat the oven to 350F

With a wooden spoon, mix the butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg and vanilla then sprinkle in the baking soda, salt and cinnamon and mix fully. Add in the flower last then pour into a 4-8 loaf pan and bake for approx 45 mins.

Double-You-Tea-Eff

Okay, I've been wondering this for a while now. When did Prince William go from being hunky to hideous!? Today is his 27th bday and if you ask me it looks like he just turned 45! We all know the English aren't known for their great teeth so we will look past the not-so-pearly whites but I can't help but keep noticing his quickly receding hair line in recent pics. Blech! And to think I used to dream of being the next Princes Grace...no thanks!

Edit: Okay, okay, maybe I was being a bit harsh...he is not hideous! But he has been losing hair rather quickly for a just-turned 27yr old don't you think?

Chiswick Darling

Went on a walk along the river today, full of beautiful old homes with fantastic gardens. Took a picture of one of my favourites above, and captured a little white-pawed kitty on top of a mint-green car.

Westfield

Today I ventured over to Shepherd's Bush to check out Westfield mall with my lovely flat mate Louisa. I was so impressed with the new mall as it is not only huuuge but architecturally interesting (for a mall). The skylights made the already large space feel extra spacious and I didn't feel as guilty for avoiding the outdoors on a sunny day. I only made it to Topshop and Zara but I plan on tackling the rest another day...the mall is complete with Chanel, Gucci and more!

I couldn't resist taking pictures of the public bathrooms in the mall. Compared to the toilets at the Eaton Center mall in T.O. these were ten star! Honestly, I forgot I was in a mall and thought I was at some shmancy hotel.

Married to the Mogul

Georgina Chapman graces the cover of Tatler's July issue with headline 'Married to the mogul.' The Marchesa designer/stunner is featured in a six-page editorial looking GORGE obviously. Article tells of her fab life of being beautiful, dressing stars in her gowns and her marriage to one of the richest men in the world. Ahhhh the dream life.

No Doubt

For about the billionth time in a row, I missed No Doubt in concert. They recently played Toronto, the day before I was set to leave, on June 16th. Fortunately some pics were posted on FB by a friend who was lucky enough to go. I love the back drop projections of the Andy Warhol/Debbie Harry inspired Gwen.  Wish I had been there!

Happy Flowers

There has been a lot of celebrating going on this week due to my UK departure tomorrow - finally! Because I have the bestest of friends, they have done a great job of seeing me off in style. Above are the flowers I sat next to on Ashton's rooftop while we popped bottles of Champagne and ate BBQ. Delicious! Although not the best idea to drink in the setting sun when studying for a final university exam is still needed to be done. Oops.

Those are my gorgeous roses that Huggs gave me, paired with the little yellow surprises brought to be my T-Ro today. I wish I had taken pictures of some of the desert treats I got this weekend too...but, clearly, I ate them.

Terrazza Eats

TORONTO -  Love Italian food? Looking for a new place to eat besides Terroni? Try Terrazza! 

My amazing friend Jess and her family opened the lovely and authentic Italian restaurant that is Terrazza last fall on Harbord. Located on the north side of the street, across from The Roxton, the cozy (but gorgeous) venue is sure to please. I had a fantastic dinner with Jess and a couple of our friends last week and we were each blown away by how delicious (and well priced) all of our dishes were. BK got a massive bowl of pasta bolognese for a mere $12 that was both al dente and flavourful! I don't know abut you, but I have unwillingly forked over at least $24 for an order of pasta at Italian restaurants before (ahem, Terroni...) to then be presented with about 4 pieces of pasta and returned home hungrier than when I left. Not cool. I had the chicken panini which was excellent as per usual, but we were all surprised by how great the hamburgers were. Apparently Jess' dad used to run a resto in the same spot years ago and specialized in burgers. Funnily enough, the recent meaty addition to their menu was brought back by popular demand! After trying one, I now see why. Another tip, try the Italian spring rolls...mind blowing...seriously!

Terrazza

372 Harbord St. (North side at Shaw)

Toronto, ON

646 343 3283

Tuesday-Saturday

Knit Treats

London-based art critic, Tom Jeffreys, posted a link on twitter today to his review of Kate's Cafe, a knit exhibit currently taking place at The Rebecca Hossack Gallery on Charlotte Street. The talent behind this delectable creation is Kate Jenkins, an artist and knitwear designer who has transformed the gallery into a "charmingly dainty (knit) English cafe." Apparently the show is on until June 26th, I can't wait to check it out!

Sequin Seduction

My life would be so much better if only I could pull off a sequin onesie like this chick!

No love for Lady GaGa

This post may seem a bit overdue but, really, I do not get Lady Gaga whatsoever. The recent pictures that have surfaced of el Gaga sans makeup, along with some of her ridiculous quotes, have left me with no choice but to blog bash her. While her over-the top fashion forward looks are right on the mark for today's popstar, there is a drastic disconnect between her futuristic looks and mediocre music. With a look that screams "forward" what is the reasoning behind producing Christian Aguilera-esque songs at a time when underground electro is quickly bursting into the mainstream? 

Never mind her music, what really enrages me about Gaga is her failure to act as a proper role model for her young (and mostly female) fan base. As reported by Perez Hilton, when asked by US Weekly how she stays in "tip top shape" Gaga replied "It's all about starvation! Pop stars don't eat." Even if  Gaga was joking, how many 8-13 year old girls reading Perez will absorb that comment as sarcasm? Personally, I think the openly sex-crazed fame whore should take a tip from vintage Britney. Even if what you claim ain't true behind closed doors, keep your image clean (but still edgy) for your young fans, sheesh!

The picture above shows evidence that underneath the big hair bow, heavy makeup and sunglasses-at-night lies a mousy bottle blonde mess looking  for love from a sk8r boi. Is he THE ONE guys??

Tip Top Toes

Upon leaving to go to the Love You Down party, I noticed that Gabbi and I were not only both sporting our favourite Top Shop shoes but that we had our toe nails painted to match our shoes. Coincidence? It was! We take outfit coordination to a whole new level.

Tiny Dancer

Be sure to pick up a copy of this weekend's Toronto Star to check out 290 Ion Boutique (my mother's shop) featured in the Life & Style section! The National Ballet's prima ballerina, Heather Ogden, shops 290 Ion to find the perfect dress for the company's White Hot event next week. The star of Carmen poses elegantly above in her dress of choice, an avant-garde one-shoulder black dress by swedish label Designer's Remix. The article beautifully describes 290 Ion, my mother, heather and even my brother JC who will soon be joining the National Ballet, along side Heather, as an apprentice.

View the online version of the article here

K8

So excited about my new ring from K8! Her vintage inspired bow tie rings come in sterling silver and 18k gold for both mini bow and big bow rings! Plus she has necklaces! I'm now rocking a silver mini bow on my left hand erryday and it's absolutely perfect! Her beautifully girly creations are available at Delphic and Franny Vintage in Toronto. Check out more of her stuff here: www.k8jewellery.com

Postcards are the new FB

It's easy to forget how nice it is to get real mail. Sure, the bank writes to me everyday and their letters remain unopened, piled high on my desk. But it's really not the same as friend mail. At least I'm lucky enough to get frequent postcards from my boy Huggs who keeps me updated on his travels around North America. Yesterday I got a surprise postcard from my friend Weezie! Since our time at Teen Vogue together we keep in touch via FB and bbm...but her postcard of a Louboutin sketch took our communication skills to the next level! I luuurve it!

Sending out frequent postcards to my loved ones is definitely a high-priority when in LDN.

Off to THE DOUBLES! See you there right? TOTALLY! Okay cool byeeeee! xx

I am immortal, and Chanel is my bride

Recently, as reported on New York Fashion, a rumor was spread that Karl did not renew his contract with Chanel and that Lanvin designer Elbaz would be taking his place. You can read the report here: NY Fashion

Luckily, Karl's trusty "Guide To Life" blog has put those nasty rumors to rest! He says:

"I was rather bemused with this woman (Diane Pernet). I am immortal, and Chanel is my bride. I'm Karl Otto Lagerfeld. Why would I ever stop working? (...) Anyway, we ("we" being Chanel) issued a statement denying this horrible and perplexing rumor. I just felt like writing a post to express my confusion at this sort of rumor- it's just impossible. You might as well claim that I'm a woman, all models are obese. Really, I am Karl Lagerfeld. I don't care how good your sources are, Ms. Pernet. I'm the only one to design Chanel. I'm not dying anytime. Being retired is boring- have you seen Valentino? I do believe that your "shaded view of fashion" is so shaded you can barely see anything anymore, hmm? In any case, the rumor interrupted my construction of the treehouse. And I love the smell of building sites."

Phew! You tell em Karl! Ain't no body, taking your place...EVER!

Read the full entry here: Rumors

Theselby

I like this just because.

1901

If you know me, then you know how much I love Phoenix. A LOT. I'm REALLY hoping to catch their show in TO right before I leave (still waiting on that guestlist!) at the Phoenix concert theatre. Check out their music video for 1901, I kind of feel like it could be BFFs for life with the Friendly Fires 'Paris' video, don't you?

Editor Crush: Aya T. Kanai

While interning in the Teen Vogue fashion closet in NYC last summer, I came to find that all interns develop an "Editor Crush." Similar to a "Celebrity Crush" or "High school Heartthrob" the gaggle of girls would gather around to gush about their favourite fashion editors and how amazing their outfits were each day. I must admit that hands down my Editor Crush was contributing fashion editor Aya T. Kanai. Not only is she a 6ft tall Japanese lady, but she simply oozes rock n' roll cool on a daily basis. I really admire her effortless mix of "sophisticated bad ass." Yesterday she was featured in a Style Profile on The Sartorialist. Amazing! 

Aya T. Kanai

Job? 
Freelance Stylist, and Contributing Fashion Editor at Teen Vogue magazine

Style icons?
My mother, who could pull off 80’s Japanese avant-garde looks with ease; and maternal grandmother (her kimono collection is endless)... Oh, and Pippi Longstocking because she wore a tattered dress with unmatched socks and men's shoes, and didn’t care a bit how she looked. As a child I wanted to be her (though I am Japanese, not Swedish), and flip pancakes up onto the ceiling while cooking breakfast for my monkey… I still want to be her.

Describe your personal style ?
As a child I wore plaid flannel dresses with a silver sparkly top hat and penny loafers. I also loved wooden clogs and full Cacharel corduroy skirts. I suppose my adult personal style hasn’t changed much from there: One part statement item, one part quirky charming things, and one part classic basics…that’s my cocktail!

Personal Style quirk?
I love animal printed anything and hate sensible shoes.

Favorite designers?
YSL, Chanel, Giles, 70’s and 80’s Issey Miyake, Alexander Wang, Preen, Mulberry, Balenciaga, Burberry Prorsum

Most cherished item?
Mismatched opal earrings from my mom, and a lapis ring from my grandmother.

Favorite item/I feel best wearing?
The above items and my Keith Haring tank top, which was an invitation to the 1985 “Dance for Life” event at The Palladium (my parents went!)… oh, and also my Morris the Cat t-shirt.

Never caught wearing? 
Fleece

You just became bicoastal... What kind of style are you expecting to find in LA?
I am excited to support the young LA designers: Band of Outsiders, Alexandra Cassaniti, Wren, Jasmin Shokrian, TenOverSix accessories - to name only a few!

How does your style change when you are in LA?
I look pretty much the same, except I find myself wearing more white. White jeans and white shoes… driving around, they don’t get as dirty as they would in NYC.

What kind of impact do you hope moving to LA will have on your lifestyle? 
My goals are: more farmers markets, more cooking & dinner parties, more beach weekends, more exploration of the American west and exciting new work opportunities as well!

Cologne, skin care?
"L’Eau d’Issey" fragrance, Shiseido make up, Kiehls skincare.

Best stylish movies?
Charlotte Gainsbourg in “Ma Femme Est une Actrice.” She basically only has one outfit: a trench, button down shirt, trousers and a shoulder bag; it’s nothing special, yet it’s perfect. Then there is Audrey Hepburn in “Sabrina.” Edith Head was the costumer, but the gorgeous dresses she wears are by Givenchy.

Favorite neighborhood restaurant? 
The three B’s: Barrio Chino, Brown, Bacaro (all within a few blocks from my apt)

Currently reading?

“Born Standing Up” by Steve Martin

Favorite (style) books? 

Confessions of a Window Dresser by Simon Doonan, and Excess: Fashion and the Underground in the 80’s.

http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/

Chloe in Chloe

Chloe Sevigny looking amazing as ever in Chloe. Luuuurve herrrrr.

Friendly Obsession

As I was telling my friend Gabbi yesterday over and over, I am currently completely obsessed with British band Friendly Fires. Found their kaleidoscope-inspired music video for their amazing song 'Paris' check it out.

http://www.myspace.com/friendlyfires

coming to London & Toronto this summer so look out for them!

Love You Down

I am officially moving to London on June 17th and  will be hosting my going away party on Saturday June 13th at 751 during the LOVE YOU DOWN party with the great DJ HUGGS playing 90's R&B all night long, holla!

From Aaliyah Allure Angie Stone Bad Boy Bel Biv Devoe BlackStreet Boyz II Men Brandy Case D'Angelo Donell Jones Dove Shack Erykah Badu Faith Evans Fugees Ginuwine GhostTown DJ's Groove Theory H-Town Jade Janet Jodeci Lauryn Hill LL Cool J Lucy Pearl Mariah Carey Mark Morrison Mary J Blige Maxwell Missy Monica Nate Dogg Next 112 Salt N Pepa Shanice 702 SWV Total TLC Tony Toni Tone Yvette Michele Xscape to Zhane.

Join us.

Love You Down - An evening of 90's R&B from Aaliyah to Zhane
Music by Huggs & Guests
Hosted by Gracie 
Saturday June 13th
751 / 751 Queen St W (corner Tecumseh)
10-3 19+ $5
Free before 11pm w/ RSVP: TheDoublesRSVP@gmail.com

♥ 

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