Opinion

  • Advice,  Opinion,  Outfits,  Trends

    Dress Your Age?

    Hello Fashion Friends! It’s been a minute… two and a half years in fact. It’s partly having the time and partly having the “voglia” (Italian for “want”). But this weekend I had time and I needed the distraction. A few days ago, one of the friends sent a link to an article about ageing in our group chat. Before even opening it, I thought “this is going to be depressing” and it was. Did you know that ageing is not so gradual? And that we age in 2 spurts in our mid-40s and early to mid-60s – men and women alike But I’m going on a tangent. Back to the matter…

  • Opinion

    Annual Reflection 2023

    Happy New Year 2023! I like to take a moment at this time of year to reflect on the past year: the good, the not-so-good, the lessons learned, the new faces… and to look forward to the coming year. The year started a bit rough. In January, I returned to work after surgery that I’d had in December. In hindsight, it was too soon. Then I decided to get my COVID booster and while I was in the clinic – all of 25 minutes – my car was stolen. Yep – stolen. Right out of the lot in broad daylight. I panicked for about a minute… then called the police…

  • Opinion

    Annual Reflection

    Happy New Year 2022! As I have been doing for a few years in a row, I take time at the start of every year to reflect on the past year and to look forward to the coming year.   2021 Let’s not mince words – 2021 was difficult (read: brutal). We fumbled our way through the longest lockdown of the past two years – over 6 months in Toronto. Sheesh! We spent holidays in our “bubbles” and celebrated birthdays freezing our buns in the cold 🥶 We defined new terms like Zoom fatigue. And let’s not forget, omicron just in time for Christmas 🎄    Now, I don’t want…

  • Opinion,  Travel

    Travel Nostalgia

    I am at the tail end of my summer vacation. My partner and I stayed “local”, spending 2 nights in Montreal and 1 night in Ottawa, and the rest of the week in and around southern Ontario. We drove – my first long road trip. It was a great trip!   One of my favourite activities is traveling to new places and gaining new life experiences. Immersing myself in the local culture, food and, of course, shops. As we are all painfully aware, that hasn’t been an option since the pandemic started – at least not with extreme inconvenience and precaution. Our vacation was wonderful, but I am missing international…

  • Opinion,  Style

    Fave Fashion TV Shows

    Let’s be honest… with this pandemic and these ongoing lockdowns, we’ve probably all been consuming way too much tv. (Now that the weather is warmer, less so). Sometimes I find I’m not even paying attention to the plot because I’m totally mesmerized by the outfits LOL Here I’m rounding up some of my favourite series with amazing fashion. Gossip Girl Ok I’m not going to lie – I watched this series way beyond an appropriate age. Like should a 30 something be watching a series about [ultra rich] high school teenagers?? Probably not But the fashion is stellar in this series! Let’s start with besties, Blair Waldorf & Serena Van…

  • Advice,  Opinion,  Style

    Summer Fashion Faux Pas

    If you’ve been around for a while or read any of my previous posts, you know I am particular about a few things – like bras and pantyhose. With the warm weather coming (and going and then coming again), I thought it would be helpful to talk about some of the challenges that summer style brings. Mind Your Fabrics Many fabrics are seasonless – meaning you can wear them year-round. Then there are fabrics that are either for cool seasons or warm seasons.  Cool seasons: wool/wool blends, cashmere, leather, suede, fleece. Warm seasons: linen, cotton, silk/satin. Living in a place where the weather is cool (cold) more than warm, I…

  • Opinion

    2020 Roundup

    What a year it was… one I will never forget. Phrases like unprecedented, social distancing, virtual event, lockdown, and “can everyone see my screen?” dominated our lives. Who knew that face masks and lanyards could become fashion pieces?? But in some ways, it feels like it was necessary. Lessons learned the hard way… Goals I started 2020 with a few personal goals. Traveling. Reading. Investing. Health & wellness. Rewarding myself with an LV bag. And then the pandemic hit. Traveling went out the window – although I did manage to squeeze in one vacation beforehand. As did the investment goal, with house prices skyrocketing in Toronto (city dwellers opted to…

  • Opinion

    Apparel Industry

    In addition to my passion for fashion, I am a Chartered Professional Accountant and I have full-time employment in Finance for a large commercial real estate company. So I thought I would combine the two for this post  The pandemic has had a significant negative impact on the apparel industry, which may never fully recovery. Let’s explore the reasons and what has led us here The Numbers In Canada, manufacturing employs ~1.6 million people[1]. A small fraction is employed in the production and administration of manufacturing fashion goods, which contributes ~$43.6B CAD (~4%) in total market value[2]. Manufacturing jobs, in general, have decreased in North America from the 1970s through…

  • Opinion

    Shows S/S 2021 RTW

    Christian Dior Spring 2021 Ready-to-Wear YouTube link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUbPO4tzPO0 The Looks …the most important piece! The show opens with easy casual designs in shades of yellow, cream, black, and orange in exquisite prints. Elevated lounge wear. Fitting for the times. Unconventional for Dior. These are my four favourite looks for this part of the show. Give me a maxi dress or a kimono, and I’m in love. The embellishment of these two dresses – MUAH! [Kisses fingertips] While they are see-through, which I often find raunchy, I find these to be elegant and sophisticated. Then the show moves into denim blue shades with off white. Keeping with the pandemic derived theme,…