Mode Memoirs

splendors of this earth

2010-05-14T12:56:00.000-07:00

Enjoying the spring like temperatures (finally) in Toronto.
Had to run a few errands today and this is what I looked like.

Black button up Old Navy, Tweed shorts from Sister's closet, Oxford lace ups Frye, Jean Jacket Gap

finders keepers!

2010-05-05T06:32:00.000-07:00

It is still hard to adjust getting back from the vacation,
but last night I went on a little thrifting spree and came back with some goodies.
-A paisley linen Etro shirt (5.99)
-A purple label Ralph Lauren crisp white shirt (4.99)
- & a perfectly broken in vintage leather tooled belt from a small town in Ontario called Port Stanley (2.99).
What a perfect way to get back in the groove of things :)

muse

2010-04-30T12:01:00.000-07:00

this is exactly how i'm feeling right now.
Bianca Balti in Muse

c/o fashionista

departures

2010-04-30T11:26:00.000-07:00

Last week, I went to Miami for my friend's birthday.
Best time of my life.
We saw Tiesto at the club LIV, absolutely incredible!
Its hard to get used to the weather back in Canada.
Here are some of my outfits (or non-outfits because I mostly wore bathing suits for the trip!)

sideways

2010-04-12T17:02:00.000-07:00

here and there from the past few days...
stripes/crossing roads/shadows/converse/blue blazer/turban/lip phone/french martinis.

pat mcdonagh fw2010

2010-04-09T09:45:00.000-07:00

Last week I attended LGFW, where I was lucky enough to go backstage before the Pat McDonagh show and check out the action.
My girl Rashel Wani from Velocci Models was walking and I snapped some photos of her too :)
The day was exhilarating.. such an adrenaline rush.. And I was only backstage and watching the show! I can only imagine what it feels like walking down that runway!
Here are some of the highlights...

Toronto at it's finest! Love this city.

Miss Pins & Roses herself
The lighting was insane that day. So beautiful.

Annie and Allison

Rashel had to fix her shoes!
Backstage

Caught a model's Marni shoes...

Me backstage.. Denim/Denim ensemble.. keeping it simple & chic!

Rashel getting her makeup done

Love this shot

Annie & I
The show is starting!
One of my favourite looks.. love the sheer shirtI spy with my little eye.. some Alexander McQueen peep toes!

backstage

2010-03-30T22:59:00.000-07:00

more soon!

and so it begins

2010-03-29T17:06:00.000-07:00

Fashion Week has OFFICIALLY started in Toronto.
So exciting, I can't wait to go to my first show tomorrow.
We kicked it off by celebrating at a couple places with a few of my gals.
The party really started on Friday when we celebrated Ally's birthday at Revival, for a Shuffle party (sooooo much fun! the crowd was insane jamming to the awesome music.)
And then on Sunday we stopped off at Nyood's brunch after-party, and then made our way to Tattoo Rock Parlour for a fun party including a fashion show.

Rachel Roy at the Bay

2010-03-27T13:22:00.000-07:00

On Thursday night I attended the Rachel Roy launch at the Bay at the Eaton Centre.
She launched 3 lines: Rachel Roy, Rachel Roy Signature, and Rachel Rachel Roy.
The aesthetic is a little bit boho, 70's feel.. and the Rachel collection has a bunch of really unique jewellery.

It was deathly cold on Thursday night in Toronto so I wore my Sonia Rykiel coat to keep me warm.

Here is Rachel herself. She was gorgeous and wearing Manolo Blahnik orange heels. She said they were from the Sex & the City days... which is definitely ok with me!

One of my favourite looks was coincidentally worn by my friend Olga who turns out was modelling in the show! I had no idea. But she looked beautiful of course!

Then my friend David who works for Rachel wanted to show me some pieces from the RRR collection, two pieces which I LOVE and will go back to buy!
A suede tie-dye mini skirt and a tank with a detachable feather necklace.. so hippie-ish and perfect for summer.

It was a great event with hors d'oeuvres, wine, a female DJ spinning, and I got to take home the new issue of Elle Canada.
You can see it all the collections here at RachelRoy.com

me today

2010-03-23T18:53:00.000-07:00

even though the day was crazy busy, I still managed to snap an outfit shot!
I'm wearing an Aritzia cropped turtleneck, a gray dress (which you can't really see), a khaki trench thing from Forever21, some tights and black pointy toe flats.

summer dreams

2010-03-20T19:53:00.000-07:00

thought I would share this video with you.. a friend showed it to me.. just feels like summer.. its gonna be a good one :)

Summer Dresses from Ron Adair on Vimeo.

shades & shadows

2010-03-17T10:55:00.000-07:00

the weather is getting nicer and nicer every day!!
yesterday we explored the new temperatures by taking some shots in our usual stomping grounds.
its khaki season and i chose to wear my military-esque shirtdress!

Shirtdress GAP

Belt Linea Pelle (Winners)

Sandals Pierre Hardy for GAP

Sunglasses Ray Ban

girl in the city

2010-03-16T21:51:00.001-07:00

love these photos of Kasia Struss in 25 Magazine.
so sexy-woman-in-the-city vibe. plus can't say no to a trench & alexander wang pumps.

c/o fashiongonerogue

moss

2010-03-14T20:44:00.000-07:00

she does it again.
Kate Moss in Vogue UK April 2010

c/o fashionising

love everything you've always loved

2010-03-12T10:59:00.000-08:00

so, I wore my new Aquascutum trench the other day, and I got a reaction from somebody:
is that your size?
do you always wear your things this big? and long??
...and I was offended. I am quite proud of my trench.
Clearly that person doesn't know what they are talking about, or anything about fashion to be honest, because I keep running into images of long, amazing trench coats all over the place.
Not that I care what that person thinks, anyways. I'm going to keep wearing my trench :)

I found some editorials that depict the perfect trench.
Eniko Mihalik in Vogue China March 2010 - c/o fashionising

Patricia van der Vliet in Vogue UK February 2010 - c/o the fashion spot

Trench Vintage Aquascutum

Boots Modern Vintage

tell me love isn't true it's just something that we do

2010-03-09T19:30:00.001-08:00

The girls and I hung outside today since the weather was like SPRING!
The warmth of the sun was just intoxicating!
It feels so good to have the sun on your skin after such a long, cold and dark winter!!

I found this blue Diane von Furstenberg blazer (it came with a matching skirt) at Value Village.. it's such a pretty shade of indigo & the gold buttons are a nice touch.
I'm also loving the wide lapels.. kind of a 70's feel!

I also love how wide legged these jeans are, and the light colour makes them great for spring. They are so soft too! A great purchase considering I only bought them for $40 at Winners.

Blazer Diane Von Furstenberg (Value Village)

Jeans Levi's (Winners)

Shoes H&M

band tees

2010-03-07T19:44:00.001-08:00

just chillin' in one of my brother's hand me down (or up.. since he is younger than me!) t-shirts... i < 3 my chemical romance. gerard is so fine.

turbans

2010-03-03T16:23:00.000-08:00

Turbans.
Look glam + casual at the same time.
c/o hanneli, people, vanillascented

when goddess rules the sea

2010-03-03T16:18:00.000-08:00

Daria by Mikael Jasson in Vogue Nippon April

I just love the lighting in this editorial.
c/o fashiongonerogue

inside on the out side

2010-03-02T21:37:00.000-08:00

Here is my version of that Alexander Wang sweater, plus the lingerie on the outside trend.

Sweater Vintage

Denim Corset French Connection

climbing up the walls

2010-02-26T07:44:00.000-08:00

Various incarnations of my wallpaper over the years.

puff ball

2010-02-24T20:36:00.000-08:00

Today I went to H&M to check out the SONIA RYKIEL collection.. I loved the cute furry sweaters, knit skirts, jumpsuit + beret... SO Sonia + so French.
The best piece was the striped sweater dress but of course I was too late for that.
Anyways, a couple weeks ago my friend Ally and I went to Kensington to check out the vintage selection (it was our FIRST TIME).
I spotted a BIG, FURRY coat sitting on one of the racks outside.. I prefer real fur, but at the same time it isn't the most practical, and I am scared to ruin it (the Lanvin coat you see in the Teen Vogue post is suede and fox fur.. I think I would DIE if something happened to it... and I will feature it in a post soon!)
So, to my surprise when I picked it up, it was SONIA RYKIEL. Amazing. Made in France! I couldn't believe it. It's SO Sonia... Then I went back to see all her archival fall/winter collections, and in almost every collection, there is some kind of big, furry, black monster coat! And usually when I have gut feelings about things... I go with it.
And I walked out of the store wearing this:

Can't forget to mention my mom knit me that beautiful scarf.. she is very talented.

echoes of green

2010-02-24T19:27:00.000-08:00

Eniko by Greg Kadel in Muse

c/o fashiongonerogue

shearling

2010-02-23T18:57:00.001-08:00

So the shearling trend was kicked up a FULL notch with the delivery of Burberry Prorsum show today by Christopher Bailey.
He continued his pre-fall collection into overdrive.
These coats are going to be all over the place next fall.
I have to admit the show is amazing.. he definitely took it to the next level.
The colour combinations, plus the all the coats, especially the pea coats and the massive brown fur.. I love it... and the rest of the fashion world does too.
But to this day I can't even look at a shearling aviator coat without crying that I don't and will probably never own a Fall 2004 Balenciaga version. :(

He took this from Pre-Fall...

And turned it into this... shearling aviator...

...to peacoats (with thigh highs no less)...

...and fur galore.

It's good. Really good.

c/o style.com

Teenvogue.com

2010-02-23T18:01:00.000-08:00

Hey guys! I was ECSTATIC today when I discovered I was Teen Vogue's "Best Dressed Reader of the Day!" I can't believe it!!

Check it out here: Teen Vogue's Best Dressed Reader, Feb 15

i ♥ canada

2010-02-20T20:37:00.000-08:00

being CANADIAN has never felt BETTER!
I truly feel so blessed & happy to be Canadian, and especially on this day.
My friend Sarah and I were out and about and we had so much fun!
In Toronto we celebrated the Olympics by having a concert at Nathan Phillips Square.
And earlier in the day we hung out around Yorkville for the Ice Fest.
It was a beautiful winter day and the sun even graced us with its presence by the end!

I wanted to be patriotic and I didn't have any Olympic gear so I decided to wear my Hudson's Bay Blanket Coat I bought off ebay last week.
I started researching the history of the blanket and the coats... It's actually a really interesting part of Canadian history.. there are books and websites dedicated to the subject!
->PointBlankets.com & ->HBC Heritage Website
The coats are not produced anymore--mine is vintage from about the 60's/70's--and I will cherish it!

Here's my friend Sarah (my photographer) striking a funny pose beside the Holt Renfrew ice sculpture :P

GO CANADA!!

Coat Vintage Hudson's Bay Blanket Coat

Jeans Joe's Jeans

Boots Modern Vintage

streetstyle selection

2010-02-19T20:07:00.000-08:00

clubmasters, the side braid, red, & fur.
miroslava is the epitome of true style.

c/o Tommy Ton for style.com

abbey lee

2010-02-18T19:23:00.000-08:00

my favourite girl, doin her thang... she is taking over the world!
next stop: vogue canada.

Vogue Russia March 2010
Vogue Nippon February 2010
Vogue Australia March 2010

c/o fashiongonerogue

proenza f/2010

2010-02-18T19:15:00.000-08:00

this is definitely one of proenza schouler's strongest collections to date.
they knew what the girls wanted, and they answered!

c/o knightcat

were you ever wanted

2010-02-16T18:30:00.000-08:00

here are some shots I took the other day... this time I tried the MOD look! Tell me what you think.. xx

Coat Mango

Shirtdress H&M

Knee highs H&M

Oxfords Frye

the only thing that is going to matter this fall

2010-02-16T18:22:00.000-08:00

MARC.
enough said.
Its not that I didn't love Alexander Wang, because I did, but I believe the definitive collection will be this one.
Its just that feeling that you get when you know it is just RIGHT.

A little bit of dries van noten + miu miu/prada + margot tenenbaum, and you get THIS=

Those coats are going to be ALL over the editorials of EVERY major fashion magazine come fall.
and I think its safe to say that almost every facet of the 70's is back in full force:
- wide leg/flared/high waisted pants
- collar/wrist details (eg. FUR collars)
- chevron
- plaid

I can't wait!!!

There isn't enough to say about this collection... its basically like EVERY amazing trend/style all rolled up into one... even the styling is BANG ON:
muted colours, messy hair, nerdy/sexy librarian glasses, lots of fur, socks + pumps, long + lean silhouettes... its PERFECTION.

c/o runwaym

nyfw - day 1.

2010-02-12T18:37:00.000-08:00

my favourites from New York, day 1.

Vena Cava
It definitely makes me want to wear a long, flowy dress around. The layering done with turtlenecks is a really cool style, too.

Jason Wu
I think he was inspired by Olivia Palermo's chic uptown style. I could totally see Olivia wearing the second outfit.

Richard Chai Love
Again, loving the long silhouette here. And the peacoat with the drop-crotch pants is classic but with a twist, very on trend yet extremely wearable/practical.

Organic
I also love the 60's/70's vibe going on in a lot of the shows.. I'm really feeling it.

Cynthia Steffe
I love the cute schoolgirl look. Reminds me of Miu Miu/Louis Vuitton Pre-Fall 2010 (my favourites from the season!).
Also the cape reminds me of the vintage one fashionoverreason bought in France!

c/o style.com // runwaym

r-i-p

2010-02-11T15:04:00.000-08:00

his memory will forever live on.

c/o caroline's mode

do you remember?

2010-02-10T18:01:00.000-08:00

I always wondered what it would've been like to grown up in my mother's generation, the 70's. I always felt some kind of innate connection to that era.

Red silk shirt from my Grandmother

Fur vest gift

Wide leg jeans Paige

Oxfords Frye

Rings various

this is the thing

2010-02-09T21:45:00.000-08:00

I totally agree with style.com that the MULE, in stiletto, wedge, or clog form, is going to be the most important spring/summer footwear style!
Or, it would least fit in ideally with my wardrobe! I'm loving the 70's natural hippie-ish vibe I am getting...
I was never really into the grunge thing--I've already accepted that wearing Docs make your feet look like Frankenstein. Although I truly appreciate anyone that can pull them off!

That being said..I am totally lusting after these picks, especially the Alexander Wang loafer wedges! How awesome would they look with a white tee and some jean shorts?

YSL stiletto mules // Alexander Wang loafer wedge mules // Swedish Hasbeen clogs // L.A.M.B. birdcage stiletto mules

kate & katie

2010-02-09T18:32:00.000-08:00

two amazing outfits, one casual&young, the other a bit dressy&older. I just love Kate Bosworth's style, and I also think Katie Holmes looks amazing in this Hermes coat... I just love the vintage/classy vibe it gives off.. and wide leg pants... perfect.

c/o justjared

lara stone for versus

2010-02-09T16:59:00.000-08:00

I think I was subconsciously inspired by the new campaign for Versus by Versace fragrance, shot by Craig McDean and featuring Lara Stone... She is a bombshell.

c/o fashiongonerogue

this is me.

2010-02-07T21:54:00.000-08:00

Well, after a while of just standing on the sidelines and watching, I finally started my own blog. I thought it was about time!
So without further ado, my name is Jessica and welcome to mode memoirs.

I bought this blazer from Value Village for $7.99. It was just screaming at me from the rack! I had to have it. Kind of reminds me of this Alexander Wang blazer.

Blazer Vintage Jaeger from Value Village

Leather booties Modern Vintage from Ally