Bikinis are most fun when you mix and match the styles; juxtaposing styles or prints have you looking style forward, and some of the pieces below are the best currently on the market for the 2011 winter vacation season and hot weather prep!

I’m loving Tara Matthews’ embellished tops; the embellished bandeau being my favorite for its near armor-like style, along with the lilac version.  Zimmermann’s pieces are favorites due to their minimalism and near androgyny; the strappy Copy Cat and Thistle Weave bikini pairs are both very different designs that have a sense of basic design being of utmost importance for their wearer.

Lisa Marie Fernandez has been a favorite for her new label’s sporty, streamlined style.  The Fernandez designed black Natalie bikini is chosen for its mixability as well as minimalism.  Snappy prints are always at the top of every swimsuit buyer’s list; Anthropologie’s Mojave top and bottom being an obvious choice, along with Tilly’s affordable Love Game bottoms and Rosa Chá’s all over stripe and bra-like top.

My favorite bottom of the group is The Lake And Stars’ micromesh [TLAS recently did a Shop-In-Room sale at The Waldorf Hotel; check out the photos]; that would be my ideal pairing with the Tara Matthews armor bandeau! If financials allow me to splurge this season, those would be the pairing I would make.

Designer rain coats are always at the forefront of everyone’s mind throughout the seasons; they’re necessary in most climates throughout the entire year, and a properly tailored rain coat can make you look oh so slick.

I was recently pointed in the direction of Norwegian Rain; purveyors of some of the most delicious gear one can buy.  European design is fused with Japanese sensibilities in Norwegian Rain, providing some truly beautifully designed pieces for those in damp climates.

demiCouture favorites include the beautiful Raincho ($534), double breasted rain coat ($935) and the double breasted herringbone coat ($1,270), all shown below.  There is a full collection of rain beauties available at their online shop, which I recommend you do a full tour of.

While Ed Hardy threads may certainly be a beacon of stupidity, though the surfacing of the Louis Vuitton monogram tattoo is a whole new level of lunacy.

We’ve all seen the pigs that have been tattooed with the LV monogram, but the guy who has mutilated his arm’s epidermis to create an entire sleeve dedicated to the brand’s logo pattern.

One can’t even imagine what was going through this clearly confused young man’s head whilst having this ink infused under his skin.  It’s one thing to love a brand, it’s another to permanently scrawl their corporate logo on yourself, no matter what the image represents; a luxury fashion label, car manufacturer, whatever.

I shudder at the thought of this handbag man passing on these genetics.

Chatterbox Social Media is launching their lovely selves, and have secured not only a killa venue, but some spectacular door prizes to thank those celebrating their company along with them!

Prizes include bits and bites from Bombay Brow Bar (I love them – see why), Noir Lash Lounge, Blo and loads more. I’ll be there, and you should swing by for the good times, [potential] free stuff and drink specials.  Oh, and there’s no cover, because that would be fa-la-la-la-lame – you have no excuse not to be there!

Florence’s fashion week [Pitti Immagine Uomo] ends today, and while Firenze is a relatively small art driven city in scheme of the world, its fashion events are second to none.

Pitti recently saw one of my favorite designers show; the one and only Gareth Pugh.  Check out GP’s rather adorable interview with (and within) Luisa via Roma, who just completed another round of Firenze4Ever, a fashion blogger party of which I had the pleasure of attending round #1 last summer.

MORE: See Pugh’s Pitti womenswear presentation, and watch the film he was talking about in the below interview.

This editorial consists of myself being shot wearing all JNBY clothing I styled myself.  Accessories were supplied by Kenneth Yuen, my dear photographer who largely made them himself (so don’t ask where you can buy them).

I particularly enjoyed the trench and some weirdly, yet amazingly cut jeans that had a side button and loose[ish] crotch. Oh, and the hoods.. I always love a great hood.

Enjoy!

When your email appears from a major designer’s email blast list with a severe grammar slip in the subject line, one can only wonder who is actually writing the content.

For all who feel they may require a tutorial: The Difference Between Your And You’re

The leather skinny trouser/legging craze has been going strong for a while now, and yet I (like many others I assume) have been left without a pair to call my own.  I’ve sat out of the leather bottom race for multiple reasons; price being the big ticket reason, and local selection (to try on in person) being the other.

These Twenty8Twelve Iman skinnies will make you want to take a chance with online shopping; at 75% off they are only $125 US, which is a freaking screamer of a deal for all over leather bottoms.  You may have seen other pieces at this price, though they only include a panel of leather on the front with cheaper materials covering most of the real estate.

The best part is these Imans wear like a legging; they have zippered ankles, yet fasten at the side which avoids the elastic waistband.  There are so many wins here, why are you waiting?!

I was sent a package of MyFaceWorks products a while ago, and am officially miffed with myself that it took this long to begin to try out the products inside.

Last night was my first ever usage of a MyFaceWorks product, and while I’d heard people’s ‘ohmygawd I love that product’ confessionals, I’m not one to believe idle internet chatter.

Last night I peeled the I Need A Clear Day mask out of its package, and applied it to my face.  After getting over the ‘I look like Hannibal Lecter’ hump, I set my timer for 20 minutes and continued about my evening amusements.

The smell of the mask was immediately noticeable; it was moderate, yet was a pleasant scent.  You could pick up different notes of ingredients, yet it wasn’t pungent or unpleasant.  As minutes passed, I could feel a delightful cooling of my skin and a light softening.  After the full 20 had passed, I peeled off the mask and wiped any excess drip over my face to prevent wastage.

It was when I woke up the next morning that I had a pleasant surprise; my skin had visibly calmed from the day before.  My face’s epidermis is historically a fit thrower; it’s prone to dryness, oiliness and acne, and typically never feels calmed.  When I woke, redness was noticeably reduced, and my skin still felt softer – it was brilliant!

I can solidly recommend this product for both men and women; there is nothing that gender flags this product for use by ladies only.  As men with problem skin [typically] do not wear makeup, products like this that create a visible difference overnight can be just what one needs to begin damage repair.

Verdict: I can’t wait to try the rest of the MyFaceWorks collection.

It’s the year of the rabbit in Chinese astrology, and if you’re into wearing themes then there’s no better reason to pick up a few rabbity inspired pieces for 2011.  It’s not all fluff and nonsense, and certainly involves no Hello Kitty-esque anime to spoil a perfectly good look.  No, these are all serious business rabbits, the luckiest rabbits!

The easiest way to incorporate a hopper into your daily style is through jewelry; think bunny rings like Disney’s White Rabbit, Me & Zena’s Bright Eyes, LHC’s bunny ring or Topshop’s dangle earrings.  There have also been a release of rabbit related prints on jumpers and tees; Yesstyle’s bunny jumper is one of my favorites for its image and affordability.

For the braver of the bunch, go for the rabbit bags. The three I’ve chosen are quite the statement pieces; See By Chloé’s and Mandy Coon’s Ginny bags are both leather perfect pieces that won’t have you reeking of child-like gauche.  If you’re baller enough for the Judith Leiber guns, the Rabbit Collector Miniaudiere is a beautiful choice that will last to be handed down generations.

Jeffrey Campbell’s Tick has finally been usurped, and by a bootie with closed toe no less! (we all know how I loathe open toed boots)

Instead of tacks littering the platform and wedge, we have lines of zipper teeth, in gold or black to create the Turino.  The wedges offer quite the varied image depending on your zipper colors, so much so that you nearly get a different look from each style.

The Turinos are $245, and are guaranteed to be seen on some of the most intense feet this season.  I can already feel the reverb on lookbook.nu, and it’s slapping me in the face!  6 through 11 available, including half sizes.

Right before the holidays, I styled and wore a bunch of awesome goods from JNBY.  My dear eccentric lovely Kenneth Yuen did the photo taking, and we ran around all afternoon in what could not have been a soggier Kitsilano.

It was loads of fun, though – this image is a preview of the set.

A clean, minimalistic over the knee boot is hard to find at a reasonable regular price, much less on sale.  Ideeli is currently offering Mea Shadow boots which are stocked at the likes of Nordstrom and Net-A-Porter, only here you can get them at heavy discount.

These beauties are currently $199, from $425! Only size 11 is sold out, which means that pairs in sizes 6 through 10 (half sizes included) are still in stock.

I love the little tassel at the back; it gives the boots a little something extra that perhaps (minus the added shaft height) a shorter riding boot would already offer.  The low heel is also a plus; you could wear these anywhere, for long hours.

Oh, did I mention these boots are also available in grey leather as well? So awesome.

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Suede shorts are so 2010; it’s all about the suede skirt for the coming cooler seasons.  Material juxtaposition with seemingly inappropriate designs is still very much a part of hot design this year, and so suede skirts only make sense within that landscape.

Even better is the design of the skirting; they are far more safari-esque utilitarian than plain, though we still have more minimalistic feminine A-lines which are very layer friendly.  When it coes to suedes, we have wrap skirts like Derek Lam’s, a circle skirt from Apiece Apart (both which happen to be on sale), or my favorite KAUFMANFRANCO’s utility skirt.

In the leather world, Topshop’s Premium long gray skirt is queen, while Apiece Apart’s leather mini or 3.1 Phillip Lim’s very Matrix Reloaded nude fishtail number.  Whatever style you choose, leather has not been confined to cold weather wearings for ages! If you haven’t yet done so, get ready to break out your springtime skins!

OK, so scope this leather jacket – it’s vintage, Harley Davidson and actually really soft for being reasonably thick leather. Asking $90 (lowered price!) Vancouverites only, please

-vintage Harley Davidson (a LEGIT bike jacket!!)
-leather is thick, but soft
-large circular studs on various areas incl. the epaulets (shoulder), studs are very well attached (by Harley Davidson, not a DIY job), no studs missing
-fits a size small comfortably; could layer under the jacket without tightness (labeled LG for reasons unknown)
-pocket zips on the side of jacket, wrist zips on each arm, asymmetric middle zip, all zippers in perfect working order

Want this gem? Email me!!

In the age of apps, it’s quite odd that Net-A-Porter’s sibling website The Outnet has opted not to go that route, but with only a mobile shopping website instead.

Even curiouser is that in their mail blast, they provided only a QR code to provide the actual link to said website.  Perhaps I’m under valuing the personal tech knowledge of the average luxury shopper, but I’m going to take a stab that most people aren’t familiar with QR codes and how they work, or at least aren’t as comfortable as The Outnet is assuming them to be.  Regardless, no traditional URL link was provided.

After jumping to the mobile site; one is prompted to make a country selection (USA or international) and submit, which brings you to a basic, easily navigable version of the full Outnet site [screencapture].

From there on, you get a one item-per-line interface where item description, price and discount rate are easily seen.  The website itself is just what something of this kind should be, only one would also argue that it should be in easily launchable app form instead.

I can officially confirm that The Lake And Stars lingerie is quite lovely.  It’s not over the top like an Agent Provocateur piece, though is quite effective in its undie charm.  There are loads of mesh, sharp sparks of orange here and there and some delightful buttless tie dyed leggings (everyone seems to be after them!)

Check out the photos of the items below; these were photographed by myself in room today and all of the items shown will be available for sale.  There are limited quantities, so be sure to get yourself to The Waldorf promptly at 7PM [FB event] tonight for the launch.  I’ve heard there were quite a few private shopping appointment requests, so if you want some lingerie to dazzle your Other, being there tonight is a sure fire must.

Lady Gaga has been the creative director at Polaroid for months, and until now we had yet to see the fruits of their collaboration.  As her first task, she has created a pair of sunglasses capable of capturing photo and video – dubbed the GL20 model from the ‘Grey Label’ collection.

We already know how much The Gaga loves product placement (not limited to her own brand collabs), so we know that these sophisticated specs will be appearing within her new single video, whenever that decides to grace us.

As a side note, this is the longest period Lady Gaga has taken to release a new single and video, so one can assume whatever she chuks at us will be somewhat of an intense spectacle (hah.. pun fully intended), even by her standards.

There’s no word yet on how one can purchase these oddities, though there is more Grey Label coolness to see here.

When it comes to a trench, you can always find an Old Faithful style at Topshop.  Not only that, but said Old Faithful will be fairly reasonably priced (as Topshop typically is for it’s quality mark) and it will become a staple in your wardrobe throughout many seasons.

There are increasing amounts of times when Topshop has held such fantastic statement pieces that twist traditional with current trending.  Insert Topshop’s Best of British trenches; these are fantastic Burberry-esque pieces that evoke both British sensibility and European design eccentricity.

With particular enthusiasm I am featuring the Shetland & Sheepskin trench [middle;$790]; a rough and tumble way to showcase the shearling trend, and the gilet style of the fur is quite the statement.  Other than the shearling accompaniment to many of the trenches, we have waxed cotton and beautifully flattering skirting on a few of the pieces.

Price points are higher than average ($460 – 790 US), though that means higher quality will be there.  As for the non furry styles, my favorite is definitely the plaid infused Check Asymmetric Hem style ($460).

Some of my favorite Steve Madden kicks are currently on sale at Ideeli; the buckled combat HOOOD boot (which I own, $64 from $130), heeled FREEWWAY ($89 from $170), over the knee ILUSIONN ($59 from $99) and Alexander Wang Freja-inspired P-DEVA ($55 from $140).

The P-DEVAs are my personal pick, and while they are open toed you can totally wear a leather sock or something sheer with them in the winter time.

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