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Showing posts from March, 2011

Understanding why super hero costumes can only exist in comic books

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Thankless job of the week. Trying to pull off a Wonder Woman costume for a television show . How unwonderful. Why it won't work... read Michael Chabon's unitard theory in the New Yorker .

Nice to be appreciated

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A short and sweet post about Fashionator 1000 and his campaign to improve the fashion sense of Canada's federal leaders on Jen Gerson's blog .
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Andy Warhol’s Salvatore Ferragamo shoes. They are described as Brogues…they are in fact plain-toe Bal-type Oxfords. Am I wrong here? Brogues usually refer to shoes with punches in it. An Oxford will have v-shaped lace opening or closed lacing. I like the shabby chic of Warhol’s. Need I say, I LOVE them.

Buying vintage prom or grad dresses

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I spoke with Carly Lenarduzzi of Mintage Vintage in Vancouver about a few tips on how to buy a classic prom dress that's a blast from the past. I shared them with Stephen Quinn of CBC's On The Coast  in Vancouver. She's online on Etsy and has a store in Vancouver: www.mintagevintage.com carly@mintagevintage.com 1714 commercial drive, vancouver, bc 604.mintage

How to buy a vintage grad dress

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Today, I will be talking about how to buy a vintage grad (vintage prom) dress. What details to look out for and how to buy online. My advice comes from the lovely Carly Lenarduzzi at Mintage  in Vancouver (also on Etsy.com ). She has an expert eye and know what makes a great vintage find. Tune in today by live stream at 3:50 PM PACIFIC, on CBC Radio One in Vancouver, 88.1 FM or AM 690, for tips on going the oldie but goody route.

I, Cinder-Fella's Fairy Godfather of fashion

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CINDERELLA PROJECT!!!! I had an amazing weekend being a Fairy Godfather. Yes, I had a magic wand. Made of chocolate. I received as my reward for helping three senior high school grads pick out their graduation suits as part of the Cinderella Project . My Cinder-fellas , that’s what they’re called, are students who have overcome lots of adversity and, to tell the truth, have survived heart-breaking life experiences to finish their studies and stand forth as graduates. The Cinderella Projects rewards them by providing suits, ties, shirts, shoes and more for free so they can be decked out to perfection for Grad Night (in the US, it’s Prom Night). Thirty teen boys and 130 girls went through the experience. The young women, of course, received beautiful dresses. Later today, I’ll be talking about my experience this weekend on CBC Radio One in Vancouver at 3:49 PM Pacific. Listen live with a pop-up player here . If you can’t wait to hear what the Cinderella Project experience

Called a Perfecto for a reason

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For Spring 2011,  Barneys New York has a special edition Schott leather jacket. They originated the classic asymmetrical-zippered design of the Perfecto. It was made famous by Marlon Brando in the The Wild Ones . Schott will tell you it also appeared on the cover of Born to Run (love it, and the way the jacket looks there). Like jeans, a great jacket should be tight as a second skin but also comfortable as one. I wrote about the Perfecto a few years back - the pointers are still relevant. The ultimate cool coat Choosing the best leather jacket for that just-a-bit-dangerous feeling Leather should be totally cool -- and it can be, if men know how to wear it correctly. Too bad many don't. These past few weeks, I've identified a number of atrocious leather faux pas and found a few fixes: 1. Dressing like a cast member of The Matrix. To the dude on the C-Train who wears sunglasses and a long leather trench: Hello, you're not Keanu Reeves and the public transit syst