My One-on-One with Sunny Fong

Photo credit: George Pimentel Photography

Ask any fashionable Canadian for a Top 3 of her favourite homegrown designers and she’ll inevitably answer "Sunny Fong." The Toronto-born designer’s edgy aesthetic, signature exquisite detail and pretty-yet-bad-ass designs have fired up red carpets, the small screen (Fong won Season 2 of Project Runway Canada) and Canadian streets since the launch of his label, VAWK, in 2004.

I caught up with VAWK designer, Sunny Fong for iVillage.ca and true to rumour he’s not only nice, but smart, funny and disarmingly down-to-earth (read: Sunny, can we please be friends?)...

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An Ode to Earth Day

Orwell Crossbody Bag, $135, Matt & Nat

You'd think after the winter we just had (and that some of us are still having...so sorry...), I would be opposed to any accessory reminiscent of ice. And yet, there's something about this Glacier handbag from Canadian eco-leaders Matt & Nat. I'm loving the cool blue colour (wearable in any season) and the oversized silhouette, but most of all, I love that it's made so responsibly from vegan leather with a 100% recycled nylon lining. Guilt-free dressing at its best.

Happy Earth Day to you!

xx

SPRING TREND ALERT: Rainbow Brights

Models on the runway at Chanel's Spring 2014 show at the Grand Palais. Credit: Giovanni Giannoni/Fairchild Photo Service.

Originally posted in The CLOSET

I've just returned from an incredible week in Cuba (sigh...can I go back now?) celebrating one of my best friend's weddings. While I was packing up my brightest things, it made me wonder why we don't dress like we're on vacation all the time? So many of us choose the most practical things on the racks, the things we'll get the 'most wear out of' which is not only terrible sentence structure but is also incredibly depressing. Getting the most 'wear out of something' is a sentence that should be promptly abolished, don't you think? I mean timeless and well-made are important sartorial attributes but practicality is only part of the equation.

My head might still be in the clouds but in my vacay-ted state of mind, I say let's start only buying things that make us happy. The rainbow bright looks that Karl Lagerfeld sent down the Chanel Spring '14 runway are a perfect example of fashion joy. Why choose one fav colour? Every-hued pieces let us have our rainbow cake and eat it, too, and while you might not have worn so much colour since grade 1, spring is the perfect season to get insanely colourful. To feel appropriately adult-like, I've toned down these rainbow-hued finds with stark black & white which has an instant grounding effect on every look, keeping you looking modern and grown-up without taking away any of the fun.

With wedding season top of mind, I've shown four pretty looks that would be perfect for any bride or wedding guest, but would be just lovely for loads of other occasions, too...

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3 Chic Ways to Wear Florals

Photo courtesy American Eagle. Originally posted in The LOOK

I don't consider myself a very 'flowery' kind of girl. Floral perfumes make me sneeze and daisy printed dresses remind me of bad 90's fashion choices I'd rather forget (insert shudder here).

But as with so many things in life, there are always exceptions to the rule. And when done right, florals don't have to look sickeningly sweet at all. Floral are actually super chic when worn the right way and the pretty flowery finds in stores now have definitely inspired me to add some buds to my spring wardrobe...

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My One-On-One with Kimberley Newport-Mimran & A Pink Tartan Giveaway

Pink Tartan's new washable line for The Shopping Channel. Photo via The Shopping Channel.

With its ultra-luxe fabrics, ladylike silhouettes and to-die-for tailoring, Canadian label Pink Tartan has quickly become a sartorial staple for chic women everywhere, including no-last-names-necessary celebs like Gwyneth and Charlize.

Fresh off her turn at Toronto's World MasterCard Fashion Week, and a few days before the launch of her gorgeous new washable collection for The Shopping Channel, I caught up with president and head designer, Kimberley Newport-Mimran, for a quick chat about what makes Pink Tartan tick.

Read the full interview on iVillage.ca...

Now for some exciting Friday news: KNP and the lovely folks at The Shopping Channel have offered RLR readers the chance to win a $100 GC to shop the new Pink Tartan Collection, and you'll need to act fast to win.

CONTEST RULES:

1) Leave a comment below telling me why you would love to put Pink Tartan in your closet.

2) Tweet the following for a bonus entry: "@realliferunway & @theShoppingChan are giving away a @PINK_TARTAN GC to shop the new collection & I want to #win! http://bit.ly/P9a6x3"

3) Contest closes tomorrow (Saturday, March 29th) at 5 p.m. We'll contact the winner via email.

4) Contest open to residents of Canada only.

5) Best of luck, lovelies!

Don't forget to mark your calendars. Pink Tartan launches this Sunday, March 30 on The Shopping Channel. Tune in live at 8 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 4 p.m., and 8 p.m. or shop the collection online at theshoppingchannel.com.