Dreamboat Lucy

Today's post is dedicated to the Canadian fashion line Dreamboat Lucy. The team behind the brand are sisters Hilary and Louanna Murphy from Prince Edward Island. After growning up in Kensington, PEI Louanna studied costume and fashion design at Dalhousie University and LaSalle College. Hilary attended Nova Scotia College of Art and Design where she studied jewellery design. Midway through her program, Hilary was joined by Louanna at NSCAD, where the sisters studied together for two years. Upon graduation it made perfect sense for them to go into business together, and in 2010 Dreamboat Lucy was born. Their designs are wearable, feminine pieces with a vintage influence that appeal to women of all ages. Vibrant colours and unique prints are a signature of the brand. Currently DBL is available to purchase online as well as at various boutiques in the Maritimes, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal and at Studio Intent in Art Central here in Calgary. Hilary now resides in Calgary and is hoping to expand DBL westward. The inspiration behind the spring 2014 collection is "1950s Barbie goes to Hawaii." The collection includes a number of prints that were designed exclusively for DBL, most notably an adorable pineapple print found on a dress, crop top, and pants. The jewellery that DBL is the most well-known for is the seaglass collection. All of the seaglass is collected on a beach on PEI by Hilary's boyfriend's mother. What makes this jewellery so special is that every piece is completely unique, and the shape of the seaglass will determine what the end product will look like. The spring collection also includes pyrite, pearls, moonstone, and tourmaline. I love the various ways in which these different materials are combined to create a single piece of jewellery.





I love, love, love this top and skirt combo! The pencil skirt features an exposed zipper that runs the entire length of the skirt and is available in three different custom prints, including the pineapple one!





This top is called the Mariah top, after Mariah Carey...love it! The front part of the crop top is woven by Hilary and Louanna's mother on her loom in PEI. She is the Dreamboat Mum! This whole outfit I can definitely picture on Barbie.





I was lucky enough to get my hands on the sample of this top, and I can hardly wait until it's warm enough to wear! I also cannot wait until I get this skirt, which I've ordered.




Love, love, love this one!





And this one! When is summer coming???




The best-selling seaglass studs. I looooove the seaglass, pearl, and pyrite necklace with the bone pendant. All of the seaglass jewellery comes in a variety of colours.




Tourmaline and moonstone jewels.






Love the pyrite studs! So cool. And the pink mother of pearl is the perfect feminine touch to soften the edge of the pyrite. Actually, I think that is what I like the most about Dreamboat Lucy: the mix of soft and hard, edgy and feminine. This is what makes the line so appealing to such a wide variety of ladies! All items are now available for pre-order at www.dreamboatlucy.com

It's New and It's a Shoe...Is It For You?

This post is dedicated to a shoe designer that has popped up on my radar in the last little while, because she is  FREAKING FANTASTIC. She is Sophia Webster, a Britsh a designer. She used to be a design assistant for Nicholas Kirkwood, and you can definitely see the influence he had on her. Her designs are bright, feminine, and full of whimsy. The butterfly styles are my favorites from her spring 2014 collection. I have shown some of the styles below.

 

 

The "Chiara" sandal. Butterflies featured quite prominently in this collection, and I love it! The pink and silver combination is my favorite.

 

 

 

 

Here is the "Cleo," a pointy, closed-toe option. I prefer the sandal, but see below for a shot of "Cleo" in action, and you will discouver how much better they are on the foot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For spring 2014 Sophia Webster did a capsule collection for J. Crew, which I've shown you above. I am obsessed with the black and white style! Now to find out if any of this is available in Canada..



 

 

 

 

 

Oooh, they come in gold too!

 

 

 

A parting shot...

Sophia Webster has many other amazing styles in her spring collection, the butterfly was my personal favorite, though. Give her a Google and check out the rest!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 









2014 Golden Globe Awards

Welcome to 2014! I have decided to change up the format of my red carpet reviews a bit. New year, new format! Instead of listing my best and worst five, I am going to list my hits in no particular order, and then finish with my number one favortite. Then, I will do the same with my misses. I hope you enjoy the new format!
 
The Hits




Olivia Wilde in Gucci Premiere.
This is a tab unfair. The woman is pregnant and yet she looks better than most unpregnant women. I adore the emerald green sequins, and the long fitted silhouette. This gown proves that you definitely do not have to show any skin to look sexy. Love it.




Lupita Nyong'o in Ralph Lauren.
She was the break out fashion star of the evening, hands down. I had never even heard of her until I saw her on the red carpet. Anyone who can pull off a cape is on my hit list. The bright tomato red shade is so flattering with her skin, and I love how the cape is off the shoulder. Perfection. Let's hope she keeps it up.



Kate Beckinsale in Zuhair Murad.
I had to show this one from the front and from the back because everyone needs to see that amazing mermaid train. In fact, she kind of looks like an amazing, shiny, hot mermaid. Is there any other kind of mermaid, though? I love the beautiful intricate pattern of the gown, the amount of work that must have gone into that is insane. The fit is perfect, and I love her hair and makeup. Kate always gets it right on the red carpet.





Naomi Watts in Tom Ford.
So simple, yet so effective. The pale metallic colour looks so great with her hair and skin tone. Tom Ford is one of the only designers that almost never gets a miss in my book.



Margot Robbie in Gucci Premiere.
I love the crisp white with the emerald green crystal detailing and the matching shoes. The plunging neckline works because her boobs aren't too big, and the slit is just the right height. This is perfection. It makes me even more sad that her show Pan Am got cancelled!


Dame Helen Mirren in Jenny Packham.
This is how I dream of looking in my seventies. She looks SMOKING HOT. I love the gathered ruching on the sides, the beading, and the gorgeous colour reminds us that spring is (hopefully) around the corner. This dame can truly do not wrong.



 Mila Kunis in Gucci Premiere.
Another metallic gown! This is a great trend to follow, as it's not even really a trend when it comes to the red carpet and with so many shades of metallic to choose from, there is a shade for everyone. I love how this gown juxtaposes the hard, edgy, metallic elements with the flower appliques and the flowing chiffon skirt. Keeping her hair really simple and off her shoulders was the right choice for a high-necked gown with so much detail near the face. It's a definite hit!


Emma Thompson in Lanvin.
I would still love this woman if she showed up in a garbage bag. But she sure didn't! I love the gold finish on the top half of her dress, and the simple black skirt is a nice finish. Her hair colour is also spot on. Just as a happy side note, she presented the award for best screenplay barefoot, with her shoes in one hand and a martini in the other hand. Love her.



The Biggest Hit: Cate Blanchett in Armani Prive is my Best Dressed of the night.
Ahhh, Cate the Great. The dress is simply STUNNING. I adore the lace on the sleeves and the neckline, and when she turns around, the gown is backless! Her hair, makeup and jewels are perfect. Cate truly is a real fashionista. She can pull off things are so edgy and fashion-forward and make them look so beautiful. The key to this is perfect fit and confidence; wear the dress, don't let the dress wear you! Obviously, in addition to being the best dressed, she also won Best Actress - Drama. I bow down to you, Cate.

The Misses:



Sandra Bullock in Prabal Gurung.
Sandy, no! Normally she looks so good on the red carpet, but this is a mess. I hate that heavy satin fabric, especially in the pink and blue colours. The length is also awkward and while I do like a side ponytail, this one is too messy for the red carpet. At least she didn't win so she can just quietly forget that this dress ever happened.


Kaley Cuoco in Rani Zakhem.
In theory this dress does have the potential to be quite beautiful. The painterly flowers in muted colours sound like they would look lovely. In execution, however, it's pretty awful. The colours completely wash her out and are in no way at all flattering. The way the pattern ended up on the gown, with the brownish shades at the hem, makes it look like she got in a tussle with a mud puddle and lost. A dirty-looking dress is never a good thing. I also hate her hair, why does it need to be covering half of her bodice?



Hayden Panettiere in Tom Ford.
As I mentioned above, Tom Ford almost never gets a miss. Almost never. However, apparently Tom has a rule that he will only dress one person per event and he did a fabulous job dressing Naomi Watts. Hayden Panettiere was alledgedly desperate to wear Tom Ford, and since he was already dressing someone else, he wouldn't dress her. So, she went out and dropped $10,000 of her own money on this gown, and showed up at the Globes looking a hot mess. This is what happens if you try to take genius of Tom Ford into your own hands. The dress itself is gorgeous, but it is all kinds of wrong on Hayden. She is way too short for this style of gown, and she completely ruined it with the wrong shoes, terrifying hair, and that god-awful brooch. It is an abomination to deface such a stunning gown.



Lena Dunham in Zac Posen.
Oh, Lena. Poor Lena, she really just had no idea how truly terrible her personal style is. This is another example of right dress, wrong girl. I do think that this is a beautiful dress, but it looks awful on her. She is too pale for this colour and the fit is so bad. It squeezes her in all the wrong places, creating excess upper-boob fat, and an unflattering stomach region. Also, her tatoos are really gross, and it appears as if she forgot to her her hair done. Apparently, her and Zac Posen are really good friends, but after this misfire I would really consider him to be more of a frenemy than a friend.




Drew Barrymore in Valentino.
I decided that since she is pregnant I would be nice and use a side shot, since this looks even worse from the front. Poor Drew, you just cant get around the fact that all the preggo ladies on the red carpet will be compared to each other, and there really is no competing with Olivia Wilde. All I will say (because I can't really abide by being too mean to a pregnant lady) is that this gown looks like some kind of Valentine's Day costume.


The Biggest Miss: Paula Patton in Stephane Rolland.
Oh, dear. She looks like a soggy pile of toilet paper. Once you've been compared to something made for butt-wiping there is simply no coming back. Her Charlottle Olympia shoes are cool, though. But, no, just no...She will forever be the lady who came to Golden Globes swathed in TP. End of story.

Fall Fads

Now that fall is fully underway - actually where I am I would more call it winter - I thought it would be a good time to discuss some of the trends that I have been appreciating lately. While I do find summer dressing to be a bit easier (no layers, no tights, no jackets bunching up under your coat, and a much simpler shoe situation), there is something decidedly cozy about fall fashions. Rich colours, comfy sweaters, chic boots, fur, and lovely cashmere. So, here are a few of my top trends for fall.
  
Leather Skirt

I have a skirt similar to the one above (this one is by Dolce Vita), and I have been getting lots of wear out of it. I pair it with sweaters or blouses, and I find it looks really great with tall boots. This time of year I wear it with tights, but come spring I will wear it bare legged with some killer shoes. The skirt shown is the "new" shirt shape, a full style, sometimes with pleats. This style is pretty much universally flattering, just be sure you don't go too short. Give leather a go! And FYI, faux leather can look great too. My skirt is real leather, but the one above is faux, and it looks just as nice.



Embellished Sweatshirt





This is a trend that has been on my radar, but I haven't yet taken the plunge and tried it out yet. I really need to hop on this bandwagon ASAP though, since this trend combines two of my very favorite things: comfy sweatshirts and shiny jewels. The grey sweatshirt on the top is from J. Crew, and it is definitely very nice. But then there is the Lanvin one, embellished with BEETLES! Yes, beetles. Amazing, I know. Sadly, it is somewhere is the $1,500 range. Maybe this is a bandwagon I won't be jumping on afterall. There is always Zara or Forever 21...


Statement Necklace














Second only to shoes, the statement necklace is my go-to accessory of choice. An extremely versatile piece, a bold necklace can elevate a plain T-shirt or sweater, add glitz to a basic blazer, and of course, is the perfect finishing touch to your party dress. From top to bottom: J. Crew, Banana Republic, and Erikson Beamon for Club Monaco. The J. Crew and Club Monaco styles have a more vintage feel to them, with the mix of different crystals. The gold link necklace has more of an edgy look, but the pave crystals add some glamour.

The 2013 Emmy Awards

This past Sunday was TV's biggest night. Which means it's the night when all the lesser-known stars come out in their red carpet finest. There were definitely some hits, although nothing really to die for. As for those who missed the mark, they REALLY missed it, which means that you definitely don't want to miss it! Read on.

The Best:

 

5.  Rose Byrne in Calvin Klein.

Calvin Klein truly is the king of minimalism. The cut of this is so perfect, and I love the sliver of midriff she is flashing (no belly buttons!). I like that she softened the severe dress with her loose curls.

4. Maria Menounos in Zac Posen.
I am extremely into statement necklaces lately, and I love this one. This fit of this gown is perfection, and I like the details around the neckline. I am really loving her braid, but I wish her hair had a little less volume on the top, and I also wish her boobs looked a little less fake.

3. Tina Fey in Narciso Rodriguez.
I am obsessed with this colour! OBSESSED. Cobalt blue was a big colour for fall this year, and I am loving it on Tina. The cut of the gown is really flattering, and she looks fabulous.

2. Malin Akerman in Marchesa.
This is so ethereal and angelic. I love that she kept the accessories to a minimum since the details of the dress are so intricate already. The colour is almost an ice blue, which I love and I really like her hair. Brava!























1. Kerry Washington in Marchesa.
I love Marchesa. They do glamorous red carpet gowns like almost no one else. The applique on this gown is simply stunning. The best word I can think of to describe this is dreamy. She looks like a beautiful fairy princess. Every girl's dream, right?



And now for the worst! There were some doozies.

5. Heidi Klum in Versace.
I have said it before, and I will say it again, for a supermodel, Heidi Klum truly has terrible style. This looks like a superhero costume. The neckline is completely crazy. All wrong. I just pictured Donatella Versace wearing this, and it just seemed all right somehow.

4. Julianne Hough in Jenny Packham.
We can see her underwear. On the red carpet. Who is her stylist? Who on earth let her out like this?

3. Paula Abdul
WTF. This is all kinds of wrong. The gold lame reveals every glorious wrinkle in the gown, which is always attractive on the red carpet. The turtleneck appears to be swallowing her up, and she has that crazy look in her eye that she's known for...

2. Zosia Mamet in Honor.
While I do think that this is a really pretty print, it definitely does not work on a gown. I am most disturbed by her boobs, though! What, exactly is happening there? The little leather bandeau appears to be about three sizes too small, and it keeps bringing to mind electrical tape. This is all kinds of wrong.

1. Lena Dunham in Prada.
I feel like Lena Dunham prides herself on looking extremely unattractive, which is probably the stupidest thing I have ever heard of. She really could look about a thousand percent better than she chooses to. This is probably the most unflattering dress she could have chosen, it makes her look about as big as a house, which is not the case at all. Again, this print is all wrong for a gown. Then there is her hair situation. She could really do a lot better.

Make Your Point!

While always a classic, the pointed toe pump has become a major trend in the past few seasons.While I do still love a good platform, I find myself being drawn more and more towards single sole style shoes lately. The main downside to single sole shoes is that they are often not as comfortable as platforms, but the upside is that in your chic platform-less heels you will never be mistaken for a stripper. Over the course of the past six years or so, most of my shoe shopping experiences have included the question, "is this too hooker-ish?" It's a nice change to know that going forward I will no longer have a little stripper in the back of my head saying "I would totally wear those to work."
I believe that since the pointy pump literally goes with everything (jeans, a suit, cropped pants, almost any skirt, even certain styles of shorts!), having three pairs is the perfect amount. One in black, one in nude or tan, and one in a bright colour. However, this could easily be expanded to include metallics, leopard, navy, grey, or a variety of different prints and colours. Here are a few of my favorites.

 

 

 Sigh...how I love these ones from the Louis Vuitton merry-go-round collection from spring 2012. If these were still available and I had a spare $1,000 or so, my only problem would be choosing between the ivory crocodile or the robin's egg blue.

Dior s/s 2013.
 I am literally dying. I would do some very bad things to get my hands on a pair of these. I would definitely give up not only my first born child, but any and all children I ever have. But since I don't really like children too much, maybe that's not enough of a sacrifice. I would give up my old stripper-ish Fendis (which I still secretly love). I know! I would go to the dump every day for a month. I recently went there and it is my least favorite place that I have ever gone. So I think that if I went there for a whole month, I would totally deserve a pair of these.

 

 Casadei deep blue crocodile pumps.
Oooh, These would be a perfect work shoe, for those of you who have an office-type of work situation. And yet, they would also be perfect for those of us that are free to be more fashion-forward, since these totally are!

Casadei Blade pump.
Now I know the argument could be made that the "blade" heel negates these fab stunners from being your classic black pump, but really who wants their classic black pump to be boring? Not moi! Also Vicky B. wore these in the suede version, and you can't argue with Posh!

Stuart Weitzman Nouveau pump.


A colour wheel of Manolo Blahnik BB pumps. It makes me sad that these will never fit me....too narrow Mr. Blahnik! Side note: This shoe was named BB after Brigitte Bardot. Other side note: Vicky B. has worn this one also. Of course she has!



And now I thought that I would perhaps share a few styles that normal (under privileged?) people like myself can afford.




This blue suede (real suede!) d'orsay pump is from Zara. I really feel that this is the perfect colour for wearing all year round. some of the more minty or turquoise shades really read summer, but this one would work right through the winter.





These are a few of the colours that this Topshop pump is available in. My personal favorite is the pink, but I also love the white. However, if you are going to have a pair of white suede shoes, don't plan on them being an everyday shoe, but rather an extra splurge. Once they get any scuffs or stains, they will look terrible, and cheap.



Guess by Marciano blue suede pumps. This is a great spring/summer colour, and I still think it could be worn into the fall with tights.