Skinny Jeans.. The self-esteem killer

I love fashion just as much as the next girl. In fact, for someone who is not in fashion as a profession, I follow the trends pretty closely. I enjoy it. I like clothes, especially shoes and scarfs.

Sometimes it takes me a while to come around. Take for instance the pointy-toe pumps that were all the rage a few years ago. It took me a while to adopt the pointy-toe shoe trend. But when I did, I sported (admittedly) both boots and shoes with pointy toe.

The confidence crusher (A.K.A. skinny jeans)

Fast forward a few years later and out come the skinny jeans. I didn’t take to this fashion trend straight away either. I stood on the sidelines, watched and waited. I definitely witnessed a few misses, but when the time was right I jumped in. It felt odd at first, wearing jeans so snug. I had always worn my jeans loose, not baggy, but relaxed. The way I thought jeans were suppose to fit.

There is nothing relaxing about skinny jeans. I always feel the need to suck in my tummy or hid my back-side with a tunic. Let’s be honest, skinny jeans are a pain in the butt. If you have even the slightest love handles, it shows. A little tummy, it shows. They are fault-finding jeans. I guess they are called skinny jeans because only very skinny people can wear them.

Not wanting to end this blog on a bad note, I will say this in favor of the skinny jean. They are a great incentive for working out and staying in shape! And, they now have high waisted skinny jeans. Which are more comfortable than the traditional styles and help hold in any excess around the mid-section. Phew! Now, let’s wait and see what they come out with next.. and I hope it doesn’t have the word “skinny” in it.

Wishful Wednesday

One of my favorite things about getting married was getting to pick my wedding dress! Every bride is different and has her own style (and budget)! Just for fun, I thought I’d share some of my favorite dresses that I found while I was looking. Oh what fun!

Alice Temperley's Long Jean Dress

Without a doubt, this dress (above) is among my top faves! Maybe it’s the hippy look, the sheer simplicity or the beaded cut-outs, or all the above! I’ll never forget this dress by British designer Alice Temperley. I even had my own dress tailor made to follow the soft, flowing skirt! Simply the best!

Jenny Packham's Claire (left) and Eden (right)

No wedding gown list is complete with mention of Jenny Packham. Having travelled to Toronto’s bridal gown boutique, White, just a few times to try on Ms Packham, I am a huge fan! The gown that first caught my eye from Jenny’s collection is Claire. A dress designed in memory of her friend. Coming in a close second is Eden. Do you see a trend here?

While admittedly I didn’t look at many of Claire’s gowns, Claire Pettibone has a timeless, romantic essence to her dresses that did not go unnoticed. I’m hard-pressed to pick any one Pettibone design simply because I haven’t studied them long enough. But if you like what you see so far, check her out at http://clairepettibone.com/

Without further ado, the designer I love to love… Australian fashionista Johanna Johnson! Right up my alley, Ms Johnson does bridal gowns like no other. Simple (ah, love that word when it comes to weddings) and lovely. What do you get? Simply lovely! She even inspired my jewellery choice, but I’ll save that for another day!

The timeless Johanna Johnson

My (Rekindled) Love with Crimped Hair

With my hair at an all-time long length, I am constantly on the look-out for styles and techniques to tame my mane.

When frizzies are at their worst, look no further than your 1980’s hair crimper! As wild and outdated as that sounds, I recently discovered the chic style in crimped hair. It was spawned by none-other than super-fashionista Sarah Jessica Parker.

Pulled off perfectly, SJP (or her stylists, rather) crimp only the underneath, giving body, depth and texture. Me likey!

I know what I’ll be asking for for Christmas this year!

Braiding Around

Hairbraids are great.

I didn’t start out loving them. With thick curly hair at the age of 12, my mother took to French braiding my hair. Which, to her credit, was a brilliant way to tame wild hair. The flip-side was that now everyone knew my mom did my hair! I could never wrap my arms around my head and twist and tie my hair into a beautiful french braid.

In my thirties now, I’ve taken a new look at hairbraids. Sienna Miller pulled them off beautifully with a certain “swedish princess” look. When I (tried) to pull off this style, my boyfriend said to me, “Are you going out like that?”. Hmmm…

For a more wearable look, I look to none other than Nicole Richie. Not a fan of her work (what does she do anyway?), and not always a fan of her fashion, her style is always unique. And her braids kick-ass.