Charlotte Olympia Fall 2011: To Die For

For her fall 2011 collection, shoe designer Charlotte Olympia turned to Agatha Christie's world of dark intrigue for inspiration. Aptly titled "To Die For," the collection includes her signature sky-high platform heels in sumptuous leathers, suedes, satin, and velvet. Always with a touch of whimsy, many of the styles brought a smile to my face. Unfortunately (well, fortunately for my wallet), they are still not available anywhere in Canada. The website will ship them to you for an extra 100 pounds, which is a bit much as the shoes are already quite pricey. For now, I will have to leave them to fantasy...






Agatha in red. I am currently really into super chunky high-heeled loafer styles, and this is a super feminine take on the trend.







Bruce in black. Bruce is the store mascot at the Charlotte Olympia flagship store. He is a carved wooden leopard. And now he's on a shoe!






Alice Siamese. One leopard bootie, one tiger bootie! Would you wear these?

Carmen, in a gorgeous teal velvet with ostrich embossing. Amaze!

Cindy Piano. A quirky design, typical of the Charlotte Olympia. I once had neon pink biker shorts with a piano up the leg...not sure I can go there again, but maybe you would!

The Orient Express...I can't decide which colour I love more! I'm leaning towards the blue...but it depends on the outfit!

Polly in leopard pony hair. LOVE! Red and leopard go together like cheese and crackers.

Priscilla in black and gold stripes. This would be a perfect party shoe to jazz up your LBD.

Priscilla in purple. I love the little fan detail on the vamp.


Lydia in green. I would love to see this with a colour-blocking look. Maybe paired with bright blue or yellow.



Bruce the leopard, featured in the "To Die For" look book.
To see more of this fabulous collection please visit www.charlotteolympia.com

Summer Beachwear Trends 2011

It's beach time! Or, if you don't live near any beaches, it's pool time! Just like the clothes you wear, you don't want your swimwear to be outdated. So, here is what I have determined to be the biggest trends in swimwear, et al for summer 2011. I plan on spending as much time wearing a swimsuit as possible this summer!

Diane Von Furstenburg vinatage two-piece. The first big swimwear trend of 2011 is vintage pin-up. This DVF ones totally reminds me of the orginal Barbie from 1959! A '50s-style swimsuit flatters a curvy figure.


Barbie in 1959. She even has beach accessories, I love it!






Christian Dior sunglasses. Cat-eye frames are the perfect compliment to a vintage beach look.


Emma Stone wearing a vintage-inspired Marc by Marc Jacobs swimsuit on the August cover of Vanity Fair.


Elizabeth Taylor in a ruffled bikini. Tres chic!

The other big trend for beachwear that I LOVE is a very glamorous rich-lady look. Michael Kors did this best. This look often features leather trimmings, gold hardward, animal prints (espeically snakeskin, if you want to be bang-on trend for 2011) and of course, huge sunglasses.

Michael Kors spring 2011 print ad. Love the leather detailing on the one-piece.

Python, one of the biggest trend for spring, carrying through into fall, is an easy way to look super-glam. One shoulder maillot by Michael Kors.

Michael Kors does the bikini version. Love this!

Vix leopard print bikini. I own this one, and it comes with a detachable halter strap. I love the ruffles on the top and the turqouise detail.

A glam beach look requires a big hat. This striped Prada hat does the trick.

Elizabeth Taylor in an adorable ruffled bikini

My Favorite Summer Trend of All Time

Since I only got a fleeting glimpse of Princess Kate in a covered car driving really fast, with the window almost all way up, I can't give much commentary on her outfit. Instead, I will be discussing, in my opinion, the best summer fashion trend of all time: nautical. All things nautical seem to be in fashion every summer, so I'm not sure I would even consider it a trend, more like a classic look with staying power. Based on this argument, picking up some sailor-influenced pieces is an investment in your fashion future rather than an impulsive frivolity. I love how clean and crisp nautical attire looks. Combinations of navy, white, red, and yellow are my favorites. The best finishing touches are gold jewellery and some rope wedges.


Christian Dior s/s 2011

While the sailor hat might be a bit costume-y for real life, the rope sandals are perfection.


Keira Knightly loves her sailor pants. I think they would a lot better if she wore them longer with some chunky heels for a leg-legthening look. Now is the perfect time to find a pair; with the seventies back in full-force there are plenty to be had.

An ad for the French label, Petit Bateau, the makers of the original iconic sailor shirt. Always a classic choice.

Sperry Topsiders, not just for preppy guys from the East coast anymore, now come in so many fun colours and prints. I especially like the metallic and the plaid ones I've seen in stores. Super comfy as well as cute!

Love, love, love this dress from H & M! I bought it myself inthe navy and white version. My favorite part is the rope detailing on the straps.

Christian Louboutin s/s 2011

These would look amazing with some white wide-leg sailor pants, or with the H & M dress, shown above.

Miu Miu clogs s/s 2011.

I love these clogs! So cute. Perhaps a bit trendier than a wedge, but if you can have it all, why not?

I own this Vero Moda jacket from the spring 2011 collection. I love it worn with seventies-style bell-bottom jeans. I always get compliments!

A final piece of advice, I would avoid wearing more than two nautical pieces in one outfit. This can make you look like you are wearing a costume. Wear it while you can, because summer in Canada never lasts long, and most of this would look ridiculous in the winter.

The Duchess of Cambridge Does Canada

While I am in agreeance with much of the fashion community that Catherine Middleton is no fashion fore-runner, I do think she possesses a certain classic chic-ness which is the ideal personal style for a future queen. It's hard to go anywhere but downhill from a custom Alexander McQueen wedding gown, any fashionistas dream come true, but Kate did have a few standout ensembles for her first official tour to Canada.

I'm sure you all know that I am a sucker for a fascinator, so here we have Kate on Canada Day in Ottawa, wearing one decorated with maple leaves. Who knew maple leaves could be so chic? Her dress is from Reiss, (and apparently she's been seen wearing it before!) which is a high street (non-designer) store in London, and her shoes are LK Bennett, also from the high street. How thrifty!

With the pennies she saved on the previous outfit, it looks like Kate went all out with a nautical McQueen dress and Prada shoes!




Deplaning for her first steps in North America, wearing Canadian designer Erdem, and more LK Bennett shoes. It's nice to see her in a print, as she generally sticks to solids.


Here we have the most boring outfit worn by Kate so far in Canada. Yawn.


For some evening festivities on Canada Day, Kate chose one of her longtime favorites, Issa. While Issa dresses are always flattering on the Duchess, this bright purple one is a bit more of a standout than some of her past choices. I also like that she changed up her hair. Speaking of changing up your hair, William's hair seems to be changing as well. It's going from being there to being gone, and he really needs to just embrace the baldness. Or get plugs. Anything other than a bald spot or comb-over. Not cute. I'm going to the Calgary Stampede Parade tomorrow and I will let you know how she looks!!! And how the bald spot looks.