New York Fashion Week AW17 - TaoRay Wang

It's that time again - FASHION WEEK - and Autumn/Winter collections, my favourite of the seasons!  Today I had the pleasure of seeing the beautiful collection from the brand TaoRay Wang, from designer Wang Tao.  The collection was titled Classics meet Modern.  For this collection Wang Tao want to create a collision of contrasts with inspiration from the Chinese Qing Dynasty characters.  There are lots of modern masculine influences with a focus on suiting.  Wang Tao sought to empower women, but mixing the femininity of lace and then using bold lines and strong fabrics as the armor, creating a powerful, sexy, unique edge.

* Summary of collection based on presentation notes provided at the show

Below are my images, some of my favourite looks from the show

Photographer Peter Lindbergh - Exhibition Rotterdam

Over the holidays we annually go to The Netherlands to visit my husband's family.  The trip is usually packed with visits to family and friends.  So I was super excited when we had a free hour before we met some friends for dinner in Rotterdam.  Before the trip I recently sparked an interest Photographer Peter Lindbergh, so going to the Kunsthal Museum was must if we had enough time.

Lindbergh had an interesting life, he is said to be one of the most influential contemporary  photographers.  He is influenced by German cinema and the industrial surroundings from his childhood in Germany.  He is a portrait photographer that is focused on showing the human side of his subject with many of his photographs being free of retouching.  Little attention was paid to clothes and more to seeing the real person in the photo.  

Below are the photos I took of the exhibition.  The exhibition is on thru Feb 12th, a must see if you are visiting Rotterdam.

LCM - Highlights

LCM, London Collections Men, is probably the best place to show for any menswear designer, because of the freedom of creativity that can only be found in London.  I still really love menswear and seeing how designers are developing menswear, it's no more basic jeans and t-shirt for men.  It's exciting to see the creativity, here are some of my highlights from LCM AW17!  Wishing I was there!

Menswear trends already coming through.

Don't be afraid of colour!

Christopher Shannon

Katie Eary

Sibling

Topman

Back to Black

Berthold

KTZ

Matthew Miller

Fur/Shearling

Astrid Andersen

Miharayasuhiro

YMC

Best Dressed - Critics Choice Awards

It is the start of Awards Season!  And first up is the Critics Choice Awards.  These are my favourite looks from the awards.

#5 - Nicole Kidman wearing Brandon Maxwell

Cutouts were huge at the awards.  I love the way this v-neckline perfectly frames Kidman's face.  And not to mention I love Brandon Maxwell, he is one of my favourite designers, his dresses are perfection and they really make any woman who wears them look amazing.

#4 - Kirsten Dunst wearing Valentino

I love the way this dress fits Dunst, it hangs right.  I think the tiers of fabric add texture along with the sparkles.  I probably would have chosen a different shoe, maybe silver.

#3 - Lily Collins wearing Elie Saab

Collins went all out in this look and that's what makes it so great.  The dark hair, the dark eyes and lips, all goes perfectly with this bell sleeved lace dress.

#2 - Jessica Biel wearing Elie Saab

Biel doesn't make appearances often but when she does she does wow.  This whole boho is perfect, her long hair with bangs looks great with that deep v neckline.  She is also minimal on the jewelry, and the coloring is really great with her hair colour.

#1 - Gina Rodriguez wearing Safiyaa

I have never heard of this designer, but the colour is perfect for Rodriguez.  The cut is also great with the darting at the bottom.  Rodriguez is also not your typical hollywood dress size of 0, but this dress is so flattering on her curves.

Holiday Gift Guide - What I'm obsessing over

So most gift guides are super specific, under a certain $ amount, gift guide for him, for her, for the hostess or kids.  I just wanted to create a list of all of the things that I have discovered that I am obsessing over and super excited to share with you!  So here goes...

 I have been eyeing the Daily Greatness Journal ever since I started following them on instagram.  A bit pricey I have needed an excuse to get one and Christmas is the perfect time.  They have a couple different options on their site, one for business, one for wellness, one for parents.  I'm hoping to get this one below.

Daily Greatness Journal $44.95

I have been trying to be more aware of photographers lately and I discovered Peter Lindbergh.  He has just released a coffee table style book called Peter Lindbergh - A different vision on fashion photography, and it is definitely on my list.  As a fashion photographer he has captured many fashion icons and the book is said to show images that have not been retouched.  I love a good coffee table book!  

Amazon $69.99

Candles are a great gift, but I'm never really sure what scent people will like this Cire Trudon Candle comes highly recommended.  We received one last Christmas and it is amazing, it really should be for the price, but it is well worth it.  The scent that we received was Ernesto, but I'm sure they're all great.  It is probably the best candle that I have ever had in regards to actually filling the room with the scent and it lasts.

Saks Fifth Avenue $95.00

Who doesn't love cheese, we do, my husband doesn't know, but I have already gotten him this subscription for christmas.  Murray's cheese of the month club, you can get it for 4 months, 6 months, or 12 months.  Cheesemongers specially pick 3 cheeses and send them right to your doorstep every month, if only they included crackers, fig jam, and fruit.
 $275 - $775

Murray's $275 - $775

I discovered this jewelry designer when were in London.  Monica Vinader is a British designers, but is quickly becoming popular stateside.  I really like her rings, they are simple, but elegant, she uses different gems.  I'm a fan of this one using pink quartz.

Petra Stacking Ring $135.00

  

No holiday party would be complete without a great bag and this Velvet Clutch from Anthropologie is the perfect option to go from day to evening.  Velvet is one of the biggest trends right now and I love the cute bow.  Either colour will work with most other colours, pair the grey with darker colours and the yellow with bright and jewel tones.

Anthropologie $275.00

These Frye Booties are so versatile, you can wear with a skirt, midi dress, cropped flares, and with a peep toe these would look great with socks or coloured tights.  

The Frye Company $348.00

This Australian brand is one I have been wanting to try.  A travel set is the best way to try beauty products, especially ones that are expensive for the full size.  Aesop Jet set kit offers travel sizes of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and lotion.

Aesop $37.00

This year has really been the year of the sweatshirt.  Right now I'm loving this one from Maje.  It's perfect for the holidays and for the rest of season.  The red trim has a very varsity blues feeling to it.

Maje $210.00

And last but not least, if you have a little extra money to spend, this Loewe coin purse should definitely be on your list.  Some may find it a bit juvenile, but I think it's quirky in a polished way and would add a bit of fashion to any look.  This Spanish brand is known for their leather goods, and at $380 you know the quality is good.

Loewe $380.00

Holiday Gift Guide - Stocking Stuffers

I absolutely love a good gift guide, so I thought putting together my perfect gift guide would be a great way to get back into updating the blog!  I'm going to try to do a series of gift guides in follow up to the holiday.

First up stocking stuffers!  These are my favourites, they are little, unexpected surprises, not usually things you asked for, but so excited to see what you get.  My mom always did a good job with these!

Top 10 Stocking Stuffers

The holiday isn't complete without the gift of socks.  Happy Socks, they are a Swedish company with great prints and great quality socks.  I love these styles!

Origami $12.00 | Faded Snake $14.00 | Iris Apfel Birds $14.00

This dish from Anthropologie is perfect for holding everything from, loose change to keys.  The London one is my favourite, maybe because I'm missing my favourite city!

Ceramic Skyline Trinket Dish $16.00

Hot chocolate is the best winter treat, with marshmallows and whip cream and mine with almond milk!  Williams Sonoma has the perfect all in one, with chocolate, marshmallow, carmel, and peppermint.

Jumbo Marshmallow on a stick $5.95

With all of the electronics that we have and all of the cords it's great to have a tidy way to keep them all organized.  These are perfect, at Paper Source, I love the cute sayings!  All you do is gather up your cord and wrap these around the centre.

Scalloped Cord Keeper $8.95

Lindt chocolate is my favourite, and this cute house filled with chocolate is perfect for any stocking.

Lindor House $12.00

With winter here the air is so dry and I, so easily, get dry, chapped lips.  I recently tried this lip conditioner from Caudile, and within hours my lips were back to feeling great.  I bought mine at Birch Box, but you can also get it at Sephora.

Caudalie Lip Conditioner $12.00

Another great essential for the winter is a great moisturizer and my favourite is The Body Shop's body butter.  The scents I really like are mango, fuji green tea, and grapefruit.  The mini size is perfect for traveling and then you can try a few different scents if you like a bit of variety like me.

Body Butter $7.00

Bauble Bar has these really cute personalized key chains.  You can pick the colour and the saying that you want to appear on the key chain.  I'm trying to figure out something super motivational to put on mine, like Live Laugh Love.

Acrylic Custom Keychain $32.00

We love to take photos during the holidays and how cute are these to wear and make your photos that much more fun!  Pick these up at World Market.

Holiday Sun-Stache Sunglasses $9.99

I love Hamilton, I want to share it with everyone I know, Dec 2nd they are releasing Hamilton Mixtape, you can download this on iTunes or get it on Amazon.

The Hamilton Mixtape $14.49