A little bit about M.E. (my.experience.) Name: David Chou Nickname of choice: Friends & family call me Davey Current industry: Fashion Design Spice Girls or Backstreet Boys: Spice Girls!!
My roots. Hometown: White Rock/ South Surrey School attended: Ryerson University Program: Fashion Design Approximately how many classes I slept through: No idea, maybe 10 - 15 a year? I don't think I skipped that many classes, maybe I did, I don't know... But most classes were just so boring! Favourite crunch-time snack: I actually don't eat during crunch-time too much distraction and too much effort.
Why I’m cool now. Current employer: Self Employed Position: Designer Cubicle, desk or office: I guess my office is my living room. Favourite song to get you pumped for work: Metric- Sick Muse What’s interesting about what I do: Getting inspiration from a variety of sources. What I love about this job: Be as creative as I want, plan my own schedule, not having a boss. Work I would prefer to give to the intern: I prefer to do things myself since I am really anal with everything.
How can you be as cool as me? Never leave home without: Wallet- don't know why, I always end up spending money. Just say 'NO' to: Lady Ga Ga* - her music drives me crazy. Advice for people wanting to take your job: Ha, good luck, it's not as easy as you think. Caveats of the industry: This is a very small industry, so try not to piss anyone off. It's not as glamorous as everyone thinks. Kick-ass perks: Fashion itself! Can't get enough of it. Closing statement: Follow your passion and do what you love.
Find David's designs on Etsy HERE. Follow David's blog HERE.
*Disclaimer: Starbucks and Stilettos does is not affiliated in any way to the views and opinions posted in the blog interview. HAHA! A.k.a. I love Gagz.
Here is yet another look I loved from Toronto Fashion Week. Pair these crazy leggings with a trench, blazer, blouse or spring parka. And with such fabulous shoes, make sure to paint the toesies a great colour that will pop! My take on the look below.
Hey Folks. So here it is... finally.
My Toronto Fashion Week 'tell all' tale.
Once upon a time there was a little fashion lover who wanted to see what was going on in the Toronto fashion scene. She grabbed her media pass, her gift bag filled with products and her stilettos then headed to the Allstream Centre for a wild and entertaining ride.
There she saw fashion designs from the likes of Attitude by Sears, Andy Thé-Anh, Pink Tartan, Joe Fresh Style, David Dixon and Bustle.
Attitude by Sears
A rather 'expected' collection. They stayed true to their customer and produced many work-appropriate and wearable pieces. My favourites included lace under-pinnings, A-line skirts and daring 'open-concept' soft, flowing numbers. At the end of the show, Olympian Joannie Rochette walked the runway looking sweet as can be in an A-line skirt paired with a blouse, while receiving a warm applause from the audience. Oh! And the lace leggings we got in our gift bags were a plus. Still undecided on whether or not I have the courage to wear them myself.
Andy Thé-Anh
My favourite show of the event! Andy showed a femme fatale collection of sorts, though it was more of a spanish take on this. Dark eyes, slicked back hair and flowing fabrics framed the collection. The tailoring was magnificent and the ruffles which were prevalent had structure and lay close to the body; avoiding the 'frumpy' look we hate when an abundance of ruffles stand away from the bod. L-O-V-E-D the one strap silk green/army dress. Yes please.
Pink Tartan
I am sad to admit, but I was a tad underwhelmed with this collection. Though it did have the traditional Pink Tartan-style touches, it failed to really evolve in my opinion. The collection was Amelia Earhart inspired - yay aviation. The caps were weird and cute - but really not wearable. The hair was worn in a side braids à la Alexander Wang Spring 2010 (side note: can't wait to wear my hair like this!). A lot of mixed textures like sequins, wool and fur were shown. Not sure about it, you be the judge.
Joe Fresh Style
This show was off the hook - there were SO many people there it was crazy! A full-house mean't that there was hype and anticipation surrounding this show. Crystal Renn and Kirsten Owen lead the show. Joseph Mimran made sure his customers had chic, playful an oh-so-very affordable pieces to incorporate into their wardrobes. Soft and fluffy textures with faux fur everywhere (PETA would be proud). The show gave me a 'Russian school girl' feel. Love the pouffy hair too! I'm going to go grab some of these pieces come end of August (when fall collections typically hit the stores).
David Dixon
Barbie by David Dixon was the first to show. Mailbu Barbie anyone? Very 1960's so-cal. Side ponytails matched with pink and black houndstooth prints. Tons of wearable pieces including a very cute camel coloured three quarter length pea coat. Trend alert: look for camel, caramel coloured pieces this fall. Blazers, shift dresses, LBDs. You get the picture. Beach boys music played in the background and all I could think was "man, I want to go surfing!" Many pieces to mix into the work wardrobe.
Next to show was the David Dixon collection. The mood shifted for this one with a tribal themed show. Predator-like hair was swept back with predominantly black pieces seen down the runway. Texture was the name of the game with tulle, silk, lace and fur. Textured pieces like fur and feathers were kept up around the shoulders while ruffles flowed down the front of skirts. One mosaic mirrored dress was a cool piece, not that I would wear it. Large necklaces hung around the models' necks and strappy shoulder detailing was used on dresses. A visually stimulating collection.
Bustle
FINALLY, a menswear line! I had the good fortune of sitting front row for this one. This show was geek-chic in a good way. Yes, it is true that this look has been overdone, but the pieces in the collection were classics that guys are able to easily infuse into their wardrobes. Think straight leg pants and jeans - the plain grey pair of straight leg jeans were my personal fave. Blazers had military details on shoulders and buttons. V-neck cuts on sweaters and t-shirts - a look I feel the boys of Toronto typically wear and can appreciate. Checkered shirts were fun, as were the pin-striped suits worn as separates. The show, complete with turtlenecks under blazers paired with shiny pants, really reminded me of a millionaire's club... for the young and hip.
Overall, fashion week was a blast. I saw many people I hadn't run into in a while and threw a few elbows in order to get a good view for some shows. Apparently David Dixon's show was posted on Facebook as an open invite - this did NOT help the already over-capacity attendance situation. The one piece of gossip I do have is that at the end of the night on Wednesday, many of the models approached high profile attendees (Jeanne Bekker of FashionTelevision, Lisa Tant of Flare Magazine...) to sign a petition asking the FDCC (Fashion Design Council of Canada - headed by Robin Kay) to FEED them during the shows. Can you imagine? We as a society have such an issue with the size of our models and then the events they are hired to work at do not even feed the poor darlings. Le sigh.
Anyway, if you ever have the chance to attend a show or two, I suggest you do. It's quite the experience going and seeing the fashionistas at work!
Two weeks ago I attended Toronto Fashion Week. It was fun, inspiring and at times a little dangerous on account of the over capacity attendance. This is a good thing, don't worry! It means there is excitement and curiosity surrounding the event - a good sign for Canadian designers and the fashion industry. I also saw some pretty fab looking fashion monsters (terminology via Lady Gaga). Here's a pic I snapped of a girl sitting across from me, front row at the Bustle show. Sorry, I didn't have a chance to chat with her to get her name. If you know her, let me know! Mystery girl had a simple but elegant outfit on that was fresh and chic.
Here is my take on her look (below). I tried to keep the clothing accessible in case you would like to rock this style. More from fashion week to come, stay tuned.
First off, I hope everyone had a great Easter and/or passover. Now it's back to reality - time for spring cleaning and spring exercising. We'll deal with that another day... first I would like to share my crazy-amazing-wildly-tame Vegas experiences with you all.
On March 26th I set off on an 8 p.m. flight to Las Vegas with my boyfriend and his best friend and wife (who were meeting us there from Seattle). Two stiff drinks and two Dramamine pills later I was off in the air, happy as can be, dreaming of sunshine and shopping.
We were all staying at Encore, brother hotel to Wynn. We got a great deal ($600 - flight + hotel) to stay at this five-star hotel for three days and three nights. Our rooms were absolutely incredible and the view of the strip was a huge plus. Make sure you ask for the view of the strip when you book your trip - it's well worth it. Encore maintained its place as our hotel of choice even after we visited many others (Bellagio, Caesars, Mirage, New York New York, Treasure Island, Wynn...). We liked it because it had less traffic then the other hotels but had great amenities. It was also brand new.
Day 1 (Saturday) was spent lounging by the pool after a breakfast at Treasure Island. After this we went for a stroll down Vegas Blvd. (and saw Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O'Connell walking - cool!). We checked out some of the clubs (Ghost Bar & Pure among them) but decided going to our hotel club XS would be most convenient. Good thing too - if we didn't pre-purchase our tickets from the concierge earlier in the day we would have spent most of the night in a line! Before we went out, we hopped out to Bellagio for the all-you-can-eat buffet. The meat was good, but there is a long line up most nights so go before hunger strikes (at least an hour). The meal was around $40 on a weekend and we ate way too much. The dessert was disappointing but c'est la vie. Then we went to club XS where we benefited line bypass. The club extended all the way outside by the pool where there was plenty of space to escape from the steamy crowd. It was very packed but the night was great!
Day 2 After a quick bite, not worthy of review, the girls went shopping at Caesars The Forum Shops and the boys went sports betting at New York New York's ESPN Zone. We scored some super cute clutches at Marc Jacobs but were shy on luck when it came to clothing. We headed over to the Fashion Show mall on our way back for a quick perusal, but again didn't find much - only a pair of shoes each at Macy's (for a great price). Maybe the outlets would have been a more budget-friendly option. Live and learn. That evening we had reservations at Aria's 5 star restaurant, Jean-Georges Steakhouse. Unfortunately none of us enjoyed the ambience of Aria. Though this is the newest hotel in Vegas, it is by far (in our opinion) the coldest and most unappealing. It resembled an airport on the inside with its vast empty space and shiny floors and a Toronto condo from the outside. The service at the restaurant was terrible - the waiters were full of themselves and very disrespectful (must have been because we were the youngest table in the place). The steaks were o.k., definitely not the best and hardly worth the trip or price. I would suggest to skip this if you are looking for a nice dinner... there are many other restaurants to choose from in Vegas that are worthy. Next, we were off to The Mirage where we were going to see "LOVE" - the Cirque du Soleil Beatles show. We had amazing seats (which we purchased from the tickets vendor in the Fashion Show mall at a discounted rate day-of, recommend to do this). The show was great and we were pooped! We went back to sleep and started...
Day 3 (Monday, departure day) was spent packing and eating. The day was welcomed with an all-you-can-eat brunch buffet at the Wynn. The food here was much better than the food at Bellagio- I highly recommend. Plus, the price included all you can drink mimosas, bloody marys and champagne. Suffice to say I will be going on a severe cleanse very shortly. We made our way outside to the pool for a little more vitamin D and then showered off in the Spa after a few hours. After seeing the Spa we all wished we had gone for a service. It was an absolutely stunning space! Then, as if we hadn't eaten enough, we were off to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch. From here our friends headed to the airport and my boyfriend and I stayed at Caesars (where Cheesecake Factory was located) for a little gambling of our own. We placed a small sports bet and played some slots. We pretty much evened out and then decided to be on our way as well... Oh, p.s. the sports betting area at Caesars was great!
All-in-all the trip was amazing. I think it's all in the company that you keep. I can see how it can get out of hand for bachelor/bachelorette parties, but if you plan your time, you can see and do a lot. OH! One thing I forgot to mention- the cabbies are a**holes too. They expect $5 tips on $8 cab rides. Be warned - bring your 'tude when dealing with them. If you are planning a trip of your own soon, look for deals, reserve your dinners at fine dining restaurants and arrive well before 11 p.m. at clubs. Ladies - work your magic with the bouncers. Guys, you're out of luck... you'll have to pay for line bypass. Do not buy a bottle at a club, it's not worth it and do try to check out a show. If you're shopping, check the outlets unless you are willing to drop a couple G's. Finally, make SURE you take the day after you leave Vegas off. You will need the rest.
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