A Fail-Proof Father's Day Guide

Originally posted in The Fashion Scoop

It takes one to know one; and by that I mean parents. You know, those of us who nod at each other in the diaper aisle, bleary-eyed, stressed out, shaky from a month straight of 6 hours of sleep (total), at which point we resort to drinking massive jugs of black coffee, even though we swore we'd never touch the stuff. And don't even get me started on the colds, flus, foot & mouth and other random rashes we encounter on a weekly basis. 'Didn't your son have the flu a few weeks ago?' your boss will say skeptically. 'Yup, he did. But he has it again, only a totally rare, more horrendous version. What's that? Oh, yes, he got the flu shot. My kid was the one at the clinic wailing at the top of his lungs, flinging cotton balls at the nurses and then screaming some more when the volunteer had the gall to give him an Angry Birds sticker instead of an Angry Birds Starwars sticker. So yes, I am working from home today whilst changing bedsheets, eating peanut butter from a spoon and listening to the Frozen soundtrack on repeat. What's that you said about deadlines?'

Most dads today get this every bit as well as moms. I mean, I can't tell you how amazing my husband is at singing 'Let It Go' while simultaneously baking kale chips and responding to emails. The dads of today are modern day superheroes, able to leap tall Lego towers in a single bound and go where no other generation of dads has gone before. And by that I mean to playdates, bake sales and diaper drawers. It's a tough job, the very best job, and luckily, we have such amazing dads to tackle it with.

Looking for a thank-you for a parental job well done? We've rounded up our fav gifts for the dad in your life to help you get it just right this year. Happy Father's Day!

See our Father's Day Guide here...

WHITE ON: Our Fav White Picks

Supermodel Daria Werbowy for Mango Spring 2014. Photo via Mango.

Originally posted in The Fashion Scoop

It takes a brave woman to wear white. Mud, medium double doubles, toddlers covered in strawberry jam - the world is a minefield for a girl wearing all white. And yet, nothing screams summer like the crisp, clean hue. You'd think white would be boring but it's not. And even though every fashion expert proclaims the need to wear white all year round, it feels especially right once May arrives. 

The Spring '14 runways were filled with chic white looks, worn head-to-toe, with stark black, and with spring's prettiest pastels. Designers never tire of the non-colour colour and reinvent it season after season. This year, you'll find white tanks and blouses with loads of cool features like cut-outs, draped panels and laser-cut details. The little white dress has all but replaced the LBD as summer's frock of choice, and comes in styles to flatter every body. And accessories in white are a huge spring story, from modern necklaces to the coolest shoes.

We've rounded up our favourite white essentials in stores now, perfect for the steamy summer months ahead...

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TUNE IN: Festival Fashion Essentials

Photo via American Eagle

Originally posted in The Fashion Scoop

I'm embarrassed to even talk about it. I hesitated before writing this post because I don't want you to judge my coolness based on the concerts I've attended over the years. But now I kind of have to tell you, don't I? Okay, fine, here goes:

The Bangles (first concert ever at Canada's Wonderland)

Celine Dion (free tickets - please don't judge me...)

Meatloaf (free tickets. dressed up. hilarious)

Ozzy Osbourne (free. this is getting worse, isn't it...)

Coldplay (free. way before the conscious uncoupling)

Jack Johnson (not free)

Sarah McLaughlin & Dixie Chicks & Sheryl Crow (at Lillith Fair)

Backstreet Boys (free courtesy of, to add insult to injury, my newly-ex-boyfriend) 

U2 (free but unfortunately past the point of them being cool)

You see, here's the thing...my dad worked for a classic rock radio station so I was given many free concert tickets over the years. When you're 15 and broke, any concert seems cool.  Then, I worked for a magazine so was again given the occasional concert ticket amidst all of the fashion shows. Of course, I rarely ever got free tickets to any of the cool concerts. Nobody ever said, 'Hey, I have 2 tickets to Arcade Fire...can you please take them for me?' Or 'Jay Z is in town and nobody else wants to go. Will you do me a huuuge favour and come with?' Except for the one time when my boss took me to Coldplay, we got front row and Chris Martin handed me his water bottle. Does this excuse my abysmal concert history? No. It really does not. But here's the thing: until recently, it's always been a question of spending my extra money on concerts or shoes. And as you can probably guess based on the above list and my area of expertise, shoes always won. And I expect they always will. Which is why I am all about dressing like a Coachella-regular with a wicked playlist on my iPod and the deep, dark, highly embarrassing secret of that free Weird Al Jankovic concert I once attended (front row) when I was 13...

Whether you're crossing the border for Bonnaroo, staying local at Northern Lights Festival Boreal, or just want to dress like a Coachella regular (like me), these rockstar-worthy pieces will help you look the part all spring and summer long....

SEE ALL OF MY FESTIVAL ESSENTIALS HERE...

MOM's The Word

Kate Hudson with her son for Ann Taylor Spring '14. Photo via Ann Taylor.

Originally posted in The Fashion Scoop

I have a confession to make: my mission this week has been to find the perfect Mother's Day gifts, but really, what I've actually done is a whole lotta personal shopping. And I don't mean personal shopping for a client but for myself, personally - finding the things that I, as a mom, would really, really love to get as a gift. 

There are very few times of the year when we moms actually focus on ourselves, after all. We go to the mall, fully intending to shop for new clothes for ourselves, but somehow, we leave 3 hours later with bags of little people shoes (they are sooo cute!), and trench coats that our daughters will grow out of in 6 months, and more pairs of pants because the ones you bought 2 weeks ago have already been decimated by the playground...

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Reality Check: Spring's Most Wearable Trends

Photo courtesy Smart Set.

Originally posted in The Fashion Scoop

Designers send so many 'must-have' trends down the runways that it can be pretty tough to keep up. And sometimes, if we're honest, we don't really want to keep up. While some look amazing in the glossy pages of Vogue, or on Cara Delevingne's stick-thin bod, not all trends work for every day. We've rounded up 12 spring trends we love because they're a) beautiful and b) actually wearable, which will help us look chic and feel amazing as this new season gets underway. Excited? Us, too...

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