Hey Fashionistas!

Looking for something fun and economical to do this weekend? Why not treat yourself and indulge in some of the smart yet chic happenings during Frugal Fashion Week in Toronto! Taking place along the city’s Queen West neighbourhood from July 23-26, events will feature everything from a Midnight Madness sale and Vintage fashion show at the Social, to a Shop Crawl and Frugalista Brunch at WQW Underground Boutique.

So, if you’ve been a good recessionista over the past few months, put your money to good use and spoil yourself over the next few days! And as an added perk, all proceeds from Toronto’s Frugal Fashion Week will benefit Windfall, Canada’s only new clothing bank.

For more information and for a list of events, visit http://www.frugalfashionweek.com/

Visit Windfall at http://www.windfallbasics.com/

Tunics made their entry into the western fashion scene about five years ago. I remember the moment like it was yesterday, because the only thought that went through my mind at the time was “Finally, I can unpack the kurtas.”

What a lot of people don’t realize is that these light summer must-haves were part of Indian fashion culture well before every western fashionista got their hands on one.

The tunic is a western take on the Indian kurta, which were traditionally worn by men and women over pijama pants, or salwars (for women). Don’t get confused – these aren’t your bunny covered cotton pajamas that you sleep in. The Indian pijama pants are tailored differently for men and women and also vary according to region.

The traditional kurta is made out of a light cotton material (which helps with the hot summer months), and falls just above the knee. Over the years it has come to vary in size and styles, but one thing that remains consistent is it’s light, loose shape.

The beauty of the kurta is that it can be dressed down or up, depending on the occasion. While the simple ones come in solid colours and neutral tones for everyday wear, they can also be very fancy and expensive.

Men and women on the Indian sub-continent wear kurtas as traditional outfits for weddings, family get-togethers and for religious events. When decorated in sequence, stones and gold thread, these garments can sometimes act as a statement of class. The more expensive your kurta-pijama, the more money you have.

But in the west, it’s a different story for the most part. Kurtas (more commonly known as tunics) have become a summer staple for women across North America. Designers have catered to a western audience by tailoring the kurta for different uses in the western woman’s life.

You can find tunics in stores that can be worn with jeans, leggings, over skirts, as dresses, or in some cases, as cover-ups over bathing-suits.

Celebrities such as Rachel Bilson, Jessica Alba and Jennifer Lopez have been spotted on numerous occasions donning these versatile garments for casual and dressy events.

So ladies, if you don’t own this summer favourite yet, you might want to consider investing in one. I promise, you won’t regret it. And as an added bonus? Throwing one of these items on during your off days will certainly keep you fashionable without having to turn to that oversized sweat-shirt hanging in the back of your closet.

Try These Tunics:

It is no secret that celebrities influence fashion culture. From Audrey Hepburn’s little black dress to Lady Gaga’s no-pants parties, we can’t help but get caught up in what they are wearing. Thus, we at Adorned decided to create a bi-weekly review of Hollywood’s best dressed. The greatest part is you can join in and comment on what you think of their outfits. This week we take a look at Drew Barrymore.

Drew arrives at the premiere of HBO Films’ “Grey Gardens” held at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on April 16, in Hollywood.

Drew visits “Late Show with David Letterman” on April 15, 2009 in New York City.

Drew attends the after party for HBO Films’ “Grey Gardens” at the Pierre on April 14, in New York City.

Drew is currently doing whatever she can to get photographed. Why? Well, she is promoting her new movie Grey Gardens were she plays Jackie Onassis’ first cousin, Little Edie. She started this week by causing a paparazzi frenzy when she posed with her ex-beau Justin Long at the HBO after party in New York. Don’t get excited, it was just a publicity stunt and the couple are reportedly not together again. What we can’t seem to ignore is her outfit choices this week. The first was at her New York premiere where she rocked a vintage-inspired ensemble, then as she left Letterman on Wednesday we caught her looking like a Spanish queen and finally her boho-chic dress and hair at the Los Angeles premiere of Grey Gardens on Thursday. What do you think of Drew’s wardrobe choices this week? Here at Adorned we love someone that takes chances with fashion and I think Drew has done exactly that.

]]> http://www.adornedmagazine.com/celebrity-style-drew-barrymore/feed/ 1 http://www.adornedmagazine.com/andre-3000-brings-benjamin-bixby-to-canada/ http://www.adornedmagazine.com/andre-3000-brings-benjamin-bixby-to-canada/#comments Thu, 12 Mar 2009 18:01:40 +0000 Sara Koonar http://adornedmagazine.com/?p=217 By: Sara Koonar

Andre Benjamin or as he is more commonly known, Andre 3000 of Outkast, brightened up the room when he walked into his cocktail party at Holt Renfrew Tuesday night in his bright pink over-die button-down Benjamin Bixby shirt. The party debuted his Spring/Summer 09 collection and the brand’s launch at Holts.

Andre Benjamin and Adorned Editor Sara Koonar

His logo, a hot-air balloon, represents the adventure the line will take its buyers on every season. This season the balloon takes us to colonial India.

Benjamin took the time to talk to each attendee about his latest collection.

“I have never been to India and have never taken a ride on a hot-air balloon,” he said. “But, I want the buyer who is into Benjamin Bixby to be able to get away and have a piece of whatever adventure we are selling at that time.”

Benjamin has been creating clothes selfishly for a long time. Those outfits he wore in the chart-topping video “Hey Ya” were all hand-stitched by the man himself. It was just two years ago that he decided to create a business out of his natural talent.

Benjamin expressed that it has been a challenge for him to crossover from a hip hop artist to a designer. Scared he might not fit in, he worried he would be stereotyped as a rapper who just threw his name on a product.

“I want people to know I really care about these clothes,” said Benjamin. “I have gone through every piece, every stitch, and picked every button.”

Stand out pieces in the collection are the structured and tailored jackets and the maps on the lining of his blazers and backs of his vests.

Although there is no women’s line yet, Benjamin suggests the ladies try a small button-down shirt with a belt. I think I will try the pink one, since it looks so darned good on Benjamin.

I’m a people watcher. I have been since I can remember. I have distinct memories of my mother telling me not to stare at people when I was younger and I never really learned. I have been called on it by many of my friends who catch me staring at people on buses, in restaurants and on the street.
When I was in university I actually couldn’t study in  the student centre or places where people walked by regularly because I would just stare at them and wouldn’t get any work done. It was terrible and totally unproductive.

Photo from Face Hunter

Strangers are so interesting though. When staring at a stranger you know nothing about them except for what you can see. It is easy to make conclusions about people and their lives based on what you see, but you will probably never know if those conclusions are true or not. More importantly, they have their own sense of fashion which has developed in a very different way than your own.
It’s interesting to watch other people and see their fashion sense in a completely objective way.
For those of us who enjoy people watching purely for style tips and ideas there are websites popping up all over the internet from all over the world which focus on just that. Photographers take pictures of people who are fashion forward and have a unique look. They are pioneers in their own way and are able to pair simple or extravagant pieces together to create an amazingly beautiful look.
Websites such as Face Hunter (facehunter.blogspot.com) and Sartorialist (thesartorialist.blogspot.com) allow the viewer to people watch without leaving their desk.

Photo from The Sartorialist

One of the most important parts of people watching is the fact that these people are and always will be strangers. You don’t know their names, ages, occupations of hobbies. These sites work in the same way. They are picture blogs of strangers. These street wear websites are catching on and if you type “street wear” into Google you will find many sites that can feed that same need to people watch.
How many times have you walked down the street and thought to yourself, “Wow! I love her dress!” These sites allow you to do that from your desk. The people pictured on these sites are some of the most fashionable in street wear and the photography is impeccable.
Scott Schuman, for example, who created the Sartolialist shoots for style.com. His pictures on the Sartorialist show people in their natural habitats and dressed in beautiful clothing that I can’t even imagine owning.
Check out some of these sites and satisfy your need to people watch. Or take some tips from these people – choose your own unique path when it comes to fashion.

Tracy, the general manager of a busy Toronto restaurant, freely admits that she has no sense of style. Her demanding job caused her wardrobe and confidence to suffer, so she turned to a personal shopper.
“I have no style,” Tracy said. “I’m 37 years old and most of the time I dress like a 17-year-old high schooler.”
In today’s busy corporate world, more and more people, like Tracy, are finding they don’t have time to shop and update their appearance. Personal shoppers are helping people save time, money, look their best and improve their self-confidence.
Claudia Mio helps people with this every day through her personal shopping company, Go Wear You Want. A variety of people seek out her services.
“Some are entrepreneurs . . . and are willing to invest in their wardrobes,” she said. “Some are corporate people in senior positions, and there is an expectation that they dress and present themselves in a certain way.”
Tracy falls into the latter category.
“I needed to polish my look and look professional at and outside work… I just have no time for things like shopping anymore,” she said.
Many people though, are going through life changes and need to update their wardrobe as a result.
“They have changed jobs or they have just reached a point in their life where they want to go in a different direction,” Mio said, “and the way they look sometimes becomes a part of it.”
While saving time plays an important role, many people don’t enjoy shopping and turn to personal shoppers to remove the stress that comes with it.

Suzanne Colmer co-owns Gift Shop Girls, a personal shopping service.

“Most of our clients don’t really like shopping,” she said. “That’s why they have us. They can just go into stores and try stuff on that has already been picked out for them. It makes their lives much easier.”
Since she started using a personal shopper, shopping has become more enjoyable for Rebecca Pasternak.
“In a way, I make better decisions now when I shop by myself because I think, ‘What would (my personal shopper) say if she were here?’” she said. “I still feel more confident in my purchases when she is helping me pick them out though.”

Personal shoppers ‘pre-shop’ for their clients, meaning they go to the stores ahead of time and pick out pieces for them to try on. This helps to ensure that the client stays focused and within budget.
“I am basically editing the selection out there for them,” Mio said. “The selection can be overwhelming for most people.”
According to Mio and Colmer, many people can be leery of sales people in stores because they are often only interested in increasing their commissions from sales.
“I am almost a shopping advocate for them; they are paying me to look after their best interest, not just sell them something,” Mio said.
While many of her clients have fashion sense, Colmer says that most just don’t know how to put themselves together.

“Some of them . . . have all these orphan pieces that don’t go with anything else, but they liked it or got a good deal on it,” she said.
According to Mio, these people are making common buying mistakes.
“People tend to buy a ton of black, beiges or greys. They are afraid of colour,” she said. “It makes a huge difference when you start wearing colours that compliment you.”
One of the major purchasing mistakes Colmer sees is people investing in pieces that are too trendy, but don’t necessarily fit their body type. Mio refers to this as “throwaway” clothing.
“I like to see clothing that is going to last and will get more than one season’s wear,” she said. “We have enough stuff in our lives that we don’t need to clutter it with extra clothing.”
Both Mio and Colmer leave their clients with advice on what works with their individual style.
“It’s more about what suits them and what looks the best on them,” Mio said, “not what’s in fashion.

I saw Confessions of a Shopaholic on Wednesday, a film about a girl who can’t drop her shopping habit, and it got me thinking. We are in a recession and not too many of us can afford to buy a new pair of pink pumps just for the fun of it. Many of us are swimming in credit card debt because of our urge to splurge. Here are four easy steps to take if you find yourself in a Shopaholic situation. I hope they help!

Confessions of a Shopaholic is in theatres now!

1. De-clutter: I have a closet overflowing with clothing and accessories that I have maybe worn once or twice, or not even at all. Dump out your closet and start sorting through what you have. Sweaters in one pile, pants in another. Slowly you will realize you have a lot of things you never knew you did. Next time you stop off at the mall and see something you want, you will be able to stand back and think, “do I already own this?” If so, you are saving yourself from spending another hundred dollars on a black cardigan that is already at home, waiting to be worn.

2. Cash-in: The great thing about consignment stores is you get to give away the clothes you never wear and get paid for it. Type “consignment store” into Google and find one near you. Another option is a garage sale. People love garage sales! Trust me, your junk is someone else’s treasure. Lastly, take your unwanted clothes (preferably ones you have not worn out) and put them on eBay. Band tees and brand name labels usually go fast. You could make a killing on stuff that a day ago was just taking up space in your closet.

3. Budget: The best way to keep track of your spending is to create a budget. First calculate how much you make and then subtract what you spend. Start with your priorities like rent, food, and bills. The amount you have left over will be your shopping budget. If you don’t step over that budget line you will successfully be able to pay your bills and rent each month without fault. It really is easy if you think about it.

4. Shop Smart: After you have cleaned out your closet, cashed in on your old clothes and budgeted your spending, you can now go shopping. But, be smart about it. Shop at stores like H&M and Zara that have clothing that resembles what you saw on the designer runways but at a fraction of the price. No one is going to be looking at your tags and receipts. A cute outfit is a cute outfit regardless of how much you paid for it.

Happy Shopping