Black is back

This is from Halloween, me and my friend were paradise birds. I've been so busy with fashion school in the past few months, I forgot about my blog. First semester is a bit hard to keep up with, I have a lot of projects due this week but I think I can do it. So far we've been learning about making different skirts and blouses. I find that my pattern and sewing classes are the easiest for me, all my non-fashion related classes are hard. But, I'm super excited because Harry Potter is coming out in a few days, I've been re watching all the movies this week in preparation.

xxx

update

Outfit: Dress (that I wore as a top) from H&M, Brogues from Aldo, pants from dynamite, purse from Aldo.

I started applying for a few jobs today, like Banana Republic and H&M. I know that it would be a lot easier to find a job in a restaurant because I already have worked in one, but I really want experience in retail. Even though I need the money, I would barely mind working for free just to get some experience. Any tips? I'm feeling a bit discouraged because I feel like you already need experience in retail to get a job in one, but where do you start? When I went to Banana Republic with my resume, the manager said to apply online (which I already had), but when I had called the store prior, they told me that I had to come in person. I told him that, afterwards he asked for my name. I hope it's a good thing, because I've done a lot of research on their company and worked really hard on my cover letter.

Today I cut out my first official pattern on material, Friday we are going to start making a skirt. I'm really excited, I'll post a picture of the finished project. I hope it turns out well.

Yesterday I went to see Piranha at the movie theater. It's so disgusting! I was horrified, haha. I wouldn't recommend you go see it unless you like seeing thousands of people getting eaten alive by piranhas.

2ne1

Aren't they just so stylish! I'm in love, I've been listening to them for a while now. Jeremy Scott loves them and designs clothes for their music videos and photo shoots. CL, the main singer, is very known for her crazy sunglasses and stylish outfits. Park Bom always wears minidresses or miniskirts, it's kind of her trademark. Minzy is younger then me! She was born in 1994, so she must be 16. They released 3 new music videos at once: Go Away, Can't Nobody and Clap ur Hands. I would definitely recommend you check them out. I don't like the Clap ur Hands song, but the others are good.

More more fashion.

Hey everyone, I wanted to do an outfit update. I'm wearing super comfortable black shorts from Winners with an H&M blouse and an Aldo purse. My sister came to visit me a few days ago and she wore my blouse and tied a knot in it (like I did in my picture). It's such a great idea. It's so long so I would always tuck it in my shorts or pants, but you know how it can make lumps or folds sometimes? I think I'm always going to wear it like this from now on. Every time I take outfit pictures I realize just how much I want a camera, so I can take proper photos.

I know it's been about a week since I last posted. I actually haven't been that busy, just a bit lazy, I didn't know what to write about. I just learned yesterday that there's a Holt Renfrew really close to my place! I really need to check it out, I'll probably do a post soon on that. I have this new school project and I need to interview someone in the fashion industry. I don't really have any contacts yet, so I was going to go to nice boutiques and ask people who work there. I know that you can rent a stylist at Holt Renfrew, so I might do that and interview her at the same time. Any ideas? My team was picked first to present our interview, so I only have 3 weeks to do it. I'll keep you posted, I would absolutely love to find someone important in the industry like a designer. In the time curfew I'm not very sure what I can do.

xxx

~Asos

High Waist Pleated Leather Shorts
Fantasy Fur Hooded Cape
Dune Brogue Detail Ankle Boots
Dahlia Babydoll Dress with Bow Cuffs
Minimum Velvet Top With Lace Panels
Darling Pussy Bow Lace Print Top

I just discovered a great site for shopping called Asos. It's European and the clothes kind of remind me of urban outfitters. I've found some great pieces, so I decided to share them with you. Actually I'm pretty sure I've been on this site before I just didn't remember the name. Have you ever bought anything there?

~ random update

I've been a lot more busy these days with school, but I like it. I love having things to do. If you didn't already know, I'm studying in fashion design, it's my first year. I've heard that about 1/3 or more of the students drop out or change programs the first year. I kind of wonder if that's true, I'm very sure I won't be one of them. There hasn't been anything new lately so I'm not very sure what to post about, but I'll think of something soon, after a bit of rest. I've started drawing with photoshop, it's pretty hard but it takes some getting used to. When I have anything decent I'll post it. So yes, a very random post, but I'll post something better soon!

Lanvin for H&M

Weird fact, did you know that H&M stands for Hennes & Mauritz? I seriously had no idea. You might have already hear the wonderful news that Lanvin is doing a collection for H&M this winter. I'm super excited to see what they'll come up with. I loved Lanvin's bold shapes for their fall 2010 collection. They used a lot of black, white, grey and beige with feathers and fur. I featured my favorite pieces of the collection above. It must be hard for more expensive brands to make commercial versions of their clothes.


Little update~
Sorry I haven't posted in 2 days, I'm been busy with school. This week was my first full week, and so far I love it! My Thursday and Friday are pretty intense because I have 7 and 8 hours of class, and I have to wake up at 8am both days. My pattern making classes are so much fun, I've always loved drawing graphs and stuff in math classes and it really helps. My textile class is getting more interesting, we have a big bag of textile samples that we get to examine and we have this huge project to do at home. I'm weird but I like homework, I love learning and I like having something to do. I probably won't be saying this during finals.

Update~

Z!NK is one of my favorite magazines. It only has 4 issues a year and I'm in love with it. My favorite thing has to be the photo shoots, which are incredible. They are always fashion forward and have great taste. The only con is that a lot of their models are extremely skinny and look unhealthy. I would highly recommend this, even if you just flip through the pictures.

Today was my first graphic process application class, it was 5 hours long and I felt like it would never end. I'm sure it will become very interesting, but imagine a teacher explaining the class and the material for 3 hours, then going on the computers to work with adobe illustrator for 2 hours. The adobe was fun, but I already have some knowledge of it so she would go into details and then I would zone out and be completely lost. I have so much to buy in this class! In total it's probably going to cost me around 200$, and (it's optional but I think I need it) I have to get Adobe CS5 and a drawing tablet. At least I got an appointment with the job counselor next week, so hopefully I'll get a job soon. Sorry for the boring post about my day, haha.

What do you think of Z!NK?

outfit.

Today I'm wearing a simple black dress from forever 21 (20$) with some mixed bracelets from aldo and h&m. I really like mixing simple things with an accessory that stands out a lot. Today I have 5 hours (in a row) of Graphic Process Application. It's my first class and I'm pretty sure I'm going to love this class. I love art and drawing (my deviantart). Today will be my last first class and I'm really looking forward to having projects. I just hope I won't have too much to buy for this class, yesterday I had to buy a book that was 115$, I almost had a heart attack. I'm running a bit low on money, my parents aren't coming back until October so hopefully I'll survive until then (I'm also looking for a job). That means no camera and no new clothes. I guess that gives me an opportunity to lose a bit of weight (about 10 pounds). I don't want to buy pants until then. Yesterday I started the 30 minute shred, I really hope it's going to work. I'm going to try doing it 6 days a week, but it's only day 2 and I'm sore. Any tips?

Vogue~

So, I though I would talk a little about Vogue, the magazine. I'm subscribed to Teen vogue, which I love. It isn't the most inspiring magazine I know (Z!NK is amazing for inspiration) but the articles are fun and the photo shoots are fresh. I like who their covergirls (90% of the time), they like strong, independent girls who have good values. I doubt that they would ever put Lindsay Lohan or Britney spears on the cover, they aren't exactly role models. Although I like teen vogue, I can't say the same for american vogue. It's kind of boring and the photo shoots don't amaze me. It's not a horrible magazine, I just think they could be more creative.

My favorite is Japan Vogue. I actually only have 1 issue, I was at the airport in Paris and I sacrificed my before flight meal to buy it. It was totally worth it, I still look at it today and love all the looks. They're very creative and more spontaneous. I think everyone should purchase a Japan Vogue at least once and see for themselves, the difference. My dream job would be to work for them.

Have you ever seen a Japan Vogue magazine? What do you think of American Vogue?

{{}}

Haha, I just found this picture of me, I think it was taken last year. Where did I get a hammer? I have no idea.

Eden and Eden

I'm in LOVE with this feather bag by Eden and Eden. I don't think it could be more perfect. The green feathers with the black leather handles look amazing, I really think that feathers are going to be my next favorite thing. Too bad it's out of my price range (425$), actually at the moment pretty much everything is out of my price range. I just started school and I'm living off my parents money at the moment. I'm looking for a job, but in the meantime I have money for groceries and school supplies. I've definitely been splurging on other things lately, like my fur hat. But I'm not going to be poor forever so I just have to deal with it. Right now the thing I want the most is a digital camera! I was at staples this morning and I checked them out. There was one I really wanted that was around 200$ (on sale from 250). When I get a job I know what the first thing I'm going to buy is now. Taking pictures of my outfits and stuff with a camera from a cellphone isn't ideal.

Manish Arora~

I've decided to write about a new designer that I've recently discovered. His name is Manish Arora and he is from India. He is known as the "John Galliano of India", which is great because my favorite designer ever is John Galliano. The moment I saw his designs I was amazed at the brilliant colors he uses and the freshness of his designs. These days on the runways we see black, khaki, white, grey, and not very much color. His designs are like an explosion of bright colors and great structure. For his fall 2010 collection, the models wore bright sparkling wigs that only covered the front half of the hair. Although some of his patterns reminded me of Alexander Mcqueen's spring 2010 "psychedelic" collection, his designs are very original. I'm looking forward to seeing his next designs. What do you think about this Indian designer? I think the fashion world needs more Oriental Flare.

Fur fur fur~

I'm so happy! About 2 years ago, I was browsing stores online and I saw a very unique fur hat. I instantly feel in love with it. I think that it was on a german site, I don't remember the name of it, but it cost about 70$ on the site and I wanted it badly. Unfortunately I couldn't buy anything online because 1: I didn't have a credit card and 2: my parents are scared of buying things online, and hate spending money. Today, I went to Simons just to browse around, and what do I see? Almost the exact same fur hat! I had to buy it, it was only 40$ and fall is coming. It's so perfect, the only problem is that I don't know what to wear with it at the moment. It doesn't really match with my fall coats except my black one. My winter coat is in royal blue suede-type material, it could almost fit with that. Of course it isn't real fur, I would never wear real fur. I don't like to follow trends but there is a major fur trend that is going to be going on this fall/winter. Fur has been on so many runways this season. What do you think about wearing fur(fake or not)? Do you think it looks good?


My bangs have finally grown out enough for me to do a strait seperation line. I used to have bangs, then side bangs, and now no bangs! Last week I was thinking of getting my hair cut and getting bangs again, but I don't think it would be worth it, bangs are high maintenance. What do you think? It feels good not always having hair in my face, or always replacing my bangs because there's a seperation in it. You can't see my separation in the picture, but I'll probably post one soon.

Sumo~

I had a great day today. I went to Chinatown in Montreal with my friend Sam (first picture). He was wearing ripped jeggings from Zara's (40$), a vintage t-shirt (6$), sandals from spring, and his bag is by Matt & Nat, from Little Burgundy. I really like his outfit, he has a great sense of style. We are both studying in fashion design but in different schools. It's great because we can talk about the differences in our program and what we are learning. The other picture is what we ate for supper. We went to Sumo Ramen and had kimchi ramen. It was pretty good, but I just don't think I'm a big ramen noodle fan.

Excuse me mister.

I didn't really know what to write about, and I was going through my pictures and I saw this one from the Fashion and Design festival in Montreal this summer. There were runway shows from about 6-11pm, it was really great. They had bands playing on the stage during the runway shows, and the Pinup Saints happened to be one of them. After their show, me and my friend went to the side of the stage just to get some air, and the band happened to exit on that side and we asked for a picture. They were really nice and I love their music. The singer really wanted to give us a CD but they didn't have any left. It's really rare, but they actually sound better live then recorded.

Here's a link to their most popular song: Mister

What do you think about their music? I love the sequined hood that the female singer wears in the video.

Oufit ~

Day #2 of college. This is what I'm wearing, it's a dress from H&M, I don't remember how much it cost me, between 25-35$. I paired it with an old black belt and the bag I made. I'm really starting to realize what my style is. Whenever I go shopping now I start to see what I like, and what I would wear (that I like also obviously). I think it's really important because you have to have to know the difference. I used to buy just things that I really liked, but I started to realize that I would buy what's trendy at the moment and get sick of it really fast, or when I would see 1985632742 people wearing something similar I would stop wearing it. Does that ever happen to you? Every season I would want a whole new wardrobe, when I would look back at what I wore last year I would hate everything.

I guess I'll tell you a bit about today, I had to get up at 6am again! I have the hardest time ever in the morning, but I drank some lytchee black tea and felt better. I had humanities this morning and it really looks like a great class. I love learning about the world, I almost wish I had more classes. This afternoon I have a sewing class and a pattern making class (from 12-6pm). I'm not used to having such long classes, but I like it.

Mask, Mask?

What do you think of the mask I made? I made it with clay less then a year ago. I'm actually pretty proud of the result, it wasn't hard to make and it was really fun (kind of long though, with the spirals). I really like masks. You can do pretty much anything you want. They help you hide your emotions, by hiding behind a mask, or expressing them, by art. I think I'm going to miss art classes.

I just had my first textile class today. It's a 3 hour class but she let us leave after 1h30 because not everybody had all the necessary materials. I can tell in advance that I'm not going to like this class very much. I'm going to try and convince myself otherwise, because lying to yourself works to a certain point. We are going to learn about cotton, yarn, fabric (etc) and how everything is made and all the processes it goes through. Sounds exciting right? Even so, I'm going to try my best and prove to myself that I can do it. At least we have cool homework, she told us to go shopping and feel the different fabrics.

First day!

It's my first day at college today. So far I like it, the first class I had was composition of simple garments, it's 4 hours long. We didn't do very much, the teacher explained the class plan and what we needed, and we all introduced ourselves. It took me the longest time ever to find out where my locker was. I checked at least 3 different locker rooms until I found it. To find mine, I had to go into a locker room, and it was like a locker room inside a locker room. Kind of complicated, but now I know where it is (thank god because I had all my sewing stuff with me with huge rulers and annoying things to carry). The picture is what I'm wearing, a simple white shirt with nude/pinkish lace shorts. The picture isn't very good but it's all I can do. I got my shorts at H&M for 35$, it's now my favorite piece of clothing.

I'm halfway finished reading a book called The House of Gucci by Sara Gay Forden. So far I like it, it talks about the Gucci family, the problems and fights they had and also how they run the business. I'll write a review when I finish it. I'm giving myself until next friday to finish it.

Italia

I love old pictures. These were taken 14 years ago, when I was 3 years old. It was on a vacation in Italy, visiting family. It's kind of funny because my mom looks exacly the same as now! She still has that purse and I think she still has that shirt. It's weird to say this, but I love what I'm wearing in the second picture, the oversized sunglasses with floral shorts (they must have been the only shorts I had because there's at least 3 different pictures of me wearing them with 3 different tops) If I can remember, that picture was taken at my uncle's villa. It's on a mountain and the view is amazing! I can't wait to go back. My favorite part of Italy has to be the street markets! They are so much fun and you can get everything you need, food (fresh vegetables, fruits, cheese, meat), they sell other goods like jewelry and clothes. The prices are very cheap, but the quality is actually not that bad. There's so much to choose from, the only thing that can get annoying is when it gets busy and very crowded.

I'm probably only writing this article to distract myself, I should probably go to bed because I have to wake up at 6AM! Tomorrow's my first day of college and I'm looking forward to it but I'm a bit nervous. Wish me luck!

~ outfit

I've realized that I haven't posted any pictures of outfits I've worn. I don't have a good camera at the moment, only the one on my cellphone. This picture is from last year, but I still really like the outfit. I made the white dress, it's actually the first piece of clothing that I've ever made, with a lot of help from my grandma. I paired it with a trench coat from H&M and Aldo shoes. You can kind of see the very pretty material used for the white dress.

Ever since I moved away from my parents (I used their camera all the time!) I've realized how important it really is now that I don't have one. I love taking pictures, it's a great way to capture a moment and inspirations. I don't have any intentions of becoming a photographer, but fashion and photography really go together. I've always loved doing photoshoots with friends, putting on crazy makeup and having fun.

I have so many ideas for new posts, but I don't want to use them all at once. I might post something new tonight, maybe a picture of myself. I'm starting college tomorrow, I'm very excited, I've always known that I want to go into something related to art. I haven't been drawing very much lately, but here's my deviantart if you want to see what I've done.

Bag made by me, the colors didn't come out well because I took it with my cell, but it's golden/mustard yellow and black. The design couldn't be any simpler but the material is to die for (even if I got it at walmart). I absolutely love this bag, it's my favorite and it cost me under 20$ to make. I love Victorian style prints, I really want to make some outfits inspired by the prints and wallpapers of that era. What made my day about a week ago is a girl in the grocery store that was asking a lot of questions about my bag asking me where I bought it because it was exactly the type of bag she was looking for. When I said I made it she was very impressed and it just made me happy the think that someone would buy one of the first things I've made.


I woke up this morning, about 5 times, because stupid me, I don't turn off my cellphone off while I'm sleeping. I'm always scared that it might be something important. Am I the only one? I got a text from my parents in Italy at 6am to tell me that they didn't have enough money in their cell to call me on my first day of school (which is tomorow!) and that they will call this weekend. Then I got 2 from my sister and 2 from a friend who has already started school. All before 8am. I guess it's a sign that I'm going to have to wake up super early for school tomorow because I start at 8. Does anyone have any tips for back to school? I know I'm going to give myself a facial, do my nails and drink green tea and water all day (+ food of course). I'm kind of scared that it's not going to be as amazing as I though, or that there will be a lot of snobby people in my class. I kind of have high expectations because I've been waiting for this for 3 years. But compared to high school I know that it's going to be a lot better.

Plus size~

I don't know very much about the plus size industry, but I would like to give my opinion on the subject. The fashion industry has set unrealistic body images for the longest time. I'm not saying that all the models are too skinny, because some people are born with a very fast metabolism and small bones. It's a very small portion of the population and we are being told that if we want to fit into designer clothes and if we want to be beautiful, we have to be very skinny. Of course there's 2 sides to this subject. Obesity is a serious problem, and it's not healthy to be overweight, just as it's not healthy to be anorexic. I firmly believe that the industry should promote healthy looking women. I'm very excited that in recent runway shows like Mark fast, are putting plus sized models down the runway. The only negative thing I have to say is that the clothes are very unflattering. Nude skin tight dress, really? Anyways, I hope this continues and that we start seeing more and more healthy women on the runways!

SHINee 샤이니

I absolutely have to dedicate an article to them. They are a korean boy band and their ages vary from 21 to 17 years old. I have been listening to them for over 1 year now, I love seeing them evolve from their first song (Replay) to their newest/best song (Lucifer). Their videos are very boy bandish, but their style (especially in Ring Ding Dong and Lucifer) is amazing! Their songs are very catchy and can be played on replay all day. You never know what to expect. I think what has amazed me the most, besides the style, is how good they are live, they sing the song perfectly and manage to dance at the same time. If you have the time, definitely check them out.

Click HERE to see how amazing their are! P.S. Yes they are singing live and they are usually 5 memebers but one of them is injured.

I couldn't love their costume more, I love how they have one boot/knee brace that's really high and you can never go wrong with leather. The Black vest that Jonghyun is wearing is amazing (with the open back), I might try making something like that soon. The cape is funny, I can't say I agree with it but it made me smile. The vest that Key (half of his hair is shaved off) is wearing is really cool, I like the row of studs on the sholders.

Tell me what you think!

What is style?

For a while now I've been wondering, what is style? I don't think that it's something that we can describe in one sentence. I think that style is the way we express ourselves. Not everyone is stylish, someone can have bad style as someone can have great style. It depends on everything about you, your confidence, your taste, your inspiration. It isn't only about the way you dress, but also how you present yourself, how you act and how you think. I can't tell you who is the most stylish, because to be honest, there are so many styles that you can't put them in the same category. For example, an oshare kei from japan can't be compared to a street-styled girl in Italy. Both of them have amazing style but it's just something you can't compare. You don't have to be rich, on the contrary it almost helps not to be because you become more creative with your style.

People I find stylish at the moment: Agyness Deyn, 2ne1 members (check them out), Lady Gaga, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. To tell you the truth celebrities don't inspire me very much but these are the only people I could think of.

Book Review

You might have heard about the Little Black Book of Style by Nina Garcia. I just finished reading it, it's very short, you could read it in one day. I love the book cover, but I have to say that I wasn't very impressed with the content. She seems to be contradicting herself. She says that style isn't about following trends, which is true, but the part that I don't like is when she is telling you what you 'must have'. If you are a stylish women, you don't need a specific bag for a specific evening. In my opinion if you truly are stylish, what you need is your intuition and confidence and you will look great in anything. She also lists the must have clothes, like a white shirt, a cashmere turtleneck, a trenchcoat, etc. But who said that I need these things to be fabulous? Okay, maybe I'm being a little harsh on the book, it really wasn't that bad, I actually learned a few things from it. I would recommend reading it anyways just because it isn't long and you can pick up a few tricks.

If you've read it tell me what you thought.

Montreal m'inspire?

There's me and my friend Samuel. This was about 3 weeks ago, we were walking around during the African nights festival and they stopped us and took our picture for a contest. We voted like crazy everyday and ended up with over 300 votes! The prize was a gift card, but they didn't say how much it was going to be. We were so sure that it was going to be at least 100 dollars, but we ended up gettin 30$ each... It was kind of disappointing but it's still money so it's better then nothing. I bought a pair of brown pointed boots at an italian store and my friend got some light ripped jeans at Zara's.

Starting over. (introduction)

I first made this blog last year, but after a while I got discouraged and stopped posting. Truth is, I knew nothing about fashion then. I can't say that I know that much more now, but I have been working on myself, my personal style and studying fashion designers ever since.

Let me introduce myself. My name is Linda, I'm 17 years old. I'm bilingual in English and French (would LOVE to learn Japanese, Italian and Korean), I've lived in a completely french speaking town for 6 years so my english writing skills aren't that great at the moment. I just moved to Montreal 1 month ago for college. I'm going to be studying fashion design and I'm looking so forward to it. I know that it's going to be a lot of hard work, which is a good thing, how boring would it be if it was easy?

Who are my favorite designers? My absolute favorite designer of all times is JOHN GALLIANO. My other favorites are Rei Kawakubo (Comme des Garcons), Dai Fujiwara (Issey Miyake), Jean Paul Gauthier, Alexander Mcqueen, Henry Holland, and Manish Aurora.

I'm going to work very hard on this blog and I hope you like it =) !