Your Fall '13 Denim Guide

Dree Hemingway and her boyfriends for Gap Fall '13 - photo via Gap

I have a confession to make: I haven't bought 'normal' jeans in years. I've picked up pairs upon pairs of brights and pastels in practically every colour and printed skinnies, too, but standard issue jeans? Nope. Not since I splurged on a pair of Sevens almost 7 years ago. Blame it on my job (the occupational hazard of always wanting the newest, latest trend) and having a few kids along the way, but I guess I've somehow forgotten my roots - or at least the roots of every girl's wardrobe. 

So, I finally pulled out my old jeans that have been hiding away in my closet and since I'm too embarassed to show you a pic, let me break it down for you. Super low rise, old-school bootcut from the front and from the back? OMG, enormous. It's like the pockets forgot they were pockets and had instead morphed into massive magnifying glasses for my bum. I'm going to blame that all on the jeans. The rearview offenders were promptly tossed into a giveaway bag (ha! that'll show 'em), leaving room for a few new pairs to take their place.

Ready for new jeans but not exactly sure where to start? I've sorted through the piles of denim out there, from ultra-distressed jeans to the coolest new denim jackets, guaranteed to bring you right up-to-speed for Fall '13...

READ MORE

Cool Camo: 9 Bloggers Wear It Right

Krystin Lee of Suburban Faux-Pas, Jenny Jovanovic of Crazy Style Love and Christine Andrew of Hello Fashion  

Companyyy, halt! Whether you like to blend in or prefer to stand out from the ranks, camo will put you right at the front lines of fashion this fall. Ready to brave the camo print? I've featured 9 very stylish blogettes in my article this week for iVillage.ca who show us loads of ways to wear it right...

READ MORE

Fall 2013 Colour Report: PINK

Sigrid Agren by Paul Wethrell for T Style Magazine - photo via New York Times

While it takes a confident man to wear pink, it also takes guts for a modern woman to pull off the hue, too. I mean, let's face it, in a world where women wear the pants, bring home the bacon and rule the roost, pink is often seen as a sugary step backwards. One only has to look to Elle Woods and those Harvard haters to remember how judgy people can get about a little blonde dye and a bubblegum pink Chanel handbag...

READ MORE

Buy Now: Jack Purcell Converse x Hudson's Bay

Whether you're an undergrad, have little ones of your own, or haven't set foot near a school in years, every girl deserves a little back-to-school shopping. Number one on my list this fall? The just-released Converse Hudson's Bay Company Jack Purcell Sneaker Collection. Each of the 3 styles (a unisex Jack Purcell, hi-top Duck Boot and women’s Helen silhouette) embodies the iconic HBC wool point blanket stripes, complete with threaded stitching, antique brass eyelets and the Jack Purcell and Hudson's Bay logos. I saw these at the holiday preview in Toronto last month and all the editors were freaking over them. One foolish intern literally drooled right into the hi-top and was promptly hauled off by the HBC police. She hasn't been heard from since.

The Converse Hudson’s Bay Company Jack Purcell sneaker collection is now available exclusively at Hudson’s Bay Stores and online at thebay.com for $120-140. Must. Buy. That is all.

LOVE Your Pants with LOFT

Women might wear the pants in most relationships (I may or may not be speaking from personal experience), but how many of us find it tough to find pants that fit? It's nearly impossible to find pants that don't gape at the back, don't give us thunder thighs, and don't give us muffin tops and let us eat them, too. Pant shopping, it turns out, can be a harrowing experience for even the most zen-like among us. 

Luckily LOFT has got it all figured out; They teamed up with Fortini-Campbell, a leading research agency, to get to the bottom (literally) of what women really want when it comes to pants. I'm talking 10,000 women, 4 hour sessions and 400 pairs of pants by LOFT and its competitors. The upshot? The LOFT team measured, re-measured, ripped, and lengthened, leaving no stitch unturned to create the perfect pant. Here's how they did it:

• First they focused on the rear (don't we all?), shortening the pant rise just a little to prevent sagginess and adjusting the rear pocket for ultimate perk appeal.
• Second, they slimmed out the thigh area by using less fabric, thus erasing excess bulk.
• Next, they lowered the knee break slightly to create the illusion of a long, lean leg (LOFT claims that this makes legs look up to 2 inches longer).
• And finally, waistbands were made wider and given an interior lining to smooth and flatten the tummy. 

The best part? This isn't just one pair of pants we're talking about. They have 45 different pairs, in loads of fits, lengths, fabrics, styles, colours and prints to suit every woman. In fact, LOFT guarantees that their pants will fit 9 out of 10 women. I have yet to put these LOFT-y claims to the test but promise to report back the minute I do. SOOO worth a try for the possibility of finding the perfect pant, non? Can't wait to hear what you think. 

P.S - If you're heading to Toronto Eaton Centre next Thursday - Saturday from 3-7 pm, don't miss the LOFT Pant Clinic (see above for details) with shopping expert Theresa Quick.