250 watches [per each 6 styles] for the whole world makes for quite the exclusivity, which is just what Missoni‘s collaboration with my personal favorite timekeeping brand Toywatch have done with their new collaborative collection.

The six model collection [three colors each] will be offered at select retail outlets worldwide; Vancouver’s Blubird being the only boutique in the city to have one set for purchase.   The Bay, Cupdio and Sophie Cosmetics & Accessories and Quebec’s Abe & Mary’s boutique each have sets available as well as Missoni’s boutiques.

Solestruck‘s Black Friday weekend sale is about to wind down, with Sunday and Monday marking the last two days of the sale.  The discounts have gotten gradually deeper, with these last few days the discounts have peaked to 50% off sale prices! For some shoes, that’s pretty incredible, especially when considering the brands and styles we’re talking about.

demiCouture’s favorites are the 6 following; Jeffrey Campbell’s Genius, canvas Just and epic Ministry for one group, Pour la Victoire’s Kesha, Minimarket’s lace up wedge and United Nude’s block heel bootie.  The Kesha are the best deal; they were originally $335!

The promo code you need to score the deal is “FP72HMPZF” and you’ve got to be logged in to score the deal.

I was lucky enough to snag a preview of the Dakota Group’s sample sale sale earlier this morning, so if there has been any remaining doubts about stopping by, allow me remove to them!

The sale features some fantastic designers at blowout prices; Mackage (outerwear and the new clothing range!), Pour la Victoire shoes, Kelsi Dagger shoes, Matt & Nat bags, Kaylee Tankus clothing (a label sold at Oak NYC if you aren’t familiar), Jenny Han (50% off wholesale!), Faryl Robin (an abundance of size 8 samples) and so much more. Check out the flyer for an entire list of brands, and get your arse down there (there is an ATM on site since they only accept cash)

There are tons of tees, leggings and sweaters (from FW10 and SS11); many starting at just $9 for a tee and $20 for a pullover.. trust me, there are pieces for every budget in this sale.

Let’s hope you have better luck than myself — I found a fecking brilliant grey Mackage puffer for $285, but with HST it came to just over my $300 [my budget for the sale], which was more than mildly devastating. Emo sigh.

My ‘hood’s Rio Theater is holding a midnight screening of The Royal Tenenbaums, which got me thinking about the character of Margot Tenenbaum.  She’s an icon of civilian misery with her furs as much as an aspect of her icon as her wooden finger and cigarette.  I’ve placed together a few bits and bites that remind me of Margot, pieces we can scatter within our own lives.

We can’t forget her marvelous furs; vintage cuts fit for a senior citizen, though with pieces as Diamond Vintage’s raccoon fur coat or Topshop’s oversized faux fur you aren’t going to be aging yourself but making a more intense style statement.

Of course a Superdry striped polo, Vivienne Westwood collar dress or Bodas Helium nude slip to go under would all work quite nicely.  Top off with a pair of black barrettes, Fossil vintage reissue satchel and Delfina Delettrez’s finger ring (perfect to mirror the wooden finger, wouldn’t you say!) and you’re channeling Margot completely.

If you love sweet, sweet vintage and are located within Vancouver, chances are you’ve been to F As In Frank on Main Street.  Frank is officially branching out from it’s previously all dude online eBay set into the domain of ladieswear with Errol Flynn.

Errol Flynn has a small selection to start, but the pieces are wins; a bodycon leather dress, sweater cardigan, cropped Mickey Mouse tee and partycrazy lace and mesh dress are all at $9.99!

Bookmark Errol Flynn; I’ve seen the stock at Frank and there’s nothing but gems in the bunker.. at least a handful of those wins will make their way to EF.

It’s nearly Black Friday time; the day when stores in the USA go freaking mental and can’t stop with the deals.  If you have any additional sale info, please feel free and share it by commenting or emailing me!

Acne: 30% off select styles [flyer]
Akira Chicago: up to 40% off styles [flyer]
AllSaints: 25% off all stock online and in store [flyer]
American Eagle: various deals in store only
American Apparel: 20% off all items, including sale [flyer]
Armani Exchange: 25% off all items
ASOS: 20% off Asos’ house brand items and free shipping

Beyond the Rack: deals on designers [YSL, Gucci, Chloe etc] all day [flyer] [invite]
Bloomingdales: 20-40% off [flyer]

Calvin Klein: up to 50% off, plus an extra additional [up to] 30% off [flyer]

French Connection: up to 40% off outerwear, up to 50% off dresses w/ promo code “BFFCFS”

Hautelook: designer watch blowout [invite]

Jules Smith: up to 60% off styles

LnA: 40% off entire purchase incl. sale items w/ promo code “BLKFRI” [flyer]
Lori’s Shoes: up to 50% off [flyer]

Mackage: 30% off select styles
MyJewelryBox.com: 25% off regular priced items, free shipping w/ promo code “BLACKFRIDAY”

Need Supply: free shipping w/ promo code “TURKEYTIME” [flyer]

Oak NYC: 30% off all clothing and shoes [flyer]
Opening Ceremony: 30-50% off select styles [flyer]

Patricia Field: free gift with $200+ purchase [flyer]

Sephora: Free black & white Sephora tote w/ $25 purchase w/ promo code “MYHAUL” [flyer]
Shameless Jewelry: 50% off styles and free shipping on Hautelook [invite] [product preview]
Shopbop: 20% off new items, spend more save more [flyer]
Singer22: spend more, save more (up to $500 off) [flyer]
Soia & Kyo: 40% off selected styles [flyer]
Solestruck: Friday-30% off, Friday-Saturday 40% off, Sunday-Monday 50% off sale items [flyer]
SSENSE: 30% off entire site w/ promo code “NOWORNEVER”
Steve Madden: 25% off entire purchase w/ promo code “THANKS25” [flyer]
Superdry:  spend $150, receive $30 off – Spend $200, receive $50 off – Spend $300, receive $75 off – Spend $400, receive $125 off – Spend $500, receive $175 off.

Topshop: 20% off jeans, shoes, selected dresses and more [flyer]

The film A Christmas Story was not a family favorite, though my step-mom thought it was quite funny and I finally got to appreciate the hilarity in my early teens when I’d visit my dad and the three of us would have a movie night.  To celebrate the art of cold weather dressing (and to avoid what I dub Randy Syndrome), I present the cold weather ‘must have’ list for the ladies and gents.

The jumper. Besides your undies (which at this rate should be thermal), your best bet is to layer a tee (long or short sleeved, depending on your length of time outdoors) with a thin wool sweater.  Don’t be skeptical of this; a thick sweater can’t be layered and therefore your look becomes less accommodating. Pick a pullover like Uniqlo’s ladies v-neck or AllSaints Code merino crew for the boys.  Colors and designs are negotiable; dress in what you’re comfortable with; only for example’s sake have block colors been used (Gant Ruger’s Fairisle jumper is an excellent reference point for a patterned piece)

The scarf and gloves. These are so important; your hands are the first things to tell your age and any chill on your neck will stab you to the bones! Pick between a regular wrap or circle scarf; either design is appropriate for both genders (hullo andros), though my picks are multi tonal grey pieces as the circle melange from Alexander Wang or Diesel’s 3-Mobin scarf.  Remember, it’s all about a thick knit that will keep out blistering winds.  When it comes to gloves, we need fingerless designs for our touch screen smartphones and covers for when we’re not tapping.  The answer lies within fingerless foldover mittens; particularly Coal The Lena’s, American Rag’s Jacquard mittens and Fred Perry’s pair.

The beanie (or toque), and earmuffs. A thick knit head cover is a must in chilling winds; ears get so cold so quickly! Pick a beanie with a bobble (or without), like Billabong’s Session beanie (which was included in the ladies’ beanie picks list), or Topman’s Military Button for the gents.  Remember, intensely cold weather is no environment for trilbys or the like; they’ll only blow off your head and no warmth will be retained!

The trouser. Though your jeans may be your first pick, they aren’t actually going to be the warmest option.  I’ve picked up a pair of mens wool trousers while thrifting (a brilliant $7; all that was required as a tapering) and they kept me chill free during the winter winds.  I’d wholeheartedly recommend a pair for everyone this winter; pick your preferred cut and you’re off to the races! My favorites for the ladies are the Sketon wool trousers and Native Son’s slim suit pant for the boys.  Tip: If it’s really cold, have a pair of thin long johns underneath.

The boots and socks. Last of all we have the area which circulation loves to beat down the most.. lower calves and feet.  I love Roots wool socks, but since they don’t sell them online we’ll feature another style.  O’Hanlon Mills sockies are typically meant for boys, but who cares – they’re colorful, thick, warm and fun.  For boots, take a peek at the mens and womens lists; they each hold 9 different picks.

Ideeli’s 7 Days of Black Friday sales have begun,which includes today’s boot sale.

Kicks on heavy discount include some pretty rad goods; over the knee Marc Jacobs suede, ($183 from $495) Max Studio’s shearling lined ankle bootie ($94 from $189), Joes Jeans’ over the knee suede ($127 from $350), Faryl Robin’s buckled mid shaft boot ($103 from $280) and Charles Jourdan’s Alda ankle bootie ($159 from $445) are demiCouture’s favorites.

This is just the beginning of Ideeli’s Black Friday madness, so get an invite to Ideeli now, before you miss out on the sales!

I’m always there for my boys, especially when it comes to fighting FUggs.  Of course, it was completely necessary to create a lovely list of alternatives to FUgging yourself now that the winter chill has set in and the apocablizzard could hit any day now.

As we learned with the ladies’ boot list, fur lined boots are an easy option for keeping heat in – check out ASOS’ house lined boat boots, Kamik’s Pearson, Neil Tylor’s washed shearling, Ralph Lauren’s Tavin boots, Marc Jacobs’ lined and John Varvatos’ divine ghurka shearling lined boots (which happen to be my pick for design and purchase price!)

The rest of the pack may not be furry, though they’re ready to keep out the cold – check Dolce & Gabbana’s waxed suede, Timberland’s Tackhead and Sorel’s Maverick boot are perfect pieces for your consideration.  They are also varied in price points, since not all of us are D&G budgeters.

I’ve been seeing some disturbing Twitter conversation of late, which includes the consideration of wearing FUggs in Vancouver’s current cold snap to keep heat to the feet.  This is not an acceptable option, since there are so many more functional footwear alternatives to select – let’s check the list (this applies to both ladies and gents, since nobody should be FUgging themselves, no matter their gender)

The key to keeping warm is a fur lining.  Whether you go for the real stuff or faux it moot; it’s that lining that will keep you cozy, even if you have terrible circulation as myself.  The first group are more of the snow friendly; Juicy Couture’s Sarabeth, Dr. Martens’ fur lined Serena and Acne’s Trooper – these are tall, good gripping boots that will do well in super chills.

North American traditionalists will enjoy the designs of Punto Pigaro’s Polo moccasin or Topshop’s Alberry sheepskin boot, which is as close to FUgg territory as you’re going to get on demiCouture.  For the rest of the time when it’s temperature dive time and you want to look like you haven’t stepped out of mukluk territory, Pied A Terre’s Orca, Guiseppe Zanotti’s lined biker boot, Topshop’s Alpaca boot and River Island’s Speedy bike boot are ideal incantations of your warmer weather favorites now made winter ready.

Unless you are picking up a piece on eBay from the H&M x Lanvin collection that is at or below tag value, you’re an idiot. Why? Let’s count the ways.

You can get a vintage Lanvin for $800 (or less if you know where to look and have luck on your side), and everybody and their teacup poodle won’t have the same one during the holiday season. Your materials will be of a higher quality, design will be [of course] timeless and in 50 years you will be still wearing the dress if you treat it right; there is no way an H&M design is going to last a half century even under optimal conditions.  A story on The Cut today counted that many shoppers indeed spent as much on the diffusion as they would have buying the real, higher quality design.  Also, to anyone who pushes the quantity over quality argument, you clearly have zero understanding of why one seeks to attain a luxury item versus a piece from the high street.

Many of the [higher priced] items have been marked up 50+%. Just because some idiot had the time and bank to buy a handful of these pieces does not mean you should make their scheme worthwhile.  After a few months, these pieces are going to show up in local consignment, on Craigslist or even eBay for significantly lesser amounts; if you’re still boning over them at that point that would be the time to pick up.

You won’t be embarrassed for being a foolhardy spender. As much as you can boast you don’t care what others think, it’s guaranteed you’ll feel some hyper shame for dropping that much on an eBayed dress from H&M, no matter what the collaborative designer was.

Another designer collab will hit H&M again, and you’ll crap your pants over it. Again. Yep, the cycle will repeat itself.  Hell, you probably can’t even remember when H&M x Jimmy Choo dropped, and it will be the same with H&M x Lanvin.  This is not to dissuade shoppers from buying at all, only to remember what something is actually worth before dropping serious currency on an item while suffering a pop culture fever.

The Outnet recently pulled a Heidi Montage and came back at us with a whole new face.  To celebrate their new Most Wanted gift list, the Outnet is giving away a $5,000 (or £3,000) shopping credit!

All you’ve got to do is flag your favorite items and you’re automatically entered.

When the original [black] On Fire boots released on Solestruck, they were sold out before one could blink, much less order them in time.

There is good news for slow clickers – the On Fire kicks have been released in a distressed grey leather, a huge 20″ shaft height and gold tone buckles make for an incredible statement boot.

They are available in sizes 6 through 11, fitting true to size. If you aren’t familiar with Solestruck, their size guide is one of their best qualities; the fit model always provides excellent feedback to potential buyers.

To get On Fire will only cost $265.. not too bad for such a tall, embellished boot!

Jean Paul Gaultier is the king of odd, and while his frames may not exude strange, they can be just that accent your look may require.

Case and point, the JPG Strasbourg frames – perfectly large and black, $95 from $229.  While BTR labels these as ladies’ frames, I maintain that these are androgynous; the size and shaping scream ‘wear me’ to either gender.

I’m closely considering making the buy for these Strasbourgs myself, and the writing insignia on the arms just sweetens the deal.

Beyond the Rack is a private shopping club that gives you mental deals (as you can tell)..  get an invite right now!

There are times when even the overstated must understate, and when those times come around it’s a minimalistic statement piece that is called to action.  While ‘minimalistic statement’ may seem like an oxymoron, it’s not in the least – a deconstructed design can be just as effective when worn properly as something embellished.

Minimalism doesn’t necessarily mean you’re stuck with plain tops and bottoms; while Alexander Wang’s sheath dress is fantastic, Dion Lee’s top with arm cut outs or DVF’s Lilly boots with leather paneling provide alternate accents while wearing minimalist design.

Minimalism can apply to a color blocking style as well; Topshop’s suede playsuit and Loeffler Randall’s rain boots both have more design detail than the average minimalist piece while solid shades play a trick on the eye.  For those that require movement and depth in their pieces, fabric folds give this to a basic design easily on Carven’s wool blend skirt.

For truly basic basics, you cannot get more stripped down than H by Harris’ leather shoulder bag or Jeffrey Campbell’s Bomba ankle boot.  Mix these pieces within more intricately designed pieces for a nice spray of minimalism, or go all in.  Either way, ensure that you’re wearing more than a plain dress and plain boot, or I’ll have to diagnose you with Vancouver Syndrome, wherever you are in the world.

It’s been a while since we’ve had a dose of the absurd, so let’s beam up this brilliance together – this is Maison Martin Margiela’s fur headdress, the true spirit of eccentricity in a hairy case.

This isn’t typical fur, either – it’s Murmansky, which is Chinese raccoon dog.  SSense notes the hat is made in Italy, so let’s hope the furs are sourced outside of China itself where Chinese officials have actually admitted to attaching any label to a garment to sell it – they are notorious for inhumane fur farming.

That aside, this design is truly tribal fantastic.  If you’re ready for the pleasure, prepare to dish $5,425 for this massive hairy hat.

As a regular recipient of private deliveries (I ballpark 1-4 per week), so I’m used to both public and private courier services coming to my door, me missing deliveries and having to retrieve the occasional package at a warehouse myself.  What I’m not used to is being subjected to the subterranean customer service DHL offered today; let me explain:

Due to DHL’s Vancouver warehouse actually being located within Richmond near YVR, I took the half hour skytrain ride down to the airport.  Once there, I hopped a cab to the DHL warehouse on 5000 Miller Road; a very close trip (see for yourself) though too hazardous to walk due to large vehicles and a lack of pedestrian protection from the vehicles on the road.

It took five minutes to get to DHL, and almost 40 to leave.  Since one would assume that a courier would have steps and staff in place to avoid extended waits, I had the cab wait for me outside.  There were no other cabs percolating around I could catch if I sent my current away, and certainly no way I could safely walk back to the YVR skytrain station.

I entered the office, and joined a queue of [at that moment] 7 people.  They were waiting while a single woman was attempting to find and/or post their packages and tend to their needs.  Multiple times during my wait she would disappear for 5-10 minute intervals to ‘find packages’, and return with nothing in hand citing that ‘someone else was looking for it’.

During that time, an older gentleman remarked that he had each been there for intervals of about 1.5 hours; an older lady said nearly an hour herself.  Others were also wearing thin on their patience, and when one gentleman queried about the wait time and if there was someone who could help the single woman processing everyone’s requests, she snapped that they were ‘understaffed’ and nobody else was around.  This was queer, since every time the short woman disappeared behind the doors I could clearly hear laughing coming from the back.. if you have time to laugh, you have time to work faster.

After approximately 30 minutes, the woman at the front disappeared to ‘find my package’.  While she was gone, another DHL rep miraculously appeared to assist a young Asian woman who had been waiting for some time to inform her that only one of her packages had been found; the other was ‘missing in action’ and they would have to find it first, then attempt a 3rd delivery (which I was explicitly told DHL doesn’t do, as I had already requested this via phone the day prior).

My package was found 10 minutes later, and the line had increased during my wait to that of 7-8 people including two parents with small children.  I went out to the cab, which had incurred a $31 and change tab; $35 after he brazenly included his tip in my change from $40.

This was doubtlessly the worst courier and general customer experience I’ve had in quite some time, and certainly hope DHL takes this complaint seriously and refunds me the cab fare.  If not, I will be certainly crawling up DHL’s  corporate leg with a knife in my teeth.

Every so often I enjoy fanning the flames of aggravation of a particular corner of the pseudo fashion community.  My favorite group is the FUgg lover; reckless in their love for a shapeless, hideous sheepskin boot with as many knockoffs roaming the streets are there are the real thing.

They’re wretched, and if you do insist on wearing them do not confuse yourself with anything close to stylish (that includes you Jimmy Choo FUggers, too)

The Dakota Group is gathering their goods to hold another Vancouver clothing sale, this round has mega deals of up to 80% off.  TDG imports pieces from label loves such as Mackage, Black Orchid, Graham & Spencer, Matt & Nat, Something Else by Natalie Wood, Pour La Victoire and Kelsi Dagger.  Check out their full list of brands here; you never know what’s going to be on the sale pedestal!

These are hyper brands that everyone wants, so grab a piece or two for yourself and perhaps get a jump on early Christmas shopping!

Want to preview the sale with me? If you’re free on November 25th (a Thursday) in the morning, drop a comment on this status on the demiCouture FB page and you could be getting first pick of the goods before anyone else!

RSVP on the Crackbook event, and don’t get discouraged by the ‘sample sale’ tag.. there apparently are loads of sizes for all!

It’s the time of the year when it’s time to get prepared for holiday party season, which spells party dresses en masse.  We’ve got three very different frocks on the menu for today; free and shiny A-line, super wrapped bodycon and a gothic feather number – incredible dresses, all $100 and under.

For the feminine gals, Topshop’s embellished lace overlay dress is picture perfect for a classic evening, while Arden B’s bodycon is incredibly femme fatale.  Miss Selfridge’s asymmetrical feather is my pick for the avant-garde individualist; its feathers sit atop a demure bodycon style to give the look a boost of personality fellow party goers are going to love.