CHANEL CRUISE 2012 DINNER.

A dinner held in Karl Lagerfeld's honor. 

A dinner celebrating the 2010 

Chanel Cruise line.

A dinner in Paris, with all of Karl's favorite ladies: 

Blake, Clemence, Vanessa... 

and one notably missing, the lovely Diane Kruger.

the academy awards.

the two-thousand and eleven oscars

brought out fashion's finest.

here's my round-up of the best-dressed ladies on the red carpet.

cate blanchett

in

givenchy haute couture

 hailee steinfeld

in

marchesa

(conceptualized and drawn by hailee; brought to life by marchesa)

co-host, anne hathaway

in

valentino haute couture

 gwyneth paltrow

in

calvin klein

leading lady of the night, natalie portman

in

rodarte

 

hilary swank

in

gucci

 halle berry

in

marchesa

 

 mila kunis

in

elie saab haute couture

 michelle williams

in

chanel haute couture

jennifer lawrence

in

calvin klein

scarlett johansson

in

dolce & gabbana

celine dion

in 

giorgio armani prive

lucky.

the december issue of Lucky magazine featured a special article on the 100 fashion and beauty tips their editors live by.

i've chosen the twenty tips i think are absolutely crucial to survival- either because i live by them myself or i now feel it necessary to pick them up.

1- beachy waves are always sexy

2- braids are sexy, cute, and the only acceptable form of pigtail

3- an ultra-pale pedicure makes your feet look tanner. same with silver.

4- self-tanner makes you look instantly thinner and well-rested.

5- no beauty product can do for you what eight hours of sleep can.

6- thong underwear is not a necessity under most clothing.

7- shop for boots in august before they sell out.

8- black opaque tights make everyone's legs look good [and can look great through open-toe shoes, but nude tights never will].

9- roll your clothes when packing, do not fold.

10- never go on a plane without a huge scarf.

11- most useless advice from a salesperson: "you can wear it with jeans".

12- things that look crappy on a hanger could look gorgeous once you put them on.

13- black will always be the new black. anyone who says otherwise is selling something.

14- cigarette pants with flats will always make you look feminine.

15- if shoes are only marginally comfortable when you try them on in the store you can be sure they'll be excruciating on the street.

16- if you invest in a chanel bag, you will carry it for the rest of your life.

17- buy clothes that you'll wear on a tuesday afternoon, not a saturday night- few people lead saturday-night lives.

18- pairing a boyish piece with a girly one will make you look like you know how to dress.

19- your bra straps can show; your underwear straps never should.

20- a leather jacket always looks great with a party dress.

fall flare.

just thought i should let everyone know that FLARE's october issue is now out on newstands and you ought to pick one up for yourself :)

the beautiful Christina Hendricks [of Mad Men] is featured on the cover, in a stunning black and white gown and bold red lips... so you surely won't miss it in the sea of magazines.

last week I was lucky enough to attend an exclusive FLARE beauty sale at our office. all of the staff was invited for an hour time-slot where we could peruse every Dior mascara, MAC eyeshadow and Chanel blush that were scattered across an enormous boardroom table. we didn't have long to stash all of our must-have's in our shopping totes, and I thought I might have a minor fashion-induced panic attack. luckily, I made it through, and after making some lovely choices [I snapped up most of MAC's latest Venomous Villian's collection, along with some Lancome self-tanner, and yes...finally, the most perfect glam goth lipstick. I've been wanting oh-so-desperately to pull off a dark pout and been a bit anxious, so with the amazingly affordable price tag and all proceeds going to the "Because I Am a Girl" foundation, I eagerly added it to my beauty haul... I'll post photos of results soon!]

i hope you're all embracing the lovely fall weather, wherever you are, bloggers. this is indeed my favorite season for fashion! from the leather and lace; the leopard print and camel; faux fur, wool and cashmere; and of course the boots [mine are TopShop leather, camel colored combat boots, and Nicole Richie House of Harlow 1960 beaded moccasins] .... i get excited everytime i open a magazine, log into my email for daily updates from Who What Wear, or go for a stroll in Yorkville or the Queen West Fashion District. who am I kidding, I get excited just planning my outfits each evening for the following morning :)

here is a sneak peek at a photo from free people's october 2010 catalog. this company is known for their gorgeous catalogs, stunning styling techniques and beautiful boho-chic apparel. sometimes it feels as though they design their entire collections just for me :)

new york fashion week.

it's begun... the city of new york has been taken over by throngs of designers, photographers, models, reporters, celebrities and fashion-lovers alike. if only i were amongst this group.....ahh, if only. to see the beautiful creations by the likes of zac posen, charlotte ronson, michael kors and vera wang [to name a few] would be a dream come true.

[kelly rowland & ashlee simpsonsit front row @ the BCBG Max Azria show]

i know i can always count on my style icon, Rachel Bilson, to pull out all the stops. first she pairs a flirty floral blouse with tough leather shorts and likely the most amazing pair of peep-toe suede booties i've ever laid eyes on. then she sweeps her hair back, and perfectly pulls off a cream and black fringed wool Chanel dress. the girl knows how to combine edgy and sophisticated better than anyone.

lastly, we've got the two jessica's... canadian supermodel Jessica Stam (currently my favorite model), and gossipgirl star Jessica Szhor (one of my personal favorite style twin's, who does boho-chic like a pro), sitting front row at the Rag & Bone show... i'm curious about two things: one, where can I possibly find these absolutely lust-worthy purple/grey/black/olive suede boots? and two, where did the post office lose my invite to sit front row with these two style mavens?

sammy xx

sweet, sweet summer.

well hello there fellow fashionista's and fashionist-er's ;)

i'm not sure about all of you........ but thank goodness i have air conditioning and a pool or i don't know if i could hold up in this heat wave that's taken over our city of Toronto. the only fashion statement one can make in this beyond-balmy weather is one that consists of a sexy swimsuit, flat sandals, a pair of sunnies and a straw fedora [mine in order would be from victoria's secret, aldo, urban outfitters and club monaco]. toss on a long and breezy maxi or a cute mini at night if you're going to brave the heat!

i'm still in summer school, and at least i'm studying fashion or i don't know how i could possibly give up tanning by the pool. i'm currently working on a trend board [for my history & trend forecasting course], and since we're in the midst of a sweltering summer, my inspiration is going to be beachwear! once it's all finished i'll post photos. i did my first major persuasion speech and...... for the girl who was previously semi-crippled by anxiety, but has now discovered a new-found confidence, got a 93%!! i was so happy after my speech and am delighted that my research and perseverence paid off :)

this week Christian Dior and Chanel have been showing their S/S 2011 pieces on the Paris runway, and both Blake Lively and Jessica Alba made appearances, sporting a dress by each designer at their respective shows:

Blake Lively shows off her refreshing fashion taste in cream Christian Dior [my absolute favorite part of the outfit is her cute little hair piece!], and then looks absolutely island-pretty in a pastel Chanel frock

Jessica Alba looks adorable in a pastel print Dior haute couture summer dress, and then beautifully pulls off a white Chanel dress with waist-cinching red belt, and stunning black lace booties

last but not least, i've got to give Nikki Reid, a la Twilight, props for this precious outfit: a loose fit floral dress, with a trendy black-studded cross-body bag, and purple suede heels...

lots of love,
sammy xx

oscars!

today is the biggest day in the 2010 awards season.... the Academy Awards. i ate my supper (curry pad thai- thank you joe!), took a shower, and got all bundled up on the couch with a notepad document open and ready to take notes on all of the beautiful Oscar gowns!

it was not a simple decision, but i managed to narrow it down to a top five...

1) Carey Mulligan in Prada- this quirky Best Actress nominee is beyond cute and edgy in her straplee black satin, jewel encrusted, cutout dress with black strappy pumps. she definitely wins as my top choice :)

2) Diane Kruger in Chanel Haute Couture- i had assumed all along that this Karl Lagerfeld muse would make a red carpet entrance in Chanel. her cream and black ruffly, tiered dress couldn't be more my style, and I would give anything to own this beautiful frock.

3) Sarah Jessica Parker in Chanel- the icon. gold Chanel with beautiful grey sparkling diamonds along her chest. draping around the neck. the token New York City girl looked gorgeous; with her hair pulled back in that signature big ballerina bun, her skin bronzed, she was almost looking a little Oscar-esque herself.

4) Zoe Saldana in Givenchy Haute Couture- the Avatar beauty wore a dress that i had actually seen in the list of Oscar prediction gowns, and i'm glad someone chose it. the top is stunning- lilac and shimmering; with an ombre effect gaining deep purple intensity and mass quantities of ruffles as it reaches the floor.

5) Miley Cyrus in Jenny Packham- a gold bustier-topped, perfect-for-a-princess gown. the dress suits the young star and with her hair pulled back in an effortless bun, and just the right amount of jeweled accessories, she exuded a youthful, yet glamorous glow.

and... honorable mention goes to:

-Sandra Bullock

-Maggie Gyllenhaal in Dries Van Noten

-Penelope Cruz in Donna Karan

-Kristen Stewart in Monique Lhuillier

so... I'm quite curious why Armani Prive dressed both Amanda Seyfried and Jennifer Lopez so similarly, for one particular event- the biggest night in Hollywood. first, the material used for both of their dresses seems almost identical [resembling bubble wrap? probably not the most glamorous of fabrics!], and then there's the surprisingly similar color, and strapless, flowing silhouettes.. it almost seems like a case of two women showing up to an event in the same dress, but... not quite. while i normally love Seyfried, her hair/skin/dress all seemed too close in hue. as for Lopez, the camera just couldn't catch a great angle of her and this dress. thoughts?

and, my favorite fashionista Nicole Richie made an appearance, as her fiance Joel Madden was playing deejay for the event. she wore a glimmering Reem Acra, backless, sequined gown with long sleeves. she definitely was rocking an old-school vibe with her winged eyeliner, bun and unique dress.

lastly, my pick for best dressed male? zac efron looked beyond amazing at this year's oscars.

hope everyone enjoyed the show........i'm not quite sure who had the best speech, or who won what award, but hopefully you appreciated my take on 2010's oscar fashions.

sammy xx