Name: Butter LONDON 3 Free Nail Lacquer in West End Wonderland
The specs: This New Year’s I’m keeping it simple with a sleek LBD and minimal accessories. But I plan on adding some major sparkle and shine with blinged out, metallic nails. Step in Butter LONDON’s shimmery gold lacquer … This fluid, glossy lacquer is like having the liquid metal all over your nails and I can’t think of a better accessory for a beauty fanatic. Read the rest of this entry
By Alannah O’Neill
ELLE catches up with the owner of Allistyle, Pamela Shainhouse, to talk fashion for full-figured women.
Why did you start Allistyle?
“My daughter Alli passed away in July of 2006 from Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. She was 26 when she passed. While she was going through her treatment she gained 80 pounds and there was nothing out there in the Canadian market that she would wear. Most of the clothing was – she called it “Polly and Esther.” It was like wearing your grandmother’s clothes. We talked about starting a line while she was going through chemotherapy. When she passed away I continued on.” Read the rest of this entry
Image courtesy of Greenpeace
According to a report released by Greenpeace last week, Xintang and Gurao—two textile towns from China’s southern Guangdong province—are widely polluted with toxic industrial waste. From April to October of this year, the environmental organization investigated soil and water quality in Xintang—whose factories manufacture more than 260 million pairs of jeans annually (roughly equivalent to 40 percent of all denim sold in the U.S. each year)—and Gurao. Read the rest of this entry
By: Lara Ceroni
I have a confession: A couple of months ago I was invited to go to this glorious event at The Room at The Bay (in Toronto) to celebrate Britain’s take on contemporary fashion and mix ‘n mingle with some of their industry’s biggest stars. Erdem Moralioglu was reported to be in attendance, as was Nicholas Kirkwood and (my personal fave), Charlotte Olympia Dellal. Amazing, right? Sadly I couldn’t go (my dance card was full that night) so, instead, I enlisted the brilliance of our contributing writer Laura DeCarufel to go in my stead. She went, she drank, she socialized, she reported. Essentially, she did all that I asked of her to do. I, on the other hand, did not. The stories came in on deadline, and they sat (quite miserably, I imagine) in my inbox on my computer for weeks…Until now.
Read the rest of this entry
By: Laura DeCarufel
Jonathan Saunders
“We all went out last night,” Jonathan Saunders explains about halfway through our chat, laughingly holding his head, when he can’t immediately remember the last movie he saw. “I know! The Jackson Pollock film with Ed Harris. I became obsessed with the woman he has an affair with.”
With his ultra direct gaze and his lyrical Glaswegian accent, Saunders is pretty obsession-worthy too. Then there are the clothes—dresses dappled with prints and graphic cut-outs, which Style.com’s Sarah Mower compared to “the long-lamented energy of Helmut Lang’s urban chic.”
Saunders came to fashion indirectly, working first in textile design and furniture (“Some people are born sketching. I wasn’t”), before heading to Central Saint Martins in London. After graduating with an MA in Printed Textiles in 2002, Saunders launched his own label. Success came swiftly—his first collection appeared on the cover of British Vogue.
We caught up with the designer at The Room at the Bay to talk about his muse, favourite model and his obsession with Matisse.
What’s your favourite non-fashion print?
“I love Hermès scarves—they have such a beautiful sense of colour.”
Do you have any muses or style icons?
“I’m not really a muse kind of guy. I want so many different women to wear my clothes. I get more excited about real women than mythical historical figures.”
Who’s your favourite model?
“Lara Stone. She epitomizes modern fashion imagery.”
Other designers that you admire?
“So many for many different reasons. Chanel for the daywear—it’s not about flights of fantasy, that’s a real jacket, a real skirt. Balenciaga, especially new Balenciaga, for the textile development. And I think Prada’s vision is the most relevant to fashion today. It’s a fascinating cross-fertilization of fine art and architecture.”
What are you reading right now?
“I always like Interview from the ‘70s, and I’m reading a book now on Andy Warhol’s phrases—it’s like these soundbites on life. He’s actually a much kinder, more open and down-to-earth character than you’d think.”
Do you collect anything?
“I collect books, fine art books. I love the work of Allen Jones, his amazing sculptures. Also Man Ray. And Guy Bourdin and Helmut Newton—they had such interesting takes on sexuality.”
What about Matisse, and his prints?
“His work was very free, and I generally prefer prints that are more organized. Amazing sense of colour, though. And later in his life, when he went blind, he created those collages out of ripped paper. So beautiful.”
By: Laura DeCarufel
Charlotte Olympia Dellal
“I got dressed up,” Charlotte Dellal says, by way of introduction, arching an eyebrow and glancing down at her statement necklace, vintage evening dress, and, of course, the vertiginous Charlotte Olympia heels that she designed herself. Then there’s the hair — delicately waved and recently dyed red in homage to Rita Hayworth, Dellal’s “ultimate” style icon.
The Dellal surname conjures up a similar aura—Charlotte’s brother, Alex, is a London-based curator, who is currently dating Charlotte Casiraghi, the daughter of Princess Caroline. Her model sister, Alice, she of the nose ring and half-shaved head, has posed for Paris Vogue, Burberry, and Agent Provocateur. Their mother, Andrea, is a former model; their father, Guy, is an international property magnate.
But never mind the Vogue-worthy lineage—Charlotte Dellal is here to talk about her shoe line. Launched in 2006, Charlotte Olympia is a glamour girl’s dream. For Fall 2010, there are leopard print booties, fuchsia satin platforms, and red velvet wedges embellished with a bow. For an extra dose of allure, a gold spider web is printed onto the bottom of each heel. We meet at The Room at the Bay to play “Five minutes” with the designer. Here’s what she had to say…
What was the first pair of high heels you ever wore?
“My mother’s gold Gucci high heels! They seemed so super high to me at the time, and I guess for the time, they were. They had that ankle strap—total showgirl shoes. I was a young teenager, and I must have borrowed them for a party.”
Who is your all-time favourite shoe designer?
“Ferragamo from back in the day.”
Who do you think had the best shoes throughout history?
“Carmen Miranda! How’s that for a starting point? [laughs] It’s all a bit fruity, isn’t it? I love that—miles and miles of ridiculously high heels.”
What’s your favourite fashion era?
“The ‘40s for the glamour and the ‘50s for all its tongue-in-cheek humour. I love all that nostalgia. And it seems to me that they just had more fun with everything back then. There was a sense of play, even when it came to accessories—green shoes, yellow shoes…”
How do you feel about being called an “It girl”?
“Ultimately, I’d like to be known as Charlotte Dellal, shoe designer, but I understand where that comes from. I am my brand—it’s the essence of things that I love, and I started out really designing shoes for myself. I wanted to create shoes that I wanted to wear, and [the brand] has grown and broadened from there. I live it, so we really are one.”
By: Laura DeCarufel
Nicholas Kirkwood
It must be a bit daunting—being touted as the next Louboutin at the age of 30. But Nicholas Kirkwood, in Toronto for the “God Save the Queen” event at The Room at the Bay, seems thoroughly unruffled by the hype. He’s sweet and a bit shy—clearly a designer first, showman second.
A brief biography: Born in Germany, where his father was stationed with the army, Kirkwood studied at Central Saint Martins in London before working at Philip Treacy’s shop for five years. He then studied for a year at the prestigious Cordwainers Company (“Promoting the study, practise, interpretation and preservation of historical shoemaking”), before launching his own line in 2005.
Since then, he’s won awards left and right and collaborated with some of the brightest names in the business, including Jonathan Saunders who he recently succeeded as creative director at Pollini. Another coup? Last season, Kirkwood replaced Louboutin as the shoe designer for Rodarte’s runway shows.
What is it that you love about shoes?
“I’ve always loved the idea of the craft of shoes, the artisanal qualities. I’m interested in product design—how the components of fashion fit together. I also love that shoes need to be functional. There’s a challenge in that. I mean, you need to be able to walk in them too, right?”
You’ve recently created a shoe collection featuring the artist Keith Haring’s prints. How did that come about?
“A few seasons ago, I watched a documentary on Keith Haring, and I was amazed at how much of his work I hadn’t seen. Many of us are familiar with some of his pieces— all the graffiti-influenced work—but I was in awe at how prolific he was. I thought the shapes would be so amazing translated into shoes.”
Is it true that you’re starting a men’s line?
“Yes. It’s in the works now, and I’m hoping we can launch next year. I’m also interested in creating a handbag line. It’s only a question of when it will happen—whether it will be two seasons from now, or three or four.”
What about designing clothing? Does that intrigue you at all?
“To be honest, I don’t think I’d be able to do it convincingly. I’d need to train to be an expert in that realm, otherwise I don’t think I’d get a very good reaction. More savvy, faceless brands can do that and get away with it. I’d need to feel like I really knew what I was doing, in order for it to be believable.”
By Jennifer Weatherhead
My final wish for a beauty gift this year has to be the Nars Bento Box Lip Set. This gorgeous duo of true pink and red lip colours took years to come to fruition. François Nars paired the two highly-pigmented, hand-poured lip colours in kabuki cups with a kabuki lip brush in a hand-made bento box. The idea is that the kabuki cups and brush make for the most precise application, so you can blend, layer and make your pout the perfect shade and shape. For any beauty lover, this would make the ideal gift.
Nars Bento Boc Lip Set, $125, available at narscosmetics.com.
I’m a bit behind in the gift department for my boyfriend. Eee! With only a few shopping days left, I’m looking for the perfect gift to wrap for him under the tree. But thankfully I’ve found a few options and hopefully they will help you as well. Here’s to last minute shopping!
Stamkos Timepiece by Tissot
If he’s a lover of hockey (and you don’t want to see him sporting yet another hockey-related t-shirt, hat, jersey or sweatshirt), this could be the best gift. Hockey stud Steven Stamkos is the face of Tissot watches and just released a limited edition timepiece that not only looks stunning, but the hockey relation will surly get you some extra points.
$595, limited edition, visit tissot.ch for details. Read the rest of this entry
The lobby at Bayview Village
By Jennifer Weatherhead
Last minute shoppers take note — you don;t have to elbow, push, trudge and cram into cramped malls during this hectic shopping season. You can do your shopping in a civilized and chic setting, and leave the mall without looking frazzled. The solution is Bayview Village in North York. If you’re like me, you might not have Bayview Village on your shopping radar (even though the Elle offices are just a few blocks away), but thanks to some swanky renos in November, a polished face lift and more designer shops, Bayview Village offers up a relaxing, comfy shopping experience. Read the rest of this entry
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