October Memories

October has finally come to an end and it is time for a mini recap.

This month, we have 4 amazing [Un]Discovers entries. First off, we have Ryan Rader, a great painter who blends cells and surrealism together. We have seen his works before and they are absolutely amazing! Simon Procter is the next feature in line and we have our eyes on this amazing fashion photographer ever seen the Blue Angel photo-animation is released. Week 3 we have Michael Sanderson, an amazing digital fashion illustrator who we believe he will go big in the future! Last but not least, we have Katie Rodgers (akaPaper Fashion) to round off this month. Her watercolor fashion illustration is so amazing that no wonder Coach worked with her back in September during New York Fashion Week!

Next month is going to be intense since we will start to release some behind the scene photos of our I Scream Award Photo Shoot and also, our postcards are ready to be giving away! Stay tune!

Trendology: WANT Les Essentiels de la Vie Narita iPad Case

I may want to get an iPad just because of this case.

WANT Les Essentiels have always been on my radar and recently they have released the photos for their iPad Case. As usual, the cover is made of high quality leather and the lining is made of Turkish cotton lining. I also love there are so many pockets inside the case so you can put papers and pens in it. I can't wait to see this case in real life!

Courtesy of WANT Les Essentiels (source:highsnobiety)

Ray of Inspirology: Fork & Country

This issue of Vogue has a few interesting and beautiful editorials and this is one of them.

This spread is done by David Sims featuring Stella Tennant. The location choice is great and I am always impressed with the styling skill of Grace Coddington. I have to admit, other than Stella, I cannot think of anyone that will fit this spread. I am totally in love with this outdoor shoot!

Trendology: adidas Originals by Originals Jeremy Scott Wings 2.0 “Flames” Fall/Winter 2010

While I am very happy with my Penguin Suit sneakers, I am also very attracted to this one by Jeremy Scott too!

Yes, it still has the Wings shape but this time, the wings have flame! I am loving the yellow to red gradient on the sneakers and mid top length just suits my taste. Now the question is, should I invest another pair of Jeremy Scott for this fall and winter season?

Courtesy of Adidas (source:highsnobiety)

Ray of Inspirology: Opium Flirt

This editorial is simply beyond amazing!

In the latest issue of Muse, Anja Rubik is photographed by Solve Sundsbo and the spread is called Opium Flirt. Anja really delivers in this shoot and the lighting is amazing. I truly can't find to describe this amazing shoot so I will leave you with the images and let me know what you think!

BRAVO!

Trendology: PHENOMENON S/S 2011 Colletion

Gentlemen, let's have some fashion fun, shall we?

Judging from what I see here, I believe Takeshi Osumi is getting inspiration from The Scottish and gangster culture for this collection (yes, is hard to believe these 2 things can blend together). The oversized collar shirt has captured my eyes and I am sure it will be fun to wear it. If you are a fan of abstract pattern, then you will love the black & white and the blue motif pieces. Also, if you a fan of jeggings, then you are in luck because there are a few pairs for you to select in this collection.

The pieces may not be something I would wear, but I have to give Takeshi props for taking risk and creates a fun and vibrant collection!

Click here for the complete collection.

Ray of Inspirology: Alana Zimmer by Mark Seliger for Vogue Spain Oct 2010

It's unlikely that one would create a set of glamourous photography with a very messy and filthy setting.  Starring Alana Zimmer, Photographer Mark Seliger and Stylist Belén Antolín had made this possible in the October issue of Vogue Spain, juxtaposed retro glamour with pure chaos.  The glamourous effect is perfectly achieved with the amount and the tone of light used flawlessly.  The warm colour tone created a retro effect along with the choice of clothing and settings in the background.

I could never imagine a chaotic place can be so glamourous and beautiful!

Courtesy: Fashion Gone Rouge

Trendology: Logan Loves

It is always excited to see a new online consignment store pops up in the Toronto fashion scene and this time around, I am introducing you to Logan Loves.

Even thought this site is brand new, some pieces have already caught my eyes and the price point is very reasonable. Another thing I like about this site is that they only select high quality pieces for the customers to purchase. My favorite piece at the moment will have to be the Vera Wang floor length dress and it is only $230. Now I wish they will hurry up and launch the menswear department!

You know you don't want to miss this online store!

Trendology: Kobi Levi Shoes

Kobi Levi, a shoe design of Jerusalem, had design very edgy shoes with his very own inspiration.  He mentioned that shoes are his canvases, and his design on them are between fashion and art.  The end product of his art is very straight forward; named the product exactly from his inspiration, and the image is obvious.  My favourite has to be Slingshot, it's so wearable and funky! Below are some of my favourite ones from his collection.

Slingshot

 Blow

Ray of Inspirology: I AM A GOOD SOCIALIST

Daniel Bolliger has done an amazing look book shoot for Sasa Kovacevic, especially the photo treatment of the set!

The clothes in this collection are brilliant, especially I love the tribal influence and the zig-zag stripes pattern is fresh. As for the photos, I am loving the fade out, slightly cross processing effect. Finally, putting the models against a sand color backdrop is simply brilliant!

Here are my favorite shots and click here for the series.

Courtesy of Daniel Bolliger (source:Behance)

Trendology: MARTHE AIMÉ S/S 2011 Collection

A French brand has officially invaded the Toronto fashion scene and MARTHE AIMÉ should definitely be on your radar!

This brand has 2 parts: clothes and accessories. The clothes are very fairy tale like even though the cuttings are very simple and clean. Out of all the pieces, my eyes are on the white strapless fishtail top since it is very stunning on Renee.

As for the accessories, the whole collection is very fresh and solid. The leather cuffs, laser cut leather necklace, waist belt with big pockets and the giant tie are all things that have caught my eyes. Clearly, I am very impressed with this collection and I am hoping MARTHE AIMÉ will continue to grow to inject a new energy to the Toronto fashion industry!

Bravo!

Click here for the complete collection.

Fashionist[On The Go]: The "Extended Family" of Alexander McQueen

Two interesting news have caught my eyes on the Fashionist this week and both of them are related to Alexander McQueen.

First piece of news is about the new Harry Potter film (which I am looking forward to see). Warner Bros has released some still photos of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 1) and the dress on Fleur Delacour is very similar to one of the pieces in Alexander McQueen 2008 fall collection. I do see similarities between these 2 dresses and quite honestly, I am slightly disappointed with the costume designer. [Read Here]

Maybe Harry needs to use magic to change this dress? (source: The Fashionist)

Second piece of news is about the Hells Angels and instead of brands copying McQueen's designs, they claim McQueen is stealing their logo to make fashion pieces. My conclusion is: They both use skeletons as their symbols but McQueen's helmet on the skeleton is way different than the Hells Angels' logo. Now this will be interesting to see how this story develops. [Read Here]

Do you think McQueen is copying Hells Angels' logo? (source: The Fashionist)

If McQueen were still alive, I wonder what he would comment on these 2 pieces of news.

Come back next week for another roundup of Fashionist[On The Go]!

Trendology: VANQUISH S/S 2011 Collection

This men's collection has totally caught my eyes during Japan Fashion Week.

This is the first time for the brand VANQUISH to showcase the collection at Japan Fashion Week. This collection has a very solid color tone: black and blue. Other than the distressed jeans and well fitted blazers, the element I find it to be very refreshing is the feather prints. I am loving the shirt where there is feather prints around the neck area and the shirt with this print above the pocket and around the sleeves area. This collection will definitely set you apart from the crowd.

Click here for the complete collection.

[Un]Discovers: Katie Rodgers AKA Paper Fashion

I fall in love with Katie Rodgers' works ever since I have the chance to see her blog sometime ago. Her watercolor illustrations are absolutely stunning and because I love to feature talented artists, this edition of [Un]Discovers is all about Katie.

Hi Katie, I am so glad you have time to answer some of my questions! I know you self-taught yourself to become an illustrator, was the process hard? Do you find it hard to find job because you have no degree on it?
You're right, I never studied 'illustration' as a major, but I did grow up in a world of art and took every class available to me. I don't specifically remember learning how to illustrate, but I did spend a good amount of time learning to draw. I was the kid in the library skipping the reading books, and going straight for "How To Draw Horses", or something silly like that. The art section was my home. It still is, although I try and add a bit of business to it now.

Finding jobs is a complicated subject. I think there are lots of factors that go into this... but the main message I want to get across is that if you believe in something, and have a passion for it, you can do it. It sounds corny, but I never set out to do illustration, or even be an apparel designer- yet look where I am now! I do apparel design all day, and illustrate in my spare time. Honestly, I'm not really sure what I set out to be when I started college. I majored in Industrial Design, but found my way into fashion and apparel more and more. Things slowly began falling in place- I took an apparel design job at Reebok, and started Paperfashion in my free time. To find a job in anything, you just need the passion to work hard and stay focused- nothing good comes easy.

Trendology: Dare To Wear Love

What will the designers do when they receive yards of African fabric? These designers create interesting some fashion numbers to support the Stephen Lewis Foundation (a foundation to fight HIV/AIDS in Africa).

Dare To Wear Love runway show showcases some of Canadian designers work by using the African fabric and some pieces are very interesting. Some of the pieces that have caught my eyes include Nada's futuristic piece, Zoran Dobric's pink suit, Ula Zukowska's hoodie, LOVAS' back bow gown, Kendra Francis' wonder woman inspired dress and of course, Izzy Camilleri's plastic snake dress.

This is definitely a fun show to close the LG Fashion Week.

Click here for the complete show.

Trendology: Prada Mens S/S 2011 Creeper Shoes

You may say you are not a fan of the new "Creeper" Shoes from Prada's S/S 2011 collection, but to me, they are very attractive.

This pair of "Creeper" shoes comes in 4 different colors, from the basic black to 2 multi-tone versions. What really attracts me is the Espadrille inspired mid-sole which it injects the edgy element to the normal design of dressed shoes. My eyes are definitely on the blue/yellow and brown version and hopefully I will be able to get my hands on one of the pairs in the future.

Courtesy of Prada (source:highsnobiety)

Trendology: Denis Gagnon S/S 2011 Collection

Denis Gagnon has put on the most amazing show on the final day of LG Fashion Week and I am very lucky to be able to see this show in person.

The theme of this collection is very clear, it is all about Safari. The color scheme is very refreshing with white, lime green, dark green, and black. What I like most about this collection is the use of fringe, chains and lace. The pieces are bold, edgy and also very elegant. Now you may ask if these pieces are wearable or not, for me, this collection is highly wearable and the pieces do reflect your fashion taste if you are wearing them.

Bravo show!

Click here for the complete collection.

Graphicology: Encharnting Series by Iain Macarthur

This is breathtaking!

This series of illustrations is done by Iain Macarthur. I am blown away by the abstract element in each sketch which makes his works to be unique. The feelings I have after looking his works include mysterious, glamourous and futuristic. What do you think?

Trendology: Yukiko Hanai Spring and Summer Collection 2011

This collection is fabulously chic and whimsical! I'm loving it! I love the choice of colours, especially how Hanai treated the green here so beautifully.  I never liked green, it's never a colour that I like, but here she used different kind of greens in one outfit with floral prints, it makes the colour less boring and it looks young (which I think it's a very new sight for this particular colour).  There is one fabric that I found really interesting, the greyish metallic looking fabric that she used on one of the skirts and gowns. In my knowledge that this kind of fabric is very heavy and thick, but it's really good for making volume, yet in here this fabric looks less heavy but still created incredible volume.

Ray of Inspirology: A Breath of Fresh Air

A breath of fresh air, this is exactly what I have to say after seeing this editorial!

In the latest issue of US Vogue, Mario Testino has done a high glamorous spread featuring Anne Hathaway. I always think Anne has the model look and am very impressed with her performance in this shoot. The shots are classy with a modern twist. As for the styling of Anne, I believe it is inspired by Audrey Hepburn and I think she can carry the look very well. Do you like this spread?

Trendology: Amanda Lew Kee S/S 2011 Collection

Amanda Lew Kee has made her debut show at the LG Fashion Week and it is a success!

In this collection, black is replaced by beige, silver-ish blue, grey and also a splash of pink. Once again, most of the pieces here are made of fine leather. The design of this collection is very futuristic and surprisingly some of the pieces are highly wearable without being boring. Some of my favorite pieces include the see through leggings, the jackets with sheer sleeves and the pink textured dress top.

This is a very refreshing collection and I really cannot get over the blue lips yet. Amanda is definitely on my "the ones to watch" list and I look forward to seeing what she has in store for us in Fall/Winter collection!

Click here for the complete collection.

Ray of Inspirology: Red Alert

Red is always so attractive and this is the reason why I am attracted to this spread!

This editorial from the latest issue of Vogue Portugal is shot by Pedro Ferreira featuring Jessica Bertoncelo. I am first attracted by the portrait shot simply because of the red lipstick and the red hood. The lighting, wind effect and composition are great here and I especially like the contrast between the colors red and green/grey-ish background. This is a series I will for sure to put into my inspiration pile.

Fashion[Unfold]: How is wellness and image defined in Fashion?

Fashion[Unfold] is coming back to this blog and this time around we have Grace Mayele (@WithinEssence) as the  guest contributor! Let's see what she has in store for us this time!

Fashion[Unfold] is a Debate initiative for Industry insiders to address/discuss Fashion issues. An initiative brought from concept to reality, via Tweets by Marcus Kan @fusionofeffects, Toronto based Photographer and Noëlly Sam @MissSLY, Fashion Editor-in-chief at Miss SLY!™.

Every Tuesday, a Fashion topic is chosen, and the discussion gates are open to everyone on Twitter, to come and weight in their two cents via Twitter and comments on the website debate host. So there are 2 ways to participate.

- Join us on Twitter by following us and interact @FashionCrazy_ @MissSLY & @fusionofeffects; Then add the Tag #fashionunfold to your tweets

-  You can leave a comment to this post.

I will be constantly checking the response and if I see any interesting ones, I will post them right here (which means this entry will be in a constant update mode). Last week's topic was Celebrity Clothing Lines and this week, it leads back to one of my personal favorite topic: How is wellness and image defined in Fashion?

Synopsis:

Wellness is a word that encompasses different attributes of health and over the years, health has been an all around prominent subject matter that the great majority tends to bring forward in the fashion industry.

We're constantly faced in within our reads about advertisement concerns and meticulous industry standards, such as models and their weight, not to mention their overall appearance etc. This goes without saying, since in “today’s society” image is everything, especially in such a trade, image has become a dominating selling factor but many wonder how this form of projection “speaks” to the mass.

What looks good as an industry standard doesn’t always seem to be positioned as a feel good mentality if what is projected looks unhealthy and if there seems to be an ongoing duality between the need to leave room for the zero sized model vs. the plus sized model on runways.

Lara Stone

Question:

It is often said, that models need to be and look a certain way but wouldn't that be considered a stereotype that the media portrays? Are people missing the point that models need to be healthy and look the part? Do today’s designers feel the need to incorporate “any” sense of empowerment within their collections? Meaning, do these related issues even come across as a concern when selecting models? If so, how does it correlate with an overall sense of wellness?

Crystal Renn

Grace's 2 cents:

It doesn’t matter whether you’re skinny, average or plus sized. Health should be the number one concern because only such a factor can promote and entice an individual’s appearance and attract ones attention. Sure you can be skinny and look half dead and some may say you need the extra curves, but having the extra curves doesn’t necessarily mean nor validate you as being healthy looking. So who’s really empowered? And how do we position ourselves...

My 2 cents:
Just like Grace said, to me, health is the most important issue. To me, clothes are supposed to be worn by normal people so I do not agree that designers should just use skinny models to showcase their collections. If this trend continues, I believe one day no normal girls will be able to wear any clothes. The skinny conception should stop. I am lucky Lara Stone, the world's top model, is not skinny at all so that means there is hope for the fashion world...

Now it's time for you to give in you 2 cents! Make sure you tag #fashionunfold on twitter and follow us @fusionofeffects, @FashionCrazy_, @MissSLY and @WithinEssence.


Twitter 2 cents:

Miss Sly

Within Essence

Fashion Crazy

Michaeleardley

OliuMilinery